Decay (superpowered RP)

[Echoes]

April laughed at Alexa, She headed towards the bar and ordered herself a cocktail. She took a sip and glanced around the room. They had let 'double trouble' out of the base earlier on and April was just waiting for him to show up and see who he associated with but so far, She couldn't see him but she did see someone she knew. Across the room stood brother nature, He had long brown hair, Thick brows and stubble on his face. April wouldn't of realised it was him, He looked like he'd made an effort for this party but he couldn't hide his smashed jaw and bruised face.


"Brother Nature's over there, Still no sign of Grayson or double trouble...I'll be right back. Give me your gross drink."April smiled.


She walked over to Brother Nature and pretended to trip on her dress, She chucked the martini on him.


"Oh my goodness, I am SO sorry. You're awfully drenched. Let me get you a drink."April said, Putting on a posh accent and helping wipe the drink off him.


"It's fine, Don't worry about it."He groaned.


April walked back to Alexa and put a wallet on the bar. She slipped out the ID and handed it to Alexa, The ID read 'Stephan Menk'.


"That was the best thing I have ever done, Dumb ass.."April laughed.


Freya's nerves were all over the place, She knew that she was safe with Riley. She knew that no one would touch her as long as they kept their indentity's hidden but she still couldn't help the anxiety flowing about her body. Riley was all she cared about and now she was involved. Grayson was scary enough before but the idea of Grayson making Riley sick was making Freya regret ever telling her.


"I-I can not see anyone I know, I mean Midas I knew what he looked like but he does not seem too be here."She stuttered.


Freya wasn't even old enough to drink but she had to calm herself down and somehow, She hadn't been asked for proof of her identity. She ordered a Vodka and Coke from the bar and watched out for any sign of Grayson.


"Riley, Maybe you should go home. This is really not safe."Freya said quietly.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. The sight of April spilling her drink on Brother Nature may have been one of the best things she had ever seen. It only took one look over at him to see that Brother Nature's eyes were filled with rage, but Alexa guessed he's been asked to behave for the party, because he definitely seemed like the kind of guy who would attack someone for spilling a drink on them, Alexa was pretty sure the guy was some sort of Sadist. Alexa was tempted to drag him outside and get into a fight with him right now for all that he'd done to them, April especially, but sadly that would blow their cover and then coming to this party would have been a total bust.


She grabbed the I.D out of April's hand and took a closer look. His name was Stephan Menk, like April had said, and he was twenty seven years old. She slipped the ID into her bra, because god forbid dresses had pockets, they never knew when it might come in useful later. She walked up to the crowded bar and ordered herself a malibu and lemonade, since she was at a party she may as well have some fun. She took a seat and tried to act natural. Now that they'd found Brother Nature they should keep an eye on who he spoke to.


"That was amazing. I never knew you were such a great actress, what other secrets have you been keeping from me?" Alexa said to April, laughing slightly.


Riley's eyebrows arched in surprise at the fact her sister was drinking, she was tempted to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut just this once. In this situation it was only understandable that Freya wanted some courage, and if that courage had to come in liquid form then she'd let it slide...for now.


"Freya, I know you're scared, But I'm a capable woman, I can take care of myself and make my own decisions. Then hopefully when this is all over and you're safe, life can go back to normal for us." Riley said plainly.


She knew how Freya felt, Riley had spent her whole life worrying for her, but now Freya was the one worried that she wasn't safe, and the change in their dynamic threw Riley off-kilter for a moment. Freya was right, of course, this wasn't safe, and she'd rather not be here, but if Freya was going to do this then Riley would too. Riley wasn't scared for herself, she'd been standing up for herself and her sister for years, to all the bullies in the foster homes and the social workers who thought they'd never make anything of themselves, and Riley had proven them all wrong, admittedly with a lot less physical violence than would be required here. But while Riley may not be able to fight yet, she could defend herself with literally no effort. Her abilities wouldn't let her get hurt.


The man who'd bought her a drink slid a cocktail to her over the bar. He had curly blonde hair, a swimmers body and a charming smile. She smiled her thank you, but the man just looked at her oddly for a moment before walking away over to where April and Alexa were sat. That was strange, maybe he could tell that she wasn't interested. Riley ignored the drink, not willing to drink something a stranger had given her, and turned to look around the room even though she didn't know what Grayson or any of his mob looked like.

 

[Echoes]

April chuckled lightly, She downed her cocktail and ordered another before taking a seat at the bar.


"There's a lot to learn about me and I have a lot to learn about you."April grinned."Not the point right now, Sorry. We need to figure out who the hell in this room isn't a bad guy. They all look evil...but I guess that's just because i'm not a fan of big businesses."


April almost dropped her drink, Stood across the room from them was Grayson. His cold, Expressionless face was hard to forget. He was wearing another suit which looked even more expensive than the last. April's hands began to shake slightly, She would have claimed it was from anger but she was terrified. It was like she was reliving the events of the last night, She could almost feel the heat of brother nature on her skin. She shuddered slightly and drank more.


"Hey, Grayson's over there. He is the one stood by brother nature. Brown hair."April said softly.


April swung round so she was facing the bar, She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on his thoughts but the problem was, They were in a room filled with people. It was bad enough that she could hear their thoughts pretty much all the time but trying to concentrate on one particular person was difficult when everyone was thinking.


Freya almost chocked on her drink.


"Did you say we can go back to normal after this? You do realise that we have special abilities and that they are not going to go away? We will never be able to be normal again. Well, You can go back to normal but I do not want too."Freya sighed.


Freya looked around the room and suddenly, She noticed Grayson. They locked eyes for a brief moment. He smirked at her.


"Riley...Something is wrong. Something is very wrong."Freya stammered.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa span around to look at Grayson. He was younger than Alexa expected, more attractive too, with a strong stubbled jaw and striking blue eyes. But the look in those eyes was so cold that it was almost haunting.


"Y'know, He's kinda hot...I mean, if evil is your type. When I heard crime boss I thought of someone older, like, huge and bald and everything." Alexa said casually.


Alexa continued to watch him, casually sipping her drink. She was looking for who he spoke to, and how those people reacted to him, to try and figure out who else was in his mob. She repressed a slight shudder when she saw Midas, recognizing him instantly because like Grayson he didn't bother with a mask, he was wearing the same gold waistcoat and monocle he had been wearing in Grayson's base. There was also a small, Asian man who's body language reminded her of Friction Fury's. She thought that going up and spilling a drink on them in order to steal their I.D's would be suspicious a second time, and she couldn't use her powers in case anybody noticed, but she strained to listen to their conversation and heard that there names were Arnold Leeky and Jake Tenner, respectively. Alexa turned around to talk to April but noticed that a man with curly blonde hair was approaching them.


"Hello ladies, I'm Jesse, And you are?" He smiled charmingly, reaching out for a handshake.


"Alicia." Alexa answered, clasping his hand.


As soon as Alexa touched his hand she felt something strange go through her, and it was like she could feel a light inside her body slowly dying. Alexa knew instantly that that feeling was related to her powers, and she pulled her hand back forcefully.


"What...the hell? My powers, what did you do?" Alexa said, shouting before realizing how bad of an idea that actually was.


"Do you think he knew we'd be here?" Riley said.


That wasn't good. From what she'd heard, Grayson was incredibly cunning. If he knew that they'd be here, then he'd have something planned. She wanted to leave right now, get Freya out of here. They could talk about all this power stuff when they got out of here, Riley could convince her that she shouldn't be risking her life like this by wanting to continue after this Grayson business was over, but first they both had to get out of here unharmed. She was about to drag Freya out of here, but then Alexa was shouting and Freya shot up out of her seat, and Riley had no choice to follow despite knowing it was a bad idea.

 

[Echoes]

April suddenly came back to reality after her failed attempt to zone in on one person's mind but she was faced with Alexa's panicked thoughts. They were so scrambled she almost didn't get what had happened. This guy had taken her powers, April's face went from normal to furious within seconds. She noticed Brother Nature approaching summoning something, April wished she had put contacts in or something.


"This was Grayson's plan, He knew we'd be here. This was a trap."April scowled.


She grabbed her glass off the bar and smashed it over the guy who had taken Alexa's powers head. Her attention turned to brother nature and the approaching clan. This was when Alexa would usually start destroying people but they were stuck. This was a nightmare.


April stepped over the guy on the floor, The only thought on her mind was protecting Alexa who was practically defenseless against these people. April removed her wig and let her hair flow down.


"You little bitch, Should have guessed it was you. You really like to piss me off don't you?"Brother nature spat.


"I do Stephan Menk. It's weird, I thought brother nature was a lame name. Hm."April smirked.


April knew that her telekinetic abilities weren't enough to stop them all, She just looked towards Freya and Riley mouthing the words 'Help.' Brother nature raised his hands and suddenly April was thrown across the room and into the bar. Glass and blood surrounded her.


"Of course he did, Grayson is too good at being a bad guy."Freya frowned


Freya knew she had to help and that Brother Nature would kill April if she didn't at least stop him. She used her super speed to run in front of him. His face turning from pure rage to neutral within seconds. He pulled the wig off Freya gently.


"Phazer? Y-You're here and you- you're with them?"He stammered.


Freya looked down and nodded slightly, Brother Nature stepped backwards slightly. The battle in his mind clear on his face.


"B-but why? Why would you do that? You're supposed to be loyal to us! To me!"He shouted.


The rest of Grayson's team were ready to attack, Freya felt like she was at deaths door because sure, She could calm down Brother Nature but the rest of the team still had the order to kill the heroes. A tear ran down Freya's face.


"I want to be good. Do good. Please, Do not hurt them. Money is one thing but you must know what they did yesterday was wrong and sending you to kill them...That is not good."Freya spoke.


The disapproving look from Riley was more painful then anything Freya could go through but it was obvious...Freya had managed to make a Sadist fall in love with her. It was the one secret she never wanted to come out.


When the situation looked like it was calming down, A voice was heard from the distance. Grayson's. He was sat on the sofa finishing his drink as though nothing was happening.


"Will you just KILL THEM ALREADY. I am bored of this."He screamed.


Then, The true onslaught began.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa was still reeling from the shock of losing her powers when the fighting started. It felt like her world had been tilted on it's side and she felt a little sick, though she didn't know if that was a physical or mental reaction to this whole shitstorm. Her head was swimming, she felt stuck to the spot she was standing on. No, she needed to shake herself out of this state. Now was not the time, Grayson's team was about to attack and if she let herself get dragged into her own head right now then she or someone else would probably end up dead. The entire room had erupted into chaos and Alexa barely had time to work out what was happening before she was hit by a sphere of electricity being thrown at her head.


Friction Fury was standing right in front of her, less intimidating out of costume but still looking at her with a patronizing smirk that made Alexa want to beat the hell out of him, powers or no powers.


"Well Princess, Look at you. Not so tough without your powers backing you up, are we? Taking you down in gonna be easy" He said, tone unbearably mocking.


"I'm still tough enough to kick you ass." She said, not sure that she meant it.


Friction Fury just smiled and started making another electric sphere in his hands, Alexa tried to dodge but her body felt lethargic, thanks to the last sphere of electricity and she was pretty sure losing her powers had something to do with it too, and it caught her by the corner of her shoulder. The pain was just as bad as she remembered, but she tried not to let it show. Alexa was getting beat here, hard. She didn't have her powers, how the hell was she supposed to do this? No, she could do this. She knew how to fight, even without her powers. She'd been a rebellious teenager, and you couldn't get by living like she had without knowing how to defend herself, and her and April had done plenty of training. She made her way over to Friction Fury, body still spasming, and punched him square in the jaw before swiping her leg under his and tripping him to the ground.


"Look who's not so tough now. Wanna remind me how easy I am to take down, Sparky?" She laughed slightly, trying to keep her usual bravado up.


It was clear that she'd took him by surprise, It wouldn't be as easy to get another hit in. He grabbed her by the leg while he was still on the ground, and sparks shot through Alexa's boy, collapsing her to the floor as well.


Riley panicked as a woman came towards her. The woman was unbelievably glamorous, with voluminous red hair down to her lower back and she was wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline. Her heels were at least six inches, but that didn't stop her from aiming a swift kick at Riley's legs. Riley could figure out that this was the woman who called herself Mysteria, and she breathed a sigh of relief that at least she was fighting someone who had no powers that would be useful in combat.


Still, Riley had no idea how to fight. She'd never been in a fight in her life, and Mysteria was clearly an experienced fighter. And Riley's power would be no use here, her body wouldn't adapt to something as small as a few punches. Riley was merely doing her best to block the blows being aimed at her while looking for a way that they could get out of here. But they were in the penthouse at the very top of this very tall building, and Grayson's team were coming at them from all sides. Jesus, why did Alexa have to lose her powers at such an inconvenient time. Riley stole a quick glance at her sister, but all she could really see was a pink blur as Freya dodged Midas's gold gun. Riley forced her attention back to her own fight when she felt Mysteria's fist collide with her fist.


Everything was hectic, and they were clearly losing. God, why did Riley let Freya drag her into this situation. She had a job, friends, a life, and she was going to die at the age of twenty one in a penthouse, in a dress.


Suddenly the fighting ground to a halt as the door slammed and everyone turned to look. There was a man standing there, at least Riley thought that it was a man, their face and body were obscured by a large black cloak and hood.


"Grayson, we had a deal." The voice said angrily. The man's voice was too deep and gravelly, as if they were doing it on purpose.

 

[Echoes]

Having smashed her head, April could barely hear people's thoughts. She could hear her friends panicking but that was it. She picked herself off the ground, Blood trickling all around her. The room was spinning violently, She could only just make out the man in black. A deal? She didn't think this could get anymore complicated.


"This is the last chance, They come into my business again and our deal will be off and I WILL kill them all."Grayson said before calling off the attack.


April was glad that they weren't going to be killed but she didn't get why this guy was protecting them but it wasn't her main concern. Once Grayson's team had left, She sat down at the bar. The place was empty, When the fight broke out all the guests must have run for their lives, She couldn't even imagine how scared they must of been.


"We should probably get back to mine before the police show up, I can't exactly be involved with this. Um..."April said."Let's get walking, It'll only take five minutes."


April didn't know what to say to Alexa as they walked, Clearly losing her powers was a big deal to her and nothing April could come up with in her head would make the slightest bit of difference.


Freya kept her head down as Grayson's team left, Brother Nature glared at her as he left. Why did she have to be so self destructive? If she had just ignored her powers then none of this would of happened. She could of lived a normal life. Freya's attention turned to Riley, She was so busy trying to avoid Midas's gun that she had almost forgotten her sister was tangled in this mess.


"Riley, I am sorry. I told you this was not a good idea. You should not be involved in this."Freya sighed.


Freya didn't know about the deal but the guy in black was Grayson's only known friend other than the corrupt police officers that helped him get off with crime and he was protecting them. Maybe, He was the one who had told Grayson about April. Freya didn't mention it though, They had all been through enough.

 

[disasterplay]

Riley reached up and massaged her aching shoulder. Her whole body was aching after that fight, and Mysteria hadn't even had any powers to fight her with, just her fists. If Riley was going to be doing this, then she needed to be prepared. She was now determined to train everyday until she could fight. Ambition had always been one of her strong suits, and this was no different. She raised her head at Freya's words, but she was too tired to argue about the whole situation now. She knew that Freya would never give up with this crusade against Grayson, and if Freya wouldn't give up then neither would Riley.


"Not a good idea?! This was a terrible idea, Freya!" Riley sighed.


"I know right?! Those drinks were way too pricey." Alexa deadpanned.


Riley tried to frown at Alexa's response, but she huffed a slight laugh despite herself.


"I'm not going to leave you to do this alone, Freya. But if we're going to do this then we both need more training, this situation is getting even more complicated, what with Grayson knowing where we would be somehow, and then there's that man in the hood...that's my condition, deal?" Riley continued.


Alexa walked in silence, pensive. She didn't want anyone to know how much this had affected her, she didn't want to bring everyone down anymore than they already were, but her sarcastic comment had been halfhearted at best. Alexa wasn't even sure what she was thinking about, her head felt like a mess. Her powers were a huge part of her, she had felt the thrum of energy inside her every day and now that it was gone she felt empty. Her powers were what she contributed to the team, she wasn't like April, she didn't have brains, April could still do something even if she was powerless...Alexa wasn't like that. She knew that if the fight hadn't been interrupted then Friction Fury would have beat her. But maybe this was only temporary, maybe her powers would come back any minute. She focused as hard as she could, envisioning April's house and trying to teleport there, but...nothing. Still, maybe this would just take time, everything will sort itself out eventually, she told herself.


April opened her front door and Alexa walked inside, throwing herself on the sofa. Being electrocuted wasn't fun, and her entire body felt like hell. She ran a hand through her hair before turning to everyone else.


"Soo...that sucked, huh?" She said, trying to sound like she was taking the whole situation as lightly as she took everything else.

 

[Echoes]

April kept her face expressionless, She entered her house and threw the keys effortlessly onto the table. She felt like she was going to explode with anger but it was mostly for Alexa's sake. She felt like it was a low blow, Stealing someone's powers. It was almost unbelievable that it had happened because of how quickly it had all gone down. She grabbed her tablet from the side and before turning it on, She noticed her face had glass in it and so did some of her body. The adrenaline had clearly taken care of the pain. She frowned slightly realising that she couldn't even get healed by Alexa. Explaining it to work would be fun. April turned her attention to Alexa, A small smile appeared on her face. It must have been tough to deal with and obviously Alexa wouldn't want to talk about it openly so April stayed out of her thoughts.


"That really did suck, Are you okay though?"She questioned,..


Freya was going to argue but Riley was the most stubborn person she knew and she doubted there would be much point in protesting her involvement. Freya couldn't help but feel bad for dragging her sister into this. What if something bad happened to her? Worse than A small fight. Freya would never forgive herself.


"Fine, If you really want to do this with me..."Freya said.


She slumped on the sofa and stretched. Running had made her exhausted but she was sure it was because of her metabolism and the lack of food in her system. Freya looked at Alexa, She felt pretty bad about that situation too because she felt responsible even if she didn't know about the guy who could steal powers. She was going to say she'd fix it but she knew that she wasn't good at situations or fixing things. She was good at wrecking things.

 

[disasterplay]

"I appreciate the thought, but I think I should be the one asking that question." Alexa smiled slightly.


She seemed to always forget that April was reading her mind almost constantly, there was no point trying to hide things from her. It didn't mean she wouldn't try though, if she couldn't hide her thoughts then she could at least deflect April's questions. She wasn't wrong anyway, she should be the one asking that question and she felt bad that she had been too in her own mind to ask it earlier. April was bleeding in a dozen different places, and she hadn't even took the time to remove the glass from the wounds on the walk home. She had the worst injuries out of the four of them, and April felt guilty that she couldn't heal her. Alexa pushed herself up and grabbed the first aid supplies that they always kept handy from off of the side table. She began carefully removing the leftover glass.


"Wow, and you call me reckless. At least I don't come home bleeding from a bar fight." Alexa joked, trying to take April's mind off any pain removing the glass may cause.


She grabbed the anti-septic wipes and started wiping the blood away, being as gentle as possible. She was so focused on taking care of April that she forgot about her own injuries, not that there was much you could do for superpower induced electric shock. She bandaged up the worst of the wounds and reached into the first aid kit to find some painkillers when she remembered something.


"Oh, damn." Alexa winced "I, uh, need to stop by my apartment, I'm out of Adderall."


Alexa had never told April about her ADHD, there'd never been a situation or even really a reason to. She didn't know if April knew or not, she could of overheard anything in her mind giving it away, and if not then it's not like Alexa had been actively hiding it. Alexa was almost constantly full of energy and clearly impulsive, and she suffered with hyperactivity more than inattentiveness but there'd been a couple of occasions when she'd completely missed what April was talking about when her attention had wandered, though then again sometimes that was just because she didn't understand half of April's technobabble.


"So, what was that earlier? With Brother Nature, or whatever ridiculous name he calls himself. It almost seemed like..." Riley trailed off.


It had almost seemed like there had been something romantic there, she didn't say. She didn't say it because it was ridiculous, Freya herself had said that Brother Nature was a sadist. Freya may make a lot of situations, but surely she hadn't gotten involved with someone like that. Riley may not have been an "expert" on these things, she was aromantic and asexual, she'd never had a relationship and that's the way she liked it, but she'd like to think that she knew her own sister well enough to know that she wouldn't get involved with a supervillian, but she couldn't deny that that's what it had looked like in the penthouse. If it truly was what she thought it was, then surely it was one-sided.

 

[Echoes]

April watched as Alexa cleaned her up, She would of protested but she was too tired and secretly, she was grateful for Alexa helping her out because she knew she didn't have the guts to pull the glass out. She was glad that no one could hear her thoughts because all she could think about was how amazing Alexa was. How well she handled things. She realised she'd began smiling on the outside so she quickly turned her thoughts back to the night they'd just had. She was trying to ignore everyone else's thoughts especially Freya's because she was thinking about her and brother nature and April didn't want to know. She knew if she knew about Freya and that freak she'd get mad, She hated him.


She thanked Alexa once her wounds were fixed and realised what she had said about her medication.


"I can give you a lift to your apartment? Let me just get changed."April smiled.


She got up and headed to her room before slowly pulling off the dress. The pain was beginning to settle in. She cried as the fabric rubbed against the wounds. She changed into a pair of denim shorts and a red vest top. She slipped her boots on and grabbed the keys to her car.


Freya curled up into a ball and debated ignoring Riley's question. How was she supposed to explain what had happened between her and Brother nature? It was a big mess. When she had joined Grayson's team they had started talking, He seemed so nice but she was now getting the feeling it was all a manipulative ruse. She was mad at herself for not realizing it sooner but at the time, she didn't think she had anyone to trust. Even Riley..


"Can we not discuss this? I made mistakes. We were just friends and nothing more."Freya lied.


It was pretty clear that they were more than friends and Freya was almost certain his feelings for her were real but not pure.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa muttered a wish to get changed herself, confused when nothing happened until she remembered her powers were gone. She felt a swell of anger and frustration, balling her hand up in a fist before managing to calm herself down. She guessed she'd just have to stop by her apartment in her dress, since she didn't have any other clean clothes with her, other than her costume, which would probably get more of a raised eyebrow from her neighbors than her current outfit. She went out to the hall and attempted to straighten up in the mirror, wiping some blood off her face and smoothing out her hair.


April came back down the stairs and they both said a slightly awkward goodbye to Freya and Riley, who were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa not really talking to each other. Alexa kind of felt like she was the only one not bothered about whatever had been going on between Freya and Brother Nature, that was Freya's business and besides, whatever had been going on was clearly over now. Freya was young, even if she was only three years younger than Alexa herself, and young people made mistakes, especially when it came to dating, although she had to admit dating a sadistic supervillain was a pretty big one. But Alexa knew if it had been her who'd been dating a supervillain, she'd feel bad enough without everyone judging her for it.


Alexa got in the passenger seat of April's police cruiser, since April's own car had been left up by Grayson's base when they'd teleported out.


"Y'know, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've been in the front of a police car." She smirked lightheartedly.


She'd only been arrested a couple of times, and only for petty crimes like theft. She wasn't exactly a hero, super or not, between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. She'd say it was all her ex-boyfriend Damon's fault, but Alexa wasn't the kind of person to always shift the blame onto other people. She'd had a choice about what she'd done, and she chose wrong, Alexa owned her mistakes. The car belatedly made her realize that she had work in the morning, and she groaned under her breath, she didn't know how she was supposed to focus at work with everything that was going on, hopefully it would be a slow news day. They spent the relatively short trip to her apartment in surprisingly comfortable silence, Alexa watching the world that had no idea about them or people like Grayson pass by outside the window.


Once they pulled up outside her apartment, a small, shoddy building compared to April's house, Alexa let them inside. She felt a bit awkward with April in her apartment. It was a tiny, messy place compared to April's own home. The walls were just plain red brick, the furniture second hand. The only material possession she had that she was really worth anything or that she was proud of was her vinyl player and collection of records on a shelf in the corner.


"The pills are in my room. Uh, make yourself at home." Alexa said, gesturing to her living room.


Not for the first time, Riley didn't know what to say to her sister. She wanted to scream, to demand answers and not stop until she got them, but then she remembered what Alexa had said earlier in the day, though it seemed a life time ago now. She was supposed to be letting Freya make her own decisions, whether she thought they were mistakes or not, and she really was trying. Her and Freya hadn't been as close as Riley wanted them to be in a long time, and she knew that her overbearing tendencies were probably the reason why. She'd never meant to be controlling, she'd just wanted Freya to be safe and happy and she guessed she took that a bit too far at times.


"You hungry? I'll make us all something to eat." Riley said, attempting a smile that she hoped offered peace.


She made her way to April's kitchen, she felt like she was imposing, making herself at home like this, but they would all be hungry after a night like this. She fell a little bit in love with April's kitchen when she saw it. It wasn't homey like Riley preferred her own kitchen to be, but it was impressive. She rustled around for something to cook, disapointed to find that there wasn't much, but she guessed with a full time job in the police force and a side career in superheroing April didn't have much time to get the groceries in. Still, she found enough to work with, and set about making chicken in sauce and mashed potatoes. People were always surprised to find that Riley was a good cook, she guessed they considered it too "feminine" for her, but Riley was always good with her hands and cooking was almost as much of a passion of hers as mechanics were.

 

[Echoes]

April admired her friends apartment, She paced the place slightly before sitting down on the sofa. She didn't know what she had expected Alexa's apartment to look like but she was sure it wasn't this. Even if it wasn't perfect, it felt more cosy than her own home. April hated her house, It always felt too big, Too spacious. It had never felt like a place of her own but she needed a big place because of Oscar and when she had originally been bought the place, Brad had lived with them for a while.


"I like your place you know, I never knew you had so many Vinyls."April laughed.


She got up and flicked through her collection, it wasn't strictly her type of music but it wasn't the worst choice she could think of. April realised she was attempting to make small talk, did she feel that awkward about everything? Why was she finding it so difficult to communicate with her partner? It finally hit her that she was probably uncomfortable because she did know little about Alexa unless she had been thinking about it while they were together. Most of the time, Alexa was just thinking about the missions they were on or work .


"I think I may have an idea to bring your powers back but i'm honestly just guessing at the moment."April said half heartily.


Freya nodded at her sister, She was sure some food would make her feel better but her stomach was churning from anxiety. Freya felt entirely to blame for the situation and she couldn't shake the feeling that if she had of just gone with her sister, left and ran away from the situation that her new friends wouldn't of been hurt. Even if it wasn't strictly physical pain. Torturing herself wasn't going to help the situation but Freya couldn't help it.


"Do you want any help?"Freya called out.


Freya was completely useless at cooking but she hoped offering a hand to Riley would smooth out the edges between them, It had been so tense since they'd made contact and as time went on,Freya kept regretting bringing her sister into this mess which she called 'her life'.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa rummaged through her bedside drawer for her box of medication. Considering she was only really at home to sleep and eat her place probably shouldn't be such a mess, but her drawers were filled with old receipts and other trash. She had the box in her hand when a sudden thought occurred to her, why was she even going back to April's? She had only been staying there because April had wanted protection, what kind of protection could Alexa offer now?


"Oh, yeah, I just like them. Moneys gotta go on something, right?" Alexa shouted back into the living room.


She felt as awkward as April sounded, not really sure if she should continue packing up her things or just tell April to go home. She ignored the feeling and haphazardly grabbed some clothes anyway, shoving them in a duffle bag she kept at the bottom of her wardrobe. She threw in a few other things she may need and walked out into the living room again.


"Well, It's probably better than my plan to find the guy and beat him up. Lay it on me." She said.


"Sure, come in here." Riley shouted back.


Riley had lived with Freya for most of her life, and she knew that Freya could barely fry an egg. But it seemed a better plan than standing in silence in different rooms.


"Here, you can mash the potatoes." She said, sliding the bowl down the counter as Freya entered.


They prepared the meal in silence for a few minutes, but Riley couldn't take the strained silence much longer.


"Look, I know I haven't been the easiest sister to grow up with. But you mean the world to me, Frey, and I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything and I'll do my best to understand."

 

[Echoes]

April laughed slightly before realizing she was being serious about beating the guy up, it probably wasn't a bad plan but finding the guy would be an issue and he could always take another persons powers. April also doubted Grayson would let the guy out of his sight for a while.


"What about if I had a look in your mind? I mean, i have been avoiding reading it all day but what if it's a mental block? I could have a look but I wouldn't do it without your permission obviously and it might not work but it 's worth a try right? It's one scientific idea I suppose."April rambled.


April shifted slightly, She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She really didn't enjoy having telepathic abilities. It was a strain on her mind and she had seen some disturbing things. It was like she was constantly invading people's personal lives and it had taken her so long to find a block for it. The logic was there though, It could of been a mental block but she couldn't be sure because she had no idea how any of this worked. They'd just all gone a long with having powers but April was starting to get the feeling she needed to investigate further.


Freya mashed the potatoes aggressively, She was sure she was taking her aggression out on the wrong thing. She sighed and put the pot down before turning to her sister. She kept her eyes to the ground.


"No, you have always been right. You are the only reason why i'm still alive today. Some of the situations i have gotten myself into...especially this one. It has just been difficult since we...you know."Freya said referring to the lose of their parents."I just do not know how to stop myself from being so self destructive...I feel like i am letting you down and our parents. I am sorry."


Freya had never admitted her feelings, She'd always give her sister the cold shoulder and push her away but the way everything was changing she couldn't afford to close herself off. They were a team now.

 

[disasterplay]

"You want to look in my brain?" Alexa raised an eyebrow "Okay, but don't look at anything else, a girl's gotta have some mystery." She said, winking jokingly.


Alexa knew that April had probably been in her mind before, she knew that April found it hard to not listen sometimes. But knowing that and willingly letting April search through her mind were different things. Alexa didn't exactly keep secrets, but there were also things that she didn't advertise and she didn't know how much April knew about her past, but she didn't particularly want her to know any more. Still, April was her partner and Alexa trusted her, which was a sudden realization but it was true. She did trust April. She didn't know if April's plan would work, but anything was worth a shot.


Riley smiled at her sister, eyes softening. Things had been difficult since they lost their parents, even though it was over a decade ago now. Riley still thought about them everyday. She could still see her childhood home in her mind, feel the softness of her mothers arms as she held them and smell her fathers cooking. But life went on, and she thanked god everyday that she still had Freya. She slid the chicken in the oven and wiped her hands on her dress, then turned to Freya.


"You could never let me down. Even if it seems that way sometimes, It's just because I worry about you. But I am and always have been proud of you, and I know if mom and dad were here they would be too." She said, brushing Freya's hair out her eyes and wrapping her in a hug.

 

[Echoes]

April nodded slightly, She wasn't looking forward to going into Alexa's mind because sure, She could hear her thoughts often but actually going searching for something she wasn't even sure was there? It felt...Wrong.


"Let's do that when we're back at mine, It's going to wipe me out so I don't want to have to drive back after."April said.


Once Alexa had grabbed her things, She got into the car and drove them both back.


"Before I do this, if there is something you really do not want me to know about, Try and concentrate on blocking it out. It will appear to me as more of a blurry memory and I won't be able to see it properly okay? Also, Try and keep your brain clear. I don't want to know too much about you. I mean, You're great but I already feel like I know too much."April laughed.


Freya hugged her sister back tightly before fighting to keep the tears away, She loved her sister more than anyone in the whole world so she couldn't help but feel like she was always messing up and letting her down. Riley always seemed to have it together, She had a great job, A level head and all the right choices and Freya, She was the opposite.


"Sometimes, I feel like I do not deserve you as my sister. You are nothing like me, You are just so well put together even though we basically lived the same life. I love you Riley, Thank you for always protecting me."Freya said softly.

 

[disasterplay]

"Okay, I'll try my best to hide anything inappropriate." Alexa laughed.


Alexa smiled at the compliment April had given her, if being called "great" was even a compliment, either way it made her smile. Alexa was nervous about trying to hide anything in her mind from April, because she knew that was supposed to think about it that she'd probably wouldn't be able to help think about it. April parked up in her driveway and Alexa grabbed her things and pushed her way out of the passenger side. They entered the house to the smell of something cooking and it made Alexa realize just how hungry she actually was.


"Okay, food definitely comes before your mind mojo thing, let's go eat." Alexa said, moving towards the kitchen.


"I love you too. You don't have to thank me for anything." Riley said, wiping tears away from her eyes and hoping that Freya hadn't noticed them.


By the time April and Alexa came home the food was almost ready and Riley began dishing out everything out onto plates, once she was done they went to the dining room and gathered around the table.


"Oh my god, this is delicious." Alexa hummed happily around a mouthful of chicken.


"Thank you, I could make something even better with some proper ingredients. You guys need to go grocery shopping." Riley laughed slightly, grateful for the compliment.

 

[Echoes]

April chuckled at the fact that Riley had said ' you guys'. It sounded like her and Alexa were actually living together like a couple or something. The food was delicious, Utterly amazing so she was sure her stomach was excited to see what else Riley could cook. It was nice to have a full house, It felt more homely with the girls around even if she knew it wasn't a permanent thing. She also loved the fact that Riley and Freya seemed more comfortable with them, it was all she had wanted.


"I'll try and go shopping tomorrow after work, This is truly wonderful food."April smiled.


She practically swallowed the food whole before pulling out her box of technology again and fiddling with it. She still needed to build a security system , The ones they sold in shops were heavily flawed and they didn't stop super humans. April had so many things that she needed to do but she decided to start with Alexa's brain.


"Let me know when you're ready and we will start? You can back out at anytime.." April said rubbing her hands nervously.


Freya loved the fact her sister could cook,She was almost certain that there was nothing Riley couldn't do. Freya was also glad the potatoes didn't come out lumpy like they usually did when she cooked. After the night they'd had, it was nice to see everyone laughing and joking.Freya was beginning to feel more and more confident about them being a team of superheroes.

 

[disasterplay]

Alexa finished shoveling food into her mouth and pushed her empty plate away from her. The food really had been delicious, and Alexa felt that type of full stomached tiredness that she had rarely felt since she had lived with her mother. She sat back for a moment, trying psyche herself up for April reading her mind, She tried to organize her thought, to do as April had suggested and hide anything that she didn't want the other woman knowing, then got to her feet.


"Okay, I'm ready. Is there anything we need to do, or do you just like...go in?" Alexa asked April.


Riley watched as April and Alexa left the room, thoroughly confused. She was still getting used to this superhero thing, and she guessed that she'd have to accept that there's some things that she wouldn't understand for a while. She began gathering up the plates around the table and directed a look at her sister.


"Are you staying here again tonight? I should probably go home soon..." Riley said, uncertain.

 

[Echoes]

April headed up to her room, It was probably best to be in complete silence while April concentrated otherwise she'd probably get distracted and lose what she was doing. Going searching into someone's mind wasn't something April enjoyed, If anything it was the worst thing about her abilities. She could learn everything about a person within the space of five minutes and she didn't enjoy the headaches that followed but Alexa was her friend and she'd have done anything to help her out with the incredibly frustrating situation.


April mentally prepared herself for entering her friends mind, She cleared her own thoughts and put her entire thought process into searching for a mental block...if it was one. Deep down, April wished it was one so that they could fix it because if not...they'd have to search for the guy who had taken them which meant they'd probably have to face Grayson's team again and judging by how everyone had come out of the fight from that night, They didn't have much chance in ,making it out alive until they had learned to improve their abilities or find out the other team's weak points. April sat on the edge of the bed and turned to Alexa who was now sat down next to her.


"Just concentrate on blocking out things you don't want me to see. Remember that."April said.


April closed her eyes and began.


April was sure she would never be able to explain what it was like going into someone's mind. It was like being in a dazed dream or having blurry vision.It was a sensation that had to be experienced. It was like April was physically stood in her friends memories. She didn't really know where to begin looking for a mental block but she wondered around aimlessly. April could tell she had stumbled into a memory that Alexa was trying to block. She could make out Alexa standing with someone. The person appearing as just a silhouette. They were arguing about something but their voices were muffled but she could hear a vinyl playing in the background. April could feel Alexa's pain, How hurt she felt in that moment. April quickly left that memory and after searching for a while, She found the memory from when she'd lost her powers. It was strange seeing herself from Alexa's point of view but she ignored that. It didn't seem to be a mental block but she could feel how hopeless Alexa had felt in that singular moment. April snapped out of Alexa's mind, a tear fell down her face. It happened a lot when she was reading minds, She could physically feel how others were feeling.


"i-i'm sorry."She said weakly before flopping back on her bed.


__


Freya thought about staying at April's. She was enjoying it but she hadn't been back to her actual home in so long and she hadn't spent quality time with her sister in so long that it felt right to go home with her. Really, Freya just wanted to spend time with her sister away from the powers and the craziness that had been surrounding them....Like it had been before Freya had met Grayson.


"I think i'll come back with you, If that's okay?"She said with a smile.

 

[disasterplay]

"Uh, hey, why are you crying? Don't, um...do that." Alexa said awkwardly.


She went over to the bed and sat down next to April, putting her arm around the crying woman gently. She didn't like seeing her cry, especially since she had no idea how to help. She wasn't very good at comforting people, it was ironic considering how much Alexa talked that she never knew the right thing to say. She wondered if it was something she'd seen in Alexa's mind that had brought the sudden tears on, but Alexa didn't know what in her head was worth crying over, especially not when she'd took April's advice and had done her best to hide the worst stuff in her past. Maybe April was just frustrated? This whole situation was frustrating as hell.


It had been strange, having April look inside her head. She knew by now that sometimes April heard her thoughts without meaning to, but it had been different having her actually go into her mind and look through it, and actually knowing that she was doing it. It felt...not invasive, exactly, but....intimate, in a way. It was a strange word to use, but it was the most accurate one that Alexa knew. She didn't know if it had felt the same to April, she was probably used to being inside people's heads by now, after all. Alexa just hoped that April hadn't seen anything embarrassing rattling around in there. She also wanted to know if April had been right, if it was a mental block that was stopping Alexa using her powers, it was the best news that they could ask for, but now didn't seem like the right time to ask.


Riley couldn't stop the grin that was currently forming on her face.


"Really? You know, I don't mind if you'd prefer to stay here..." She said.


She hoped that Freya wouldn't change her mind even though she'd just given her option to her. She really had missed having Freya in her life, it was all she really knew and these past couple of months where she hadn't seen her, Riley had felt lost, it had been like part of her had been missing, as cheesy as that sounded. She had felt lonely for years after losing their mom and dad, but these past few months without Freya had been the loneliest of her life.