[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uvX201s.png[/img] and [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/428969680146006016/452633321889988613/kayla_mason.png[/img] and [center][h1][color=cc0000]JAI HALE[/color][/h1][/center] [/center] For Racheli, the last month passed in a blur of events. Most the time it seemed far from plausible as she mulled over it now. Midas had decided to give her some space ever since she took off to join the heroes. Ms Sparks had popped in to check on her, likely because she didn’t answer the phone. This allowed Rach to fill the woman in on the minor role she played. In return, she received an unsavory amount of information that confirmed her suspicions about her father being alive. Deep down she couldn’t help but realize she had hoped the card had been someone’s sick joke and not the authentic thing. Her paranoia had increased tenfold causing her to discover Fletch’s real identity when she spotted the woman’s bike in the garage one day. A light popped on and she cursed herself out for her slowness, feeling she should’ve caught on sooner than later. In a small way, it comforted her to know this partnership wasn’t simply a one-sided thing now. It took yet more time and effort before she was convinced that Jai was trustworthy with samples of her blood. He wanted to create a serum that would repair Fletch in days rather than wait naturally using reprogramed nanites in her blood. It helped her virus was against it all the way. Racheli’s mind drifted over the details as she sat on the stool, waiting for directions from Fletch. Ever since that day in the Hounds’ HQ, Kayla had been spending time trying to recover from the injuries she sustained from the fight. She was stitched up by the paramedics on the scene but fortunately kept her identity a secret. While the bullet wound had been explained to Jeremy Taylor that she got caught up in the battle during the battle in Sherman Square, which also explained the damaged bike, but the gashes on her side were concealed very well. Despite all the caution she had used, that hidden injury could only remain hidden to everyone for so long. And it just so happened that the latest employee of the garage, Jai Hale, had noticed it while she spent time fixing her bike and a customer’s car. At first, she didn’t know how he knew to the point that she didn’t trust him. But as the month went on, she warmed up to his presence in her little corner of the garage. Not that she had a choice, with Taylor assigning him to the electronics side of the garage. Shortly after Jai and Kayla had met in the garage, her secret identity as Fletch was suddenly revealed. She had been working on her bike at the time when, of all people, Racheli walked in to meet the ‘contact.’ Jai had been out of the room to meet someone himself during the meeting. The metahuman seemed pissed off with the sudden reveal, but the archer had calmed her down and explained the precautions she gave. For the first time since it had happened, she told Racheli about what happened in Pasadena 5 years ago. About Jason. Despite the short time they’ve known each other, Kayla had learned to confide in someone with all the pain she had faced and still faced to this day. When it came to Jai meeting Racheli, things were… interesting, to say the least. The information on who he was as a person is still something for Kayla’s head to wrap around. But what he offered regarding contacts and possible training was something that she saw as an opportunity. The training was something that a better prospect than what she could offer regarding kickboxing. It took a while for what was said to sink in, but she managed to get the message through to Racheli. [color=e38c2d]”Ok, now the orange wire should slot into the available port in the connector,”[/color] Kayla spoke, feeding instructions to Racheli. [color=e38c2d]”Once in, the whole connector should be fine to plug into where the ignition should be.”[/color] The archer would have done the whole system herself, but with her gashes still healing and a load of persistence from Jai, she had been feeding instructions to him or Racheli whenever she was in. For Jai, learning and adapting to normalcy is something that both feels surreal and out of place. Disconcerting in a sense that he no longer has to live in secrecy, the soldier finds himself almost [i]liking[/i] the "civilian" life. The interview process for him to work in this garage was simple, and Kayla ended up being his co-worker in working on the electronic components with each vehicle or motorcycle that comes into the shop. What he didn't expect is for her to come in injured when he first met her, obvious to his sharp gaze. If Kayla so much as lifted or overexerted herself in any fashion, he knows those stitches would reopen and would force the healing process all over again. Briefly, he contemplated whether or not his partner, Leila, would be able to create something that would accelerate the healing process of someone like Kayla. If it weren't for her meeting Leila, the idea of meeting Racheli wouldn't have crossed either of the soldiers' mind. And that meeting only snowballed into quite the work-in-progress and today was when the experiments were ready for their first and safe human trial. He's on his way back to the garage with Leila following closely behind. She wanted to see the progress her work has gone and felt the dire need to be there when it's administered. When the garage came into view, Leila skipped on ahead to reach the two that waited inside. Popping into view with her silvery blonde hair pulled back, she walked into the garage to where Racheli and Kayla were with a sparkle in her eye and Jai impassively greeting the two girls with a curt nod. "It's ready, ladies—shall we give it a go?" she chirped with her hands on her hips. Racheli’s indifferent expression hid what she thought, mainly the fact about the nervous she felt when it came to Kayla trying the experimental serum produced from her blood. There was no telling if the intelligence was purged from the virus within and it would only heal her friend. The last thing Rach wanted to see was Fletch turn into some inhuman creature. The images of the virus’ past swirled into her attention before she pushed it away. She had impulsively already placed in the orange wire, then wrapped up as instructed. Hopping off from the seat, her eyes examined Jai a moment, and she nodded. Her attention turned to Kayla. Silently, the woman was asking if her friend was really willing to take the risk. [b]“You sure you want to take the chance? Racheli doesn’t seem to have the same faith in your friend as you do…”[b] Came the words from her virus causing Rach’s head to jerk into his direction. Her eyes heated up with anger and spite, loathing at the image projected about five feet from the ladies. His arms crossed over his chest while dressed in a grey polo tee and black slacks. The man’s appearance held weariness from broken sleep cycles, though they were very subtle and easily dismissed. [color=indianred] “Shut up, no one asked for your opinion.”[/color] Racheli snapped. Kayla watched as Racheli followed the instructions to the letter. [i]Hopefully, that’s my bike now done.[/i] But before she could get a chance to turn the engine over, Jai and his friend, Leila, had arrived. The woman Jai was with was the one who had the know-how to change the nanites in Rach’s blood from the state they were into something that can be used to accelerate the healing process. And judging from her chirpy disposition, she managed to accomplish that. Kayla nodded back at Jai, acknowledging his welcome. She still needed to make up her mind about him, but that was due to him being the first guy to waltz into her life in a while. Not since Mark came knocking with Mia’s life. Before her thought got distracted to her friend’s boyfriend and his condition, a familiar voice came up. Kayla’s piercing gaze quickly diverted to the projection the virus was making. She still had to get used to the idea that Racheli was capable of projecting an apparition due to the virus, albeit not on the latter’s choice. While the virus had been annoying over the past month, it did raise a valid point about risking herself to try something completely experimental. As Racheli scolded the man, Kayla’s face pondered into thought. [color=e38c2d]”This is a huge risk that I am taking, indeed,”[/color] she replied, surprisingly towards the virus. [color=e38c2d]”For all we know, the virus might still cause some harm to me, even if it does its job in healing the injuries. But still…”[/color] She paused for a moment, her eyes turning back towards Jai and Leila. A small smile crept on her face as she nodded towards them. [color=e38c2d]”If the implication of this working properly is still on the table, then I’m more than happy to take it. And as Racheli says, no one asked for your opinion.”[/color] Jai's eyes flicked to the appearing visual of a figure, recollecting the first time this had occurred at all. It was a curious phenomenon that he had added to his list of strange occurrences to investigate whenever he had time. (Though he digressed, and it was something to consider when both he and Leila had already analyzed the blood sample that Racheli had been so kind to give.) Based on his physical appearance, he took note of the exhausted state he was in and cataloged it for later analysis. He didn't respond to the virus' remark, leaving it to Kayla to respond in kind after a short pause and he waited for another beat before deciding to give his comments on the situation. He stood at ease next to Leila, apprehensive to the procedure and was prepared to step in should the need arise. [color=e1a900]"If those risks and concerns of either Racheli or Kayla were more prevalent, then Leila wouldn't have gone ahead with the experiment,"[/color] Jai commented. His dual colored irises fell briefly on the virus. [color=e1a900]"It's out of your hands now."[/color] Jai faced the girls with the same cool expression he often wore. "Thank you, Jai—much appreciated," she said dryly, her smile gone. Leila shook her head and turned to face the two girls. Waving a hand dismissively at the projected virus, she took a few steps forward to where Kayla sat until she stood right in front of her. Her brow raised in question. "Ready? But, quite frankly, do not worry too much; Jai was my guinea pig before you, and he turned out fine," Leila reassured. The words had Jai shoot a look in her direction. "But I'll ask again: are you ready?" Her tone hardened, emphasized in the way her body shifted upright. Kayla’s gaze turned to Jai as he spoke to the apparition. While his comments didn’t add much to the scolding remarks aimed at the virus, it certainly helped with showing their thought unanimously. And that was something that the archer couldn’t help but silently chuckle at. That was another thing that both Jai and Kayla had in common and after less than a month of meeting each other. When Leila spoke and approached her, Kayla was surprised at the mention of Jai being the guinea pig for this. While her face didn’t betray much of the emotion bar the slight clench of her jaw, her eyes showed how vexed she was at the idea. [color=e38c2d]”As long as he was ok with being the guinea pig for the experiments,”[/color] she replied, her voice eerily calm despite what her eyes were saying. Then, a thought came into her mind. [i]Why am I suddenly overreacting to the idea? It’s not like I even know them enough to show concern.[/i] Shaking the thought away, Kayla focused on Leila, her jaw relaxing and most of the expression in her eyes fading away. She began unzipping the top of her overalls and slid off the top half of it. Making sure that the sleeves weren’t close to the wounds, partially revealed underneath the sports t-shirt she was wearing underneath; she tied the sleeves around her waist. [color=e38c2d]”Ready to get an unknown substance that creates that asshat over there injected into me? No, I’m not ready. But let’s get this over with. These cuts have been annoying me for far too long.”[/color] The virus shrugged, his right foot stepped to the side and twisted himself about. [b]“Very well, the choice and the risk is yours. If you don't mind, I'll remind my host the last time I was tampered with it resulted in our current situation,”[/b] one last warning before he vanished from sight. Leila regarded the area around them and wrinkled her nose. Not exactly sanitary, but it'll have to do. Racheli nodded at Kayla’s decision but scoffed at her virus’ words. Ignoring him, she walked closer to the other two and continued the conservation. An important question surged into her attention. [color=Indianred]“Do we have anything to monitor her if something goes wrong?”[/color] Jai tapped to his temple on the side of his blue eye. [color=e1a900]"There's my eye,"[/color] he offered. [color=e1a900]"I can monitor her heart rate."[/color] Though, his eyes narrowed subtly. [color=e1a900]"And if need be, I'll step in, but let us hope that it doesn't come to that."[/color] Leila shook her head. "No, I don't think so." The blonde pulled out a syringe no bigger than six inches long, filled with a pale red luminescent liquid. Jai held out his hand, and she set it there while pulling out a rubber cord. Tying it off at the top of her arm, she pulled out a wipe and took Kayla's forearm into Leila's hand. Wiping the inner elbow where a small number of veins were visible, Leila finally took back the syringe. "Now, you'll feel a [i]slight[/i] pinch." That was the only warning Leila would give before locating the vein and promptly inserting the needle. There was a moment of silence as she squeezed the contents out. Once emptied, the needle was withdrawn and recapped and set back in the bag she had brought it in. Kayla looked on as the virus gave his ominous warning about the tampering of the virus. It only added to the uncomfortable position she had to be in with the modified virus to be injected into her bloodstream. Nevertheless, she still set her mind on getting this over with. While there was nothing in the electrical section of the shop to help monitor her situation, Jai offered the use of his eye to monitor Kayla’s heart rate. She had been worried about any possible side effects that she would face, despite all the testing already done on Jai. Even so… [color=e38c2d]”Even if something was to happen,”[/color] she replied to him, a defiant look in her eyes. [color=e38c2d]”I’ve experienced worse things.”[/color] While Racheli had been the only person she talked to about events in Pasadena, she wouldn’t be surprised if Leila had delved into her history and found the news articles. When Kayla uttered out she had experienced worse; Rach snorted in disagreement. [color=indianred] “I don’t know of any experience worse than having your DNA rewritten.”[/color] [color=e1a900]"I don't imagine, as Racheli stated, there is anything worse than having your DNA being rewritten,"[/color] Jai affirmed. While Kayla had been tough with most things, the sight of the needle was enough for her to avert her gaze away. It was the only thing that had made her uncomfortable, all the way back to when she was a child. While the warning came, it still made the archer flinch when the needle was pushed into her skin. She felt the contents being injected into her lower arm, her free arm reaching out for something to place over the site of the injection. Racheli’s eyebrow rose, and her lips pressed tightly into a frown. She didn’t see how Jai could ‘step in’ and stop it. No matter how sugar coated the intention was, they were manipulating Kayla’s DNA. The fact hit Rach like a brick as she realized the pain would be uncomfortable to watch. Tension spread across Racheli’s surface at watching the red luminescent liquid disappear into her friend’s vein. A small regret at suggesting her blood sparked into her core but found itself extinguished shortly afterward. Too late to go back now. Her protective nature caused her to move closer to Kayla, positioned beside the woman and at the ready. Leila took a few steps back and away from everyone to watch the proceedings. Taking out a pair of glasses, she donned the slender frames and waited. With the snap of Leila's fingers, a barely visible film of a shimmering light blue appeared and wrapped around the interior of the room that they were in. Crossing her arms, she continued to utter quiet words while her gaze remained on Kayla. She knew Jai would be prepared for whatever came next. It had been minutes since the injection had been given to her and she felt nothing. Kayla peeled back some of the bandages to check and see if the injection was working. While the injection went off without as much of a hitch, she still had her doubts. [color=e38c2d]”Did the virus take this long for the healing process to start?”[/color] There had been a hint of worry in her voice, the uncomfortable feeling of the needle still affecting her. A moment later, a warm sensation began to form around the wounds. In her eyes, she could see flesh - her flesh - knitting themselves back together, though the scarring process of the initial healing was carrying on into what was there. [i]Seemed there was nothing to worry about at…[/i] Racheli’s ears tuned into Kayla’s heartbeat and breathing, her eyes closed to block out other distractions her heighten senses might produce. Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump… The heart became steady after a few moments. Then all hell broke loose when the serum began its work. Jai knelt beside Kayla on the other side of Racheli. When it took longer than expected for the healing process to begin, he knew that what was coming was going to be the worst of it. Her heart rate was picking up, and the speed at which her body was recovering was already accelerating.[color=e1a900]"Brace yourself."[/color] Jai knew that no matter what he did to help ease the incoming change, there was no helping the scream that would soon tear through the garage. A blinding pain erupted in her side before Kayla managed to finish the thought. The initial shock didn’t hold back the scream that left her lungs. With all the workers in the garage already gone home for the rest of the day, there was no rush to the door. Her body contorted in the direction of the gashes, her right arms grasping for anything to hold herself up. Her heart rate shot up with the sudden pain as if her left side was bleeding. Breathing heavily, Kayla tried biting through the pain as the flesh accelerated the healing process. Suddenly, her core muscles began to cramp up, the healing eeking its way towards her front. Not only did the sudden pain cause her to scream again but it caused her arm propping her up to give way, her body slumping to the floor. Instinctively, she closed her body up as the muscles contracted, screams still leaving her frame. Her eyes widened when Kayla began to scream, the woman tossed into painful spasms then crumbled. Instinctively Rach’s arm jerked out to soften Kayla’s fall into the ground. This pain was all too familiar to her as she watched her friend wither in torment. [color=indianred] “Bear through it. It always hurts the first few times, and doesn’t get better,”[/color] Rach said with surprising softness, her figure lowered into the ground. Her arms wrapped about Kayla’s shoulders in a vice grip. She tried to keep her friend from hurting herself as the storm passed. Her virus, not appearing to the others, spoke in Rach’s head. [b] ‘Cut off her pain receptors or watch her suffer,’[/b] it said coldly. [color=indianred] “I don’t know how,”[/color] Rach snapped out loud. [b] ‘Link up, and I’ll do the rest, it’s simple.“[/b] [color=indianred] “Fuck you.”[/color] When Kayla fell, both Jai and Racheli reached out to soften the fall. After letting Racheli hold Kayla in her arms (of which, he did not doubt that there wouldn't be any trouble), he blinked and switched his vision from normal to a specific vision that allowed him to monitor further Kayla's progression that Leila had been kind enough to offer for this one time. With her heart rate was at an all-time high, there was nothing he could do to stifle the screams and to calm her heart rate. The best thing he could do would be what came [i]after[/i] the changes and healing had finished. Her eyes widened when Kayla began to scream, the woman tossed into painful spasms then crumbled. Instinctively Rach’s arm jerked out to soften Kayla’s fall into the ground. This pain was all too familiar to her as she watched her friend wither in torment. [color=indianred] “Bear through it. It always hurts the first few times, and doesn’t get better,”[/color] Rach said with surprising softness, her figure lowered into the ground. Her arms wrapped about Kayla’s shoulders in a vice grip. She tried to keep her friend from hurting herself as the storm passed. Her virus, not appearing to the others, spoke in Rach’s head. [b] ‘Cut off her pain receptors or watch her suffer,’[/b] it said coldly. [color=indianred] “I don’t know how,”[/color] Rach snapped out loud. [b] ‘Link up, and I’ll do the rest, it’s simple.“[/b] [color=indianred] “Fuck you.”[/color] Jai's attention flickered to Racheli when she suddenly snapped in frustration. At that, he could only assume she was talking to the virus like they had been earlier. Keeping his attention focused on Kayla's heart rate and the other vitals that have appeared in his line of vision, he spoke loud enough for Leila to hear him. [color=e1a900]"Leila, help her. We're not cruel enough that we should let her suffer."[/color] She sighed. "Of course not. Racheli, let her go—I've got her." Leila stood with her legs evenly apart and adjusted her stance accordingly. Bringing her palms out in Kayla's direction, she used her right hand, and her hand flicked out into hand signs. At the mention of her name, Rach’s head snapped upward and faced Leila. Her eyes were icy before she closed them. She grumbled while her arms peeled off of her friend and shifted the body toward the woman’s direction. Once Racheli released her friend, two shimmering light blue rings encircled Kayla's wrists and were followed by two similar ones that were strapped to her ankles. Forcing her to lay down on the ground, Leila overlaid on top of Kayla's skin was the same shimmery light blue film, barely visible that it would slowly aid with the pain. The first time, Leila noted, would always hurt the most, but the times after that would pale in comparison. She needed Kayla's body to remember the pain or else anything else she suffered would be just as debilitating as her DNA being rewritten. The best Leila could do was make it, so Kayla didn't hurt herself. [color=e1a900]"Her heart rate is spiking."[/color] Jai frowned. In just a few and excruciatingly long minutes, the changes should be done, and ideally, Kayla would be healed. Kayla couldn’t notice things that are going on around her. The intense pain in her side and stomach had overwhelmed her thinking and her awareness. The muscles had all tensed up as she remained curled up in someone’s arms that she wasn’t able to see or hear. The warm heat she felt before was a blinding inferno in her side as the healing accelerated. Despite all the pain she’s feeling - in a twisted turn of thought - the pain had been a bit of a blessing. For the first time, she was not thinking about anything that had happened up until that point. Her troubled mind was focused on the pain and not the aches of her heart. With tears stinging her eyes shut, her mind barely registered her closed-off body was forced open. Another scream escaped her throat as her body straightened out, though the intensity of the pain hadn’t increased. Slowly, the heat in her side began to cool down, the healing process almost at the end. The flesh still had some knitting to do, but the scar tissue was visible on the lowest of the gashes. The gash had stopped moving the moment Kayla was straightened out, the shallowest of the cuts now fully healed. In the briefest of moments, something inside Kayla’s body clicked into gear. As if it had laid dormant from a time unknown, something had registered a problem and now made a beeline to the areas that are being healed. Whatever it had been, it gave off a faint electrical signal as it reached the sight of the working virus and began attacking it. Leila's eyes narrowed when she sensed the changes within the girl's body. Jai switched his vision repeatedly to cycle through the options to have a better idea of what was happening. The blinding pain she was feeling shot up without warning. Everything in her body went into overdrive as her screams suddenly increased in intensity and pitch. Her heart rate shot up and beyond what her heart should be beating at. Her temperature spiked up with the sudden change. In her mind, with what little thinking power she had, Kayla had thought that this was it. That her story was to end on the floor of the garage, her body writing and contorting with the attempts to heal. And then, everything came to a crashing halt. The pain, the intense heat around her healing wounds and the screaming all stopped. Even the faint electrical signal disappeared. The archer’s body stopped writhing and just collapsed. For a few moments, nothing was moving from her. [color=e38c2d]"Told you… I’ve experienced worse…”[/color] Just under her power, Kayla’s eyes flickered open, stinging from the salt in her sweat. Her lips curled slightly into a weak smile as she tried to focus on Racheli, heavy breathing now leaving her lips. While what she said was verging on a lie - the pain she felt was on par with what she had felt before - she didn’t want to admit it. If she was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people Jai and Rach were, her personality needed to match it. In a way, she wanted both of them to know that she was able to keep up with whatever they can handle, despite being a simple human with an enhancement to her agility. [color=e1a900]"I'd hate to see what worse looks like,"[/color] Jai stated dryly. Still, the process was complete, and through all of Jai's filtering and with a cursory glance from Leila, Kayla was successfully healed without any issues.