Categories > Original > Sci-Fi > Untitled
Havoc looked down the street to the left and saw it, too. It was only a car, nothing too big, but it wasn't very small either and it was moving at a pace that was well above the speed limit.
"It's not stopping." Chaos commented. "It's not going to stop."
Solace's eyes went wide. Without being instructed, he placed his palms against the window. It disintegrated in just a few seconds, leaving no trace behind. In a panic, Solace hopped up onto the window sill. And jumped out.
"Sol -!" Havoc started to reach out for him, but Chaos stopped him with an arm across his chest.
"Don't." Chaos said calmly as he watched Solace fall. The smaller boy hit the ground, bent his knees, rolled, got back up to his feet and took off at a run. "He is aware of and in control of his entire body. The fall won't hurt him. The speeding car, on the other hand, will. But jumping out after him won't help him. Take the stairs. Run. Now."
Havoc paused, in shock for a moment, then tore off out of the room, not bothering to close the door. After a second's hesitation, Blight and Vex followed. Chaos stayed and watched through the window. He knew they wouldn't reach their "baby brother" in time. Unseen by anyone, his jaw clenched, fingers tightening on the window's sill. He didn't want to watch. But he knew he couldn't allow himself to look away.
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The fall stung Solace's bare feet, but he shut out the pain, cutting off most of the feeling in his feet. As soon as he had broken his fall and gotten back upright, he ran as fast as he could. Natalie had noticed the flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye and turned towards it. Only to see the car speeding her way.
The driver slammed on the brakes. Tires screeched. Time seemed to slow as the bags slipped from her arms and she took an instinctive step away - back, not to the side. Rational thought shrunk to zero. She caught another glimpse of movement, much closer than before and suddenly, Solace was at her side, a step or two in front of her, crouched low. He held his hands out in front of him and Natalie started to reach for him. To toss him out of the way, to shield him, to do something. But she couldn't reach him in time.
The front of the car touched his hands. And it stopped immediately. It wasn't possible. The thought ran through Natalie's mind. It had been moving too fast to just stop right there.
Time resumed once more at normal speed and suddenly, Solace wasn't at her side anymore. He flew back and hit the ground hard, sliding and then rolling along the ground. When he slid to a stop, he only laid there half on his side, limp and unmoving. Natalie was frozen. She couldn't move. The driver of the car had hit his head on the steering wheel and been knocked out cold. Silence reigned.
Havoc burst through the hotel;s front doors. "Solace!"
"Stop." Chaos called just loud enough for him to hear.
The fanged boy skidded to a halt and looked back towards the window, eyes wide with fear.
"Don't touch him. You'll only hurt him worse." He had been watching. He had seen how Solace hadn't so much as winced when he had been sent flying back. He knew that Solace had cut off his senses. "He feels no pain. You have no way of knowing how badly he's injured. Stay where you are."
Havoc gave a small, panicked nod and Chaos moved away from the window. Havoc's mind didn't seem to be working right. He didn't know what to do. He wanted desperately to rush to his to Solace's side, but he didn't want to hurt the smaller boy further. He could only listen to Chaos' instructions.
When Chaos made it to the ground floor and outside to where his brothers were, he walked right past them. Going out into the middle of the intersection, he knelt next to Solace and gently turned the smaller boy onto his back. Solace only reacted when he saw the sky and Chaos' face instead of the buildings along the street.
"Doctor Parker," Chaos said, looking up at her. "The car can't hurt you anymore. Come over here and do what you went to school to learn."
Shaken out of her frozen state, she ignored the fact that a fifteen-year-old was giving her orders and walked to Solace's side. Carefully, she checked him for injuries. Nothing was broken. He had scratches on his arms, legs and one on the side of his face, but surprisingly, none on his palms.
"What did . . . he do?" She asked quietly as she looked Solace over. The boy didn't register her touch.
"His abilities are more extensive than any outsiders have ever thought," Chaos said just as quietly. "By touching it, he stopped the car's momentum, but the kinetic energy has to be transferred to something. It can't just disappear. So, instead of letting either of you get hit, he let himself be tossed down the road." He looked up at her from where he'd been watching Solace's face. "Understand?"
She tried not to meet his eyes and willed her hands not to shake. She could hear the implied accusation. It was her fault Solace had gotten hurt.
When she was done, she pulled her hands away from him. "He should be okay. . . We can pick up something to clean out the cuts."
"We'll do that on that road." Chaos said, leaving no room for argument. He waved a hand in front of Solace's eyes, drawing the boy's attention. "You'll be okay, Sol, but I need you to do something for me. I know it hurts. I know you don't want to. But I need you to feel again. If you don't, we won't know how badly you're hurt."
Solace nodded slowly. Chaos felt the smaller boy's hand gripping his sleeve, but he didn't break eye contact. Gradually, Solace returned feeling to his body. He kept the sense at a normal level, but made sure he scanned his entire body.
"Got it?" Chaos asked quietly.
Solace gave a small nod.
"How bad is it?"
He shook his head. "It hurts," He whimpered softly, "But nothing's broken."
"Nothing internal?"
He shook his head again.
Chaos nodded and ran a hand over Solace's hair. "Don't worry. You'll be okay." He turned towards the others. "Havoc. You can take him now." Chaos stood up. "Be careful. He'll be fine, but there's still some pain."
Without waiting for further permission, Havoc rushed to Solace's side and gently picked the smaller boy up into his arms.
"Get to the car." Chaos said, walking back towards the hotel's front doors. "I'll retrieve our bags and check us out, then meet you there."
Blight started to protest, but stopped and nodded wordlessly. With a gentle push, he got Vex and the others moving in the right direction. When they got to the car, they all piled into the back while Natalie sat up front in the driver's seat. Solace sat in Havoc's lap, curled up against his brother's chest with his legs stretched out across Vex and Blight's laps.
A knock sounded on the trunk just a few minutes after they had settled in and Natalie jumped so hard Blight imagined that if she hadn't been strapped in she might have hit the ceiling. When she looked in the rear view mirror, she saw Chaos standing behind the car with all of their bags in his hands. Reaching down, she pulled the trunk release.
After he'd stored the bags away, Chaos came up and sat in the passenger's seat without a word. He gave a small gesture towards the front window and Natalie pulled out of the parking space. Soon, they were out of the parking structure and on the road once more. Eventually, the slight motion of the car lulled Solace off to sleep.
"It's not stopping." Chaos commented. "It's not going to stop."
Solace's eyes went wide. Without being instructed, he placed his palms against the window. It disintegrated in just a few seconds, leaving no trace behind. In a panic, Solace hopped up onto the window sill. And jumped out.
"Sol -!" Havoc started to reach out for him, but Chaos stopped him with an arm across his chest.
"Don't." Chaos said calmly as he watched Solace fall. The smaller boy hit the ground, bent his knees, rolled, got back up to his feet and took off at a run. "He is aware of and in control of his entire body. The fall won't hurt him. The speeding car, on the other hand, will. But jumping out after him won't help him. Take the stairs. Run. Now."
Havoc paused, in shock for a moment, then tore off out of the room, not bothering to close the door. After a second's hesitation, Blight and Vex followed. Chaos stayed and watched through the window. He knew they wouldn't reach their "baby brother" in time. Unseen by anyone, his jaw clenched, fingers tightening on the window's sill. He didn't want to watch. But he knew he couldn't allow himself to look away.
************************
The fall stung Solace's bare feet, but he shut out the pain, cutting off most of the feeling in his feet. As soon as he had broken his fall and gotten back upright, he ran as fast as he could. Natalie had noticed the flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye and turned towards it. Only to see the car speeding her way.
The driver slammed on the brakes. Tires screeched. Time seemed to slow as the bags slipped from her arms and she took an instinctive step away - back, not to the side. Rational thought shrunk to zero. She caught another glimpse of movement, much closer than before and suddenly, Solace was at her side, a step or two in front of her, crouched low. He held his hands out in front of him and Natalie started to reach for him. To toss him out of the way, to shield him, to do something. But she couldn't reach him in time.
The front of the car touched his hands. And it stopped immediately. It wasn't possible. The thought ran through Natalie's mind. It had been moving too fast to just stop right there.
Time resumed once more at normal speed and suddenly, Solace wasn't at her side anymore. He flew back and hit the ground hard, sliding and then rolling along the ground. When he slid to a stop, he only laid there half on his side, limp and unmoving. Natalie was frozen. She couldn't move. The driver of the car had hit his head on the steering wheel and been knocked out cold. Silence reigned.
Havoc burst through the hotel;s front doors. "Solace!"
"Stop." Chaos called just loud enough for him to hear.
The fanged boy skidded to a halt and looked back towards the window, eyes wide with fear.
"Don't touch him. You'll only hurt him worse." He had been watching. He had seen how Solace hadn't so much as winced when he had been sent flying back. He knew that Solace had cut off his senses. "He feels no pain. You have no way of knowing how badly he's injured. Stay where you are."
Havoc gave a small, panicked nod and Chaos moved away from the window. Havoc's mind didn't seem to be working right. He didn't know what to do. He wanted desperately to rush to his to Solace's side, but he didn't want to hurt the smaller boy further. He could only listen to Chaos' instructions.
When Chaos made it to the ground floor and outside to where his brothers were, he walked right past them. Going out into the middle of the intersection, he knelt next to Solace and gently turned the smaller boy onto his back. Solace only reacted when he saw the sky and Chaos' face instead of the buildings along the street.
"Doctor Parker," Chaos said, looking up at her. "The car can't hurt you anymore. Come over here and do what you went to school to learn."
Shaken out of her frozen state, she ignored the fact that a fifteen-year-old was giving her orders and walked to Solace's side. Carefully, she checked him for injuries. Nothing was broken. He had scratches on his arms, legs and one on the side of his face, but surprisingly, none on his palms.
"What did . . . he do?" She asked quietly as she looked Solace over. The boy didn't register her touch.
"His abilities are more extensive than any outsiders have ever thought," Chaos said just as quietly. "By touching it, he stopped the car's momentum, but the kinetic energy has to be transferred to something. It can't just disappear. So, instead of letting either of you get hit, he let himself be tossed down the road." He looked up at her from where he'd been watching Solace's face. "Understand?"
She tried not to meet his eyes and willed her hands not to shake. She could hear the implied accusation. It was her fault Solace had gotten hurt.
When she was done, she pulled her hands away from him. "He should be okay. . . We can pick up something to clean out the cuts."
"We'll do that on that road." Chaos said, leaving no room for argument. He waved a hand in front of Solace's eyes, drawing the boy's attention. "You'll be okay, Sol, but I need you to do something for me. I know it hurts. I know you don't want to. But I need you to feel again. If you don't, we won't know how badly you're hurt."
Solace nodded slowly. Chaos felt the smaller boy's hand gripping his sleeve, but he didn't break eye contact. Gradually, Solace returned feeling to his body. He kept the sense at a normal level, but made sure he scanned his entire body.
"Got it?" Chaos asked quietly.
Solace gave a small nod.
"How bad is it?"
He shook his head. "It hurts," He whimpered softly, "But nothing's broken."
"Nothing internal?"
He shook his head again.
Chaos nodded and ran a hand over Solace's hair. "Don't worry. You'll be okay." He turned towards the others. "Havoc. You can take him now." Chaos stood up. "Be careful. He'll be fine, but there's still some pain."
Without waiting for further permission, Havoc rushed to Solace's side and gently picked the smaller boy up into his arms.
"Get to the car." Chaos said, walking back towards the hotel's front doors. "I'll retrieve our bags and check us out, then meet you there."
Blight started to protest, but stopped and nodded wordlessly. With a gentle push, he got Vex and the others moving in the right direction. When they got to the car, they all piled into the back while Natalie sat up front in the driver's seat. Solace sat in Havoc's lap, curled up against his brother's chest with his legs stretched out across Vex and Blight's laps.
A knock sounded on the trunk just a few minutes after they had settled in and Natalie jumped so hard Blight imagined that if she hadn't been strapped in she might have hit the ceiling. When she looked in the rear view mirror, she saw Chaos standing behind the car with all of their bags in his hands. Reaching down, she pulled the trunk release.
After he'd stored the bags away, Chaos came up and sat in the passenger's seat without a word. He gave a small gesture towards the front window and Natalie pulled out of the parking space. Soon, they were out of the parking structure and on the road once more. Eventually, the slight motion of the car lulled Solace off to sleep.
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