Time ticked by as slowly as it only could when someone was in a hospital waiting room. Once Sveta figured out that the whole thing might take a while, and she could not reach anyone to stay and wait instead of her, she had to resolve to her fate of being stuck here to take care of the stray she had found. He was not exactly a friend, but he had been a sweet guy once upon a time, and she would have felt bad about leaving. So she stayed. She went to the bathroom and scrubbed her hands clean, and then flirted one of the male nurses into giving her scrubs to substitute for her missing shirt. She got some food from a vending machine, and sent a message to Devon, letting him know she was staying out with a friend who had an accident. Just in case someone was looking for her back at Haven...

It was about two, maybe three hours later that a nurse walked up to her, letting her know that her husband was awake.

"So. I am your wife now?" Sveta smirked as she walked up to Akshay's bed. He looked like hell, but at least he was bandaged up. "They told me you'll be fine. Nothing permanent, so that's good. How are you feeling?"

The wait was agonizing, but Akshay decided that he would wait. He sat back in the bed, feeling the soreness spreading across his side, but knew that it was still better than what it was when he first landed in the alley. That had been painful, this was just a nuisance. The worst part of it all was simply the fact that everything just felt so weird. He knew that it wasn’t the pain that was bothering him, but rather it was the fact that something just felt off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was wrong and he was desperate to know what it was.

The nurse continued to wander left and right, her eyes focused solely upon the clipboard in her hands. God how he just wanted to smack her over the head with it. But he wouldn’t: A.) she didn’t deserve it, and B.) she wasn’t a mutant. Sadly, even in the midst of agonizing pain, Akshay’s abilities were still active, seeping out into the world and connecting with every nearby mutant.

Speaking of, he could see one, bright and shiny, as they walked in from the outside waiting room and towards his hall. That could only be…

>> "So. I am your wife now?”

As she rounded the corner, a smile on her lips, Akshay turned his gaze down. The woman was still here. To be honest he figured that she would have left, after all, she didn’t own him the luxury of staying close. Rather she could have easily just left with a new cellphone in her hands. But she stayed, and the look on her face was of amusement attempting to mask concern.

”Yeah…” he said. ”Figured it was the best way to ensure you could come back here.” he snorted. ”Besides, I doubt telling them you were my sister was going to hold water.”

>> They told me you'll be fine. Nothing permanent, so that's good. How are you feeling?"

He nodded his head. The nurses had told him the same thing. That his wounds would heal and that the pain would go away. But that didn’t change the fact that the man was still concerned about where he was and what was going on. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Akshay reached for his shirt, wincing at he stretched the side that was predominantly wounded, and snagged his shirt from a table. Slowly he started to slip it on, covering himself.

”I’ve been better.” he said. ’But I guess being in pain at least means I’m still alive.”

With his good arm, he ran his fingers through his locks of ebony hair. For a moment there he eyed the blonde, carefully, taking in her appearance. Any other day, this would be another tag job. He would hunt her down, carefully, and inject a tracking device. Or, if she were useful to the organization, she would be courted for membership. However, on this day, he owed her – that alone was probably what stayed his hand the most. She could have robbed him or just left him for dead, but she helped him. The least he could do was allow her this free pass.

The weight of his responsibilities settling down on him again, Akshay nodded to her. ”Do you still have my phone? Were you able to get through?”

>>”Yeah… Figured it was the best way to ensure you could come back here. Besides, I doubt telling them you were my sister was going to hold water.”

"Well... I've been married for worse reasons." Sveta shrugged with a smirk. She was not even telling a lie with that one. This one was for a good reason anyway; since she had not gotten through to any of Akshay's friends or family, she was the only person who knew he was injured and in a hospital. She owed him this much help. He looked better

>>”I’ve been better. But I guess being in pain at least means I’m still alive.”

"Yeah. With the fall you took, it's definitely not all that bad." She pointed out, pulling up a chair to his bed. He had been blasted across half the island; having a dislocated shoulder and a stab wound was definitely not the worst that could have happened to him.

>>”Do you still have my phone? Were you able to get through?”

"No." Sveta sighed, handing the phone back to him "None of the numbers got through. None in your phone anyway. I tied calling mine and it rang." she shrugged "Maybe your phone got damaged in the fall. Wanna try mine?"

So…she had been married before? Akshay wasn’t entirely sure if she were just joking or if it were actually something that she had experienced. A glance at her showed that she was fairly young, mid to late twenties, he guessed? Had she been married multiple times? Divorced so quickly? The thoughts were not exactly important but they did pique his curiosity. Sadly, this was information that would have to wait for another time. Instead he had to focus on the now and exactly what happened.

Pulling up a chair, Svetlana inquired after his health and he had muttered that he had been better. He had been worse too. Akshay could be lying dead in that gutter if she hadn’t helped him. However, now that he was patched up, he needed to get back into work mode. There was still a rogue agent that was loose in the city and HQ needed to be contacted as soon as possible, otherwise things were going to get a whole lot worse for all parties.

His phone. She still had his phone. So he asked, was she able to get through to his superior. While he should have been worried that he was breaking protocol by having a civilian call in an unlisted number, he couldn’t worry about that right now. He’d take whatever tongue lashing that they had waiting for him later.

>> "No…None of the numbers got through. None in your phone anyway. I tied calling mine and it rang…Maybe your phone got damaged in the fall. Wanna try mine?"

He cursed under his breath. The phone must have been damaged. But if she were able to call her own phone…then why was HQ not working? He grumbled. ”No use.” he said as he took the phone back from her. ”These phones are preset to contact headquarters. If I can’t reach them…something is wrong.”

He started to climb out of the bed, trying to ignore the pain in his side and feeling wobbly on his feet.

”I need to get back to Madison Square Park. Something happened…I think…” his thoughts were still a jumbled mess but he knew that had to be his next location. Besides, that other agent was there, the power booster. His phone could still be working. Standing. Askshay winced, leaning against the bed as he detached equipment from himself. He eyed Sveta before he nodded to the curtain and spoke in a lower voice. ”Keep an eye out. I have to get out of here.”

As much as he hated to admit it, it seemed he still had use for her.

>>”No use. These phones are preset to contact headquarters. If I can’t reach them…something is wrong.”

"Headquarters." Sveta muttered, poking at the malfunctioning phone. Akshay was really a serious... something. Go figure. He even sounded serious, with all the goofy parts gone. "So, you really work for the government now?"

Not like he was not the type of person. In Sveta's experience, few people were any one type of person. And Akshay had a... guy, and a kid. His life had clearly taken an adult turn.

And then he decided to get out of bed.

"Hey!"

>>”I need to get back to Madison Square Park. Something happened…I think… Keep an eye out. I have to get out of here.”

"Yeah no sh*t something happened" Sveta blinked, holding up her own phone on which she had been scrolling through the news "Some kind of a portal opened up and everyone is freaking out that the aliens are gonna invade. Is that related to de mutant that blasted you out here?..."

She watched him detach things and scramble to get ready to go. She sighed. It would have been too easy to leave him recovering in a bed.

"How exactly am I gonna walk you out of here?..."

>> "Headquarters. So, you really work for the government now?"

Akshay knew that he was saying too much but at this point, he really just didn’t care. It was getting harder and harder to keep up the pretense. She believed that she knew him, that he was someone whom she had interacted with before, but if so, he had absolutely no recollection of her. Besides, all her assumptions were wrong. He never had a “shop” and he was certain that if he had met her before today, he probably would have already tagged her. However, the only thing staying his hand right now was the fact that he owed her. She helped him and that alone kept her off the chopping block.

”Something like that,” he admitted. With a nod of his head, Akshay knew that he needed to get out of here. So he started to stand, despite every ache and pain warning him against it.

>>"Hey!"

She tried to fight him on the matter but Akshay was persistent. Maybe it was because he was scared of his superiors, maybe it was the strange sense of buzzing that he could feel rolling through him in gradually increasing waves; whatever the case, the man needed to go. He explained that Madison Square Park was where he needed to be and that alone grabbed her attention.

>> "Yeah no sh*t something happened Some kind of a portal opened up and everyone is freaking out that the aliens are gonna invade. Is that related to de mutant that blasted you out here?..."

He stared at her, momentarily dumbfounded as she produced her phone for him. Staring at the screen that she showed him, Akshay found himself trying to understand what she was showing him. At first it looked like something from a cheesy science fiction show. People running, staring in awe at some swirling vortex that seemed to defy the laws of physics. But the longer he stared, the more he realized that he recognized the area…that was Madison Square Park.

He gulped. His eyes turned to Svetlana’s. Staring at her for a moment, Akshay knew that he would have to process all this later. Once he got out of this place he could head back to the park and see if he could figure what had happened, maybe even make piece together what had occurred between himself, Tanner, and that other agent.

”Maybe…” that was all he could give her on the matter.


>>"How exactly am I gonna walk you out of here?..."

She seemed to resign herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to keep him here. That was good because really he didn’t have much fight left in him right now. The last thing he wanted was the snap at the woman who had essentially saved his life. However, she had a point. He wasn’t in the best shape to just walk out of here without being stopped. Unfortunately this was going to call for a different manner of escape.

He nodded to her. ”Go outside.” he said. ”Leave the building and give me five minutes. I’ll catch up to you.” He then gestured for her to go as, really, he didn’t want to explain it any further.

Once Svetlana was gone, Akshay finished dressing, hiding behind the curtain whenever a nurse would happened by. The blazing beacon that descended down the hall and out the door, he immediately latched onto. Her mutant signature was bright, signifying that she was fairly powerful. Still he wasn’t sure what she could do but he would need to keep his eye on her.

He tracked her, watching as she exited the building and began her wait outside. After a minute or two had passed, Akshay composed himself as he tried to focus on his abilities. It was difficult with the pain and the medication in his body but, sooner enough, he found that familiar tingling rolling across his entire body. His eyes flashed a dangerous shade of red and his flesh and clothing all began to melt into wisps of smoke. The nurse walked in just in time to see the man utterly vanished, eliciting a scream from her.

Outside the building, a few feet from Svetlana, the white smoke appeared from nowhere, like a haze rolling in. As the haze thickened and developed, Akshay limped out before the woman, catching himself just long enough to lean against a brick wall. His eyes still flashed a neon, dangerous shade of red, but they began to flicker and dim into his normal shade of brown. Lifting his gaze, he eyed the blonde and shrugged.

”Thanks.”

>>”Maybe…”

Maybe? Maybe the mutant that blasted him across the island had something to do with an inter-dimensional wormhole opening up in the middle of New York City? Maybe he had set off some kind of a mutant with powers to rip the fabric of reality? Maybe she, once again, somehow managed to land in the middle of a city-wide cataclism involving overly powerful mutants?...
Maybe Sveta needed to retire to a monastery or something. She'd have to talk to Devon about that.

Also, maybe she was helping Akshay run away from a hospital.

>>”Go outside. Leave the building and give me five minutes. I’ll catch up to you.”

She did. She could have walked away now, but also felt like that time had already passed. So she walked outside, and she wished she had still smoked. Sometimes she could have killed for a smoke...
... and smoke she got, just a different kind. This one was white, and slowly condensed into Akshay, who was, in a few minutes, wobbly on his feet, but definitely tangible. Sveta blinked in surprise, speechless for a few moments.

"... uh. Huh." she shook her head "Okay, dat's definitely new. What happened to the funny word bubbles?... Government update?" she smirked, offering a hand, in case he was about to collapse again.

Maybe it was a mistake to reveal his abilities to Svetlana but at the moment he just didn’t have a choice. He needed to get out of the clinic and he needed her to get him to Madison Square Park. He had to investigate what had happened. He wasn’t sure but something seemed to be drastically off. Whatever it was, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to find the answer lying around in a hospital bed all day. Besides, he was getting a little tired of keeping up the pretense that he was this Akshay guy.

Once she was safely out of the clinic, Akshay locked onto her and evaporated into mist. He did this just as the nurse was coming in, causing her to scream and drop her clipboard. It was a momentarily annoyance. Outside the building, he and Svetlana could get away before whatever authorities that clinic called could investigate. As soon as he made contact with S.U.P.E.R. he would make sure that this clinic was compensated for the trouble.

He had a feeling that the agency were going to be writing a lot of big checks to cover up the majority of this mess. He only hoped that once all the dust settled that he still had a job. Given the media storm that Svetlana showed him, he was actually questioning if that were valid any more. How did the majority of that news even get out when there was already a presence at the scene? Something must have happened, but what?

As she reappeared before the blonde, she seemed to take it all in stride. She started at him, speechless for a few moments as Akshay leaned against a nearby wall for support. Akshay took a second to regain himself, eyeing the hand that Svetlana offered him. The smallest slip of a smiled tugged at his lips as he took it, feeling that strange buzzing sensation again as he helped himself to stand up a bit straighter.

>> "... uh. Huh…Okay, dat's definitely new. What happened to the funny word bubbles?... Government update?"

He paused. Okay so the Akshay she knew was either a mutant or a figment of her imagination. Once he was up and could support himself, Akshay released her hand. Slowly he turned in the direction of Madison Square park and started to walk, waiting for her to join him at his side as he did so. He needed to come clean. He was sure that he couldn’t make this trek himself but he couldn’t keep it up any longer.

Turning, he eyed the blonde closely before he shook his head. ”I can’t do this anymore,” he said. ”Listen, whoever you think I am, I’m not him. I’ve never owned a ‘shop’ and haze teleporting has always been my power.” He stopped to take a breath before continue. ”You have me confused with someone else, hon.”

Akshay steadied himself by taking her hand, and did not recoil from her powers. Sveta was still convinced that it was not a good idea for hi to be up and about, patched up or otherwise; he had lost blood, and he could only move slowly, which was significant when he was intent on moving towards danger. Nevertheless, Sveta walked with him as he turned to start the trek back to Madison Square. When Sveta asked about his powers, he paused.

>>”I can’t do this anymore. Listen, whoever you think I am, I’m not him. I’ve never owned a ‘shop’ and haze teleporting has always been my power. You have me confused with someone else, hon.”

Sveta blinked.

"Yeah, with the other Akshay Malik who looks exactly like you and has mutant powers." she rolled her eyes, although she had to admit that something was definitely off about the whole thing. For one, he did not remember her, and for two, he just... behaved differently. But how many identical-looking Akshays ran around the city with mutations?... "You really never had a comic book shop?... I met you there a few years ago..."

There. It was out in the opening. He was not[ the Akshay that she thought he was. It wasn’t as if the name was super rare or anything so it could easily have been a mistake. However she seemed so assured that she actually knew who he was. She was wrong, clearly, as he didn’t know her in any way. Maybe he should have waited to reveal this bit of information about himself but considering that he was still wounded, he really wasn’t up to playing the role anymore. Whoever this Akshay was she was confusing him for, well, he certainly wasn’t it.

The truth was going to make this whole ordeal so much easier, so long as she continued to play along and help him. As much as Akshay didn’t like to ask others for help, he knew that he needed her help. He wasn’t going to get very far without assistance and, if what they were showing about Madison Square Park was true, he was certainly going to need her assistance.

That was it. He leaned against a wall, removing his hand from hers so that he could stop leaning on her so much. He waited as she let the words sink in, watching her face for an expression or body language that would give him a hint as to her thoughts.

>> "Yeah, with the other Akshay Malik who looks exactly like you and has mutant powers."

He sighed. He really didn’t have time for this. Shaking his head, the taller man pushed off the wall and took a few, cautionary steps before he started to march away from her. However, he did note that she followed and, when she spoke again, he turned to face her, his expression a mask of utter seriousness.

>>"You really never had a comic book shop?... I met you there a few years ago..."

Firmly he shook his head, his eyes locking onto hers to show that he wasn’t lying. ”Never. I grew up here in New York. I bounced around foster homes. I went to college. And soon after I joined the agency.” He shrugged his shoulders. ”I don’t know which Akshay you think I am, but it’s not me.” he turned, wincing a little. Walking was not an option. As his eyes swept over the cars parked along side the street, he glanced left and right, noting that no one but Svetlana was around before he gestured for her to follow him. ”You can drive, right?”

As he limped down the sidewalk, he kept an eye out for people, while also inspecting cars. When he had found one that fit what he was looking for (older, less-likely to have a security system, etc.) he carefully removed his jacket to reveal his bloodstained shirt where he had been punctured by the glass earlier. Wrapping the thick material of the jacket around his arm, Akshay took one last look around before he knelt (with effort) and drove his elbow into the glass, causing it to shatter. Akshay winced, his elbow throbbing from the action, but he couldn’t spare the time to be concerned with that. Unlocking the door, he slowly climbed in and leaned down, attempting to hotwire the vehicle.

His hand reached out of the broken window as he gestured towards her. ”Come on, Sri Lanka..." That was her name, right? "...Unless you want to get arrested?” His hands returned to seeking out the wires he would need to hotwire the vehicle.

>> ”Never. I grew up here in New York. I bounced around foster homes. I went to college. And soon after I joined the agency. I don’t know which Akshay you think I am, but it’s not me.”

Well, that was... odd. Sure, it could have been a coincidence, technically, but it was a damn unlikely one, even as far as coincidences went. Sveta sighed, the guy seemed convinced he was telling the truth. That left two options: One, he had been brainwashed by whatever government agency he was currently working for, and given a new identity (a crappy one though, since he still lived in New York and had a chance to run into people like Sveta), or two...

"If you grew up in the system, maybe you have a twin?" Sveta ventured as she followed a few steps before Akshay staggered, and gave up his stubborn march. For a moment she hoped he'd go back to the hospital... but she was not that lucky.

>>”You can drive, right?”

"Yeah, why?" Sveta blinked innocently. Maybe he had a car stashed somewhere? Or maybe he was planning on rent...

"Oh NO don't you...!"

>>”Come on, Sri Lanka... ...Unless you want to get arrested?”

"Dammit Akshay!" Svetlana hissed as the guy proceeded to break into someone's car. She was definitely not here to become a criminal (again). And he was definitely not the nice goofy guy she had met. Why could she not just run into that other guy instead?... "What, the government's gonna reimburse them for this?..."

>> "If you grew up in the system, maybe you have a twin?"

The thought rebounded in his head. In wasn’t exactly out of the question. After all, he was found on a fire department’s door step. What abandoned child doesn’t believe that they have a family somewhere out in the world that they are just waiting to come across. And wasn’t that a theory? That everyone has a doppleganger? What were the odds that his would be in New York City and would have run into this woman who just so happened to help him? It was astronomical, really, but in this instance, he was willing to believe it was a possibility.

But there was no time to be enamored with thoughts of such things. Rather he needed to focus on his most important problems, namely trying to get back to Madison Square Park and to his fellow agents whom he knew were there. It had been hours, yes, but if something happen, there would be a SUPER presence there to try and contain the situation.

Given that he couldn’t walk all the way there, Akshay opted for the only option that was viable to him. After making sure that Svetlana could drive, he inspected the cars until he found just the right one. And, despite her firm protest, he smashed in the window, struggled to climb in, and started to hotwire it. Sveta seemed less than enthused by his actions, but her judgements were not something he could concern himself with right now.

>> "Dammit Akshay! What, the government's gonna reimburse them for this?..."

He nodded, without peeking out to look at her, and responded in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. ”Yes.”

Busying himself under the steering wheel, he winced and hissed every time the wires sparked and bit into his fingers. Probably not the best thing to be doing considering the last couple of hours, but he was a man on a mission.

When, finally, the car kicked over and the engine roared, Akshay grimaced, hefting himself into a sitting position and then proceeded to drag himself into the passenger seat, trying to mind his leg and his side. Oh he wanted nothing more than to be home. Even if he and his husband were having troubles and he cheated on him (constantly) being home was his only concern. Well, that a making sure he could contact HQ so he could get a handle on what was going on.

Finally peeking at Sveta he waved for her and gestured to the driver’s seat. ”Get in. Please. I…I have to get to Madison Square Park. Whatever this vortex is that their reporting….I need to see.”

>>”Yes.”

Well, that was a blatant and obvious lie. The government had never reimbursed anyone ever for collateral damage done while on covert missions; it would have kind of defeated the purpose, not to mention wrecked the national budget with claims. But it seemed that Akshay did not give one damn, and that he really needed to get back to where he started, and take care of whatever hell had broken loose with that vortex thing. Sveta knew that her being close to a potentially dangerous god-like mutant was a very bad idea - but if Akshay had a chance to stop them, maybe she could help.

>>”Get in. Please. I…I have to get to Madison Square Park. Whatever this vortex is that their reporting….I need to see.”

He had successfully hotwired the car, and now he expected her to drive. A stolen car.

"Dis is a bad idea." Sveta noted for the record before she got in the vehicle.

"So, what kind of a mutant did this to you anyway?" she asked as she steered the car into traffic and began to drive towards the Park. A lot more people were driving in the opposite direction, which was a telling sign; but a lot of them were also jumpy and distracted, so Sveta had to keep a close eye on the road to avoid running into oncoming traffic.

>> "Dis is a bad idea."

Akshay merely rolled his eyes as he dragged himself away from the driver’s seat and settled into the passenger. He could drive but considering how sore he was, and the blood loss that he had suffered, he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the most ideal of circumstances. If he passed out or his leg stiffened up, it was going to cause a lot more problems. Therefore, he could only insist that Sveta be the one to drive, hoping that she wouldn’t fight him too hard on the issue.

When she relented, he breathed a small sigh of relief but he didn’t say anything along those lines. Instead, he just set himself up in the seat, buckled himself in, and picked up his phone again. Placing it to his ear, he tried to call the home office again but, still, nothing was happening. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something strange was indeed happening. Whatever it was, though, seemed beyond him. That was always encouraging to think.

Instead, Akshay flipped to the news feeds and tried to zero in on any incidents that were being reported from Madison Square Park. For the most part, everything was just as Svetlana showed him from her phone. Surprising some of his bookmarked news feed sites wouldn’t load, saying that the site didn’t exist, but the major ones all seemed to be working just fine; another checkmark in the “huh” column.

It was as he was reading a report from a major news caster that Svetlana broke the quiet…

>>"So, what kind of a mutant did this to you anyway?"

He shook his head. He looked up, briefly, annoyed at what he was reading on the report seemed to be nothing but gibberish, but also seemingly understandable. Talking to Svetlana would be a good distraction, but how much to say? Wasn’t that always the trick?

”Rogue agent,” he started to explain. ”He has a time manipulating ability. Just as I was about to…apprehend him…something…happened…” He shook his head, looking out the window and at the eclipse that was still blotting out the sun. ”I don’t know how to explain it. Time….froze…everything froze and I needed to escape. None of it makes sense…but…somehow I locked onto you and I teleported out.” He scoffed. ”Which is what is strange. I’ve never been able to go that far out. So…I don’t know what happened but I damn well am going to find out.”

>>”Rogue agent. He has a time manipulating ability. Just as I was about to…apprehend him…something…happened… I don’t know how to explain it. Time….froze…everything froze and I needed to escape. None of it makes sense…but…somehow I locked onto you and I teleported out.”

Sveta crunched up her nose as she drove on. She did not like this situation one bit. Akshay, who was not Akshay, but worked for the government... the portal at the park where he had been fighting a mutant... the whole teleporting thing with the glowing eyes, and the phone that didn't work, and the family he now apparently had, and the entire thing was just all-around suspicious, and she began to consider whether it would be wiser to let someone know about it. Like MRC. Akshay said he worked for the government, right?...

>>”Which is what is strange. I’ve never been able to go that far out. So…I don’t know what happened but I damn well am going to find out.”

"Dat part was probably me." Sveta sighed "My powers, I mean." it occurred to her that if he was not the same Akshay, he wouldn't know about her, but it did not really matter now "Anyhow. Time manipulation, you said?... Could it be that maybe somehow he sent you... dunno, to another place in time?... Where are you from?"

God, this all sounded like the pilot episode for a bad sci-fi show...