Jocelyn Victoria Beatrice Harmon AKA Tonic & Finnlay MacTyre AKA Smoke Screen
May 6th, 2012Damn. Not fair. He has changed. Beard is new. As well as that look in his eyes. Now he's leery of me. Well that is what I get for running off. I can lie to myself and say it was because of my rule of not staying in one place to long but I know that is a lie. Now I get to do all the talking. And I have got a lot to say. I walk over to him and hear him ask what he got himself into.
I look up and those blue eyes. Damn.
“A long explanation for one, plus an apology.”
Finnlay kept his eyes on her the whole time as she walked towards him. She had not changed a bit from the last time he saw her. Hearing her words Finnlay snapped out of his daze.
“That would be a start.”. He tried his best to keep his voice hard but he could feel it waver with every word.
“Why?”
I closed my eyes briefly.
“Why apologize? Why explain? Because well first off I am not what you think. I did not think you would want the kind of trouble that keeps following me around. I have been looking over my shoulder too long. I was, am, terrified that I would do something to cock this up. Besides what I have already bloody well done, and I am sorry, Quiet Man.” I fidget and play with my hair. I cannot help being nervous. Serious conversation does that to me. Puts me off balance and I would bet all the tea in Britain that he knows it.
Finnlay took in all that Jocelyn had said. His mind was trying to process it all. He let a small laugh out of his lips at hearing her call him Quiet man.
“I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” He looked at her again, studying her and trying to figure out what she meant by ‘I am not what you think.’ He had felt a little insulted that she thought he wouldn’t understand the whole looking over your shoulder life, but then again she didn’t know everything he had gone through so he couldn’t hold that against her.
“You know playing with your hair always gave away that you were nervous.” Taking Another breath he thought how best to continue with her.
“If you were in trouble or something why didn’t you talk to me? Ask for help anything. You just wandered off and I had no idea what happened to you.” He could his temper starting to flair as he continued talking.
“Bloody hell I thought you had died until I found out you had gone to New York.” He paused for a moment in shock. He wasn’t supposed to mention the part where he had tracked her down and found she had gone to New York. He just hoped that she wouldn’t notice but he knew she had caught that especially with the look on her face.
I quit fiddling with my hair stunned. I couldn't believe it.
“You tracked me down? Why?”
Finnlay let out a sigh. He hoped he could have kept that a secret but of course his temper had Royally screwed him once again.
“Because I didn’t know what had happened to you. I thought had been killed or kidnapped or worse. Once I found you in New York and knew that you were safe I left. It seemed like you clearly wanted nothing left to do with me or anyone else here so I left and acted like I had no clue what happened. if he thought about it, it was probably weird that he had spent all the time it took to make sure she was safe from her point of view. But he was fine if that made her mad, it was worth it in his book. He just hoped she wouldn’t start trying to figure out how he had done it. That was a long list of barrier secrets that he did not want to start unburying.
I was stunned and worried. I had people try to follow me and had lost them. Was I losing my touch? Is that how SHIELD and Hydra had found me?
“You might want to sit down for this. I am a mutant. And I took off because I did not want to burden you with that knowledge. Now I really have no choice and need somewhere safe to lay low. Apparently my cover has been blown. And I have no idea how bad it really is.” I had pulled my hair across my shoulder and was fidgeting with it realizing finally what I was doing flipped it back over my shoulder. I was nervous and rightly so. I had pretty much bailed on him two years ago. I still wanted to know how he'd managed to find me but it was always better to not drag it out of him. He clammed up if he thought you were forcing it from him.
Finnlay just kept his eyes locked on her. He had not been expecting that to come from her. He had always had his suspicions about her being a mutant as well but was never sure. He wasn't sure what to say back to her after that. He had asked her about her past before but she had always dodged the question somehow.
“What happened to you that would make you not trust me? I mean I get not wanting to trust others but I thought I always made it clear I would watch out for you.” He was doing his best to dance around how he had found her or how he could understand. Even if she had just confessed to him about something like that there was no way he could. No matter what danger she was in there the danger that followed him would be far worse.
“Why have you been running? And more importantly what could be so bad that you would open up about being a mutant to me.” Looking at her seriously he said
“Just what kind of trouble are you in love.”
Just like that I felt like a heel. One bloody word and I feel like a right get. I blow out a breath. I hate feeling like this but he deserves an answer.
“It is not that I do not trust you, if I did not trust you I would not be here now Quiet Man.” I sighed deeply.
“I have a hard time losing people I care about and I have learned that distance is better than hurting. Please believe me when I say that leaving tore out a piece of me. Which is still here in your hands.” I laugh humorlessly.
“I was twenty over sixty years ago, and have lost too many friends to lose someone more important than that. Ever heard of something called Weapon X?” I looked at him imploringly.
He looked shocked by everything that was happening. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. If she had problems with weapon X then that could lead to big conflicts later on.
“Yes I’ve heard of them and I know what they do.” He was trying his best to piece together how she fit into this. Given her being 20 60 years ago according to her he figured her power must have been healing or immortality. He had heard stories of someone with a similar ability in China though it was never proven as far as he was aware. ‘They probably want to duplicate that power for their beloved super soldiers.’
“Why are you asking about Weapon X?” He asked as he could feel himself ready for a fight. He didn’t think she would be with them given how she was acting but he never knew and as far as he new they could have tracked her all the way here.
“That is what my parents turned me over to at the age of six. The torture and experimentation I underwent changed my original mutation of just healing touch to add in regeneration. Then when they could prove that took they pumped me full of every organic and man made toxin, poison and venom they could. That was horrific. I have worked to purge the toxins but they are a part of me. I can isolate it to my left hand hence why I wear gloves. Spent some time running and I am done with that for now.” I sigh heavily and shudder reliving my memories.
Finnlay stared into her eyes before she closed them at reliving the horrible past she had just described.
“I’m so sorry Hálainn. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to go through all those experiments. But trust me when I say I know what it’s like to live like this.” He paused for a brief second
“On the run I mean of course.” He said to quickly trying to cover up the major slip he had just made. He was usually much more calm and collected than this but he was nervous and she could see it. He wasn’t worried about her thinking he was a freak or something considering she was a mutant as well. He was more scared of what would happen she put the other pieces together.
Shaking off the past I look up at Finnlay.
“That is the short version. I am not up for the long version tonight.” I tilt my head back closing my eyes. Stretching like a cat I open my eyes and look right at him.
“You keep clarifying your statements. You can either tell me or not, Quiet Man. This is about reaching out to you and letting you decide what happens. As for trouble, that I have in spades.”
Finnlay sighed giving a look of defeat to Jocelyn.
“I suppose it was inevitable. Though I guess showing you would be faster and easier.” He could see Jocelyn was giving him a questioning look, but something in her eyes said that she already knew what was coming. Finnlay took a step back as so that he would be easy to see. Then he let his body slowly turn completely into a black cloud of smoke. After a few seconds passed he reformed his body just as it had been prior. He looked at her with a ting of guilt in his eyes.
“I’m afraid that’s all your gonna hear tonight. The rest of it is to dangerous for you to know as thugs are now.” With that he started to walk back towards his bike.
“Follow me. I have your money in my bike. If you need a place to lay low you can come by my apartment, no one should find you there.” He stopped for a minute before adding.
“And as for the job you can either work at the boxing gym as a sort of Assistant or at the Black Rose as a bartender.” Finnlay stopped for a moment before adding
“Don’t tell a soul about what you saw under any circumstance. Not to a friend, dog, or to a boyfriend.” He had hesitated with the last part of that request but he had chalked it up to it being late.
I had to laugh at that last part. I answered after I could breathe.
“Right boyfriend. That is rich. How do you keep something like what I am from a boyfriend? It was hard enough keeping it from you. So secrets on both sides. I am fine keeping it. Bartender is probably too much exposure. Assistant will do fine. I am exhausted and I have more to tell you but I need sleep.”
Finnlay and Jocelyn had made it back to their bikes. Reaching into the bag on the back of his bike he grabbed an envelope.
“There should be 600 dollars in there. Hopefully that’s enough to get you started before you get paid for helping at the gym.” He said as he handed over the envelope with a smile.
“Like I said I have room at my apartment if you need a place to lay low. If not I’ll see you 8:00 tomorrow at the gym.” By the time he was done he had already put on his helmet and glasses. Once he new that she heard him he stared up the motorcycle and began to drive away.
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