[center] [img]https://vgy.me/hVqwcd.png[/img]
In
[h1][b][u]Target Locked #11: Beginnings[/u][/b][/h1]
[b]Location: Kayla & Mia’s Apartment, French Quarter, Lost Haven
Time: Night time (~2:30am)[/b][/center]
[i]”Doctor, her BP and heart rate are dropping.”

“Give her 125mls of epinephrine. We need to get her into surgery now.”

The sounds of doors bursting open were close by. “Ok, we have a 25-year-old Native American female with a GSW through the left chest. The bullet went through, but it has caused damage to the left lung and shoulder blade. We’ll need to get her into surgery and drain any fluid that's built up. There might be damage to any of the pulmonary arteries, so we will need to check and repair any of the damage to the vein…”

“… Ok, 3, 2, 1, Lift!”

A feeling of weightlessness before a gentle thud onto something hard and cold. [color=#E38C2D]”Jason… Is he… alright?”[/color] I rasped, feeling like it is difficult to breathe and to keep consciousness. I try opening my eyes, but it flutters open and closed, difficult to keep open.

The doctor turns towards me, his uniform similar to the military doctors that I am familiar with during my childhood. “Concentrate on fighting through this, ma’am.”

I feel a mask go over my mouth and lips, breathing in the general anesthetic that was pumping through them. Just then, a man burst into the room. He was familiar to me. “D..d… Dad?”

The look on my father’s face… He didn’t look as worried as what was to be expected for his daughter in the state that she is in. “It’s going to be ok, Kayla. You will pull through this.” I could feel the faint murmurs of my heart race faster and faster. My breath became more rapid, more ragged as it dawned on me what was about to happen. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted Jason to be here, to let me know he is still alive. I just wanted...

 [color=e1a900]"It’s ok, Kayla.”[/color]

That voice. It was one out of place in what was happening right now. And yet, it was a voice that soothed me. I can feel my heart slow as my breathing became easier. I weakly looked around to find the source of the voice. My eyes then locked onto the figure. His frame was familiar even though it was out of place for a hospital. Even more so, despite never seeing him before in my life, I knew his name.

[color=e38c2d]”—Jai?”[/color]

The shape moved away from the corner of the room, seemingly responding to my calls to him. As the lights of the operating room illuminated his face and eyes, a faint smile was slowly etched across my face. I looked into his eyes, his gold and blue eyes locking me in a trance. No, it called to me. And yet, I am unable to move to get close to him. His motions seemed to know what I wanted as he walked towards my left side.

[color=e1a900]”It’s ok, Kayla,”[/color] he said once again, his entire body turned towards me as he stopped close to my left hand. [color=e1a900]”You will be ok—it's only a dream.”[/color]

It was then that I noticed that everything around me seemed to stop in place. Seeing my father, still looming over me on my right side with the seemingly uncaring look in his face, and his uncaring expression made me anxious. But then, a warm hand touched my cold, clammy hands. Looking back, I see Jai holding it with his left hand. It was comforting to feel the warmth going through my hand, despite it being a complete contrast to the coldness I felt from the engagement ring.

[color=e1a900]”No matter what nightmares you face, you will make it through. You will know peace.”[/color] Slowly, Jai faded away from view.

[color=e38c2d]”Jai! Don’t leave me! I [u]need[/u] you!”[/color]

As he disappeared, everything was starting to speed back up.

My father, returning to normal speed, then turns to the doctor. “Do it…” Everything then slowly fades to black as the doctor grabbed the scalpel and approached me. [/i]
[hr]
In a jolt, Kayla was awake. It had been recently that she’d managed to stifle the sudden scream that escaped her, but the gasp of air passed her lips regardless. Her eyes darted quickly around the room, scanning for any threat in the darkroom as she could hear the rush of blood in her ears. The familiar damp feeling of her sheets nearly coated in her sweat and the ragged breathing after waking up. Her body slowly twitched to her quickened heartbeat. She wanted to cry again, startled by the nightmare’s scalpel reaching for her. Only… She felt an unusual calm in her core that she hadn’t felt after a nightmare.

Absently, she turned herself over in her bed to have a look at the alarm clock. [color=red]02:37.[/color] Her left hand instinctively reached for the ring that hung off the chain. Much like the dream, her hand felt warm against the cold of gold. Her mind went back to what she remembered of the dream—of Jai—in the operating room. In her half-asleep mind, questions raced. 

Why was Jai in her dreams?

There was literally nothing else different from the nightmare beside him appearing. And what was with the warm feeling with his hand? She vividly remembered the contrast of heat between that and the ring. It was the same feeling she was having with the ring now. She focused on the ring for a moment before she realized she was awake as the ring began to warm up in her hand. Confused with everything that was happening, she stared absently at the clock until she drifted off to sleep an unknown time later.
[hr]
[center][b]Time: Morning (~9:30am)[/b][/center]

The first thing that woke Kayla up that morning was the vibration of her phone on the side of the bed.

Jeremy called her to let her know that for an unknown amount of time, everyone is to not come to work as news got to him that a fight occurred with a monster with one of the city’s heroes. Her workshop had taken the full brunt of the damage, but other damage from that had made the building structurally unsafe until work was done to secure the building.

Despite sounding bad on the phone to cover up her actions, she felt bad about what had happened. She didn’t consider that Michael Garth could transform into the monster that was caught on the news. However, it made things easier for her to begin her focus on the Penose that she was distracted from. It also helped her keep herself away from Jai and Racheli after what she had seen and heard in the sewer. [i]No…[/i] she thought. She didn’t need to keep herself away from them. She needed the space to figure out what she was going through.
 
After some time, she walked out of her bedroom to see Mia at the table. The blonde’s fingers were wrapped around a mug of coffee while she was watching the television. The news story of Fletch's fight with the monster was shown on-screen with mobile phone footage. Or at least, what little of the fight that had happened on the ground. While the main news was with Icon trying to quell the fighting in Talosden, Kayla had already focused on the fact that her identity wasn't revealed and instead, saw only the footage of her not so revealing face on the screen. Hiding her sigh of relief behind a shrug so Mia wouldn't grow curious, Kayla closed the bedroom door behind her.

Padding into the kitchen, Kayla turned her head as Mia spoke. “Did you hear about this on the news?” Mia spoke just as she reached the kettle to boil some water. “Jeremy’s garage was destroyed by something that the archer hero was fighting.”

[color=e38c2d]”Yeah,”[/color] Kayla replied, grabbing a green teacup from the cupboard. [color=e38c2d]”Jeremy called this morning about it. We won’t be working there for a while until the building is repaired.”[/color]

The blonde sighed. “That’s too bad. I hope you have enough money saved for the time off work, right?”

The kettle started to whistle from the kitchen as Kayla hummed in thought. [color=e38c2d]”I should have enough. I mean, I don’t spend most of my time going out partying.”[/color] She paused for a moment, inwardly wincing at the last thing she said. [color=e38c2d]”At least, not for a long time.”[/color] After a moment, she walked out of the kitchen to the table with green tea. [color=e38c2d]”Besides, if I start running low, I can always sell some stuff I have around. Who knows what people would want in this city nowadays with social media and everything.”[/color]

“Yeah, but even so you should be careful. The building repairs could take forever, especially in a city of superheroes like Lost Haven.” Mia looked away from the television to her friend. An all-knowing look crossed her features, smirking mischievously as her eyes glinted behind her glasses. “Anyway, you promised. Give me all the details about everything that happened last night with you, Jai and Racheli.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. She thought her childhood friend would have forgotten all about that last night. [color=e38c2d]”Well… We spent the day going to all the places in the French Quarter. I even took them to that café you mentioned. Then, we went for a meal after some exploring and spent time drinking at a bar on 52nd Street.”[/color] [i]If only she knew.[/i]

Mia sighed in exasperation. “Not what I was hoping to hear,” she muttered. Then in a louder voice, she looked unamused as she continued. “Look, anyone can ask about what happened during their day. But, what I want to know is if anything happened between you and Jai. You two seemed to be hitting it off at work.”

Kayla pursed her lips. [color=e38c2d]”Uh…”[/color] She didn’t know how to answer that question. From what she saw, Jai and Rach would be good together without her in the picture. But something had been nagging at her. Her sudden reaction to them and her nightmare threw a spanner into what she thought. And now? She has no idea what is happening and she needed time to figure it out…

“Come on!” Kayla snapped back as Mia piped up. “Something is going on between you two, isn’t there?”

[color=e38c2d]”Uh…”[/color] she repeated again. [color=e38c2d]”To be honest, I don’t think he’s interested. Besides, he seemed to be getting along with Racheli well enough.”[/color]

“Oh Kayla,” she said, shaking her head in disappointment. “When are you going to stop doubting yourself and move on?” She got out of her chair and moved to the chair closest to Kayla. “You are one of the nicest people that I know besides Mark. You do deserve happiness, even after everything that has happened.” She placed a hand on her lap. “And you won’t know what’ll happen if you don’t try.” Then, she smirked. “Besides, you don’t want a repeat with Jonathan McReed in 10th Grade, do ya?”

The sudden change in tone made Kayla gasp in surprise. [color=e38c2d]”Don’t bring that up! Rude!”[/color] Mia cackled at the suddenly flustered Kayla before both of them laughed for a moment or two.

Once the laughing subsided, Kayla looked at Mia with reluctant gratitude. [color=e38c2d]”Thank you, Mia. I’ll try to do that in the future.”[/color]

Mia nodded and smiled back at her friend. It didn’t take long, however, before her expression became dour. “Speaking of Mark, I should get going to see him. Also, I think for the time being that I would be staying at Mark’s place. His parents are also in the city keeping an eye on him and his apartment. At least until he’s out of the hospital.”

Kayla seemed to be taken aback a little bit by the sudden news. However, it quickly fell away with another smile. [color=e38c2d]”That’s fine. Besides, it is a long way to the hospital from here and Mark lives much closer, plus you have his family to keep you company. So… It makes sense to me.”[/color]

Mia’s dour expression lifted. “Are you sure? Will you be ok being here by yourself?”

[color=e38c2d]”I’ll be fine.”[/color]

“Only if you’re sure, Kayla. I’ll feel bad if something happens while I’m gone.”

[color=e38c2d]”Say hi to him for me, will you?”[/color]

“I will. Stay safe, Kayla.”

Kayla simply waved as Mia got up and began to walk out of the door, the roller suitcase near the door ready. She took a sip from her tea as the apartment door slowly closed. Once the latch clicked shut, her expression turned more concerned. [color=e38c2d]”I will try, Mia.”[/color]

(Edits for Jai and some other issues with thanks from eravicis)