Recent Posts

The van had been quiet while the team infiltrated the taxidermy facility. There are some noises that could have been fighting, but it was no use listening since she promised she would behave. infultrated Evelyn considered that word while she practiced throwing stars into the cup holder. She could shut her eyes now and still make it, feeling muscle memory and her mutation weave together in harmony. Maybe she could keep working with Jude? He seemed to recognize her usefulness more than the Mansion staff did. Did black ops train kids? They didn’t seem keen on it, but she could hope, right?

There was finally movement and Jude returned with a boy practically drowning in an ugly jacket. He had a pair of bunny ears that dropped, and his body spoke more about what happened than Evelyn wanted to know. He looked, haunted. Instead of being relieved at his rescue, his body language kept playing the same thing over and over. [Disappointment. Self-loathing. Pain. Shame] Evelyn felt stunned. These people, they hurt him? Why did this boy feel so upset? Why wasn’t he happier they came? No, he was happy, but the other emotions were burying that, like ocean waves crashing down on him.

”He can sit here. I know what to do.” Evelyn said calmly. She put her stars in her backpack and let Zaid sit between them. Then she gently reached out a hand and touched him on the ear. The boy flinched initially as the echoes invaded, before Evelyn began to focus. Memories, she needed memories of happy things. Calm things. She focused on memories of painting, the excitement of putting color on paper. She focused on the thoughts of flowers, and walking through the park. She even thought of hanging out with Elke and the fun of having a new friend.

Like a hypnotist, she stroked his ears and let the playbacks smooth him. The bunny boy quickly grew peaceful and drifted to a deep sleep. As he curled up, Evelyn gave Jude a small glance, holding out the other hand if he wanted it. This was the only way she knew to be useful now, and she wasn’t sure why, but she desperately wanted to be useful.

Evelyn was pleased Jude filled in about the shooting thing. There were some things experience taught you that books could not. She had yet to be around any firearms, and frankly, she had little understanding what could happen if she jarred her brain too much. There were certain noises and experiences that frankly, pissed off the echoes. Loud noises seemed like it could be one of them.

Jude gave a description of her powers that she actually rather liked. Subtitles, audio descriptions. Yes, that was a bit what it felt like sometimes. It was a lot of information, but useful when used the right way. It also made sense when she considered how she avoided going crazy with them. How do you deal with subtitles you don’t want? Just don’t read them.

They pulled up the vehicle information, sifted through what they had, and just like that...a match. It felt, easy. Given what was in the voicemail, she knew that the individuals they were pursuing were dangerous. Maybe they knew the risk of being followed and acted accordingly. Or maybe they were overconfident. It was surprising how often the later was true. Evelyn had learned one of the biggest downfall of any criminal was when they decided they were too good to be caught. Hmm, maybe she should self-reflect on that?

As they drove, Evelyn and to be careful not to bump Bird of Prey with her arm. He seemed to twitch a couple of times at the incoming wave of information, and she glanced his way after one such moment.

”Hey, wanna see a trick?” She opened her backpack and pulled out a handful of little paper stars. She had practiced origami the other day and found these were great for target practice. She nodded at the cup holder on the ground, then touched his arm so he could hear the echoes. Military background must have been all that kept him from responding to the intrusion.

She tossed one star, intentionally missing. The echoes started correcting her, jabbering directions and calculations. She focused, letting the noise direct the next throw. Into the cup holder it went!

Thomas seemed mildly interested as she pulled her hand away. ”You know, with the right training, you could make a decent sniper.” he admitted. She planted a little star in his hand and proceeded to be a distraction for several miles.

Time went faster with the practice. Soon, they grew more serious as they approached their target. The building was a warehouse that looked mostly empty. It seemed to be along old shipping lines, perhaps used as a drop point between different suppliers. Now it obviously functioned as a drop-off for something worse. Evelyn rested a small hand on Jude's, letting the echoes guide them both. There were no games now. Just business. She noted the tire tracks, leading to a closed bay, and pinpointd the area more frequently traveled. She wasn't an expert on tire patterns, but one day she hoped she could be. That would have made matching the tracks easier to what she faced. Instincts said they were heading in the right direction.

As a minor holding area, it was easy to swoop in without gathering much attention. The mercenaries made quick work securing the scene. Evelyn didn't get to see much of the action because of her promise to minimize the danger she was in. She was a little disappointed. She wanted to study the men in action, but found herself cleaning paper stars off the floor of the van and putting them back in her bag.

When the coast was clear, she was able to head inside. They had apprehended two men in the end, resting inside the warehouse. They were busy rewrapping one man’s neck and had missed the intrusion. Sometimes, luck was better than all the planning in the world. The first man seemed bored and uninterested in their appearance. The other caught Evelyn's attention. When she saw him, she made sure Jude heard what the echoes did.

[Puncture wound, neck. Bite mark, hand. Neck similar to snake bite, hand similar to human.] He had a run in with someone, two someones. The tattooed guy would be their lead.

"You idiots think I'm going to tell you anything? F*** you," he spat, as if sensing the attention turning his way. Even if he didn’t talk, there should be a way to get the right address off him. They had sent Zaid somewhere new, and now they just had to find out where. Evelyn sighed. It would probably get dirty again. Making people talk had a way of doing that, if she knew anything from the internet.

Evelyn looked slowly around the room while they argued, and felt a cold chill as the echoes spotted something. There was a knife laying to one side, tossed up on a table like trash, and it still had dark stains like blood. She pulled her hand away from Jude, but felt it was already too late. Blood, there was blood. She looked at the ground, and saw more. She was more relieved than ever she told Jude to grab healing. If only tattoo face had taken the chance to grovel while he could.

Without being told, she put her hands over her ears. You look like you're having a bad day and someone is about to have a worse one... she remembered. This was one of those someones. She didn’t need the playbacks to pick up on the sounds of pain, but knew she couldn’t block them entirely. Hopefully, someone would gag him at least. She would appreciate that. He had to have a phone, an address.

The mercenaries did what they tended to do. And then there was the lead. Evelyn didn’t know why the location would make Jude’s emotions flare the way it did.

It was a taxidermy business.

Evelyn took a moment to roll her eyes at the woman. ”In another life, I’m pretty sure I was better than him. I mean, he was what, thirty, forty? How much of his life was wasted before learning his true potential. I plan to utilize every second and become smarter than anyone. Starting with these chemicals.”

Why couldn’t this girl just leave her alone? Now she wanted to look at the chemicals too? ”You look like you could take another swing at the lab tech situation if you wanted. I mean, since you can’t be a real cop right now. Unless you think interrogating seven years olds is a qualified Assignment? I don’t think I would fit into your job description.” she snuck a container of copper sulfate to the side, tracking the other girl’s actions. Was she stopping her? Stalling? Or had it been undecided. Honestly, she felt this girl was testing. They were dancing a clever game of words now.

Evelyn could see some sort of recognition cross his features the longer he glanced at her. Do I know you? How common those four words we’re becoming! This was becoming an annoyance for her and quite frankly, she found it a little frustrating. Everyone seemed to remember her, but her own experiences were gone. How could someone with a perfect memory actually remember so little? It was like a messed up joke. She struggled to work past it.

”My name is Evelyn, I used to be an adult. Now I’m not.” That was the simplified version of it anyway. She moved closer, letting the echoes prowl in their destructive little way. Something was really upsetting him. But why did she care? She hated adults, hated peoples who looked down on her, had no interest in making friends. Maybe, it was the fact he answered honestly to her question. One word, but meaning was there. He let that darkness show for a moment. The anger, the confidence. He was not like other adults. He had seen things.

He had that same energy she saw in herself. Someone not quite bad, but past the point of really being a good guy.

”I would shake your hand, but unless you enjoy hearing voices in your head, I would avoid skin contact. I have not learned to turn off that little quirk yet. Don’t get me wrong, the echoes are absolutely fabulous for my purposes, but people tend to think your a little freaky when you share their deepest darkest secrets.” in some ways, she felt she was testing him. How did he feel about her powers. Did he remember them? She lived here once before so it seemed possible she encountered other adults back then. Okay, it seemed really likely. She was wearing a one piece jumper today, short sleeves so her arms were bare. She had almost a Tom-Boy appearance, uninterested, except for her eyes. They were locked into a target. Whatever was happening, she had a sudden desire to be involved.

Not as a hero, or a helper, but from some type of strange magnetism. In a world of black and white, she had finally encountered another mutant brimming with all her shades of grey.

Evelyn was sitting in the living room of the mansion today, surrounded by what looked like unusually detailed bank blueprints. Her sharp eyes were looking from one to another, calculating entry points. It was sort of a game she was putting together for Elke. You know, criminal minds type expertise. She would gather a scenario for them to work through and just pretend to be criminals executing the mission. At least, that is the story she would tell any adult who came through.

The echoes heard someone arriving and Evelyn looked up, spotting a face in the doorway. Her silver eyes gazed at him without recognition, but she had that unusual twist in her stomach seeing his face. [Withheld emotions, anger, concern.]

Without understanding why, she stood, brow narrowing. ”You look like you’re having a bad day... and are about to make someone have a worse one.” She stated simply.

Evelyn felt a hand on her back and her entire figure went ridged. Despite the meltdown she was having, the comfort was equally surprising. People didn’t do that. She was not uneducated enough to lack knowledge of hugs completely, but this type of reassurance was foreign to her.
Her first instinct was to push Maya away, but she felt frozen.

Breathe... she gave a struggling attempt to compose herself, and then made the slow and stiff movement away from the other girl. She had a moment of weakness, true, but they weren’t friends. She only had one friend. Elke.. Elke with her grandnplans and large ideas. Elke who liked her but didn’t pity her or try to change her.

Maya was right, she didn’t have to do it alone. The only problem was the companion Evelyn had chosen was a bad influence. ”I don’t think I did as well you remember. But I have to do better this time.” her brow was knitting with resolve, and the traces of older Evelyn seemed to be pushed aside again. In this bridge between times, compassion was still losing in her heart.

For the first time since she deaged, Evelyn was struggling to process things. Her brain was jarred by the lack of memories to help her, and her echoes were trying to piece it all together. The apartment she lived in, her blocked contact with her parents, the way Maya has said Who hit you? She swiped at her eyes, sniffling.

”You thought...no, they haven’t. My parents, that is. I guess they didn’t become better people when I got older...? I figured, since they blocked me, I mean. At least they would never do something that would leave a mark like that. Gossip is a dirty weapon when you’re upper class.” she mocked. She was not going to get into the fact she had been hit a number of times in the past, but slaps tended to fade quickly, and there were plenty of punishments that didn't leave a mark.

Things could probably be clearer to Maya the longer they talked. This Evelyn never had Jensen there to help her. She never had an adult who cared about her powers or what she could do. This was the Evelyn from the youngest years, the freak who her parents did everything to silence. The rebellion, the attitude, the fits of aggression. This was a child trying to find herself in a world that never gave her a direction. Only the echoes were there, the uncaring, calculating, emotionless voices. No wonder she was already a mess.

”I didn’t have memories of my powers manifesting, so I figured it must have been from back then...From older me? I, I don’t like this...” she swallowed hard, gripping her hair in her fists. Her head hurt, her brain hurt. It felt like her body was revolting against what was happening now.  She could smell gasoline everywhere from the bottles, trying to prevent the sensation of regret. It was there, that human strand that had grown and flourished as an adult. The desire to do things, be better than the people who raised her. There was the adult emotions that had not gone away even with her memories: an instinct to protect someone she cared about, the wish to make someone proud, the fear of being a disappointment. She could not remember things, but it was in her heart that she had been something different, grown into someone better. And now, that person was gone. 

"Telling me more won't make these stupid powers go away! Telling me more wont stop the fact that whatever happened to put me back to this age is only speeding up whatever chaos my powers were already creating!” the unwritten fear was there the more she thought about it. The old Evelyn disappeared, ran away from the people who cared about her. She lacked the age and experiences of that life, but her heart felt the same jolt of panic. What if her powers had really caused her to break? What if they were set to do it again? Was there any way to stall her decent into insanity. 

Would she really go insane? How often could those painful memories come back? Was there a limit on the play back? Memories, over and over and over. No....nonononono.