Subject: [OTL]: (Neowind; Aaron Wisdom) Density of the Matter (PG-13) Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 21:34:52 -0800 (PST) From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Neowind Arc: Density of the Matter by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: The kids are my creations, as are any incidental characters. Their parents are either Marvel's or Joss Whedon's. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- 6/16/2023 A.D.: Salem Center, NY: 18:00 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "Wisdom residence - Rachel ! How are you ?" Aaron Wisdom glanced up from the couch as his mother answered the telephone. He turned his attention back to the holo-TV, awaiting the start of his favorite bad TV show, "The Askani Files." #Askani as detectives. It's so bad it's funny,# the 13-year-old Caucasian boy thought, smirking as he dug in his bag of pretzels. #Like an Askani would play detective -# "Aaron, can you come here for a minute ?" "Sure, Mom," the boy said. He stood almost as tall as his mother, and had her brown hair. But where Katherine Pryde-Wisdom's locks were still curly, Aaron's were straight, and were cut relatively short like his father Pete Wisdom's hair. Aaron's blue eyes widened in surprise when Katherine handed him the phone and said, "It's a job opportunity. You've been looking for a way to make some quick cash over the summer, and it's even relatively easy." "From Aunt Ray ?" Aaron asked, taking the receiver from his mother. He held it to his ear, then said, "This is Aaron -" "Aaron ! Thank heaven," Rachel Summers-Richards said in a voice which somehow conveyed both exasperation and the uncanny PRESENCE Rachel radiated as the Mother Askani. "I have a big favor to ask of you." "Ooookay," Aaron replied, noticing his mother's polite smile suddenly twitch a bit. Just like it did when Katherine was about to tell Pete something was more than it seemed. "If you can make it over here, Frank and I need a kidsitter for Bryce. Aidan and the other boys are on a camping trip, and I somehow allowed Aislinn and her cousins and Deirdre to go clubbing without checking my datebook," Rachel said, relief starting to flood her tone. #Mom - !# Aaron thought, wincing at Katherine's suddenly contrite expression. "Aaron ? It'd really mean a lot. And we could pay you handsomely - I know it's short notice and all ..." Rachel all but pleaded. Katherine winked, phasing out of the living room and into the basement as Aaron looked at her in outright fear. #They're just the Askani. It's just Bryce. This could be worse,# he reminded himself before he spoke again. "Don't worry, Aunt Ray. If you can send a teleporter, I'll be there ASAP." -------------------------------------------------------- "You tricked me !" "I know how you feel about some of the Askani beliefs," Katherine called through the door of Aaron's room. "You MEAN, you know I hate spandex !" Aaron shot back as he finished changing. "The Askani aren't the problem, you know that !" "OK, OK," Katherine admitted, sighing as she leaned against the far wall of the upstairs hallway. She tried not to smile when Aaron walked through the door of his bedroom with a blush and a scowl. He was clad in a plain black skinsuit, and crossed his arms defensively. "Dad's term for these things is right on target," Aaron complained as he walked downstairs. "How other mutants can wear this stuff without losing their dignity -" "We got by," Katherine interjected, fighting back a giggle. "I remember when Sam and Roberto were fighting over who looked more ridiculous -" "Mom ! Please !" Aaron begged, absently stroking the small purple dragon who had landed on his lanky shoulders. Lockheed nuzzled Aaron's face, cooing, then gave a small snort as the front door opened. "Oh bloody 'ell," Pete Wisdom muttered as he looked Aaron over. "Invite t' Askani Spire, eh ?" "Hi, Dad," Aaron muttered, blushing again. Pete gave his only son a sympathetic pat on Aaron's dragonless left shoulder, and stuck his tongue out at Lockheed before kissing Katherine on the cheek. "Puir boy. What infernal duty d'the great an' all-powerful brain-zappers need y'for t'night ?" Pete said, ducking Katherine's dark glare at Pete's mention of the Askani. "Kidsitting," Aaron sighed, slumping onto the couch. "I don't mind doing it, but - skinwear - ecch." "The Askani are more ... expressive than we are about their bodies," Katherine tried to say as she sat beside Aaron. "A lot of mutants today are." "A lot of mutants are busy proclaimin' their 'evolutionary ascendance,' too. Bloody hedonism, y'ask me," Pete snorted. "It's bloody genetic supremacy w'out the human-bashin', is all. Magneto'd be bloody laughing his helmet off in glee if he were still alive." Katherine gave an involuntary shiver, and Aaron winced sympathetically. He'd known that his mother had been one of the few people who had managed to see Erik Lehnsherr's more compassionate side before his death, and he squeezed her hands with one of his. "Thanks," Katherine said, patting Aaron's shoulder. "Hang in there, OK ? I know it's not an easy age to be so ... open about your body. I thought I was gangly and awkward once too." Aaron managed a weak smile and replied, "You were pretty, though. I've seen the photos. Guys ... it's different. I mean, for those of us raised among humans - I'm used to more than one layer of clothing." The air hummed before the TV, prompting a snort from Pete, a knowing nod from Kitty, and a sigh of resignation from Aaron. A greenish-tinged portal of golden energy opened, admitting a young, blonde Caucasian woman in a black and yellow skinsuit. "Lady Katherine," Tory Cloverfoot said, bowing deeply before the former Shadowcat. "The Bright Lady sends her deepest regards and personal thanks for allowing your son to assist in this time of need." "Please, give the Mother Askani my warmest regards and best wishes on her journey," Katherine replied, managing not to break out laughing at the devotion Tory was showing Rachel. Although Rachel Richards might have founded the Askani, she never felt completely comfortable as a quasi-religious figure to thousands of mutants and humans - a point Katherine still occasionally teased her old friend about. Pete, on the other hand, was barely hiding his mirth. Tory regarded him with a neutral glance, and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Pete biting his newspaper to keep from laughing. "Consort of the Shadowed Cat," Tory said, bringing a blush and a glower to Pete's face at the title. "The Bright Lady bade me to tell you this: 'Some are not meant for skinwear for reasons besides personal comfort.'" Pete's upper lip twitched, and he muttered something about "anorexic mindwitches" as he went back to reading his gnawed newspaper. Finally, Tory turned to Aaron, taking in the sight of him with a flicker of her eyes, and smiled approvingly. "Well met, Heir of Clan Wisdom. You are prepared for the charge set before you ?" she asked. "I am," Aaron said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Even if he hadn't been wearing a skinsuit, he would have felt bare before one of the Askani. #Telepaths with a semi-fanatical attitude towards life do that to me,# Aaron thought, walking towards the portal as Tory motioned him forward. "One last item - Lady Katherine, the Bright Lady bade me to inform you that young Aaron will be home no later than midnight. The diplomatic meal she and Clanfather Franklin are attending will end about 11:30 p.m.," Tory said. "I would serve as Master Bryce's sitter, but I am needed at my Lady's side." "Thanks for the information. We'll keep the light on. Later, honey," Katherine said, giving Aaron a peck on the cheek before he stepped through the portal. "Later, Mom, Dad," Aaron said, managing a smile - - and his stomach turned inside out for an instant - - before he landed uneasily on his feet in the Askani Gatekeepers' teleport chamber. "Well met, Master Wisdom," Gatekeeper Prime Ta'lia Herzegova said, giving Aaron a wink as Tory walked through the portal after him. The mistress of the Askani teleporters snapped her portal shut with a flick of her eyebrow, and nodded as the travellers left the chamber. "Master Aidan and Mistress Aislinn asked me to bid you good tidings. They hope to see you later this summer," Tory said cheerily as she and Aaron headed for the elevator to the Richards' family's penthouse apartment. "I hope I can see them, too," Aaron breathed. He tried to keep the flicker of disappointment and brief anger from getting too loud within his mind - such emotions tended to draw the attention of the often-hypersensitive Askani telepaths. #Aidan could've kidsat Bryce. For that matter, almost any Askani warrior could've done it. Why me ?# Aaron pondered. He stirred from thought as the elevator door opened, admitting him and Tory into the spacious living room of the Richardses' apartment. #Wow,# Aaron thought, taking in the view. #I knew they'd redecorated after Arawn went nuts (SEE Neowind: Kith and Kin), but -# "Aaron !" The teen fell over backwards as a red blur slammed into his legs and sat on his chest with a concerned look. A brief, adult chuckle drew Aaron back to consciousness, and he looked up at the faces before him. The first person he saw was a small white boy with severely-short red hair, large green eyes and the most sincerely remorseful expression Aaron had ever seen. Bryce Richards clambered off of his kidsitter and softly said, "I'm sorry," before standing beside the more relaxed of the three adults. "Bryce, you shouldn't surprise people like that. I know you meant well, but Aaron wasn't expecting to be tackled," the owner of the chuckle said. Franklin Richards reached down with a strong hand and pulled Aaron to his feet, then dusted the boy off. "You OK, Aaron ?" Frank said, his voice deep and kind. Aaron nodded, glancing at the rather unusual - even for the Patriarch of the Clan Askani - garb his "uncle" was wearing: A shimmering brown cloak over the legendary blue and black skinsuit of Frank's superheroic family, the Fantastic Four. "Rachel's insisting I be 'subdued' tonight," Frank chuckled, shaking his blond-stubble-topped head and giving Rachel a large wink. "When am I ever not subdued ?" "Let me count the ways: Terraforming Venus in a matter of minutes, transmuting the entire northeastern quarter of Africa into fertile soil, teleporting the U.N. Secretary General from Neohattan to Alpha Centauri ... that Storm blood in you keeps things hopping," Rachel joked. She turned to Aaron with a smile, and took one of his hands in hers. "Thanks, Aaron. Your question before was valid, but ... there are reasons why Bryce needs someone closer to his age to watch him," the Mother Askani said through the long red bangs framing her green-eyed face. ~He's still a little upset by psimitars - he has nightmares about Arawn's disappearance. And since any Askani warrior able to defend Bryce would have to have a psimitar ... well, Frank and I thought it'd be better to ask someone Bryce knows and trusts to stay with him,~ Rachel sent telepathically. ~I get it now,~ Aaron thought, giving Rachel a smile. He looked sympathetically at Bryce, then watched Rachel kneel before her youngest son in her ceremonial robes and red and gold Phoenix costume. "You be good for Aaron, OK ? Bedtime is 10 o'clock, and no funny business," Rachel insisted. Bryce nodded, then hugged Rachel before she stood. "Bryce's had dinner - all he needs to do is get changed closer to bed time. We'll be back by 11:30. There's snacks, holo-TV, the Askani archives, Frank's library ... make yourself at home," Rachel told Aaron. She, Frank and Tory began to glow, then vanished in a flicker of cosmic fire. #Well,# Aaron thought before he looked down at Bryce. The 5-year-old was wearing a plain red skinsuit of his own, and looked at Aaron with another smile. "I'm glad you came," Bryce said, walking with Aaron to the couch. "You're cool, not like the Askani - they're nice, but they're really ser'us all the time." "Well, I try to have more fun," Aaron said, smiling. He glanced around, then grinned and said, "I've been getting better at controlling my powers - watch." The teen concentrated, then placed his phased hand into the coffee table in front of the couch. Bryce's eyes bulged, and he applauded when Aaron pulled his hand free. "That is SO cool !" Bryce gushed. "Wish I could phase. But I've got tel'pathy, and te-le-kinesis, like Aid an' Ace an' -" He leaned back, suddenly subdued, and whispered, "'Rawn. He was a psi, too. But he went away." #Oh, man ...# Aaron thought. He gulped as he looked at the now-tearful kindergartner, then put an arm around Bryce's shoulders and took a deep breath. "Bryce ... whatever Arawn did, it wasn't your fault," Aaron began. Bryce looked up at him with surprise, and the teen plunged on. "You're a good kid - a little goofy, maybe, but you're 5. I was goofy then, too. Besides, Arawn's always been angry. But I know that he was never angry with you - I've hung out enough with Aid and Ace to know that Arawn's beef was with Aid. Why, I don't know, but that's Arawn's problem," Aaron concluded. Bryce blinked, then leaned against Aaron's chest. "Thanks," the kindergartener said. "I just thought ... maybe ... 'Rawn left 'cause of me. Mom an' Dad an' Aid an' Ace said it wasn't me, but I thought they were just tryin' to be nice. An' the Askani're all so WEIRD 'bout us." Aaron barely managed to stifle his snort of laughter, but Bryce's tentative grin provoked a laugh from the teen. "They are weird, aren't they ?" Aaron said softly. "Always talking like your mom's a goddess or something, and always going on about 'the depths of time' and 'the astral aether.'" "An' they wear capes ! Like sup'heroes used to !" Bryce laughed. His eyes widened as he asked, "Did your mom an' dad wear capes ?" Aaron exploded in laughter, falling backwards as he guffawed. "P-Pete Wisdom in a - CAPE ?!" the teen cackled. "'Super-Pete' ! Faster than a speeding beer bottle ! Able to catch a pack of cigarettes in a single bound !" They howled with laughter, then, and high-fived each other after they managed to compose themselves. "You're a cool little kid, Bryce," Aaron said, fetching a bowl of pretzels and a root beer from the refrigerator. "Lemme ask you something, though - what do you guys usually wear ?" "Skinsuits. I wear pajamas t'bed, an' Aid wears boxer shorts. Ace wears a nightgown," Bryce said, shrugging as he pilfered a pretzel from the bowl after Aaron sat down on the couch. "What d'you wear ?" "Jeans, T-shirts - human stuff. You don't think the spandex is weird ?" Aaron asked between bites of pretzel. "Nah," Bryce said. "'Sides, clothes aren't that important, Dad says. It's what y'do, 'specially to help others, not whatcha wear." Aaron slowly nodded, then smiled faintly. "Your dad's a smart man," he said. "Let's see if he invented a TV capable of getting something decent on holo-cable." -------------------------------------------------------- finis :) --------------------------------------------------------