trans_9 | Turns out that once you cross childhood's borders you CAN return again [Open]

After hearing the clock, Cassie had headed straight back to the Med bay. It had taken a while for the others to start deaging, hadn't it? And they were working on a cure anyway so- this was O.K. they all had time. They'd figure this out.

Except Cassie had less time than she thought. Maybe it was that she had been GLaDOSed recently. Maybe it was the pym particles in her system. Maybe it was all the stress her body had taken lately. ~~Maybe a being of total control over here just felt like it.~~ Whatever the reason, about halfway to Med bay, the effects of the Melting Clock took effect.

Cassie Lang was now 11 years old and totally confused about why she wasn't in the Baxter Building. Not to mention all the extra memories she had which... made no sense. She was 11, not 16! She hadn't been blown up. Her dad wasn't- and had never- died. The only boy she was crazy about was named Kristoff Vernard. And as much as she wanted them, she didn't have super powers.

This was totally crazy! This had to be some kind of super villain trick. That had to be it! She was fighting off the mind control. She could do this! Maybe the others were around, in their own illusions.

"Uh, dad? Kristoff? Invisible Woman? Human Torch?" She called, looking around. "Thing? Anybody?" She waited for a few moments. "I know this isn't real. You're making a huge mistake if you think you can manipulate me."

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On the plus side, Spidey had been far away from the reaches of that stupid clock to be affected (and really, I don't think you wanna see him regress to some of his earlier days). Spotting the young and confused Cassie, he couldn't help but blink. She was acting like this was some sort of game. That, and she was calling out for the Fantastic Four - and he was certain none of them were around at the moment. No Reed? I know the guy's techno-babble's enough to turn people off, but to forget him?

He had planned to approach her in costume, but remembering how Wanda had reacted when he first approached her, shifted the Iron Spider costume into something more recognizable (http://www.cinecon.com/frontimages/2379-spiderman.gif) before speaking up.

"Hey, kid, you lost?"

"Gosh!" Cassie couldn't do more than gape at him for a few moments. Sure, she had met a lot of her idols lately but that didn't make it any less amazing (or spectacular?). "S-Spider-Man. I didn't think you were caught up in all this too but I'm glad you're here. Someone's using their mind control powers on us or- or something."

Okay, this is a bit on the weird side. Granted, it's a young kid stuck on a strange place, but at the same time, she didn't look too familiar. Wasn't the only blonde-haired girl here her age that kid who worked in the library?

Then again, with everything going on, she just might be one of those affected and not accounted for. Time to make sure she was reassured.

"Mind control?" he asked, a bit amused. "Now, what makes you think of something like that?"

"Because this place makes no sense!" Wow, she knew the mind control had to be powerful but even Spider-Man didn't get it? "Suddenly I'm right here. With all these memories of things I've done years in the future and stuff that I've supposedly done here- while I'm 16. But look at me- I'm 12. The mind control or whatever it is has to be wearing off. We need to get to the bottom of this!"

Hoo, boy. Got another one. Spidey thought. Another victim of that Clock. And it looked like it was working faster than before. Now, it was time to figure out just who this was.

"Well, I do have good news - we know what's causing this." he said. "The problem is trying to fix it. And at a time like this, I'm sure we could use Reed Richard's help."

Knowing their luck, if he were here, he could fix this mess before it had gotten worse!

Cassie blinked. "What- but-" Oh, maybe that was part of his mind control. "Reed Richards is dead. You don't remember?"

That sounded an awful lot like Cassie's voice. And also, an awful lot like the voice of a girl younger than her mid-teens.

Jonas flew around the corner and swore. "[Oh no!]"

Cassie folded her arms and stared at her "boyfriend."

"That's right. The jig is up. Whoever you're working for you tell them I want back home now."

Oh boy. Of course she would default to suspicion. She was the daughter of a super hero, after all. Jonas sighed.

"[Believe me, Cassie, if I could get you home, I would. Unfortunately, that is not within my power, especially if what we have been told is correct about the Ohm. You remember the Ohm, right? And the Daligig, and the talk we had about the Melting Clock?]"

At least she was not running away from him. That was a plus.

Cassie frowned. "Of course I remember all that stuff. But how am I supposed to know that wasn't all just made up? That Mysterio or someone else isn't behind this?" Yeah, she still didn't buy the Melting Clock thing. It didn't help that those memories in particular were especially fuzzy. "Because all of those 'memories' I have? They're all a bunch of garbage. Totally crazy. Like I'm supposed to believe all that happened?"

"[Which memories are you having trouble with?]" Jonas asked, resisting the urge to stoop down to talk to her. She was not that much younger, and she would not appreciate it. "[We could probably ask Stacy to confirm anything that has happened since you woke up here.]"

"We could start with my dad dying. Or how about Kang being a good guy when he's younger? And oh yeah, our entire universe kersploding? This is all bull. I'm not going to believe anything Stacy says. She's just in on it. Or maybe she's orchestrating this whole thing." She was still glaring at Jonas.

Jonas sighed. "[Yes, it is entirely possible that Stacy or someone else is orchestrating the events that have occurred since we woke up in the Pod Caverns,]" he said. "[But at this point, what evidence we have points to her and the Daligig having told the truth about the Ohm and our universes.]" And frankly, reality-destroying insects were hardly unimaginable, considering some of the things the Avengers and other heroes had fought in the past.

"[What about Kang having been a decent person when it was younger seems unlikely to you?]" he asked, mouth quirking in a mirthless smile. "[Surely you did not think that he was born wearing that ugly helmet?]"

Yes, technically Jonas had been that ugly helmet. If Cassie remembered Nate at all, she probably remembered that too.

"No, but he's a psychopath. You don't wake up one day and magically become a psychopath. And honestly it's a lot more believable that this is all some kind of super villain trick. None of this makes any sense. All the superheroes could totally take on anyone trying to destroy the universe. They've done it before." 11 year old logic. Take that, Jonas.

"[We can discuss Kang some other time,]" Jonas said. "[Right now, if you do not mind, I would like to make sure that you are going to be all right.]" He knows about your heart-condition, Cassie. "[May we walk and talk at the same time?]"

Turns out that once you cross childhood's borders you CAN return again [Open]

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