Come on.. Come on!
A resounding crack echoed through the large, somewhat bare room. He'd been lucky to find an apartment built in what used to be an old warehouse, providing him with exceedingly high ceilings and some large windows. Natural light was rather sought after in homes, or so he'd been told. For now that light was dwindling as the sun began to set, the last rays of the evening shining in on him as he flexed his right fist.
It appeared to be encased in something at first glance, but upon closer inspection it could be seen that his skin was thickened compared to the rest of the flesh it blended into at the wrist. Thickened, and somewhat of an odd color, not quite the right shade for the rest of him. It also appeared to look a bit.. Shattered, perhaps? Divots and cracks ran along his knuckles where he had punched his punching bag, one of the only pieces of furniture he had in the large living area. "Well shit," he sighed to himself, wiggling his fingers to test them and watching as the thickening and odd coloration in his hand seemed to dissipate, reducing the flesh of his limb back to the size and color that seemed appropriate. Not that that meant much in terms of size. In general he'd been considered a giant by most people he'd met, and who knew where the height came from. Sure wasn't his mother, from what he'd been told.
A shake of his hand was given on his way to the open concept kitchen, grabbing a remote from the kitchen counter to flick on the tv back near the punching bag. He enjoyed the background noise to be honest, though he didn't truly watch much on a regular basis. The gentle hum of voices and who knows what else cut the silence as he grabbed a jar of whey protein, some frozen fruit, yogurt, milk and ice. The combination went straight into a blender as he put together a ham sandwich for himself, loading the rest of his plate with some chips and almonds. The protein shake went straight into a glass before he made his way to the small couch in front of the tv, setting everything on the coffee table. Shield and the community programs had managed to scrape up the bare minimums for many of the EDE's, but he'd managed to scrape up and purchase a few things on his own the last few months as well.
An old rug covered the floor between the couch and the tv, the punching bag and a few other pieces of weightlifting equipment were scattered through the living room. He'd found a used tv and a good stand and that summed up his living area- too few items in too large a space, save for a crumpled photo propped carefully against the corner of the tv. A teenaged Jerich sat on a couch with a small, crooked smile. Behind him stood blonde man who seemed to share Jerich's chin and ears. The most striking resemblance the seemed to cement the relationship, however, were the striking blue eyes that stared out of both faces into the camera. Whoever he was, he had a hand on Jerich's shoulder. Beside him stood a man who, if it weren't for the shared eyes and other features of the other two, would have been more likely to be mistaken as the boy's father. His arms were crossed, and he looked sullen.. Perhaps stern? But to be honest when didn't his Uncle Johnny look solemn and stern, he thought as he glanced at the photo.
The thought was shrugged off with the slightest look of amusement as he dug into his dinner, ignoring the tv but for the background noise it provided him as the news rolled on.
Good Evening Seattle!
It's been six months since the Collision and we're finally seeing what have become to be known as EDE's beginning to get settled into life here in our universe. It seems to have come easier for some than others, however, as evidenced by world famous tattoo artist Poene Arreska! Arreska, known for her several awards in the body art industry as well as her canvas artwork and outspoken Mutant Rights activism was one of the many people who found themselves staring down a body double after the Collision event. Despite the confusion and questions as to the proper approach in handling the EDE situation, Arreska came up with her own way of handling it.
The screen cut to two women sitting beside each other. Both had deep olive skin covered from neck on down in tattoos, but the woman on the left had her black hair in a pixie cut to frame the sharp features of her face. The woman to her right shared her face but with long hair down to her elbows which was shaved on one side. It was a deep black as well, with highlights of purple and green strewn throughout, and several piercings dotted her face. This woman spoke up, both smiling at the camera.
"I knew when they reached out to me that I had to meet her. I mean, she's me, but who knew how she was different. Turns out, despite the differences we have, we're rather similar too. When I found out she was a tattoo artist as well, I just knew that her place was in our studios. She belongs there, as much as I do, and besides I couldn't turn down the chance to have some trustworthy help now could I?" The woman laughed as she spoke, her double cracking a small grin as she shook and ducked her head. She seemed content, but there was something about the one with short hair.. An air of sadness clung to her.
Back in his living room, the sounds of the tv faded to white noise as the interview cut back to the newscaster, a small screenshot of the two tattoo artists was left in the corner of the screen as she jabbered on about who knows what. Jerich on the other hand was coughing, trying to clear the bite of sandwich from his throat that he was currently choking on. As he cleared it, his eyes watering from the effort, he couldn't help but stand up and step over the coffee table to get closer to the tv. He nearly knocked over his protein shake on the way but he didn't seem to notice, his stomach knotting as he crouched in front of the tv. Could it really be..? He'd seen enough pictures to know, but he could still hardly believe it. He'd never met her, she died when he was only an infant after all, but there they were... They'd been moving.. She'd been moving.. Alive, and there were two of them.
He couldn't help it, reaching out to touch the screen a little where the screenshot still remained.
...Mom?
A resounding crack echoed through the large, somewhat bare room. He'd been lucky to find an apartment built in what used to be an old warehouse, providing him with exceedingly high ceilings and some large windows. Natural light was rather sought after in homes, or so he'd been told. For now that light was dwindling as the sun began to set, the last rays of the evening shining in on him as he flexed his right fist.
It appeared to be encased in something at first glance, but upon closer inspection it could be seen that his skin was thickened compared to the rest of the flesh it blended into at the wrist. Thickened, and somewhat of an odd color, not quite the right shade for the rest of him. It also appeared to look a bit.. Shattered, perhaps? Divots and cracks ran along his knuckles where he had punched his punching bag, one of the only pieces of furniture he had in the large living area. "Well shit," he sighed to himself, wiggling his fingers to test them and watching as the thickening and odd coloration in his hand seemed to dissipate, reducing the flesh of his limb back to the size and color that seemed appropriate. Not that that meant much in terms of size. In general he'd been considered a giant by most people he'd met, and who knew where the height came from. Sure wasn't his mother, from what he'd been told.
A shake of his hand was given on his way to the open concept kitchen, grabbing a remote from the kitchen counter to flick on the tv back near the punching bag. He enjoyed the background noise to be honest, though he didn't truly watch much on a regular basis. The gentle hum of voices and who knows what else cut the silence as he grabbed a jar of whey protein, some frozen fruit, yogurt, milk and ice. The combination went straight into a blender as he put together a ham sandwich for himself, loading the rest of his plate with some chips and almonds. The protein shake went straight into a glass before he made his way to the small couch in front of the tv, setting everything on the coffee table. Shield and the community programs had managed to scrape up the bare minimums for many of the EDE's, but he'd managed to scrape up and purchase a few things on his own the last few months as well.
An old rug covered the floor between the couch and the tv, the punching bag and a few other pieces of weightlifting equipment were scattered through the living room. He'd found a used tv and a good stand and that summed up his living area- too few items in too large a space, save for a crumpled photo propped carefully against the corner of the tv. A teenaged Jerich sat on a couch with a small, crooked smile. Behind him stood blonde man who seemed to share Jerich's chin and ears. The most striking resemblance the seemed to cement the relationship, however, were the striking blue eyes that stared out of both faces into the camera. Whoever he was, he had a hand on Jerich's shoulder. Beside him stood a man who, if it weren't for the shared eyes and other features of the other two, would have been more likely to be mistaken as the boy's father. His arms were crossed, and he looked sullen.. Perhaps stern? But to be honest when didn't his Uncle Johnny look solemn and stern, he thought as he glanced at the photo.
The thought was shrugged off with the slightest look of amusement as he dug into his dinner, ignoring the tv but for the background noise it provided him as the news rolled on.
Good Evening Seattle!
It's been six months since the Collision and we're finally seeing what have become to be known as EDE's beginning to get settled into life here in our universe. It seems to have come easier for some than others, however, as evidenced by world famous tattoo artist Poene Arreska! Arreska, known for her several awards in the body art industry as well as her canvas artwork and outspoken Mutant Rights activism was one of the many people who found themselves staring down a body double after the Collision event. Despite the confusion and questions as to the proper approach in handling the EDE situation, Arreska came up with her own way of handling it.
The screen cut to two women sitting beside each other. Both had deep olive skin covered from neck on down in tattoos, but the woman on the left had her black hair in a pixie cut to frame the sharp features of her face. The woman to her right shared her face but with long hair down to her elbows which was shaved on one side. It was a deep black as well, with highlights of purple and green strewn throughout, and several piercings dotted her face. This woman spoke up, both smiling at the camera.
"I knew when they reached out to me that I had to meet her. I mean, she's me, but who knew how she was different. Turns out, despite the differences we have, we're rather similar too. When I found out she was a tattoo artist as well, I just knew that her place was in our studios. She belongs there, as much as I do, and besides I couldn't turn down the chance to have some trustworthy help now could I?" The woman laughed as she spoke, her double cracking a small grin as she shook and ducked her head. She seemed content, but there was something about the one with short hair.. An air of sadness clung to her.
Back in his living room, the sounds of the tv faded to white noise as the interview cut back to the newscaster, a small screenshot of the two tattoo artists was left in the corner of the screen as she jabbered on about who knows what. Jerich on the other hand was coughing, trying to clear the bite of sandwich from his throat that he was currently choking on. As he cleared it, his eyes watering from the effort, he couldn't help but stand up and step over the coffee table to get closer to the tv. He nearly knocked over his protein shake on the way but he didn't seem to notice, his stomach knotting as he crouched in front of the tv. Could it really be..? He'd seen enough pictures to know, but he could still hardly believe it. He'd never met her, she died when he was only an infant after all, but there they were... They'd been moving.. She'd been moving.. Alive, and there were two of them.
He couldn't help it, reaching out to touch the screen a little where the screenshot still remained.
...Mom?
Good thing dad and Uncle Johnny interned him at work...
An empty box with protective inserts was strewn across the floor of his living room, a laptop practically bouncing as he balanced it in his lap. His leg was jumping- jittery with nerves. Stupid computers.. Always needing to go through a stupid set up after you first get them. Jeez.. Why does set up take so long? A groan of frustration escaped his lips as he waited impatiently for everything to finish loading, gently rubbing a bandaged section of his arm as he did so.
Jerich sat up as a chime rang from the computer to indicate that it was all ready, bringing up the Chrome browser that was automatically installed and beginning to type before hitting search. A few seconds passed before articles began to pile up on the screen in front of him. Hundreds of them. For the next few hours he sat with the laptop in his lap, scrolling through the results and stopping to read the articles anytime he saw something new. He seemed anxious, overwhelmed, as they flashed across the screen. X-Command Agent Lance Carrington dead weeks after birth of only son. Renowned tattoo artist Poene Arreska marries X-Command director Johnathan Diego. Johnathan Diego shot by sniper in front of crowd, days after birth of daughter. So many articles.. So many big headlines. They weren't all big headlines, however. His mother's name had results of all sorts, from the world of body modification, to activism, to family life. Smaller articles mentioned her in outings and charity work involving her children. Children.. Plural. Not only were there mentions but there were photos! Photos of his mom and uncle together, photos of the kids.. He recognized himself in many of them, ranging from a small child up through his teenage years. There were other kids though.. Two other boys, and two girls as well. From what he'd read they weren't all biologically related to him, but it was clear from everything on the internet that they were a family regardless. His mom had seemed to try and take them out on plenty of family outings, prompting the smallest of smiles. His dad had tried to keep up on the same concept.
The smile soon faded as he slumped back into the couch, face blank as he worked to process the information. Four siblings, a mom and a dad? It didn't sound like it was perfect. From what he could tell his counterpart wasn't around Darien at this time or Seattle for that matter, and at least one of his counterpart's brothers wasn't around either. But everyone was alive.
Except dad.
An empty box with protective inserts was strewn across the floor of his living room, a laptop practically bouncing as he balanced it in his lap. His leg was jumping- jittery with nerves. Stupid computers.. Always needing to go through a stupid set up after you first get them. Jeez.. Why does set up take so long? A groan of frustration escaped his lips as he waited impatiently for everything to finish loading, gently rubbing a bandaged section of his arm as he did so.
Jerich sat up as a chime rang from the computer to indicate that it was all ready, bringing up the Chrome browser that was automatically installed and beginning to type before hitting search. A few seconds passed before articles began to pile up on the screen in front of him. Hundreds of them. For the next few hours he sat with the laptop in his lap, scrolling through the results and stopping to read the articles anytime he saw something new. He seemed anxious, overwhelmed, as they flashed across the screen. X-Command Agent Lance Carrington dead weeks after birth of only son. Renowned tattoo artist Poene Arreska marries X-Command director Johnathan Diego. Johnathan Diego shot by sniper in front of crowd, days after birth of daughter. So many articles.. So many big headlines. They weren't all big headlines, however. His mother's name had results of all sorts, from the world of body modification, to activism, to family life. Smaller articles mentioned her in outings and charity work involving her children. Children.. Plural. Not only were there mentions but there were photos! Photos of his mom and uncle together, photos of the kids.. He recognized himself in many of them, ranging from a small child up through his teenage years. There were other kids though.. Two other boys, and two girls as well. From what he'd read they weren't all biologically related to him, but it was clear from everything on the internet that they were a family regardless. His mom had seemed to try and take them out on plenty of family outings, prompting the smallest of smiles. His dad had tried to keep up on the same concept.
The smile soon faded as he slumped back into the couch, face blank as he worked to process the information. Four siblings, a mom and a dad? It didn't sound like it was perfect. From what he could tell his counterpart wasn't around Darien at this time or Seattle for that matter, and at least one of his counterpart's brothers wasn't around either. But everyone was alive.
Except dad.
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