On the Bounty

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Well I do play an instrument... if you wanna call it that." She reached into her suitcase and took out a Harmonica. It was a Hohner brand harmonica with John Lennon's name on it and it read Imagine. "My grandpa used to play the Saxophone and I loved hearing him play." She smiled at the memory. "I wanted to play along with him. The music sounded soulful and he played with so much heart. One Christmas he got me this Harmonica a year before he passed away. I spent that whole year learning how to play it, and me and him would throw these garage jams." She chuckled. "I still play it every now and then. One of my most prized possessions."


She pocketed the harmonica in her suitcase and looked back up as she tried to think of another hobby. "Does laying in the grass to make shapes out of clouds work? Or looking through the telescope at the stars?" She shrugged.


"Did you have any pets growing up? Or a favorite animal in general?" She asked.

 

[kindaemissary]

"I think searching the galaxy could be considered a hobby," he smiled. He pulled his phone into his lap and checked the time. There was still a long wait to go, but time was ticking by. It was going faster than he thought it would, but it was still moving rather slowly.


"I had a German Shepherd for awhile, but when I was fourteen he passed away. That was almost six years ago, now that I think about it. That's a crazy long time." He gave a half smile and looked down towards his knee in his lap, resting his hands on it, fingers folded together. "My brother had dogs growing up too, but they were before my time." He sighed a bit and leaned back into the airport chair.


He wanted to call his mom, but this wasn't the right time or place. He had to wait. He needed to wait until he at least got to Switzerland, and even then it still might be too soon. He was missing his family and now his dog on top of it, and he really wanted to go home, even though he knew that it was less than unsafe.


"Any dreams?" he asked, breaking his chain of thought. "Anything you've always wanted to do but have never done? Anything you felt like you could never accomplish but always hoped it could happen?"

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"I wanna learn how to speak French. It really sucked because the year I started high school they had to cancel that class all together cause the French teacher moved back to France and no one else could." She said. "And wanting to open a bakery at some point on my life. But first I need to learn how to bake." She chuckled a bit. "Is it sad that I don't have many dreams I want to accomplish?" She asked.


"I guess in the end I'm just a simple girl just living each day as it happens."

 

[kindaemissary]

"Not sad," Anderson assured. "You have a lot of time to still want things, so there's no rush. We're both young. We don't need to grow up so fast." He smiled and uncrossed his legs, leaning forward to crack his back. "There's so much time to worry about crap like that when we're thirty. Now, we just have to enjoy the best times of our life and learn as much as we can."


Anderson leaned back and stretched his arms, looking around the airport as he cracked his neck. "It's going to be a long day," he said with a slack face.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Yeah." Jaime nodded. If only she could have a power like making time go by faster, it could really help out right about now. She was a pretty impatient person. All she wanted to do was either sleep until the time comes or just walk around and possibly mess with people for fun. She figured sleep might be better in this case. She didn't have a need to get in trouble.


"I think I'm going to sleep a bit." She said. She took out her phone and created a little alarm for herself. Pulling her hoodie over her head and putting her earbuds in, she leaned onto the little table to rest up a bit.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded as Jaime pulled into herself and he crossed his legs again, thinking about walking around the airport to buy a book. He didn't have his headphones with him because in a few hours he wouldn't even have his phone with him. It didn't matter for such a short amount of time. He could sit around for a bit and if he got bored, he could always wander around. For now he could just relax and enjoy the silence, because on the plane he probably wouldn't be having too much of that.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Hours went by and Jaime's alarm went off which signaled her to wake up. She groaned a bit and rubbed her eyes, turning her phones alarm off. It was about thirty minutes before they could start boarding the plane. Still a bit groggy she stretched a bit before looking around for Anderson. It was dark outside and she saw many other people sleeping, some in sleeping bags and some in awkward positions.


She texted her mom and dad for the first time since leaving to tell them she was okay. She put her slight bed head hair up in a bun while a few strands dangled in front of her face. She blew them out of the way. She was nervous and excited about going on the plane... traveling to a new country to experience something new. She checked to make sure her passport was still on her and sighed in relief that she found it.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson walked back towards their gate and saw Jaime looking around. He had spent a lot of time roaming the airport, but it was nice to move around since he'd be stuck on a plane for hours once take off happened. He bought two books, a bottle of water for the flight (since you can't take food past security), and some pain medication. He always seemed to get back cramps on planes, but he had no idea why. He thought about getting motion sickness medication, but he didn't want something that was going to make him pass out.


"Hey," he said, and he sat back down in the chair. It was dark outside, and boarding for their flight would be happening in the next half and hour. Birmingham to Geneva. A long trip, indeed. 8 hours of fly time was sure to make him tired. He just hoped he could catch some shut eye. "It's about 9 PM," he told her. He threw his phone away at the last terminal - took the battery out and everything. Broke the SIM card under the weight of his foot. He wasn't taking any chances of being traced. "It shouldn't too much longer of a wait."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

She yawned again as she checked her phone for more messages. Just a couple from some of her friends that were wondering what happened. When Anderson came over she looked up and nodded. "Sounds good." She yawned again. "Mmmmm I had a good nap!" She took her jacket off and brushed her hair out, a little curly after being in a bun for a couple hours.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson gave her a small smile and rested his head in his palm. "That's good," he said. "I'm hoping to get some when we're on the plane, otherwise getting to Switzerland at 1PM is going to suck. And not even 1PM tomorrow, 1PM the next day." He leaned back up and pulled his bags together. Here, it'll be 6AM, but after the 8 hour plane ride, it's going to be even later overseas."


(I'm brain dead at the moment, so I literally can't write - sorry)

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

The hour went by pretty quickly as they went towards the terminal to get in line. Jaime never liked going on a plane as a kid and she still didn't like it. At least she could tolerate it for however many hours it would take. Taking her seat, she relaxed a bit. She didn't have the window seat but she didn't really want to. She watched the other people get on board hoping there were no small kids on board that would cause a tantrum or a crying baby. She counted only two little kids so she sighed in relief. Two kids couldn't be that bad in general. She put her jacket back on and wore some gloves over her hands in case she her abilities decided to have a mind of their own again. It wasn't even cold on the plane.


((It's okay, I'm drained in general from work lol. We could just skip time a bit if we can't think of anything))

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson put both of their bags in the carry-on area above since they weren't big enough to put below the deck. That would be good once they got to Switzerland because they wouldn't have to wait for any luggage. He sat down next to Jaime, noticing her coat and gloves, but didn't say anything. If she got cold, that was okay with him. After a while of not moving, the plane would cool down anyway, and being so high in the air at night wouldn't help. He rested his jacket on his lap like a blanket and smiled towards Jaime. She had the center seat in their small section and Anderson had the aisle. The window was shut, but he figured that was because it was dark anyway. Most of the time they made you close the windows. At least on red-eyes.


"Once we get in the air, we shouldn't face to much turbulence. It should be a pretty calm ride." He smiled and looked down to his lap, buckling his seat belt. The ride would be a little rocky until they got past the first layer of atmosphere, but once they got into the air - the real air - it would be a nice flight.


The flight attendants went around making sure everyone was seated and taken care of, and once the seat-belt sign came on overhead Anderson realized they wouldn't have another occupant in their row. That was nice. Jaime wouldn't have to sit next to anyone she didn't know, and Anderson had less of a chance of dealing with anyone touching him. He was glad that his power only worked on skin-to-skin contact.


As the flight took off, everyone was pretty quiet. Most of the red-eyes he had taken were like this, so he was used to the stilled silence of the plane. He took it in, glad that there weren't many children. Besides, the children that were on the plane would probably fall asleep before he knew it.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Yeah I know." She said as she got a little comfortable. The little blanket and pillow they always provided for flying at night were never comfy so she was glad she had her jacket. She took in a deep breath and just told herself to relax. Every now and then, use it slightly. That way no freak accident can happen. She told herself. The last thing she needed was for her suddenly turn into stone in mid flight and cause everyone to freak out. And then get taken away by those people.


Jaime plugged in her earbuds for the radio the provided. It was nothing good so she browsed for a good while before settling on some rock music. she kept one ear free in case Anderson wanted to talk or had to get up for anything. "Smooth flying from here on." She said.

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded in agreement with her and leaned back in his seat, using the small throw blanket over his legs. It was about the size of a hand towel, but it was better than cold thighs. After a while he pulled on his jacket and closed his eyes, hoping to catch some sleep. The plane was quiet and dark, with just a few lights on at the ends of the cabin, and it the perfect environment for a long nap, which Anderson would hopefully get. With all the stress of flying overseas and making sure he kept his power in check, it was going to be a long while before he felt sane again.


-


He awoke with a startle, not even realizing that he had fallen asleep. Sleep worked like that - crept up on you without anyone taking notice. He glanced over towards Jaime and shook her awake and glanced around the cabin. About ten rows in front of them was a man fighting with a flight attendant, and after a minute, that flight attendant became two. The entire cabin was watching with worried eyes, and Anderson was curious as to what was happening until until he saw the man flash in and out of sight.


This was no good.


Being in the vicinity of someone else with powers drew the attention away from him, but something could happen later on with even more problems if he let it. He had never seen someone use their power in person, only on TV. It was frightening, and for a flash of a moment, he kind of understood the nation's worry and hostility. But this was his life! He had no choice but to defend himself from anything that could ruin his life, and this was by God one of them.


His hands clenched the armrests on each side of him, and he watched as two older men joined the flight attendants in fighting the visible-invisible man. Parents clung their children to their chests, and heard a scream yell out behind him. Everything was happening so fast he had no idea how he was supposed to react. He turned to face Jaime with eyes wide in worry and then glanced back to the scene at hand. They had to get out of there, because once part of this was a problem, all of it was a problem. If they somehow realized that he was trying to leave the country, he was better off dead.


The loudspeaker ahead boomed, and his thoughts ceased. "Due to some unexpected complications, we will be landing in Tampa in the next twenty minutes. Please stay in your seats and buckle your seatbelts. Everything is under control."


From where Anderson was sitting, that was the least from the truth. It took another five minutes to get the man to stop screaming and seven to knock him out and handcuff him to his seat. Another flight attendant came back and ushered the older men to sit down, thanking them for their aid, and then struck the visible-invisible man with a needle. Anderson assumed it was a sedative from the way the man slumped, but he was already unconscious from being knocked upside the head.


"I don't think we're going to make it to Switzerland," he whispered, and he leaned over closer to Jaime. "We might not even make it out of Florida." All of the lights came on in the airplane, and Anderson felt his throat constrict. This was bad. This was very, very bad. From the way this looked, he might not even make it off of the plane.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime snorted a bit as she was shaken. Her eyes fluttered a bit and she almost rolled back over to sleep if it were not for the sounds of struggling she heard. Was he plane hijacked by terrorists and the people were fighting back? Or was it something else? Her mind was going through so many scenarios and she wasn't even fully awake yet.


When she finally saw what was happening her heart sank. Her eyes went wide as she saw this man freaking out with his powers. He was fighting with several people on the plane. She saw the scared looks on everyone's faces and she unbuckled her seat belt. She was going to get up to help but something felt wrong.


With the situation at hand, it was making it tense on the plane. Her heart was beating a million miles per minute and she knew her powers were acting up. It happens when she gets really stressed out. She remembers when she first discovered these abilities, she couldn't control it for hours and watched as her skin became so many different kinds of things. She got up from her seat and rushed to the bathroom keeping her hood covering her face and hands in her hoodie pockets.


Locking the door she took her gloves out that were a bit tattered after looking glass like. She carefully took her jacket off to see her whole arms had become the same thing, and so did her legs. Around her joints were jagged and it tore holes in her jeans. "No no no!" She whispered as she tried to calm herself. It was a weird sensation; she could actually feel her skin slowly changing more as it traveled up her body. She closed her eyes and tried to think of other things.


After a few minutes and hearing on the intercom about the sudden landing, she was finally able to calm down and return to normal. She put her jacket back on and sighed looking at her jeans. Jaime knew Anderson would notice all the holes that would appear on her jeans. She exited the bathroom and sat down and slowly nodded. "Yup. I figured that out."


((So sorry for the late reply! >< I never got a notification!))

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson watched as Jaime headed back from the bathroom and sat down next to him, and he placed a hand on her thigh. "Are you alright?" He glanced towards the front of the cab. Guards were coming from the area ahead of them to block of the section and keep things in order. The visible-invisible man was still slumped against the wall of the plane with people standing around him. Passengers were holding their children close to them, worried looks in their eyes.


The entire atmosphere of the plane changed in a matter of minutes, and Anderson didn't know what to make of that. Him and Jaime were safe for now, as were the rest of the plane occupants, but that could change any minute. With one man going crazy with his power, the entire trip could be delayed. Or worse, cancelled. He sat tensed next to Jaime and hoped that everything would clear up before his entire plan fell through.


The plane started to descend from airspace and approach the land below them. The standing riders stood tight, and Anderson kept watching them, hoping that they would give something away. If this was going to turn into a bloodbath to find more people with powers Anderson wanted an upper hand. As the plane got closer to landing, Anderson started to put on his coat. He didn't want Jaime to know that he was on edge with his powers, but since they were easily controlled he didn't know why he was worried in the first place. They had never acted up without his consent before, aside from the time he learned that he had them, so he didn't know why they would now.


As soon as the plane stopped at the airfield, the guards at the beginning of the section started talking. "Gather yourselves and your carry-ons. When you exit the plane, we are going to have 1 on 1 inspections. We need to make sure there are no more terrorists on the plane."


Anderson's breath caught in his throat, but he pushed him through moving towards their bags. He handed Jaime her bag and pulled his backpack over his shoulders. They got their stuff quickly, and as soon as the path was cleared to get off the plane, Anderson pulled Jaime towards the exit. He needed to get out of here. If they did a 1 on 1 inspection, he figured he would be fine, but if not he was screwed.


When they got off the plane, the crowd was ridiculous. There were people everyone and airport security trying to push them back, but it was going to be easy to get lost. He grabbed Jaime's elbow and turned around to face her, taking a deep breath. "I'm not doing a 1 on 1 inspection." He glanced around the room before turning back towards her, eyes wide. "You can stay here if you want, but I can't. It'll be hard to get out of the airport, but we'll manage. I'll explain it all later. Are you coming with me or not?"


(( Don't worry about it, I've been pretty busy with school! cx ))

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime didn't know what his reason was for not going through with the one on one inspection, but she knew hers. If she was forced to go through that she knew her powers would act up again and she would be taken away. Like that little boy whose face still haunts her. "I-I'm with you, one hundred percent." She stumbled on her words a bit. She wasn't really hiding the fact she was scared and worried and frantic. She grabbed her backpack and tightened her grip on it as she followed Anderson to where ever he went.


Taking a look back at all of the other people, she wondered how many others might have abilities. She felt bad for them... but for now she had to worry about herself and not get caught. She took in deep breaths along the way to keep herself calm and humming a little tune she heard when she was younger. "I... I have something to say too once we get out of here."

 

[kindaemissary]

It was easy enough to make it out of the area they had set aside for the passengers of their plane, but it seemed like they were locking the entire airport down. There were guards at every exit they passed, and he couldn't help but worry about his safety as they continued on their journey from terminal to terminal. The airport was generally crowded with girls in shorts and old men in Hawaiian shirts. It was probably a normal look for Floridians, but being from a colder Northern state, Anderson was not used to the view.


He kept his grip on Jaime because he didn't want to lose her. He tried not to yank her arm, but as the crowds bustled around them it was a little difficult. Everyone was going crazy, and he was just trying to help them blend into the crowd.


From looking at the signs around the terminals, Anderson learned that all the flights leaving Tampa were either delayed or cancelled. Maybe word got out that there were "crazy mutants" on flight 815. Maybe the entire world was ending. Maybe they were closing down the airways. He couldn't be sure, and it would seem suspicious, so he kept walking. They only had a few things with them - their bags and Anderson's guitar - so they didn't draw too much attention as they walked from one end of the airport to the other. He was worried about finding a way out, and he kept getting a sicking feeling that they would get caught before they had the time to escape. If push came to shove, Anderson would have to leave Jaime behind and make a run for it. He couldn't take the chance of being caught, and he would do everything he could to protect himself. That might have seemed terrible, but if she was in position she might just do the same thing. His number one priority was himself, and that was all he was worried for at the time.


Anderson made a sharp turn after walking through the next gate and pulled Jaime into the closest women's bathroom. A couple people looked at him like he was stupid, but he didn't let it get to him. Before Jaime had time to ask a question, he pulled them into a far stall and locked the door. "We're not going to have a good chance at this," he admitted, "but I have an idea." He leaned in closer to her and hoped that his guitar case didn't hit her in the face. "It's going to be very hard to get out of the airport without speed. There are guards everywhere." He started whispering with a hand cupped to her ear. "We both have our reasons to get the hell outta here, but I think the only way we're going to do that is if we steal an airport vehicle. They have those little golf-carts everywhere, and since the security is so distracted with everything going on, it'll be a little easier to get one. Hard, but still better chances that without the distraction. I think our best chance is going to be us getting one and getting the hell out of here as soon as we can. And as fast as we can. I'll drive through a window if I have to, but I'm not staying around here to be prosecuted like an animal."


He stopped talking for a second and swallowed, licked his lips, and sighed. "I think it's kind of obvious why I don't want to be here, but we can figure that out later. When we're not running for our lives." He pulled back and placed a hand on Jaime's shoulder and cupped it delicately. "So are you with me? Or am I doing this on my own?"

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime was being pulled along through the airport and she didn't mind. She kept humming throughout to calm herself down and it was working...barely. It wasn't as bad as when she was on the plane, but she felt her hand change every now and then. Thank god she was wearing gloves.


When she was pulled into the bathroom with him she figured they were going to talk. And then after listening to his plan she just nodded right away. "I'm totally with you." She whispered. "I saw an exit to outside where the carts are at on the way here. We can go through it and get on quickly. I don't mind driving unless you want to." She heard several other girls coming into the bathroom who were gossiping about what was happening. They acted kinda rude like this situation ruined their vacation. Jaime didn't care.


She also heard loud authorities outside the bathrooms screaming at everyone to calm down and to get in line. Then they were gone.. or at least quiet. "Let's go now while we have the chance."

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson nodded as Jaime talked and when the outside got quiet again, he unlocked the door and they peaked out. There was no one else in the bathroom aside from the girls in the stalls, and they left their stall quickly. They had to be quiet and fast, but Anderson figured they could do it. They seemed to have the right state of mind to get anything done, and at this point in time, that was what they needed.


They left the bathroom quickly and made it through the door that led back down towards where Jaime saw the carts earlier. Anderson had stopped holding her arm by now and they were running as fast as they could through the middle of the airport. With the walls around them and all the chaos happening outside, they could easily make a clean break. As long as everything went to plan.


At the door to terminal 14, there was a selection of carts to choose from. Anderson sat down on the closest one with only two seats and through his bags in the back before starting the engine. He turned towards Jaime with a flushed look on his face, and he glanced towards the double doors that opened into the gate. It was far enough from the gate they got off at, but not as far as he would have liked. "It'll only take a couple minutes or less to get to the outside, but we'll have to be careful. Grab a shirt from your bag and wrap it around your face and get ready. I'm going to open the double doors and run back to the cart, and you're going to get us out of here as fast as you can while I wrap a shirt around my head. I'll look for openings once I'm ready, and then we'll be good to go. It'll take a while to get out of airport territory, but Tampa is a big place. We'll get out of sight sooner or later." He walked towards the double doors to terminal 14 and nodded towards Jaime as he ran back. He grabbed a shirt from his bag and wrapped it around his face as fast as he could. This was going to be a crazy day, and to think, it was only 1 AM.

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime reached into her bag and took a shirt out to wrap around her head. "Gotcha! Lets crank this bad boy up!" She shoved her back in the back and got into the cart. Luckily some idiot forgot to take the keys out. she smirked a bit as she turned the cart on. After a couple of revs it finally turned on and she was able to get it going. She waited for the double doors to open and then she edged it out just enough for Anderson to get on board. She turned the headlights off to not draw attention to themselves.


The airfield was dark, but there were lights lighting the runways for the planes to see. They just had to stay out of those lights and find an opening somewhere or a gate to leave. She pressed down o the gas pedal and the cart took off along the outer parts of the airfield. She saw all the huge planes that were stuck where they were at. One of them was making a landing nearby and she tried to avoid it as much as possible. Of course there were some workers outside who spotted them. Automatically getting their radios out to make the call about it.


"I think I see a gate up there! Just have to open it quickly!" She pointed to the outer reaches of the gate to their right. "Before backup arrives!"

 

[kindaemissary]

Anderson kept looking behind to check and see how much leverage they had against the security, and so far it was looking pretty good in their favor. "If we don't stop, we'll definitely make it." He turned back around and looked towards the gate ahead of them as they started to approach it. He started messing with buttons on a remote in the glove compartment, and after a moment of fussing with the device the gate started to open slowly. "It should be open when we get there!" he yelled, and he turned back around to see how much time they had. He could see headlights but they were far enough away that they would make it.


He turned around just in time for them to make it through the gate and he clicked the gate button again, and soon the gate was closing the behind them. Anderson sighed greatly in relief and pointed ahead of them towards a gathering of lights. The airport was just outside of Tampa, and as they drove further away from the airport the city skyline grew in brightness. "When we get into the city, we'll have to ditch the cart a couple blocks in and make a run for it. If we're quick enough, we'll be fine. It's not going to be busy towards the edge of town yet, and we'll have a good chance of losing them before they get caught up to us."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

"Rodger Captain!" Jaime fake saluted as she drove towards the city. She didn't care where she was going, she just had to go. She made a turn up ahead to avoid all the trees and slowly go into a neighborhood, thankfully someone didn't have a fenced in yard. The neighborhood dogs were barking up a storm as she drove by but it didn't matter cause they were away in a manner of minutes. she stayed closed to the neighborhoods until she reached what looked like a playground.


"I think we're safe here." She sighed in relief. The adrenaline from running and escaping the airport was getting to her and her abilities weren't acting up. She glanced over to Anderson and figured she knew why he had to run. She could guess he seemed to have an ability of some kind too. His must be more easy to hide than hers.


Clearing her throat she prepared to tell him about her. "I think I already know why you wanted to get away so bad..." She started off saying. "...I'm the same way. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have an ability of some kind. So do I." she felt so relieved to finally have that off her chest.

 

[kindaemissary]

When Jaime stopped driving the golf cart, Anderson turned around the to back area and handed her her backpack. He unzipped his own and took the shirt from his face and shoved in back deep inside. He had money, sure, but he had only packed clothes that would be helpful across the world. He would have to make a lighter load now that they were stuck in the country, and he wasn't planning to get rid of his guitar. "We might be safe for now," he agreed, "but after a little while they're going to search everything. It's going to be crazy." He took off his jacket and pushed it into his backpack. He grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it over his head before he looked over towards Jaime.


"Yeah, you're right. I don't mean to sound rude, and I am intrigued, but we have to keep moving. We can talk as we walk. If all else fails, we have to stay moving." He stood up from the cart and swung his backpack over his shoulder and pulled his guitar over his neck. "It was the night of the flare right? That's when you noticed something change?" He leaned over to tighten his shoe laces and stood back up. "Let's walk and talk at the same time. It's to early for people to be leaving clubs, and too late for them to be going to them, so the streets should be clear. We can probably clear a few blocks every ten minutes, and the closer we get to the city center will be better for us."

 

[TurtlesandMonkeys]

Jaime got her bag and took the shirt off of her face. She stuffed it in her bag and got off the cart as she started walking off with Anderson. She nodded as she looked up at the sky. It was a little cloudy but she could see most of the stars shining. The moonlight was illuminating the clouds around it. "Yeah, that night. I was out with several friends too, but at that point I ditched them to go home. That was probably the worst night of my life cause when it first started I couldn't stop it."


She took her gloves off and showed it off to Anderson. She looked around first to see if anyone was around or peaking through the windows. When Jaime knew it was safe, she used her ability to change her hand into stone, wood, marble and other things. "It's weird and cool at the same time." She smiled a bit. "It's only bad when I'm stressed out, then it starts going haywire and hard to control. I almost lost it on the plane when all of that was going on."