A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

Graves and Officer Imposter escorted us down lengths of underground corridors.

“I figured I wouldn’t get to see the real Site,” Grace muttered dejectedly. “Mr. Graves doesn’t even know what the waste pools look like.”

“I think I could fix that,” whispered Ian.

Graves led us into the antechamber of a cavernous laboratory full of various imaging and testing equipment I could recognize and a lot I couldn’t. It figured. Anyone referring to this place as a testing facility would have thought it pertained more directly to nuclear research. “Kids,” I said, “welcome to the east Idaho testing facility of the super black ops Commission on Superhuman Affairs.”

Graves glared at me. “What?” I replied. “They have a right to know, and they can keep a secret, though with all that’s going on, it looks like that may be a moot issue.”

“She’s right.” A pert, blonde woman in a lab coat entered with two armed, black clothed members of what I hoped was their security detail. “HQ is now considering a certain amount of public disclosure as our only option for damage control.” She held her hand out to me. “Dr. Diane Stanger. And yes, we will need to do some testing on you and your daughter.”

“Where are you going to find a room soundproof enough for me?” said Grace.

“And not that I want to sound paranoid, but I think I should take a moment to consider if I want the organization that would have, given the chance, faked my death and kidnapped me, to even lay a finger on my child! I know of some sound studios and vocal teachers a safe distance away. She can work on her abilities with them,” I added, leaving out any mention of the increasing terror I felt for Ben.

Dr. Stanger’s jaw dropped at the sharp tone I took, but she quickly recovered herself. “I understand. But will you consent to us running some tests on you?”

“Of course,” I replied. “If I didn’t, Graves, your fake cop, and I would not be here.”

“Very well, then. Guards, please attend to the children. This should only take about a half hour.”

I mentally left the kids some directions and a reminder to behave. Stanger, Graves, and I then stepped into the laboratory itself, and before either of the guards could even think of complaining of having to baby-sit, Ian fixed them with one of his most wide-eyed pleading looks. “My sister likes nookyelar science. Can we see Daddy’s work? Puh-leeeeeaze?”

“Awwww, what the heck,” said one of the guards, thinking about how much he’d have liked a job that would make his own kids so proud.

“Of course,” said the other, her fingers giving his cheek a gentle squeeze. “You’re such a cutie.”

And so the guards left hand in hand with a couple of mutant children, the most dangerous of whom sang softly and off-key, “Cutie-man, Cutie-man does whatever a cutie can.”
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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

They trudged across the frosty, scrubby desert and into another building to the test reactor where Ben worked. Grace just looked everywhere, eyes wide, taking everything in. She’d long since given up peppering the guards with questions about the uses of strontium 90 and such, figuring they didn’t know any more than Graves did and she might find this conversation more fun with her dad. Meanwhile, Ian wanted to discuss other important matters.

“So I think your superhero name should be Banshee,” said Ian.

“I like it,” said Grace, “but it’s already taken. Besides, I want to be The Gibbon. You know how loud they can howl. And I suppose you want to be known as Cutie-man.”

“Of course,” Ian whispered as they approached a security check.

“My Daddy’s Ben O’Malley. He’s a radiation tech,” Ian announced proudly, with that adorable smile.

They finally came to a thick, heavy metal door with a small window, through which they could see Ben giving the pipes a precautionary inspection. One of the guards punched a button. “Ben O’Malley, there are some people here to see you.”

He signaled to the window that he’d heard, and proceeded into what looked like a tiny windowed closet with a light on top.

“Where’s he going?” whispered Ian.
“That’s the personal contamination monitor,” Grace whispered. “If the light goes on, that means…”

“Daddy’s radioactive?” Ian gasped with a combination of horror and amazement.

“Except,” said Grace, watchful eyes on the light and the LCD display that would have signaled anything amiss, “he isn’t.”

“Daddy, you’re all right!” Ian cried, throwing his arms around Ben’s waist, as he stepped out of the reactor area. Grace joined in the group hug.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” said Ben, squeezing the kids back. “Other than worried sick about you after Belle called, that is. Where is your mother?”

“We have to go back to her now,” said Ian. “She’s been worried about you, too.”

“Why? I mean, I did nearly get in trouble for using my cell phone over break, but…”

So that explained it. I’d keep my mouth shut and leave it up to Ben if he wanted to disclose his own ability. I could track Grace’s unique mind, and Ian, being particularly sensitive, proved very easy to monitor. Ben seemed to be invulnerable to telepathy, and I was pretty sure if the Commission knew, I’d have to twist some arms and neurons to make sure they avoided testing him for the more physical kinds of invulnerability.

I could handle what happened here so far- some blood work, a full body MRI, and now something like a souped up EEG, all while discussing my medical history as far back as my grandparents. It was then that I discovered they had a file on my grandfather. Funny. I thought he was an Air Force test pilot. Turned out he was involved in much more than just crashing planes. Graves was explaining the work he had done when Stanger interrupted.

“Okay, this is different,” she said, looking at the monitor. “What’s changed here, Mrs. O’Malley?”

“I’ve been using my telepathy up until now,” I replied. “Someone has to keep tabs on my kids around those armed guards, after all.”

“And now?”

“And now you’ll need to look into more honest and less ham-fisted ways to recruit your superhumans,” said Ben indignantly as he breathlessly burst into the room, followed by Ian, Grace, and the guards.

[Edited on 4/6/2008 by Angelique]
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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

Hours later, Ben and I had tucked the kids in, said prayers, and sat curled up together on the sofa, watching the news, my tail winding around his waist.

“This latest incident has prompted this new Commission on Superhuman Affairs to declassify some of its information and accept oversight from the Senate Ethics Committee…”

Of course, there was so much they would not air. The surveillance footage of me levitating the truck and Grace manifesting her sonic scream was confiscated and classified. How the Commission had people in all branches of the military, law enforcement, intelligence, and rescue services with the sole purpose of keeping an eye out for people like us. How I now had a plum new job and relished the opportunity to use my powers for good, as well as for keeping Graves in check.

“You’re still worried?” Ben asked. “But we came out on top here.”

“I’m just not sure we’ll have a normal day ever again,” I sighed, “no matter what we do, how we lie or pretend things are normal.”

“Yeah, saying you were wearing a costume was a bad idea,” said Ben. “I shouldn’t have thought of it.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “You were only trying to help me get through the day.”

Ben snorted. “When have we ever had a ‘normal’ day, anyway?”

“Exactly,” I conceded.
Ben smiled, pulling me closer, then stopped. “So I’m immune to your telepathy?”

“Apparently,” I said.

“What a lame power. I mean, I can think of some uses for it, but I’ll have to go to the trouble of articulating what I’m thinking now?” He squeezed my shoulder.

“Or maybe you could just kiss me,” I purred. I didn’t need telepathy to know what was on his mind.

“But I just had étouffée for dinner,” he said in mock protest as he leaned in.

“So did I.” I smiled, closing the distance.
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Elfdame »

I was catching up on this yesterday, and had to leave the 'puter to feed the grandgirl. When I got back, Hubby was sitting there reading it!

And he loved it ... I heard him LOL a couple of times. Even though he knows diddly-squat about the Marvelverse (other than hearing the 5-yr-old grandkid and I talk constantly about mutant powers and so forth, heh heh) and cares less.

So, well done, girl!

[Edited on 5/6/08 by Elfdame]
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

I'd be curious to see how the granddaughter likes it, too. :)
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Elfdame »

As if she'd have the patience to sit and listen to Grammaw read something that long. A bright kid, but an attention hog. Still, worth a try ....... I'll let you know if it works. Although once we hit the part with priests and stuff, her eyes will glaze over. All my grandkids hate anything to do with church. *mournful sigh*
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

If their eyes glaze, skip to the kids doing their cool stuff. Which may be pretty much anything involving them. :shrug
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Angelique
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Angelique »

And since the challenge is over and so is this fic (until and unless I write the requested sequel), could we move this to completed stories?
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A Day in the Life: April/May challenge entry

Post by Rowena »

No problemo! :D
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

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