Morgan was in the machine shop welding away at the casing for the generator she was making for her term project. The day had been nice and fairly normal but that all changed with the guys hollering about the students collapsing in the hall. Taking her goggles off and flicking off the welder she moved to see what was going on until the guys started screaming. Backing away as their faces started to bleed from various places. Morgan went for a machine shop mask but tripped and fell. The next part she could only describe as if she had been plugged into an outlet, set on fire, and drowned in ice water. The pain was on a level of unbelievable until that is she passed out with her last thought *I'm coming to see you grandpa. I'm on my way wherever you are.*
::beep. beep. beep::
It had been four days her nurse told her. Four days since the attack and since she had fallen into a coma. All her classmates in the room with her had died but she had survived. She learned that day that others like her survived all around campus and Greenwich proper. A terrorist attack is what they were calling though no one had claimed it. Morgan laid in bed the rest of the day, being held for observation, worried and sad. Finally falling asleep she dreamed of her grandpa and him telling her she was meant for greater things than the farm he raised her on. Then the dream shifted to meeting her soon to be roommate for the first time, Reyna. The girl was nice and had a cat who always seemed to be into something. Reyna didn't go to school like Morgan but it wasn't for lack of Morgan trying to talk her into it. Then in the dream she saw Reyna's face as the guy's in the shop had been. Blood everywhere and Morgan trying to cradle Reyna's head screaming for someone to help her.
Bolting upright Morgan screamed and the nurse soon rushed in. It was three forty-two a.m. and she was sweating all over. Calming her the nurse gave her something to help her sleep and Morgan drifted back into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning Morgan woke at ten. The nurse came over reading the chart and smiled telling Morgan that she was good to check out finally. She did and started home. Seeing that she had no missed calls from Reyna, now her only contact besides the lawyer and farm hands that oversaw the farm, she panicked and ran home. Without noticing his Morgan ran faster than she was supposed to and lighter as if she was walking on air.
Getting to the apartment she noticed this in disarray slightly and then the blood. She then called Reyna's number hoping beyond hope that she picked up.
The sound of ringing made her eyes flutter open, her gaze lazily searching for her phone when she remembered tossing it at her feet after listening to the disappointing voicemail. Weakly, Reyna pushed herself up and took hold of the phone, not really ready for a fight right now. She had been hoping to just sleep until she was released from this nightmare of a place. She felt herself starting to shake at the thought of where she was and took a few deep breaths before looking at the caller ID. The moment she saw her roommate's name flash on it, she swiftly hit the answer button and placed it to her ear.
’Morgan? Is that you?! Are you alright?! I got worried when I woke up and found no calls from you. Did you get caught in it too? Where are you?’, she said in a panicked flurry of questions while waiting to hear from the woman on the other side of the line.
Sighing with relief when Reyna answered Morgan listened to the flurry of questions. "Reyna calm down. I'm ok but yeah I was caught in it. Just got back from the hospital actually. I guess I was in shock cause I just checked the phone and panicked when I didn't see anything from you either. I'm so glad you are ok." Morgan sighed again and then felt the fatigue of running home while she waited for Reyna.
’As okay as I can be in a place like this. They are hoping to release me today if the tests check out. How is Jiji? How are you? I mean, really...are you alright? I...I know you were probably closer to that mess than I was and I mostly likely lost a good amount of blood. Oh shit! The floor...that probably looked really bad! No wonder you were worried…’Morgan processed her questions and sighed. "Honestly I'm not ok emotionally. They told me the guys in the machine shop died. They were classmates. Oh and Jiji is fine. I'm going to feed him and clean before throwing myself into programming to distract me. If you get home tonight don't worry about me, just get some rest and kitty cuddles. I'm gonna go and get started hun. Be safe, bye." Morgan clicked off the call and sat as Jiji came up and hopped in her lap.
’I...I can understand that. I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t say anyone would be emotionally okay from this but I’m glad that you and Jiji are safe. I imagined the worst so this has been a huge relief. Thank you for making sure my boy is alright and I’ll see you both real soon. Relax and be safe, bye.’ıllıllııllıllı
Seven days after the attack Reyna had called from the living room that she was headed out for some breakfast but Morgan didn't bother replying as she was still face down in her pillow. After finding out two days prior that her roommate had been in the hospital too, the exact same one...a floor below her, Morgan had been hard at work programming since classes were cancelled for now. She had been working on a project for awhile not developing what she hoped would be an AI someday but was starting to think the project was pointless as it was going nowhere so in her frustration she went out to a bar, during which she picked up a bottle of tequila and the bartender. She had kicked him out after her fun but kept the bottle. Surprisingly enough? Morgan didn't wince as her roommate yelled. Matter of fact she felt fine for someone who drank half a bottle.
Getting up she showered and washed all the failure of yesterday off then went back to her room staring at her computer. "You are never going to work unless we have a surge in technology. Grandpa always said the world wasn't ready for my grand ideas...looks like he was right." She hung her head in defeat.
There was absolutely no chance that she had almost dropped her companion more than once before getting smart enough to readjust his position. Nope, no chance whatsoever! In all honesty though, she secretly felt like a damn pack mule at the moment but she guessed it was her own fault for her poor reactions in the alley. Karma was a real bitch like that. She hadn’t realized at first just how much stuff she had to carry between both their belongings. The coat she had been asked to hold was now a new fashion piece to her current wardrobe, the red hoodie she had previously worn was now securely tied at her waist. Both her laptop bag and his own were now crossed over her chest while she worked to keep the taller man on her back which meant an extremely slow trek home. Reyna had to make sure to take a path of rooftops with less gaps from one to the next or low visibility from below which was a struggle. She had never been more ecstatic to have chosen a cafe near her home and within walking distance. She couldn’t even imagine being further away and having to rely on the hope of getting any other powers to work when her bite had caused such a disaster in the first place.
It was a huge relief when she made it to the top of the apartment building, not wanting to deal with the stress of the situation or having to explain herself if she was found out. A girl her size should not be handling as much as she was carrying with the ease she was displaying and it didn’t help that he looked like a damn corpse at a glance. Reyna wasn’t exactly a rocket scientist but even she knew the more suspicious in appearance, the more questions from others and she didn’t need anyone searching into her or her business. The thought of being dragged to some lab for testing was not high on her list and she might have already fucked that up depending on how the man she was carrying reacted once he gained clarity. She shook her head, clearing that thought before doing a little jump to settle her companion back into a better position so she could open the door to the roof. Unfortunately, the hassle of trying to keep her companion on her back and opening the door was a bad combo as she has to yet again catch him before he hit the ground.
”Son of a….okay just…”, Reyna cursed, trying to deal with holding up mister noodle legs while also using her foot to open the door instead when clearly it would have been easier to just let him sit on the ground for a moment but being a nervous and flustered mess didn’t really pan out for most people let alone her. She could only be grateful that for once, the shitty management of her landlord had actually turned into her favor with not having a locked door to the roof access because it was still busted. She maneuvered herself to block the door from closing again as she positioned the auburn haired acquaintance back into place, planning on descending to her floor. The nerves of being caught in the hallway once she made it down the stairs put her on edge so when one of the lower floor stairwell doors opened, she physically flinched and tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible. No one should be needing or using the roof access/emergency stairwell.
That was one thing she had been right about but it didn’t change the fact that her path was going to be blocked either way by a bunch of pre-teens being idiots in the stairwell, trying to keep their bad habits a secret and bitching about the world. Reyna rolled her eyes and bit her lip nervously as she looked to the ceiling, debating on what the next move would be. She could just walk by, threaten to rat them out to their parents or something if they wanted to talk but that was definitely not a great idea. She could think of another way into her apartment, walking through the complex front door was probably not great but maybe a window. Would they even have a window open or unlocked? The balcony would be closed but she might be able to get Morgan’s attention. Morgan’s room wasn’t even worth a shot since she kept it secure but maybe to knock and wake her? Though she didn’t want to rely on a shaky power that long. She probably had her own unlocked, liking to have it open now and then.
Finally making up her mind, Reyna turned away from the stairwell to make her way back to the roof. She carefully walked along the ledge, trying to find the right side and map out which one was actually her window since if she was going to break in, it was best for it to be the right one and not get spotted while trying to figure it out. Once she was situated, moving her passenger back onto her shoulders and glanced over the edge.
”Why did it have to be so difficult? Okay. You can do this.”, she said, trying to give herself a pep talk as she worked to try and get the string web thing going. It took several embarrassing tries before finally she finally got it stuck to the roof. Reyna nervously tested the line before closing her eyes, gripping the man on her shoulders as tightly as she could with one hand and jumped. There was a moment of sheer panic, the wind rushing past her, and the fluttering of butterflies at the feeling of falling but suddenly her arm was jerked and her hand grabbed the webbing. She dangled just above her windowsill and tried to swing closer, nervously praying the web held out.
”Fucking pathetic asshole thug and freaking tall ass men….”, she cursed.
She now had a problem she didn’t think about, how was she gonna get the window open with no free hands.
”You have got to be kidding me!?!, Reyna pouted.
’I did not think this through.’, she thought for a moment. Changing plans, trying to swing closer to the balcony and crawling up once she had managed to reach. It would be a pain to enter from here so she wouldn’t but at least she could leave him on one of the chairs or something while she worked at the window. She carefully shrugged him off and onto one of the lounge chairs, rolling her shoulders a bit at the relief from losing the extra weight. She jumped off the edge again, climbing a bit of the web since she had needed more to make it to the balcony before and was not at her bedroom window. Once she made it back, she shoved upward on the glass and worked to push the window open. She was thankful that there were no screens on these windows even though she had cursed the same fact many times before.
The window squealed, finally giving in and letting her slip inside but she tripped, her arm still being yanked toward the window.
”For the love of...let go!”, she hissed and watched it snap off her wrist. Reyna swiftly bolted out the door to her room, making her way to the slider as she started uncrossing the bags from her chest.
”"MORGAN! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!", she called out in a panic, placing both bags on the couch before throwing open the slider. She scooped up sleeping beauty in her arms, slowly trying to make her way inside when she heard a ‘meow’ and felt her baby rubbing her legs. This was the worst timing because she couldn’t see and didn’t want to step on or hurt Jiji.
”Baby boy, you need to move now.”, she grunted, trying to lean in a way she could see him only hear a thump as she accidentally got too close to the frame and whacked the one she was carrying in the head.
”Well, shit. I’m sure he will be fine...right Jiji?”, she questioned the little black cat before getting a ‘meow’ in return.
”Agreed, this is our secret.” That being said, Reyna made her way to her own room before carefully placing him down on top of her bed while she thought she heard Morgan’s door open. She had no idea how long he would be out but at least he could rest somewhere comfy while he did. He would probably need some meds for when he woke up since he had been nailed twice but that was for later since she needed to get some advice from her roommate on the situation and made her way out into the living room.
Morgan stared at the computer in defeat then turned as she heard Reyna. Problem and didn't she leave earlier? She didn't hear the front door. "Reyna? What problem and did you come in your fucking window or something?" Morgan still had her hair in a towel and was half dressed as she walked into the living room almost bumping into Reyna. "Oh hey what's up?"
”I would say not to joke but that is exactly what I did.”, she replied, running her fingers through her hair in frustration and embarrassment. She jumped back, a bit startled as she realized just how close she had gotten to Morgan, almost bumping into her but then looked away quickly.
”Jeez Morgan! Put on some pants or something. You aren’t going to want to be half dressed for this.”, Reyna whined, placing her hands over her face. She took a deep breath,waving her roommate to follow her as she made her way back to her bedroom.
”I really fucked up...like majorly fucked up! You remember when I tried to test out my venom on myself and nothing happened? Well…. I’ve accidentally found out exactly how it works.”, she laughed nervously before opening her door, showing the tall stranger on her bed.
”He’s been completely paralyzed and out of it since I accidentally bit him.”"Wait for real? The window?" She asked before her roommate decided to be miss modesty. Morgan rolled her eyes and walked back in grabbing some sweat pants putting them on. Then followed Reyna. She nodded as Reyna started to explain but that didn't prepare her for her jaw hitting the floor as she saw the unconscious man. "Reyna you didn't!? How? Why? The fuck did you bring him back here for!? Did someone see you!?" The questions came out in a panic as she ran out to the living room and made sure the front door was locked thoroughly before walking back in with her eyes wide.
”I didn’t mean to! It just happened!”, Reyna pouted, crossing her arms as she over her chest and feeling like she was being scolded. She sighed deeply, hugging herself tightly for a moment before looking to the passed out man.
”I was about to be mugged, maybe worse than that and he saved me. I was out of it and in a panic….next thing I knew, I was biting him which you can see the result of. I couldn’t just leave him there with that psycho thug so I brought him back here. I made sure to use the rooftops and I promise, I did everything possible not to be seen. I just worry about how he is going to react to all this when he wakes.” Rubbing at her face Morgan dragged a hand down her cheek and gave her a sidelong look. "Alright you got here safely. Unconscious man in toe." Morgan thought a minute. "There is nothing we can do I don't think so we might as well sit and wait. I mean unless you want me to try and shock him awake. Though I'm not sure if it'll react differently with your venom so never mind." Looking at the boy Morgan suddenly caught a whiff of machine oil then bent to sniff him. "Smells like a machine shop guy." Then from his back slide a laptop. "Well hello." Morgan snatched the laptop and grinned. "Well you watch Sir Napsalot, I'm going to find out who we are dealing with before he wakes up. If he does threaten you I'll have some dirt on him. Key words…browser history." With her grin she marched out of the room and to hers. Sitting she plugged the laptop up and inserted a flash drive before letting her fingers fly over the keyboard.
Reyna nodded softly in agreement that there wasn’t much they could do at this point and also that shock would be a possible bad combo when venom was rushing through his veins. She raised a brow at Morgan sniffing their guest, not even wanting to know what machine shop smell was or why that had even just happened but her roommate could be called a little eccentric which most geniuses were. She was about to protest about the laptop, not wanting to invade her savior’s privacy but at the same time, Morgan had a point. If he wanted to expose her then having a bit of insurance as protection wasn’t a bad idea. It might also be good to contact someone to help pick him up once he awoke but that would also require knowing who he even was which proved another point in her roommates favor to convince her.
”Alright, I’ll watch him while you do some digging...just try not to go overboard, okay? This guy did save me after all.”, she said which most fell on deaf ears as Morgan was already sailing out the door. Reyna sighed, pulling her desk chair over next to the bed and having a seat, preparing herself for the waiting game.
Morgan didn't waste time and was in. She really did check his browsing history barely containing little laughs as she went through files and found one labeled projects. She stopped remembering what Reyna had said just barely, this guy had saved Reyna. So the logical thing to do was help the guy in return right? She opened the file and blanched. Hardt Corp logos in the corner. Wow who was this guy to be so young and working for a huge tech company. Holding off on projects she went through and found who this machine belonged to. Oh...my...god…none other than the CEOs son, Adalbert Von Hardt! Eyes wide Morgan couldn't resist and went over to projects looking them over.