Elijah Stone ft.Quinn Pierce & Gabrielle Stone - Venture Academy - Elijahâs & Quinnâs Dorm
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Beep-beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Heralded by a pained groan, a large hand reached out and engulfed the whining clock, muting it while its fingers blindly searched for the off-switch. When the beeping was finally killed, silence returned to the dark, bland room. And for a few moments it remained, before yet another groan cut through it, followed by the creaking and whining of a bed frame being pushed to its absolute limit as its large occupant began to shift around. He rose with a grunt and turned with a wince. And with both feet planted firmly on the ground, the man began to stand.
A sharp spike of pain sent him right back down, much to the bedâs horror. After a few moments, a deep laugh rumbled in the dark room.
Here sat the âmightyâ Preacher in all his glory - bruised, beaten, and bedridden. His hand went to the soiled gauze on his abdomen and lightly pressed it. Another sting. Eli grinded his teeth together to muffle the yelp. When it passed, he couldnât help but chuckle again. It was funny. They call him bulletproof in the media. And for the most part, theyâre not wrong: Eli had caught far more than his fair share of bullets ever since putting on the suit. Typically, they just bounced off, which, to be fair, wasnât exactly pleasant, but definitely not a threat.
Get a big enough gun, howeverâŚ
Eli powered through the pain and got to his feet. His wound throbbed, but it was bearable. He stumbled over to the dresser across the room and pulled out a change of clothes for the day, before entering his bathroom for a shower.
After washing off the prior nightâs shame, Eli stood before his mirror and removed the gauze to take a look. The wound was closed, and it was going to leave a pretty nasty scar, but overall he made it out alright. The bullet did some work inside him, but Venture Academyâs healers are miracle workers. The major damage was taken care of, but he was going to be sore for awhile. His condition made healing a bit troublesome, so itâs honestly a blessing that they could do anything at all for him. Heâd take a couple sore days over the alternative anytime.
After changing into the dayâs clothes, Eli left his room and made his way towards the kitchen.
âOoooo, damn man.âEli chuckled and shook his head. The heckle came from Quinn, of course, who was currently sprawled out on the couch, watching some foreign news coverage of Eliâs botched mission last night while being fed grapes by his roboservant like a black Julius Caesar. Of course he was.
âLanguage.â the older brother warned, walking around the counter island into the kitchen.
âEnglish, sir.â a synthesized voice chimed in. Eli chuckled out of pure exasperation. He rooted around the cabinet for a few seconds before pulling out an unopened box of Honey Nut Cheerios. He quickly grabbed the deep bowl, a large spoon, and the half-gallon of milk from the fridge.
âAfrica has not been kind to you. You really look like shit-â Quinn said matter-of-factly.
â-Language-â Eli interjected.
â-English, sir.â The roboservant followed.
âMan, I liked you better as a trash can.â Eli fired back, pouring half the box of Cheerios into his bowl, followed by the remainder of the milk. After considering it for a moment, Eli added the other half of the cereal as well.
âSir, shall I fetch another weekâs supply of breakfast cereal? We appear to have run out.â the robot asked Quinn, ignoring the trash can comment completely.
Eliâs jaw practically hit the counter.
âDi-did your robot just sass me? Man, who builds a sassy robot?ââMe. I build sassy robots. Now hold up - theyâre about to show the money shot.â Quinn replied, holding up a finger. His attention never left the screen. Eli frowned, but tuned in himself.
The anchor who had been reading the headlines was then replaced by a shaky cell phone video the clearly showed a giant, unanchored Preacher looming tall over a dirt road by some kind of compound. Men on the roof were spraying him with gunfire, but the giant seemed unaffected. Eventually, Preacher clasped both hands high above his head and swung downwards. Part of the roof caved in. Thatâs when the garage opened and the vehicles began to swarm out. Preacher managed to flip the first over, and kicked the second into one of the compounds outer wallsâŚthen the third came out. Preacher went to step on the van to hold it in place...but he didnât put his full weight on it. The vanâs driver booked it and Eli obviously wasnât expecting it. The giant lost his footing and fell to the ground. The van got away. And with it, Babajide Olawale - leader of a rather new and growing hyper-violent rebel faction in Northern Nigeria.
When the piece finished, Quinn paused the stream and a silence hung in the air for several moments. The mood in the room had shifted. Eli nodded, letting the shame hit him anew, before finally digging into his cereal.
Eventually, Quinn broke the silence.
âYou were injured.â he stated.
âYeah.â Eli confirmed. There was no use in lying about it - he had a suspicion that Quinn had already put everything together.
âHow?â the younger brother drilled. Eli could sense that he was starting to get angry. Quinn wore his emotions plain as day, and while he still refused to look at Eli, the shamed man could hear it in his half-brotherâs voice.
âOne of the patrols I ran into on my way in. Caught a bullet in the gut.â he admitted.
Quinn didnât take that well. His head snapped towards Eli,
âCaught a bul- man, youâre fucking bulletproof! The fuck you mean you caught a bullet?ââLanguage.â Eli began, inviting another interjection of âEnglish, sirâ by the cyberbutler. Eli ignored it, however, and carried on.
âI mean, maybe Iâm not as bulletproof as they say. Whatever the guy had, it went right through me.âQuinn wasted no time in firing another accusation.
âSo, you get injured before your mission even starts, and you donât think to bail? Or at least call in some backup? Man, what were you even thinking?âHe considered that for a moment before pushing his bowl away and leaning back, arms crossed.
âI was thinking Olawale was in that compound. And I was right. I didnât have time to wait around for backup. That was the best shot we had of catching him.âQuinn scoffed.
âOh, youâre not wrong, broâ he started, the last word practically dripping with vitriol,
âthat was our best shot. That was our best shot and you blew it.â He got to his feet and crossed the living room towards the main door. He paused at the counter.
âMan...right now heâs being shuffled around to God knows where. Itâll take weeks to find him again. Maybe even months.â Quinn turned to look Eli dead in the eyes.
âPeople are going to die, Eli. And thatâs on you. Every single person that he kills because you fucked up? Their bloodâs on your hands.âHis words hung in the air for a moment before Quinn put on his cheesiest, most insincere smile and playfully slugged Eli in the arm.
âBut hey, at least Big Bad Preacherman didnât have to hurt his pride and ask for help, yeah? Heâs got this all on his own.âAs he backed off, Quinnâs fake smile contorted into a look of utter contempt. âBrobot: letâs go. We got some real hero shit to do.â he ordered while disappearing around the corner. A moment later, the ridiculous looking tincan followed suit. Eli could make out some voices coming from the doorway, but didnât pay it any mind.
He shook his head and leaned back onto the counter. He had kept his cool, but just barely. Quinn had gotten a bit out of line there but...he wasnât entirely wrong. Eli knew that. But stillâŚ
âKnock knock.âThe unexpected voice pulled Eli right out of his thoughts. He looked over to see a goofy, smiling face peeking at him from around the corner. Eli couldnât help but laugh that deep, rumbling laugh of his.
âShouldnât you be in class right now?â he chuckled.
âShut up and come here, you big lug. I missed you!â Gabrielle laughed, closing in for a hug. She juuuust so happened to land directly on the wound. Eli winced, but she didnât seem to notice. Or if she did, she didnât mention it. When she pulled away, she hiked a thumb over her shoulder.
âSo...Q seemed uhmâŚââCheerful and optimistic?â Eli threw out completely sincerely with absolutely no sarcasm whatsoever.
âI was thinking something more along the lines of âbitter and hateful.ââ she clarified by adding air quotes.
Eli feigned shock.
âI know youâre not accusing our brother of being unhappy?ââNever.â Gabrielle chuckled.
âPlease tell me youâre not already fighting?ââUhhâŚâ he stalled.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes.
âLie to me?ââWellâŚâ he hummed.
âEli!â she scolded playfully.
âWhat?! You know how it is.â He laughed. Eli loved his brother. But they didnât see eye-to-eye on a lot. Gabrielle though? She and Eli were thick as thieves.
âTrue.â she said, moving to the counter and hoping up onto it. Eli just shook his head. Her mother would bust her hind end if she ever caught her doing that back home. Give a kid some superpowers and they immediately start rebelling.
âSo, howâd it go?ââItâs gone better.â he admitted. It certainly couldnât have gone much worse. That much was a fact. Eli opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of sodas. He offered one to Gabrielle who quickly snatched it, popped it open, and took a swig.
âThatâs why you need me to go with you! Iâm so ready now.â she hastily pitched.
Uh-oh.
Eli could feel his smile falter. This was definitely going to lead to a headache.
âNot going to happen.ââWhat? Why? I can hold my own!â she protested. Eli had his doubts.
âItâs too dangerous.â he explained. She wouldnât like that. In hindsight, probably not the right thing to say there.
âIâll be fine! You wonât have to worry about me AND I can help you.â she pleaded. Of course heâd worry about her. How could he not? It would be impossible. If he, the Bulletproof Giant could still manage to get shot, then what hope did this fifteen year old girl from New York have?
âIâm sorry, but no.â he stated, rejecting her offer and desperately hoping sheâd drop it.
She didnât. Instead, she got off the counter and sized him up much like Quinn had just a few minutes prior.
âIâm not a little girl anymore, Big E. I can do this. Let me help you.âMaybe it was the headache from Quinnâs interrogation. Maybe it was the stinging pain throbbing in his side. Maybe it was the stress from failing at his one job. Whatever the reason, Eli snapped at Gabrielle, raising his voice.
âI said no, Gabby! End of discussion.âHe regretted it immediately.
âThatâs not fair.â she muttered. He had obviously scared her - he could tell that she was on the cusp of tears. Her eyes had that glossy look to them. Eli sighed and started to reach out for her, but Gabrielle started backing up.
âGabbyâŚâ he started but the girl threw a thumb up over her shoulder, motioning towards the door.
âI should probably go. Wouldnât wanna be late for class.â she claimed, her voice hitching. Before Eli could say anything else, she turned around and stormed out, slamming the door.
And with that, Eli had managed to upset two out of two siblings in less than an hour of being awake. New record. Oh well. Things would work out. Eli was sure of it. They always did. In the meanwhileâŚthe gentle giant grabbed his bowl of cereal and headed around the counter to grab a seat on the couch. Or at least, he was going to. But fate sometimes has different plans in store. Rather than successfully walking around the counters as he had planned, a sudden announcement caught Eli completely off-guard, causing him to trip over his own feet and stumble forward. He bounced off the counter, wound first. The sudden spike of pain shocked him. It shocked him so much, that he dropped the bowl of cereal, which tumbled to the ground and promptly shattered.
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Eli sighed. Then he grabbed some paper towels. Certainly things could only go up from here.
Stone-Pierce Introduction | Part 1 of 3