Chapter 39 : It always starts with a training montage (Setting up a training regimen)

 

The Mirror Dimension, image of Manhattan, 26th of January, 15:50, in Cindy Moon’s mind

 

Perched atop a building, safely removed from the apocalyptic scene that had just occurred less than a quarter of an hour ago, Cindy was contemplating her own future.

 

The exchange between the ‘twins’ had been eye opening and her now accelerated mind was still reeling about what she just witnessed.

 

She was feeling so very, very little in comparison.

 

When the titanic figure approached and something in her just told her that getting close was a really big no-no, that had startled so much that she instinctively released some web. And, now that she actually knew what it meant, it took her barely a few, human, seconds to understand the gist of her own gift.

 

So, instead of following behind Mr. Drumm and Gwendolyn as they were joined by a visibly contrite Jessica Jones, Cindy chose to go for a better vantage point on what the hell was really going on.

 

The spar didn’t even take that long, barely a few minutes, which was now a small eternity for her.

 

But it had been both frightening and awe-inspiring at the same time.

 

In a sort of messed up reproduction of David & Goliath, the winged being, that she assumed to be Aria, had attempted to whittle down the giant, shredding it’s mechanical exterior apart with a permanent flurry of movement, shredding tons of metal each second that systematically got picked up moments later by the gigantic tornado around the two fighters.

 

Those parts had then been reabsorbed by the giant, repairing it almost as fast as it had been destroyed once Aria had been forced to stop her assault, writhing mechanical limbs getting together to plug the hole she had started to drill in its head.

 

It could have been an endless task until she had seen Aria rush directly into the being’s skull.

 

Then, pandemonium started.

 

The titanic figure had suddenly stilled, and Cindy had been convinced that an even more gruesome battle had started inside.

 

A knowledge that was well founded once the fires had started to break out, oil and gasoline leaking from its face with the occasional bout of weirdness when parts of its upper body had started to bulge at irregular intervals before contracting back to normal.

 

Then, with a bulge even bigger, the upper torso of the titan bulged a final time and exploded.

 

Cindy had stayed transfixed by the titanic battle.

 

So that’s the kind of world I’m living in now.

 

It was strange, in a way, that after the events of yesterday it only now hit her.

 

Not even the fly back toward Midtown High had really made her realize the true extent of it. Or Aria’s strange relationship with a symbiotic alien species that often bordered on the too intimate.

 

No, what made her realize that her whole world suddenly got a lot bigger was the wreckage left by the titanic battle she just witnessed.

 

For hundreds of meters around the epicenter, nothing had been left standing once the storm of metal had stopped and the giant fell.

 

The part of the Mirror Dimension where Aria and Flash had traded blows was now a post-modern wasteland, one where some kind of messed up bomb had just gone off.

 

Except that it would have been a really big bomb with really, really big schrapnells.

 

Distractedly, her eyes darted toward the two twins as they wandered through the devastated streets, the both of them still caught into an animated discussion as they kept on zigzagging through obstacles sometimes as tall as them, amid ruptured canalization, cut off electric cable and motor parts.

 

From her, atop her perch whose windows had been blown off when the titan stomped its foot, Aria and Flash seemed so very tiny.

 

Yet, the two of them had leveled a bloc in less than five minutes.

 

Cindy could only blankly realize that it would have had way harsher implications if it happened in the real world.

 

How many liters of blood could have been spilled if it had been the case ?

 

The thought had made Cindy shiver for four real time excruciating seconds.

 

And here she was, after what had felt like a good hour at least of staying more or less shell-shocked at the spectacle.

 

It was a thing to hear about the Baxter Building being ripped apart by a random villain in the news.

 

Seeing it happen in front of her eyes was totally different.

 

Cindy had a lot to think about, and wasn’t really feeling inclined to jump along with the others in their plans to go ‘heroes’.

 

Yet, there was one thing that would make her consider it.

 

Rising from her sitting position, she made a flicking motion with her right hand to her side.

 

Instantly, she felt something answer her will inside of her, like a beast ready to pounce, rip and tear. From her right hand’s digits, five strands of silk jutted out, sticking to the roof of the building she was on.

 

Despite every part of her mind and body telling her that it was a bad idea, she then jumped from the building.

 

There, right now, as her human instincts warred with her more animalistic ones and they lost the battle.

 

That moment when the wind started to billow on her clothes and hair, her silk trailing still trailing behind her, guiding her own fall as it accelerated.

 

That moment when she stopped the working of her magical spinnerets, both of her hands coming to clutch the braided silken cord left behind, all of her upper-body muscles tensing as her legs balanced in the direction she chose to go.

 

That moment when, at the apex of her swing, she was released from the woe of gravity for a brief weightless instant, before spinning silk anew as fast and as far as she could to carry on her momentum.

 

For that moment, and that moment at all, maybe, she could do it.

 

***

The Mirror Dimension, image of Manhattan, the same day, 15:52

 

I’m pulled off my conversation with Flash as someone lands behind us with a light impact sound.

 

I have to arch an eyebrow when I see who has just done so.

 

“Cindy ? What are you doing here ?” I ask the tall asian girl.

 

In the corner of my eyes, I can tell from his own perpexled expression that Flash is asking himself the same question.

 

The dark haired girl is grinning like a loon.

 

“Nothing, I just swang by !” She peppily answers back.

 

I blink.

 

Seeing some silk hanging from a nearby building, I cannot refrain myself from groaning out loud.

 

“Worse. Pun. Ever.” I drawl placidly, before the corner of my lips curls up in a smile, “Well done ! You found the tricks to your silk and web-slinging !”

 

Flash is slowly nodding next to me, a bemused expression on his face.

 

“Yup ! I just figured it out !” She answers excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

 

“What did the trick ?” Flash ponders aloud.

 

“Well…” She starts awkwardly, “Seeing your giant robot-thingy coming in the distance sorta triggered my magical survival instinct thingy and suddenly I knew what I needed to do to run away faster.”

 

She pauses, realization dawning on her.

 

“...Which I did not because once I realized how to do it, I wanted to see how high I could go and ended up watching the fight from start to finish atop a building.” She admits sheepishly.

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I snort.

 

“No matter,” I answer, vaguely amused, “We’re going back to the others now. Do you want to have a bit more fun or do you want to join us ?”

 

She hmms aloud, expression going pensive, minute micro-expressions yelling how distraught she feels at the idea of missing a good adrenaline shot.

 

“You know that once you have the pheromones under control you can go web-slinging again, right ?” I ask her archingly.

 

“But what if Gwen master the spider-sympathy first ?” Cindy asks, eyes shifting around, probably looking for good anchor spots.

 

“Honestly, I doubt she’ll do it in one day, that is a bit too esoteric to be easily grasped, I’d wager.” I answer, bemused.

 

Her expression shifts a bit more for a few seconds, before her shoulders finally sag.

 

“Fine, I’ll come.” Cindy answers morosely.

 

Iris and I chuckle, unnerving the girl a little.

 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you have the look of a wronged child right now.” I explain.

 

Cindy is not amused one bit.

 

***

The reflection of the Sanctum Sanctorum,The Mirror Dimension, image of Manhattan, the same day, 15:57

 

I would have liked to knock on the door but my show from earlier makes it a little bit impractical.

 

“We’re back !” I say cheerfully as we go through the slightly damaged hallway.

 

Mr. Drumm and Gwen do not look really amused, and Jessica appears to be a bit upset.

 

“I would like to point out that you seemed to have found the last member of your team,” Daniel drawls, “The same one that went missing when I told the others to come take refuge in the Sanctum.”

 

To my side, Cindy gives him an awkward smile as she scratches the back of her head.

 

“I would also like to know what the hell was that ?” Gwen asks a bit harshly, her green eyes spearing me.

 

Oh, she’s mad.

 

“A little spar ?” I answer innocently.

 

I notice that I’m absolutely not fooling anyone as she sputters.

 

“The both of you leveled a city block ?” Gwen asks aghast, “And it’s just a ‘little spar’ ?”

 

Flash and I trade a look as Iris starts to nuzzle my neck.

 

His eyes clearly convey that I’m on my own as the eldest here.

 

…I feel a bit slighted.

 

“...For us it kinda was ?” I answer, my voice of caramel an octave higher than usual.

 

Before she can gather some steam again, I beam a smile to defuse the situation as I interrupt her.

 

“Anyway, now that I have a good idea of what everyone can more or less do, we can finally set a training regimen.” I say excitedly.

 

That makes everyone’s mouth clamp shut and I have to refrain myself from sighing in relief outwardly.

 

“Is there somewhere where we can discuss it ?” I ask Mr. Drumm

 

“The boudoir I’d wager ?” He answers back, “Unless you want to go back to reality.”

 

“Not right now, it’ll be useful to go outside to test a few things.” I answer back with a smile.

 

After having promptly made our way to an adjacent room and everyone else is seated, I start.

 

“For starters, everyone’s learning to psy-shield themselves.” I declare with a no-nonsense tone.

 

“A rather sensible choice.” Master Vodoo comment softly.

 

“Like the master said, it’s the height of folly not to, especially when you have a telepath on hand to help you along.” I carry on, “A rogue telepath is the last thing you want in your head.”

 

My declaration and various telepathic feats earns me four very serious nods.

 

“Like we said earlier, the spider girls will continue to master their ability, and once they have them in the bag, attempt the twin matrices experiment. If it works, they will have new arrows in their quivers, if it doesn’t, well, we’ll know for sure and they can start combat training.” I continue.

 

I pause for a beat.

 

“I may need to borrow martial arts knowledge to help you create something that suits your abilities, though. Speaking off, Jessica.” I call, prompting the girl to startle, “Why did you not use your legs ?”

 

Jessica blinks.

 

“I’m sorry ?” She asks.

 

“Your legs, why not use them when you fighted me ?” I answer.

 

“I didn’t think about it.” She explains slowly, brows furrowed.

 

“Well, now you are, so, can you tell me why it would have worked better ?” I gently chid her.

 

She thinks for a beat while Gwen’s eyes flash in understanding.

 

Ten points for Gryffindor.

 

“Better reach ?” Jessica tries.

 

“Not only.” I explain, “You can fly, and, as a matter of fact, you should always do so.”

 

I gesture around excitedly.

 

“Flying is the most overpowered thing about you, and, since you can hover in place perfectly, that means that you can virtually brace yourself against the air that surrounds you.” I explain with a wide smile.

 

“But you don’t really need to be in a specific position to do so, do you ?” I ask archly.

 

Her mouth opens in a little o of surprise, and she promptly starts to hover above her seat, her body starting to go through a routine of roll while seated, straightened or even ass over head.

 

“...I definitely don’t.” She answers rather blankly, probably only realizing it now.

 

“So, if you’re ever in a position where you need to fight with your fists and feets, it stands to reason to always stay in flight while kicking your opponent in the head, right ?” I ask rhetorically, “Your legs are inherently stronger than your arms, anyway, so emphasis on fly and kicks from now on for you my dear.” I end with a wink.

 

“I…” Jessica starts awkwardly, “I’m not really capable of flying for long, though.”

 

“Did you notice that your flight was getting better as you were running away from me ?” I ask her archly.

 

Her brows furrow.

 

“Sort of, yeah.” She begrudgingly admits.

 

“And when we were fighting, you started to use your ability to fly to accelerate parts of your movements, correct ?” I continue.

 

“Yeah, I did.” She answer back.

 

“Well, you’ll only need some extra training and find a way to be more in touch with your own instincts then.” I conclude, “Your body knows how it works, but your brain isn’t really on it. The longer and the harsher you try, the easier it’ll get. Trust me.”

 

I’m kind of pulling all that confidence out my ass, but we will see.

 

“So, do any of you have any questions ?” I continue cheerfully, ready to starts a few idea on my own for Iris and I.

 

“You said nothing about Flash and you.” Gwen points out.

 

“We took the time to discuss it on the way back, but the way we see it we basically need to make our brains go to the gym. Flash and I were under way too many inputs back there, we can’t properly process all of them, even with Iris' help for my part.” I explain easily.

 

“Anything else ?” I continue.

 

When nobody asks anything despite the whole of them, Master Vodoo included, sporting various degrees of consideration, I speak again.

 

“Well, let’s get started, then !”

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