Chapter Thirteen: Project Geo Base – 2012
Ciciley slightly winced as her son cleansed the blood
from her hand with a wet hand towel. She sat on the bed inside her old quarters while he knelt in
front of her. He discovered a deep gash between her knuckles. Some of Gigi’s blood got
mixed in the amount that was seeping from his mother’s wound, meaning that he
had been cleaning both women’s blood off. Watching the wound bleed more after
cleaning it, Sean shook his head and said, “What were you thinking attacking
Gigi like that?”
“I was thinking that I needed to protect my son from an
extraterrestrial threat.”
“I didn’t need protection. And Gigi’s not a threat.”
“And how are you so sure about that?”
“Because…” He sighed, knowing that what he was about to
say next would undoubtedly cause his mother to overreact, “I got shot while I
was with her, and—”
“I KNEW IT!”
“She healed me! Before I was on death’s door, she used
her magic abilities to remove my wound! It was incredible, Moms! It was like in
The Last Crusade when Indiana Jones
healed his dad by pouring that water on his wound and washing it away right off
his skin!”
“So this woman’s like a walking Holy Grail, eh?”
Her tone oozed with sarcasm, aggravating Sean only
further. Moving to the door, which slid open automatically as he neared it, he
took one last look at her and thought about saying something to counteract her
sarcastic comment. He realized that there was no convincing her of anything;
everything she believed was the truth
and everything that everyone else believed was garbage. All he said to her
before leaving was, “I’ll be right back with something to stitch you up.”
(Narrative Note: The estrangement in the relationship between Sean and Ciciley shares a similarity in that between Sean Thomas and Joanie in World of Disney. It is only intensified slightly for Sean and Ciciley, putting more of an emotional rift between them that is explored much further in the spin-off tale Marvel Mayhem.)
He left his mother all alone in the deathly quiet
four-walled room, which was so closed in that there was hardly any acoustics –
it was more of a prison cell than living quarters, and Ciciley liked it that
way. Waiting for him to return was certain to be chore for her, because she was
anything but a patient woman. She glanced at the gash between her knuckles and
scoffed at it. I don’t know why he’s
going to bother with stitches – it’s nowhere near serious, she thought.
(Setting Note: Ciciley's quarters was envisioned to have a decor akin to the living quarters on the Helicarrier, like the one Hawkeye recovered from Loki's mind control in The Avengers.)
As she kept her eyes on the gash, she noticed something
unthinkable happening to it. The gash began to close itself – stitching itself
all on its own without the requirements of a needle and thread. She watched
that small portion of her epidermis reconstruct itself with a fresh layer of
skin, stopping the bleeding. After mere seconds, Ciciley’s gash had vanished,
leaving only a small trace of her blood that she wiped away with the thumb from
her other hand. Touching the spot where the wound once was didn’t even cause
any pain; it was completely healed.
(Narrative Note: The unintentional transference of blood between Gigi and Ciciley is the first and only occurrence of the event in the World of Disney series. It is established from this chapter that, once a Guardian's blood has come in contact with that of an average being, that being will inherit one of the Guardian's abilities - in Ciciley's case, self-healing. This circumstance is one of the themes explored in Marvel Evolution, the planned sequel for Marvel Mayhem.)
Tempted to rush out of her quarters and alert her son of
the phenomenon, Ciciley stood up from the bed and moved towards the door. Just
as she was about to go near it, she suddenly felt a shooting pain in her healed
hand, as well as her wrist. Looking at the back of her hand, her eyes widened
in alarm as she saw her veins glowing.
She could feel the glow spread past
her wrist, up her arm, over her shoulder and neck, and then course through
every fraction of her head, including her eyes, which suddenly glowed
themselves. It spread all throughout her body until she could feel the odd
sensation overtake it, causing her to collapse back onto her bed and writhe in
pain. She tried to scream so that someone could hear her, but even that seemed
impossible with the strange occurrence she was undergoing.
(Authorial Note: Much like Doctor Who had become an inspiration for the overarching plot to World of Disney, Torchwood - the show's spin-off series - had given inspiration to this story and Marvel Mayhem. Livingston had taken certain elements from the show and mirrored them for the Marvel Universe characters, such as Ciciley, who is the victim of a supernatural event that gifts her with a superpower, similar to Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness and his immortality.)
---------------------------
Sean initially went inside the infirmary to find the
medical tools necessary for stitching his mother’s wound, but he thought about
going in to see if Gigi was alright. After the savage beating she took from
Ciciley, he felt extremely concerned for the woman who saved his life and was
morally obligated to check on her. He found Elendriel and Sammi standing by the
bed that the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents laid her on. Sammi was cleaning the blood
from Gigi’s once-gorgeous face, being extra careful in doing so. Seeing the condition of
Gigi, Sean felt angry with Ciciley for being the cause of
it.
Elendriel heard him enter and looked to him with a warm
smile. “Good seein’ ya again, lil’ brother,” she said, welcoming him with a
hug. “Wish our little reunion could’ve been under better circumstances.”
“Same here.” After the embrace, he joined Sammi over by
the still-unconscious Gigi. “Is she going to be alright?”
Sammi looked to him with uncertainty and even a hint of
sadness. “She took a horrible beating from your mother. She’s got multiple
contusions, her nose and ribs are broken, and she’s even missing a few teeth.”
She shook her head and added, “I don’t think she’ll ever look the same aga—”
She stopped once she saw what Elendriel and Sean did as
well when they all looked back upon Gigi. Sections of her face began to
contort as the bruises on it rapidly subsided and disappeared. They heard a
sickening crunch when her nose and
ribs straightened themselves. Beyond her lips, a new set of teeth had grown in
her mouth like a child’s after losing baby teeth. All signs of injuries had
been vanquished from whatever healing capabilities Gigi had, and she returned
to a full, healthy state.
(Narrative Note: This is the first notable instance that we see the Guardian's capability for "repairing" severe fractures or bruises sustained to her body, certifying that she is indeed indestructible. The limits of this is explored throughout the World of Disney series, particularly later in this story. One major limitation is that the Guardian, a reincarnated figure, is not immune to damages by beings as powerful in magic as her.)
Free from swelling, Gigi’s eyes slowly opened; they
readjusted after her vision was momentarily blurred, and she finally saw Sean,
Elendriel, and Sammi. She sat up on her bed, looked around the infirmary, and
told the three agents before her, “I have to go.”
(Character Note: It can be assumed by readers that, from the remarkable display of Gigi's self-repair, she has fully come into her reincarnation, regaining all of her Guardian abilities.)
Her sudden notice surprised Sean, Sammi, and Elendriel.
“W-What? You have to go? Go where?” Sean asked.
“Back into the Disneyverse.” Gigi said, removing herself
from the infirmary bed. She reached up and touched the top of her head, lightly
patting it to discover what was missing. “Where’s my hat?” Sammi went to a
nearby counter where the mystical head covering was set, retrieving it for the
sorceress. As soon as Gigi took it from Sammi, she put it on.
“How did you heal yourself like that?” Elendriel
questioned. “That was…impressive.”
“She was genetically enhanced by magic.” Sammi stated.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s strongly accurate deduction astounded
Gigi. “Yeah. That’s exactly right.
How did you guess?”
All eyes fell on Sammi, who seemed a bit sheepish over
her statement. “It just seemed pretty obvious…with you being a sorceress and
all.”
(Authorial Note: Livingston thrives on giving readers subtle clues to characters who are not as they seem in the World of Disney series before ultimately revealing the truth later in the tale. In the first story, there were ones provided for the real identity of Brandy Thomas; in this sequel, there are those left for two mystery characters - Sammi Solus and Lisa Stevens.)
Although her response didn’t fully convince anyone in
that room, Gigi nevertheless returned her focus back on her task. “Anyway, I
have to go back in to get Captain America and Tony Stark. They’re still
trapped, and I’m the only one who can return them here.”
“I’ll go with you then.” Sean offered.
Gigi shook her head. “No. The butt-whoopin’ your mama
gave me was enough to convince me that you should stay here.”
Sean sighed. “I’m real sorry about her.”
“It’s O.K. I would’ve done the same thing.” Gigi said
with a smile.
“The exact same
thing?” Elendriel inquisitively asked.
Taking a moment to consider the context, Gigi reiterated,
“Okay, maybe not the exact same
thing…but I get why she did it. She wouldn’t be a good mother if she didn’t do what she did.”
“You don’t know her.” Sean said. “Working for
S.H.I.E.L.D. has done more harm than good to her. It’s hardened her.” Elendriel
nodded in agreement with her brother’s opinions.
(Narrative Note: In Marvel Mayhem, there is a role reversal between Sean and Ciciley, with her being the more softhearted character and him as the hard-boiled individual. The reason for this is exactly the one he states in this scene as the purpose for his mother's brash behavior.)
“She’s still a good woman – she just doesn’t show it.”
Gigi indicated.
“And how are you so sure about that?” Sean questioned her
observation.
Gigi didn’t respond. Instead, she smiled and activated
her teleportation spell, which was evident from the whiteness that shadowed her
multi-colored eyes, and she vanished from the room. Elendriel, witnessing the
sorceress’s magic up close for the first time, jumped in surprise. “Whoa.”
--------------------------
Gigi’s words ran through Sean’s mind as he returned to
his mother’s quarters with a tray of medical supplies to help stitch her wound.
He wished that he got a straight answer from the sorceress before she vanished,
and he anticipated on getting one when she returned with Cap and Stark. Doing
his best to drop the subject from his mind upon entering Ciciley’s quarters, he
found his mother standing at the sink near her bed with her back facing him. He
called out to her while walking in to let her know he had arrived, but she
didn’t turn to face him.
Growing frustrated, he said, “C’mon, Moms. Don’t have
time to play around. Let’s get you stitched up and back home.”
Again, she didn’t turn to face him. Curiosity took over
frustration as he noticed something different about her. She looked a lot slimmer
from behind, her stretched-out uniform hanging off her small frame. He knew it
was impossible for her to look so thin after he saw how thick she was just
minutes ago. Once more, he called to her, sounding less demanding and more
concerned for her well-being.
Finally, she turned around and he discovered something
that made him drop the tray, causing it to land on the hard floor with a loud clang. Ciciley, his mother, appeared
thirty-five years younger – practically the same age as him. The wrinkles on
her face were completely gone, exposing a more flawless and tanned skin. The
grayness in her hair disappeared as well, leaving it totally raven-colored. Her
body type was definitely much slimmer and followed with her de-aged appearance;
her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform looked baggy, due to the previous body type it
contained.
(UP NEXT: The biggest World of Disney twist yet!)
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