Up to that point, the explosion was the biggest thing Donna hadn’t foreseen. Now she knew the blind spots were either getting worse or they were bigger than she thought. Maybe both. Donna got out of the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out a gym bag. From the passenger seat Brenda continued to stare at her silently and wide eyed.
Donna walked over to the passenger side of the car, knocked on the window and asked, “Are you coming?” and walked off into the brush.
A few seconds later Brenda threw open the door and ran after her.
“What is going on?” Brenda called out, panicked.
“Change of plans,” said Donna as she kept walking at a brisk pace.
“Change of plans? Was that the hotel we were supposed to meet your friend at?” Brenda asked, still panicked.
“Yes,” said Donna.
Then she stopped abruptly. Brenda almost ran into her.
“Is this area clear?” asked Donna.
It took a few seconds for Brenda to realize what was being asked of her. She needed to confirm the safety of the area with her power because Donna couldn’t. Brenda closed her eyes and did a quick feel of the area around them.
“I think so. I can’t feel any movement,” said Brenda, opening her eyes.
Brenda was shocked Donna knew about her ability to sense the environment around her but then kicked herself because of course Donna would know.
“Good. Keep up with me,” said Donna.
She quickly jogged away leaving Brenda behind. Brenda threw her hands up in the air and began speaking in rapid fire while running to catch up.
“Someone blows up your friend and all you got is ‘change of plans’? How do you know someone isn’t going to blow us up? You didn’t see that coming? Do you even have powers to predict the future? Your friend just died. Other people just died. Why are we walking in the woods? What’s in the bag? Why am I even with you? Are you sure you are not mind-controlling…”
Donna turned and put a hand over Brenda’s mouth, silencing her. Donna spoke clearly and calmly.
“Look. I told you already. Something is blocking my ability to see some things. Yes, people just died. No, my friend didn’t. And I’m acting so calm because my life has been so blessed that I’ve been through several war zones and have had people trying to kill me off and on over the years. You are also a target and you would have been a target whether or not I came to find you. Be grateful I found you first. Are we done?” she asked.
Donna took her hand off Brenda's mouth. The look in her eyes spoke of anger and dangerous determination. Brenda was done.
“Yeah, we’re cool. FYI, I can put out the fire,” said Brenda.
“That will attract too much attention,” she replied.
Donna scanned the immediate area looking left and right.
“Now, just take a few deep breaths. We’re here,” she said.
“Here where?” Brenda asked, before sensing someone else in the vicinity.
“Who’s behind that tree?” she asked.
Brenda pointed at the tree I was hiding behind. She couldn’t sense me before because she was only looking for obvious movement and she was farther away. Now that she was closer, it was easier for Brenda to feel my presence without any effort. She sensed me crouching behind the tree through my weight on the ground, the air displacement from my breathing, and the heat differential my body was leaving in the air. What I felt was my stomach dropping. I knew she couldn’t actually see me or know how much of a compromising position I was in, but her knowing I was there was agonizing.
“You are at the rally point,” said my almost shaking voice from behind the tree.
Donna let out a breath of relief. She knew I was there too but didn’t know how much faith she could put in her power right then.
“Need the bag?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said in a very embarrassed tone.
I stood and stuck my arm out from behind the tree. Donna tossed the bag. I caught it and pulled it behind the tree. Inside was a spare set of clothes that I desperately needed. The fire burned away nearly everything I was wearing. What clothes I may have had left were blown away by the blast wave. I was thrown towards the back parking lot of the motel but I couldn’t be too sure where I was exactly because there was burning debris everywhere. I had to disappear from the scene quickly so no one would notice a naked woman standing in the middle of flaming ruins, not being burned.
But what made me run was the shock of losing my modesty in such a public way. I ran because I was in a panic, fearing that I would be seen so exposed against my will. Fortunately, there was somewhere for me to go. I ran to the rally point Donna had established days ago and waited, feeling very ashamed of my situation. Logically, I know it was not my fault. But the human mind seldom runs on logic. When I reached the tree I had to focus really hard on controlling my breathing and focus on the fact that I was alone and could not be seen. I had to tell myself that there was no shame to be burdened with because no one saw me. I wish I could tell you it worked.
“What happened?” Donna asked.
“Daytona and a hit squad,” I said.
You could hear the sound of rustling fabric from behind the tree as I rushed to cover myself with the clothing in the bag.
“A hit squad from Daytona… Florida?” from Brenda.
Her question was ignored.
“The girl?” asked Donna.
“Took her. Left everyone else to burn,” I said.
“Shit,” said Donna.
“A girl took a girl to Daytona, Florida… aaaand hit men blew up the hotel?” from Brenda.
“She’s a talker, isn’t she?” I asked.
“Unfortunately,” said Donna.
If anyone noticed that I wasn’t doing a good job of trying to sound calm then they didn’t bother to mention it. My hands were shaking from the shock, embarrassment, and anger. I needed to keep my emotions in check. My feral side was stirring. Not a lot. But even a twitch was scary to me and it added to my anxiety. So I did what I always used to do. I began the process of burying my feelings. I put on my face of stoicism the best I could manage and stepped out from behind the tree.
Brenda was going to say something but “Hey…” is all she got out when she saw me.
I was wearing a plain t-shirt and was zipping up my jeans. Apparently it was enough.
“Heeeey…” again from Brenda, but slower this time.
She was noticeably taking in my form, tilting her head slightly. Naked and alone in the open was one thing. Now I had someone checking me out. It made me even more embarrassed even though I now had clothes on. I’d only been stared at this way by one other person. Again, I felt confusion over being desired. My self-esteem was dominated by the image I had of the monster inside of me. Donna did her best to help, but she could only do so much. I didn’t know how to respond so I looked away casually, trying to hide my feelings.
“Brenda, this is my associate, Sarah,” said Donna, breaking the awkward moment and smacking Brenda on the back of the head.
“Ow. What did I do?” asked Brenda.
I sat on a fallen tree and cleaned my feet with some wipes from the bag before putting on the socks and sneakers that were inside. Brenda was still staring. Donna snapped her fingers in front of Brenda’s face.
“You still with us?” asked Donna.
Brenda’s gaze was unbroken but she did speak.
“More than ever,” she said.
I let out a nervous laugh and stood up. Donna landed a backhanded slap to Brenda’s shoulder and pointed at her.
“You behave,” Donna told her sternly.
“What?” from Brenda again.
Donna put on a face that asked “REALLY?”
It clicked when I put on the hijab. Some of the things Brenda had learned about other religions fell into place. She also remembered that most people, including herself, would not feel comfortable suddenly being involuntarily naked and outdoors.
“I’m such a dick,” she said, dropping her head. “Dude, I’m sorry. Shit. And you were out here like that. And I’m here being all stupid. My mouth gets away from me sometimes and I can fail to notice… Crap. I’m losing my words.”
“Nonverbal cues?” chimed in Donna.
The “REALLY?” look on her face had not faded.
“Yeah, that too.” said Brenda, pointing at Donna.
I took a breath, centered myself, and looked up at the awkward and enamored Brenda with a questioning upturned eyebrow.
“You didn’t say she would have this reaction,” I said.
I forced a small smile, pretending to be nonchalant about the whole situation. Other than my face turning a slight shade of red, I thought maybe I had pulled it off.
“Sorry. I figured you didn’t need that on your mind while you were on mission,” said Donna.
“God, I’m a dick,” said Brenda to herself.
“It's okay.” I said as I finished tying my shoelaces.
I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders and said, “I forgive you.”
I was being honest. I didn’t hold anything against Brenda and I did forgive her inappropriateness. She was not intending to offend.
Still trying to hide my embarrassment, I gave her a quick hug and said, “I’m glad you made it to us.”
I was glad to have found the other person we were looking for. I was glad that she was safe with us. I walked away to the car and Brenda turned to follow.
“Is this kind of situation something that happens a lot?” asked Brenda.
“No,” said Donna, trailing behind to make sure no one followed.
“Donna, are you sure she isn’t going to be too much for you?” I asked.
I was wondering if Brenda was going to be too much for me.
Donna responded with, “I should be asking you that question.”
I continued to stuff down the feelings of embarrassment, shame, and failure and sealed them up tight. They were locked away and not dealt with for a very long time.
“Yo, still here,” said Brenda pointing to herself. “Seriously, though, and I’m not trying to be funny, but what’s with the naked in the woods thing?”
“The explosion incinerated my clothes,” I said.
Then I asked Donna, “Was that intentionally meant for me?”
“Could be,” she replied.
I began fighting the urge to snap at Donna for not seeing or sensing this turn of events. As much as I knew she could not control what she couldn’t see, this pushed my frustration to a near tipping point. I was angry and she was conveniently there to receive my fury. I wanted to do it. But I was the good girl who would never let emotion get the better of her. Well, not anymore. I liked to tell myself it was to keep the other locked away. And that was true. But I also felt embarrassment over my teenage outbursts that were only a few years ago. So again I forced myself to say nothing and pretend I was alright. I clenched my teeth and my fists then breathed in deeply. Since I was in front, I didn’t notice Donna was clenching her fists too. I don’t know what she was saying to herself but she was trashing herself pretty hard over this failure. She knew what this had done to me. We were lucky to have Brenda there to distract us from ourselves a little.
“So you didn’t get burned because you have an invulnerability thing going on?” asked Brenda.
“Correct. Among other things,” I replied.
“Nice,” said Brenda.
“Sarah, you didn’t happen to notice any vans or trucks out front that the bomb could have been in?” Donna asked.
She almost didn’t ask the question. She knew I was embarrassed and mad but she had to get as much detail as she could. The hotel area was still a blind spot for her and being this close could mean more surprises could come.
“No. I didn’t notice,” I said.
I managed to sound neutral. Brenda, oblivious to our building nonverbal tension, chimed in.
“Whatever that bomb was made of, it was weird. I mean, that was like Michael Bay, big bang with flames. Normal explosives could have done the same job without being, like, so spectacularly flaming,” she said, waving her hands in the air, mimicking the flames.
Donna and I both stopped and looked at Brenda. Brenda stopped walking.
“What? Dude, I literally know about fire. I could feel the energy being put off of whatever was in that bomb. It wasn’t conventional. At least nothing off the shelf. I’d say something very custom, small in size, packs a ton of thermal energy, lights up like gasoline, but burns way hotter. And then has a huge kinetic kick almost immediately after the heat blast.”
We were at a loss for words. She shrugged off our surprise.
“I’m a nerd who does research to better understand my skills. And I may have had a pyro phase.”
Brenda said, that last part under her breath and looking away. Then she continued.
“Side note, there was something in it I’ve never felt before. It felt weirdly like there was an organic component to the energy. Does that make any sense?” she asked.
Donna and I exchanged knowing glances. Without intending to, Brenda reminded us that other people were caught up in all this craziness. We still had valid feelings about what happened but perspective was needed. We knew experiments being were conducted on the enhanced. And now we knew this organic explosive was the result of one of them. Whatever tiff was brewing between us, the people that needed us mattered more. We sort of said sorry to each other with our eyes and started walking. Brenda followed, confused. She knew we were holding something back about the explosive.
“Okay, time out. It sounds like we got a bunch of backstory to get through that I need to know if I am going to be joining this merry band of... mutants.” she said.
We had reached the car and Donna turned around.
“Okay, shoot,” she said.
Brenda, not expecting the direct approach, stepped back.
“Okay… Oh, who the hell are these guys that tried to blow you up?” Brenda asked.
“Some rogue element of the government. It doesn’t even have a name,” said Donna.
“Alriiight. Why?” asked Brenda.
“They are collecting assets, people like us,” said Donna.
“Assets, right, but why?” from Brenda,
“May as well tell her,” I said.
In spite of the fact that she knew this was just going to encourage more talking, Donna explained what we knew.
“They’re collecting enhanced individuals for some sort of experimentation,” she said.
That clicked something in the fountain of information in Brenda’s brain. It was of questionable value at best. Donna felt it coming and cut her off.
“No. We are not a super team. We’re not in a comic book. All I know is that they are trying to do something with the virus that gave us these abilities. Enhance people even more, maybe.” said Donna.
By the look on her face Brenda was going to say “It sounds kinda exactly like a comic book kind of thing” but Donna’s raised eyebrow and her general vibe broadcast an even deeper level of annoyance. So Brenda went with something a little more constructive.
“So what is up with us being all girl power? Is no boys a rule or something?” asked Brenda.
Before we could answer, something else clicked in her head. This thought was constructive. She pointed at Donna.
“It’s because we are girls,” she said.
“Women,” I chimed in as I tossed the gym bag to Donna.
I slid into the front passenger seat and closed the door.
“Women, right,” said Brenda with an eye roll. “Something to do with us getting stronger powers.”
Donna threw the bag into the trunk and shut it.
“Yes,” said Donna, rubbing at her temples trying to fight off a headache. “We have more genetic potential so we think someone is trying to give that edge to men. Leah is somehow important to the research, and now we have to get her back.”
She walked to the driver’s side, got in the car, and started the engine. Brenda opened the back passenger side door and got in.
“Leah is the girl you picked up, right?” she asked me.
“Right,” I said.
“It still sounds like comic book shit,” she said.
“You wanted her,” I told Donna.
“We need her,” from Donna as she hit the gas.
She drove us further into rural areas.
“It’s nice to be needed,” from the back seat. “By the way, dude, again, I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable back there. I tend to not have a filter for my mouth and sometimes my impulses get away from me. Sometimes I forget to consider how that makes other people feel.”
It was rare for Brenda to apologize. Having just met her I didn’t know the significance. But I did appreciate it.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t embarrassed,” I lied.
“You turned a little red,” said Brenda.
“I…” is all I got out before a few awkward seconds of silence took over.
Thankfully Brenda let me off the hook.
“Point being, I made a weird situation worse so I apologize. Friends?” she asked and offered her hand.
“All is forgiven,” I said.
I reached back and shook her hand. It wasn’t an admission of embarrassment. But we all knew the truth. Donna remained quiet. She was searching for the next path forward. Then Brenda started laughing to herself.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Sorry, random thought. It’s funny to me. Might just be amusing at best to you. Or not at all.” she said.
“Just say it.” said Donna.
With a Cheshire grin, “Are they feminizing guys?” asked Brenda.
“What?” I said, genuinely confused at that question.
Brenda explained.
“Think about it. Men and women get powers. But women get more. I saw a NatGeo doc about it. Has something to do with the chromosomes, right? The Powers Virus adds stuff to the chromosomes, like extra layers. But men have XY. Women have XX. That little extra branch that makes an X instead of a Y means women have a little more room for the virus to lay stuff down.”
“So?” I asked.
“Soooooo…” said Brenda with her palms up waiting for it. “Soooo, you can’t give a dude more power because there is no room to add more genetic material.”
My eyes widened a bit as it clicked.
“Oh,” I said.
“Yeah, big oh. Not the good kind though. You basically have to turn dude genes into woman genes. Give the Y more room to build on. I’m right, right? I’m right. Am I right?” asked Brenda.
Donna spoke only to end Brenda’s current rant.
“That’s really oversimplifying it,” she said.
“You knew?” I asked Donna.
“Not exactly. I had a theory. It became clearer to me yesterday. I’m not sure about the feminizing thing, but there may be some sort of chromosomal manipulation going on. I feel something like it going on either now or in the near future. I was going to run it past you. But, you know,” she shrugged.
“Yeah, hotel blew up,” I said.
Brenda sat silently in the back seat for a minute, feeling very proud of herself. Then she thought of another question.
“What is Daytona?” she asked.
“Tall, skinny blond. Fast as hell. Mean as hell,” I told her.
“A raging bitch with a sadistic side.” from Donna.
“Let’s not gender code,” I said.
I’m a stickler for that sort of thing. In reality, I had the same feelings as Donna about Daytona, but I kept them suppressed. I kept a lot of things suppressed in case you hadn’t noticed yet. Part of me despised her just on the reputation she had created. Now I had experienced her brutality and warped mind first hand. But I could not admit that kind of feeling to myself. It was really hard considering the fire bomb’s effect on my clothes was something Daytona would use to embarrass me without regard to causing mass casualties. But I was too afraid of what giving in to hate even just a little would do to me.
“Fine,” said Donna, shaking her head and taking a breath. “A raging asshole who happens to be female, and has a sadistic side. And runs fast as hell.”
“So, what is her deal?” asked Brenda.
“I wish I knew. Daytona has been carrying out hits and other dirty work for a couple of years. We only know this because Donna has investigated the hits,” I told her.
Brenda raised an eyebrow as she put something else together.
“Oh. You can see the past too, can’t you? You go to the crime scenes to see what happened in the past?” she asked.
Donna nodded.
“Yes, the past is clearer to see. It doesn’t change. It’s also easier to see past events if I have an anchor point. Like being where something happened, or holding an object that was there, or having a picture,” said Donna.
“How fast is this chick?” Brenda asked.
“She can be in a room, skin someone alive, and back out in less than the blink of an eye. And before you ask, that was just one of the things she has done. She left that poor guy alive to bleed out,” said Donna.
“She is brutal and merciless,” I said.
Brenda had the appropriate response.
“The fuck?”
Donna added more context.
“It wasn’t a hit either. As far as I’ve been able to determine, that guy was for pure sport,” she said.
“Sport? The chick is a psychopath?” asked Brenda.
Me, ever trying to be the diplomat said, “Probably, but no clinical diagnosis, obviously. We think he was someone from her past since he was from Florida.”
“Florida. Daytona. Right,” said Brenda.
Then she raised her hand.
“Hi, first time listener, never heard of this crazy train, can I get off at the next station. I’m done.”
“I already told you, this train was coming for you whether you like it or not. With us you have a shot at surviving,” said Donna.
Brenda looked flustered so I filled in a little more.
“Donna sensed that you would be a target. For death or recruitment, we don’t know,” I said.
“Yeah, she told me. And recruitment would be bad as opposed to death because?” asked Brenda.
“Because the recruits get something done to their brains to keep them subservient,” I said.
“Okay so it’s a death or slavery situation with regards to the bad. Good to know. I guess I’ll stay with you guys then,” said Brenda.
She never had any intention of leaving our side. Brenda could not really explain her weird feeling that her place was with us. She also had the tiny hope that I’d see the light and start thinking of her more than just platonically. But most importantly, Brenda felt needed. Yes she was important to a mission, but she could feel herself fitting into our lives in some important way. She wondered if this was the family she had been searching for and wondered where this path would lead.
Brenda looked out the window at the world passing by and whispered to herself in a vaguely British accent, “I’m going on an adventure.”175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMN7zRwxFY
