Wednesday, February 21, 2007
(Worked on this yesterday)

Aftermath

1.

The body in the bed stirred, then opened his eyes. He turned to see a tall man stretched out in a chair, snoring gently. The body in the bed pushed aside the sheet and looked down, studying the body. He touched the skin and smiled at its solidity, its softness, the hair along the edges, the rippling muscles beneath the skin.

The door opened and three people stepped in. One of them was a Peacebringer like himself. He put a finger to his lips and nodded to the man stretched out on the chair. "Hello, Masonry. He wouldn't leave."

"He's Nathan's best friend," said the man in the bed. "Does he know?"

The doctor shook his head. "We do not tell loved ones. That is up to the host."

The man in the chair snorted and opened his eyes. He looked around for a moment, seeing the people in the white lab coats. He turned his head to look at Masonry. "Hey, Nate, you're awake."

"Hi Darcy."

"Mr. Darcy," said the Peacebringer, "we just need to do some preliminary examinations - "

"I need to speak with Darcy for a minute," Masonry said. "Alone."

They all got the hint. Darcy stood up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, as Masonry swung his legs off the bed, pulling the sheet over him. When the door clicked shut, he looked up at Nathan's friend.

"Darce. Remember when we used to talk about Kheldians? You didn't like them because you thought they ate people's souls." He looked away. "Nathan agreed with you at first, especially after how War Mollusk treated him."

Darcy narrowed his eyes. "I can see where this is going." He walked up to Masonry. "So let me guess. You're one of them now?"

"I'm not like War Mollusk. I'm a Peacebringer."

"Doesn't fucking matter," Darcy snarled. "You killed Nate."

"No, I didn't."

"I hope you're happy in there." He turned and grabbed his jacket.

"Darcy, please." He jumped off the edge of the bed and took him by his upper arms. "Please, Nathan loved you like a brother. He wouldn't want to see you walk away in anger."

"He's dead now, and you. . .squid. Now you're in his body."

"No, he's not."

Masonry felt Darcy relax slightly, so he relaxed his grip. "So if you're not a squid, what are you?"

"Both."

"You can't be both."

"Why the hell not?"

Darcy blinked.

"It's the way it's supposed to be. All that bullshit that you've heard, it's not that one takes over the other, or that they're schizophrenic; it's a perfect blending where both consciousnesses combine. You could say I'm Nathan and Benakeras's son."

Masonry released Darcy, studied him.

"Nate's still in me." He stood straight. "I think I'm going to go get that tattooed on my forehead, because I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot."

"Listen Nate - or whatever your name is - this is a lot to take in."

"I understand. Believe me I do." He stepped away from Darcy. "Why don't you go home, think about it. I think they're going to release me. I have to stop and tell Scott I'm fit for duty then I'll be home."

"Okay." He started to walk away. Darcy put his hand on the door as Masonry went to the closet next to the bed. "What do I call you?"

"Masonry," he replied and smiled. "You wouldn't be comfortable calling me Nate, but if it slips, I won't say anything."

2.
Masonry took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Scott Raynes' office at Futura Force Inc. "Yeah?" he replied.

He opened the door. His office in the official Futura Force - an alternative power research and development agency, not the collection of myriad super heroes that the Raynes brothers had gathered together - was organized. Masonry had no idea what some of the folders were, but they were together for a reason.

"Hey, Mase."

"Hi Scott. Reporting for duty. Here's my doctor's note."

Scott Raynes reached across the desk and took the paper from him. "What happened this time?"

"Read it."

He chuckled, knowing that half the time Masonry didn't even know what the paper was that he carried. He unfolded it and looked in the diagnosis column. Nothing was checked off, so he glanced at the bottom when they wrote things in.

Under observation after bonding with a Kheldian.

He looked up at Masonry, shock very plain on his face. "Mase?"

"Yeah?"

There was another knock on the door. "Come in," Masonry called, seeing from Scott's demeanor that he was in no condition to reply. The door opened and Kit strode in. "Hey, Scott, Hey Mase. How's it going?"

"Good," Masonry replied.

Kit turned to Scott, "You know what, I have to find Freakshow for this idiot of a contact - Scott, are you okay, you look like somebody sucker-punched you."

Masonry stood up. "Do you need any help, Kit?"

"Well, sure, if you want to come along. Jake and Syn are already waiting for me at the D."

"If you already have help - "

"I don't mind your company, Mase," she said with a smile and touched his bare arm. "Hey, you're not white anymore."

"No, not anymore." He smiled. "Let me go get changed. I'll be ready in two shakes. Want to wait for me?"

"Yeah, I'll be in the TV room."

Masonry turned to Scott. He took the paper from his hands and put it face-down on the desk. "I will tell them," he said. Then he followed Kit out the door.

3.
"Kit, I can't."

Kit turned sideways on the couch and saw Masonry standing shirtless in his jeans and boots, holding his armor in his arms. His mace was placed squarely on top of the small pile. Then he dropped everything, the stone thudding on the wood floor, and the mace teetering off the pile to roll sideways onto the floor.

"What's the matter? Everything okay?"

"I didn't realize that it was attuned to Nathan's body chemistry. Most of the time the rock was in him, not just in this."

"Mase, what're you talking about?"

"The armor. I can't make the rocks anymore."

"I can try and fix it for you." She looked down at the armor. Masonry smiled; she had been itching to tear it apart since they day they met.

"Sure, if you want." He took the mace from the pile. "I don't know how much good I'll be to you without it."

"Oh, we'll let Jake take all the hits. He likes to do that anyway. C'mon, I'll keep you standing. And Syn's good at that too."

4.
The mace felt awkward in his hand. Benakeras was not a fighter; Nathan wasn't either. Masonry had to rely on muscle memory for most of his actions, but at the end of finding the 25 Skulls Kit needed, he sat at the Benakerasch near the train claiming fatigue. While Syn, Kit, and Jake went off to the next mission, he sat staring at the mace on the Benakeras next to him.

"Greetings brother," said an angelic being that stood before him.

Masonry raised an eyebrow. This was just the type of Peacebringer that grated on Nathan - and Benakeras. "What can I do for you?"

"It is good to see another of our race among the humans."

He looked back down at the mace. "I'm not a Kheldian."

"No? Your aura is that of one."

He picked up the mace and threw it. As it flew through the air, it was heading toward a person walking by. Masonry jumped up - energy flowed through him and he cast his arm back, throwing something at the mace. It was encased in light and exploded into tiny particles, like bits of iron snow that was whisked away on the wind. Masonry shakily sat down again.

The angel chuckled. "Did not realize you could do that, did you?"

"Benakeras had heard Kheldians did such things but. . ." He looked down at his hands. "So did Nathan."

"When you truly bond, you will not know who knows what, but what you know."

Masonry looked up. "No. Benakeras promised Nathan that wouldn't happen."

"It will," said the angel.

"No, they are memories, they live within me."

The angel only chuckled again. Masonry rose, hands clenched into fists and the angel only looked at him contempuously. "You are young and weak. Do not even think you could stand - "

Masonry punched him hard in the face. The angel backed away putting a hand to his nose. Then Masonry lifted his arms and flew away, smiling to himself. He whispered, "Thanks, Nate."

5.
Masonry entered the combination into the lock on the door of the warehouse apartment. The body was tired, and he was pushing it too hard.

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