by Chad Kunego
“Retconning?” Kaitlyn asked, arching an eyebrow slightly.
“Da,” she said, pausing slightly before a look of comprehension flashed across her face.
“Oh, izvinite1* I should have said retrocognition. I can see events in past by touch. Is very handy for investigating scenes.” *sorry
Kaitlyn nodded at the explanation.
That actually might come in handy on this mission.
“If we were to allow you to join our—”
A sense of pressure suddenly manifested in the conference room a couple seconds before the door opened again. Stepping into the room, the sensation of pressure increased momentarily before vanishing, followed by a scent of warm vanilla and cinnamon. The scent made her heart skip a beat every time she smelled it.
An instant later, Kaitlyn heard a loud gasp followed by the sound of a chair hitting the floor. Quickly looking over, she realized Zarina had rapidly backed up to the far corner of the room, her eyes going wide. She suppressed a grin watching the young woman’s expression of fear conflicting with her flushed face. Kaitlyn also noticed Zarina’s hand was going white from gripping the crystal dangling around her neck so tightly.
Guess I’m not the only one who feels that way when he walks into a room.
“Bozhe moi!2*” *My God!
“Ne vryad li3,*” he said with a smile. Glancing over at Kaitlyn, he gestured to the woman cowering in the corner. *Not hardly
“Who’s our Russian friend?”
“That,” she said, smiling at Rick, “would be Zarina.”
Looking toward the other woman, she gestured toward Rick.
“Zarina, meet Rick.”
Rick slid across the conference room slowly, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Kaitlyn noticed the chair right itself soundlessly as he moved past. Holding his hand out, he cocked his head while raising his eyebrows slightly, motioning toward Zarina.
“Sadites', pozhaluysta4,*” he said, gently taking her hand and leading her back to her chair, “YA ne kusayus'5**.” *Sit, please **I don’t bite
Light leaked out from the hand Zarina clutched her necklace with. It was bright enough to make her hand glow a deep crimson hue. A look of concentration gradually spread across her face while Rick slowly guided her back to her chair, her breathing eventually becoming slow and even again.
Taking her seat again, the other woman watched Rick move away before he settled into a seat closest to the door.
“Your Russian is very good,” she said, stuttering slightly.
“Thank you, miss,” he said, smiling again, “Occupational requirement.”
He looked back toward Kaitlyn, nodding slightly.
“So what’s the big brouhaha about?”
“Probably nothing, honestly, but we’ve been tasked with investigating a recent storm located in the Midwest. It caused some casualties and multiple injuries.”
Kaitlyn became mildly distracted when a slight undertone of almonds mix with the cinnamon and vanilla scent drifting through the room.
“A storm? That’s it? That’s pretty much an occupational hazard for farmers in that region. Hell, I’ve seen quite a few growing up myself. Doesn’t really sound like something in our wheelhouse though, does it? What so special about this one?”
Kaitlyn started typing on the keyboard in front of her. Slowly, the lights dimmed while the screen mounted on the wall lit up.
“Zarina, can you cut your light show down a bit?”
Flinching slightly, she quickly glanced over at Kaitlyn before her eyes snapped back to Rick. Kaitlyn realized Zarina was biting her lower lip slightly. Closing her eyes for a moment, the glow from her hand slowly dimmed before winking out entirely. Opening her eyes again, she cast another quick glance at Rick before meeting Kaitlyn’s stare, bobbing her head slightly.
“Under most circumstances, you’d be right. What piqued our interest though, was one of the survivor’s kept talking about seeing eyes in the storm. Granted, she could just be referring to the eye of the storm, but we’d rather err on the side of caution, just to be safe.”
“Eh, makes sense I guess. Been a long time since I’ve seen a good twister up close. Actually, since before I got my powers. Wonder if I can fly into one…?”
A thoughtful look crossed his face briefly before focusing on her again.
“When do we head out?”
“No rush, really. Whenever you’re ready to leave. Since it’s such a low priority mission, we’ve actually been cleared to drive there, rather than flying. Assuming we don’t find anything, I’m going to take a few days off and enjoy the scenery. Be nice to take a breather after the last mission.”
Rick grinned in response.
“Yeah, it’d be nice to see something besides this city. It’s been a long time since I took a real vacation myself, so a road trip sounds pretty fun, actually.”
Kaitlyn returned the smile.
“Glad you approve. Also, since this is likely a low threat level mission, Zarina will be joining us. It’s going to be her first field assignment, to see if it agrees with her.”
Bringing the lights back up, she glanced at the clock. Standing, she looked back toward Rick.
“How does heading out first thing in the morning sound, say… eight o’clock?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
She watched Rick flow up to a standing position, the impression of power radiating off of him again. Heading toward the door, he paused a moment before turning back.
“It was nice meeting you miss,” he said, bowing slightly.
Whistling, he spun around, strolling out the door with his hands in his pockets.
“Bozhe moi,” the other woman whispered, “who was that?”
“You might know him better by his codename. That,” she said, looking at the door a moment before glancing back at Zarina, “was Newton.”
Kaitlyn smirked slightly when Zarina’s eyes went wide again.
“That was Newton?!”
She paused for a moment, a look of confusion spreading across her face.
“Why did he smell like sandalwood and almonds?”
Chapter 4
Sandalwood and almonds? He didn’t smell anything like… Nevermind…
“So care to explain what all that was about?”
Kaitlyn cast a sideways glance at Zarina while they walked down the hall. She noticed the other woman stumble slightly. The expression that flashed across Zarina face reminded Kaitlyn of the proverbial kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, but was quickly replaced by a neutral expression. All that remained of the reaction was a slightly reddening face. After another moment of silence, Zarina looked up at Kaitlyn, a sheepish look now spreading across her face.
“Izvinite.6”
“English please. Not all of us are as linguistically skilled as Rick is.”
Zarina opened her mouth, paused for a second, then responded.
“Sorry, I sometimes speak Russian when I get nervous.”
“Understood. So why the abject look of terror when Rick came in?”
The sheepish look passed across the other woman’s face again.
“I was uh, how you say, trying to get advantage in interview.”
“Really…” she asked, raising an eyebrow again, “How?”
Zarina paused a moment, different emotions battling their way across her face, before responding.
“I was reading your aura. Sometimes I can get gist of someone’s mood. Hoped it’d let me know whether I was doing good during interview.”
Kaitlyn stopped walking while she digested what Zarina had said, forcing the other woman to stop awkwardly in the middle of the hallway.
“Is that like mind reading?” she asked, a scowl growing across her face.
“Bozhe moi! No, nothing like that.”
“But you can read minds, correct?”
“Da, with enough concentration. But I would never do such thing without permission or direct orders.”
Kai
tlyn noticed Zarina was beginning to look extremely uncomfortable with her line of questioning.
“So how was this different?”
Zarina brow scrunched up in thought for a second.
“I only get flashes of emotions, like knowing you’re happy or such. I also get impression of someone’s powers. Like cross between aura reading and empathic reading, but slightly more. I saw an aura of flames around you. I also saw your interest in me slightly, but not really sure.”
“And with Rick?”
Kaitlyn noticed a look of awe mixed with a dash of fear flash across her face before she responded.
“Power. Overwhelming, raw, unadulterated power. Like staring at Sun, only brighter. The purest white light. It seemed to swallow me without notice when he entered the room. I have never seen or felt anything like it. I have never felt so insignificant, personally or power-wise, in my life.”
Kaitlyn noticed Zarina shuddered again when she finished her description.
Well, that sounds like Rick in a nutshell. The most powerful person we’ve ever come across.
“Oh, and one more thing. I cannot be sure, but I think something else was there. But like trying to see a candle burning in front of Sun. Made me nervous.”
Great. Another mystery to add to everything to do with Rick.
§§§§§§§§§§§§
Rick wandered into town, on the hunt for food. After his meeting on base, his stomach had started growling again slightly. For some reason, ever since they’d destroyed Reaper’s base, his appetite had grown substantially. It was almost to the point where he was almost always hungry, especially when he used his powers to any extent.
With everything he’d had going on since getting back, he realized it’d actually been a few weeks since the last time he’d gone to the Crusty Kettle. Before being pulled into this mess, he’d usually stop there for a meal at least three to four times a week. It was a pattern he’d kept up for nearly fifteen years, ever since he found the place while wandering aimlessly around the city after working third shift. So going more than a week without stopping by was unheard of. After eating at the base for so long, his mouth actually started watering at the thought of digging into an order of Barbara’s famous lumberjack breakfast special.
Pausing in front of the diner, he looked up at the sign, thinking about how much his life had changed in only a few short weeks. He’d destroyed his brother’s base, created a volcano, discovered his powers were significantly boosted, and in the process, possibly killed his brother.
On top of all that, he even managed to save the city he called home from being leveled and basically became a freelance contractor for a top secret department of the government. A department tasked with protecting the world from super-powered threats. Honestly, he still wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision about that last bit. The last time he’d signed on for something similar, it’d blown up in his face and forced him into hiding for nearly two decades.
Sighing, he stepped forward, pushed the door open. Hearing the familiar jingle of the chimes on the door brought a smile to his face, reminding him of all the good food and good company he’d experienced over the years.
“Mr Rick! Where’ve you been hiding? I thought somethin’ happened to ya, what with all the brouhaha that happened around here and all.”
Rick smiled as the owner of the Crusty Kettle came out from behind the counter and walked over, giving him a big hug.
“Hi Barbara. Sorry about making you worry. I kinda lost my job when that explosion flattened where I worked, so I’ve been out scouting new prospects,” he said, returning the hug warmly.
“Whoa… Somethin’s different about you,” she said, holding him out at arm’s length, “Have you been getting Botox or something? You must look twenty years younger.”
He flinched slightly when she squeezed his shoulders.
“Feels like ya been workin’ out, too. Maybe I should close up shop if a new job can make this much of a difference in a person,” she said, a teasing glimmer in her eye.
Oh crap! I’d forgotten what I look like since my healing factor kicked into full effect, returning me to my prime.
“Yeah, uh… I decided to get some stuff done so they wouldn’t think I was too old when I went to interviews and stuff. You know, all that ageism stuff that you read about in the paper…”
He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. Casting a suspicious look at him for a moment, she spun around and heading back behind the counter. Following behind her, he took a seat while she grabbed a coffee cup and set it down in front of him.
“What can I get ya,” she asked, grabbing the coffee pot and filling his cup. Rubbing his hands together, he nodded toward the menu placard in front of him.
“I think I’ll get a lumberjack special with a double side of bacon and sausage.”
“I declare, someone’s a bit famished I see.”
“Hey, I’ve been gone a bit. Need to catch up on all the good food I’ve missed out on.”
She smiled, scribbling his order down before handing it off to the kitchen before turning back to him.
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“Doesn’t hurt to try though…”
Smiling, she turned and grabbed a slice of pecan pie from the display and set it down in front of him.
“On the house.”
“Well thank you kindly, Miss Barbara.”
Grabbing a fork, he took a bite of pie and moaned blissfully.
“I gotta say, I’ve really missed the food here.”
Smiling again, Barbara leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter.
“I’m always glad to see I can still make handsome men groan in pleasure. Lets me know I still got it,” she said, winking at him while shaking her hips suggestively.
“Always,” he said, chuckling.
Getting a more serious look on her face, she looked him over again.
“You sure everythin’s all right sugar?”
Chewing slowly, he thought about his response.
Oh, you know… I actually have a job hunting down dangerous mutants. You know, the usual stuff.
“Yeah, I doing okay. Honestly, I’ve been enjoying the time off. Can’t even remember the last time I took any time off, so losing my job was kinda a blessing in disguise.”
“You set for money then? Could always use another hand around here… Plus ya get a free meal as one of the perks.”
“Heh… That’s pretty tempting, but I’d actually saved up a nice little nest egg, so I’m good for awhile. Plus I might have a freelance contract lined up that could set me up for quite a bit. It’s actually one of the reason’s I wanted to stop by here.”
“Oh,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I’m actually going out of town for a few days or so, so I wanted to have some good food before headin’ out. No telling what I’ll have to survive on while I’m on the road.”
“You charmer, you.”
“Order up!”
Barbara turned around, grabbing several plates off the counter before setting the steaming food in front of him. Inhaling the smell of eggs and bacon, his mouth started watering. Reaching for his silverware, he nodded his thanks to Barbara.
“Just be careful Mr. Rick, I sense a storm coming.”
Before he could respond, she whirled away to help another customer. A small trickle of ice traveled up his back, making him to pause before he started eating.
A storm coming? What was that about?
Chapter 5
What should I bring with me?
Waking early the next morning, Rick stretched, working out the jitteriness he normally experienced before a mission. Thankfully, this one wasn’t likely to be as dangerous as the ones he used to go on for his former employers. Now he couldn’t make up his mind about what to pack.
On the one hand, he didn’t want to look paranoid by packing a full mission load-out, but it grated against his training not to bring everything h
e might need. After some thought, he decided on just bringing several changes of civilian clothes, his quarterstaff, and the tube with his custom made metallic spheres. Both the staff and combat spheres had been, for lack of a better description, soaking in his aura for the better part of twenty years, ever since he’d left Skywatch and had them crafted to his specifications. While it had used up a large portion of his savings, it’d been money well spent.
The one thing he missed was the powdered, mirrored flakes he’d had fabricated at the same time. The ablative powder had been destroyed when Reaper blindsided him at work, nearly killing him. The attack not only destroyed his workplace, it’d nearly killed him and torn a deadly hole in reality.
I just hope everyone’s able to land on their feet after losing their livelihood. Just one more thing to blame myself for. If I hadn’t been there, they’d still have jobs. Only consolation I have is being able to close that rift. I just hope there’s no side-effects from it being open for so long.
Grabbing the tube containing his combat spheres, he slung it over his back and shrugged it into place. Satisfied, he threw his duster on, covering the tube in the process. He grabbed his staff before taking one last look around, making sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. Nodding to himself, he grabbed his duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. Opening the door to his room, he grabbed his trucker hat, clicked off the light, and shut the door behind him.
Whistling, he headed toward the base’s garage. Without warning, Barbara’s statement flashed through his mind again.
Be careful Mr. Rick. I sense a storm coming.
He turned the comment over in his head. It was almost like she knew where he was going, but how? Shaking his head, he chalked it up to pre-mission paranoia, something he still suffered from even after all the missions he’d been on, both before and after getting his powers.
As gunny used to say, it’s not paranoia if it keeps you alive.
Smiling at the memory, he decided to take a quick detour, heading toward the cafeteria to grab something to take with him.