"Think. Just think. Think think think," Chester was repeating to himself. He'd wandered outside, the computer not working right and with all the suddenly mean people? He needed to get out of there. Sure, some might hole up in their rooms, but Chester needed room to move, room to breathe. He felt much more comfortable defending himself or running away out in the open. But flight or fight were at the back of his mind. All Chester was trying to do was remember something. It seemed stuck on the fringe of his memory. "I was sitting on the floor and Spiral was telling me a story. She told me lots of stories, but one story was special and she made sure I knew it. I...they were...people and they were good but turned evil and then the people....television...what am I thinking of?" Chester got frustrated with himself, fists hitting against the sides of his skull as he tried to figure it all out. Maybe he'd knock something loose?
Except now he had a headache. He knew it wouldn't last, but it forced him to turn away from the sun - that was when he saw an older blond lady. He wasn't sure if he should approach her or not - but he recognized her, kind of. Something Andi said about Longshot? Chester shook his head, everything just seeming to become more muddled than clear. "It was an important story," he said to himself, his voice still quiet, trying to find some cover without making any quick movements. "It's important that I remember it."
Alison was walking across campus to visit her daughter whom she was unsure she was happy regarding the roommate situation she had. That Joan was so hostile, (matter of fact, a lot of the kids were pretty hostile right now). Although, the bigger reason was that Alison wouldn't mind going out with St. John. She had such an attraction for men with the control of fire lately. Nothing like the ones she used to like...
And there he was, the spitting image of him when they first met, save the hairstyle. It was completely bizarre any time she saw him, thus why she avoided the boy. But he looked incredibly distraught and her teacher instinct kicked in. She walked across the grass, her heels sinking in the dirt. "Long- er.. Chester?" She asked. "Are you all right?"
Uh oh. He'd gotten her attention. Every muscle in him suddenly tensed, worrying that maybe she had gone mean like so many others. She didn't seem to be bad, and wasn't shooting or spewing anything at him. After visibly relaxing, Chester shook his head, a dour look on his face. "No, I'm not okay. There's something I need to remember but I can't. Spiral told me a lot of stories, but this is one that I really really need to know. Because it's important right now but I can't think of it. And it makes me...sad, that I can't help." But I know if I can just remember, then maybe I could." Chester bit his bottom lip, eyes pleading for assistance. "Andi says that maybe you knew Longshot? Spiral did too but...I bet he was a lot braver than I am. He did so much and then there's just...me." Spiral had always said that Chester could do great things in time...but Chester wanted that time to be now!
Alison swallowed what little she had in her mouth as Chester prattled on. She was used to listening to Longshot speak so Chester's talking was completely understandable. "I... I did know Longshot..." Her voice went to a whisper. "Very well."
Wait. "You don't think Mojo is behind all this?" She snapped her fingers. "Of COURSE!" Her voice sounded out. Then her eyes returned to Chester. "Chester, your similarity to Longshot is uncanny. And when he came into this world, he was just like you are..." She put her hand on his shoulder to make sure she looked at her. "Spiral is right, you will be great, but don't think about that. Think about being great as you are, right now."
MOJO!" The name was shouted and the hidden pieces fell into place. Chester's eyes slanted as he looked around, grinding his teeth. Oh, he knew Mojo well - Spiral made sure that part of Longshot's history was covered. "Mojo did bad things a long time ago. Long long time. There were babies of the X and a television show! Mojo is a very bad person. Very bad. Don't like him at all." His fists clenched and unclenched, eyes darting around until he felt the hand on his shoulder and calmed down. "But I need to be better now. If Mojo is involved, which makes sense, then I have to be as good as Longshot was - better." Chester backed away from the hand, eyes on the ground. One of his three fingers on Chester's right hand tapped at his forehead as he began to pace, remembering as the stories came back in a flood. "Bad times, ratings were down, real down, needed something better,s omething super. Super show. Big show, lots of problems and traps. Televised, people loved it but people might have been hurt I can't remember but then...then..." His hand turned into a fist and he tapped his forehead lightly, trying desperately to remember. What he wouldn't give for Spiral to be right there. She would know what to do, she would make everything right. "Up in the sky, down in the ground, all around, cameras were everywhere because something bad was coming and Mojo loved it. Big blobby sloppy Mojo with his big gut and wired and metal legs. Spiral hated working on him. She said she hated his tongue. Eyeballs without lids. Scary. But...but..." Chester gritted his teeth. It was right there. "Not the same!" He shouted jumping up into the air, looking at Alison, hoping that she understood. "The same but different, like me. Me and Longshot."
Alison understood. All too well, she perhaps didn't say the right things to him on that. But the move? Textbook Longshot. Her heart pound was so loud, she was surprised it didn't produce lights. "Mojo..." she whispered, recalling her time there. There was no time for her and Longshot. He fought a forever war. She loved him more than anyone. She was pregnant... she was... Alison shook her head furiously. Get out of those memories! Nostalgia was not good. Not now.
"Chester! Wait! Your team is going to need you and you will need them. Don't abandon your team." She didn't know if he heard her. But she was going to find someone and talk to them about this. Because she knew if Mojo was involved, her daughter was not safe. "Protect Andi!" She pleaded. "If I cannot, please help her."
And she kicked off her heels and ran to the dorms. Andi had to be OK.
"I'm...not going anywhere." He didn't understand her paranoia. "Mojo is my sworn enemy and even though people think I'm dumb here, I know how to hurt him and defeat him and set everyone else free. Because they're my friends like Phil and Pete and Jake my roommate and sometimes Rosie but all the time Dane and he was mean to me. I can't let them go. Not with Mojo." Chester took a step toward the fleeing woman, worry creasing his face and sighing. He wanted to go with her, but he couldn't. Chester had a lot to think about and trying to find out where the cameras were. "I will! I promise!" Chester shouted after her, sitting down on the ground and remembering as hard as he could. He'd find the not angry people later. But first, he had to find hope for them.