Revamped!
Chapter 13: MojoWorld Part Four
PNG Quinjet - 10:12 AM
James was in the middle of a nap that Angela forced him into. As he slept, Angela and Xavier tried to understand whatever James was working on but it was no hope. They just weren't meant for science.
"What language is this in?" Angela asks Xavier.
"Gibberish?" Xavier guesses.
All they see are unfamiliar symbols and arrows all complimented by James's chicken scratches that he calls penmanship. It was nearly impossible for them to wrap their heads around this, which only made them wonder how James understood it (and read it).
"I got it!" James exclaims as he bursts into the lab from his nap. "I figured it out!"
"How?" Angela asks, excited. Xavier perks up as well.
"My unfinished Ph.D. from our first year at the Academy."
Xavier's smile drops. "We're screwed."
"How would that help?" Angela asks, ignoring Xavier.
"Spooky physics."
The twins blink with no verbal response. James was expecting one but figured that he needed to explain it in more detail. No wonder James never finished his Ph.D. The Academy Board would've laughed at him if he came to argue that topic.
"Spooky physics?" Xavier asks, especially because of that word choice. "Spooky physics? How old are you?"
"Eight days younger than you - but hear me out on this. Spooky physics. I don't think it's spooky at all but Einstein does or he did. That was his nickname for quantum entanglement."
"Wait, what?" Angela and Xavier question at the same time, not expecting to understand any science out of that.
"Quantum entanglement," James says, enunciating each syllable which didn't help their comprehension. "The stuff I would've written my dissertation on. The stuff my dad's crazy about. It's the total manipulation of physics across space and time. The idea that two distant pieces of matter can affect each other over a span of vast distances."
Angela and Xavier have nothing to say.
"Remember what I said about radio waves bouncing off the ionosphere?" James asks. The twins slowly nod despite barely recalling that conversation. "Well, here's the thing: they can only bounce off the ionosphere. Whatever the hell happened to Merida and Daniel, they somehow crossed that forcefield which falls under the quantum entanglement. It's basically the possibility of matter from one place to another in the blink of an eye."
"How is that any different than a teleporter?" Angela asks.
"Science, that's how." James taps her nose. "Just wait, I'll science the crap out of a teleporter and you'll see Merida and Daniel again. My incomplete dissertation will show them!"
-o-
MojoWorld - Time Unknown
His body is in blistering pain but his mind is way worse. The thing is, physical pain heals and eventually goes away but no amount of medication or therapy can make the mental pain disappear. He was in space. Fighting an alien for an alien audience! His Hulk was forced out of him and he scared the living crap out of Merida. Floating around in zero gravity didn't look so bad in comparison.
Daniel slowly stirs awake, seeing that he's in the white room he first woke up in. He forces himself on his side, fighting through the pain in his arms. Daniel takes a breath and sees that he's only wearing pants, although he doesn't care much about that as of now. All the memories he saw through his Hulk's eyes play in his mind and he rubs his eyes, trying to get rid of them but freezes when he sees Merida.
She's alive.
Out of all the years, he's known Merida, he has never seen her so vulnerable. She's sitting up with her knees crouched against her chest and her cheek resting against them. Merida was always the tough one in their group and though she still is, she still had emotions although they were rarely seen.
"Don't cry…" Daniel mutters with a scratchy voice. He clears his throat as Merida turns her head around to face him. "I can't stand tears."
Merida stares at him for a bit longer before giving him a weak smile. She was the one who would always tell them that if someone were to cry. However, Merida doesn't say anything and that's when Daniel knows he has to take control of the situation as much as possible.
"Are you scared?" He asks her.
Merida scoffs. "For a genius with countless doctorates, you're asking stupid questions. 'Scared' isn't a word I would use now. Terrified, maybe. Or afraid. Petrified! That's a good word."
"Those psychological responses are evolutionary. They're good for us because they allow us to survive. They make us perform faster, think clearer -"
"Daniel." Merida's voice shuts him up because of how soft and scared it is. "We can't science our way out of this. This is beyond us."
Daniel ignores her. "Emotional-focused responses in uncontrollable situations are the best way to go because we're not too stressed thinking of a way out."
Merida shakes her head, her body trembles at Daniel not seeing the problem from her eyes. "No. Those things out there don't want your lecture on the evolution of our body's responses to fear and coping."
"It's not for them!" Daniel yells, causing Merida to shiver back. "It's for me, okay?! God, Merida, do you know what's going on in my mind?! It's chaos up here, it always is. I can usually get The Hulk to shut up because he gets bored when he has no use. But now, he sees a purpose for the first time in seven years and wants to make the most of it. Every time I transform, I'm the one trying to scream and come back out. And ever since we started SHIELD Academy, The Hulk got as excited as SHIELD. I got all those Ph.D.'s not only for my own interest but because it gave me something to distract myself and bore the green guy upstairs."
Merida looks away, wiping tears she isn't sure she has but it felt like the right thing to do. She knew that Daniel was terrified of his Hulk but didn't realize it was that serious.
"I'm sorry," Merida says. "I'm being insensitive."
"Forget it," Daniel mumbles. "I don't know if you heard or not but there will be a round two any moment now. Merida, I'll need you to be brutally honest with me for my next question. I don't want you to sugarcoat the truth because we're friends. Okay?"
Merida nods.
Daniel takes a breath. "Are you scared of my Hulk?"
Merida changes her position, scooting closer to Daniel. She knows the strength of this question and despite knowing each other since birth, it has never been asked to her.
"When we were younger," Merida starts, "and I'm talking about really young, we were all secretly anxious to see your Hulk. It was hard to believe that a little twerp like you could have and contain all that rage. But when transformations happened, it changed so much. Then graduation came and we had no choice but to see you at your absolute worse. We were being thrown around like rag-dolls since nobody wanted to hurt or even fight you. It's not like we had no other options. Amora was in there trying to kill us and get Britney to show up and not you."
Daniel looks away for a moment, taking in all those words Merida has finally told him. A part of him believes that Merida was still filtering her answer but he doesn't pester on that. He rubs his eyes as Merida sits up straighter.
"Are you in there when you transform?" Merida asks him.
"You didn't answer -" he starts before getting cut off by her.
"I'll answer it eventually but get to mine first. Are you in there when you transform?"
Daniel shrugs. "I don't know. I try to be."
Merida sighs. "You want me to be honest? I'm more scared of whatever the hell is out there than what's in here."
She jabs her finger into his chest. Daniel looks up at her and sees this sudden look of determination in her eyes. She's no longer the girl in the beginning who had her hands shaking with her bow or simply allowed herself to be pushed down by a cyborg and some alien audience. She wants to get out of here with a bang.
"Studies show that survival rates for victims are higher when they conform to their captors."
"Merida…" He mutters, shaking his head. "I can't do this. I can't control the hulk or -"
"They want a beast and you have that!" Merida exclaims at him. "You're just letting them beat it out of you!"
Daniel pauses, putting his head in his hands as he hears Merida load her bow in preparation for the next battle. He focuses on his breathing as he thinks about how much his hulk and the damage it causes terrifies him. Then he comes to realize that those events have already plagued him and he walked away from those. Now Merida is involved and if he gets her in more danger because of him, that's even worse than a trauma, it's guilt.
Daniel smiles a little as he feels his eyes turn green on their own. He looks up at Merida and she smirks a little.
"You trust him?" Daniel asks her.
"Without a doubt," Merida replies. "You heard the crowd. I'm your assistant. The real question is, do you trust him?"
Daniel takes a sharp breath, choosing not to answer that.
"Let's get the hell out of here," he huffs.
Merida grins. "Don't panic. It shuts down neurons."
Daniel nods, taking words he knew he would've told her given any situation.
And with that statement, Daniel forces himself through his transformation against his will. His Hulk making it easy because he wants to get out and fight. Merida stands up as the white area around them turns into the coliseum. The crowd cheers at the sight of them as the Hulk roars back, ready for the next fight.
