Thanks to Nancy and Carol, for being such great BRs.
This is the part of the post where I remind those who still might need a reminder that flashbacks are marked with ***, just to avoid confusion. Hope you guys enjoy!
PART TWO
*~Jay~*
The phone rang five times before she finally picked it up. “M’lo,” she muttered, her voice still thick with sleep. I grinned happily. This was going to be fun.
“Good morning, Kaylie! Happy birthday!”
The line was silent for a minute, and then she groaned loudly. “Jay, I’m going to kill you. It’s five am!”
“Five thirteen to be exact. The very minute that you were born. What could be a better birthday present than this?”
“How about an extra hour and a half of sleep?”
“Well that’s too bad, because that’s definitely not what you’re getting.”
The phone clicked in my ear as she hung up, and I smiled happily. Kaylie had never been much of a morning person and that had been a source of endless entertainment for me when we were growing up. And no matter what I did to her, she never stayed mad for long. It was nice to be able to do things like this again. And sure enough, at five twenty-six exactly, my phone rang.
“Hello!” I answered cheerfully.
“Happy birthday,” came the grudging greeting.
“Why thank you!” I exclaimed. “How thoughtful! See? *That* is how you properly receive birthday greetings. You don’t hang up on the person.”
“Yeah, whatever. Because you woke me up so early, it’s now your job to entertain me until I have to go into work.”
“I’ll meet up with you for a run,” I volunteered.
“Jay,” she said in exasperation, “you’re seriously overestimating my capability to function this early. You’re lucky we’re even having this conversation.”
“Fine. Tell me what you and Jon have planned for today once you both get off.”
“Wedding invitations,” she sighed.
“This early?”
“Well, we’re not actually sending them out yet,” she told me. “We just have to pick out the design of them and stuff.”
“Sounds like fun,” I commented dubiously.
“It’s not,” she admitted. “But it does need to be done. What kind of wedding would it be if no one showed up?”
“An intimate one?” I suggested.
“Ha ha. Not happening. Oh, hey, is today the day you’ve got that interview?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, good luck.”
“Thanks. It’s not going to be as exciting as what I did before, but I have to do something, you know?”
“Yeah,” she replied quietly, “I know what you mean.” I was glad that she didn’t elaborate any further. My discharge from the NIA had been a difficult subject between us, especially because Kaylie was still working with them. I understood her need to continue, yet it still did nothing to stop the jealousy and anger I felt whenever I remembered my time at the agency.
* * *
***
I had never felt more awful than when I woke up that day. I blinked blearily, trying to clear my vision, but refrained from moving my head, which felt like it had been drilled to the bed. I swallowed dryly, yearning for a glass of water; yet not ready to put the effort towards getting one. I was busy weighing the pros and cons when I was interrupted by a voice.
“You’re awake.”
“I guess so,” I croaked. I felt a plastic straw tickle the corner of my mouth and I took a grateful sip.
“Are you lucid?”
“Would I be the best judge of that if I wasn’t?” I remembered flashes of images, horrific things I had imagined returning in a ghostly form.
“When you showed up on our doorstep you were muttering something about an evil woman who was trying to suck your brain out.” The image made me shiver. “It took you hours to calm down and almost two days for the fever to go away.”
“Sounds like some trip. Too bad I can’t remember any of it.”
“I wouldn’t really call this a laughing matter,” the voice reprimanded me sternly. I was familiar with that tone.
“Is that you, Porter?”
“Yes. You were dumped outside the Metropolis NIA headquarters. I recognized you and got you this room.”
“Metropolis?” How had I gotten here? I was supposed to be in L.A. Or at least I thought I was… Did I go somewhere after that? I was having a hard time thinking straight.
“Jason, I know this is a bad time for you, but we really need to find out all you can remember. Your mission’s already been compromised and we need to be able to do some damage control fast.”
It had been severely compromised, I realized. If they dumped me at the NIA, then they knew what I was up to. “Is Kaylie okay?” I asked urgently.
“She’s fine,” Porter replied. I could hear the frown in his voice. “She has no connection to this case.”
“No, of course she does,” I insisted. “You know this. She’s working…” Why was it so hard to remember this? “She’s working at a… night club or something.” I started to push myself up from the bed, ignoring my protesting body.
“Jay, do you know the date?” Porter suddenly asked me, his voice heavy with concern.
“It’s May… something. I dunno. I’ve been unconscious for two days. I’ve kind of lost track.
“No. It’s not May, it’s August,” he corrected me.
“What? No. It’s not. I’ve been a little out of it, but not that far.”
“That case that Kaylie was working on is over. You’ve been working on something different for some time now.” I finally got a good look at him, and I could see that he was peering intently at me through his glasses.
I chased the teasing scraps of memory around my brain, but came up empty. “What was I working on?” I finally asked helplessly.
“A device that can target and remove specific memories from a subject’s brain. We were unsure of its actual existence, but now I guess we’ve finally gotten some proof,” he told me dryly.
“What? You think I…”
“You can’t remember the last four months. You tell me what must’ve happened.”
“I want to see the reports I sent in,” I told Porter. That would help trigger my memory. I was sure it was just the drugs that had me muddled.
“You’re not going to see anything,” Porter said sharply. “We’re taking you off this case.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“You have no way of knowing that,” Porter snapped. “Who knows what happened to you or what you gave away under the influence?”
I had to admit that he was right. “Fine. I’ll pass this case over to someone else.”
“Not only this case,” Porter told me, shaking his head. “We’ve got no choice, Jason. You’re being let go.”
***
* * *
I tugged on my tie for about the tenth time since I had sat down. Who designed these things anyway? And why did they have to be so uncomfortable? I glanced up at the receptionist again, and she smiled sympathetically.
“Sorry about the wait.”
“Not your fault,” I replied in a clipped tone, not really wanting to make conversation.
“Usually Mr. Carter is very punctual, but today there was an important meeting that went over time.”
“It’s okay,” I told her.
“Are you sure I can’t get you a cup of coffee?”
“I’m fine,” I replied firmly.
“Or if you want I could run and grab some juice or water something. I should’ve thought of that before, you look like a pretty healthy guy.” Her eyes slid appreciatively over me.
I pulled on my tie again. “No thanks. I’m fine just sitting here.”
The phone rang at last, and I had to sigh with relief when she answered it. “He’s ready for you now,” she told me. “Just go on through the door.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. Anxious to get out of her sight, I opened the door and slipped into the office. The man behind the desk was as disheveled as the desk itself. His shirt buttons strained against poundage he was obviously trying to ignore, and his remaining hair stuck up at odd angles.
“Jason Stewart!” he shouted jovially at my entrance. He stood up and I walked over to him to give a handshake. I had never been to a job interview before, but I’m told that’s something you do in the business world.
“Mr. Carter,” I replied.
“Please, please! Call me Trent!” He invited me to sit down with a gesture, and I complied, reminding myself once again to leave my tie alone. “Okay, let’s see… let’s see…” he picked up a piece of paper from his desk that I assumed to be my resume. “Hmm… you don’t have much experience, do you?”
“Well, not really,” I admitted.
“So, what have you been doing these past few years then? You’re what? Twenty-five?”
“Yes,” I replied cautiously.
“Just turned twenty-five today!” he noted, glancing over the page. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“So what’s up with that? Parents finally cutting you off?” his small eyes twinkled stupidly, and I had to remind myself that punching an interviewer would be considered improper behavior in the business world.
“Not exactly,” I spoke around my clenched jaw. “I’ve just been pursuing other interests up until now.”
“You haven’t been doing anything illegal, have you?” ‘Trent’ frowned disapprovingly.
“Of course not!” I exclaimed.
“Sorry, Jace,” he threw his hands up in the air defensively. “Just had to ask.”
“Right,” I growled. I had always hated ‘Jace’.
“So why do you want to work here?”
“Well, I want to work at a place where I can make a difference,” I told Carter, happy to finally stick to a sane topic. “And I know this company has had an active role in contributing positively to both local and international causes.”
“Right,” he said distractedly. “I guess we do. I don’t really pay attention to that stuff.”
“Oh.”
Carter paused for a moment, thinking. “But you know, even though you don’t really have any experience, I think you might do well in sales. You’re a good looking guy. You’ve got a clean appearance. We could send you to some female clients and you would get a good response.”
I blinked, my hand frozen on the knot of my tie. “I’m sorry… Are you suggesting I flirt with clients to get sales?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “And with a guy like you… Well, who knows where things might go?” He gave a sickening grin.
“I have a girlfriend,” I told him distractedly, still trying to wrap my mind around what this guy was proposing.
“Too bad. But then again, what she doesn’t know…” he trailed off suggestively. “Anyway, we’d have to pair you up with someone for the first bit. Just until you learn the ropes. But with time… You could start to crank out a fairly decent salary.”
“Uh huh.” I tried to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach.
“But you don’t have to give me an answer right away. Take the rest of the day to think it over.”
“Right. Um… okay,” I muttered distractedly. “I already know now that this isn’t going to work.”
“Really? You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I stood quickly, anxious to get out of the room.
“Well, your loss,” he shrugged. “Just know that you can’t live in your parents’ basement forever, okay?”
“I’ll… keep that in mind.” I gave him a tight smile, and took great pleasure in refusing to shake his hand on the way out.
I threw my tie into the garbage outside the building.
* * *
*~Ellie~*
He looked so peaceful lying there in his lounge chair; I didn’t really want to disturb him. Yet I had flown down here for the very purpose of talking to him, and I didn’t really want to wait until his long nap would be done.
“Pst! Doc!” I whispered softly close to his ear. Of course, his snores were louder than my whispers, so they did no good. Really, for a world renowned scientist, you’d think he’d at least know to get tested for sleep apnea. “Dr. Klein!” I whispered a little louder, shaking him gently. He started, and opened his eye, blinking myopically in my direction.
“Ellie?” he asked blearily.
“Is this a bad time?” I asked guiltily.
“No, not at all!” He blinked the last traces of drowsiness from his eyes and sat up in the chair. “I’ve been hoping you would come visit sometime soon. I’ve just gotten a very interesting breakthrough on my research with the jellyfish. Come to the lab and I’ll show you.”
I was tempted. Some of the stuff he’s done is really cool. But I had come here for a purpose and it wouldn’t do to get distracted. “Actually, Dr. Klein, I came here for some help,” I told him.
“Oh? What is it?”
“Well…” I was hesitant to speak now that I was seeing him in person. “I know you talk to Uncle Brad a lot and everything… But if I were to tell you something, we’d still have… doctor-patient confidentiality, right?”
“Well, Ellie, I see no reason why you’d have any difficulty conceiving. Your genetic makeup is nearly identical to that of a human with the exception of-”
“That’s not what I was talking about!” I interrupted, my face flushed.
“Oh! Sorry,” he apologized. “That’s what your father wanted to know when he asked me that.”
“Well, that… concern is far from what I need right now. I mean, it would be almost a relief if we had to worry about that,” I added to myself. Right now, it was impossible for us to even get that far.
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” he asked sharply.
“No!”
“Just wondering.”
“No, I’m not. I haven’t even… That wasn’t what I was going to ask.” And now he had me all flustered.
“So what is it?” he asked patiently.
“Well, you know that I’ve been seeing Jay,” I began.
He nodded. “You know, you still haven’t brought him to meet me yet,” he told me reproachfully.
“Sometime,” I promised. “Anyway, things are going pretty good between us and everything. But lately… I’ve been kind of having this problem.” I fixed my eyes on my lap. “I’m having problems keeping control.”
“Ellie, you and Jay will have to learn to set boundaries,” he told me sternly. “And he shouldn’t push you any further than what you’re comfortable with. I can’t believe that he’s-”
“No! Doc, that’s not it!” I corrected him hastily. “I meant that I’m not in control of my powers. I’ve… I’ve hurt him. Accidentally, of course, but I didn’t even know that it was happening at the time.”
“Really?” His eyebrows pinched together as he though over the problem. “Have you had any problems controlling your powers any other time?”
“No. Never.”
“Hmm… I think I’d like you to come into the lab for a moment,” he told me. “I’ll run some tests.” He strained to get up, and I reached to help him. Nodding gratefully, he toddled off to the lab with me following behind. “You know, I’m surprised you didn’t talk to your uncle about this,” he told me. “Although I still dabble a bit here and there, he’s far more up to date on the latest research.”
“I know,” I replied as we entered the lab space. It was actually a room in his house that he had renovated with all the necessary equipment. Although he had been officially retired ever since he moved out to Florida, Dr. Klein still actively researched everything under the sun. “But I really didn’t want everyone to get worried about this,” I continued. “And if I tell Uncle Brad, he’ll tell Aunt Lucy, and then she’ll tell the whole family.”
“Don’t touch that glass tank,” he warned me. “You’ll interfere with the test results.”
“Is this for that phytoplankton thing?” I asked as I bent down to take a closer look.
“Yes. It’s actually quite fascinating. You see, I’ve managed to isolate the specific gene that impacts the pigmentation of this species.”
“Isn’t that due to chlorophyll?”
“Not in this case. Noctiluca scintillans doesn’t get its energy from the sun. Instead, it feeds off other species of plankton. Anyway, I’ve managed to breed this species in various different colors. As you can see here.”
“That’s so cool,” I told him as I stared in fascination at the gelatinous blob floating in the tank. Although Mom and Dad had often complained of his habit of spiraling off into strange tangents, I always found any time I spent with the doctor to be extremely valuable.
“So let’s test out your powers,” he told me. “We’ll see how you’re managing so far.”
He ran me through a battery of tests designed to determine the degree of control I had. They were all very familiar, and I performed them with ease, noticing no real difference in my performance.
“Everything looks fine,” Dr. Klein finally told me. I was a little frustrated by the findings. Obviously, the effects were sporadic, but I wasn’t about to invite Dr. Klein over the next time I was lying down on Jay’s couch.
“Can you think of anything that might explain this?” I asked him in desperation.
“The only thing I can think of is when your dad was exposed to Red Kryptonite years ago and his powers went into overdrive,” he suggested. “But then it was as if everything was out of control all the time. Nothing like this.”
“But Red Kryptonite could be causing this.”
“It’s possible,” he shrugged. “Red K has been pretty temperamental over the years. We still don’t really know the effects for sure.”
“At least it’s a starting place.”
“You should ask your dad about this,” he suggested. “He might know something.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” I shook my head. “At least, not yet. I’d rather just see if I can figure this out by myself first.”
“It’s your decision. But I really think you should-”
“Hey, didn’t you say something about jellyfish earlier?” The distraction worked perfectly. His eyes lit up, and he immediately launched into a lecture on his latest findings.
It wasn’t as if I planned on lying to my family about this whole situation. It’s just that they didn’t really need to know about it now. Something was holding me back from telling them. Embarrassment, maybe? Probably. After all, I was supposed to be in control of these powers. I had been dealing with them for over ten years. And yet I was still bruising my boyfriend on a regular basis? It was best to just solve this on my own and not get anyone involved. How hard would that be, anyway?
