Donna turned off the recorder. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. She just kept driving silently.
“Effing virus is a government conspiracy. I knew it!” said Brenda, breaking the silence.
“Typical,” said Jess.
“Sarah, did you know?” asked Brenda.
“Donna explained some of it when she found me. But I didn’t know this part of the story,” I said.
Brenda suddenly realized something.
“Wait a minute. Wait… You had your power when Donna found you. Six years ago. The virus wasn’t really popping off till like about... five years ago,” said Brenda.
Jess looked down and ran the numbers in her head.
“Shit. I never put that together,” she said.
“I was the first person outside of the control group to get power. We don’t know how or when exactly the virus mutated and became airborne. But it didn’t alter anyone until it got to me,” I said.
“Excuse me?” asked Brenda, finding that nugget of information really interesting.
“Oh my god. You’re the freaking Typhoid Mary,” said Jess.
Cue my need to make sure information is correct.
“Mary Mallon isn’t a very good comparison. Typhus isn’t a virus and she wasn’t the first person to be infected. Also, I’m not responsible for spreading it. I was just the first affected,” I said.
“You know Typhoid Mary’s real name? Nerd,” said Brenda.
“Sarah, in a weird way, you got even hotter,” said Jess.
“I know, right?” said Brenda after taking a second to think about it.
I slumped down in my seat and hoped my face wasn’t turning red.
“Focus please,” said Donna.
“After that?” asked Brenda.
“Yes,” commanded Donna.
I asked Donna the next question because I was genuinely curious. But I also wanted to change the subject.
“How did you even get this?”
“I don’t even remember why I thought to record this in the first place or exactly how I did it. I vaguely remember making the recording and then I woke up on the floor with the recorder in my hand and a bloody nose. It left me with a daylong migraine and nausea. I can’t really access the moment of making the recording. I can only clearly remember a bit before and after it happened.”
“I wondered what happened when I found you like that,” I said.
“Okay, why were you separated from the others?” asked Brenda.
I was relieved Brenda forgot about me for the moment.
“Yeah, was it because you could see the past and future?” asked Jess.
“I don’t think so. No one knew I could sense future timelines,” said Donna.
“This Liz chick. Did she have the same powers as you?” asked Brenda.
“Along similar lines but not exactly the same,” replied Donna.
“Donna can’t walk through environments,” I said.
Donna nodded.
“I can see things in front of me, images, moving pictures. I never experienced what Alex and the others described, walking through the spaces like they were there. They would be able to see more things than I could by moving through the environments. Elizabeth could do that too. Also, time essentially stopped for them when using their powers. Time is always flowing for me. And I don’t know why all their powers were expressed so similarly. It’s the only known instance of that happening,” she said.
“Yeah, but with so many people getting powers there has to be some overlap in abilities,” said Jess.
“Overlap, yes. But not the exact same... mutation,” said Donna.
Brenda smiled.
“It could have been because it was designed to be the same. Right?” I asked
Jess brought up the next logical points.
“But it was designed with men in mind. Something had to have happened when it interacted with female DNA.”
“Double X chromosomes instead of XY. It mutated because it didn’t know what else to do. Maybe? You and Liz were included to make sure only men were affected. Like a control group, right?” asked Brenda.
“I believe so,” said Donna.
“Liz shouldn’t have had like, the same power as the guys though. I guess it was different because she could see the future?” asked Jess.
“I know. It’s strange,” said Donna.
“Were there other groups?” asked Brenda.
“None that I’ve ever been able to find,” said Donna.
Then I voiced something that had been on my mind for years.
“But it still doesn’t make sense. Super powers in themselves are illogical. They shouldn’t even exist. There is no genetic precedent for them in any form. They don’t conform to the laws of nature. It shouldn’t even be possible to give someone powers, let alone be possible to have them. Make someone a little stronger and faster, maybe. But that’s it. There is no scientific way to reconcile super powers.”
“Yeah, well speaking of all things impossible, remember the ghost I told you about?” Brenda said, wide eyed.
“Your ghost?” Donna asked skeptically.
“A ghost?” I asked.
“You see ghosts, nice,” said Jess with a smile.
Brenda however, was looking unsettled.
“Nice is debatable at his point,” she said.
“How do you mean?” I asked, somewhat concerned.
“Oh, she is hovering in front of the car,” said Brenda.
Donna slammed on the brakes. Fortunately there were no other cars on this road. Even though the rest of us in the car could not see dead people, we stared forward.
“I thought it only appeared in your peripheral vision,” said Donna.
“Yeah, well, I think this chick wants to be noticed now,” said Brenda, nervously.
“What does it look like?” asked Jess, excitedly.
“I can’t see much. She is sort of cloaked in a white haze. Her form looks female and I don’t know how, but I just feel like it is a she. And right now she doesn’t feel like a friendly ghost,” said Brenda.
Only Brenda could see exactly what happened, but Jess and I put it together pretty fast. Donna gasped and her body went rigid.
“Oh, shit!” Brenda yelled and nearly jumped out of her seat.
She braced herself against the inside wall of the car.
“Donna, are you alright?” I asked.
Donna smiled and sighed.
“Oh, I am all kinds of peachy now, girly. Been a looong time since I’ve been physical,” Donna said, in a heavy southern accent as her body relaxed.
She turned her head and looked at us.
“Hello, my lovely ladies,” she said.
The voice was Donna’s, just with an exaggerated accent.
“Is she?” asked Jess, who was now also pushing themselves as far back as physically possible.
I was amazed Jess didn’t run.
“Oh, yeah. Full on possessed,” said Brenda.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am the traveler of time and space. The woman infinite. The literal ghost with the most. And whether y’all like it or not, I am your maker,” she said with a flourish of her hand.
“Our maker? What does that mean?” I asked.
“Sweetie, you’ll find out soon enough,” said the ghost with an eye wink.
“So what are you here for?” asked Brenda cautiously.
“Oh, just a little exposition to point y’all where you need to be. Donna was a dear to give you a taste of the details. I’m gonna give you something a little more meaty,” she said.
“Which is what exactly?” Brenda asked.
“Sarah, dear, you were right when you said having powers doesn’t make any sense. You see, reality is cracked,” said the ghost.
She stretched and slowly ran Donna’s hands down Donna’s body.
“I forgot how good having a body feels. Even if it isn’t mine. Miss Donna always did keep things nice and tight,” said the ghost as she patted Donna’s belly.
“For those of us who just entered the chat, can you explain what you mean by reality is cracked,” said Jess, nervously.
“Alrighty. Let me spin it this way. Imagine that the world you know exists on top of a frozen lake. Then one day someone takes a hammer to the ice. Then when the ice breaks, the whole lake cracks open, and your whole world falls in. All you can do is sink or swim.”
“That is indeed a spin,” I said.
She winked at me.
“The hammer was the Powers Virus,” said Brenda.
“Close, but still, gold stars all around for effort,” said the ghost.
“So where specifically did it come from?” I asked.
“It was the product of a government super soldier program. Developed by the brilliant Doctor Robert Wolfe, it was meant to ‘streamline’ the human genome,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers.
“It replaced genetic abnormalities with superior human traits. But when you push the limits of science, sometimes you don’t know when you push too far or more importantly, what buttons you push or who else can push them. The virus didn’t create the predicted results. It was supposed to turn men into Captain Americas, not people who could see through time. And then it mutated further in two of the subjects. Alpha-Wolfe, that’s its actual name by the way, did a lot of things it was not supposed to do. Its final trick was breaking free. Sometimes it lay non-symptomatic for a few years in those it infected. In that way it was able to spread itself all over the world. It didn’t work on everyone obviously. The women who were affected developed extreme forms of powers as y'all know. And because of the rarity that it affects us gals, we are considered anomalies. I guess it knew a better situation when it saw one,” she said and winked.
“You mean, you saw a better situation when you saw one,” I said.
“Give the girl a hand. You are smart,” said the ghost.
“You altered it. How?” asked Brenda.
“A lady never tells all her secrets,” said the possessed body of Donna.
“You still didn’t answer the original question,” said Brenda.
“Which was?” asked the ghost.
“Who are you?” I asked.
She put on a smile that could have been intended to be sweet and charming. But it just made her look more menacing.
“Sweetie, no matter how good the hammer is, it will only ever be as good as the person who wields it. And it’s even better when the tool is like an extension of your body. You could say, they become one in the same,” she said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Brenda.
“Darlin, I’m the hammer,” she said with pride.
“Can we stop screwing around? What is your name?” asked Brenda.
“Deary, you’re about to find out. You ladies have a nice day,” she said.
Donna’s body slumped down in the seat like she passed out. By that point even I had been distancing myself inside the car.
“Is she gone?” asked Jess.
They were looking particularly freaked out.
“She is. And I don’t see or sense her anywhere,” said Brenda.
She was looking all around. Donna suddenly woke up and loudly gasped. All three of us jumped in our seats this time.
“What the hell was that?!” Donna shouted.
“The ghost possessed you,” said Brenda.
“That wasn’t a ghost,” said Donna, breathing heavily.
Brenda put it together before the rest of us.
“Was that the chick in your platoon?” asked Brenda.
“Yeah,” said Donna, who looked very shaken. “That was Liz.”
“Was she always psycho and cryptic?” from Brenda.
“Actually she was so bubbly and cheerful I swear it was like the sunlight shined out her ass. It was annoying,” said Donna.
“Clearly the afterlife had an effect,” Brenda said.
“I’m not sure she is in the afterlife,” I replied.
“Dude, she’s a freaking ghost,” said Brenda.
“No, Sarah is right. She isn’t a ghost. I mean, technically she did die, in a sense. On paper. But whatever she is, she’s more than just a spirit,” said Donna.
“Astral projection, then?” Brenda asked.
“What?” from Donna.
“She wasn’t with her body when she died. She is different from the guys. She could project herself forward in time too. She probably walked right past her own death,” said Jess with a nervous voice.
They looked really shaken. It was concerning seeing them like this.
“Are you alright?” I asked Jess.
They didn’t answer. Donna was still recovering from the possession so she didn’t immediately notice Jess not being their normal calm, cocky self. Brenda, however, did pick up on the unusualness.
“Dude. She’s gone. You’re safe now,” said Brenda in a calming tone.
“I couldn’t jump,” Jess said.
She was looking down and trembling.
“What?” asked Donna, finally coming back from her own stress.
“I couldn’t jump,” said Jess again, their voice shaking.
They took off their sunglasses and wiped away the tears. Brenda was quick to move in and hug them. Surprisingly, Jess accepted the hug and even returned it. I mean, Jess would hug me too if they got the chance. But this was different. We had never seen Jess latch onto anyone like this. They held onto Brenda hard like they desperately needed safety and protection. And they didn’t initiate the contact either. Brenda did. Even if I tried to initiate touch with Jess, they would back away.
“What happened?” asked Donna.
She looked really concerned. There was no love lost between her and Jess, but we had never seen the Jinx break. We'd never seen them with any sign of vulnerability or weakness other than the touch thing.
“Dude. It’s okay. I got you,” Brenda told Jess.
I could tell there was a bond between them that somehow transcended knowing each other for so little time. Jess loosened their hug so Brenda released her.
“I’m okay,” said Jess, sounding calmer. “Just needed a moment.”
They wiped their eyes with their palms.
“Thanks,” they said to Brenda.
“Yeah, dude. No problem,” Brenda replied.
“She was keeping me from jumping.” Jess said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“My power was shut off. I was trying to jump away the whole time. I couldn’t. She didn’t let me,” they said.
“Fuck,” said Brenda.
I knew then why Jessica got so rattled. I know even more so now since I know what their childhood was like. Their power was escape. The freedom to leave when something didn’t suit them. Liz had hobbled Jessica.
“She wanted me here. She wouldn't let me leave,” said Jess.
I wanted to ask if they were sure that it was Liz doing that, but all things considered, it would be too much of a coincidence for that to not be the case. We all knew it. There was no precedence for someone losing powers for any reason. Donna’s power glitched, for a lack of a better word, but it didn’t disappear.
“What about right now?” asked Donna.
“I’m good now. I can feel it. It's back,” said Jess.
It looked like they made a quick teleport, just to be sure. Their image blurred for a second.
“So, nut job can astral project, time travel, and screw with powers,” said Brenda.
“Is that possible? All that and be separate from her body?” I asked.
Donna thought about it for a second.
“Anything is possible. Her gift was similar to the men, so she could survive detached from her body. But everything else?” she said and shrugged.
“I mean, the way it sounds, she kind of activated the guys in your platoon,” said Jess.
They sounded calmer and seemed to be a little better.
“And who knows how long she has been floating out there where she could have figured any number of other things out,” said Donna.
“Who knows how old she is now,” said Jess.
“This is nuts,” said Brenda, wide eyed. “So whose side is she on?”
“Not ours. But I don’t think she is necessarily on the side of the ones who got Leah,” said Donna.
“You know this how?” asked Brenda.
“I just do. I felt it when… when she was inside me.” Donna shook her arms a bit like she was disgusted just thinking about what happened. “Liz is working with them for sure, but she isn’t on their team exactly. And why the need for coming to us and putting on a show? It doesn’t serve anyone but her,” said Donna.
“Is Liz responsible for your powers glitching?” asked Brenda.
“That’s a good question,” I said.
Back then I didn’t notice the strain on Donna’s face. Looking back at this memory, I see it now. It only lasted a second. I don’t know if what she said was what she had wanted to say.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” is what she did say.
Jess put their sunglasses back on.
“So your power is glitching too?” they asked.
“Performance issues. She doesn’t like talking about it,” said Brenda.
Donna frowned at her.
“What the hell was up with the bad Gone with the Wind impression?” Jess asked.
“I don’t know. She’s from the south and had a slight accent, but that was extreme,” said Donna.
“Has she gone crazy?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It’s possible something happened since she left her body,” Donna said.
Donna began to look scared. Maybe not to the others but I could tell after being with her all those years. It only really happened when the topic of her failing ability came up. It was subtle, but there was a change in her face.
“Sounds like she was not all there to begin with,” said Jess.
“Yeah. That losing time and not acting like herself stuff her boyfriend said,” from Brenda.
“Maybe not having a body affected her mental state even more,” I said.
“Maybe it didn’t work out with Alex. Forever is a long time to only be around one person,” said Brenda jokingly.
“No shit. And she said she was our maker. What the hell is that supposed to mean?” from Jess.
“What?” said Donna.
“She said she started it. That she made us,” I said.
“You need to fill me in. I could sort of feel her intentions a bit, but I don’t know what was going on out here,” said Donna.
“She insinuated that she did something to the virus that they gave you all,” I said.
I filled Donna in on the conversation.
“That sort of makes sense,” is all Donna said.
“I’m glad it makes sense to someone,” said Brenda.
“Yeah, but. She never said exactly what cracked reality. The virus could only work like it does because something else is off with the world, right?” asked Jess.
“It is certainly possible,” said Donna.
“Is she that strong?” asked Brenda.
“I don’t think so. If reality has cracks, then just like all powers, her time travel is only possible because of those cracks. It can’t just be because of her,” said Donna, thinking out loud.
“You know this or you want it to be true,” asked Brenda.
“I feel it,” said Donna.
“Donna, how can we do this if Elizabeth can travel in time and know our plans?” I asked.
Everyone was staring at Donna. She closed her eyes for a second and sensed the flow of time around us.
“Because Liz doesn’t know everything,” she said before hitting the gas.
Her eyes were closed for a few more seconds while she drove. When she opened them, I recognized the look. Donna had a plan.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzWTbLmmpX
