Jackson stood on the landing
strip, watching the little jet taxi to a stop. The plane opened and Marian
climbed out of the cockpit, brushing her curly hair out of her face. She jumped
down from the plane and smiled when she saw Jackson waiting for her.
“Sorry it was such short notice.
I needed to get away.”
“That’s quite alright, Marian.
You are welcome here anytime.” Jackson put his arm around her and they walked
from the airport back to his quarters. They made small talk along the way, but
Jackson never mentioned he noticed her red eyes and dried tears from the flight
over.
After catching up in a gazebo
over-looking a stunning garden, Marian popped her question. “I want you to
train me,” she said confidently. “I need to become stronger.”
Jackson put down the drink he
was sipping. “You already are strong, Marian.”
She shook her head, “No, I’m
just a good fighter. I’ll admit to that; but I’m not very powerful. I feel so
inferior sometimes. My powers are just…so limiting.”
“My dear, if you believe that,
then it will be true. But there is no limit to a person’s abilities if they
push themselves hard enough and use a little imagination.” Jackson waved his
hand around, signaling to the Eagle and all aboard it. “Look at what I’ve
created, and my ability is summed up as generating electrical charges. You
can’t let simple terms define what you can do, however. You have an amazing
gift, one that many would want. Think about it, Marian; you are completely
resistant to fatigue. You never wear out during physical activity. You can
exert yourself as much as you want, run as fast as you can, without needing to
rest. Your immune system is also incredibly boosted to the point where I bet
you can’t even remember the last time you were sick. With anything you do, you
will become bored before you become tired. That is something everyone strives
for, but you have it already.”
Marian smiled at him, “You’re
right, it is useful, but it’s still not powerful compared to metas like Tony or
Natalie.”
“Don’t compare yourself to
others, Marian. Your ability might not lead to great physical power, but power
isn’t measured by how much weight you can lift, or how much damage you can
cause. Power is measured in many different ways. You just need to find your own
niche. You said you were a good fighter; so train yourself to become a great
fighter. Strive to become the greatest fighter in the entire world; you can do
it, with your gift. Then tell me your ability doesn’t make you powerful.”
Marian sat back in her chair,
contemplating what Jackson just said. “I could do that, yeah. But I would need
a good teacher. My dad used to spar with me all the time, but he’s been really
busy lately and we haven’t in a long time.”
“Your father is a remarkable man,
and one of my role models. He teaches others how to work hard at what you
believe in, and to never give up, no matter what happens. He would be the best
to train you, Marian. However, I think learning from multiple people is the
best way to become a well-rounded and highly skilled individual.”
“So you’ll train me?” Marian
asked, so excited by that premise that she cut Jackson off, something she knew
he does not like.
Jackson merely smiled. “I’ve
never taught someone how to fight before, but yes, I will do my best to teach
you what I know about combat.”
Marian threw her hands up in
joy. “Yes! I can’t wait, I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how good I am already.
And I can only get better from here!”
Jackson laughed at the young
woman’s enthusiasm. “Well, this should be an interesting few weeks.”
Outside the hospital room, Steve
sat in an uncomfortable looking chair, watching the minutes go by slowly.
Suddenly the door opened, and he jumped to his feet. Cure walked out, drying
her hands on a towel that was lightly stained red with blood.
“How is she?” Steve asked
frantically, but then collected himself quickly.
Cure gave him a warm smile, and
Steve felt his anxiety slip away under the presence of her healing mind. “Go
have a look for yourself.”
Steve walked quietly into the
room, and cried out in happiness when he saw Natalie sitting up in bed with her
eyes open.
“Steve,” she cooed softly, and
he bounded over to her side.
“Oh, Natalie,” he wrapped his
arms gently around her, pulling her close. “Thank God you’re okay; I thought I
lost you.” Steve started choking up, and Natalie caressed his arm.
“I’m fine, my love. She healed
me right up. A little scar is all that’s left.”
They both looked towards the
doorway where Cure was leaning. “Looks like my job here is done,” she said with
a smile. “Let me know if you need anything else, Nat. It was fun meeting you
two.”
As Cure walked out of the room,
Steve got up to give her his thanks, but Natalie stopped him. “It’s okay,
Steve. You don’t need to say anything. She knows words can’t describe our
thanks.”
“I’ll pay her back one day,
Natalie,” Steve said sitting down. “A favor this big won’t go unrewarded, not
if I can help it.” He looked at his wife and put his arms around her again.
“But for now, let’s just get you home.”
Natalie sighed, feeling the
warmth of Steve’s embrace. “After everything that’s happened, nothing sounds
better to me.”
The
college campus was still reeking with the smell of garbage and filth when Matt
returned that night. The clean-up crew was wearing hazmat suits, despite the
earlier report that nothing here was toxic. Half of the science hall was
destroyed, and that was where the highest concentration of stench and waste was
located. Matt closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to sense where the metahuman
went. After a couple of minutes, Matt gave up. Without using his powers, the
meta would be nearly impossible to detect. With a heavy sigh Matt flew back
home, disappointed in himself and vowing to find and subdue this new threat.
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