Generation X Unlimited 8

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Generation X Unlimited #8 - Hero Worship
Post by Sara "Radical Dreamer" Lincoln on Jul 20, 2007, 4:12pm

Cover: Sara sitting on the ground smiling up at a figure who you can only see the shadow of

Title: Hero Worship

Writing Credits: Grey420 and BornIn1142

Featuring: Sara "Hype" Lincoln and Nicolette "Prime" Savard

Memories. Some times people want to forget; some times they live in them like there's nothing else. They're important, a chronicle of everything that's come before, of who you are. Imagine waking up one day though, and there's nothing there. The farthest back you can remember is the moment you woke up. It's the thing of soap operas and bad TV, but what if it happened to you? So is the story of Sara Lincoln, and the coma that stripped her of her entire life.

It's an average day at Generation X's aquatic base, well, as average as a day can be for a team of teenaged mutants living under water, but I digress. Sara still hasn't found her niche since waking up, her memory is gone with a few key exceptions, her powers are there but she lacks any and all control over them. She lives with supposedly her best friend and her sister, but with the exception of Nephy, she doesn't remember any of it. She's gay yet has a boyfriend, something that has yet to stop throwing her off. None of it makes sense.

Taking a walk through the compound she makes her way up to the surface, she needs air. Being cooped up down below is just causing things to get worse, giving her cabin fever. She appreciates everyone trying to help, but sometimes it doesn't feel like they're doing enough, or that maybe they're doing too much and she's begun to crutch on it. It's maddening. Once she reaches the surface she walks out of the lighthouse and to the edge of the small island, taking a seat and letting her legs dangle down into the water, kicking lightly.

"Now let me see if I can do this. Allison is my sister, but I'm not sure
how. Nephy is my best friend and she dates Joe. I'm going out with
Marcus, and Meisha is weird, foreign, and half nuts. Dillon is real nice to me but treats everyone else bad. Dan is the fire guy, and Izzy is the red girl. Nate is the older looking guy who creeps me out, and, ummm, wait, there's Adam, he made me sick. Is that everyone?"

She pauses for a few seconds as it sinks.

"Is that really everyone that I know in the world?"

The thought brings a tear to her eye, she knows that her fifteenth
birthday is coming up, and she doesn't have more then a handful of
memories older then a few weeks.

Looking out at the sea almost makes her feel better. Well, at least for a short while.

The sea tends to have two sides to it. It can be one of the calmest
things in the world - big and blue and soothing. There are few things more serene than the flow of the waves on a calm day. And on the other hand, it can be so very furious. So stormy and dangerous. It's the side that's spelled death for countless men and women on the sea.

Right now, Sara wishes she could catch a glimpse of it.

There is a very mild breeze blowing, which is enough to cause some small ripples in the water, but nothing more. The weather is beautiful. Things are almost too calm. She finds it a little infuriating. Part of her almost wishes her surroundings would match the storm raging inside her. And yet, she keeps gazing at the surface.

For a moment, she is sure she sees something moving under the waves.
Something significantly larger than the fish that swim in these waters,
and darker. A shadow, or perhaps even less. Then the impression is gone,
and Sara isn't sure if it was just a trick of the light or her own
imagination.

She's content to discard the matter from her thoughts. There are other
things to worry about, after all. She shakes her head and returns to her
previous train of thought.

"There has to be someone else…"

She is pulled out of her reverie only moments later, with a splash of
water a little way off from her position. She's ready to sign it off as
just a fish, when the shadow returns. It's now much closer to her, and
also much bigger.

She's barely had time to feel curious, when something bursts out from
underneath the surface just a few feet away from her, sending water
flying in all directions. The closest thing it could be likened to is a
crab - a ten feet high crab. The creature has several pairs of legs and
large claws, and a carapace that made it look like some pre-historic
beast. Perhaps it is… but Sara doesn't have time to think about that,
as the creature begins advancing towards her as quickly as it had
appeared.

"Oh crap, oh no, no, no, nononononono!"

She tries to pull herself up and away, but the fear has turned her arms
and legs to jelly. Part of her thinks that her powers could save her,
but the rest of her brings about the stark reminded of her inability to
use them. Thinking and focusing and freaking out, the harder she tries
to use them the harder it gets to move.

"I'm gonna die."

The 'crab' scrabbles closer to her in a series of twitchy movements.
It's soon at the shore, its legs almost sinking into the wet sand due to
its massive weight. This slows it down enough that the first swipe it
takes at Sara with one of its claws misses, although quite barely. She
stumbles backwards and falls, while the creature reaches hard land and
moves over her.

It raises its claws once again…

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!"

Sara's eyes spark into a glow, almost like a defense mechanism. The 'crab' seems to moving slower and slower and that's when she realizes that her panic has triggered her speed. Not wanting to over think it for a nano-second, she pulls herself up and starts to run. But she's not thinking about what she's doing or where she's going, and it's not long before she trips up over the sand and topples over herself, rolling for several yards before landing flat on her back, her legs numb having twisted up in the fall. As her powers cut back out she can only stare as the beast looks over at her and continues its pace in her new
direction.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognizes a quiet boom
resounding in the distance. It's a small ray of hope, but enough to make her turn her head and look in the direction it seems to have come from.

There's a violent rush of water traveling towards her, like an invisible motorboat. It clears the distance amazingly fast, and then it's suddenly there already. It hits the creature like a cannonball, sending it flying away from Sara. She catches a glimpse of a girl standing in the air where the crab had been. She's there for only a moment before blurring and disappearing.

At the same time, the crab's efforts to get to its legs are dwarfed
when it's pushed back into the ground, while its carapace cracks with a loud noise. Several punches rain down on it, but the creature doesn't just lie down and let itself be destroyed. It takes a hurried, chaotic swipe with one of its claws. It hits nothing but air, but the blows cease for a while. There's a moment of quiet, while the attacker seems to have disappeared. Then, the crab suddenly rises into the air and is flung out into the water. One splash later, the creature sinks beneath the waves with a quiet screech. The whole fight only took a few seconds.

And Sara finds herself face to face with her rescuer.

She can't help but stare slack jawed, the sight was nothing if not mind blowing. And here she is, right in front of her, like a guardian angel.
Something about her presence rings familiar to Sara, somewhere deep in her mind, but she just can't place it. There's just a familiar warmth, like a blanket thrown over her shoulders.

So many things she wants to say, none of them coming past her lips. Just
silent awe for several moments that are a seeming eternity before
finding it in her to speak up.

"Are you single?"

And with that Sara finds her foot solidly in her mouth, great first
impression to give to her savior.

The 'stranger' smiles at her, though with a slight twinge of sadness,
and hovers closer. For a moment, it appears she would embrace Sara, but
she seems to stop herself at the last second.

"I'm afraid not," she says, "I'm together with Wildfire, actually. You
should know her. My name is Nicolette Savard. Does that… sound
familiar to you?"

Sara stands there for a moment and thinks; she knows that name, but only
from a slight mention and a handful of questions. Nothing intimate or
deep, not even real memories.

"I… I don't remember it… I mean you…. I'm sorry."

She grows embarrassed rather quickly; it's been a little while since
she's met someone new that knew her before.

Nicolette is about to sigh, but catches herself, probably so she
wouldn't seem too accusing.

"It's all right," she says, "This is why I'm here. We two were - or are
- friends. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I've spent the last
months in… well, outer space. I came as soon as I heard what happened
to you, Sara. I needed to talk to you…"

"Space…? Back for me?"

She's stunned, her mind trying to wrap its way around the gesture.
Someone cared enough about her to traverse the galaxy just to talk to
her? Someone who flew in like a speeding bullet and saved her? This
isn't just some random good samaritan; this is someone that actually
cares. And only one thing can come to mind, an echo to a time forgotten.

"Y-you saved me."

Sara's face turns red as she starts blushing heavily.

"You're like a super hero."

"Yes, in a way. And, well, so are you. We all are, in fact. I'm surprised you haven't understood that… well, I'm sorry."

She averts her eyes.

"I had to come back. Wildfire told me about what happened to you, it was
just pure luck I ended up arriving while this thing was menacing you.
I…"

She trails off.

At first Sara begins to think that she's being patronized, but just for
a few seconds. Something is seeping through to her, the lack of eye
contact, the attempted excuse. The girl is a stranger to her, and yet
Sara can feel sorrow and regret. This girl can't be just any stranger,
and while neither Nephy nor Joe was able to explain why they were
friends, she can sense that they were close. Without saying a word Sara
follows her first instinct and wraps her arms around Nico tightly.

"You don't need to make excuse for me, this already means a
lot."

Nicolette hugs her back, smiling wryly at the same time.

"I really had to come back, you see. I had to make sure we were still
friends, or anything at all. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be here
for you, and probably won't be much in the future either…"

All Sara can do is squeeze her tighter; something about it is just
comforting.

"You're the first person to come out and visit me, you saved my life,
you're already my hero. I'll be your friend for life; you have no idea
how much this means to me."

She's smiling uncontrollably, little flashes running through her mind
for the first time since she remembered Nephy's birthday. She doesn't
understand it at first, but things slowly begin sinking in whether she
realizes it or not.

"I'm getting all kinds of deja vu, but I have to ask somethin. You were
special to me before, right?"

"Almost definitely," Nicolette immediately says. She gently disentangles
herself from Sara and sits down on the ground, dragging her with
herself.

"I do know you considered me your best friend, with only Nephy getting
close. We haven't known each other for very long, but I do know I was
one of the first people to learn about your sexual preferences. That was
when we were still both living in the X-Mansion. Someone was listening
at the door when you told me and I had to threaten him to shut up. But
then we both took assignments on separate teams… This is only my
second visit to Generation X, since my job keeps me… away."

"I… you…."

They keep hitting her, all of the flashbacks little flashes that keep
coming in more and more, making her dizzy without making much sense
until one thing sticks.

"You were my hero."

The words come on their own, confusing her as the fact that they felt
right sets in. The entire situation replays in her mind, and while she
can't recall who else was involved, she can remember that talk. A single
tear forms up in her eye as she realizes what's happened, and she can't
help but smile and look down to hide it.

Nicolette gently puts her hands on Sara's shoulders.

"Are you all right? I didn't mean to… overwhelm you."

Sara reaches up and cradles one of them.

"I… you… I got in trouble once for running to hug you instead of
checking the base, does that make any sense?"

Things are just shooting all over her mind, bits and pieces fitting
together slowly like a jigsaw puzzle.

Nicolette nods, recalling the event.

"Yes, it does. It was during my last visit to Earth, back when you were
all living in Australia. I came unannounced, tripped the alarms and
caused some panic. Me and two other people, that is. Most people
actually just came to greet us, but Sir Nathaniel was anal about it and
started yelling."

She hesitates for a moment.

"What about Meghan? Do you know about her?"

Sara gives off a slight shrug.

"I know bits and pieces, mostly that all we ever did was go at it.
Nobody really likes to talk about it much which is just tellin me that
maybe there's a reason. She did send me a letter though."

But how would she write back to that? It's hard to write from the heart
when dealing with a stranger.

"So does anybody else know that you're here?" she asks.

"It's not a secret. Some of them saw me when I beamed down from my
transport, but I rushed to find you pretty much first thing after my
arrival so I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone yet. Wildfire knows,
since I… well, arrived with her. It's complicated, don't ask."
She shrugs as well, before biting her lip.

"The thing is… Meghan is a close friend of mine as well, so the whole
thing worries me a little. She has a history of getting hurt, so…
well, you understand what I mean. But… she's just a stranger to you,
isn't she? Perhaps it's best if you didn't meet at all…"
"You and Izzy… God, it's so familiar. There was a night, I think, and
we got competitive, and I think I got naked, and you threw me behind a
couch so she wouldn't see me. Does that sound right?"

She looks up curiously.

"And with Meghan… from how it's been described, I kinda want to meet
her, but I just don't think anything good will come out of it. There's
not a lot of nice things to be said about her around here for some
reason."
Nicolette looks at her amiably, without a hint of her exact views of
Meghan.

"Reputation counts for a lot, but… it's best to know for certain.
Perhaps you should see her just to form your own opinion, not to rely on
the often biased views of others. She cared for you a lot, and still
does. Her decision to leave puzzled me, though I'm fairly certain the
opinions of your teammates had a part in it. But your relationship
became complicated early on… and I can't say I'm not biased. Even if
you're happy with Marcus, Meghan still believes you're together - and
doesn't know about your accident, I presume?"
She takes on a slightly forced-looking faraway look.

"And the incident you described… Yes, it did happen. I consider myself
fairly liberal, but you still managed to embarrass me. In a good way, I
mean."

Sara giggles a bit before calming down.

"Nephy said that they've talked, but I haven't really done anything. I
think she's planning to come visit, and, well, I guess I'll give her a
chance, but I just don't want it to get weird. But I dunno about us
still being together, everyone around here told me we broke up an' that
I was dating Mark when it happened. I'm just kinda scared that she's
gonna come looking for something that I don't wanna give her, I'm happy
right now… kinda"
She trails off and blushes, deciding to change the subject.

"You really kicked the crap out of that crab thingie."

Nicolette grinned proudly.

"Yes, I tend to do that a lot. Flight, as well as enhanced strength,
durability and… speed, in case you're wondering. I can make it to
about 800 miles per hour when flying, actually. We two always talked
about racing sometimes, but it never really did come to pass."

She looked a tad more serious again.

"I understand your concerns about Meghan… The truth is, you told me
you were still secretly together with her. I mean, you were dating both
Marcus and her. You told me, I don't know if anyone else knew."

She looks puzzled for a few seconds before pulling it together.

"I guess she thought, or I made her think, or something, that we were a
couple? I just don't wanna hurt her feelings or anything, but, like, I
don't know her. She's the ex-girlfriend people don't like talkin to me
about, and I guess I'll talk to her when she comes to visit, but, I
don't even know."

She sighs and laughs a little bit.

"If I could get my speed workin' I'd totally race you."

"Oh, you'd lose either way," Nicolette replied casually, without a hint
of offense.

"As for Meghan… Well, your feelings for her were genuine, and while
your relationship wasn't really very definite, it could still be said
that you were together. It wasn't just a misunderstanding on her part."

"I get what you're saying, I mean, I wish I knew more, I wish I
remembered more. But I've remembered more of you then I have of her,
heck, I remember Kelly better and I really just got a picture in my
common room and a few stories to go by on her."

She sighs with a slight hint of frustration, it's a very difficult
subject for her

"And I dunno bout me losin', I'm supposed to be pretty damn quick."

Sly little grin…

"Oh, I know you are, but you wouldn't be facing just anyone…"

Slowly, she sinks on her back to lie on the ground. She props her head
on her hands and looks at the sky for a moment, before continuing.

"It'll all come back to you. You're going to be blitzing around before
you know it, and you'll get to fall in love with it all over again. Your
memories as well… Don't be sad over what you don't know yet, be glad
you're remembering things already. Other memories will follow, though I
fear not all of them will be of things you'll want to remember…"

Sara lies down next to her, resting her head on Nico's stomach and
laying at a ninety degree angle from her.

"Everyday that goes by without a new one coming back makes me feel like
maybe I've got all that I'm gettin. Today, you, that's the most I've
gotten back in a while. An' to be honest? If I never got another one
back, I think I could be happy."

She smiles up at the sky and rests her hands down at her stomach

"Wait, I take that back. If I could remember how to work my speed,
then I'd be happy. I'm real sick of burning through clothes."

And there's a small parade of giggles.
Nicolette chuckles along with her. She seems to have too much dignity to
giggle.

"Oh, of course you are! I'm certain you just hate it. Well, the worst
case scenario is that you have to relearn your abilities. It won't be
too difficult, it's all in your blood."
Sara reaches up and gives Nico a light slap on the chest. Doesn't stop
her from giggling though.

"It's not like I want to get stuck naked in front of people, that's all
kinds of 'barrassing."
"I guess relearning can't be all bad, I just hope I can figure it out
soon. Them kicking in and out is getting really really super annoying."

"I'll help you as I can, of course. I'll be staying for a few days, and
I intend to spend as much as possible of it with you. I came to see you,
after all. I wish I could stay longer, but things are rather serious out
there, and I'm needed. It was a lucky coincidence I could come even now,
and it took some charming so I could stay a bit… I don't think I'll be
able to visit any time soon."

She sighs.

"You do what you can Nico, and trust me, even this much means the world
to me. You're the greatest."

Sara rolls onto her side so that her head is still on Nico's stomach,
but her body is pointing towards her. An arm reaches up to cradle
anything it can reach.

"And I'm never gonna forget it."

"Good," Nicolette says with a nod. A moment later, she reaches down to
one of her pockets, brushing past Sara's head, and pulls out a small
pink bracelet.

"You gave this to me when we each left the Mansion for our assignments.
But I think it'll be better off as a reminder of me to you than the
other way around. Take it…"

Sara takes it in her hand and just looks at it, nothing, no memory of
it.

"So you're regifting?"

Nicolette seems to be observing her reaction closely.

"You can call it that, I guess. To be honest, I never actually wore it,
but I liked it as a memento."

Sara slips it on without thinking about it and smiles at her.

"That's ok, that you didn't wear it I mean, but you kept it and that's
what matters."

She giggles a bit

"Maybe if I search through my stuff I'll find somethin you'll actually
wear."

"It's possible, though I should be a few sized bigger than anything you
have. We can try if you want to, but I actually wear a uniform most of
the time these days. I'm part of the military, after all. I appreciate
the thought, but you don't need to bother…"

"I've got this one green scrunchie that looks really fancy, and if you
come by my room I'd love to give it to you."

Not adding in how green is simply not her color and would look awful in
her red hair.

"Gladly. Though, what is a scrunchie?"

"It's a thingie you put in your hair so that you can pull it back in a
ponytail."

"Ah…" Nicolette still doesn't seem to know what a scrunchie is, and
looks mildly displeased over it for a bare moment, but smiles again soon
enough. "Let's go check it out, hmm? Green is my favorite color,
actually…"

"Really?"

Sara hops back to her feet and starts bouncing in place, happy to have
remembered that.

"Let's go!"
Nicolette rises into the air slowly, and dusts herself off.

"Let's. I'll carry you…"

She grabs on to Sara with a sudden move and flies off towards the
lighthouse. Sara screams.


Re: Generation X Unlimited #8 - Hero Worship
Post by Marisol Morales on Jul 20, 2007, 4:14pm

«Hmm… Format came off a little weird from the emails…»


Re: Generation X Unlimited #8 - Hero Worship
Post by Sara "Radical Dreamer" Lincoln on Jul 20, 2007, 4:17pm

Yeah, I tried to do the edits in word, but I'm just going to go fix some of it up now


Re: Generation X Unlimited #8 - Hero Worship
Post by Protoman on Jul 21, 2007, 2:49am

I enjoyed it, good job guys.


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