Chapter Text
Summers in Atlanta sucked ass. Although, Clarice thought they were probably still better than winters in Atlanta. Clarice would take even the muggy soup of Georgia Summer over sleeping in the freezing cold every night. It still didn't make the heat suck any less.
Clarice watched as workers unloaded the food truck in the July heat, her hair sticking uncomfortably to the back of her neck as she waited for her opportunity. She silently willed them to hurry it up so that she could find some shade. Her stomach growled as she watched a crate of apples get passed down; it’d been at least two days since her last meal. The whistle blew, a signal for the lunch break, and Clarice straightened where she stood, waiting somewhat impatiently for the workers to disperse. They left the truck virtually unguarded, and Clarice fought back a grin.
Biting her lip, she focused her gaze on the inside of the truck, grateful for the enhanced vision that came courtesy of her freaky eyes. Power sizzled at her palms as she concentrated on creating a portal that would transport her inside the tuck. The smell of ozone in the air told her it was working. As she watched, the portal expanded large enough for her to step through. It snapped shut behind her, and Clarice wobbled slightly at the wave of dizziness that crashed through her. Portals stole a lot of energy, and the days without food didn’t help anything.
She waited a beat to see if anyone had noticed her portaling, prepared to get the hell out of dodge at the first sign of trouble. Her muscles relaxed the longer time passed without anyone raising the alarm, and Clarice set to work, anxious to get this over with. She shoved food into her messenger bag with brutal efficiency, focusing on the food that wouldn’t spoil easily. On impulse, she grabbed a handful of apples like the ones she’d been eyeing earlier, mouth watering at the thought of fresh produce, even as her more pragmatic self screamed that they wouldn’t last past the end of the week.
A scuffling noise at the back of the truck made her freeze. She turned, her eyes searching the dim light for any signs of movement. Something caught the corner of her eye, and she tilted her head for a better look.
Clarice was confident that without her supersight, or whatever you wanted to call it, she would have completely missed the odd shimmer in the air. To anyone else, the mutant hiding would have been invisible, but squinting, she could see the way the light bent unnaturally in that one spot, revealing their location.
“I know you’re there, so you might as well show yourself,” she whispered, still cognizant of the fact that there were guards within easy hearing range. The distortion of light flickered slightly as the mutant shifted, and suddenly a small child shimmered into view.
Even if she hadn’t just seen this kid flick out of some sort of Invisibility Mode, Clarice would have recognized them as a mutant. The child was small, six-years-old at most, and so skinny that it hurt to look at the prominent way their bones stood out against their shimmering blue skin. Clarice’s eyes darted to the set of iridescent wings poking out of two holes cut into the back of their shirt before meeting a pair of shockingly blue eyes, wide with terror. The child stood there, trembling, and Clarice’s heart gave a twist.
Clarice chewed her lip, unsure exactly what she was meant to do in this situation. She didn’t do kids. Her specialties lay in sarcasm and exit strategies, not the nurturing crap that worked so well with children. But she couldn’t just ignore a terrified child; she wasn’t heartless. Crouching down so that the kid could see her own mutant eyes, Clarice offered a tense smile. The expression felt unnatural on her face, but it seemed enough for the kid to return a small smile of their own.
“You got a name?” Clarice asked quietly.
“Madi,” the child whispered, still looking as though she was considering running. Clarice didn’t blame her. With an appearance like hers, Madi probably didn’t have a lot of positive experiences when it came to other people; Clarice could relate.
“I’m Clarice,” she said, offering her hand to shake, a small voice in her head telling her that this was not exactly the time to be making introductions. She brushed it off as Madi tentatively reached for her hand, giving it a small shake before snatching her arm back as if afraid of getting stung. It made Clarice’s chest feel like a large animal was sitting on it.
“Are you alone?” Clarice asked, already guessing at the answer. She wasn’t exactly surprised when Madi nodded, but she wasn’t happy about it either. Something in the little girl’s expression hit a little too close to home.
Clarice’s jumbled thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the truck. Without thinking, Clarice grabbed Madi by the arm and tugged her behind several crates of produce, crouching down beside her and pressing a finger to her lips. Madi looked at her with wide, panicked eyes, but nodded her understanding. Clarice considered her options for a moment. She didn’t have the juice to portal far, and without being able to see where she was going, she couldn’t guarantee that Madi wouldn’t be hurt if she took the girl with her. Any minute now, the men would be back to finish unloading the truck, and then she and Madi would be discovered. Clarice might be able to get away on her own, but she couldn’t just leave the kid. Even with Madi’s invisibility, all it would take would be for one of the men to bump into her while working.
The familiar itch to run made Clarice’s fingers spark, and Madi’s gaze fell to watch, eyes widening. Clarice was almost gratified to see the absence of fear in the kid’s eyes as she watched the blue and purple sparks bounce. An idea was forming: a completely stupid idea that was going to get Clarice either shot or arrested. Possibly both.
“Shit,” she muttered to herself, already regretting this decision. Now was so not the time to be discovering a hero complex. She turned back to Madi, who was still staring transfixed down at Clarice’s flickering palms.
“I’m going to draw their attention away from this truck,” Clarice explained, and Madi’s eyes shot to hers in surprise, “When I do, you’re going to get the hell out, got that?” Madi nodded, frowning.
“What about you?” the girl asked, and Clarice gave a humorless laugh.
“Don’t worry about me,” Clarice ordered, not answering further, “Just get out as soon as the coast is clear. Don’t be seen.” Madi shimmered slightly.
“They won’t see me,” the girl said, confident, and it was enough to make Clarice smile. She let out a shuddery breath, steeling herself for what she was about to do.
“Stay here,” she repeated one last time, “And get out as soon as you’re able.” Madi nodded just as Clarice opened a portal, the crates in front of them replaced by a view of the parking lot as she remembered it. Clarice grimaced.
“Please don’t let me lose a limb,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes tight as she jumped through the portal. It vanished as soon as her feet landed on asphalt, Madi still in the truck. Clarice sucked in a breath, blinking to clear the spots from her eyes before straightening. Two of the men guarding the truck were staring slack-jawed at her. Good. At least she wouldn’t have to work to get their attention.
“Hey, boys,” she greeted, “Don’t suppose you can just forget you saw me?” In an instant, both guards had their Tasers drawn, pointed directly at her chest. One of them radioed for backup.
“Guess not,” Clarice muttered under her breath, already reaching for another portal. Her vision swam slightly as the hole opened up. She jumped through, landing across the street and out of range of their Tasers. It took them a moment to realize exactly what had happened before they spotted her and with a shout, gave chase. Too drained to handle another portal, Clarice spun on her heels and kicked into a sprint. She needed to draw them away from that truck. She needed to give Madi a chance to escape, and then she needed to get the hell out of there.
Their footsteps sounded behind her, slapping against the concrete as they ran. Clarice’s lungs burned as she forced her way through a street filled with pedestrians. Not for the first time, she cursed her inability to blend in with a crowd. Turning a corner, she ran head first into a broad chest. She uttered a hasty apology, just catching a glimpse of warm brown eyes before tearing off again, the sounds of shouting getting closer. She turned into an alleyway and groaned when she realized it was a dead end. Frantically, she reached for the energy to create a portal, not caring that she was overextending her ability. Her escape opened just as the guards appeared around the corner, followed closely by some of Atlanta’s Finest. She tuned out their shouts, concentrating on the portal. As she stepped through, she heard the crack of a gunshot and felt a sharp pain tear through her left arm. She gave a small cry as she tumbled through the closing portal, knees hitting the pavement as it closed behind her. Her vision swam as the world tilted. She couldn’t feel her arms. Her body went numb and Clarice’s final thought was her hope that at least Madi had gotten away. The world went black.