Author's Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates. Reviews got slow and I've been here and there. Thanks for the reviews, Kaze. You're wonderful. :)
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 20 - Reach
Two days. How far had Zeelan come with her projecting? Not far. Even with Doctor Strange's instruction, time drew out longer and longer as she vainly reached for Danny's consciousness. It felt akin to finding a needle in a haystack. And believe me; she knew just what that was like…
Don't ask.
"Call for him," Stange's omnipotent voiced reminded.
"I am!" Zeelan responded within the dizzying black void that Strange referred to as the Dark Realm.
She heard her mentor sigh before he replied. "Do not call with your voice, Miss Weir."
"I've said please don't call me that; it reminds me of Fury."
"Then, Zeelan, call with your spirit, your Chi. Feel the energies from around, the cosmic pull, and tie yourself to them. You must learn to recognize these if you are to find Danny."
Sense energies? But that's what she was already doing! Scowling, the semi-tan mutant tugged at her coarse hair and held a frustrated breath. Okay. Call with the spirit. Did that mean hoping? Wishing to find him? Willing for them to meet? Maybe that's why she had been having such a hard time…
'Please, please,' she screamed in her mind, squinting. 'Danny…I need to see you. I need you to understand how worried your team is, how eager there are for you to come back. If only for a little while…please…reach for them, for me…'
Slowly, Zeelan opened her eyes. A sudden warmth hit her, though it weakened under a chilly burst of…snow? Great. The teen no longer stood in the void, and spared a moment to glance beyond the little flecks of white fluttering in the easy wind.
Before her a garden spread. Its smooth, stone floors were broken up only by a large Koi pond in its center and various sections of gravel beds filled with bamboo plants, lilies, and many other species of flowers Zeelan couldn't identify. The looming sky above it looked crisp with oranges and pinks, while remnants of the sun faded behind a long line of white, misty mountains beyond an Asian-inspired city.
'Wait,' she thought, observing the mountainous arches, 'These look familiar, like from a history book…or a map…or—"
"What are you doing on the hallowed ground of K'un-Lun, outsider?"
Zeelan whirled towards the side. There, Danny—dressed in robes she had never before seen—approached with quick steps. He glared uncharacteristically as he halted beside her, and she barely managed a smile.
"So…this is what your home looks like, Danny? It—it's beautiful."
"Yes, it is," he countered in refrained abhorrence. Politeness didn't matter, though; she felt the weight of his disgust in her chest.
"You still don't recognize me then?" she asked softly.
The blonde shook his head. "I cannot say how you invaded my kingdom's borders, but you must leave."
"Kingdom?"
"There are many here who would rather kill you for your crime. I will be gracious and give you the chance to leave. But only once."
"Did you say kingdom?"
"Stranger—"
"I am not a stranger to you!" cried Z starkly. She surprised herself with how annoying and hurtful she found the blonde's cold shoulder, and used a moment to gather her emotions by clenching her fists. "It's hasn't been for very long, but I'm your friend, Danny," she continued, even. "There's no one else here. You're alone. This place—it may exist somewhere, but not here. This is a poison's prison. It wants to keep you here, it wants to isolate you. But I won't let it."
"You speak nonsense," Danny remarked, straightening his form.
"Oh, no, I don't." Did Danny feel this offended when others looked at him strangely for his metaphors? Z shook away the question. "How else would I know that your name is Danny Rand? That you would suggest New Age artists as meditation background noise? That you lost your mother…like me? Come on; we've talked so many times. How can you forget that?"
"As I said—nonsense. If you were not born into K'un-Lun then how could I be expected to know you?"
At Danny's hard stare, the mutant slid back in the accumulating snow. "What do you mean then?"
"Your accent is like none I have ever heard—a clear mark of foreign influence. Since I have never left K'un-Lun after Master Kung took me in, I cannot know you."
"What are you talking about? Of course you've left! You joined SHIELD. You made friends. You—"
"My friends are here in the city."
"No, they aren't!" Zeelan spread her arms wide and felt her gaze soften, though her teeth clenched. "Your friends—your teammates—are back at the Tricarrier. And they're worried about you. They want you back, Danny; you're a part of their family. Please, you have to remember!"
"One cannot remember what they never knew."
"But you did know—do know! Spider-Man, Nova, White Tiger, Power Man"—here, Danny's vaguely flinched—"you fight alongside them every day as Iron Fist."
"H—how do you know of the Iron Fist?" Danny questioned, his stern tone faltering.
Z flashed a little grin. "Because I've seen it. You wield it as weapon for protecting others. That's kinda what you do. You're a hero, Danny. In New York City. That's how I met you. You…you've been trying to help me."
He didn't yell. Nor did he speak. His vacant green eyes studied her face to the point where she felt entranced. A light heat rose across her cheeks and ears as his head cocked, like he finally remembered something. But he still remained quiet, searching for things Z couldn't possibly fathom. A moment later, he left her, headed for a stone bench of ornate detail, and then offered her the seat beside him when he sat upon it. She graciously accepted his offer while trying her hardest to bite down her amount of excitement.
"Do you remember then, Danny?" she asked, more eager than wanted.
Danny's gaze remained fixed on the blossoming tree whose overhanging branches covered the duo like an umbrella. "Like awaking from a dream…I feel I have fleeting memories. I cannot believe you; however…"
"Maybe if you tried really hard—thought about how you, uh, imagine what it would be like to be a hero in the city—then maybe the thoughts will come back."
"I have never imagined such a thing."
"You won't even try then?"
"Where would I begin?"
"Well…" Z drew in a breath. "How about we start with something else?"
Danny glanced down from the pink floral above, but only momentarily. "Like?"
"Your Iron Fist. I never got to hear how you acquired it."
There was a pause—accompanied only by the soft wind blowing in the snowy branches.
Danny closed his eyes, saying, "I gained my Iron Fist when I faced the dragon Shou-Lao."
"Dragons exist?" questioned Zeelan breathlessly.
"Of course. They are magical beings, and magic in the universe is as bountiful as space."
"I see…So you beat him in battle."
"Yes. I proved my worth as a warrior when I killed him. Only one of honorable heart and noble spirit could accomplish such a task, and for that I was rewarded with my Iron Fist. And secured my role as King of K'un-Lun."
Z didn't dare touch the 'king' topic just because it would derail the conversation completely. So, pushing curiosity aside, she said, "The insignia on your chest plate, does that represent Shou-Lao?"
The blonde drew his eyes to the black dragon on his torso. "It is a reminder to stay the same warrior I was when I defeated him…" His tone sounded distant, mulling. And he knit his thick brows together as if the insignia brought him thoughts he couldn't understand.
"Yeah, it's the same insignia on your super hero costume," said Zeelan. Really, she was taking a stab in the dark, but Danny's eyes glistened with more thought, fueling her drive. "You went to New York City. I guess to train. I—I don't know that part. But I do know you're now a wonderful hero. Can you remember why you become one?"
"I…I only meant to come back to tie up loose ends," the blonde hero muttered as foggy as the mists in the cold mountains. "I was given a year. But I found Fury instead. I couldn't sit by…and watch as the helpless were trodden under the feet of villains. I had to help. I had…to do something. Yes"—his voice grew more confident—"I did become a hero."
Zeelan felt her grin looked silly, but she couldn't stop it. Her relieved laugh sounded more like a pig call and it startled the blonde, who flashed a strange look.
"Sorry, Danny, I'm just—what else do you remember?"
"Fragments…but could they really be memories?"
"Yes—yes, they are!" Standing from her seat, Z allowed the brunt of her stern stare to meet his green eyes. "Don't doubt it!"
But it was too late. Danny's expression fell until he resembled a lifeless doll that sat poised on a bench. The warmth of his Chi began to drift as he grew transparent and the scene darkened. Zeelan reached for his arm, hoping the touch would bring him back. It only caused his Chi to drift faster, and in mere seconds, her hands fazed through him.
'No,' she thought. 'I was so close!'
A familiar prickling invaded her body. It sought refuge within her muscles like she was a mold ready to be filled, and she panicked at how fast it succeeded in wrapping her in the sensation of a brayer bush blanket. With a loud cry, she called for Doctor Strange. Then, the feeling lifted. When her eyes opened again, she sat across for her mentor, who panted lightly in his Lotus potation. A coast of sweat dripped down his pale face, so she crawled towards him, intent on checking his pulse.
"There is no need," Strange said through ragged breathes.
"A—Are you okay, Mister Strange?"
"Yes," he answered, though he didn't sound very convincing. "Swilla Iku is growing stronger, and you…you were silent for too long."
"I…" The mutant's vision turned downcast. "I'm sorry."
"Did you…reach him?"
"I did."
Strange wiped the sweat from his face—silent while meeting her gaze.
"Like the other times, he didn't remember me," she added lowly.
"The poison is known for corrupting the mind. It entrances with beauty, a luring lie, and once you surrender to it completely, it swallows you up then drags you into a continuous nightmare."
"Danny's teetering on that point now. Wh—what do we do?"
"You must learn to reach him faster, even if that means more frequent sessions."
"And what about you? Every moment I practice, you must ward off the poison for me."
"Do not let that deter you; I am Sorcerer Supreme."
Zeelan grimaced as Strange flinched in raising his arms. "You could be a taco supreme or Sorcerer Supreme—either way, the poison is taking its toll on you as well."
"You—"
"Uh, hey, Zeelan!" Spider-Man's alarmed cry silenced Strange altogether (though his displeased glare didn't go unnoticed). The masked hero entered the meditation room, followed by Power Man and White Tiger.
"What's wrong, guys?" the mutant questioned.
"Well"—drawled Spider-Man—"I came here because I thought you should know. Though Fury didn't want to tell you. I mean, it makes sense, but at the same time—"
White Tiger hit the lithe hero upside the head. "Quite rambling, Webs."
"It won't make the blow any lighter," Power Man added after flinching at the nickname.
Suddenly, Zeelan felt her stomach drop. "What blow?"
"It's…kinda about your brother," Spider-Man answered while twiddling his thumbs.
"What about him?"
"Told you she would snap if you tried easing into it," noted White Tiger with a huff.
Zeelan glared at the trio. "Ease into what? Can you just tell me already?"
"SHIELD's arrested your brother."
The air was sucked clean out of the room. How else could Z explain her loss of breath? She felt lightheaded, though she was seated, and landed on her butt with an inaudible cry.
"I—I know it's a shock, but…that's not all."
"Wh—What do you mean?" Zeelan asked Spider-Man.
He sighed. "Your brother was caught because he wanted to get caught."
"Why…would he do that? What about the others? Do—do you have Nova back?"
Nova. A solemn veil cast over the heroes at his name. Obviously, the answer was no.
"The Trackers found your group," Spider-Man answered, grim. Zeelan shook her head as he stepped closer, unable to speak with a closed throat and tightened chest. "Ghost found them and teamed up," the hero continued when her hands began shaking. "Kevin managed to escape, but…I—I'm sorry, Zeelan. Your friends were taken. As was Nova…"
Author's Notes: And there you have it. Yea. Joy all around. Don't forget to review! :)