The End of The World

[alderwitch]

Alex brought her hand down on the table with a resounding smack and with one finger pointed at Zoe, raised her voice to a near shout, "I don't care if you come from the dimension of the man-apes, you don't talk to people like that and you sure as shooting don't talk to me like that! I can tell you're hurting but I'm not going to sit around and let you swear at me, or at my friends. We've been nice, and really, very trusting. But this is my line right here, and you've hit it. So this is me telling you, right now, cut out the attitude or we will leave you with the Freedom League and you can make your own way in a new world. We don't owe you a blessed thing. I can tell you one thing, we're certainly not sisters because my mother would have grounded me so fast if I'd ever talked to anyone like that."

Alex finished her speech, half standing, her eyes narrowed and hands flattened on the table.

[angrydurf]

Mike glanced up in concern at Alex, she usually didn't flip out like that but it had been a trying day and the new girls rebuke to her offer of sympathy had been particularly stinging.

He raised one hand to try and calm everyone before this got any worse, "Hey now," he said calmly, "She's not the only one with things in her past she doesn't want to talk about. I can respect that." He glanced to Erin sympathetically for a moment then turned back to Zoe and continued in the same calm voice her father preffered for his lectures, "But that was uncalled for, We have tried to be understanding, and you are clearly upset by what has happened but you don't need to lashout at us, we are not responsable for what happened to your family."

He looked down at her like she was six, "Now I think you owe some of us an apology and maybe we can get back on the right foot with this."

He almost instinctively sent across his link to Alex a soothing calm, 'Are you alright? She's just shaken up from everything we should give her another chance.'

[Avenger Assembled]

It was Mark Lucas, ever careless and ever trusting, who stepped up as a problem-solver. People often mistook him for soft or vacillating, but he was...well, Mark. "That's not very helpful, Zoe," he replied patiently. "But if that's how you feel, I don't think we can help you any. Psyche, do you think you could send that message? I know there are telepaths on the League, you can probably reach them from here. In the meantime, Zoe, why don't you relax and finish your food?" It was also the case that Mark dealt with things he didn't understand by pretending they didn't exist. Normally Mark would have dispatched Erin to do something like that, but for once Wander seemed to be handling this new arrival much better than the other two. (For that matter, she was pinned into the booth by Mike.)

[N/A]

When Alex slammed her hand down on the table, Zöe nearly jumped out of her skin. When she started yelling, Zöe's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Her face took on a vacant, terrified expression. Her skin grew a shade more pale. Her shoulders slumped, and her head slowly sank down until it hung slack.

And just like that, I'm six years old again.

When Mark pitched in, she sunk even lower in her chair.

Her clumsy attempts to shield her thoughts from Alex and Mike were akin to desperately squeezing a mound of sand. The harder she grasped, the more grains slipped through her fingers.

Way to go, Z. You just blew your audition to become the fifth Beatle.

Well, it's not totally FUBAR. I can still protect them. I just have to keep my distance. Like today, I should've just pasted those two jerks and been in and out, instead of sticking around to chat.

When she spoke, her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She kept her head down, staring at the table, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"I've known you guys my whole life. It's hard for me to remember that I'm a stranger to you. Most of my story was true. I just changed or left out a couple of really personal details. I'm not an alien spy or a robot assassin or any of the other things your 'really very nice and trusting' friend thinks I am. I really was Next-Gen. But not with you guys. You could say I wasn't even in your League. And when I saw you guys on those steps, I was relieved. I was even excited. Not only were you, you know, not dead, I thought maybe this time we'd be friends. I thought, hey, maybe they don't have everything figured out yet. Maybe they aren't the 'paragons of virtue' that I remember. Maybe they're like me."

That's right, Z. Turns out you're so farking AWESOME that even these guys only liked you when they felt obligated to. Now that they don't have the baggage, they can't stand you.

"Mom and Dad always said they were proud of me, but I could read between the lines. I could tell they were disappointed, because you guys were heroes, and I was just a kid with powers."

Everyone I know is dead. I'm stuck here. And everyone here just thinks I'm a d-bag. Except Erin, who thinks I'm actually evil.

I'm alone.

"You're right. You guys don't owe me anything. I'll sort this out myself. Good seeing you guys again." She gave a half-hearted wave to no one in particular, then began to stand up and heft her backpack over her shoulder. "Sorry to bother you."

[alderwitch]

Alex sighed and finally opened that mental communication link for the first time since Zoe had errupted into their world, 'We're just kids with powers, here, Zoe. We don't know you, and we only know what you present to us. Look, you're hungry, and you're scared and you need help. We don't hate you. We don't know you.'

Her thoughts were carefully focused into words but they carried emotions and images behind them with more layers of depth than words could ever hold, offering a bit more of a glimmer of Alex in that moment than words would have.

"But, we would like to get know you. Now, have a seat. Please. And let's try this again. Hi, I'm Alexandra Albright. My friends call me Alex." She smiled and held out one slender and delicately boned hand - the same hand she'd smacked on the table - palm up.

[angrydurf]

Mike was surprised by her sudden outburst, He really wished he was better at this but nothing for it but to keep trying, "Listen Alex is right we got off on the wrong foot. You have to understand that even with everything your story is a little hard to swallow." He said plainly.

"Your world much be alot different if we're the heroes and Next Gen is the second string, but I think the real issue here is where we go from here. If you don't want our help fine, but trust is a two way street." As his statements drew to a close he looked at Zoe expectantly. For most of the people at the table it was unusual verbosity from the normally withdrawn Mike, for Zoe it was her fathers classic solution. Move forward and do what you can with where things are and don't let someone go it alone if you can help.

[Electra]

Erin couldn't think of anything positive to say to this new stranger, who seemed to be cycling through attitudes until she found one that world work, but she also managed to not say anything sarcastic. That counted as a victory, in her book. She drank most of her glass of water and simmered down while Alex and Mike were cajoling Zoe into staying and eating the mountain of food she'd ordered. Finally, when there was a lull, she put in, "And even if you're not going to tell us where you actually come from, you'd better be ready to tell Summers. They don't fool around about that sort of thing, especially if you come from a place that just had some sort of disaster. They'll lock the file if you want."

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark's attention span was beginning to waver, but his friend's concern for the new arrival got him to pay attention to her again. It was always so difficult focusing on problems he couldn't do anything about immediately. "In fact, you don't have to tell us a thing," said Mark artlessly, guessing it was better to avoid any more arguments about who was lying about what. "We owe you lunch after helping us out with those guys, so eat up." He waved his hand. "We'll let the grownups worry about the hard stuff." Uncle Mark had said those exact words to Zoe on multiple occasions. It was a little weird when a fifty year old man said that to a teenager, but it made more sense coming from him now.

[N/A]

Zöe had her back turned to the group by the time she heard Alex and Mike's entreaties. She stood in place for a few moments, then turned back to them and nodded, her gaze still cast low enough to avoid any eye contact. As with Mark, she slapped Alex's palm rather than shake her hand, though she did it slower and more gently this time.

She slowly slid back down onto the chair, and started eating. Entire plates full of food disappeared between the blinks of an eye. She remained quiet.

When Erin spoke up again, Zöe stopped eating for a moment. Her hand stopped in mid-air, food still clinging to her fork. She set it back down. She grinded her teeth, squeezed her fork so tight her knuckles turned white, and took a couple of deep breaths. Then she looked up and locked eyes with Erin.

"When we're done eating, I'm gonna head over to Claremont and try to get a few minutes with Summers. If you're not busy, I'd like you to come with me. I think we should talk."

[Electra]

Erin met Zoe's eyes across the table, studying her for a minute. "Fine," she said, just as curtly, curiosity getting the better of her. She didn't know why the stranger would want to talk to her least receptive audience, but she'd listen. And if it was actually a fight Zoe wanted, well, she was pretty sure she could hold her own, even against someone whose powers she could only half-guess. "I've got all day." Erin finished her glass of water and folded her hands, waiting for everyone else to be finished with their meals.

[N/A]

Zöe chugged her last pitcher of soda in what appeared to be a single gulp. "Razor. Let's jet. See the rest of you guys on campus." She stood up, slipped her arms up under the straps of her pack, and extended a hand to Erin. "I'm not sure if I can share my speed with other people, but now's as good a time as any to try. It'll go a lot faster that way."

[Avenger Assembled]

Agreeably, Edge reached out for Zephyr's hand too. "Where one of us goes, we all go," said Mark with a smile. "Thanks for your help with the bad guys, by the way. I think you'll like working as part of a team." It was something of a leap of faith to reach out in such an obvious gesture of trust, but that was the way Mark preferred to do things. People worked best when they worked together.

[angrydurf]

Mike frowned slightly as the group prepared to leave. Well best laid plans and all that he supposed. Maybe he'd just wait around after his next Doom room session and try and catch Erin on her way in.

Mike strolled up to the front to settle the bill, a bit more than he was expecting but he hardly ever had reason to tap his bank account while at school so not beyond his means for a one time deal.

[alderwitch]

Alex smiled and nodded cheerfully, "I'll wait for Mike and he'll fly us back. We'll be a little bit behind you but not much. Maybe two minutes or so."

[Electra]

Erin slid out of the booth as Mike got up. "It'll be fine," she told Mark, reaching without apparent concern for Zoe's hand. Whether it was trust, self-confidence, or ignorance, she didn't seem terribly worried about any of the number of weird powers that could be triggered by skin-to-skin contact. Aunt Erin wouldn't have been so careless... but then, Aunt Erin wasn't nearly so prickly, either. Right now, or thirty years from now, she was probably out looking for Zoe, wondering what had become of her. "We'll be around the main building."

[N/A]

Zöe's eyes widened. "Two of you? Whoa. OK, my teacher thought I could pull this off. One way to find out." She took Erin's hand, then Mark's, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She took a deep breath, then glanced up at the clock on the wall behind the counter. "Little hand says it's time to rock & roll." She took off running.

The three of them sped down the road about ten times as quickly as any of the cars they passed and dodged and served around on the way. It was a strange sensation. On one hand, it seemed as if everyone around them was frozen in place. On the other hand, they also had to strafe at a fraction of a second's notice to avoid slamming into things that were at the edge of the horizon an eyeblink ago.

In less than two minutes, they found themselves standing outside the Headmaster's Office of the Claremont Academy in Bayview.

"Alrighty. Mark, this is where you get off. We'll catch up later. Thanks for lunch. Erin...let's do this."

[Electra]

Erin let go of Zoe's hand when they arrived, taking a few moments to regain her bearings. "That's a heck of a ride," she muttered, making sure her clothes were all intact after the fight and the run. Brushing herself off, she looked over at Mark. "Tell Alex I'll catch up with her after this, at the room if not before." She headed up towards the doors of the main building, more curious than ever now to hear what Zoe had to say.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Okay," said Mark agreeably to Zoe and Erin, evidently having dismissed any worries now that they were back on campus. What bad thing could happen to them here? "I'll just hang around till they get here," he said affably, sitting down and putting his feet up on a bench outside the administration building. "Good luck in there."

[N/A]

As they walked inside, Zöe half-muttered, half-whispered to Erin. "Look, I get that you're protective of your friends. I can relate. Believe it or not, we both want the same thing - to keep them safe. Especially Alex. I know you guys are tight. So if you hate me, it's gonna make my job a lot harder than it needs to be."

"Here's my deal: You get the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth. Then you'll see that we're on the same side. And you'll see why I decided to keep some things off the public record. And you'll help me keep it that way. I come clean, and it doesn't leave this room. Razor?"

[Electra]

Erin thought about that for a minute, studying Zoe's face. "All right, fine," she said at last. "If you're straight with me, and we're really on the same side, I won't tell anyone else anything you tell me. I can understand having things you don't want everybody knowing about. But if you're lying," she warned, "and you try to hurt one of my friends, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you regret it. Just so we understand each other perfectly well."

[angrydurf]

When he finished paying the bill Mike headed back to the table to leave a tip. He smiled at Alex waiting there, "Guess we gotta find our own way back huh?" He said with a wink and offered her his hand as they headed outside.

Once there he quickly and easily scooped her up in has arms and sheltering her head with one big hand shot into the sky. Once they had gotten over the clouds he slowed slightly to ask, "So what do you think of her story? Seems a little odd, I mean both your folks have brown eyes like you, Hers are like blue green, like a lighter version of mine." Mike shrugged, "Maybe she just knew the other us's adn thought the sibling story was easier."

[alderwitch]

With her arms around his shoulders, Alex gave him a thoughtful look, "She has my hair, though and practically my mom's build. I could tell that she's related to me although the twin thing was a lie. I think she was only fibbing about things that she had to."

She pursed her lips, her expression thoughtful before her eyes traveled to the few rust stains on her sleeve. Unwrapping her arms from Mike's neck Alex fingered the blood stain. "I know how I can test that, though."

[Avenger Assembled]

Edge sat back on the bench in front of the administration building, singing softly under his breath. "Is she strong? Listen bud, she's got all-American blood! Watch out! Here comes Lady Liberty!" He wondered where Zoe was really from. He'd picked up that she was lying about where she came from, but she wasn't his only friend who did that. Between Ultiteen, Zephyr, and even Erin (though she was more closemouthed about her origins than an actual fibber), there were a lot of people at Claremont who weren't really honest about their backstory. But that was okay. In the infinite justice of time, everything would work out okay. "Mr. Midnight...bring me a dream, dun dun dun, make her the cutest, that I've ever seen..."

[angrydurf]

Mike just shook his head in amazment. It really was just like Alex to collect DNA from a asual aquantance, just in case. Well it would either confirm or deny the story at least so that was good, he was curious about where Zoe was actually from but didn't want to pry. "Maybe we should just let her fill us in on the truth when she's comfortable?" He asked as they began thier descent towards the school.

[N/A]

"Fair enough. If I ever try to hurt one of your friends, I'll hold myself down while you go to work. But I think right now if I'm gonna wind up brawling with anyone, it's gonna be you. Which I guess would save you some time. And I think I'd lose, if you ever caught up to me. Which you probably would, eventually. "Subtle" isn't really my style, and you're really good at beating people up. You're a wolf in a really flimsy, tattered sheep-suit."

Zöe took a deep breath and cracked her neck. "Stop talking, Z. OK, here goes nuthin'." She walked up to the receptionist in the Admin office. "Hey." She waved her hand in a half-circle. "We need to talk to Principal Summers. No, we don't have an appointment. Yes, it's important. You think he can squeeze us in?"