October 22, 2012 ? Monday, Late Night
FireStar continued to rage within her mind and Candy felt her resolve weakening. During the match at the Outback she'd resisted the opal's cries for destruction. She'd been too aware of how far it could take her and Matt Simon's presence nearby?waiting to witness the eventual break down. She'd held back the wrath of the fiery stone and with that went the energy it supplied. Her own resources tapped out, running on just fumes. The loss came as no surprise.
Despite the fact that Candy couldn't recall the last time she'd had something to eat that wasn't a Badsider, she turned Apple's offer of buying her a burger down. She didn't want Apple to be around her when the floodgates came tumbling down. With a beer in hand, Candy left the Outback. The cool night's air turned hot against the flesh of her skin and the stars that shined in the sky blurred with every step she took away from the building...
--
October 24, 2012 ? Wednesday, Afternoon
Chaos. A symphony of it ran through her mind. A hazy memory that whispered one moment and screamed the next. Images and sounds battled it out in the fields of her mind. Memories, dreams, realities that weren't, and realities that could have been. Stars sparkled against a night sky and then erupted into explosions of blood red and bone white. Faces and voices swam in and out, in and out, in and out... until everything went black and only darkness remained. A sound cut through the silence, a steady, slow-paced beep.
-beep-
-beep-
-beep-
Awareness of the sound solidified, it wasn't part of the dream. The pain that encompassed her body an all too real part of her reality as well. With effort, she cracked her eyes open. A white, blinding light met her unprepared pupils and forced her to close her eyes again with a grunt. A metal ring around her wrist halted her attempt to bring her right hand up as a shield against the unwelcomed brightness. She fought against the resistance with another jerk before her eyes were able to open and confirm what she suspected?handcuffs secured her wrist to the side of a hospital bed. She muttered a curse, voice weak and throat sore.
"You're awake."
Simon Murdock sat in a chair down toward the end of the bed on the right side. He didn't smile. Candy took in the line of his lips, the slight crease in his brow, and the apparent lack of any of his usual reading material used to pass the time. After a prolonged silence, Simon stood up to retrieve the water pitcher and cup beside the bed. Without a word, adjusted the bed into a sitting position before offering her the drink. Her left hand proved shaky but capable of managing the task. The water offered some comfort to her throat. Three short drinks later, she found her voice once more. "What's th' damage?"
"No one dead. No one pressing charges, but you'll be questioned. The situation's been left out of the papers."
It showed how well he'd gotten to know her that he didn't waste time telling her what she could already guess about herself and got to the real point of her question. She bobbed her head a couple of times, running through the vague recollections. Left out of the papers... for now.
"You've been out for over a day." Simon added, his voice edging between concern and anger.
No shock registered on the woman's face. She started to take another drink from the cup of water, not looking to the man that stood beside her.
"You need to retire that rock."
His words made her pause. No surprise that he felt that way, she'd felt it herself more than a dozen times. A short sigh issued. "I can't."
No argument sounded from the man, but at his side Candy could see his hand balled into a white knuckled fist. She couldn't help but recall her father doing the same when keeping his irritation in check against her 'stubbornly willful' mother. The thought almost made her smile, but a frown found her features instead. Jay had put the attention of the guard on her and even though they couldn't pin anything on her and had since moved on?it had been enough to ruin her plans. The guard had picked her up seconds before she could get her hands on her target and the man's realization of her unmasked intent haunted her. Her enemies had resources and it'd be enough to put two and two together. Cup settled into her lap, Candy looked up at Simon. "It's the only thing keepin' me alive."
She looked down, felt the metal of the handcuff pressed against her skin. "There are... people. An' they might be after me now. But ...they'd need me alive. So long as I got the rock... they won't try anythin'. Me with it..." Her words stalled out and she had to take another drink of water before going on, "too unpredictable. They can't control it."
"-You- can't control it."
FireStar continued to rage within her mind and Candy felt her resolve weakening. During the match at the Outback she'd resisted the opal's cries for destruction. She'd been too aware of how far it could take her and Matt Simon's presence nearby?waiting to witness the eventual break down. She'd held back the wrath of the fiery stone and with that went the energy it supplied. Her own resources tapped out, running on just fumes. The loss came as no surprise.
Despite the fact that Candy couldn't recall the last time she'd had something to eat that wasn't a Badsider, she turned Apple's offer of buying her a burger down. She didn't want Apple to be around her when the floodgates came tumbling down. With a beer in hand, Candy left the Outback. The cool night's air turned hot against the flesh of her skin and the stars that shined in the sky blurred with every step she took away from the building...
--
October 24, 2012 ? Wednesday, Afternoon
Chaos. A symphony of it ran through her mind. A hazy memory that whispered one moment and screamed the next. Images and sounds battled it out in the fields of her mind. Memories, dreams, realities that weren't, and realities that could have been. Stars sparkled against a night sky and then erupted into explosions of blood red and bone white. Faces and voices swam in and out, in and out, in and out... until everything went black and only darkness remained. A sound cut through the silence, a steady, slow-paced beep.
-beep-
-beep-
-beep-
Awareness of the sound solidified, it wasn't part of the dream. The pain that encompassed her body an all too real part of her reality as well. With effort, she cracked her eyes open. A white, blinding light met her unprepared pupils and forced her to close her eyes again with a grunt. A metal ring around her wrist halted her attempt to bring her right hand up as a shield against the unwelcomed brightness. She fought against the resistance with another jerk before her eyes were able to open and confirm what she suspected?handcuffs secured her wrist to the side of a hospital bed. She muttered a curse, voice weak and throat sore.
"You're awake."
Simon Murdock sat in a chair down toward the end of the bed on the right side. He didn't smile. Candy took in the line of his lips, the slight crease in his brow, and the apparent lack of any of his usual reading material used to pass the time. After a prolonged silence, Simon stood up to retrieve the water pitcher and cup beside the bed. Without a word, adjusted the bed into a sitting position before offering her the drink. Her left hand proved shaky but capable of managing the task. The water offered some comfort to her throat. Three short drinks later, she found her voice once more. "What's th' damage?"
"No one dead. No one pressing charges, but you'll be questioned. The situation's been left out of the papers."
It showed how well he'd gotten to know her that he didn't waste time telling her what she could already guess about herself and got to the real point of her question. She bobbed her head a couple of times, running through the vague recollections. Left out of the papers... for now.
"You've been out for over a day." Simon added, his voice edging between concern and anger.
No shock registered on the woman's face. She started to take another drink from the cup of water, not looking to the man that stood beside her.
"You need to retire that rock."
His words made her pause. No surprise that he felt that way, she'd felt it herself more than a dozen times. A short sigh issued. "I can't."
No argument sounded from the man, but at his side Candy could see his hand balled into a white knuckled fist. She couldn't help but recall her father doing the same when keeping his irritation in check against her 'stubbornly willful' mother. The thought almost made her smile, but a frown found her features instead. Jay had put the attention of the guard on her and even though they couldn't pin anything on her and had since moved on?it had been enough to ruin her plans. The guard had picked her up seconds before she could get her hands on her target and the man's realization of her unmasked intent haunted her. Her enemies had resources and it'd be enough to put two and two together. Cup settled into her lap, Candy looked up at Simon. "It's the only thing keepin' me alive."
She looked down, felt the metal of the handcuff pressed against her skin. "There are... people. An' they might be after me now. But ...they'd need me alive. So long as I got the rock... they won't try anythin'. Me with it..." Her words stalled out and she had to take another drink of water before going on, "too unpredictable. They can't control it."
"-You- can't control it."