From Yesterday

[Wesley Evans]

Dark eyes zoomed left and right in rapid fashion as Wesley Evans, ARMA's self proclaimed comic book enthusiast extraordinair scanned the books ahead of him in his pull list, excitement bubbling up within him as he checked off everything for that week.  The glee was evident based on his face's grin, as it seemed to grow wider and wider upon each discovery.  Sure enough, all of his books were there.

 

In the post Nevus world, pull lists didn't quite work as they did back in the good old days.  Literature was in fact becoming more necessary for entertainment purposes due to the unfortunate effect magic had on most forms of tech, and while some businesses still thrived in the new world, there were businesses that were not insured for an apocalyptic event, and those that weren't outright left behind were going to take time to return to their previous prominence.  Comic books seemed to always teeter on the edge of irrelevancy however, and because of that, the business was taking especially long to make it's comeback.  So instead, people took more to the collecting aspect of comic books.  Starting over from old arcs and tracking them down all over the world.  From ruined homes and comic shops, to museums.  Famous writers even re-released scripts of previously drawn comics for artists out there willing to put pen to paper and revive the medium... and that's what Wesley was so into now.  Retellings of stories he grew up on.  Known endearingly by the nerd community as Post Nevus Print or Altered Print.  Complete with purple "PN" emblem on the bottom left corner of the covers, right above the bar code.

 

"YES!  Final issue of Battle Chasers, PN edition!  This guy's no Madureira but he's good in his own right.  Now I own both runs!  Alec's gonna flip when he... sees... this."  Wesley's excitement flipped into confusion as he looked to the open door to the left of him only for a second, while talking to the store clerk, only to see a familiar face pass by.  Eyes widened in disbelief before he slid the books into a rough stack and shoved them into his messenger bag.  "See ya next Wednesday..."  he muttered before tossing the bag over his shoulder and rushing out of the door.

 

Wesley wasn't on duty today, so his dress was casual.  But then, even on the job he dressed like he didn't care about his appearance.  Most often his attire included basically a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.  Today was no different, though Kelly's return to ARMA reinvigorated Wesley's musical tastes a bit.  Black Chucks and skinny jeans, and a black shirt he got from a concert she recommended with the words "I Want Your STD's" emblazoned across the chest certainly gave Wes a more punk rock feel than his dress usually implied about him but anyone that ever rode in a car with him would find dozens of Post-Metal Hardcore, Ska, or Nu Metal CD's to choose from (among other things)... right underneath the 50 or so Hip Hop albums he and Kyle (and recently Alec) accrued over the years.  

 

Come to think of it, Wesley didn't know how his car ended up being the Mystery Machine for the younger ARMA members (and Alec)... but it happened.  Perhaps it was him emploring them to show him around New York when he first joined ARMA, shortly after moving to New York from North Carolina.  Or... perhaps it was because they wanted him to feel included in their reindeer games.  No one was gonna follow him to go comic hunting save for his best friend, but they were very inclusive when it came to their own escapades, and Wesley's eagerness to please often resulted in him showing up early for whatever it was they were going to do with a full tank of gas and a story for the road.  And now he had at least 1 personal CD from everyone that's ever ridden in the car... which made it homey.  His car WAS the hangout spot.  Not a means to get there.  Yes, that 94 Honda Civic had a lot of miles on it, and a lot of memories in it.

 

Except there was one person in particular that Wesley regretted never pulling into that friendship circle.  Someone who was more than welcome, but was working through personal things that kept her right out of arm's reach.  Pandora Chapel, someone who reached out to him in the past, who he unintentionally cut ties with when he decided he'd be taking a stance with ARMA.  What was an Order initiate doing in the ARMA neck of the woods?  

 

"Panda?  Is that you?"  called out the dread-headed young man as he increased his walking speed to catch up with the woman down the street from him a little ways. 

 

 

[Pandora Chapel]

-I'm never going to get used to that much blood-

 

-It just takes time my dear Pandora.-

 

-You can't put a time limit on watching someone get pummeled to death by the fists of one of my statues.  Especially since you like to not look away-

 

-I prefer to not look away from the kill.  Keeps my senses in check and stops me from faltering in less than comfortable situations.  Those Rogue Magi killed our partner remember?  Each one of them deserved the pain we put them through.  Jackie was a good person.  Those Magi refused our offer and decided to try and kill us.  It's a dog eat dog world my Irish friend.  You of all people should know that.-

 

Pandora's frame sauntered down the street, specs of blood dotted her newly cleaned blouse.  The semi-transparent white shirt showed the darker bra beneath and tucked in to a mid thigh length skirt which wrapped around a pair of stockings clasped somewhere underneath her clothes.  One of her usual get-ups.  Though broken heels she carried in her right hand stated she was having a pretty rough morning.  Her hair was matted, and pulled into a loose ponytail that only added to the illusion that she'd been drinking and whoring around the previous night.  Also that she was taking the walk of shame from a one night stand.  Aside from the fact her face held no signs of being tired, or a hangover she was quite the sight to behold.  Especially since the blood on her shirt, cut on her temple that ran blood down her cheek, and bruised lip made it look like the fun night ended rather violently.

 

-Can't wait to take a shower and change.  I look like a crazy person-

 

-I don't know, I think you look quite flawless, even with the added... characteristics-

 

-You distracted me... That man came out of nowhere.-

 

-I apologize, I've been thinking about ARMA-

 

-You're always thinking about ARMA-

 

-In a better light my love.  But we need some coffee, our day is just starting-

 

They crossed the entrance to a comic book shop and walked on.  Pandora had the slightest urge to enter and maybe get a few oldies.  Alas Nix saw those things as pointless material possessions that only distracted her from becoming a better her.  Which in a way was true, didn't stop her from drawing her own when she had the free time though.  She turned in to a coffee shop, bare foot and all with her slightly torn stockings and approached the counter

 

[pandora]Can I get a coffee, black please.[/pandora]

 

-And you say I don't give you any freedom, you did pretty well until you needed me to step in.  Plus your body is yours today, I'm a bit tired.-

 

-I don't understand how you're tired when we share the same body and exhaustion level.

 

-The world is a mysterious place my dear-

 

Pandora paid with what she had and walked back out with the coffee.

 

"Panda?  Is that you?"

 

That voice sounded extremely familiar.  Nix gave a push to walk away, forget about it.  But Pandora was in control today.  He promised that much.  So she turned towards the approaching magi and furrowed her brows.  It took a moment before it struck her.  The attractive metal magus from ARMA.  Oh how sweet a time for this to happen.  After that fight with Alec and Kelly.  They must've been sending another crony to finish her off.

 

[pandora]If it isn't Wesley Evans.  Done any world saving today?  My hero.[/pandora]

 

The flirt kicked in, involuntarily this time.  She'd gotten so used to using it as a method to get information, and sex it was almost second nature.  After all she did get pretty good at it.  Without thought she sipped the coffee and wiped away the little extra liquid on her lip with her thumb and batted her eyelashes at him.  She wasn't going vixen, more high school crush flirting.

 

[pandora]You're looking as ravishing as ever.[/pandora]

[Wesley Evans]

A smile spread across Wesley's face as he closed the gap between he and his old friend.  A lot had happened since they had last seen each other, and Wes had definitely grown... both as a magi and as an agent of ARMA.  It seemed Pandora had grown just as much, if not more, as the air about her screamed more than just sexpot.  Her body was more toned (though no less curvy than before) and her posture was that of someone less beaten down by life... and more in control.  Yet somehow he doubted that.  He heard rumblings in the past about her little Nix problem, and though he never actually confronted her about it, their conversations always held the implication in his words that he understood something was troubling her.  Something uncanny.  Something demonic.

 

But he didn't feel that right at the moment.  He wasn't being frightened off.  That was good, because Wesley liked Pandora.  Not in the "ogle every girl that walks by" kind of way.  There were few women in Wesley's life that he could comfortably call friend.  And all of them were cohorts.  Kelly saved his life during the bombing.  Though they hadn't talked to her about it yet, (thanks to not knowing how to approach the situation without it sounding like a profession of love), the speedster held a place in his heart that no other woman did, save for his mother.  Keeley acted as a surrogate mother for Wesley not in the literal sense, but in her guidance and self-sacrifice for the sake of his future.  And this sacrifice was dire.  Not just time like Kelly did.  This woman bled... burned... cried for him.  That was yet another woman who he absolutely had NO idea how to articulate his love for.  

 

Clariee was... an enigma.  She went from being the closest non-Alec person to him in the entirety of the organization to... a complete stranger.  Still, loyalty meant she would always be considered a friend to him.  Even if he mistook that friendship for more than it was.  Cassandra was originally a friend of a friend, but she immediately became his secret motivational focus for how to become a badass.  The woman had a rough life, but she still rose through the ranks of ARMA in spite of her lineage, not because of it.   She'd bounced back from things far more heinous than what Wesley had to deal with, and looked damn good while doing it.  AND she had a mother hen kind of air about her, not unlike Keeley.  Perhaps loss makes you far more protective and less accepting of your friend's bullshit when you see them self-destructing.

 

But Panda... Panda was someone who came to Wesley of all people, seeking help.  She needed him and he was there for her, and for a brief moment Wesley felt important.  Special.  Wanted.  Even if that aid was hidden under the guise of overt sexual exploitation.  She would flirt with him a bit to get him to train her with in the use of her powers, but terrifyingly sexy woman or not, that was the least of what he remembered about Panda, and that's not why he spent time with her.  

 

Entirely.

 

The two of them were artists.  They saw the world in a way few people did.  And when she wasn't trying to make him blush uncomfortably... when she wasn't chasing Kelly around (or being chased by Kelly for that matter) or having an especially Nixxy day and wanted to be alone, they trained.  And talked.  This is yet another one of those "if you had stuck around, things might be different Wes" moments of his life.  It was unfortunate... but here he was.  Here THEY were.  He couldn't have lost his old friend forever.  Could he?

 

"You're not looking so bad yourself Panda.  Come on, bring it in for the real thing."  he said with outstretched arms.  Yes, Panda still had it in her to fluster the man with her sexual wiles, but he missed her, and he could ignore the curves and haunting eyes for at least long enough to make her feel that.  And while a hug was insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it helped to show that he was more concerned about Panda's mindstate than her body.  He was ready to salvage this friendship, and hoped she would accept him.  Though he'd have to be sure that the hug didn't last too long.  After all... this was Panda.  And Wes liked Panda.  A lot.

 

"I was just saying the other day ARMA got the short in of the stick when it came to hot Irish girls.  PLEASE tell me you're coming home."

[Pandora Chapel]

If only things had gone differently.  Pandora had spent so much time with Nix that she found herself harboring an uncontrollable hatred for most things ARMA.  Kelly, Alec, the rest of them.  Yet the only person the parasitic mind leach couldn't make her hate was Wesley.  Wesley Evans.  He was really something else.  Everyone else turned tail and ran from her.  They couldn't handle the out of control magus from all those years ago.  Hell she had no control over anything at that time.  With overt Nix freakouts she had pushed plenty of her friends away.  Mostly because she didn't want to hurt them.  She didn't know how much control she had over Nix, and after the 2 haunting years she'd endured... She was glad she had distanced herself.

 

Here Wes was though.  Acting as if she wasn't a part of the enemy.  An OL scum that ARMA had to look out for.  He had a genuine look of friendliness.  Which was a surprise to her.  Especially after her infamous disappearance.  Nevertheless she'd wished things had gone differently between them.  At first Wes was just some pervy magus with a cool ability that Panda wanted to exploit.  Or was it Nix?  Either way it quickly turned into something more.  A friendship maybe.  A friendship that she wished hadn't actually split apart like it did.

 

-You're getting soft Pandora... Do not let him blind you-

 

-Fuck off Nix.-

 

-Gasp.  Pandora, are you... In love?-

 

-No... That bridge was burned long ago remember?  Wes is an old friend, and I doubt it'll ever be more than that again.  You made sure of that.-

 

-I'm actually hurt that you'd assume I took part in this.  You are after all, the controller of the vessel.-

 

-Just... Stop talking for a little while.  I want to catch up-

 

-Catch away my dear... But remember he is the enemy.-

 

-He's your enemy.-

 

He held out his arms and Pandora actually hesitated.  Her butterfly filled stomach raged for a second before she shoved that feeling away.  He didn't know.  He didn't know what she'd become.  Maybe it was salvageable.  Although she wanted it she threw the coffee to the side and embraced Wes.  Her head tucked under his chin and her face pressed into his chest. 

 

[pandora]Oh Wes... I missed you.[/pandora]

 

She'd never thought she'd openly admit she missed the dorky magus.  They had more in common than she'd ever thought possible, and although a flame never sparked between the two she always found herself hoping in the past.  Maybe, just maybe he'd grow the gonads to ask her out.  On a date or something.  Perhaps she was just too much of an old school romantic.

 

Perhaps it was for the best.

 

Although the hug needed to end she really didn't want it to.  Her hands felt good against his back, her face felt at home where it lay.  Her eyes closed and she took in his scent.  As creepy as it sounded she'd missed the way the man smelled.  Missed his voice and how even though he didn't do it very well, he still tried to understand her.  The covert flirting was more than just a way to get him to train her.  They were hints.  Ones that he never took.  Probably because he was a man.

 

That's when the bomb dropped.  He'd wanted her to come back.  He wanted her home.  What was home?  She'd never felt at home anywhere.  Pandora pulled slowly away from the hug, her head dropped and faced the ground.  She didn't want to tell him.  Hands remained on his sides for a few moments before she sighed and looked back up. 

 

[pandora]I can't,[/pandora]  she removed one hand to grasp at the Order pin attached to her blouse.  [pandora]I'm on the wrong team.[/pandora]  Pain filled her eyes, she knew he'd be disappointed, or feel betrayed.  This was the last friend she had, and she was already on the fast track to losing him. 

 

[pandora]It's actually why I never reached out to you... To avoid this conversation[/pandora]  She chewed on her lower lip and let her hands drop to her sides.  [pandora]It's more painful than I thought it'd be.[/pandora]

[Wesley Evans]

Wesley leaned into the hug and really poured on the affection, less like an old friend and more like a relative.  Ignoring the allure of her body was far more difficult to do now that it was pressed flush against his own, and he found himself regretting his actions, almost immediately, as whatever nostalgic memories he had been remembering upon seeing her face were replaced with far more scandalous thoughts.  He shook the thoughts away however, not wanting to corrupt a beautiful moment.  After leaving her behind Wesley was sure that Pandora would have given up on him.  Chalked things up to simply growing apart... but no.  It seemed they hadn't missed a beat when it came to their friendship.

 

"Aww!  I didn't know you cared."  he joked while letting go of their embrace.  Perhaps a bit of his trademark comedy would lighten the mood?  The girl looked pained, and though he didn't want to, the look on her face made him wonder about her possession.  Surely she wasn't still being manipulated by Nix was she?  What about right now?  No.  He wouldn't question her sentiment.  He trusted Pandora and even if the voice couldn't be differentiated, he could just feel when he was talking to her.  The real her.  This was their Panda.  His Panda.

 

The young woman's mannerisms became restrained and unnatural as if what she wanted to say was caught in her throat; literally causing pain to her to try to force out.  It was then that she admitted to something that Wesley already knew.  As Pandora no doubt remembered, ARMA was made up of ex OL operatives.  Wesley was one such operative.  In his formative magus years he trained under OL instructors and successfully completed OL ordered operations.  He met all of his current altered friends before the schism that split the OL.  This meant that there was a bit of bad blood between both organizations.  The kind of bad blood that made both sides watch each other on the sly.  Wesley knew all too well that Panda was still Order.  And it didn't matter to him.  Though he could see how she would have believed that he didn't know.  After all, he made no attempts to reach out to her.  It could have made things difficult for the both of them.

 

"I uh... I knew.  And I'm sorry for not reaching out as well.  When ARMA split off from the Order it left everyone on edge, and any attempt at contact would have raised eyebrows.  Imagine the questions that would've come about if they monitored our calls?  Was someone a traitor?  Sharing information that shouldn't be shared?  I didn't want to put you through all that.  Also... I had faith in you.  Just because you were surrounded by people on the wrong side of this... I don't even know what to call it...   But it didn't mean you would be shaped by them.  You had your reasons for sticking around, and I respected that.  Besides, no one can make you do anything you don't want to do.  You're stronger than that."

 

A poor choice of words considering the fact that she was currently sharing a body with a foreign invader, but Pandora had learned to be guarded and untrusting throughout her lonely life, and the one positive thing that came from such a life was self-reliance.  There was no way she would allow herself to be molded into something other than what she was, and he truly believed that with time she'd come join the Good Guys.  But, the fact that she hadn't done so after so long was pretty much proof that she was deathly loyal.  In Wesley's absence the people that helped her become a full blown agent in her own right were owed a debt of gratitude it seemed.  It was the only way Wesley could come to terms with the thought of her staying with them.  Unless there was something else tying her to that place...

 

 

"Yeah. Panda's a trooper.  And since no one can make you do anything you don't want to, there's no reason you can't just come join the cool kids.  Come on, it'll be fun!  We have cookies!  Uh... had cookies.  Alec ate all the cookies."  Wesley paused for comedic effect before feigning a frown.  "...I ate all the cookies. That's cool though!  We can get more cookies!"  

 

Wesley could see that she was genuinely disheveled, so much so that his normal silly attitude might not be enough to calm her down.  So he dispensed with the comedy, and lowered his voice to a more sensitive, concerned tone, with his left hand on her own shoulder to maintain the connection she felt during their prior hug.  "I'm serious Pandora.  I don't know why you're just now showing up out of the blue, and if I'm being perfectly honest I really don't care.  What matters is you're here, and I want it to stay that way.  Now come on, we're going to HQ to make this official.

 

Wesley didn't know what the procedure was for allowing potential threats to come to the ARMA base of operations was, but he hoped no one would say anything.  He let his left hand fall down to her hand and clasp hold of it to pull her in the direction he was walking to, his car parked not that far away.  

[Pandora Chapel]

[pandora]Of course I care asshole... More than you think.[/pandora]  She dropped her voice and averted her eyes away from him.  Pandora knew she couldn't get back in with them.  With him.  He'd helped her so much in the past.  The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but if they stayed together for too long, that's what would end up happening.  She hurt everyone that stuck around.  Whether purposefully or on accident.  Pandora was a walking hazard and with Nix around she was more likely to hurt others than she cared to believe.

 

What had her life become?  She'd killed more people than she'd hugged in the past two years.  Whether she disliked it or not it's who she was.  A cold blooded murderer.  Half the time they didn't even deserve it, but Nix's diluted ideals made it seem like they did.  Which in return made her think they did.  Nix was after all a much more major part of her mental health than she liked to admit.  He was everything she wasn't.  Brave, smart, ruthless.  He completed her.  As much as she hated to admit it.

 

-You liked this man Pandora?  I am... seriously disappointed in you.  He didn't feel the amount of affection in that hug that I did?  You know how to pick them Ms. Chapel.-

 

-Can you just give me, like a half an hour without blabbing your stupidity?-

 

-No. Probably not-

 

-Well fucking try-

 

Pandora didn't know how she would handle the situation.  Wes knew.  At least he admitted to knowing.  This entire time and he never talked to her.  Tried to help her.  She was in deep.  Nix was trying to be best buds with the head of OL.  In turn dragging Pandora with him.  It was a sticky situation.  One that she was no longer getting out of.  There was no escape.  Which he most likely didn't realize.  He'd been on the right side of the fight the entire time.  At least to Pandora.  Nix only saw them as traitors. 

 

[pandora]So what you're saying is that you aren't upset?  Everyone else is.[/pandora] Panda's face pulled into a disappointing look itself.  [pandora]I... I've failed everyone Wes.  Kelly.  Alec.  You.  I've killed a lot people... Innocent fucking people Wes.  I'm not the Pandora that you knew... Or I knew.[/pandora]

 

-I told you Pandora.  They were far from innocent.-

 

-I don't fucking care what you say Nix, they didn't need to be killed.-

 

-They didn't need to live any longer either.-

 

The magus felt her emotions slipping.  Her head began to spin and she looked at Wes.  He was naive.  Too naive.  She had become a monster.  Not the trooper he knew.  Nix made her do plenty of what she didn't want to.  He had utterly taken control.  She knew he was joking about the cookies, but about her joining ARMA?  Against her brethren?  She was loyal to a fault and wouldn't turn her back against her OL kin unless it came to nothing else.  Nix helped with that.  He love for the Order was deeper than any love Pandora had ever felt.  It made her feelings for Kelly look like a high school crush and towards Wes as her first real relationship.  Not like they ever actually had one but she'd do anything to protect him.  For him.  But not this.

 

[pandora]I don't want your fucking cookies![/pandora] in a moment she snapped and jerked her hand from his grasp.  Pushed to her limit she threw her heels in his direction and looked at him as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.  [pandora]I'm here!  Right now! Because I just finished murdering four magus.  Four fucking magus.  Because they wouldn't join us!  I'm a fucking monster now!  Have you not heard?[/pandora]

 

She turned and began to walk away, her bare feet slapping against the concrete with each step.  Though she whipped around and aimed a finger at him. [pandora]You don't understand!  ARMA is my enemy.  With this fuck in my head everyone is my enemy.[/pandora]  Pandora jammed her finger into the side of her head several times before her arms flew up in defeat.  [pandora]I can't be anyones friend anymore.  I have no one.  Just Nix and myself.  We've survived this long we can survive longer.[/pandora]

 

-So ruthless Pandora.  I like this side of you.-

 

[pandora]SHUT THE FUCK UP![/pandora]  She screamed out unintentionally but meant every word.  Nix retreated at the outburst and remained silent.  She was in control today.

[Wesley Evans]

Wesley waited as Pandora came clean about her transgressions, choosing not to speak until she'd brought everything to the surface.  He knew what kind of organization the Order was, and he always hoped that secretly Pandora did too.  That it would become apparent to her before she had become too ingrained in their ways.  He hoped for too much.

 

"Yes Pandora, that's what I'm saying.  You've done bad things, but you had no real control over it.  Even when you were in control it was because Nix knew you were so afraid of losing yourself that you'd conform to his wishes just to keep him from pushing you down in that dark place forever.  This is Stockholm Syndrome.  You think your captors care about you because they've treated you like shit for so long that any modicum of kindness they show you seems like sincerity.  Like actual love.  So you do what they tell you, even when you know it's wrong.  I won't turn you away for that.  I can't."

 

Wesley was far from a psychiatrist.  In fact, his definition of Stockholm Syndrom was a bit off.  But he wasn't wrong about Pandora's misplaced loyalty.  She believed she owed her allegiance to people who viewed her as property.  And she was so much more than that.  She needed to understand it.  It would take a lot of work to convince her however, as made apparent by her proclamations of fealty to the OL, and a vow that ARMA was in fact her enemy so long as Nix was around.

 

"Ya know, I'm trying my best not to even mention that little shit because this is the first time I've spoken to you in years, and I wanted it to be just that: a reunion between friends.  I mean hell, when you visit your ailing grandma in the hospital you update her on your life.  You don't talk directly to the cancerous lump that's killing her.  Because that's all this little coward is.  A mass of sick that does nothing but ruin the life of it's host."

 

Wesley looked deeper into Pandora's eyes, going as far as to grab hold of her face on either side so that she couldn't turn away.  

 

"I'm going to fix you.  WE are going to fix you.  I don't care what they told you, we can get rid of Nix. And that little bastard inside of you will have to realize what it feels like to lose his life to ARMA not once... but twice.  I know they gave you all kinds of lip service about how there's nothing they can do to remove him, but that was the Order.  You've no idea what ARMA's magi can do."

 

Wesley waited for that to sink in before letting go of Pandora's face and taking a step back.  "Telepaths to suppress his thoughts?  Necromancers to pull his soul out and place it in another body?  Exorcists to send him where he belongs?  I'm confident the only reason you're stuck with him is because subconsciously you believe you need him.  Once you realize that's not the case, he'll fade away."  Wesley thought back to he and Panda's training days and got an epiphany as quickly as he began remeniscing.

 

"Wait a minute, when you animate a statue you place a piece of yourself inside.  Why not put his dumbass inside of a statue and shatter it to pieces?  Is that possible?"