Paradise, Ohio
The shrill of Marina's alarm rang through the bedroom, and John groaned, leaning over to slap it off. Beside him, Marina stirred from her own sleep, sitting up, her dark hair rolling over her shoulders. "About time," she muttered.
John looked up at her as she slid out of bed. "You were awake?"
"Sort of," Marina replied, grabbing a hair tie and brushing her hair while also pulling it into a fishtail braid over her shoulder. "Gibbs has drilled an internal alarm clock into me and Tony over and over again so that no matter what, the slightest noise will make us wake up."
John sat up, too, pulling the closest shirt he could find over him. "That must have taken a while."
"It actually didn't," Marina replied, raising an eyebrow pointedly. Obediently, John turned his back to Marina as she started taking off her camisole shirt and sweats. "It came in handy if we were sent to other countries around the world. You can look now."
John turned back to her to see that she was wearing tight-fitting jeans and a silver spaghetti-strapped tank top, a blue scarf wrapping up the outfit. Her same white jacket rounded off the outfit, and the same black boots.
She turned around and rummaged through her bags again as John started getting dressed, too. "How did you get those holsters made?" he asked curiously as he pulled on his jeans.
Marina raised her jacket sleeve and snapped the 9mm back into place. "I still go to school when I'm in the agency," she replied. "Gibbs wanted me to be safe at all times, no matter what happens. So I always carry a gun on me. One on my arm, the other one in my jacket for backup." She shrugged the jacket off of her shoulders for a few seconds to slip the SIG-Sauer into its holster, too, then put it back on all the way. She swung her backpack over her shoulder, and John did the same. "Am I good?"
"You're good," John replied, taking his backpack, too. They went down the stairs, and Henri was already up. John's cereal of Cheerios was in its bowl at his seat, and John sat down gratefully. Henri looked up from where he was by the fridge, drinking a cup of coffee. "Is there anything I can get you, Marina?" he asked.
Marina pointed to his cup. "Do you have any more?" she asked.
Henri raised his eyebrows. "All I have is black."
"That'll work," Marina replied, sitting down as Henri moved towards the coffee machine. "We learn a bunch of things at NCIS: all fifty something of Gibbs's rules, how to react in any situation, and - so far, I'm the only one that's succeeded in this - drink black coffee."
"Tony and Kate don't?" John asked through a mouthful of cereal.
Marina smirked. "Nah, or at least I've never seen Kate drink it black. Abby's hooked on Caf-Pow, and Ducky always has tea."
Henri handed her a mug, which she took gratefully. "How long was he in the Marines?"
"He's never told me," Marina replied, shaking her head as she took a sip. "All I know is that he left and joined NCIS after his first wife and daughter were murdered."
"Murdered?" John asked in shock.
Marina nodded, taking another drink. "She was going to testify when she saw a petty officer's murder. A sniper shot killed their driver when they were headed for the court. She and her daughter, Kelly, died in the crash."
"Wow," John whispered.
"You said that was his first wife and daughter?" Henri asked.
At this, Marina choked on her coffee. John was worried she was shocked, but then he realized she was laughing. "Oh, his next three were absolute train wrecks," she howled, laughing so hard her face was turning red. "Diane was out within two years and emptied out his bank account before she left, the next I have no idea what happened, and Stephanie only lasted two months when he was on a mission in Paris with another agent, Jenny Shepard."
"Were you even alive then?" John asked.
Marina nodded again. "I was about . . . three when they were in Paris, I think," she replied. "Diane and the next were before I was born."
Bernie Kosar started barking by the door, and Henri looked up at the clock. "It's time for us to go."
John and Marina stood up, taking their backpacks with them. "Is Savannah dropping by again?" Henri asked.
Marina nodded. "She'll be there for lunch. She's bringing them from her apartment. For a runaway, she makes a pretty good grilled cheese."
John laughed as they got into Henri's car and drove off.
***
Marina waved to Henri as he left, then heard someone call her name from the doors. She smiled when she saw Sarah, then hugged John quickly. "Regular place for lunch?" she asked.
John nodded, squeezing her hand. "See you, Annalise," he replied, emphasizing her fake name.
Marina rolled her eyes, then ran through the crowd to find Sarah. "Hey!"
Sarah smiled. "Hey yourself." She handed a packet of photos to her. "These were from when you kicked Mark's sorry ass the other day. Play by play."
Marina flipped through the photos, awestruck. "Sarah . . . these are awesome!"
Sarah smiled as they walked through the halls. "Thanks." She looked behind her. "What's up with you and John?"
"Nothing whatsoever," Marina replied, smiling slightly. "Got a crush?"
Sarah rolled her eyes, but her face was a tiny bit red. "No."
Marina jabbed Sarah with her elbow. "Oh, go for it!"
Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. I've seen the way he's looking at you. He can't keep his eyes off of you."
"He's just lucky I agreed to get on the bed while he's in it."
Sarah's jaw dropped. "You two - "
"Oh, hell no!" Marina yelped, making people look over at them. Blushing, she explained. "He's under the covers, I'm on top."
Sarah nodded, although she still looked a little bit surprised. "You two are really close," she commented.
Marina nodded, frowning slightly. "I know. I feel like I know him from somewhere before . . . but I just don't remember where."
***
John's attention floated absently throughout their history class, which seemed to be about airplanes. Seriously, airplanes? He sighed, putting his head in a hand. He flipped through the camera roll and started assigning photos to each of his contacts: there was Sam, Marina, Sarah, and Henri. There was one other one, which was an unknown contact which had sent him a message: "What's with the cameras outside of your house?"
John swallowed. So someone had managed to see the cameras. He tapped out a quick reply: "My dad is extremely overprotective of all of his technology. He has, like, a million advanced technology stuff." That part wasn't a lie. "Who are you?" was the last part of the message before he sent it.
He got a quick buzz in reply, then the screen showed up: "Savvy SL."
John smirked. "Savannah," he whispered, starting to put her into contacts.
There was a thud behind him, and he threw a quick look over his shoulder. "Mark," he whispered.
The guy smiled at him. "Hey, man. How're you settling in with your friend?"
John turned back to the video they were watching, saving Savannah's number before putting his phone away. "Fine."
"Yeah, that's good." There was a pause. "I heard you and Spock are getting along well."
A flare of heat came from John's palm, and he winced, snapping his hand closed. A soft glow was now coming from his hand. He frowned. What was going on?
"Look, he's not exactly the best choice for you," Mark continued, and this time, his other hand started glowing and heating up, too.
Mark's voice was lost, and John was fully concentrated on his hands. He was sure this was his first Legacy, but he had no clue whatsoever what was going on. He just knew he had to get out of there.
He jumped at a hand on his shoulder, felt it just as quickly get taken off. "God, man, you're sweltering hot," Mark exclaimed. "What happened?"
John just leapt to his feet and ran for the door, his lighted hands illuminating darkened spots of the classroom. His fellow classmates started crying out in surprise, but he grabbed the door handle, threw it open, and started running down the hall. He thought he heard someone call his name from behind him, but he didn't pay attention. He grabbed the door handle to the janitor's office, threw it open, then opened his hands.
Their bright lights blinded him, and he gasped, plunging them into a bucket of water, trying to get them to stop glowing. If anything, they just glowed even more.
There was a frustrated knock on the door. "John?" a faint girl's voice called.
John ignored it, instead starting to pant heavily in frustration. If he couldn't get what was going on, this wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
He heard his name again, but still didn't reply. Finally, the door burst open, and John looked up at Savannah, her long hair hiding her face.
She didn't say anything when she saw his hands glowing like flashlights. She closed the door behind her, flipping on a light and kneeling down in front of him. "I've seen something like this before," she whispered. "In dreams."
John looked up at her in shock. In dreams . . . ? "There was a girl," Savannah started, still whispering as her fingers trailed across John's palms. Her fingers were icy compared to the heat waves rolling off of him. "She was being attacked. She stamped her foot, and the ground quaked. The next thing that I know is that she's getting stabbed." She looked up at him, and John's jaw dropped. She had seen one of the Garde in her dreams? "There was a second one, another girl, much younger. She was typing a message out on a computer, saying 'one down, eight left. Are the rest of you out there?' A few minutes later, the same men who killed the first one broke in and killed her, too."
"What?" John whispered in shock and surprise.
She continued. "That was when I was in Kenya. When I escaped, I met a boy who wore high socks and had such physical enhancements that even I didn't have. We were friends for a long time, then he helped me with his father catch a cargo plane to go to the Hollywood Hills." She swallowed, stroking his palms as their lights began to dim. "I didn't go back. I thought about Hannu all the time. Then three months ago, I heard on the news a father and son in Kenya had been reported missing. I recognized Hannu, and then a few days ago, they found his father dead. I knew Hannu was, too."
"How - ?"
"Hannu and his Cêpan told me about Lorien, John," Savannah told him, rocking back on her heels. "I know about the Garde, and I know about Legacies." She looked him in the eye. "I also know that you are Number Four." She smiled. "Look at your hands."
John did, and he gasped in surprise. The lights were gone, and he looked up at Savannah. She smiled, holding out a hand to help him up. "If I knew any better, your Cêpan's going to be worried sick."
"Yeah," John agreed, getting to his feet and following Savannah out of the closet. "Does he know?"
"Honestly?" Savannah asked, shrugging. "I don't know."
***
Savannah stepped aside, letting John use his key to get inside. "Henri?" he called out.
"John?" Henri's voice replied, and he came from the kitchen. "The Chest started glowing, did you - "
He stopped short when his eyes landed on Savannah. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Miss Starlight."
"He gained his first Legacy," Savannah stated bluntly, and John lit his hands back up, showing them to Henri.
Henri's eyes widened further, and he looked at Savannah in shock. "How do you know?"
"My friend in Kenya was a boy named Hannu," Savannah replied, slipping readily into the lie she had told John. "He was Three."
"So you know about everything?" Henri asked.
She nodded firmly. "Every single detail."
Henri looked at John. "Then it's time to start training."
***
Marina frowned, looking around and sitting down in her usual place. John still wasn't here. So where was he?
"Hey, Ramaya!"
Marina turned, coming face to face with Mark. "What?" she snapped.
Mark raised an eyebrow. "You'd think that you hated me or something."
"I'm not in the mood," Marina growled, getting up to shove past him.
She never even made it. His hand latched around her arm and pushed her against a tree, effectively blocking any chance of escape. "It's funny how almost every girl in this school would want to have a chance with me," he murmured close to her ear so only she could hear, "but you . . . you are just a pain in the ass and I can't seem to get through you."
Marina gritted her teeth, nodding to her arm. "And you wonder why."
"If you're looking for your 'friend,'" Mark told her nonchalantly, "he ran out of class today after doing a prank with flashlights. I haven't seen him since."
Marina frowned. John, pranking a class with something as stupid as flashlights? "That can't be right," she muttered.
Mark smirked. "Sweetheart, it is. John Smith is trouble, and you shouldn't be hanging around him."
Something inside of her snapped. She didn't know what it was, but somehow she felt a sudden protectiveness towards John. Next thing she knew, there was a zapping sound and Mark shouted out, dropping onto the ground face first. Marina fell right on top of him, digging her kneecaps into his back and twisting his arms so that they almost met behind her. She leaned down, breathing in his ear. "I think I can make those kinds of decisions by myself, thanks."
She was off of him in seconds. She started walking off, hearing wolf whistles, when she suddenly heard Sam's shout. "Annalise!"
She turned just in time to see one of Mark's buddies run at her. She dropped to the ground, palms on the ground and swung herself in a circle. Her legs knocked Mark's friend to the ground, sending him tumbling across the ground. She did a tuck and roll, reaching out with one hand and grasping the next friend's leg. She twisted, and the guy did a flip while running before slamming hard into the ground.
She dug her heel into the dirt, spinning her around and leaving her in a defensive position. Mark was facing her now, holding his arm with one hand and staring at her in awe. She stood up casually, flinging her braid over her shoulder and giving a mock curtsy. "Black belt martial artist, thank you very much," she said dryly before spinning on her heel and walking back towards the school.
Wolf whistles and applause followed her as if this had never happened before. She smiled, but she knew something was up.
The second that school was out, she was running and finding John.
***
As she exited the school building, Marina instantly veered off left towards the Smiths' house. She followed a path down into the forests and crossed over a train track before arriving in a small clearing. She looked around, smiling a little bit. "Perfect," she whispered.
She dropped her bag onto the ground and slipped her jacket off. The cool breeze hit her skin, and she smiled again, mentally preparing herself. She imagined the same situation she always did in her head. She gave herself a mental three-count, then dove for the ground and did a tuck and roll. She came up, reaching behind her back towards where her Loric knife was contained. She grasped the hilt and turned, bringing her hand up in an overhand throw. Completing the turn, she let go of the hilt, sending the knife spinning straight for a thin tree.
The knife thudded straight into the heart of the tree. Bullseye in Gibbs's sight.
She turned, holding her hand out behind her. Using her telekinesis, the knife came right back into her hand. She put it back in its sheath while flicking her left wrist. Her gun slid easily from its holster and right into her hand. She brought it up, firing off three shots simultaneously towards the same tree. Again, all three shots hit in exactly the same place.
She smiled her satisfaction, then noticed that her gun was shooting sparks. Frowning, she looked down at it and sliding the bullets into her hand. Warps of electric bolts were sliding alongside the bullets, and curious, Marina turned, pointing her hand towards the tree, fingertips outstretched. A jolt flew through her, and then bolts of electricity flew from her fingers and laced its way around the tree.
She had gained another Legacy. Electrokinesis.
***
"John?"
John started awake, sitting up on his bed. "Marina?" he called back, starting to stand and groaning as he stretched tired muscles.
He heard the sound of footsteps, then watched as Marina walked in, pulling her hair free of its fishtail. She sighed when she saw John, pulling her jacket off and sitting next to him. "What happened?"
"Tell your friend that her version of 'exercise' is trying to stretch me so hard that I feel like I'm going to tear," John grunted, leaning back on the bed. "She was laughing so hard . . . "
"Savvy?" Marina guessed, lying back, too. "She's one of the strongest people I know. Her endurance level is so high, it's astonishing what she can do."
John frowned, turning over and looking at her. "You sound like you admire her a whole lot."
Marina shifted so that she was looking at him, too. "She saved my life, John."
John's eyebrows rose. "When?"
Marina sighed, rolling onto her back again so she was looking up at the ceiling. "It was . . . last year, I think. Savannah had come to visit during one of my undercover operations. Gibbs, Tony, and I had thought that one of the waiters of a certain restaurant was helping a sleeper cell of terrorists in the area. I was sent as a 'shadow' for a few weeks. I was caught while trying to go through the lockers, and he, um . . . " She scratched her head, then shook it, rolling onto her stomach so she could look down at her pillow. "Tortured me, to say the least."
John frowned, propping himself up on his elbow, reaching with his other hand and clasping one of hers. She swallowed. "It continued on for days. I seriously thought I was going to lose my sanity. For some reason, the pain never came. The wounds came, but no pain. I had the images stuck in my mind forever. One day, the waiter and a few of the other terrorists came in, held me at gunpoint. One had a knife at my throat and hissed that he wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I didn't tell them everything I knew about NCIS." She shook her head. "I was stupid and spat in his face. He drew the knife, but there was a crack and he fell behind me. Savannah had shown up somehow and broken his neck without anyone even seeing her." She shook her head again. "It took me years to recover from all of that."
John shook his head slowly. "My God, Marina," he whispered. "I can't believe it."
"You weren't at school by lunch," she muttered, making an attempt to change the subject. "Why?"
"Asthma attack," John replied briefly. "That's why you reacted the way you did to Henri."
She growled low in her throat. "I was stuck like that for seven days, John. A whole freaking week!"
John looked at her cautiously, saw the tears forming in her eyes that she was refusing to let out. Hesitantly, he put an arm around her shoulders. She glared at him, but then caved and broke down sobbing. He continued hugging her and whispering encouraging words to her. When Henri came up to check on them, one look from John was all that was needed to send him away. Her life just keeps giving her hell, he thought.
He had no idea just how much hell she endured.
***
FYI, Savannah's story about dreams of One and Two are false, as was meeting Three/Hannu. However, she was experimented on. She just said all of that extra stuff to get John to trust her.