Author's Notes: Thanks so much for the reviews/comments, spize666 and AsgardianGrizzly. They brighten my otherwise grim day. And prompt me to post more. :)
Disclaimer: Ultimate Spider-Man is not mine. Nor are any of its characters. That's Marvel's job. Any Original Characters and art you note, however, are all me. No. I'm not making money. Don't rub it in.

Chapter 06 - Change

Zeelan Weir's stomach grumbled in hunger. It wasn't the calm 'I just skipped a meal' hungry. Nor the 'Dude, I've been weeding fields all day and haven't had a bite to eat' hungry. No. It was an intense, gnawing hunger that left deep pains in one's gut—one which brought frequent bouts of lightheadedness and nausea. It was constant, fierce, and stemmed from months of occasional snacks.

Yet it still paled in comparison to the sight around her.

She sat, slumped, against the warped, tin wall of a long, narrow room while the others talked ahead of her. The metallic floor was littered with grim and dust and rust grew everywhere the eye could see. It smelled disgusting, like it had been used as a tom cat litter box for decades. Which it probably had been, seeing as how the car was one of many in a stack of shipping container 'apartments' that had failed to make it through renovation. Even if she could eat, Zeelan felt confident that she was incapable of handling any food while seated there.

'Though Lutefisk sounds amazing right now,' she thought. The image of soft, gelatinous whitefish served with potatoes and bacon entered her mind. But as soon as another nausea spell hit, she shook her head free of its ghostly scent. Lightheadedness soon followed, so the white-haired mutant leaned against the wall, even though splinters of rust poked at her skull.

One. Two. Three. She inhaled a deep breath then exhaled as the blots in her vision diminished.

"Oh, are you alright, Z?"

Zeelan craned her neck sideways, smiling weakly while orange-brown eyes stared at her in concern. "Yeah, I'm fine, Thera."

"You sure?" The slender teenager—an auburn-haired female with three star tattoos on her left cheek—scooted closer so she could place a scaly hand on Zeelan's forehead. Gently, Zeelan pulled Thera's hand away, not once grimacing at the small strands of slime that connected them. Thera, ovular face scrunched in disbelief, shook her head. "Uff da. You feel feverish. And look ready to pass out."

"Oh, I'm as fit as the Klingbeil's prized bull," Zeelan pushed with a little laugh.

"That bull died last drought."

"Oh…right."

"You want some of my sandwich then?"

"No. You're way thinner than me; you eat it."

"Are you—"

"Yes. I'm sure. Besides…Kai and Kevin said they had a plan for tonight."

"Means we're going to steal some more." Thera's voice dropped to a whisper beside her friend. With a noisy sigh, she sat back on her butt and nibbled at a half-eaten sandwich that borderlined being spoiled.

Zeelan frowned at the redhead's downcast expression. A small tremor raised the rich red and gray scales shielding Thera's tanned skin—from the crown of her forehead, down her temples, under her high cheek bones, to part of her tense jaw and exposed shoulders. That happened a lot when she was upset. Well, that and some extra protrusion of the dorsal spikes that ran down her spine. Zeelan was mindful of this as she wrapped an arm around Thera's shoulders (between the short spikes) and gave her a quick hug.

"None of us like stealing," the curly-haired mutant muttered. "K is used to being upstanding, so I know…it upsets him as well."

"What are we going to do?" asked Thera glumly. In one large bite she polished off her questionable sandwich, but didn't bother moving.

Zeelan turned her head forward to watch her brother and Kai speak in hushed tones with Trent and Minerva. "You mean…"

"I don't want to keep scrounging around for food in restaurant dumpsters," the scaly mutant continued in an undertone. "We can't live like this."

"I know."

"It's been two months since we left Enderlin. We've come a long way across the country and for what? We still can't shake those—those traitors. The nicest meal we've had was a kid's meal after Kevin swiped someone's wallet last month. And now he says the school is out of the question until we're off SHIELD's radar? I can't—I'm tired, Z."

"Yeah, me too…" Frowning, the grip Zeelan held on Thera tightened.

"And I'm scared." Such a broken voice seized Zeelan's chest. "I'm scared of them finding us. The Trackers, SHIELD, anyone. We can't hide in plain sight anymore thanks to those agents. I'm stuck, looking like this."

"Thera—"

The redhead shook her head strongly. "I know what you're going to say. It's not true. Mermaids are pretty. I just look…Seriously, just look at my hands, my feet. The webbing. And the slime and smell? I have the aroma of a fish butcher shop!" By now, tears glistened in Thera's pained eyes. They didn't fall, though, not even when she ran her webbed hands together, observing the dense coat of scales across them. "Trent, Mini, Kai—we're all in the same boat. Not you and Kevin, though. You guys can actually hide."

"But are you really jealous about that?" countered Zeelan, sullen as her arm fell to her side. "I barely knew you before the Enderlin Uprising, I know. But since then I can tell…what you really want is to stand in the crowd as you are, full mutant."

"I've never been scared of being myself before," Thera confirmed with a quick side-glance.

"Then I'm confused."

"Oh, I want to be fearless, Z. I do. That's been hard since Enderlin, though. All those months with people being snatched? The questions? The bodies? The uprising? School. Then our families—"

Zeelan frowned, knowing just where the conversation was leading.

"It—it was hard, but you knew where your loved ones stood. I still don't. Except for…Oh, I had never been so scared in my life as when my transformation was forced in front of them. I'm haunted by their eyes. Those looks. I don't want those looks from anyone ever again."

"Oh, Thera, I'm sure they—"

"Z, can I have a word with you?" Stiff and stern, the voice no doubt belonged to Kevin. Zeelan glanced up from her floor seat and found her blonde sibling staring downwards. He kept an even gaze with folded arms, but it couldn't fool her; his bright blue eyes always betrayed him.

"Have I done something wrong?" Z questioned easily.

Those bright eyes narrowed further. "Next carrier. Now."

"But I was talking with—"

"Oh, It's alright, Z," Thera said, soft as she stood. "Mini, Trent, and I wanted to play a game of 'I Spy' anyway. I'll see you later."

Zeelan frowned, watching Thera meet the others across the room. Trent sent back a weak wave from their midst, which Kevin broke up when he pulled his sister off the ground. Z followed her sibling faithfully afterwards, only because a private talk best suited the argument she sensed in the near future. The next container smelled twice as bad as the last, and she was plumb thankful it wasn't one of the containers chosen as temporary bedrooms for the group. Once a safe distance from one another (and the others), Kevin faced Zeelan.

"You talked with them yesterday," he said, frank.

"Who?" Zeelan shot back.

"Oh, don't play dumb."

"Would I do that to you?"

The blonde scowled at her weak smile. "Normally, no. But Trent and Minerva finally told the whole truth. I knew your story sounded strange, but didn't pressure it when you said you had spotted them in the area last night."

"It was true," the sister muttered, remembering how she had riled her brother into teleporting them out of the old subway.

"What did I tell you about them?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm six, K." With a mild glare, Zeelan took a step back. "Besides, what could you know about them? They weren't in Enderlin."

"Doesn't matter," Kevin snapped. "They're SHIELD agents. You can't trust them."

"But what if we can? These ones are different. They aren't like the ones from home. Or…or Illinois."

"How so then? They still want you to come to SHIELD."

"They never mentioned that. All they want is to help us. I could see it."

"No." The brother shook his head, blue glare still hard. "Your powers are unpolished, Z. You know your Radiesthesia is only partly reliable."

"Not this time." Taking a few steps forward, the younger mutant spoke with animated arms. "I could sense it clearly; at least from one of them, Iron Fist. There was no black in him. He was being honest."

"You don't know what the colors mean."

"Come on, K; you know I wouldn't vouch for an agent of SHIELD or rely on my Radiesthesia unless I was sure."

"I won't take that risk." Scoffing, Kevin then headed for a window, which was nothing more than a large spot that had been eaten away by rust. "I picked New York because of the school. Then the city because it's the densest place to live in the States. Hiding in the wilderness didn't work for us in Illinois, so I had hoped we could disappear here. And move on…"

Zeelan frowned as Kevin grew silent before the setting sun. She couldn't ignore the flashes of reds and grays surrounding his lean form like a demonic halo. The colors emanated an uneasy vibe, and the traces of black in them felt foreign. They made her miss the displays of warm yellows and oranges that used to balance the aura two months ago. At least then, it still felt as if he had some life left…

"We can't keep running, K," started Zeelan softly. She longed to touch her brother's arm, as it was a habit, yet she forced herself to stay put since he would only push her away. "The group can't handle much more, you know? At this rate our merciful death will be starvation. Or sickness."

"We're not going to die!" Kevin whirled as strongly as his voice, veins of electricity dancing across his form. The hair on Zeelan's body rose at their intensity. "I'm going to fix this. Us. Them. Without SHIELD!"

"We've tried that already," countered Zeelan, though not as fierce.

"And we'll keep trying!"

"Admit it, Kevin; we need help!"

"No; I can do this, so lay the fuck off!" A bolt of lightning struck beside Zeelan's foot, barely missing her worn flats. Kevin's glare faltered a moment when a second one struck between her legs, though once he regained control with a deep breath, it returned. "We can't shake the Caulfields and that freak Indian," he continued in a calmer tone. "I know that now. So I'll have to do something else."

"Like actually finish our trip?"

"You know we can't until SHIELD's eye is off us."

"Then…what?" Honestly, Zeelan feared the answer.

"I'm sure, with enough power…I can do it. I told Flint I would."

"Oh, no"—the words left Z's lips as a strangled whisper—"Oh, no. No. No. No. No. You can't do that, Kevin. Believe me. It's not you."

Slowly, Kevin's gaze fell to the dingy ground and the black spread in his aura like a grim spider's web. "It wouldn't have to be long and painful. I could make it quick. Like when Reyes and y—"

"No!" She no longer cared if her brother would swat her away; Zeelan closed the distance between them and shook his tense arm harshly. "How dare you even consider it!" she hissed with prickling eyes. "I—I don't care what it would do to them. I care what it would do to you. That—that's pain you don't want. Trust me."

"This group needs safety," the blonde countered. He sounded distant, though; almost like he was in a trance.

"Yes, it does. But you're better than that. You're the guy that has always stuck up for the little people in school. E—Even in Kindergarten. You're a protector. You aren't a killer."

Kevin swallowed audibly with small beads of sweat running down his neck. The transfer of energy from him through Zeelan's hand started to sting. Still, her grip tightened then eased to a stop.

"We can only trust one another," the blonde whispered.

Zeelan sighed. "That leaves us running for the rest of our lives. We—we can't do that. Thera? Mini? Trent? They can't handle that. I can't handle that. We need a change."

"I'm sorry." Kevin spoke sudden and stern. His cool gaze returned in an instant—like his sweat didn't exist—and it settled on his sister for a moment. Then, he backed away, standing well over a half-foot taller than her. "They won't take us like the others from home. I promise I'll find a way to make it better."

"Without giving that team a chance?"

The blonde stared.

"Of course."

"You were right not to stick around with them very long last night," added Kevin monotonously. "It could have been an ambush. So thanks for telling me before more of them arrived."

"Yeah," Zeelan grumbled, "no problem." At her sigh, the clicks of large boots sounded as the male neared. He lifted his sister's chin gently and the warm look in his eyes reminded her of their early childhood.

"Trust me, Z," he said, low. "We don't need them. Kai and I are doing the food run tonight."—the man said this with a shamed look—"We'll be sure to bring back enough this time. Meanwhile, I'm counting on you for the safety of the others, alright?"

Zeelan nodded, silent. She remained stationary when Kevin leaned down for a kiss against her cheek and even after he left the room, she continued her stare at the red sun beyond the hole in the container's side. It grew dimmer behind the cityscape haze, sinking like the heart in her chest.

'What should I do now?' she thought.

Iron Fist and Nova had extended their hands—not SHIELD. Still…they were associated with the organization. She didn't want to fall under their microscope, intentional or otherwise. So should she really risk it? Was she brave or stupid enough to try? That was usually Kevin's department.

Oh, Kevin. He would never let her go anyway. Was there even a choice to contemplate? Ugh.

Jaw tense, Zeelan glanced down at the fists she hadn't realized she clenched then back at the bleeding sky. One hand slowly eased its way into a pocket on her skirt as the pinks of the atmosphere grew muddier. Soon, her trembling fingers wrapped around Nova's strange wristwatch and the sun set completely.

Guess it was settled.

Author's Notes: Ah, siblings differences. We all got them. If we have siblings, that is. LOL. Please, don't forget to review! It's helpful, honest. :)

AsgardianGrizzly - They average 3k each chapter. Some will be greater or less in the future, however. Heh.

spize666 - Not early, really. At least, not in my time. Late, maybe. I'm not UP before 8:30 am, but I go to bed around 1-3 am. And my up-dates are erratic. Anyways. Thanks (he's my brother-in-law, though, LOL) and I'm glad you enjoyed Sam and Danny. *large grin*