Author's Note: As usual, none of these characters are mine. Thanks to PB Headless for beta reading again.
Alisha sat behind the bar, thumbing through the magazine she had heard the previous afternoon. She had met up with the others and they had shown her the address. Simon hadn't answered his phone, and she'd called him twice, so Nathan and Marnie had gone to check out the address and look for Curtis while she and Kelly stayed and waited for Simon to come back. She put the magazine down with a sigh.
She stared aimlessly into the middle distance, wondering what had happened to Simon. She hoped he was okay, she'd left him a bit-
"Bloody hell! What the fuck just happened?" Kelly exclaimed, leaping from her seat.
"Sorry," Alisha said, breaking from her thoughts and realising what she had done. In the middle of the room stood an exact copy of Simon, from the nervous stance to the pale skin. He also happened to be naked. "Er… I think I'm a bit distracted," Alisha said, quickly manifesting some clothes for him. Simon stood completely still, staring straight ahead. Alisha concentrated again and he disappeared.
"Was… was that the real Simon?" Kelly asked, looking in amazement at Alisha.
"No, just an illusion. That's the new power I got, I can make illusions. You can walk through them and everything, though, they're not solid or anything. Still, it's quite cool."
"So you just think about something, and it appears?"
"Well, not everything. I have to think hard enough about it for it to happen, but… I suppose I must have drifted off then. I was just thinking about Simon, and I…"
Kelly smiled faintly. "You'll be fine. Don't worry about it."
"No, I'm not. I-"
At that moment, the door opened and Simon walked in. He seemed happier now, less anxious than he had been last time Alisha had seen him. In her surprise and happiness at seeing him again, the illusion flickered momentarily back into existence next to her. She'd shown Simon her power earlier, however, so he didn't seem too surprised. She dismissed the illusion and the three of them took a seat in one of the booths.
"I've got good news," Simon said with a smile. "Curtis is going to get his power back. He found the Jewish guy who bought it off of the dealer."
Kelly and Alisha's faces lit up as the news sank in. "How do you know? Did you see Nathan and Marnie?" Alisha asked.
"No, I found Curtis. We managed to convince Isaac to give the power back."
"Curtis? But how did you know where to-" Kelly began, but Alisha already knew the answer. "The Hoodie. It was in that letter, wasn't it?"
Simon nodded.
"Can I see it?" Alisha asked, "now that it's over?"
Simon hesitated, but nodded slightly and pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Here. Just don't overreact."
"Why would I-" Alisha started, but a look from Simon silenced her and she began to read.
Simon.
First of all, don't panic. For now, at least. I was you, not so long ago, and I can remember what it felt like reading this. Alisha is standing next to you right now doing that look of hers she always does when she knows something's up. It feels strange, remembering her and knowing that in a way, I'm still there. I don't think I'll ever get used to time travel.
And yes, I'm aware that I'm going to die. When I first read this letter, when you are first reading this letter, it seems so scary, such a big leap to make, that I never thought I could do it. Now, though, it just feels right. I'm not going to enjoy it, obviously, but I know that that's what I need to do to make sure things turn out right. To make sure everything happens as it should.
Right. In order for those things to happen, there are a few things that you need to do. First, once Alisha's left, you need to wait for half an hour and then go to 42 Overman Terrace. Curtis will be waiting there. You'll know what to do.
Next, you need to go back to Alisha at the bar and wait for the others to arrive. After that, someone else is going to turn up. Even though it seems unimportant, you need to go with them and do what they ask. It'll be important later on.
Thirdly, you have to trust your friends. Kelly, Curtis, Nathan, Alisha. They will all play a part in this and you have to keep them close. Without them, everything will have been for nothing.
Finally, and you need to do this no matter what else happens, you need to do what needs to be done. Even when it seems like everything has failed, you need to keep going. Keep following these instructions, and keep doing the right thing. Behind every team of superheroes is someone who has made the ultimate sacrifice, and you need to be that person.
And now, Simon, I need to stop the warnings and give you an apology. You know that big bad event I told Alisha about, that meant I had to come back here? It's coming, soon. And the worst part is that I can't even tell you what it is, because if I did it wouldn't happen the same way. I really am incredibly sorry, Simon. Please, forgive me.
Goodbye. And good luck.
Nathan and Marnie rounded the corner onto Overman Terrace, glancing around for any sign of Curtis or this Isaac bloke. Nathan saw Curtis standing in the middle of the road and hurried over to him.
"Curtis! Where the hell have you been? We haven't seen you in weeks! Wh-" He stopped in his tracks, noticing for the first time the body of an elderly man at Curtis' feet. "Oh. Shit."
Marnie looked in disgust at the body that lay before them. "Ew. That's- who was that? Curtis?"
Curtis looked up. He had been staring at the body, as if that could bring it back to life. "That was the Jewish guy. Who had my power."
"Is he-?" Marnie asked.
"Yeah, he's pretty dead, I should think," Nathan said, grimacing. "Come on, we need to move him. We can't let anyone else find him."
"What happened?" Marnie asked Curtis as Nathan attempted to drag Isaac's body into a nearby bush.
"We were going to go and get my power back. A car hit him. It was too quick, there was nothing I could do."
"Nathan! What are you doing?" Marnie yelled at him, "stop that and come back here right now."
Nathan left Isaac's body where it was and skulked back over to Marnie. "I was just hiding-"
"He was hit by a car, Nathan. You're not in trouble."
"Sorry," Nathan said, "it's just instinct."
Marnie looked confused. "And how many bodies have you hidden in the past?"
Nathan glanced at Curtis, who shook his head slightly. "Er… none! Obviously. Shall we go, before- SHIT!" He stared over Curtis' shoulder at something neither of the others could see.
"What is it?" Marnie asked, worried.
Nathan grinned. "You know, I almost forgot I could do this!"
Nikki felt the bullet hit her before she even realised what had happened. She collapsed onto the floor, feeling her blood seep out of the wound and knowing, unequivocally, that she was going to die. Her eyes closed slowly, and she faded into emptiness.
There was a white light, she thought. Or maybe she was imagining it. She felt almost weightless. Hang on, she thought, I'm dead. How can I even be thinking this? She saw the light fade into the distance. She stood up and looked around.
She was in the bar still. Curtis and the others were standing around looking shocked, and the prick who had shot her had run away. Great. She was dead, and all they could do was stand there. Idiots.
She had a strange feeling that this was going to take some time. There was a strange feeling in her stomach, and she found herself in the Community Centre. The guy who had shot her ran into the changing room, up to a pale man with sleek black hair and a predatory smile.
They were saying something, about having shot her, but it was as if she was hearing them though a thick wall. Everything was muffled, and now she thought about it she couldn't see very well either. The scene before her misted over like condensation on a window, and she faded out again.
Now she was in the shop where that guy had bought her power. The others were there too, crowded round deciding what to do next. One by one, they stepped forward and sat opposite the dealer. Once they had all got their new powers, Curtis stood hurriedly and rushed out of the room. Nikki followed him.
She couldn't tell how much time passed, or how long she had been dead for, but sometime later she found herself standing invisibly behind Simon and Curtis, watching a house. An old man came out of the front door and Curtis ran across to meet him. She watched as they argued, then Simon joined in, and then finally Curtis and the man walked away. A car came speeding around the corner and hit the man, killing him instantly. He stood up and looked at Nikki in amazement.
"Where did you come from?" he asked her.
She sighed. "We're dead, you just got hit by that car. Sorry."
The man looked down the road as the cars got further away. "Well, can't we do anything? Can't we stop them?" He looked at Nikki. "And who are you, anyway?"
"I'm his girlfriend," she replied, indicating Curtis. "Ex-girlfriend now, I suppose. And no, I don't think we can do anything. We just stay here, and watch what happens next."
Seeing Curtis, he seemed to remember something. "My power. I was going to give him my power so he could save his girlfriend. That must be you, mustn't it?" He extended a hand. "My name's Isaac. I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
"Nikki," she said, shaking his hand. "Now, what are we going to do now?"
Two more people turned the corner onto Overman Terrace. "They're Curtis' friends," Nikki explained to Isaac. "Nathan and Marnie." The newcomers gathered around Isaac's body, and Nathan began to drag it away.
"Hey! What's he doing? Where's he-" Isaac made to run after his body. Nikki tried to stop him, tried to hold him back, but she felt the pressure in her stomach again and the world faded around her. She opened her eyes. She was still standing in the road, Isaac's ghost a few metres away standing over his corpse whilst Curtis, Nathan and Marnie stood discussing their next move. Nathan stopped and stared over Curtis' shoulder, straight at Nikki.
"You can see me?" she asked, delighted to have some human contact after so long. Other than Isaac, at least.
"Yeah, I can see you," Nathan exclaimed. "Er… How are you?"
Nikki raised an ethereal eyebrow. "Dead, mostly. Are you the only one who can see me?" She looked around. Marnie was looking at Nathan as if he had gone mad, but Curtis had realised what was going on. "Wait, is it Nikki? Can you see her?"
"Yeah, she's right behind you. And that Jewish guy."
Curtis' face lit up. "Nikki? Can you hear me?"
She nodded, and Nathan said, "yeah, man. She's listening."
"Are… are you okay? I mean, are you…"
"I'm fine. It's weird, but I'm fine. You'd think it'd hurt, being dead, but I'm coping alright, really. I'm glad you're okay, too. I missed you."
"Is there any way I can bring you back? I've got to try and find-"
Nikki never heard the rest of the sentence. She tried her best to hold on, to focus, to stay there, but she lost her grip and faded out again. Nathan patted Curtis on the shoulder. "She's gone, man. She'll be back soon."
In the distance, but getting closer, they heard police sirens. A policeman ran around the corner, spied the three of them standing there, and gave a shout. He ran towards them, and they fled in the opposite direction. Nathan looked back over his shoulder and groaned in disbelief. "It's him again!" he said to Marnie, "that detective guy from earlier!"
They rounded a corner and found themselves faced with a brick wall. Curtis grabbed them both by the wrists and leapt through it.
"Jesus!" Nathan shouted in alarm, thinking that Curtis had propelled them straight into the wall. "What the-" he paused. "-oh. New power."
Curtis nodded. "Come on, we need to get back to the others before that guy finds us."
Nathan followed him, smirking. "I've still got the best power, right? You can jump through walls and Kelly can make force fields. But me? I'm still immortal." He turned to see Marnie glaring at him. "Not that there's anything wrong with not having a power…"
Simon looked up expectantly as the door opened and someone entered the bar. Since Alisha had read the letter, he had been waiting for the next piece of the puzzle to slot into place and to get one step closer to his destiny. On the other hand, the last three times that door had opened, it had been customers who Alisha had had to serve and who had then gone on their way. So much for destiny.
This time it was Curtis who came through the door, Marnie and Nathan close behind. They looked out of breath, as if they had been running. They barely had time to sit down and begin explaining, however, when the door opened again. Everyone turned to stare at the newcomer, but it was Simon who said what they were all thinking.
"You?"