Chapter 4: A Queen and an Alien

Drew - Yes, in danger of DEATH, I don't think having memories erased would activate it though.

A guy - I'll bring that up later.

Dual chapters for you guys today because I felt like it.

1/2

Wading through the hospital like some kind of ghost made me think about doing this sometime later to fuck with people. I wished I had Ghostfreak though, that'd be fucking great. Some dude's on anesthesia and I phase through the wall as Ghostfreak. Sure, I could do that as Ampfibian like I am now, or Big Chill, but Ghostfreak looked humanoid enough to pass off as some dead guy coming back to haunt the lucky ones... I paused in some random room, the memory of something knocking on the door of my mind... (Oh yeah... That Nazi guy.) I forgot his name at the moment, but I remembered there was one Nazi that had ghosts and shit... (I wonder how that'd work. If Ghostfreak possessed him, would I get control of the other ghosts... Or would the alien whale in his mind fuck with me?)

I frowned at that though, uncomfortable with the idea of some cheap Lovecraft thing having access to my mind... Which made me wonder if that was why I didn't have the token ghost alien in the first place.

Shaking that thought off, I looked around... And noticed I was being stared at by some kid in a cast... We stared at each other for a bit, then I slowly nodded. "This is all a dream." The kid blinked, then just pulled the blanket above his head. I took a moment to thank whoever was listening that he didn't scream, then moved on. "Don't test our luck, keep moving."

And so I did.

I checked room numbers a minute or two into my drifting, and mentally hummed as I counted down rooms until I reached Taylor's room.

The moment I reached her room, I paused. My eyes had locked onto the still form of the Queen of Escalation, and I felt... Something. I didn't know what it was, I knew it wasn't attraction, I already knew what that one felt like, and it wasn't this.

I was too focused on my thought to recognize the fact I was floating closer to Taylor, nor the fact I'd dropped my intangibility. I only recognized that my body was moving when one of my right tendrils was a moment away from tapping the dial. I saw what was about to happen, but was too late to stop it. A green flash filled the room, and I only had a moment to see that I was Big Chill before I felt something look at me.

And then all I saw was nothing.

[Taylor's POV]

My skin itched but I couldn't reach it. Something crawled on me and I didn't want to know what. Something bit me and I was too scared to look down and see the bugs andthefilthandohgodwhyisitsodark?! I wanted out I wanted out I wantedtogetoutandgohomeIwantedsomeoneANYONETOHE...-

And then something changed.

I could feel my body laying down, sore and weak butnotinth...-

I could breath without feeling my stomach churn and bile rise to my throat.

I could hear things other then the laughter of everyone that saw what was going on and heard my screamsandlef...-

I could... I could open my eyes.

That revelation scared me. I wanted to open my eyes, look around to confirm I was free and out, but at the same time I was scared of what I might see. Scared that I was imagining everything and I was still... I felt the breath I took reach my lungs, tasted the smell that only a hospital had, and felt myself relax. I was out, I was safe, I was o...- "Sonofabiiiiii...-" My eyes opened, and I only had a moment to see that it didn't look like I was in a hospital before a loud 'Thud' filled my ears.

Turning to the source, I blinked at the guy sprawled in the field of grass in front of me... Face first into the ground. (That... Can't be healthy.) Then I realized that there was a guy here and that I wasn't in the hospital.

My heart thundered in my ears as I started looking around, the plain flatland around me offering no way out that I could see. I could probably run but I wouldn't get far and then I'd be trappedalonewithso...- "Ugh, fucking hate being right." I stiffened, slowly turning back to the guy on the ground, and tracked as he started to get up. I kept track of his arms, covered by the hoodie or not I knew there was muscle there. Learning who was dangerous and who wasn't was a life skill honed by Winslow, so I recognized someone hiding muscles when I saw it.

Though the dark green hair surprised me. When I saw him stand up, we were probably the same height or close enough that it didn't matter, I stared at his green eyes. I didn't get 'lost' in them or some romance novel thing like that. I stared because I could tell that he not only recognized me, but was annoyed... And that made me freeze.

I didn't know him but he knew me.

I didn't know what I did but whatever it was it annoyed him and being alone with someone annoyed at me with no way togowasba...- "Alright, no." His voice snapped me out of my panic, and I winced as his right hand went up, worried about getting hit. Thankfully he just ran his hands through his hair and sighed as he looked around. I didn't need to know how to read people to see he was confused. His brow scrunched up, a small frown on his lips as he looked all around us, eyes staying on me for a few seconds before he kept looking around. "... Where the fuck..."

I might've been scared out of my mind at the moment, but part of me agreed. I had no idea where we were, he apparently had no idea where we were, so that was justified... But then I remembered what he said when he was getting up. 'Hate being right.' He might not have known where we were, but he knew something. I didn't know what, I didn't know how, but he had information I NEEDED. "Who are you?!" It took me a second to realize I actually said that.

The guy's emerald eyes locked onto me, and even though I was scared, I didn't flinch. We stared at each other for who knew how long, before he huffed and looked away. "Depending on how I am when we get out, I'm either your slave or an indentured bodyguard."

... Out of all the answers in the world, I didn't think that was in my top 1,000. "What?" Because what else was I supposed to say to that? Especially when it looked like he was genuinely annoyed, closing in on pissed. (Okay Taylor, pick at that later, we need answers now.) So I tried to ask him about that. "What do you..." 'Tried' being the operative word there. I stopped when he dropped down to the ground and laid down, arms and legs splayed out without a care in the world.

I just blinked, confused about what he was doing now. He wasn't looking at me, and was just looking up at the 'Sky.' I tried making some kind of noise to get his attention, but he just lazily waved a hand at me, cutting me off. "I'm too annoyed right now to talk to you without being an asshole. Lay down, do something, I need to relax before I get into the whole clusterfuck that this can and probably WILL turn into."

That... I didn't know how to take that. I still had no idea about what was going on, didn't know what I was supposed to do with the guy that said he might be my slave... But I liked the idea of trying to just put this off and relax. Especially after... Everything,

So, moving away from him, I walked around and looked for a good spot to lay down. I had no idea what to do, but putting it off until the guy that might or might not be my slave was ready sounded good to me. I eventually found a good spot a good 20 or something feet behind the guy, and sat down... The grass was actually kind of nice.

Before I knew it I was staring up at the clouds, my mind just... Drifting along. I thought about anything that came to mind... Anything that wasn't... Related, to Winslow. Right now there weren't people that were trying to bring me down. There weren't any absent father's failing to notice anything was wrong. There were no expectations of me here... And I loved it.

So slowly, my eyes got heavier, and I eventually relaxed.

Feeling something poke my cheek, I tried to swat it away. Again 'Tried' was the operative word here. Whatever was poking me avoided my hand and went back to poking me as soon as it could.

So I tried to swat it away again... I missed.

Again, but I grumbled along with it... I missed again.

"Huh... This is more amusing then I thought it would be." My mind didn't process that yet, more annoyed at being fucking poked whenIwasniceand...- I remembered I wasn't alone, and my eyes SNAPPED open. Seeing the guy, whose name I still didn't know, crouched by my side, his emerald eyes practically glowing in amusement... I froze. He saw that, and had the nerve to grin at me. "Morning evening afternoon or wha...-" He didn't get to finish that. I was awake now, and my first instinct when seeing someone I didn't know by my side was to scream... The second one was to punch him in the face... So I did. "FucACK!"

I didn't pay the suddenly flailing and falling guy any attention, opting to get up and get some distance against him in case he tried something. When I managed to do that, I kept my eyes on the guy, who rolled over to look at me, annoyance and slight amusement in his eyes.

We stared at each other for a bit again, then he huffed and rubbed his cheek. "I deserved that." My lip twitched. If he noticed he didn't say anything about it. "Anywaaay... Want your answers?" I perked up a bit at that, and I saw his lips twitch. My eyes narrowed a bit and he smiled.

I'd deny that I thought it was a nice smile.

That aside, I looked at the distance between us, and felt safe that I'd have a chance to run as far as I could before he caught me. "You stay over there, no sudden moves, got it?" He chuckled, then slowly sat up. Recognizing what he was doing, I felt my lips twitch again. (Smartass.)

When he was fully sitting up, he crossed his legs(My preferred method of sitting) and hummed. "Might as well rip the band aid off." Well that was never a good thing to hear. "You've got powers now, and all it took was a traumatic event that will stay with you all your life. Congratulations."

...

...

... I wanted to punch him again. I'd been perfectly relaxed and was feeling good, and then he just says THAT?! Who the hell even SAYS something like that?! I could hear my teeth grinding, my hands clenching and unclenching as I glared at the guy in front of me. It didn't help when he just took in my anger with a raised brow and an unamused stare. "Ahem, potential slave here."

And I felt my anger get doused in freezing water. "What... What do you mean?" I didn't have the time to think about that, the words coming out of my mouth automatically as dread started to build up in me. The guy stared at me, his emerald eyes flickering with annoyance and... Something I saw in the mirror everyday.

Resigned acceptance...

Any anger that survived the initial dousing was put out when I saw that, and I felt like I was going to be sick. "For context, and because I have no idea if you'll be able to force me to answer any and every question you have, I should probably start at the beginning." His words weren't helping the bile I felt in my throat. I didn't want to be a Master. Especially not a Human Master. "Hello Taylor..." My heart hammered at hearing him say my name, but when he trailed off, I got a li...- He huffed and looked annoyed. "Forgot your last name," Didn't know how to feel about that. "Doesn't matter." I wanted to be annoyed, but I was too worried to find it in me. "Anyway, hello Taylor, my name is Phoenix, last name pending at the moment, and I arrived on Earth Bet yesterday..." He...- No, Phoenix, tilted his head, another look of confusion on his face. "Well, I think it was yesterday. I have no idea how time passes in here... Or if it's passing at all." Another moment of confusion, then he shrugged. "We'll figure that out later." He stopped talking at that point, preferring to look at me, a sort of detached curiosity in his eyes that idly reminded me of a cat.

Though now that Phoenix was done talking, my mind raced at the implication of his words. It wasn't 'I arrived in Brockton yesterday', it was 'I arrived on Earth Bet yesterday.' Other worlds were a confirmed thing because of Aleph, I knew that, but I never thought I'd meet someone from another Earth, but MASTER them a day after they got here!

Granted, I COULD call bullshit, say he was lying or messing with me... But the thought of waking up, finding out I Mastered some guy from another Earth, and FORCING him to tell the truth only for it to be true... It scared me. Terrified me in wa...- "Okay, again, no." Looking at hi...- Phoenix, I saw he was annoyed again, but he was also frowning at me. "I think I know where you're minds going, and I'm not going to sit here while you're freaking the fuck out. So to cut that shit out at the root, you're not some person Master or whatever the classification here is," I felt my hopes rise at that. "Your powers, if they're what they should be, are insect control and multitasking on a steroid crack cocktail."

I took a moment to process that, not only because he just told me what my powers were, and the way he said it, but because I didn't understand why that would make him my 'Slave.' He looked human... (So why would that work on him?)

Probably understanding my confusion, he hummed. "Here, I would be classified as a Changer : Yes. One of said forms is basically Moth Man's older and more terrifying brother." Oh... I probably made a face at that because Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Yeee'p.' But you wanna know the kicker to this clusterfuck?" I didn't trust my voice, and settled for a slow nod, even though I knew it was a rhetorical question. Seeing the self depreciating smile on his face, and another flash of Resigned Acceptance in his eyes, made me want to apologize. "Something wanted this to happen. Something yoinked me from my world, which I don't mind, dropped me into Earth fucking Bet, which I DO mind, and compelled me to seek you out." I felt my heart pick up and tried to push down the fear I felt.

This was wrong on so many levels. "I tried to ignore it. Push it back and leave it until I forgot it was an issue," I winced, knowing that I did something like that too. "But one of my forms makes pushing things to 'Later', impossible. So I decided I'd be smart with this. I used a form that can ignore walls and shit and made my way to your room, which even in context sounds fucking bad," He was right, that sounded horrible, but I couldn't stop myself from listening. "When I got there, I saw how... Still, you looked, and didn't like it... Which doesn't make sense for me because I don't know you so I shouldn't have cared at all."

(Well atleast I know he'll fit right in in Brockton Bay.) The 'Don't know, don't care' attitude was a common thing amongst us Brocktonite's, and I got it. I didn't like it, especially when someone was saying that they didn't care about me to my face, but I understood it. Especially if Phoenix was literally a newcomer to Earth Bet.

My understanding aside, he went on. "While I was thinking about feelings that weren't and shouldn't have been mine, my body moved on it's own and I suddenly find myself in the form of the ONE guy I DIDN'T want to be anywhere near you. Next thing I know I'm falling from the fucking sky and landing face first into the ground." I winced again, the image of him breaking bones or anything else instead of being fine. "And now here we are. What a fucking day, huh?" Then he smiled.

I hadn't known Phoenix for long, hell, I hardly even talked to him at all and spent most of the time listening, but during the whole conversation, I started to notice a few things. The way he talked, the look in his eyes that I understood on a personal level, his idea of pushing a problem away and waiting until 'Later' to deal with it. Even the dark colored hoodie and sweatpants combo he had on added another piece to the puzzle.

So seeing the way he smiled, it felt like it all came together. "It's like looking at a mirror..." Granted, he was more of a blunt asshole then I was, I preferred to try talking or saying things in ways that wouldn't result in a conflict or something to escalate, but it was pretty much the same.

"Huh..." I blinked, then recognized I must've said that outloud, because the look on Phoenix's face looked like he'd just figured something out. It also helped that he was looking at me like it was the first time he'd seen me. "Yeah... Yeah, I can see it..." He hummed, eyelids lowering as he scratched his chin and a small grin grew on his face. "I could make some kind of narcissistic comment here, maybe even a joke or two, but this..." His emerald eyes glowed a bit, and his grin widened. "Yeah, I can work with this."

Hearing and seeing the way he took that, I couldn't help but smile back. I'd been hurt by pretty much everyone in my life, by people I'd never expected it from, and in ways I didn't think I'd have ever thought could happen.

But now?

With someone that I could not only control, hopefully I'd never need to test if I could and he would turn out to be wrong, but could understand, as well as be understood by?

I could feel it. The feeling that I buried and refused to let grow was sparking to life. I could feel myself hope that maybe, just maybe, someone would be by my side for once...

So of course that was when I started to wake up.

In the future, we both agreed that even if we started off on the wrong foot, our first meeting was probably the most important thing that either of us ever went through.