Weather or Not

"I think I can handle myself right here in my town. Thanks, but no thanks." Jahck said as he started walking towards the door. "Can you let me know when my store will be released? Time is money." He finished as he walked out the door.

The cool crisp air of the night struck Jahck full in the face. The urge to do something crazy was creeping up on him. It seemed to go hand in hand with the FBI agents, the hoodlums at the mall, the cop from Maryland, and everything. Outside of the Cavern's entrance, out in the open air. Jahck could sense clear weather on the distant horizon as the air cooled to a chilly temperature. Jahck watched the kids get into the car with the agent and drive off.

Behind him, inside his shop he could see the other agent and the Maryland cop moving towards the caverns. His truck was sitting there alone in a second, and he was standing there alone as well.

Jahck walked around the side of the caverns to the back as he lit a cigarette. No one but him ever went to the back side of the caverns. They were surrounded by woods and it wasn't much of a sight so it made the perfect 'I need to be alone' kind of location. Jahck never smoked much just on really stressful days and as far as those days went this one took first place. As Jahck sat on the stone bench, he had placed back there what felt like ages ago, he started to think.

He slowly took a drag of his cigarette and touched his ring and waited for his skin to change as he counted the seconds in his head. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. The sensation completely stopped. It was a slow transformation that started in various places in his body and branched outward first, forming the shell and then inward consuming his organs. An a gemstone and platinum being the quality of the cigarette became a moot point. He couldn't taste it or smell it, it was just a lit stick of paper and dried tobacco that produced smoke.

Jahck watched the smoke go upward and could hear in the distance the rush of tires over the gravel and it was getting closer. At the speed it sounded, it must be locals.

Jahck stopped touching the ring and did nothing else different then just a moment ago. If he was to figure out how this worked he needed a base point to compare how fast or slow he changed under different conditions. If the transformation was slower or faster when he gets excited he could use that to his advantage.

The locals stopped and the voices that were getting out of the car were somehow familiar, as in recent mall scuffle familiar. Jahck could easily see through foliage and from the illumination of the front of the caverns. He could make a confirmation by sight as well as hearing them. "Damn! I nees to blow off some steam. What is the hell! What in the hell was that shit at the mall? Anybody know?"

"Billy, I have never seen anything like that. But you know I was watching Jerry Springer the other day and there was this show where some backwoods bitches were all up in arms about how their boyfriends dumped them for some super powered bimbo. I didn't believe it at first, but now, I'm wondering."

"Rob, don't you know nothin'? Them shows are all staged. Ain't a lick of truth in them. But you got me ta thinkin'." A slapping sound. "Jimmy what do you think you are doing? Don't touch that shit! Those cops aint' worth a damn, but I'm not stupid enough to want to disturb their yellow tape. I just want to see inside, there was a dead body up in here." the first voice then footsteps.

Jahck looks through the foliage, checking the guys out to see if they were armed.  Quickly he saw that they were not armed. There were five men in all. Jahck steps out of the trees and into sight of the men, "Don't think you aught to be trespassing on my property. Wouldn't want to have to do another investigation so soon if you get my drift." Jahck says as he takes another drag from his cigarette.

"Who the hell?" the first guy, Billy, says.

The guy Rob squints momentarily, "That's one of the guys from the mall. That's the one that got shot full on in the chest. Billy, we need to go get you know who." The men started to back up towards their vehicle.

"Aint no-one going anywhere until you tell me what your doing on my property."  Jahck says as he moves around the group towards the back of the vehicle, but the boys are quick and are in the vehicle while Jahck is moving.

"We'll be back, man.  I will run you over," the driver says as the engine roars to life.  The truck spins forward and makes a squealing turn in the dirt of the parking lot.  Jahck gets almost in front of the vehicle's path as he touches the stone on his ring.  Clouds are gathering quickly overhead blocking out any portion of the sky that might have been visible beforehand.

Jahck waits for his skin to turn to stone and as the rear wheel of the vehicle gets within range he slams his fist into it with all the strength he has in him. Jahck's mind was running a mile a minute. "What if I turn back before I hit? What if they flip? Who are these people? What do they want?" Jahck kept thinking along with other things repeatedly in his head.

"Turn, turn!" someone yells from inside the truck and Jahck's fist slams solidly into the side of the truck near the front. Lightning flashes down from the sky where his fist connected with the truck. The blast sent Jahck reeling backwards. The truck skidded to the side, but the tires started spinning immediately and then the truck took off. Brice was able to see the whole scene as he was running towards Jahck and the truck. Agent Showalter saw it as well from the entrance to the tourist shop.

Jahck seemed to think before he blacked out, that it was not supposed to rain but since it was now starting that it would rain for the next 8 hours. Then it went black. Brice reached the unconscious Jahck who turned back into flesh. The rain was a slow drizzle at first but then started to pick up into a proper rainshower.

As Brice was running towards Jahck he was temporarily blinded by a flash of lightning.  He was not sure whether Jahck, the truck, or both had been struck.  But when his sight cleared he Jahck motionless on the ground and the truck still speeding away.

Brice checked for a pulse and was relieved to find a strong, steady beat.  It was a bit fast at first, but it slowed down as he looked up to see Showalter in the doorway and out of the rain.  He was not sure what was going on.  Did she make the rain?  He just now remembered the clouds gathering far too quickly overhead to be natural, and then the lightning.  But the strike....At the moment he had to attribute it to some new ability of Jahck's.

If the man did not wake up in a few moments, Brice would carry him inside and out of the rain.  For some reason he was not too concerned with him being injured.  A fall into the caverns, being shot.....it seemed a strike of lighting and contact with a truck were about comparable.  After all he was as tough as granite, right?

Tough as Granite and as heavy as a rock.  Brice grappled with the thick heavy body of Jahck and felt the cold rain on his neck as strength seemed to flow into him and the rocky appearance seemed to flow out of Jahck.  As he made his way back to the tourist shop and out of the rain, Jahck began to wake up. 

Jahck had felt drained before but nothing like he was experiencing at the moment.  He couldn't even lift a finger, it was as though all the strength was drained out of him.  But he could open his eyes and see Brice, the man he had basically just met carrying him in out of the weather.  Also there was the FBI agent, Showalter.  She was checking Jahck's vitals as she talked on the phone.

Once Brice set Jahck down in the dry shelter of the cave, his strength began to come back to him, and Brice felt his excess surge of strength and adrenalin leaving him.

Brice knew well that there was some aspect to situational surges of adrenalin that lent itself to seemingly unusual surges of strength.  When the adrenalin ebbs, so does the strength.  But there were so many strange things going on lately that he just had to test to see if this was 'one of those things'.  He reached out and grasped Jahck's arm.  "Are you feeling ok buddy?"  He asked.  He also wanted to find out if he felt any different for having touched Jahck.

"Yea I will be fine, I think. I feel about as strong as a wet dish rag." Jahck says as he looks around and his eyes meet Agent Showalter's. "Either I am as conductive as a magnet or that wasn't natural" He says as he lies back to try and regain his strength.

The Strength to Carry On

Jahck starts to feel his strength come back to him, except when Brice leans forward and touches him on the arm. His question it seems is loaded as suddenly he feels weak again like he could barely move. Brice on the other hand feels a surge of strength rush into him. He sees Jahck's eyes disappear into pure white orbs, and Jahck sees the same thing in Brice's eyes. WHen Brice let's go the strength seeps away from Brice and back into Jahck.

"What the hell?"  Said Brice as he took a step back.  He looked first at his hand and then back at Jahck.  He was relieved to see him recovering quickly.  There was no way to be sure who did what there.  Either of them could be cursed with the...what was he going to call it?  Perhaps the Rogue....Syndrome?  Something he remembered from his childhood and a movie about comic book super heroes.  He had no idea.  He could not imagine that it was himself who did that.  It must have been the lightning strike.  It probably changed Jahck somehow, and now he pumps his strength and energy into anyone with whom he comes into contact.

He would hate to be cursed like that, either draining anyone you touch or harming yourself.  While one was self-serving and the other sacrificing in nature, both lent themselves to very lonely lives.  But now, suddenly, he absolutely had to be sure it was not him.  His heart was pounding.  He feared it might be him.  He hoped, profoundly hoped, that it was not him.  But then he felt immediately guilty.  Far worse Jahck's fate if it is he who has this power.  There was a third or fourth possibility...perhaps it only affects both of them...perhaps they can both touch other people and there will be no ill effects.  That was the best outcome.  Or perhaps it only happens when either of them, or the one so afflicted, touches someone with super powers.

There were too many unknowns, too many variables.  He felt the overpowering need to dispense with at least one of the variables.  He turned and moved to agent Showalter.  She was still on the phone and it seemed very important.  "Excuse me, please, can you take my hand?  I just have to be sure."  he said as he held his out to her.  Despite his inner anxiety and fear, his outward demeanor and tone of voice revealed only confidence.  Although they had just met, he hoped she could trust him enough for this.

Showalter hadn't really been paying that close attention.  Her mind was focused on the instructions and conversation coming from the other end of the phone line.  She looked at Brice, nodded absent-mindedly, and then raised her hand as though she were shaking his hand.  The contact was brief, and the effects were quick.  Agent Showalter gasped and slumped to the ground.  Brice felt a surge of strength as the transfer of power went from Showalter to Brice.  Slowly the strength returned to Showalter, "Damn it!  I needed to be more prepared for that!  Don't go testing your powers when you don't know fully what they are, especially on a federal agent!"

She looked at the phone, "I'll be on my way." Then she hung up.  "So much crap in one night.  Sergeant Jennings, Agent Short and I are going to be taking you with us when he comes back here to get me.  There's been a crime committed further north.  Same folks that offed our senator's son in law here.  Seems a strange 911 call has tipped us off to some strange information regarding the perps.

Wow!  Whatever it was came from him.  Several possibilities entered his imagination and most were dismissed.  Did it only affect people with powers?  He hoped so.  He would hate to be prevented from touching his wife and son.  "Sorry, really, I did not think it was me."  he said after she admonished him for using his power against a federal agent.

As she spoke into her phone one last time, and then turned to him, he wondered how much his life would change if he could not touch anyone without harming them.  All he could think of to say was simply, "I'm in!  I hope we catch those killers."

He looked back at Jahck who seemed to have fully recovered.  He knew his power had changed.  He looked at his hands and arms, took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and tried to look at his bare skin.  He was looking for anything unusual, any symbols that now manifested on his bare skin.  Nothing out of the usual appeared on the flesh.  This manifestation of power didn't come with the signs of the other.

"And what about you?" Showalter directed her question to Jahck.  "Are you staying this side of dodge to man the fort and lay low or would you like a different job than the one you have now?" 

"I'll go with y'all on two conditions," Jahck said sitting up inspecting the area where the lightning had struck him so suddenly. "First, to no offense of you Brice, I would rather you not touch me again," Jahck said with a small chuckle but with a tone of sternness, "and second, you tell me what your power is Agent Showalter." Jahck stands up and gets his bearings. "You can pretty much find out our whole life stories," Jahck motions to Brice and himself, "and you know about as much about our powers as we do so I think it would only be fair to even the playing field a little. Plus it could give us a tactical advantage against whatever we are about to face, assuming such an advantage may be needed." Jahck finishes as he grabs a few belongings, including the spare key from behind the counter.

"I can find things, and I can cause others to temporarily get a sense of what's important around them. You've both seen the first, and Sergeant Jennings has been the recipient of that second ability. Nothing as impressive as turning my body into another element but it helps out in my line of work." Agent Showalter offers a brief sideways smile.

Brice watched Jahck go into the shop. He turned to the agent. "I've got a rental car in a parking lot at the mall and my belongings in a cheap motel room. I can call the rental company to pick up the car and eventually mail them the keys, but it will cost me I'm sure. And if we could stop by my motel, that would be very helpful. Those are my only two loose ends here in West Virginia that are not investigative in nature.

And we should have a long talk about this investigation eventually."

"I agree. A long talk because for some reason I feel like we've lost something. And If I don't stay focused on the evidence, it seems to slip my mind. If the main suspect in the killing of the senator's son is a super, he might just be affecting the investigation in strange ways." Agent Showalter's cell rang again. She stepped away to take the call.

Brice recognized the importance of what she was saying.  One of her powers is to find things and she feels like she has lost something important to the investigation.  And then the word 'Super' again.  As in 'Supernatural' or 'Super-Human'.  He had heard it on the news and the talking heads suggesting how much of it must be a hoax.  Well, here he was witnessing it all first hand.

If she can find things, perhaps she could focus her talent on finding the gun that shot the Senator.  That would likely lead them to the suspects.  Perhaps the car belonging to the three who brought the senator to West Virginia.  They had the license plat number, or at least the plate of the car they were driving.    There were at least two objects for her to find now.

Brice followed Jahck into the shop.  "I very much want you to come along.  And believe me, I don't want to touch anyone now that I can cause them harm.  Do you have a pair of gloves here that I could wear?"  

"Yea they are over there." Jahck responded pointing to a glove rack. "I think those guys in that truck had to have some sort of powers if Agent Showalter is telling truth."

Brice went for the gloves and found a pair that fit.  They weren't exactly the best, more like work gloves.  But they would definitely do the trick.  

"Look, I only got a flash..um, pardon the unintended pun, of the lightning strike.  But it appeared to hit where you struck the truck.  If it was one of those thugs who had the power, it would have struck you directly.  Probably anyway."

He looked at the price tag, fished out some money from his wallet and put it near the register.
 
Jahck pushes the money back to brice, "This place is closed. The gloves are on me." he said as he walked to the door.

"Well, thanks then.  I also suppose they are insurance against getting drained again."  Said Brice.

As he began walking out of the shop he returned the conversation to their powers.  "Who knows how these powers work anyway.  They seem to function in stressful situations, like what happened at the mall or you and that truck.  I bet this was the first time you actually struck anything, right?"  He said as he pulled off the price tag and pulled on the gloves.  They fit fine, but he hoped his powers did not flow through them.

"Then again, perhaps we are constantly changing or growing in some way.  I know I touched that guy at the mall and nothing happened.  I shook your hand at the mall when we first met and nothing happened.  Who knows what screwy changes are coming next."

"I always did like electricity." Jahck said with a chuckle as he walked outside and waited to lock the door behind Brice.

When Brice got outside he saw Agent Showalter waiting for them.  "We're going north, and the kid is coming with us. He might look a little different though. Seems he brought a bunny back from the dead and aged twenty to thirty years. He can bring the latest victim back from the dead and give us some insight into Leon and his cohorts. Agent Short will be by to pick us up."

"I know this is rather sudden, a lot happening all at once. But in the short time you've manifested these abilities, have anyone else in your families also manifested any abilities? So far there is no genetic connection as far as I can tell."

'Hell of a sacrifice for bringing a rabbit back to life.' thought Brice.  'I wonder what it would cost to bring a human back.'  Then he thought for a moment about his own family.  "I can call my wife and son to find out.  I have not spoken to them since last night."

He pulled out his cell and hit the contact list.  Choosing 'Home' he pressed the button and heard it ringing.  It was Saturday night, what would they be doing?  He knew David had been wanting to see the latest X-Man Origins movie, but he doubted Caroline would take him herself.  He could be out with his friends Sarah and Jake since it was the weekend.  As he probed his own thoughts for some as yet unknowable answers, his wife answered the phone.

"Hey there!"  He said.  "It's me, Brice.  Hope all is well in the Jennings household.  Look, honey.  I will be gong longer than I thought.  I am involved in this investigation up to my eyeballs but really can't talk about it over the phone.  Remember what happened last night?  Anything strange happening with you or David like that or, well, just plain strange?" 

"Brice, I've been watching the news all day, and something has happened. I think the world, if it hasn't found out yet, will know that you exist for sure very soon. CNN has announced just an hour ago that tomorrow they are going to broadcast from the middle of the country somewhere a news story that will change the world as we know it. It claims it's going to prove that super powered human being do exist. I don't really care if someone hears this over the phone, everyone's going to know. David or I haven't shown displayed anything. I still haven't let him in on it. Brice, be careful." There was fear in her voice.

Brice wanted to assure her that he was safe and tell her that he had fallen in with the government in some way.  Only time would tell how things would shake out, but if there were super powered beings all over the world, or at least America, then his vocation and new powers will certainly be merging soon.

He looked over at Jahck and was glad to have him along.  Anyone with powers was going to be very useful in the years to come, but someone who could turn into living stone and call lightning was certainly someone to have on your team.

"I will be careful.  And I'm not alone out here.  I have people with me who have my back.  As long as I'm not surprised I think I'm not all that easy to hurt anyway, honey.  I love you.  Gotta go.  Give my love to David."  And after she said her goodbyes he hung up.  He had long since learned to give his wife the final word in all their conversations.  He smiled as he followed Jahck into his truck. 

"If my family does have strange powers maybe they haven't found out about them and until we have some way of staying safe I don't plan on giving them a reason to find out if they have powers." Jahck says as he walks to his truck.

On the Road Again
"Fair enough," Showalter says. "If we are going to use your vehicle, that will save some space in our car. I can download to my tablet some documentation that you'll want to read and sign. Perhaps you can alternate driving with one of us to get caught up on policies and procedures?"

"Perhaps you should drive, agent Showalter.  You know where we're going.  Better yet, let me drive.  We have to swing by my motel anyway, before we head out of state.  Although I am not familiar with anywhere north of Maryland.  And I have a feeling you are going to be spending a lot of time on that cell phone of yours."

With Jahck in the back with the tablet, agent Showalter in the front passenger seat and Brice in the driver's seat, they headed back towards town.  "The motel is not far.  Everything is in my duffel bag anyway so I can make it a quick stop.  The rest of it can be taken care of over the phone."  But they had not driven far before Brice filled them in on what Caroline had told him.

"My wife just told me that there is supposed to be a very important news announcement on CNN tomorrow that will, and I paraphrase her now: 'will change the world as we know it and prove the existence of super powered human beings.'  I thought the government had a tighter lid on this, agent Showalter.  My faith in the power of the free press just went up a notch."

Agent Showalter looked over at Brice as he rumbled along the West Virginia roads, "I know I don't know you, Sergeant, but that in all honesty sounded like a smart remark. Do you think that it's simple to keep a world at bay with something like this? We've been hiding this for months. It's been nothing but falsified hype, tabloid TV talk shows, and rumors of rumors that something has changed. Don't think for a moment that the agency won't be trying to get hold of what shows up on CNN. Some jackass reporter trying to make a name for themselves when they fail to realize the implications of what they are doing. That little show at the mall with a small local gang and there at the caverns will be nothing. When the word really gets out, it won't be Nazi's against Jews. It won't be Whites against Blacks. It will be the normal mortals versus the not. And I'm willing to bet that there will be a lot more normals out there than not. Those thugs at the mall will multiply by the thousands and anyone even suspected of being different in some way will be the target of hatred and prejudice. Someone with a talent for playing the piano might be targeted. A Math whiz. A gifted athlete. It will the be reign of the mediocre because idiocy fails to differentiate between the skills of the gifted and the super powers that have newly come into the world. Steel skin may serve to protect you but at what cost. I just find things. I'd better find myself a good place to hide and hope for the best. My faith in humanity remains at an all time low and the free press is right at the bottom of it. McCarthy hearings, Yellow Camps, I studied history before becoming an agent."

Brice smiled at Showalter.  "Yes, it was a smart remark.  Perhaps I just have a more optimistic view of humanity, Agent Showalter.  Although I have seen some of the worst things men can do to each other I hold out hope that, as a race, we can and will do better when finally confronted with this reality.  Keeping all of this a secret is very likely the best plan at the moment.  Though I hope there is a plan for when it does hit the major media in force.  As you know, the genie, once unleashed, will be difficult to contain.

But don't worry about me.  I know the basic OpSec principles as well as anyone.  If I was not at home when my body changed the first time, my wife would not even know about this.  She shares your fears and would also like to keep the pitchforks in the barn for as long as possible.  And there is a self-serving side to that as well, though she will never admit it.  The idea that these super powers are genetic will likely be something that most people will believe.  Which puts her and my son in danger, as well as any family member of anyone with powers.  I'm just thankful that she has a key to my gun safe."

"I'm sure you've seen the movie Armegeddon, Sergeant.  For some people this will be an ELE.  I'm sure for some it will be a great source of joy.  But this hasn't been sitting in the government for years.  The government is trying to move fast.  It's only had a little more than a month to try and put some things together.  The FBI is trying to be rational.  And we suspect that other parts of the government are not.  If the shit hits the fan tomorrow, I would check your faith in humanity at the door and keep your eyes open to what's going on around you.  And we should probably all keep in mind,"  She looks over her shoulder at Jahck to make sure to include him in the conversation, "Where superheroes suddenly appear, so will supervillains."

When they arrive at the motel, Agent Showalter indicates that they will be waiting a few minutes for Agent Short and Justin Kase to arrive.

With more time than expected available to him, Brice made sure he got everything packed.  He pulled out his duffel bag from under the bed and inventoried it with a quick scan.  He placed what few clothes and bathroom supplies he had gotten earlier and put them into a side pocket of the duffel.   He found an envelope, paper and a pen in the small desk in the room.  He pulled out the keys to the rental car and wrote a quick note on the paper.  He sealed the key and the paper into the envelope before he left the room.

When he returned to the truck he discovered he still had a few minutes left.  He stowed his bag and then quickly went to the rental office to turn in his room key.  It turned out he would not need the room for the night anyway, but he told them to keep his payment anyway.  They were, however, able to mail the letter for him, for a small handling fee of course.

He returned to the truck with is cell phone in his hand.  He had just finished his discussion with the car rental company.  They were less than pleased about his leaving the car at the mall for them to recover.  And since he had mailed them the key he had nothing at all here in West Virginia that needed doing....except speaking with the initial investigators who handled the discovery of the body.  He so hated handling those details by phone. 

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