Chapter 14 : Kidnapping

Author note : Hello. Don't really know what to tell you... Eat your apples, listen to your parents, be good (but don't spoil them) to your children, and don't litter !

Also, visit my Patréon page : https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596 or search for Cahthbel on the Patréon's search engine.

Good day and enjoy !

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Thankfully, my mom's beat me to the punch. She answers instead of me, but with a question of her own :

« And what would you do if you knew ? We don't know and we don't want to know. You're safe here, with us. Even if it's an alter-human, or some kind of paramilitary group with enhanced people, a cult with magical wielders, or whatever else… WE'll deal with it. Your father and I are more than able to fight off some homicidal freak. » A pause, and with a serious look to Cory, soon followed with a reassuring smile, she asserts : « After all, we'd dealt with demons ! »

« Father ? » Cory squeaks with a bit of tears in her eyes.

I'm surprised as well. I've always seen Cory as a kind of sister figure. Or at least a very good friend. My parents however, try to never take on the role of a parent figure. They were foster parents and that's it ! I guess mom knows more about who attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents than she lets on… Maybe enough as to consider herself a better parent. Which she is but then again, I'm kind of biased.

Calvin Zabo is, in pretty much every iterations of the character, a crappy dad. Sometimes, he was simply messed up in the head by all the chemicals from his formula, sometimes, he was simply an evil, manipulative asshole… Either way, the man's no good. Still, if I have to choose, I'd rather he be the version from the MCU. Although he is obsessive, murderously so, he does love 'Daisy', which is Skye/Cory's real name.

Still, mom and dad are better parents… Let's not even talk about Jiaying, assuming she's Cory's mom. As I continue to think about Cory's complicated history and the numerous backstory behind her character, depending on the universe's version, I ask myself how I can have a better memory… And then, it hits me ! I just… Can !

I'll probably spend a great deal of time defining and writing the adequate program, but not only my memories… I can conquer my fears, my emotions and passions. Basically, I believe I can rewrite my entire personality.

I shiver at the thought : it would basically mean my death. However, a few tweaks here and there… Give me motivation to learn martial arts and magic, diminish my fear of death.

And, also… If I can recreate the mind palace business and perfect memory bullshit of stories (it's supposed to exist and work but I have my doubts…), I can rewrite the fandom pages I've consulted in the past, re-draw the comics I've read, even the shows and movies.

Would it be possible to… No, let's not go there, right now. It would take a crazy amount of knowledge and power to do that. Peering through the layers of reality and basically acquire the knowledge of the world, or breaking through them to access the knowledge of my former earth… I doubt it's possible for me, right now. Though, it is something to keep in mind for the future.

As I'm lost in thought, only occasionally sharing a glance with the people at the table, the conversation progressed, the meal was devoured and soon dinner was over. Doreen returned to her own home. Cory has been silent somewhere in the middle of the meal, as I've been. It's very rude, I know, but it's not something I can help : when I get an idea, I focus on it so much that the world around me simply fades away.

The reason behind this is very simple actually : I'm afraid to forget the train of thought. I needed to note it down but mom is adamant that I write nothing when we're eating as a family. She just doesn't understand ! Or… Maybe, she just likes it when I'm silent and focused in my own head. Hm… Could be !

I return to my room and the first thing I do is to grab one of my notebooks. By the way, my parents bought a lot of empty notebooks, after I insisted heavily on how imperative it was for me. I didn't tell them exactly why, but more than anyone, they know how my ink works : They don't need me to.

I don't write the occasional stray thought and ideas in those, however. Their sole purpose is for me to catalog and re-write my codes, animation characters and stuff for my stories. Basically, to order them before I stuff them into the hard drive.

I'm still working on the code, little by little. With school, my parents' lessons and spending time with Cory and Doreen, my plate's pretty full. I really wish there was more than 24 hours in a day… I guess that's why I've been working on something similar to Dragon Ball's hyperbolic time chamber.

It might seem like I'm stretching myself thin, and I guess I am… The thing is, for a while now, I've been feeling like this crisis is looming over all of our heads. It's probably just Cory's presence and everything I remember from Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Basically, and pretty much like Cory in this reality, her father tracked down everyone who sheltered his daughter, forcing them to abandon her, put her back in the system… I don't really know how it works, but I find it a bit stupid of him. Didn't the guy know that his daughter was in the foster system ? When they're sent back in-between two families, they can't be a hundred places where they keep the children… Can it ?

Well, maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. made Cory (Mary Sue in the show) travel through the States. In that case, it would be difficult for him to know where she was sent.

Anyways, I need to destress a bit. Guess I'll be writing for a while…

* * * * *

A few days later, in the back of a dark and moving van.

Cory and I are in a pinch ! And this time, it's not a joke. We've been abducted. Just as we were leaving school, a few streets away from it, a van sped up and braked right in front of us… It was pretty good actually. I always wondered whether or not the guys trained for things like this, to calculate how to stop right in front of their target.

Imagine the guy misses and stops either before or after, the abductors would have to get out, fight off their kidnapping target and drag him/her or them back to the van… Messy and not very professional. I'm guessing that's something that happens more often than what we see on the TV.

These guys however, were skilled. And swift. We didn't have time to react before we were thrown in the back of the van and moments later we had a bag over our head and our hands tied behind our back.

I'm having doubts about this whole thing. On one hand, I'm pretty terrified. For all I know, the Weapon-X program's finally got wise to my presence and I'm about to be strapped to a metal table and dissected. I'd rather they were just perverts or regular criminals looking for a payday… Preferably the latter.

I also fear the possibility that they're working for Cory's dad. If that's the case, I'm not sure what'll happen to me. I guess it depends how mentally stable the man is, and whether or not he is a manipulative psycho or some shit.

And then, the reason for my doubt… Given how professional and efficient they are, they might belong to S.H.I.E.L.D.

The reason I'm afraid and a little pissed at myself is… Well, I'm completely helpless ! I've been killing myself learning magic and martial arts, and when it finally comes the time to use the shit my parents beat into me, I just froze. Worse even : I can't even use my power !

I fear outing myself as an Alter-human. I don't know how the guys'll react if I start throwing up ink… Besides, with my hands bound, I can't even do anything even if I do.

Another BIG drawback of my power. Note to self : find a way to use your magic even without your hands, dumbass !

That said, pretty much any human are helpless in these kinds of situation. Especially if they can't use their hands.

Just as I think this, I feel the van stop. Guess we'll see what happens next.