Aberrant: 200X - The Return of Alice [Complete]

[Mr Fox]

He wasn't grounded anymore but he'd been keeping to himself except at school for the last few days. Right now he was sitting on his bed with his back up against the wall just thinking about the expression on Alice's face when he had pushed the drinks into her hands and pulled Jael out onto the dance floor. For a couple days after Jael left he hadn't even thought about Alice. All he'd been able to think about was floating in the night sky with Jael straddling him and the kissing. He'd kissed a few girls before, but this was beyond anything he'd experienced, it wasn't a teen thing. It was HOT, and there wasn't anything teen about it. That was then. now he had Alice on the mind again.

The last few days at school had reminded him of Alice. Everywhere he looked she was there. She'd tried flirting with him the first couple days, but Jael was still so fresh in his mind that the flirting didn't have any effect on him and he just smiled at Alice and ignored it as though it was his natural due. Then she'd tried flirting with others in front of him to even less notice. That had taken up all of last week and by Friday she was starting to turn red and look a little desperate and had gone back to flirting with him again. There was a difference though, at the beginning of the week it had been calculated and planned with the intent to turn him back into her own little puppy. Now she was doing it unconsciously in a desperate attempt to gain his attention. The old enchantment she'd had on him had been broken completely and it was driving her out of her mind with frustration. Monday at school she'd come up to him after choir and actually asked him out Friday night. She'd never done that before with any guy. She manipulated. She maneuvered guys into asking her out, she didn't ask them out. He suspected he knew what she had planned, but it would be interesting to see what happened.

[Mr Fox]

Another week had passed and Friday had rolled around. Daniel was ready to face Alice. Enough tine had passed for him to clear his head of Jael, but even so the look on Alice's face at the dance when he'd shoved the drinks into her hands and pulled Jael onto the dance floor had broken whatever spell Alice had once held over him. He saw her with new eyes now, she was still very pretty and he was attracted to her, perhaps it was even a chemical attraction, but now he couldn't help but seeing her flaws as well. Not physical flaws, he wasn't that shallow, but the ones of spirit that made her want to use someone the way she had used him.

After all the talk on the forums he wasn't quite as sure of the rightness of his cause either. It had felt really good to put her in the position he'd been in for so long, but now he was having second thoughts. He couldn't see doing what VileBill suggested and walking up to her and just tearing her a new one verbally. It just wasn't his way, but he was starting to feel like he should do something to end things. Now she was following him around like a dog almost. He sighed and started to change clothes and to get ready for his 'date' with Alice. Maybe it was all the stuff form the forums, but he had a bad feeling about it. A few minutes later he was behind the wheel of his mustang heading to her house.

He arrived to find that Alice wasn't ready yet even though this was the time she'd said to pick her up. Her dad was a mean old controlling bastard that had always given Daniel looks that threatened violence. Somehow he didn't think the old goat was being protective of his daughter so much as protective of his property, Alice being that property. Now that he was looking at things different, maybe Alice was the way she was for a reason. If her father thought he owned her, maybe that's why she thought it was ok to treat him the way she had. He'd heard that abuse was hereditary.

When she finally came out to the living room he was surprised at seeing her. She was dressed to fuck. He'd seen her dress up for guys before when she was trying to work her magic, but she'd outdone herself this time, and he noticed that she hadn't come out of her room until her father had wandered off to the back of the house after glaring for a while. She yelled to the back that she would be home by 11:30 and practically pulled him out the door. In his car she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, lingering just a little longer than necessary. "Thanks for taking me out, we haven't seen much of each other lately and I've missed your friendship." The way she had rubbed her tit against his arm while she kissed his cheek said it wasn't friendship she wanted. Of course she'd used that trick before to reel him back in after previous disappointments with her so he knew what to look for.

He decided he'd better get this over with as quick as possible or he might just forget about being a nice guy and enjoy what he was being offered. He had a feeling all those voices of moral correctness on the forums would have a field day with that. He reached over and took her hand and gave it a little squeeze, "I've missed your friendship too." Like her statement, his had multiple meanings; in his case it meant he missed the fact that she'd never really been his friend. He suspected that hers meant she'd missed having her faithful puppy following her about and being there for when she was between conquests. Seeing the park he pulled over and turned off the car. It was almost full dark already, and no one was around but he'd always loved the swings here. It was one of the few places left that had real swings.

She smiled seeing where they'd stopped probably thinking he had something very different in mind. As he led the way toward the swings, he said, "Before we go to the restaurant, I wanted to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while now." They sat side by side on the swings and she kept silent picking up from his tone that something serious was bothering him. As they on the swings facing the street and the parking lot where his car was they didn't hear the approach of stealthy feet behind them. He was just about to tell her everything when the baseball bat came down on the back of his head and everything went black.

[Mr Fox]

The blackness receded, but it came with a tremendous pain in the back of his skull. It was a few seconds before he remembered where he was or recognized the sounds he was hearing. He lay still for a moment in a puddle of his own blood, mouth tasting of gravel and grass. He realized dimly that the noises must be Alice, but why was she sounding like a strangled rabbit? Then a male voice whispered harshly, hurry up we don't have all night. I want seconds." That's when the fog cleared and Daniel realized what was happening, he pushed himself up off the ground and turned toward the sounds.

He took in the scene in a single glance.

Three men, not much more than teens themselves. The two holding Alice wore baggy jeans halfway down their butts, and white wife-beater t-shirts, one had a red baseball cap pulled a quarter turn off center. One stood with his back to Daniel, between Alice's legs, his pants actually around his ankles, he wore a denim jacket and a bandanna. They looked like gang members, but this neighborhood wasn't exactly the kind of place you'd expect them and these guys were probably rich suburban kids playing at it.

Alice had her arms pulled behind her back and held by the two guys. Her tight pink shirt was ripped open and her fancy Victoria's secret bra had been cut and was hanging open, Her short skirt was pushed up around her waist and her lacy panties were ripped off and lying near her feet on the ground. She was still in the swing and the guy between her legs had her spread open ready to enter.

Somewhere in his head Daniel was noting all the details in a cold dispassionate way, while another part of him was raging.

1) 3 to one, but he had inhuman strength. They were dead, they just didn't know it yet.

2) His skull was cracked, but he could feel the quantum surging through him in ways he wasn't used to. If he weren't a nova he'd be dead, but his body was struggling to heal it's injuries. He realized that it wasn't just the back of the head, he'd been hit or kicked in the ribs and face and groin or maybe they'd worked him over with the bat after he was down. Nice guys.

3) It was full dark now but he could see everything practically like daylight. He wondered if that was due to the cracked skull or a new nova ability manifesting under the stress.

4) Alice, his Alice, the girl he'd been in love with since Junior high was just about be raped.

That's when the calm dispassionate voice in his head went away and the primal fury took over.

A voice charged with quantum yelled out one word, "STOP!!!" And they did. They just froze. The lead ganger had his dick just inches away from Alice's virgin body. The rage was all there was now, he reached out and grabbed a sign that was cemented into the ground and pulled it out as though it were a stick just laying on the grass. The metal crumpled a little in his grip as he swung it up into position to swing it at the first one's head. That's when they snapped out of it and all looked up at him. The dick just looked at him jaw hanging open as the as the block of dirty cement clinging to the bottom of the signpost swung at incredible speed toward him. His head exploded in like an overripe melon, body crumpling to the ground.

At the same time the other two scrambled back letting go of Alice and reaching into their pants for weapons. Baseball cap wasn't fast enough, he fumbled around but reached for the wrong pocket. Daniel's makeshift maul came down on his head from above doing unspeakable carnage to a fragile human body. T-shirt was a bit luckier, he managed to pull out a pistol and started firing repeatedly. Three bullets struck Daniel, and did carnage of their own. The rage had him, it wouldn't let him fall while this creep still threatened Alice.

T-shirt just stood there looking in fear and horror between Daniel's and his empty gun and his friends. Daniel could feel the fear in him, he didn't know how but he was just aware of it, and smiled a bloody satisfied smile. Despite the rage he knew his body wouldn't last much longer, maybe not even long enough to give the creep what he deserved. He wasn't sure how, but he felt the fear increase with his smile, and he willed it to go higher. Something in the other man snapped and he dropped the gun and fled. Daniel dropped the bloody signpost and looked over at Alice.

When they had released her she'd fallen backwards from the swing and was laying huddled on the ground whimpering. He could feel her terror too, but it wasn't fear of him, he didn't think she'd heard or seen anything since the whole thing started. He staggered over to her and fell to his knees pulling her into his arms. She didn't respond, still whimpering and not seeing what was around her. He felt the terror in her and did the opposite of what he'd done to the creep. He willed her fear away as he pulled her ripped shirt to cover her and eased her skirt down. As he did, he was relieved to see that there wasn't any blood between her legs. They hadn't taken her virginity at least. She would recover and get over this. He'd make sure of that.

As she came to her senses and looked around, with Daniel's arms around her, he was again slipping into the blackness. Before she could do more than get to her knees and ease him to the ground police sirens were blaring down the street. In minutes half a dozen police cruisers were on the scene and an ambulance had been called. They were roping off the scene and taking photos before the ambulance had carried them away. She refused to leave his side despite the protests of the of the EMT crew that she wasn't a relative and therefore couldn't go along. In the end her fierce look convinced them and they rushed Daniel to the emergency room followed by a one of the policemen.

Minutes after that reporters were on the scene snapping photos of their own as well as video and reporting live on the local channels. A few hours after that the N! Network was playing footage of the scene and speculating about the new nova and his powers.

[Zer0]

The badge said "Dr. Oshue - St. Elizabeth's Hospital". The outfit was fairly convincing. White coat, multi-lensed glasses, clipboard, stethoscope, the whole works. It was a tried and tested reality that said if you have a stethoscope and a clipboard in hand, you can go anywhere in a hospital. However, underneath the coat, the stethoscope, the clipboard, and about an inch of simulated flesh to hide the natural glow of his Quantum condition, there was a creature that took an entirely different view of the medical field than Dr. Oshue would.

The entity known as Zer0 walked the halls of St. Elizabeth's hospital, pushing a cart with a tray of food and some medicine bottles on it, a specific destination in mind. Sure this was taking away from his time with his creation, but it was largely automated at this stage anyway. The last part that he actually would have to pay attention at wasn't for a while. Zer0 looked up, the only part of his disguise that would give away his... abnormal nature, his eyes falling on the room number he had been looking for. Intensive Care. Where the nova child Daniel Fox had been assigned. Utopia's little bugs had come and gone. They would be back soon, but in between then and now, the kid was his.

Zer0 opened the door and pushed the cart in before closing the door and the blinds. The camera in the room would register his being in here and having a nice pleasant conversation with Mr. Fox, while the reality would be rather different. Zer0 sat in the chair next to where Daniel rested, far too peacefully, and looked at him, his inhuman, data-scrolling eyes as if they were staring into Fox's very soul.

"How are you, this evening, Mr. Fox? My name is Dr. Oshue. I have some questions and I believe that you have the answers"

[Mr Fox]

Daniel looked up wearily at the new doctor. "I'm not sure I have any blood left to take Doc. You guys have just about poked and prodded me clean out." He looked more closely and saw the eyes. "Oh your another Project doctor." He sighed and winced at the motion, "Ok, what do you want to know. I've already told the Project and the police everything I know."

[Zer0]

"I'm more curious than anything, at the moment."

Zer0 looked at the clipboard as if it had something relevant on it.

"From what I can see here, your relationship with this young girl, this... Alice person, has been rocky at best. You have just recently taken steps to exact what I can only see as social revenge of a... Duke Rollo variety. Yes, there are people monitoring that cute little OpNet list of yours. Don't worry, we have no intention of shutting it down any time soon.

"Anyway, you have just had your vengeance and yet barely a week later here you are killing people in the defense of this woman. A noble effort, to be sure, and you are to be commended. But where the story gets blurry is why exactly you were there in the first place. Your story of events up to the 'main event' does not sound like the one of an individual who had just recently spurned the rest of the cast quite harshly. That is the disconnect and I was wondering if you could enlighten me about what had happened there."

"Between that and one more thing I need your consent for, I can pretty much guarantee that you will be up and walking around pain free, ready to act on your teenage desires within the next hour. Who knows? I may well take the time to contact your partner in vengeance to celebrate what would be a very rapid recovery. Assuming consent is given, of course"

[Mr Fox]

Daniel frowned. Who was this doctor? Was Utopia keeping dibs on him? Bastards. "Look, I don't care who the Project thinks it is, you might be the next thing to gods around here but you don't have any business sticking your nose into my personal life. As for permission, no way. I'm not giving you consent to do anything. Now get out and let me sleep." Maybe Sean was right, the Project was really getting the big head thinking they could nose around in peoples personal lives like this. Tomorrow he'd have to arrange for an opnet connection and tell the folks on the board about this. He made sure to look closely at the nametag the doctor was wearing so he could get the spelling right.

[Zer0]

"Have it your way" Zer0 got up and walked over towards one of the displays. He pushed a few buttons on it, the latex gloves he wore keeping any finger prints from being visible. There was absolutely no need to push the buttons but there was no need to tip his hand early either regarding who or what he was. As he poked at it, it starter bringing up information that belonged nowhere near a medical display.

"I may not be the most sociable person in the world, but I know how to respond when someone decides that they know everything there is to know about their situation" Zer0 looked over a few of the displays. While he was standing there, the Eufiber he wore, allowing him to exist in this disguise formed a semi-transparent layer over his eyes, making them appear black. Sure the room would dim for him just a bit, but he would manage.

"As it stands, you are probably not going to walk out of here for a few days. Meanwhile your friends are going to have their little get togethers, your family is going to worry about their prodigal child. Life will go on, and you will miss this part of it.

That thing you are not consenting for was not only a healing factor. It was a set of vaccines. Counteragents that were to be put in place to keep certain 'side-effects' of the medicine being put into you from happening. But, if you want to let the 'side effects' have free reign over your body, if you want to be stuck in this bed until your body recovers itself, that is fine by me, I will see myself out and you will likely never see me again"

Zer0 returned the display back to its normal routine, erasing any evidence that it had ever been different. he turned around and looked him in the eyes, piercing blackness where the white and brown orbs that were eyes should have been. "But if you want to be free to go today, to tell all your friends about what a hero you are and how your eruption is going to make things so much better, to attend your party with your friends so you can swap cookies and gossip, to be absolutely sure the medical side effects of what is already in you don't take hold. If you want that, then say so."

Zer0 turned and started toward the door. "You have six seconds."

[Mr Fox]

"What are you talking about what is in me? Are you saying some of your Utopia doctors are putting something in the meds, or that you are putting something in the meds?" Daniel looked confused and disturbed at this change in the conversation. Was this woman Utopia or not? If she was why would she be telling him they were doing something to him he wasn't aware of. If she wasn't then was she putting these strange meds in him or what she working for someone else and against Utopia. He wasn't sure what to think, but one thing was for sure, he wasn't going to keep these IVs in his arm much longer.

[Zer0]

Zer0 stopped at the cart that he had brought in, half disappointed that he would not get to bring the cart's contents to bear on a nova. Then, when Fox spoke, he was more entertained than surprised. "Simple medicine, Mr. Fox. Every medical procedure in the history of this planet has had side effects. It just seems to be a good idea to avoid them when dealing with young novas. But you already know that, or at least you should. I am not at liberty do discuss the exact side effects, as the threat of espionage and reverse engineering is very real. However, I am quite sure that you will be displeased, if you ever realize what they are.

Zer0 wheeled the cart in front of him and glanced back at Daniel. "Then again, it doesn't matter since you're not going to consent to anything and you just want to sleep. Project Utopia may be the next thing to gods around here, but we certainly would not want to interrupt your sleep schedule. So I will be off now, to let science and medicine run its course. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Fox, and best wishes to you and to your family."

Zer0 took his time heading for the door though not so much that he was visibly hesitating. He simply wanted to know how this kid would respond, if at all.

[Mr Fox]

"Hang on. Are you saying that Utopia is giving me experimental drugs or something? And what do you mean you can't discuss side effects. If there's someting being put in my be you people you damn well better tell me what it is. I didn't sign any consent forms and I doubt my parents did either. And what do you mean you can stop the side effects?"

[Zer0]

Zer0 smiled under his "mask". He had him. Adopting a completely blase' demeanor, he turned around and faced Daniel.

"In the order of questions asked.... "One, Yes and no, all medicines that affect novas have unique side effects because of the physiology of each individual nova is different. However, we know ways to counter most of them. Two, exactly what I said. Three, medicine for beings immune to most medicine. Four, again, exactly what I said."

[Jael Carver]

"Perhaps it's time for a second opinion," Jael suggested from the door. She was leaning against the door frame, her golden hair falling around her face. Blue-gray eyes watched the two people in the room. She appeared to be amused, but there was a hardness to her expression.

She enjoyed their surprise. It had been easy to sneak up on the room and listen in for a bit. She'd meant to see if he was alone; then she'd just been waiting for the right time to walk into the room. But all thoughts of play had fled when she had heard talk of side effects.

"Hello, Daniel." She nodded to him and then to the doctor. "Hello, Doctor...?"

[Zer0]

Zer0 turned and was grateful that his disguise was responsive only to his commands. The two in the room wouldn't see the look of pure hatred he was directing at Jael. The eyes would only register a calm blackness. "Oshue"

Zer0 smiled approvingly, at least on the surface. "You must be Jael. An interesting name for an interesting person." Zer0 stepped to the side and put his hand one of the lower displays. "I am actually quite glad you are here. Perhaps you can convince Mr. Fox here of the benefits of healing quickly and counteracting possible side effects of his treatment thus far"

During the pause, Zer0 extended his power through the electronics systems and altered the camera's sight. Moving quickly through the network, he erased all trace that Jael had ever been here. He would do the same once she left. If she left.

[Mr Fox]

Daniel brightened seeing Jael, he gave the biggest smile since the attack and winced a little at the pain it caused. "Jael! I didn't know anyone had found out I was in the hospital. I haven't been able to write to anyone yet." Looking back at the Doctor he smile slipped off his face again, "The Doctor says the treatment Utopia is giving me will have side effects, but won't tell me what those are. If she won't tell me, I'm about to pull these things out of my arm. I'm feeling much better anyway." He reached across his body for the arm with the IV in it and grimaced at it put stress on his damaged ribs.

[Jael Carver]

Jael leaned back out the door and glanced at the nurse's station up the hall. She could see several bustling medical officials. "Well, like I said - second opinion." She smiled without a hint of humor. "Daniel, do you want me to go get someone else? Maybe they'd answer your questions."

[Mr Fox]

He thought about that for a second, then shook his head. "Nah, she was leaving anyway before you came in. I can't check out on my own, but I think my parents will be checking me out first thing in the morning after they hear about this." He waits to see if Dr. Oshue leaves the room peacefully or says anything else on the way out. He would really have liked to know what she was being all mysterious about, but right now he'd settle for some pain killers. Besides there was just something in the air that made him uncomfortable. "You can just push the little button by the bed here anyway and someone will come to check on me. It's just nice to see a friendly face. Since I woke up other than my parents, I haven't been allowed to have any visitors other than the police who spent hours taking statements yesterday."

[Zer0]

Zer0 was sure by now that he wouldn't be doing anything to Daniel on this visit. Damned kids and their stubbornness. He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Take care, Mr. Fox. Miss Carver" He made his way from the room, taking his cart with him. Making his way around the hospital for a few moments, he ducked down a side area.

Making sure that there was nobody around, he withdrew the grafts that he had stored in various larger sized containers. Grafts in hands, the Eufiber disguise that he had been wearing dissipated into the vaguely streaked strands that parted as he slipped the grafts just through a gap in the eufiber layer.

The Eufiber shortly reformed, but this time there was no Dr. Oshue. The figure that stood in the hallways now was a good-sized man of stereotypically Texan variety, thick canvas jacket, jeans, and flannel shirt, a pair of big CHIPs style sunglasses covering his eyes. Zer0 glanced at the camera systems and with a quick expenditure of quantum, made it so that nothing would be out of the ordinary upon review. Minutes later, he was walking out the front door of St. Elizabeth's hospital.

[Mr Fox]

Daniel frowned at the doctors retreating back, the looked up at Jael, "That was just a little creepy. Kept being all mysterious about the side effects of the meds they are giving me but wouldn't talk about what they were or anything. Weird, but I guess that's what I'd expect from Utopia after what Sean went through. Don't get me wrong, they do a lot of good, but I'm starting to think it's going to their heads." Watching Jael as she stood in the doorway watching the doctor walk down the hall, he said, "Well, come sit down and visit. Like I said, it's good to see you," he smiled a mostly painless smile at her. "So did you just sneak out for the evening or are you stopping here on your way to the big meeting?"

[Jael Carver]

"That was a lot creepy," Jael said, pushing back the slight unease that rolled through her when she got close to him. She sank into the chair closest to the door, smiling at him.

"How are you? And yes, I was going to head over to Cleveland after seeing you - I convinced the nurses to watch my sweet rolls," she said. "Are you planning on going?"

[Mr Fox]

Daniel smiled again with a slight grimace. "Yeah, I was planning on it. I got my mother to pick me up a couple peach pies from the Rao's bakery. They are the best I've ever had." At the mention of the pies his stomach gave a loud rumble and he blushed. "Sorry, they haven't been feeding me as much as I'm used to."

He lowered his voice, "Don't tell anyone, but I've been flying the whole time I'm awake. Doing it right now even. Hovering about an inch or two above the mattress. It's feels better than just lying here, not that it hurts or anything. I'm feeling a lot better today." He is obviously lying about the hurting, but he really does look pretty good for someone who was injured as bad as the reports say, better than he should anyway.

[Jael Carver]

"That's good," Jael grinned, crossing her legs as she smoothed her skirt over her thighs. "Are they going to release you today? I'm surprised the needle-vampires are going to let you go home at all."

Her eyes unfocused as her head tilted slightly. Daniel saw her nostrils flare for a moment; then she said, "Alice was here today. How is she?"

[Mr Fox]

"Yeah, they aren't going to have a choice unless they intend to restrain me and I think they'd need some serious chains or drugs for that. Besides after that little visit, I'm not letting those people put any more needles in me." He smiled at her and wondered about about the distance she was keeping from him; there was a much more comfortable chair right by the bed. "When my parents find out they will pull me out of here in the morning. I was going to ask them to check me out anyway. There isn't anything more the doc can do for me now anyway and this place is costing a fortune. Good thing dad has insurance."

He thought for a moment before answering, "Yeah, Alice has been here everyday since the attack. Aside from being grateful for being rescued, she seems to have appointed herself as my spokewoman to the student body. Her social standing has improved a good deal since the incident, and she's been milking it for all it's worth." He made a face and added grudgingly, "Don't get me wrong, I think she is sincerely grateful and would do just about anything I asked at this point, but even so she is just reflexively turning it to her advantage and using it a make herself the center of attention at school. At least that's what I'm hearing from the few real friends I've got that have managed to get through to talk to me today."

"I'm not really looking forward to going back to school, but still, it will be nice not to have to pretend any more. Plus, now I don't have to explain to people when I erupted and how which is a bonus."

He smiled again and asked, "So how are things at home? I hope you didn't get in too much trouble for visiting me. Boyfriend didn't break up with you or anything eh?" As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. That wasn't the right way to ask, but somewhere deep down he was hoping that she was free now. Something about her body language and the fact that she was sitting over by the door instead of next to him said that she wasn't free and that she regretted what had happened.

[Jael Carver]

Jael listened and nodded knowingly, understanding exactly what he was saying. She'd had a lot of the same thoughts and fears when she'd faced returning to school and to all the questions and worries. And you did learn who was your friend and who wasn't, and who cared about you and who cared about your node. And Daniel had been relieved of a second burdern. Would that her secret come out so easily.

She tried to imagine what he'd say if she told him, "I'm a psychopath. Or sociopath. I don't remember which. But yeah, I like to kill people. That guy I killed erupting? I taunted him and drew him after me. And I enjoyed gutting him."

It wouldn't go well, she suspected. Privately, she wondered if anyone would ever be able to accept her as she was, monster and all. She doubted it.

"No, Jimmy and I are fine," Jael said. "He really doesn't know what happened; he thinks it was rebellion against my parents. And I only got in trouble because I wouldn't tell my parents where I'd gone. They're slowly starting to relax around me." She looked at him, genuine concern in her eyes. "How are your folks dealing, beyond having creepy doctors running around wanting to drug you up?"

[Mr Fox]

Daniel thought he sensed something from Jael while she spoke but he dismissed it as the after effects of the drugs. "They are fine. Better actually, I think having it known that I'm a nova is a relief to them as well. Finally they can stop pretending everything is normal. I don't know why, but have been freaked out by me being a nova ever since it happened. I think it was probably seeing me shred that tree in the back yard with my bare hands. I feel really bad about that, I really liked that old pecan tree, but I had to take my rage out on something and I wasn't really thinking at the time. I pretty sure they are afraid of me. They'll probably be happy when I eventually leave home." He gave her a sad smile.

"At least your parents are handling it ok. Your eruption was much more traumatic than mine but they accepted you just fine." He paused a second then added, "They did didn't they? You never really talked about it, but I just got the impression that things were good with your parents."

[Jael Carver]

"I don't know if mine will be happy when I go. I know my sister will be. My parents had the benefit of realizing that if I hadn't erupted, I'd be dead. It made the adjustment a lot easier," Jael said, crossing her legs and messing with the skirt she was wearing. She smoothed the hem over her knees as she continued. "Oddly, they were a little more clingy right after, because of nearly losing me. That's why they were so upset about my trip to Texas, but they've loosened up enough to let me go to Cleveland by myself." She shook her head. "Parents are strange, aren't they?"

This was incredibly uncomfortable, to see here with him and talk like nothing had changed. But it had; everything had changed since she had seen him last. It made her sad, because he had made her feel very good. Her cheeks flushed with a touch of pink as she remembered flying while wrapped around him. It was a good memory, but not the reality of the situation, not anymore.

"You know, if you wanted out of here now, you could probably call your parents and tell them what happened," Jael said. "They'd probably come and bust you right out."

[Mr Fox]

Daniel nodded, "Yeah, but it's late and there isn't any real reason to unless they try and drug me again. I'm a light enough sleeper that they won't be able to do that without me knowing." He wasn't sure what, but he could tell something had changed with Jael. There was something she wasn't telling him, but it was her business and she'd share if she felt like it. Probably feels bad about what happened before.

"You know, if there is ever anything you wanna talk about, I'm a pretty good listener." There, he'd given her an opening. If she wanted to take it she could, he wouldn't push it any further than that.

[Jael Carver]

Jael smiled sadly. Even if she had the need to talk to someone, and that someone had been Daniel, she couldn't have said a word. And some of what was troubling her she didn't even understand.

"I guess," she said softly, "that I'm in the weird stage where I'm trying to figure all my stuff out. So I'm not sure about a lot of things, including what I need and want. I mean, it feels like a terrible cliche, but that's the way I feel. Have... you ever, you know... felt this way?"

[Mr Fox]

Daniel nods, thinking he understands, "Yeah, I have, since I became a nova. I think I have it figured out now, but who knows, maybe I'll be making an even bigger mistake, but at least I have a direction and that feels better than the limbo of indecision. Until the attack, I had just been unsure what to do. Happy to be normal for a little while longer and not wanting change, but in the end the decision was made for me by those guys that attacked us. I can't be normal old Daniel anymore. Time to be Super-Daniel!" He chuckled at his own joke. "But yeah, I know the feeling."

[Jael Carver]

"That's... not exactly what I meant," Jael said, quiet frustration in her voice. "I have a direction, but I'm not always sure it's-"

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt," the nurse said, poking her head into the room. "Visiting hours are over, and I'm going to have to chase you out, dear."

"Sure," Jael said, hopping to her feet. "Night, Daniel. I'll see you in the morning, when we head out, ok?" She didn't really wait for an answer; she bounced out of the room, smiling.

In the hallway, she relaxed as she stepped outside the aura of Daniel's discomfort zone. Sighing, she prepared herself for tomorrow and the discomfort of flying there with Daniel. But the chance to meet Praxis was worth any discomfort. Still smiling, she headed for her hotel room.