In the Shadows

Blackout

 As we cruise down the Los Angeles roads, Robbie pulls into a gas station to fill up the tank on his 1969 Black Dodge Charger. He's still being quiet when he turns the engine off, so I decide to speak and ask him a question he seems to be avoiding.

"You know someone that worked at that Momentum facility?" I ask him.

This time, Robbie doesn't stay silent but responds, "My uncle. I'm going to go see him". He steps out of the car and begins to pump his tank.

I think back to all the information I know about Robbie since I looked into him as well as the Momentum facility. I step out of the car as well and ask, " Uncle? Uncle Elias Morrow? Doing time at South Ridge Penitentiary?" Robbie just stares at me as he pumps the gas and I stare right back and smile. " I like to vet my vengeance demons before I hop in a car with them," I state.

The Reyes man scoffed and said, "He's a good man. He did a bad thing". I feel both my eyebrows raise at his reply. " Attempted manslaughter. Yeah, I'd say so" I remark.

I question Robbie a little further about his uncle and his uncle's work position at the lab. He tells me, "He was an electrical engineer. Hi- his work was way above my head... but I think it's time we figure it out".

A car pulls up beside Robbie, ready to fill their tank but we could hear their radio playing. It was playing on the news station, and the man on the radio announced, "Suspect at large. We now have two confirmed blackouts, Miami and London. The Inhumans claiming responsibility threatened to black out a major city every hour if their demands are not...".

Robbie asks me if I heard what the news was starting but I told him I didn't. "Hope they don't hit L.A.," Robbie tells me. I tease him a little, asking if he's afraid of the dark but he shakes his head and denies my comment and then explains his worry, "No, my little brother rides the metro. He's gonna be stuck in a bad part of town. You know what happens to people during a blackout. They think they can get away with whatever they want".

I understood what Robbie was saying and agreed with him. How there are people in this world that believe nothing can stop them. "So we're gonna have our hands full if it hap-," Robbie pauses mid-word as lights overhead explode and looks at everything nearby that's powered by electricity, blackout. "...If it happens here," the Reyes man finishes his thought.

The man inhabited by the "devil" speeds down the Los Angeles streets in hopes of getting to his little brother Gabriel before sundown and before he gets hurt. As we cruise down the streets, we can see all the other cars dead in the street. Robbie points them out and I also tell him that my phone's dead too. "We're lucky this car's pre-1980, no electronics," I tell him.

"The Inhumans would never do this," I say more to myself than to Robbie while I shake my head. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Inhumans wish to live peaceful lives, they don't want to be hunted. They lived in hiding- we lived in hiding so that we could live peacefully with people who understand. But now this "uprising" is leaving a bad image of what Inhumans are, depicting us as violent, barbaric, predators, and inhumane.

So many emotions swirling around in me like a tornado. I was feeling a lot of things. Too many things. I was worried that New York would be hit next by the blackout and that my boys would be in danger. I had to remind myself that they are with Tony and Pepper in the Tower and that's probably one of the safest locations to be at, at this time. I was still trying to bury my sadness of running into as well as disappointing Mack and Fitz. I was baffled by this so-called "uprising" and scared for all the other Inhumans that were being targeted.

"Isn't that what you are?" Robbie's questions bring me out of the overwhelming thoughts in my head. " It only takes one to start a revolution," he continues. The Reyes man continues speeding down the unbusy L.A. streets.

"Calm down before you go all Carrot Top again," I uttered to him. He chuckles and then responds, "Stress has nothing to do with it".

After Robbie's comment, I decided to try to press him for some more information. "What exactly is 'it'?" I wonder, " Because I still don't buy the whole "sold my soul" story".

He retorts, " Well, I don't give a damn what you buy. I'm the one stuck with it".

Before I continue to interrogate Robbie, I pause because of his wording. He doesn't sound like he's pleased with his change like he's not happy with his newfound power.

"So you want to get rid of it?" I cautiously ask.

The Reyes man looks at me debating on whether or not he should open up. He lets out a deep sigh before he begins explaining, "I thought that if I settled the score, took down the gangbangers that put Gabe in a wheelchair, it would go away. Didn't happen. So, I started settling other people's scores.."

Realization hits me. "The X's on the murals," I state.

Robbie continues, "When that didn't work either, I figured that if I settled my uncle's score-," I cut him off.

"Your uncle? Don't think he's the victim in the situation," I tell him.

"He always said the guy he beat up was the real criminal," Robbie responds.

"So," I begin, "you think that if you right whatever wrong your uncle was trying to fix that you can get rid of... it?"

Robbie remains stoic as he answers, "Or else I have to ride with it forever".

The discussion comes to an end as he continues to speed down the roads of Los Angeles in hopes of getting to Gabriel in time.

~AN~

Sorry for the late and short update!

I'm finally in a better place to start writing again so please have a little more patience with me.

thank you everyone for the kind words and the space to grieve and take care of my health before coming back <3

it truly means the world. 

love you all!