[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6DgKSAr.png[/img] [/center] [center][sub][indent][COLOR=FFD700][B]Manhattan, New York City[/B][/color] [color=4682B4]|[/color] [COLOR=FFD700][b]Present Day[/b][/color][/indent][indent][hr][sup][b][color=FFD700]Chapter One[/color][/b] [color=4682B4]|[/color] [b][color=FFD700]Part Six[/color][/b][/sup][/indent][/sub][/center] [indent] The mechanical buzz was omnipresent. Whirling, clicking, pumping. Footsteps marking the presence of several individuals circled the bed. The leather straps chafed against his wrists and ankles as the boy, no older than seven or eight, struggled against the bonds. A calm voice reassured the child. "Don't worry, son. Everything will be alright." Young Garfield Logan turned towards the source. Through the bright lights above that threatened to blind him, he could barely make out a male figure in white scrubs. A mask concealed his lower face and held in one gloved hand was a syringe tipped with a large, gleaming needle. Garfield thrashed about wildly, bucking against his restraints. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. "Hold him." The doctor ordered. Multiple sets of hands reached out from the ethereal to press down on Garfield's limbs. As they did, the droning hum of the machines grew louder. Through the din a myriad of soft, distance voices called out to him. [sub]"It's alright, kid." "You're okay." "You're safe." [/sub] The boy howled silently, unable to resist as he felt a sharp sting in his left arm. The bright lights intensifying with his pain and consuming his vision. His pierced flesh beginning to burn and radiate heat. The buzzing and brightness swirled together, all-enveloping. The burning sensation along his arm cascaded down and across his body. The bright, white void shifting to hues of yellow, then orange and red. The hum dissipated and gave way to a dull, incessant roaring occasionally broken up by light crackling. "[i]Garfield![/i]" A woman's panicked voice shrilled. The familiarity of it managed to break through the void and pull the boy out. As Garfield's vision returned to him, he immediately recoiled in fear and understanding of his pain. Searing flames surrounded him and licked at his pale skin. The restraints were gone, enabling him to scramble backward along the hardwood flooring. He felt himself slam against a wall, knocking a framed photograph down. In a daze, he picked it up and saw three figures. One, the tallest, was unrecognizable due to a crack in the glass obscuring their face. Their hand rested gently on the shoulder of a small child. Brown hair, green eyes, and a wide, goofy grin; Garfield looked at himself in the photo. His dopey smile had been directed upwards at the last of the pictured individuals. Similar brown locks held up in a loose ponytail, freckles dotting her face. The woman was looking back down at Garfield, returning his smile with one even more cheerful. [i]Mom,[/i] thought Garfield. He placed his fingers against the ruined glass and traced them over the woman. Another desperate scream rang out, once more calling his name and forcing Garfield back into the moment. "Mommy!" He returned the shout, directing it into the flames that encircled but had yet to progress closer to him. "Mommy, where are you?" He was met with nothing but the sound of the roaring flames. Picking himself up off of the ground, Garfield was shocked to realize he no longer felt any pain. The unbearable heat had subsided, and as he realized this so too did the fire directly ahead. The blaze parted to reveal a path leading further into the house. Tentatively, he followed. The route continued to clear for him as he moved deeper in and it led Garfield to a set of stairs. Moving up the steps, he noticed the wall on the right was covered in more framed photos. Several of himself, all with that same exuberant grin, many of which also featured an assortment of animals lovingly held in the boy's arms. Rabbits, deer, an owl, even what appeared to be a young wolf. Other photographs depicted his mother, and with each he passed while ascending Garfield could feel his cheeks wet with tears. The remainder of the pictures were all cracked or smeared with soot, concealing the same tall figure from before. As he neared the second-floor landing, the voice of his mother once more called out. This time, however, it was faint and parsed with sickening coughs. "... Baby, where are you?" The hacking grew louder now and Garfield shot forward, running up the last few steps and taking off down a hallway. "Please, Garfield... my baby, where's my baby?" "Mom, I'm here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. For some reason, the sound of the flames seemed to grow louder with each attempt. "[i]Mom![/i]" Once at the end of the hall, Garfield saw the familiar maroon door he knew to be his mother's office. He reached out to take the doorknob and immediately yanked his hand back in pain. While the fire around him no longer hurt, the knob was scalding. From beyond the closed door, he could hear the coughing again. It was so soft now, he could barely make it out through the cacophony of flames. "Let me in, mom. Please, I'm right here. Let me in!" Garfield slammed his foot against the door. Then again. And again. "Gar... field..." He screamed wordlessly and reached out to grab hold of the knob once more. Feeling his skin bubble and blister, he twisted and pulled with all his strength. The door resisted for a moment, and Garfield's scream intensified as the searing pain overtook him. But, the door flung open. Pushing inside and squinting against the thick smog, Garfield gasped. There, prone on the floor, eyelids flickering in and out of consciousness, was his mother. He went to take another step forward, arm extending out towards her when the flames suddenly returned to life. Rushing in from the corners of the room the blaze quickly formed a barrier between the two. Garfield called out to his mother again, his voice cracking and mixed with heavy sobs. Lifting her head weekly and inhaling a deep, ragged breath, she tried to speak once more. But it wasn't her voice Garfield heard. "Kid, you're okay. Everything's okay." The myriad from earlier said once more, this time louder and more clear, solidifying into one deeper voice. "You're safe now." He tried to ignore the voices, tried to focus on his mother. Garfield willed himself to step forward, to pass through the flames, but his body refused. "No, mom! Mommy, please!" He wailed as he watched the fire between them begin to expand and envelop the rest of the room. "[i]No![/i]" The flames overtook his mother's body and Garfield screamed. [center][b][color=slategray]* * *[/color][/b][/center][hr] Garfield Logan woke up in a panic, shouting wildly. His hoodie clung to him damp with sweat. Long, dark hair matted against his face and covering his eyes. Taking a deep breath, the memory of his nightmare already fading, he reached up to sweep the hair away. It was bright, he noticed. Too bright to be the alley dumpster he had called home the last two weeks. Confusedly, he took stock of his surroundings. Concrete floor, tall support pillars leading up to high ceilings and rafters. He could feel cloth under his head. Sitting up and reaching behind him he grabbed a sheet balled up to be used as a makeshift pillow. Half-collapsed cardboard boxes were piled up just a dozen feet away with what looked like several empty containers of instant ramen and other trash. [i]Charlie's?[/i] He thought, recalling how his new friend had offered to give him a place to stay. Clouded memories returned to him. Charlie's handsome face laughing at one of Garfield's jokes. A long walk through backstreets. The promise of a hot meal awaiting him. It was all scrambled. Difficult to hold on to. Garfield raised a hand to his temple recognizing a little delayed the throbbing in his head. [i]I don't... what happened?[/i] He questioned silently, trying to force through the sluggishness affecting his thoughts. "Charlie?" He called out softly, his voice abnormally low and raspy. He could feel a stabbing in the back of his throat informing him of a desperate need of water. "Oh!" An angelic voice rose up from behind Garfield. "Elijah, the boy has awoken." Spinning around a little too quickly, his headache flaring up at the sudden movement, Garfield's eyes widened as they fell upon a young woman standing less than twenty feet away. Her bright red-orange hair stood out first to him, followed next by her bronzed skin. Although her arms were covered in white bandages, and she was wearing too-baggy sweatpants and a flannel button-up, Garfield's jaw slacked. [i]Woah...[/i] Despite his confused state, Garfield could feel his heart quicken as his adolescent body reacted to the beauty in front of him. [i]No[/i] way [i]she's Charlie's girlfriend. She's...[/i] wow. Then, from a small side-entrance stepped out another stranger. A male this time, he had a darker complexion and fully shaved head. Garfield couldn't be sure, but he thought this one looked to be in their late teens at most. Whoever the guy was, though, it wasn't Charlie. Scrambling backward, Garfield tensed. His groggy confusion and hormonal admiration of the woman now replaced with uncertain fear. Ignoring his aching head, the young teen crouched on all fours and recalled an image, a memory in his mind. Mottled shades of grey fur, a long, blunt snout, and a sloped, slender body deceptive of the power it possessed. A grey wolf behind a wire fence, patiently resting on its hindquarters as a small hand reached through to gently rub behind its ears. Garfield focused on this moment, channeling the memory of a faithful friend from years past. Willing himself, he could feel his own body begin to shift slightly. Muscles expanding, different bones beginning to both elongate and shrink. He could feel the familiar change begin to take hold and, knowing the transformation would take only a second or two longer, his confidence started to return. Garfield stayed hunched over, palms splayed across the ground, head low but maintaining wary eye contact with the two strangers. The female had a wide, carefree smile while the male looked on with furrowed brows. [i]That's it, just stay right there, creeps. You don't know who you're messing with.[/i] Garfield told himself, letting his bravado push down the fear. [i]No one's gonna mess with me. I don't care how hot you are, I'm gonna...[/i] His thoughts trailed off as the boy glanced down at his hands. His still green-skinned hands. No fur. No paws. No claws. [i]Um.[/i] For the first time in two years, Garfield's superhuman ability failed him. He had shifted his form into that of various animals hundreds of times. Pigeons, rats, dogs. All had been useful the last year during his time on the streets struggling to find a meal. And when necessary for protection, he had even morphed into a wolf to scare away predators. Now, no matter how much he willed the change, it wouldn't come. His body still felt sluggish and somewhat unresponding. Garfield's head throbbed once more as panicked thoughts flooded his mind. "What did you do to me?" He hoped his shout would be intimidating, but the crack in his voice told him otherwise. The male approached, hands raised passively. "Easy. Everything's okay. You're safe, kid. [i]We[/i] didn't do anything to you. You were attacked by a couple of assholes. From the way you were out cold I figure they drugged you," he explained in a surprisingly familiar voice. A hazy memory of a sharp object jabbing into the back of his neck returned to Garfield. The pain had come suddenly followed by his body feeling heavy, then darkness. He had been talking to Charlie... "Where's my friend?" Garfield asked. "Charlie!" "I'm sorry, I uh, I don't know your friend. We only found [i]you[/i] getting attacked. Looked like they were trying to kidnap you. Maybe because of... your situation." He waved his hand towards his own body, then gestured towards Garfield. "Not trying to assume, but, you know. You're green. "But you're okay now. We fought them off and got you away from there. If you want, we can walk you home, make sure you get there safely. Or you're free to go if you're feeling better." Garfield shook his head and collapsed back into a sitting position. It was a lot to take in and his mind was a swirl of thoughts and emotions. "I don't have a home..." He replied quietly before adding louder. "Who are you?" The young man hesitated, but the girl stepped closer, raising a hand in a wave. "Hello! My name is Koriand'r and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances." "Korian..." "You can call her Starfire. It's easier." Offered the other with a sigh. "I'm Eli. And you are...?" "Uh, right. Garfield. So... you saved me. From kidnappers. And took me here. Where is here again?" Eli opened his mouth to answer but Koriand'r beat him to it. "This is my new home. It is very spacious. Do you like it?" "Uh, yeah. It's, it's nice." Garfield fumbled for his words as he tried to maintain eye contact with the redhead. "Do you... do you know who these people were or where they were taking me?" "I think I can help with that." A new voice joined in. All three whipped around just in time to see a figure step away from an outside wall. Their body almost seemed to melt away from the surface. Reaching up and sliding back the hood of a sweatshirt to reveal a feminine form and brunette curls. Koriand'r took a defensive step forward, nearing Garfield to shield him from further harm. "It's okay," Eli said. "This is the girl I told you about, Starfire. She was there and tried to help." The golden-skinned young woman relaxed and a smile once more stretched across her lips. "Then you are a friend, yes? It is a pleasure to—" "[i]Dude![/i]" Eli, Koriand'r, and the newcomer all switched their gaze to the source of the sudden outburst. Garfield had risen to his feet, once more slackjawed with eyes wide and an accusatory finger pointed at the newest stranger. "You totally just [i]walked through[/i] a freaking wall!" He yelled excitedly. She nodded. "I did. My name is Kitty. And we all need to talk." [/indent]