"I've told you time and time again,
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
And we all fell down when the sun came up,
I think we've had enough."
-Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time, by Panic! At the Disco
ROSES POV
Rose sat on the stiff hotel chair, mindlessly fiddling with a pen. While Cali and Angela went out shopping for food, she and Ikol were forced to sit and wait in the room. It was a miracle they even were able to stay at a place this fancy-she would of thought that the hotel registration desk would think it was odd that four disheveled, tired teens came up with eight thousand dollars in cash, but Rose guessed that Ikol's illusions were stronger that she originally thought. She yawned, stretching out her sore limbs. Her loose, white t-shirt and sweatpants felt like heaven, compared to the dirty clothes.
God, how long does it take for them to get some goldfish? Rose thought, slumping to her chair. The boredom was absolutely excruciating.
"Do you want to go down to the pool or something?" Ikol sighed, poking his head out of the bathroom.
"No…" Rose moaned. "I just want to go to sleep."
"Rose, it's three in the afternoon." Ikol rolled his eyes. "C'mon, we have to do something."
"Angela said we have to lay low." Rose slowly lifted herself out of the chair. "And that's what we're doing. Laying low." She yawned as she flopped down onto the soft, cotton sheets. In a flash, Rose had grabbed the TV remote. Pointing it at the large black screen, she lightly pressed the ON button. The TV flickered for a moment, before bursting to life.
"What the hell is that?" Ikol hissed. He was talking about the over-acted soap opera, which was the first channel to appear on the screen.
"No idea." Rose sighed. She watched the different channels flicker by as she mashed the CHANNEL UP button. Finally, she stopped on the CNN news channel. "Here we go." The two sat in silence, watching the reporters drone on. Most of their stories were about the stock market, or some remote Middle Eastern country.
"This is boring." Ikol hissed. "There's nothing good on-"
"Breaking news!" The news anchors voice cut in. "A recent attack in Stuttgart, Germany left five wounded and one dead. A man, claiming to be a god, terrorized a crowd of citizens before Captain America and Iron man were able to apprehend him."
Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a sweaty, breathless girl holding a bag full of food.
"Guys!" Callie yelled, carelessly throwing a bag of groceries onto the ground, "the Loki guy was on TV!–"
"We know," cut in Rose, standing up. "I think he's been taken by SHIELD."
"We have to find Torrun," said Ikol sternly, turning the television off. "And if SHIELD has the guy who took her–"
"Hey, where's Angel?" Rose asked suddenly; Callie had come in alone.
"She said she was going back to the room…" Callie started before mumbling, "damnit. She split!"
"What?!" Rose huffed. Callie was right–Angela was nowhere to be seen. Poking her head out of the doorway, Rose looked from side to side.
"When did you last see her?" Ikol asked. Jumping off the bed, he jogged up to Callie and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Rose felt a sudden rage burst forth, and it only grew when Callie didn't push Ikol's hand off.
"After we bought the groceries, she just up and left," Callie said after a moment, most likely remembering the marketplace. "She seemed nervous."
"It's not important right now," said Rose determinedly, "we need to break into SHIELD so we can talk to Loki. We have to get Torrun back."
Callie nodded. "Let's do it."
Callie's POV
"This way!" Ikol hissed; the trio had managed to get lost in the airport, which was incredibly strange, since a lot of the signs were captioned in english. But that wasn't the point! What was the point was that they had bought as many tickets as possible with what money they had had left. Supposedly, they were headed to Cairo, Stuttgart, somewhere in Canada, as well as India.
But they were really headed to New York.
They had to stay under the radar–being found at this point would only incapacitate them.
"Where's that stupid security thing?" Callie snarled, looking around.
"There," said Rose, pointing to the other side of the airport. "Can't you read it?" She turned to her silent friends. "What?"
"It's on the other side of the frickin' airport, Rose," was Callie's instant response.
How did she see that?
"C'mon, we don't want to miss our plane." Ikol nodded towards the security gates. The three jogged over to the (surprisingly) short line, and made their way up to the front desk, where a large woman in uniform met them.
"So, where are you traveling today?" She asked as she skimmed through the teen's passports.
"New York." Rose said. Callie could see Rose's hands start to shake as she lied. "Transferring onto another plane to Bali."
God. Cali thought. Please let her be stupid enough-
"Oh, that's nice. Have a safe flight." The lady hurriedly signed the tickets and motioned them through. "Just go through here." As she tossed her backpack into the grey bins, Callie's mind started to drift back to Angela. Sure, she and Ikol were technically lovers by now, but some part of her still missed Angel. Callie wished that the sorceress was here with them, sharing in the small, but memorable, experience.
She would of loved this.
A smile played on Callie's lips as she thought of what Angel would do–of course, if she was here.
She'd probably just teleport through the whole security line.
Yup.
She'd do that.
But Angel isn't here. She's gone, and it's all my fault–
"Callie?" Ikol broke Callie out her trance, his emerald eyes locked with hers. A tentative hand was placed on her shoulder, it's grip tightening with every passing second. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." Callie sighed, placing her hand over Ikol's. "Just thinking about Angel."
"Hate to break up this love fest–" Rose rolled her violet eyes as she gazed at the couple. "But maybe you should know that our bags just went through." Rose held out Callie's small, black backpack. "And, surprisingly, they didn't stop them."
"What do you mean, 'surprisingly'?" Callie raised an eyebrow. "Rose, is there some you want to tell us?" Callie watched as a crazed smile grew on Rose's face.
"Whaat? How dare you accuse me of such villanry!" Rose giggled.
"Hey guys?" Ikol pointed up at the clock. "Plane. Boarding. In like five minutes."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose giggled evilly, "kiss already!"
Ikol's face flushed, while Callie just raised an eyebrow. "Come on," Callie said, noticing the sign to their gate. "Let's go."
Callie sat in the very back of the Fun-Vee, as her father had put it. Her white lace dress bright against the dull colors, her hair up in a swirled bun. As always, the bracelet that helped her survive was latched onto her arm. Diamond earrings swung in motion to the Fun-Vee.
In front of her, Tony held a demitasse of alcohol, the ice clinking against the glass. California would kill for some; the flight had been long and the presentation, while cool, was not a good time to show off her impressive drinking skills. And neither was here, with US soldiers.
Completely ignoring the conversation in front of her, which could have been nothing short of bor-ing, Callie inspected the landscape outside. It was barren, hot, and duh-sty! She probably shouldn't have worn her favourite white dress. But it was just calling to her, you know? Besides, if it got ruined, she could just buy another.
Suddenly, Callie was lurched to the side, hitting her head hard. Her ears started ringing, and she tasted blood squirting out of her tongue. More leaked down the side of her face, as her father turning to her. He said something, but she couldn't even hear him. She grabbed his hand, panic clawing a hole in her stomach. Soon enough, he pulled her up and out of the car.
Callie stumbled in a daze, unsure of what was happening to her. What if she was like this forever? Finally, she heard something, right behind her. Whipping around so fast she fell, Callie saw the missile before it exploded, sending her into oblivion. And what more, she saw what was on the missile:
Stark Industries.
California's eyes flew open, her breathing unsteady as a ghost of pain flickered through her body, reminding her of how she felt when she'd woken up with wires sticking out of her chest.
Without looking, she knew Rose was quietly playing a game of cards with Ikol next to her. Not wanting to disturb them, Callie rested her head against the cold window, her panicked breathing calming to a steady rhythm. Headphones that had been wrapped in plastic rested on her head, the volume pumped up to the max. Her thoughts turned to New York, and her dad.
She really, honestly missed him. She hadn't even been able to talk to him, and she knew that all his letters had been kept by Fury. She missed the time when they'd skip some stupid press conference and find some crazy food place, eating their full before going out to see a new movie.
Unfortunately, they had been separated by SHIELD, Tony being told that Callie was stuck at some boarding school. He received fake letters from Fury, which were surprisingly convincing.
Thoughts drifting away from her father, Callie started reflecting on Rose and Ikol. Of course, Rose was her best friend, at least here. She was impulsive and naive, but loyal to the bone. Ikol, on the other hand was a troublemaker, with a hidden side as delicate as new frost. She doubted he even knew who his parents are, and even if he did, he wouldn't tell her during their nightly adventures.
And what did she think of herself?
What she knew was she was too selfish for these people. Ikol was kind and caring under his icy exterior, no matter what he'll try and sell to you. And Rose had this sort of purity about her, like she was too good for this world, too delicate, although she might scratch your eyes out if you mention it.
Callie also knew that she was afraid. More afraid than either of them. Because she knew what was in store. She knew people would die, and that Rose and Ikol had never been through an experience like that. Watching someone's life dim in their eyes. Their mind slowing to a halt. The seemingly endless hum of life, the constant movement, vanish right before you.
Callie knew what was coming.
And she was sure she was going to get caught in the middle of it.
Alex's POV
"We've got some leads on where they might be heading," said Natasha, the screen behind her filled with a map. "There are several flights they seem to be going on, including ones that head to Cairo, Quebec, Goa, Stuttgart, and New York."
"Can't you tell which ones are fake?" Alex asked cooly, his arms crossed over his chest as he examined the room. Most of the adults seemed worried, others angry, and one was really pissed off. He noticed Rebecca was sitting extremely quietly, probably because she didn't know what to say. She never knew what to say.
"Unfortunately," Natasha added, looking over to her son, "we cannot. They're good, good enough to take hours just to eliminate one possible flight."
"Impossible," Alex snorted. "That lot can barely see past their noses. California can't even pick up a weight, let alone make her own bed."
"Strength isn't everything, Alexander," Natasha warned, just before Tony groaned.
"We should go after them!" He exclaimed. "Our children could be anywhere in the world right now, for all we know they could be in Canada! Canada!"
"Tony, now is not the time," snapped Natasha, "and we can't go after them because we've got our own problem."
"Oh, right," Tony sarcastically said, "the 'god'."
"You know damn well what a god can do," glared Natasha, while Tony just rolled his eyes.
"Natasha, all we have are stone cold facts. There's no room for gods in the world we've created."
Callie's POV
"We're here!" Rose exclaimed, standing proudly next to the airport's massive entrance. Colorful blobs of tourists seemed to float by, only stopping to gaze at the assortment of mini-shops that lined the street.
"Holy shit." Ikol breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. "Holy motherfucking shit."
"Why were we never allowed out here!" Rose cried, throwing her arms up in the air. "This is like, awesome! Way better than SHIELD!"
"Anything is better than SHIELD." Callie smiled as she pulled her friends close. "Especially New York." Without another word, she led the two into the moving crowd, careful to keep her eyes on Rose. Rose had always had a tendency to wander off. After about half an hour of grueling walking,
"Hey! Look over–" Rose gasped. She started to pull towards whatever held her interest, but Callie stopped her.
"Not now." Callie sighed. "We need to find somewhere to sleep." She paused to look up at the sky. "And fast. The sun looks like it's going to set pretty soon."
"I agree." Ikol said. He looked mischievously down at Callie. "By the way, how many rooms did you book?"
"Two."
The smile on Ikol's face grew even wider.
Huh.
He actually wants me.
Weird.
"Well," Rose yawned. "I just wanna sleep."
"Lucky for you, the hotel is-" Callie reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper map. Tracing her finger along the creased surface, she stopped at a small, red circle.
"Here. It's not too far, just about five blocks ahead." Callie pursed her lips. She was just now regretting dumping their phones in Mexico. Sure, now SHIELD would have a harder time tracking them, but even having the GPS would have made things a lot easier. Shifting back into the crowd, the trio made their way up the block. For them, everything had always been so easy. They knew when everything was going to happen, their lives devoid of surprises. And yet, here they were, here Callie was, a wanted runaway searching for their lost friend. Their whole lives had led up to these fleeting hours–all the training finally paying off. There was a new path ahead for the trio.
And they were sure as hell going to take it.
ROSE'S POV
The hotel was definitely a step down from the one in Mexico. Instead of fluffy beds, there was an excuse for a surface covered with moldy sheets and a damp sofa bed. Instead of posh bathrooms there were clogged toilets, rats scuttling in the walls, and cockroaches crawling around the bathtub. Instead of an awesome flat screen TV, there was a computer sized television that let out a stream of static. The other room, which Ikol would be staying in alone, could not be any worse.
"This was the best you could scrounge up?" Rose asked Callie, feeling proud of herself for using a creative word.
"New York's expensive," Callie replied, sitting on the couch as though afraid it might break, which it actually might have.
"Now what?" Rose whined, not willing to sit on the bed because they looked really gross.
"I call sofa," Callie replied instantly, and Rose silently cursed her. She always got the good stuff.
"Fine," Rose grumbled, moving across the room to open the window. Instantly, the loud sounds of the street came tumbling in; a police siren wailed, impatient drivers honked to the max, and somewhere a lost dog barked. It surprised Rose: she'd always assumed that cities would sound like the compound, just the occasional rustle and complaint. Occasionally someone would pull the fire alarm. And before that she had lived somewhere out of the way, with her dad and her mom.
She knew she was a mistake, not really wanted by either of them. She also knew that they didn't love each other. But she did know they loved her; you have to love your children in some way, right?
Right?
Shaking her thoughts, Rose sighed and let herself rest on the windowsill. Looking down at the bustling crowds, she felt an odd sense of calm wash over her. Everything was ok now. Sure, they were closer to SHIELD than they would want to be, but that also meant they were one step closer to finding Torrun.
"See any goods shops?" Rose's heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound of Callie's voice.
"I haven't checked." Rose said calmly. "I was just...taking everything in."
"It's pretty cool, right?" Callie purred. "I can only remember being here a couple of times… but only when I was younger." She paused. "Before I came to SHIELD." Rose nodded her head in agreement. The two sat there in silence for a while, taking in the sounds and sights of this foreign land. After a bit, Rose got up and headed towards the bathroom, eager to get ready for the night's activities. The three had planned to go out to eat, and then go dance at a club. It was what normal teens did. And that's exactly what they wanted to appear as.
Normal.
In a flash, Rose pinned her hair up in a messy bun. Grabbing her short, white T-shirt and high-waisted jean shorts, Rose wiggled herself into the the clothes. The T-shirt only went down to about an inch above her belly button.
I'm gonna need a jacket.
"Hey Callie!" Rose poked her head out of the door. "You mind tossing me my jacket?"
"Sure." Callie replied, tossing the blue fabric over to her. Catching it, Rose stepped back inside the bathroom and pusher her arms through the holes. The jacket itself was puffy and white, and in Rose's opinion, quite comfortable.
"Ready to go?" Rose said as she left the bathroom. Before, her, in all her glory, stood Callie, dressed in a simple, black cocktail dress. "Uh, were we supposed to dress fancy?"
Callie laughed. "No, of course not. I just wanted to try this on. Angela gave it to me." As Callie mentioned her lost friend, Rose noticed that her eyes were suddenly filled with a deep sorrow.
Wow.
I guess Angela mattered a lot to her.
I wish I mattered to someone.
Rose felt a pang of regret, but shook it off. She was in New York. There was no time for feeling bad about herself.
Besides, Callie and Ikol need me.
I think.
"Ready to go, Ma'am?" Rose faked a smile as she held her hand out jokingly to Callie.
"Oh, you're such a gentleman!" Callie laughed. Taking her friend's hand, Rose pushed opened the door.
Here goes nothing.
"Best. Fried chicken. EVER."
Ikol reclined in his car seat, his hands placed over his stomach. Callie, Rose, and Ikol were all sitting in their rented car, enjoying two buckets of KFC. It wasn't BlackTail, but it filled their empty stomachs, which was all they really needed.
"Y'know, I was expecting a fancy restaurant… But this was way better." Rose said happily.
"Yeah, screw rich people food." Callie burped. "I say we eat nothing else but fast food for the rest of the trip." Callie and Rose laughed, but Ikol didn't make a sound at all. Instead, he sat gazing out the car window, watching a piece of paper tumble by.
"Hey, is something wrong?" As she watched Callie put a comforting hand on Ikol's cheek, Rose felt a spark of jealousy ignite inside of her.
What the hell-
Fuck these stupid hormones.
Making me feel things.
I would be a lot better off if I didn't have to feel things.
"I just miss Torrun," Ikol sighed. "She was like a sister to me."
"I'm sorry," Callie wrapped her arms around Ikol. "I know how you feel." a pause. "I lost Angela, you lost Torrun. We all–" She turned to look at Rose. "We both lost someone."
Oh, I'm sorry that your parents actually loved you.
And that they didn't drop you off in some isolated training camp just so they could get rid of–
"ROSE!"
Snapping back to reality, Rose nearly gasped. On the back of Callie's seat were claw marks, cut deep into the fabric. Callie herself had a red line on her shoulder, as she had managed to jump away before any real damage was inflicted.
"Did I do that?" Rose whispered. She knew she had telekinesis-but it wasn't that strong. She could barely lift a chair off the ground, let alone cut into a seat.
"Probably," Callie said, not even bothered by the fact that she was bleeding. She was instead staring at Rose, something like cool panic in her eyes. "Did you come into contact with anything? Maybe in Mexico or on the plane?"
Rose thought back to when she had been asleep on the plane. She had breathed something in, and all of a sudden she locked up, unable to move or say anything. Then, when she woke up she had little pieces of rock around her, and those goons had pulled her away.
"When I was sleeping," said Rose, "I think I breathed in some kind of steam, or fog… or–"
"Mist," whispered Callie, real fear filling her eyes. Rose gave her a quizzical look.
What is mist?
Did I breathe some vape smoke in or-
"Let's just… Go," Callie heaved. Taking the steering wheel in her hands, she maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and onto the crowded street. They drove along in silence, watching the colorful shops flash by as Callie drove them into the heart of New York. After about fifteen minutes, the car pulled up alongside a modern-looking building.
"Here we are," Callie said as she stepped out of the car. Rose looked up in wonder at the structure. Glass panels covered the majority of the building's face, while blinding strobe lights shone from the very top. Rose could hear Hymn for the Weekend playing, while partygoers chatted about their pampered lives.
"Woah." Rose gasped.
"The top floor is where we're going." Callie smiled. "Where the party is."
"I imagined more of a seedy, underground club." Rose uttered. "But this… How the hell did you get us into this?"
"Illusions. Duh." Ikol admitted, donning a smug smirk.
"More like my fame," Callie replied, throwing her hands up in the air. "My name means something in America."
"Well, I'm not wasting any more time." Ikol quipped. "Let's go!"
"This. Is. Awesome!" Rose squealed, jumping up an down like a six year old on a sugar rush. "I can't believe we're actually here!" To their left was a hot tub, already full of tanned bodies. On their right was a behemoth buffet line, stocked with every kind of food that Rose could imagine. The whole outside area was filled with people, all dressed in tight dresses or tuxedos. Rose suddenly felt ashamed of her casual attire. Compared to what these people were wearing, it seemed quite out of place.
Don't worry about you clothes, idiot.
You're here to have fun.
Pushing her way through the tightly packed bodies, Rose made her way towards the buffet table. She had no idea where Callie or Ikol had gone off too, so she was alone.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Making her way over to the chocolate fountain, Rose grabbed a strawberry and plunged the fruit underneath the gushing chocolate. Pulling it out, she popped it into her mouth.
"Hey."
Startled, Rose whipped around, only to find a man standing before her. He was tall, with messy dirty blonde hair and striking green eyes.
Oh god.
Please don't be talking to me.
Please don't be-
"Um, are you ok?" The man questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"What, me? No. I mean, yes. I mean-" Rose started, but abruptly stopped as the man started to laugh.
Great job, dumbass.
Now you've got him laughing.
"So, pretty thing-" Rose felt her face blush. "What's your name?"
"Rose." She responded. Maybe if she waited, the guy would go away, and she could finally be able to eat her strawberries in peace.
"That's beautiful." The man sighed. 'I'm Ben."
"That's… uh… chill?" Rose winced at her own awkward statement. Ben, however, didn't seem to notice.
"Where are you from?"
"Maine." Rose blurted. She couldn't stop herself. It seemed like around Ben, words just slipped out of her mouth without her consent.
I'm crushing on him, aren't I.
DAMN YOU EMOTIONS.
MAKING MY LIFE HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE.
"What about you?" Rose asked.
"Right here in New York." He replied, gesturing out to the glimmering city. "Over in Brooklyn."
"Cool." Rose tried her best to sound relaxed, but her nervousness still edged into her voice. Outside of SHIELD, she had never met someone who was actually interested in her.
He's probably just trying to score. Rose reminded herself.
So you might as well end the conversation now.
"I-I…" Rose stuttered. "I have to go." She tried to disappear back into the crowd, but suddenly a rough hand grabbed her arm.
"Did I scare you?" Ben whimpered. His emerald eyes were full of… was that fear?
"No, no." Rose assured. "I just… Had to go meet some friends." She tried to pull away again, but his hand was still tightly clasped around her arm.
"Can they wait for five minutes?"
"Why?"
"This is why."
Callie's POV
Callie's vision was starting to get blurry.
Of course, drinking does that to you, but now it was starting to really take hold. At the beginning of the party, she had migrated towards the hot tub. She had spotted some of her friends from California hanging around there.
"OMG!" Someone had squealed, and Callie turned to spot another perfect human being. "Callie! No actual way!"
It was Dinah–a short redhead whose favorite pastime was her blog. She was wearing a pink tube top over some eighties looking pants, some bright makeup adding to the effect. She tottered dangerously, her brown eyes clouded over.
"Dinah!" Callie purred, pulling her in for a customary kiss on the cheek. "I haven't seen you since DC!" Callie smiled. That sure was some party.
"Oh, I know!" Dinah giggled, obviously drunk. "I can't believe the president's daughter snuck everyone into the whitehouse!"
Something had caught in the corner of her eye–someone who looked extremely unpleased with the party vibe.
"Who's that?" Callie said, and Dinah looked over.
"Haven't seen them before," Dinah chirped in that sly way of hers. "You going after him?"
"Hell yes," Callie replied, plucking two crystalline champagne glasses off the passing waiter and stalking across the room.
"You look like you need a drink," Callie had said, holding one out to him. Without a smile, he took it. "Rough night?" she asked, knowing this one would be a challenge.
"I'm stuck in a room of idiotic plastics who think they own everything," he sniffed, "it's rough talking to any of them."
"Tell me about it," Callie sighed, taking a sip. She liked how the bubbles felt against her mouth. "They can barely tell their left foot from their right, let alone (insert sciency term here please)."
Suddenly, he seemed to perk up, and Callie knew she had gotten his interest.
"What was your name again?" He asked, looking at her. She smiled.
"You hadn't asked. But it's Callie."
He grinned, as though he thought he had the upper hand. "I'm Liam."
"So Liam," Callie said, shying towards him. "Still having a rough night? I'm sure I can make it better."
And that was how she had ended up in some kind of room with lots of windows. The table was long, and there were several swivel chairs lined neatly around it. This Liam guy was underneath her, his shirt tossed aside, crumpled with his jacket. He rolled on top, his teeth grazing her neck. His hand started sliding up her leg, and she arched against him.
She broke off, laying down and unbuttoning her dress, pulling the top down to her waist, her lacy bra in full view. He leaned back down to kissing, his hand sliding to the rim of her underwear. This is it, she thought giddily, another score–
The door burst open to the sounds of drunken giggles. Liam and Callie sat up instantly, and Callie was shocked to see Rose with some guy, her cheeks flushed with alcohol.
"Rose!" Callie exclaimed disbelieving. She got up and grabbed her friend's wrist. "What are you doing?"
Rose giggled, "having fun." She stumbled to the side, but Callie roughly shook her.
"That's it," Callie said sternly, pulling Rose away from the scumbag she had come in with. No way was Rose going to do this, not on her watch.
"No!" Rose yelled, pulling out of Callie's grip. "I want to have fun! You always get to have fun! It's my turn!" She glared at Callie, and California felt fear climbing up her throat. She would not let this happen.
She could not let this happen.
"You are going with me," Callie snarled, hauling the wobbly girl away.
"Callie?" Liam asked tentatively, walking along behind her. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere else," replied Callie, not looking back. "Go find yourself another pretty girl you can bang."
"I want you–" Liam tried, but California wasn't having any of it.
When she reached the exit, she turned, smiled, and slammed the door in his face. Through the walls, she could hear a collective 'ooo' from the crowd, who had obviously enjoyed Liam's whimpering.
"You always have the fun," Rose pouted, before throwing up all over Callie.
