Ben got the group text from Felicity at the end of his combat thermodynamics class summoning him to an empty classroom in the science building for a team meeting. He arrived a little nauseous, hand trembling around the can of grapefruit LaCroix he'd picked up along the way, hoping it would help his nerves--it didn't. Felicity was already present, sitting atop a vacant desk. In her pink dress and kitten heels, she was a beauty, her glowing aesthetic dimmed only by her scowling expression and tapping foot. "Ben! You look like hell, what's wrong?"
"Gee, should I write up a list?" He sighed. "Mostly, I just hate how I left things off with Chloe."
"It sounds to me like she and Malcolm are just as much to blame, if not more. They could actually talk to you, instead of hiding like children and holding the whole mission back!"
"I don't think that's really fair to her," said Ben. "I really hurt her feelings."
"Boo fucking hoo."
Chloe was the next in. Upon meeting eyes with Ben in the doorway, she gasped, eyes widening as she took in his inner struggle.
'I'm sorry,' he thought helplessly.
"No," she said, "I'm sorry!"
'You can't control what you want.' And he'd been a fool for judging her for it.
"And you can't control what you think! I should have been more considerate of your discomfort."
"Well, I shoulda been more open minded about your...why don't we call it eccentricity?" he said, aloud this time.
"Oh, Ben!" She bounded across the room to wrap him up in a hug.
Making up with Chloe felt so natural. So easy. Sure, she felt the hug a little too intensely. But she didn't mean him harm. The feelings he felt coursing into himself from her were only nice ones: comfort, care, admiration. Sure, her outpouring of emotion was pumping glucose into his veins by the minute...but it was all so delicious, he didn't want it to stop.
They were still locked in their embrace when Malcolm zipped into the room, a blur until he managed to slow his own inertia. It took a toll on him--once he managed to stop running, he bent double, out of breath. It made sense: he was a little heftier than when Ben had seen him last.
"Whoa. So like...you guys are cool now?"
Ben didn't want the hug to break...but they couldn't stand there like that forever.
Chloe pulled back and smiled. "Yes, Mal. We're cool."
Felicity rolled her eyes. "Now then. While you two were off doing, oh, whatever, the kill count at Rivington has risen to forty."
"Ay, hold up a second, who said anything about a kill count?" Malcolm interjected. "They're all still just missing...right?" He looked to Ben for an answer.
"We...we have no way of knowing for sure," he confessed. "But they're covering the disappearances in the news...if any bodies turned up, they'd show it, right?"
"In. The. Meantime." Felicity fixed Chloe and Malcolm with a stern stare. Ben was somehow immune from her wrath--years of history, he presumed--and while he wished his recently reconciled friends weren't in Felicity's crosshairs, he couldn't help but feel relieved. "When are we going to act?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Felicity, it's, like, just not realistic for us to spring into action ASAP. For one thing, I'm not ready. I need to train myself to be able to withstand all the mental screaming on campus, otherwise I'll freeze up as soon as I step foot there!"
Ben was glad she'd used herself as an example; he was unprepared, too, by a long shot. But did his friends need reminding of the fact out loud?
"Sorry--sorry I'm late!" came a new voice, as a plump, dark-haired girl dressed in all black pushed her way past the door, ass-first, her arms full of binders and notebooks of schoolwork. Ben recognized Heather Greene from the betting pool. Chloe waved, and even Malcolm gave her a fond nod of acknowledgement.
"Who the **** are you?" Felicity snapped, her patience slipping by the minute. Overhead, the lights began to flicker: Ben was reaching capacity as far as how much of the ensemble's energy he could contain.
"I'm--I'm Heather, I'm Chloe's gi--Chloe's friend. She invited me to the meeting. Something about rescuing a bunch of missing kids?"
Felicity glared at Chloe. "You didn't think to put this to a vote?"
"She's crazy powerful! She'll make a great asset to the team. She's already saved me once. And she already has a supersona and everything!"
"Well, then," said Felicity, "show me what you can do."
With a crack, the floor underfoot gave way as several tendrils of vine burst forth from the earth and bound Felicity's feet to the linoleum. Felicity just stood there, unflinching, before yanking her left foot free, snapping the vines in the process. Heather recoiled with a grunt of agony, as if Felicity had scathed her physical body and not merely the plants she was controlling. Her pain burned white hot through Ben. Soon, Chloe's panic and Felicity's smug satisfaction entered the mix, sending him over the edge. A crackle of static sounded around him and a sudden jolt racked his entire body. He collapsed on the ground, electrocuted.
"Gee, should I write up a list?" He sighed. "Mostly, I just hate how I left things off with Chloe."
"It sounds to me like she and Malcolm are just as much to blame, if not more. They could actually talk to you, instead of hiding like children and holding the whole mission back!"
"I don't think that's really fair to her," said Ben. "I really hurt her feelings."
"Boo fucking hoo."
Chloe was the next in. Upon meeting eyes with Ben in the doorway, she gasped, eyes widening as she took in his inner struggle.
'I'm sorry,' he thought helplessly.
"No," she said, "I'm sorry!"
'You can't control what you want.' And he'd been a fool for judging her for it.
"And you can't control what you think! I should have been more considerate of your discomfort."
"Well, I shoulda been more open minded about your...why don't we call it eccentricity?" he said, aloud this time.
"Oh, Ben!" She bounded across the room to wrap him up in a hug.
Making up with Chloe felt so natural. So easy. Sure, she felt the hug a little too intensely. But she didn't mean him harm. The feelings he felt coursing into himself from her were only nice ones: comfort, care, admiration. Sure, her outpouring of emotion was pumping glucose into his veins by the minute...but it was all so delicious, he didn't want it to stop.
They were still locked in their embrace when Malcolm zipped into the room, a blur until he managed to slow his own inertia. It took a toll on him--once he managed to stop running, he bent double, out of breath. It made sense: he was a little heftier than when Ben had seen him last.
"Whoa. So like...you guys are cool now?"
Ben didn't want the hug to break...but they couldn't stand there like that forever.
Chloe pulled back and smiled. "Yes, Mal. We're cool."
Felicity rolled her eyes. "Now then. While you two were off doing, oh, whatever, the kill count at Rivington has risen to forty."
"Ay, hold up a second, who said anything about a kill count?" Malcolm interjected. "They're all still just missing...right?" He looked to Ben for an answer.
"We...we have no way of knowing for sure," he confessed. "But they're covering the disappearances in the news...if any bodies turned up, they'd show it, right?"
"In. The. Meantime." Felicity fixed Chloe and Malcolm with a stern stare. Ben was somehow immune from her wrath--years of history, he presumed--and while he wished his recently reconciled friends weren't in Felicity's crosshairs, he couldn't help but feel relieved. "When are we going to act?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Felicity, it's, like, just not realistic for us to spring into action ASAP. For one thing, I'm not ready. I need to train myself to be able to withstand all the mental screaming on campus, otherwise I'll freeze up as soon as I step foot there!"
Ben was glad she'd used herself as an example; he was unprepared, too, by a long shot. But did his friends need reminding of the fact out loud?
"Sorry--sorry I'm late!" came a new voice, as a plump, dark-haired girl dressed in all black pushed her way past the door, ass-first, her arms full of binders and notebooks of schoolwork. Ben recognized Heather Greene from the betting pool. Chloe waved, and even Malcolm gave her a fond nod of acknowledgement.
"Who the **** are you?" Felicity snapped, her patience slipping by the minute. Overhead, the lights began to flicker: Ben was reaching capacity as far as how much of the ensemble's energy he could contain.
"I'm--I'm Heather, I'm Chloe's gi--Chloe's friend. She invited me to the meeting. Something about rescuing a bunch of missing kids?"
Felicity glared at Chloe. "You didn't think to put this to a vote?"
"She's crazy powerful! She'll make a great asset to the team. She's already saved me once. And she already has a supersona and everything!"
"Well, then," said Felicity, "show me what you can do."
With a crack, the floor underfoot gave way as several tendrils of vine burst forth from the earth and bound Felicity's feet to the linoleum. Felicity just stood there, unflinching, before yanking her left foot free, snapping the vines in the process. Heather recoiled with a grunt of agony, as if Felicity had scathed her physical body and not merely the plants she was controlling. Her pain burned white hot through Ben. Soon, Chloe's panic and Felicity's smug satisfaction entered the mix, sending him over the edge. A crackle of static sounded around him and a sudden jolt racked his entire body. He collapsed on the ground, electrocuted.