The Mark

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"So, when did these panic attacks start?" My therapist, Dr. Lana, began as she sat in the rolling chair behind her desk and I sat down on the couch in front of her desk in her office. She knew about me being bionic and also a super. Davenport's the one who scheduled me an appointment with her because he could trust her.

"Um, I don't know. I guess ever since that thief showed up here- who turned out to be me from the future a year from now..." I answer.

"What made you so freaked out about your future self, Destiny?"

"She- I turn to the dark side and, um... She had told me that my friends who's like my family... She said that they die." I reply, folding my hands in my lap as I look down at the floor. "So yeah, I freaked out. I couldn't breathe and I pushed my friends away and ran away- or more so shot into the air to catch my breath... It's, uh, that's been happening a few times a week since." I scratch the back of my leg and move a little. "I just- I get so round up when someone mentions Rodissius or my uncle or Riker and Roman and Reese or whatever danger it may be because I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what, Destiny?"

"Afraid that I- I can't protect my friends and that they're just gonna end up like my family, dead. I'm afraid that I can't save them and that they'll end up getting hurt- because of me... Is that why I have these- these panic attacks? Stress?" I answer the therapist.

"You mean, do I think that this constant worry for your friends is the cause of the panic attacks?" Dr. Lana replied, "Maybe, it could be. But things like that, it hasn't effected you before since that thief... Do you trust your team, your friends?"

"Yeah, completely." I answer without any hesitation.

"But you also thought that you could trust Reese, right?" She inquired with a small nod of her head as she leaned forward in her seat, folding her hands in front of her on the desk. I watch her with furrowed eyebrows now. "And you were wrong. So, how can you trust your own judgement?"

"You think I can't trust my judgement?" I murmur and swallow the lump in the back of my throat, inhaling and exhaling a little bit sharply.

"No. I think you think you can't. Especially when it comes to making yourself so vulnerable to another person, which is why you hide behind that defensive barrier of yours- the sarcasm, the putting up walls and burying your feelings deep down." Dr. Lana commented. "I think if you trusted yourself-"

"I wouldn't have panicked like I've been doing." I murmur as she slowly nodded and replied, "It's a possibility."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" I question her with a soft sigh.

"Did you see any signs that Reese wasn't who she pretended to be?" She began as I shook my head and answer her, "Reese was a good person, but then her father changed, so she changed."

"That's why you were so afraid when you found out that thief was you from the future. It shook you up. It made you start to realize that evil isn't born but made. You think since a good person like Reese turned evil that you'll do the same thing eventually." I remain quiet as she continued, "But, your friend, Douglas, was good, then turned bad, and now good again. Even if you slip off your path, you will always find your way back."

"How do you know?" I quietly ask her.

"I just do. No one knows of their future truly." She answered. "People show us who they are, what they're capable of, if we're paying attention, listening to our gut, that's how we learn to trust ourselves, by trusting we will act on our instincts to keep ourselves safe." I looked away slightly as the therapist continued, "You say you trust your friends completely, so trust your instincts. Until they give you a reason not to."

***

The seven of us stopped at the entrance of this Mexican street festival and look around while walking around the place. "So, what is this?" Oliver inquired curiously, "Some sort of Mexican festival? It seems pretty cool."

"Yeah, there's a main stage over there and they usually play some pretty great music." Justin started, nudging me a little and looked at me with a grin. "Our parents used to take us here. It was cool."

"Are you even Spanish?" Kaz asked my brother who nodded and answered him, "Our mom was Mexican and our dad was Italian." I nod in confirmation and add, "Which is why we both know those two languages and cultures really well."

"Nice." Kaz and Oliver commented.

"Well, um, Chase and I will meet up with you guys at the stage later. We are gonna have a chow-down." I reply.

"We are?" Chase inquired, looking at me curiously but with a small smile. I nod and answer him, "Mmhmm. Yeah, we're both gonna eat one item from every food stall, and the first person to say 'uncle' has to pay for it all."

"Wait, so you think you're gonna out eat me?" Chase replied as I confidently nod, "No, I know I'm gonna out eat you." Chase chuckled and nodded and accepted the challenge, "Oh, it's on, Des. How about we start with a little spicy corn to line the stomach?"

"Yeah, how about it? Let's do it." I accept as we wave bye at the team and part from them.

"We're not gonna do that, are we?" Oliver asked Skylar while looking at her. Skylar shook her head, "No." Oliver nodded and replied, "Okay, all right, cool. Let's go this way." He and Skylar went another way, separate from Chase and me. Kaz, Bree, and Justin shared a look and shrugged, walking another path through the street festival.

***

I look around the large crowd, my heart starting to beat quickly, as I continue to look around. "Chase?" He had stepped away for a minute now. "Chase!?"

The bionic boy walked out of the crowd and came back over to me, starting in concern, "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah." I nod, taking a deep breath, and then shook my head while he still looked at me in concern. "Not exactly, no." 

Chase asked, "What's wrong, Des?"

I answer his question a little reluctantly, "I've, um, been having these panic attacks ever since we encountered that thief who turned out to be my future self. I'm supposed to practice trusting myself. I know that kind of sounds dumb, but it's actually harder than you think... I didn't really want to come to this thing today because of crowds and everything, but one of the things that I know I can trust is you and everyone on the team, so..."

"I'm right here. And I understand, Des. It is hard to trust yourself. I doubt myself, my decisions, constantly." Chase replied as I smile a little. "I was just getting these." He held up a mini meatball on a stick in his paper bowl in his hand. "For you, my lady."

I chuckled and took the meatball, "Nerd." 

Chase grinned and replied, "Unless you're full? I mean, we can stop anytime you want. All you've gotta do is say the word." 

I shook my head quickly and grinned at him, saying, "No, no, I'm starving." 

Chase remarked, "You're starving, huh?" I nod as he continued, "Then you'll definitely enjoy this meatball."

"Yeah, cheers. Mmhm." I say as he reply, "Cheers." We both take a bite out of the meatballs as I comment, "Mm, delicious. Tamale?" I held up my plastic bowl of Mexican food, "Unless you've had enough."

Chase picked up a tamale from the bowl and replied, "Baby, we are just getting started." He took a bite of the tamale and grinned, "Mmm." I nod and smiled. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we continue to walk. "You know what we need now?" I look up at him curiously. "I think we need some dulce de leche, something sweet."

"Yeah, no, I think that's exactly what we need. Hey, but no puking! Puking's against the rules." I comment as he lightly laughed and we both headed to the booth to get the dessert, now waiting in the long line. I stiffen and look around the crowd, sensing a threat.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked, noticing my sudden alertness and also looked around.

"Probably us." A familiar voice answered for me as Chase and I turn around and look at Reese with her brothers, Riker and Roman, as the three of them smirked and looked at us. 

Chase moved his arm in front of me protectively. "Get them." The three of them turned into their swarm form and surrounded us, carrying us away from the street festival and then dropped us at a different location. We were now inside of an abandoned warehouse.

"Why'd you bring us here?" Chase demanded.

"To watch Destiny save your life." Reese vaguely remarked.

"Save him from what? What did you do?" I question her just as she blasted Chase away from me by her power. "Chase!" He landed on the ground a few feet from me, letting out a pained groan. I run over to him and knelt beside him, taking his hand in mine. "Chase."

Riker stepped forward and revealed an object and set it on the table a few feet from us; I look up and over at it and widen my eyes at the glowing pinkish-purple rock inside of a glass triangular case. It was the Arcturian Rock. "Where did you get that? We had it locked away." I comment.

"Yes, well, we're simply... borrowing it for the moment. You can heal him, Destiny. The rock has healing properties. After all, you helped heal Bree with this." Reese replied, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Don't- You- You'll lose your powers..." Chase groaned out as I look at him and murmured, "And you'll die." I stand back up as he leaned up halfway with a grunt, resting on his arms while he tried to stop me. 

I was still holding onto his hand in one of mine and took off the lid of the case with my other hand and reach inside, and then I touch the space rock as the energy moved through me to Chase. It really hurts a lot like it did the first time.

I let go and fall to the floor beside Chase, leaning up a little and laid my hand on his arm. "Chase, are you okay?" He sat up and blinked a little and then answered me, "I'm a little dizzy, but I'm okay. What about you?"

"I'm okay-" I start as he cut me off gently, "How many did you lose this time?" I smile sadly and murmured, "Two again, my geo-leaping ability and electricity power." We then remembered that Riker, Roman, and Reese was still watching us as we stood back up quickly.

"Good work, my children." Rodissius spoke up while stepping out of the shadowy corner of the warehouse alongside my uncle, Hive also known as Philip. "Oh, Des, you remember your uncle, right?"

"How could I not forget?" I remark, immediately standing in a defensive stance as did Chase. Philip simply smirked in satisfaction and made his way over to me. I blast him back with my earth ability, shattering a few hand bones as I released a pained, stifled scream. Chase held my arm, looking at me in concern.

Philip glanced over at Roman and nodded a little as Roman disappeared and reappeared behind Chase and wrapped his arms around him tightly, restraining him. My uncle vanished also and reappeared right in front of me, quickly grabbing my hand in his tightly, burning it. "Just giving you a message, my dear, little niece. This is who you are fated to become... This is who you are." He let go and walked away just as electricity circled around Chase's hands, arms, and torso, electrocuting Roman who fell down onto the ground.

Chase glanced down at him, a small amused yet surprised smile on his face, and then looked over at me. "I have superpowers," He breathed in surprise and amazement. I meekly smile at him just as the villains just up and left in a blink. 

I hold my burned palm in my other hand and then look down at it, seeing a weird symbol or sigil on my palm, which was a straight line with a curvy triangle around it.

(A/N: The symbol is the picture at the beginning of this chapter.)

Chase then stepped back over to me and moved my palm into his hand as he looked at the symbol on it; He pulled me into his embrace and held me in his arms while I just don't know what to feel. Angry? Sad? I don't feel anything, just numb, and that's the worst feeling anyone can ever experience, I think. He pulled me back at arm's length to look at me. "Des, we'll figure out what this means. Okay? You're not alone in this."

I fake a smile and nod and then change the subject, "Yeah. So, back on you, you're the third bionic-super hybrid! How do you feel?" He chuckled and replied with a small grin, "It feels pretty good." He moved his hand and now held mine in his. "Come on, let's head home." We exit the building and walked back to the penthouse.

***

Justin and I was sitting on the couch as everyone else was standing up gathered around a few feet in front of me; They was in a group discussion about what this sigil means and what our next step was going to be. I wasn't really paying attention to them, however, and kept my focus on the floor. No one seemed to notice this, of course.

Justin laid his hand on top of mine as I look up and over at my brother; He sadly smiled a little as I nod a little and then laid my head on his shoulder and watch the group continue to discuss me. "Big brother?" I whisper as he looked down at me and murmured, "Yeah?" I let out a anxious sigh and muttered where only he could hear me, "I'm afraid."

He squeezed my hand in reassurance and softly commented, "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I got you."

Donald seemed to notice my absence in the group discussion and looked over at me. He walked over to me and made me look up at him. "Des? This doesn't mean anything, okay? We'll figure this out. You are not alone."

"Yeah." I quietly comment, looking at the floor and away from his gaze, faking yet another convincing smile. "I'm okay, Big D." Donald didn't seem to believe my everything-is-fine facade but just nodded and rejoined in the group discussion.

Are you going to let them know who you really are, who you're destined to be?

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