Coming Home (part 1)

Posted on Thu Dec 15th, 2022 @ 5:29am by Private Mattias Tonelly & First Lieutenant Bethany Harrison

Mission: The Mutant Underground
Location: Underground Base
Timeline: Present Day

The town was mid-sized, from what he could see from the black SUV as they drove by, and there were a lot of Native Americans in the mix. More of them than white faces, anyway. Mutants seemed to be a bit rare, and they appeared to be viewed as heroes by the population as a whole. Matty got that feeling throughout the entire screening process. Bethany was very uncomfortable with the adulation they seemed to show her, but she also seemed to be treated like family by just about everyone.

The house that they pulled up to was out on the edge of town. The whole white picket fence and all. They had gotten a ride from the base camp, since both her Mustang and Jon’s motorcycle were already at home. It had been months since she had seen the pretty dark blue, dual level home that they had shared for the last three years. The young light-bearer hadn’t been able to face coming home alone. Bethany paused at the gate that opened up onto her property, just staring at it for a moment, trying to steady her breath.

She glanced over at Mattias and gave him an apologetic smile. “Been a while since I’ve been home,” the young soldier admitted sadly. Since they had returned to the base hidden within the large Mesa to the north, the young woman’s skin tone returned to something more normal and healthy, though she had just gone a bit unnaturally pale. She unlatched the gate and led him along a smooth stone path through the well-maintained gardens that produced food, flowers, and herbs, to the front porch, which already had a ramp leading up to it.

Again she paused at the door and closed her eyes before opening it and leading Mattias inside. She dropped her go bag next to the door and turned to face him, rather than look at the paintings on the walls, the small ones sitting on shelves, showing Bethany and Jon smiling together. “We’ll put you in the guest room. It’s on this floor so it’s going to be easier for you. We had to have the house set up for Jon when he was still getting used to his leg,” she said, almost absently as she walked towards the downstairs bedroom. “So there are safety features that should be helpful.”

The green-eyed brawler pointed out things as she went, though there wasn’t much life in the description of her beautiful, perfectly maintained home. The hardwood floors were already worn slightly with the trails of a wheelchair. “The downstairs bathroom has a jacuzzi type tub, and it’s fully equipped with all the safety features. The library is down the hall.”

Mattias took in the home slowly. There were many parts of it that reminded him of the home he used to have…before his world was changed forever. He had discovered that he had been taken from his home and his parents had been murdered only five days prior. Everything had been happening so fast that he still hadn't truly come to terms with everything.

"Beth…" He stopped mid tour and looked at her. "My parents…what's…w-w-what's gonna h-h-happen to their…" He was finding it hard to say bodies, as if they were just things of no importance.

“If you want, I’ll talk to Dyami about claiming them,” Bethany said, turning and giving him a small, but genuine smile. There hadn’t been anything left of her mother to recover, so she did understand that pain. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind making sure they are laid to rest properly.”

He nodded emphatically, "Yes please!!" He then paused. "What will happen to our home, all my stuff?" If nothing else, he hoped he could reclaim a few personal items from the home.

“Let Dyami see what he can do,” Bethany said, sighing a bit. “If there’s any way to recover your belongings, he’ll know how.” The green-eyed brawler shrugged. “Or he’ll just send someone to take stuff. It’s not like we’re above all that.”

The young woman chuckled softly at some memory or another. “Let’s get you settled. We can’t do anything about it at this moment,” she said, nodding towards the bedroom. “Looks like they’ve been taking care of things while we’ve been gone, so hopefully there won’t be much dust. There should be some clothes in the dresser that will fit you. Jeans, t-shirts. Stuff like that. I’ll go give Dyami a call and see what kind of food I can find in the house.”

"Beth?" He called out to her, stopping her mid stride. When she turned back to him, he spoke, his voice getting heavy with emotion. "Th-thank you…for saving my life. And..for opening your home to me. I promise, I won't be a burden!"

A faint blush rose in Bethany cheeks and she nibbled a bit at her full lower lip. She didn’t really know how to react to emotional boys. Most of them that she had ever known were cruel bullies, and weren’t even worth talking to. “I...” she started, then fell silent briefly before giving another soft sigh. “You’re welcome, I guess. I’m just glad that I found you before I decided to light that place up.”

Bethany leaned down in front of Mattias looking him in the eyes. “No one is a burden here. We all pull our weight in some way. You may be cursing my existence once your training starts.”

Mattias grinned slightly, feeling a connection forming between himself and Bethany. He hoped they would be friends. "You haven't seen me when I'm training," he joked poorly. He was still feeling very raw right now. "I'll…I'll get cleaned up. Thank you again." His teenaged eyes started to get misty and he turned away before she saw him cry.

The green-eyed young woman chuckled a bit knowingly at Matty’s bad joke, and watched him as he went. She really had no idea how Dyami had roped her into this, but she would have to adapt, since he was insistent that she be involved with his training. He didn’t seem to be a bad kid, which made it tougher for her to want to train him how to fight. It was a dangerous path. “I’ll call Dyami and start on some dinner for us.”

After moving his chair into the bathroom, Mattias closed the door. He then moved over to the tub and turned on the water. Once he felt there was enough background noise, he started to cry. His heart couldn't hold back its anguish any longer. He needed the release.

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~TBC~