Noelle - Day 163 (Marathon 2)

Hiya!
What up everybody?  Are you ready for a long, boring post?!  BECAUSE I AM!!!  WHOO!!

I promised to post the schedule for this train-wreck of an RMS marathon today, so here it is (read it and weep...or destroy me in the comment section at least....)

Yesterday, Dec. 1st - Parts 8 and 9

Today - Parts 10 & 11

Tomorrow - Part 12

Dec. 4th - Part 13

Dec. 5th - Parts 14, 15, and 16

Dec. 6th - Parts 17, 18, and 19

Final Day Dec. 7th - Part 20

Alright, you ready to really truly honestly kick this off? (All People Experienced w/Marathons: NOOOOOOOO)  Oh shush, it'll be fine.  And you'll be begging me for more story parts by the end of it (NO WE WON'T)  Y'all are a hard crowd to please, you know that?  (YESSSS)

The Survivors (Parts 10 & 11)

“Alright,” Jess snapped once her siblings were out of earshot.  “I can’t beat you up, because I’m not allowed to hurt you...you’ve already gotten out of my ropes...I’m not allowed to use my stone powers....”

“You could just let me go,” Nova said hopefully.

“Hahahaha - no.  The kids need a chance to fight each other.  I’m going to give them some time to sort out who’s on who’s side, and you’re going nowhere.”

“Wait, what?”  He stopped struggling and stared at Jess, confused.

“You think I didn’t notice that Mirage helped you?  Double-agent-ing is a normal part of the Dragon Games, and Mirage needs to step out of her comfort zone a bit.  Who knows what can happen if I’m not breathing down their necks!”

“You’re...letting them beat eachother up?”

“Naw, Mirage doesn’t fight like that.  She’ll probably use Clea’s doppleganger trick.”

Nova shuddered.  Clea was Jess’s twin sister (now in S.H.I.E.L.D. jail) who had deliberately forced her not-evil sister to look evil and use her powers.  At the same time, they had looked identical, and it had never occurred to the team that Jess might be the Stone Dragon, so they had attacked the wrong person.  Unfortunately.

Jess was still talking.  “Anyway, Mozart likes Mirage more, so they’ll probably team up - no surprises there - and Astra will want to stick with her big sister, the best fighter.  That and physics, the only things of value in her world.”

There was no noise for a few moments, then....

“I had siblings,” Nova said abruptly.

Jess stared at him, surprised.  “You do?”

“Did.  ...  You weren’t the only one who wasn’t allowed to live with their family.”

She got up off of him finally, making him gasp for breath, and they sat side-by-side against a black divider.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “I-I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok.”  His hand slid towards her’s.  Jess smacked it as quick as lightning and Sam got the message loud and clear.

As he nursed his wounded wrist, Jess got up and paced back and forth between the two dividers of that that little clearing.  After about five minutes of this, Nova finally said, “Alright, what’s up?”

She glared at him, then continued pacing.  “I’m just wondering if it’s really worth it to hide my powers like this.”

“Jess!”  They had all agreed that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ‘Dragon Protocol’ was for the best.

“Well, think about it.  I mean, it’s not like I don’t use them - or that they’re that dangerous - or -”

“Jess.  You ripped a hole in a five-foot-thick wall like it was nothing.  After you were injured pretty badly.”

She glared at him.  “That really was nothing.  The biggest thing I ever did was the earthquake of ‘09.  But that’s a different story.”

“Please tell me that you didn’t just claim responsibility for the earthquake of ‘09.”

“Fine, I won’t tell you.”  Jess stopped pacing and started doing air punches.  Her face was pensive and strained - trapped, almost - but when she continued, her voice was still cheerfully sarcastic, as usual.  “I also won’t tell you about the 4th Loki invasion.  Anyway, I’m just wondering if all the regulations and red tape and stuff is really worth it, you know what I mean?”

“No,” Sam said bluntly.

She did a spin kick at nothing, landed it flawlessly, and then continued, “Look at it this way - what if you were forced to wear your helmet everyday for years, but couldn’t answer any questions about it, call yourself Nova, or even fly?  What if you had that power literally in the palm of your hand, but if you used it, S.H.I.E.L.D. would take it away and destroy any evidence that you ever existed?  How would you feel?”

“I dunno.”

“Bah!  You’re hopeless,” Jess said, punching him in the shoulder and flopping back down on the ground.  “That’s your homework for the weekend then - figure out how frustrating this can get.  I bet you would explode.”

He returned her punch and they sat in awkward silence.

“You’re right,” Nova said suddenly.  “I would explode, and I don’t know how you haven’t.”

Jess opened her mouth to respond, and at that precise moment, shouts began to echo the training hall.  “That’s our cue.  Remember, we’re mortal enemies!”  She called over the noise and vanished into the darkness with Nova in close pursuit.

*******

Nova somehow beat Jess there, and the five players were standing in a half circle, facing the final corridor.  Jess frowned.  The maze’s exit was only a few steps behind them.

She couldn’t hear a word, but Jess’s instinct went immediately haywire when she saw what looked like Astra talking to Danny with civil tones and Nova shaking hands with Mozart and Mirage.  A tiny smirk played across her face.  Just like she had expected.

Jess did something she hadn’t been allowed to do for years - link herself with the stone around her.  The signals barraging her brain were overwhelming at first, but as she sank into the stone world and left the human one, it became easier to see.  Yep, there were no other entrances to the end of the maze.  She pulled herself out of the connection with an inaudible gasp and stepped into the light of the final corridor.

Astra spotted her first.  Her brown curly hair tossed and her whole body stiffened, bracing for an impact that was sure to come.  Iron Fist and Nova were right behind her - Danny’s hands burst into flame, ready to fight, and Nova rose slowly into the air, his hands glowing as well with blueish light.  Mozart saw her and backed up, like this was all planned.  Just like Jess had expected.

One small hiccup in the plan.  Where was Mirage?

Jess’s critical grey eyes analyzed the scene and they all stood in utter silence, waiting for the real explosion.  Mirage missing was never good.... she froze.  He’s right behind me, isn’t he?