She walked through the unlocked front door. Setting a fast food bag and a six pack on the counter. She cracked open a beer taking a long draw from it. The living room had an overstuffed couch and chair. One wall was lined with shelves of marble statues. She grabbed the sub from the bag chewing it slowly in thought. She placed the food on the coffee table and sat back staring at the rose quartz statue. It felt like a life time since she had been home both in years and time. She looked out to the ocean, surf was up.
“Why not,” she thought.
She striped off her clothes down to a one piece suit, showing of the tattoo on her right shoulder. The tattoo of heart and a ribbon Diego and Jessy is all it said. She hefted the extra large board from the corner and headed out to hit the waves, thinking “Daddy won’t mind.”
Nat pulled open the screen door for her. Dressed in linen slacks and a Hawaiian shirt he still doesn’t look anywhere near 32.
“Hey, baby.”
She spun around, placing the board back. She smiled brightly at him, her skin a rich coppertone, her wheat hair cut short but long enough to cover her ears, “Long time no see. Bring it in.” She opened her arms for a hug. After the gentle embrace she offered, “Want a beer?”
Nat returned the hug, pausing a moment to check out the ink.
“Father thing one, how are you doing and what have you been up to? Father thing two, you are not old enough for beer but if you are like me, it’ll take more than six for you to feel it.”
He put a finger on her shoulder and turned her for a better look at the ink.
“That’s not fresh, is it? How long you Time it?”
“Have a seat we need to talk, and as for Father thing one, I am currently between teams and healthy as an elf. Father thing two I am eighteen, legal to drink in most states. I had to find a point in time when I was off off world. You will find all about it from Raven in a letter. And my Tatt, just a reminder, but that isn’t why I am here.” She grabbed another bottle of beer. “I want to know, I want to understand. Did I fuck your life up, by what I did? Did you only visited me because I came to you that day? You know when the battle happen.” Her eyes where a little misty.
“What in the world would make you think that you fucked up my life?” Nat wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, gently. “You hastened the inevitable. I was in a bad place when it came to your mother at that point. I didn’t trust her further then I could throw the Hunt Valley but at some point I would have admitted to myself that there was no way in Hell I could live without you in my life. Did that fuck up my life? I don’t think so. It enriched it. I got to know you … by the way, even then I love you, so this bull about messing up my life is just that, bull.”
“But you said I sounded just like mom, that she was selfish in her actions. Well, so was I. Why the double standard? You said mom ruined your life, as I got to see firsthand what it did to her life. Your life was a weekend dad show, I don’t know what your life really was and you moved to a different world to be away from us. Both of you kept me in the dark like a mushroom. Why would you hate her and not me for doing a selfish act?”
“Were you responsible for being born?” Nat said, pushing her out to arms length, hands still holiding her. “I moved to a different world because this is my home, it is were I was born, where Wren as born. You have enough of both your mother and me to understand that we had a duty. Mine is to this world where our kind is just getting started. As for the ‘weekend dad show’, that too, is bull. You think that was all I wanted was the weekend? But you belonged with your mother and I never wanted to take you from her regardless of what she might have believed. Sure, I threatened to try to take you, but I know and she knew it was all smoke. I never had a chance. I had to settle for what I could get and if you thought for a minute that I wouldn’t have taken more, you’re wrong.”
He released her and grabbed a beer.
“You have to remember, Jasmine, where I was at the time, where your mother was at the time and what had gone on between the two of us. I was mad, sure, but really, I was more devastated emotionally. You had sixteen of your mother’s emotions and what? A couple of years all total with me? By the time you were allowed your first visit when you were six, I’d gained a lot of perspective, both on your mom and you. And my life was going along as I could only have dreamed at sixteen. As much as Jessy would hate to learn, Wren had everything to do with that perspective. She loves me unconditionally, no matter what had come before. She has come to love you every bit as much as Conner and Katie. I hope as much as Diego loved you.”
“Yes, I am. I could go back now and erase it all. I know what point in time, to do it in. I could give you the retro active abortion you wished for. Only you would never know of any of it. Archer and Raven would never have found her, so they would not have gone through all the hell that keeping her, caused. She would never existed so you would never have known her. Not to say that you would still have Wren. When you change one point in time it has a butterfly effect. I know when and where, to make it so my mom never lived, she would have died the day my name sake died, thus erasing all of this.”
Jay fumbled through the clothes on the table pulling out an old pocket watch, opening it for the music to fill the air, “I kind of understand why my Uncle wants me dead.” She pulled out the stack of photos in the lid and handed him the one of human Jessy with her bio-dad, “I shouldn’t warn you but if he follows me he will kill you and the whole family, even Conner and Katie.” She tapped at Jessy’s dad, “his twin brother hunts me and everyone attached to me. You say the word and I can make sure that everyone is safe. Reto abortion, would be the easy way out.”
“Wouldn’t work. Even I understand a time paradox. You go back and stop your being born and you think that will fix things. But that means if you were never born, you were never able to go back and change time, which means things don’t change and you’re caught in a loop. Thing is, Jasmine, things don’t need to be fixed. This is the way things are and the way things should stay.”
Nat finished the beer and set the empty on the counter.
“I hated your mother … for about a year … then I just loathed her … not quite as bad as hate. I got to see you, play with you, love you, without interference from her and the loathing became dislike. Then I got to know Diego. Diego told me about Jessy and you, and the dislike softened to something like … disinterest, but that isn’t quite right. I was still interested enough to care about her welfare. I never wished your mother harm, even when I hated her. I might have spouted off about some things but in my heart I couldn’t wish ill on her. And when Raven came to tell me she was dead … Wren and I were both ready to go in just a few minutes. I would have killed or died to protect her. Not just because of you, but because that is what is right. Hate is something the burned out of me … I don’t even hate HARP, and they have been trying to kill us for … well, ever since they found out we existed.”
“Oh okay, the hard way it is.” She stood up walking to the selves, picking up him riding the wave. “No idea what to do with mom’s erotica statues of you, if you want them I can get Matt to have them beamed to you.” She set the figure back. I know you had a ton of questions for me back than. Still have any?”
“What do you mean ‘the hard way’?” Nat put his fists on his hips. “Just what are you asking me, Jasmine?”
“You are not going to hear from me for a few years, the post cards are going to stop. I will not be here nor in the other dimension Earth. You don’t have to worry because as you see I am still alive. I had to call on grandpa to get me back but I am alive. I refuse to let any of them even …., “she paused in order not to become angry.
“No one picks my path for me. I do. I might be the last of the Lady’s of the sands of time and space but I don’t care. I don’t care what others want of me. I had to give you a choice before I begin my new journey. I just wanted to make sure, I didn’t fuck everything up before I leave again, where ever that may be. I had to make sure that you knew of the danger, me living will bring on you. At least you know in two years I’ll be at the Villa in Spain, going through the estate.” She paused, “Okay I am trying to avoid. I’m not use to sharing my inner self any more. At sixteen, shit just flowed from mouth, that should have never of been said. No one needs to know any of that but you already know. So if you have any questions, now is the time.”
“Alright, you want questions, let’s start with your comment … both of us kept you in the dark .. there was never anything I kept hidden from you. I can’t read your mind, unlike others of your blood, so if you wanted to know something, all you had to do was ask.”
Nat moved to the ‘fridge and found a bottle of water. He uncapped it and watched his daughter.
“And I’d think after Jay’s visit you found out a hell of a lot more then you ever asked me about as Jasmine.”
“Like there was time.” She started loading the pictures back into the watch. “I had just found out the day they died, about how I came to be. Till than I didn’t have a real clue, things just didn’t add up. You both kept me in the dark, till I finally started looking for answers. Mom would never tell me anything about you, other than your greatness and achievements; Spock was no help, that was restricted info. Grandma had too many logs to go through.” She picked up her shorts sliding them over her suit, stuffing the watch back in her pocket. ”Than, there was grandpa.” She pulled her mid sleeve tee shirt on. “Boy did he give me the down low, after he caught me going through the logs.” She collect the empties and the trash heading for the kitchen, ”So yeah the first chance I got to ask you anything I was here, sixteen in the past.”
“Jasmine, you never asked me what happened, and do you know what I would have told you? Ask your mother. You know why? Because I never wanted to say anything bad about your mother and I sure as hell wouldn’t have spoken so freely to Jay is I had know who she was. Did you come to me intensionally in your older form, betting that I wouldn’t recognize you just to pump me for information?”
Idly he twisted the water bottle top off and one.
“Understand, that if your mother could not or would not tell you, I would have but I would have been very careful of my words.”
“No, my powers where just kicking in, I was a late bloomer on a lot of them. The emotional strain of finding out I what I was and than to have them both…” she wiped a tear from her eye, her voice unaffected, “die before my eyes. I just wanted to understand and poof, I was back in time, not sure who I was, where I was, just knowing the answer was near. I just had to find it and I did, a total unvarnished tale. I wouldn’t have wanted any other version. If you picked your words and soften things up, it wouldn’t have answered what I wanted. ” She tossed everything away. “When I returned to my place I time, I just wanted to run away. Guess I did, but you know, I needed that time. It lead me to find out more about the other family that hunts me.”
You don’t have to worry. I’m very capable of fighting my own battles and if I get into trouble, I have no problem in sending a S.O.S.
“You did not get an unvarnished answer, not from me, harsh, yes, I was pissed. That was only one side though, the mad side, the betrayed side, even the victim side … Yes, I was a victim, I learned that in rape councelling. I am sorrier then you can understand that your mother never got the chance to explain her actions to you. You’ll never get to see her side. THAT is what I wanted you to have, all sides, the angry side, the love side, the rediculous side, the tragic side. Now you only have the angry side and the tragic. You have to sift through a lot of second hand information and circumstantial evidence to be able to draw your own conclusions.”
He dropped the bottle into a recycle bin.
“If you have questions, now is the time.”
“I know her side,” she sat on the stool, “she left her story in every piece of work she did of you. From the first naked wave to the Polynesian hut. Did you know she burned for you, thus by making me, she cursed herself to be barren to all others? It’s a fireoak elf thing. Yeah, I know her story. She never had to tell me. I asked the important question already. I think I understand and as long as I didn’t fuck up your life, we are good.”
“What Polynesian hut?”
Jay looked at him, “If if wasn’t you, than the guy was your twin. The last of the set had the Asshole tearing her way, burning the hut.” She growled, “Fucking dragon.”
“It wasn’t me. After what happened on Ea, I was never alone with your mother except the one time in her shop and then Diego was there for part of it.” He crossed an arm across his waist to cup the elbow of the other, hand pressed against his cheek. “And what do you mean the last of a set?”
“Like her Bio dads doll house, she left me my own of her life. There is this one glorious week, with you and her in the hut, the last was Nick destroying it all and carrying her away. I know it’s her because of the blob form. She could never do herself. But it was you …” Jay looked at her wristwatch the three faces ticking, the one at a stand still, “Well guess I should get back to Matt. He is still inventorying all my baby clothes.”
“You on a time schedule?” Nat asked. “Haven’t even asked you yet about this ‘not going to hear from me for a few years’ … your few years or mine? What are you running from? And what about this threat to me and your brother and sister? You have to give me some kind of idea what we will be facing. You can’t just drop a bomb and run.”
“Sorry Daddy, we are two years off each other. Just remember you can’t tell anyone what I tell you.” she started to explain, ”I just left this time, with my new team. Third team, first two were a wash. I just didn’t fit in. Our time were chasing down my Uncle. I found he is the one who killed my mom and daddy Diego. He is the Lord of the sands of time and space and he is hunting me down to kill me. So I turned the table to hunt him.” She grabbed the last beer, opening and drinking it.”He is powerful and will kill anyone connected with me, to get to me. I barely escaped. Heres the kicker, he escaped grandpa. You see him run like hell.”
“If he escaped Ghost Archer, it is only temporary, he will find him and kill him. That is one thing I will always trust Ghost Archer to do.” Nat said. “And ‘powerful’ doesn’t give me any information. Nick powerful, Archer powerful?”
“I hope he doesn’t, I want that pleasure.” She drank her beer, “He is an elementalits, and he can summons a creature for every person in the area. One of those is what killed Diego and mom. I fucking ran from mine, figured it would be easier to kill him than that thing. The creature has three forms that are connected and each form has the powers of the person it looks like.” She paused as if too much pain flooded her mind, “He does lighten bolts, wind, travels the sand of time and space.”
Nat shook his head. “Ghost Archer probably already took him out. Did you ask him? This could be a wild goose chase.”
“Dad! I haven’t meet him yet in your time!” He is out there right now hunting me while I hunt him. You are all I got left and I don’t want to bury this side of the family, too. I am giving you heads up so if he comes after you, you are ready. I know he’s out there, we share the sands of time and space. I know he lives just like he knows I do. It’s a feeling but I will swear by it.”
“So, two years from now, Ghost Archer runs across this guy. At that point I gather we are still alive so you figure the warning worked, or was never needed. Now you are going to go off and face this monster on your own? Tell me again, what ARE your powers?”
“Great thing about being a time traveler, I have all the time in the world to hone my skill for the job. And for my powers, I have my sand powers, my sands of time and space and my elf traits. Course they are stronger than you remember but just not strong enough.” She added “YET … Dad do mind if i slip into something more comfortable?”
“You know where everything is.” He replied. “Ya know, just for fun, maybe you should try those sand powers on me. Just to see what happens.”
She slipped off the chair and knelt to the sand cover floor. Leaning back she transformed, the sands streamed over her flesh, the flesh given way to firm sand. Sandy stood to her feet, the sand sculpture of a nude elven girl with long waist hair, her ears tipping out of her hair, her facial details smoothed to being almost not there but her eyes held the ocean. “Now, that’s much better.” She headed to the sliding doors. “Not sure I like this idea, I know I am going to hold back.” She pulled the door open and stepped out to the back porch.
Nat stepped outside with her. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Arm? Leg? Chest? Whenever you’re ready.”
“You want simple or what I do in normal combat?” she asked.
“Let’s see what you can do in normal combat.” He replied.
The sand of the backyard erupted directly under Nat, the ground beneath his feet giving way. He vanished, leaving only over-turned Bemuda grass. The ground surged and her father hopped out of the hole, landing astride it.
“Not much of a challenge,” he commented. “But then I’m a lot stronger than … well … anyone on the planet. Whatelse ya got?”
Sand swirled in from every direction, spinning, picking up trash and even small stones. All rose into the sky.
“I’d say at least five hundred knots of wind there,” Nat said, still standing astride the original hole. Thing is I am married to a woman that can throw me into the stratosphere, literally, 35000 feet. She’s actually altering gravity where you’re relying on the wind you generate with the movement of the sand. That’s not a problem for me.”
Jasmine frowned. She held a lot of guys off there feet with that one while her teammate blasted the hell out of them. She was of two minds, frustrated that it didn’t work but proud that it was her dad that could do it.
“Got anything more direct?” Nat asked.
She tried the oldest trick, sand in the eyes, he didn’t even flinch.
“I have been told my eyes are a super as the rest of me but I can see, pardon the dad joke, where It could be a problem for someone else. Come on, Jasmine, hit me with your best shot.”
“Daddy,” she almost whined, almost … “I cut a car in half with it.”
“Honey, I throw cars, to Mexico.”
“You sure?”
Nat half smiled. “I am sure.”
Jasmine shook her head, “Okay, you asked for it!”
Sand erupted from the tip of one finger, a pencil thin stream under extreme pressure. She HAD actually cut a car in half, to save some kid that was trapped in the wreckage. It had been like cutting Jello.
The blast struck Nat square in the chest and instantly wore a hole through his Hawaiian shirt. When it touched his skin, it just turned into a cloud of sand and fell to the ground.
Nat took a couple steps over to her and lifted her chin, closing her mouth.
“That it?”
“I can … sorta do that one … but continously, like a cutting torch.”
Nat held out his arm. “Give it a try.”
She held the attack, that she thought could wear away anything, for a full seven seconds. Exhausted, she had to stop. Her dad’s skin hadn’t even turned red.
“I had the army fire an anti-tank round at me. It hurt like Hell, but other than it burned off most of my clothes, but nothing more than scorch mark that washed off with water,” Nat grinned. “It scare the Hell out of Wren.”
“I don’t think grandpa could do that …”
Nat laughed. “Why would he? GHOST Archer, everything just passes through him.”
“NAT? THAT YOU?” Cass’ voice drifted out of her kitchen window.
“Yeah, Cass. We’ll be over to see you in a bit.”
“You bring the kids?” The woman called.
He checked for Jasmine’s reaction.
“Only kids here, grandma Cass, is me and Daddy.” She looked at her Dad, “I told you I hadn’t got strong enough, yet. My whole team was beaten, when I got the ass to follow me.” She looked at her watch, “Do you know any good fast food pick up joints in Spain?”
“Well, I’ve never been to Spain,” he started. “But I been to Oklahoma … But really, Jasmine, your … target, do you honestly think he could hurt me?”
“YES”, she sighed. ”This man is older than dirt, no pun intended. Nothing hurt him but my blade. It is not so much him but the monsters he creates. Do know what fucked up heads where on mine!”
“What do you mean ‘monsters he creates’?”
“I don’t know how he does it creates them, summons them, each monster is a team of three that work together as one sync’ed unit. It takes the form and power of three of your enemies or people you hate. I only saw them twice. Once when it killed my mom and when Slit called one to each of my team and me. I got Everith, some other chick and NICK! No way I was going to fight him. I headed to Slit thought I had a better chance.”
“Deb? What’s that sound like to you?” Nat appears to be listening. “Would your POV counter that?” Again he listens. “Okay, well go on that assumption. And get out of here, don’t you have some college boy to watch take a shower?” Nat laughs.
He turns to Jasmine.
“Sorry, baby, but you haven’t met all my team. Deb’s a little shy … okay, a LOT shy,” he said. “She’s been watching us this whole time, as usual. She’s also probably the most powerful mentalist on the planet.” Nat rolled his eyes. “I said go peep on someone else, Deb.”
Sandy smiled her lips more defined on the face of sand, “Should I worry for how long? Please to meet you spy of the mind, one with air the almighty, Deb.”
“Thing is, we have a lot of assets and we are better trained the anything I ever saw with the Wild Hunt … your previous teams? Were they created from the ground up with a decade or more of working together or was it a PUG team?”
Sandy formed her sand board beneath her feet, a small and curl moving her back to the porch. “First two were totally by invite to take care of local stuff, I have the rights of a federal Marshal. They wanted me to be the leader. No way I wanted to be the boss. Third one was a charm. But it was any where, any time. That is how I found out I am hunted by him. A few near miss on my life and we finally got the story.”
“And how did you find that out? You get him monologuing?”
“Actually yes, the man could drone on and on and on. You always get me talking too much,” she glanced at her watch. ”I really need to go. I love you Dad, See you in two years.” She has her board bring them level as she kisses his cheek. “I’ve already said too much.”
“You never said, your years or my years?”
Nat hugs her before she can go.
“If you ever need help, get Ghost Archer here and I’ll put 53 trained metahumans wherever or whenever you need them. I love you too, baby.”
Sandy’s eyes bubbled, “In your two years, I would like if you, and if you, want the pack, to come visit my Villa in Spain. I can get Spock to t-port you, make in May. I have things I need advice on, that only you can give. You never have to worry, I am not my mom. When I get in a spot, I send for the backup team. Peace.” She turned her sand board and surfed into the sand.
“Nick, you better watch over her or I’ll accomplish what Sarge never could …”