October 2018
Written by Tobias Christopher |
2018 Annual(*This scene takes place in New Warriors #32 - TC)
"I love you so much," Sam said as he looked down at his newborn son, who had a severely weak immune system. Unless a miracle happened, the child wouldn't make it to morning. Fortunately, a miracle had been offered, but it came at a very high cost. "Josiah, that's what I'll call you. After Grandpa's own little brother that died when he was a boy. I know you're going to grow up to be a strong and caring person. Maybe one day we'll find a way back to each other." "I'll only be able to hold the portal for a few seconds," Jesse told him as he focused on the wall in front of him. "So you'll have to hurry." "I'll take good care of him, Samuel, I promise," Zachery said as he took the baby. "He looks a lot like your father when he was born." "I love you, Grandpa," Sam said. "I don't know what I'll do without you here." "The same thing you've done while I was here with you," Zachery said. "You'll be a great man, just like your father raised you." Jesse's eyes and nose started bleeding as the portal opened. "Go, now!" Zachery carried the baby through the portal into an open grassy field. Before he say anything, the portal closed as Sam caught Jesse after collapsing. "Well, here we are," Zachery said as he looked down at the sleeping baby. "Our new home, Josiah." The sun was shining down, seemingly closer to this planet than the one that orbited Earth, casting a glow over the land as the old man gently nudged the baby to see if he was still breathing. Hopefully the air would heal him and allow the boy to grow up to be healthy and happy. "I suppose I should find us food and shelter since we're going to be here for a while," Zachery said as he started walking. The world Zachery had brought his grandson to was a world where humans never existed and the wild life were the dominant species. Having found a herd of goats, Zachery was able to obtain milk to feed the baby, while using the meat of a few smaller animals to sustain himself until he was able to build a small farm and grow his own food. He built a small shack just like the one he'd grown up in as a boy in Kentucky, putting his own survival skills to use. After about a year of hard work, the two had a home and food, although the wild animals were still something of a threat. After a while, Zachery had started making his own clothes using the hides of some of the predators in the woods that were a threat to him and the baby. Even at his old age, Zachery Guthrie wasn't one to be messed with when it came to protecting his great-grandson. They were crude, but Zachery had managed to make an entire outfit and boots out of the tanned hides. As Josiah began growing, Zachery had fitted him with a loin cloth to keep the boy's modesty until he got to an age where he wouldn't outgrow his clothes as quickly. Josiah seemed happy with his limited wardrobe as he enjoyed the freedom of being outdoors, and the fresh unpolluted air of the world had not only cured his weak immune system, but also appeared to make the boy stronger as he grew. By the time Josiah was five, he was becoming just as much of a survival expert as his great-grandfather. "Gran'pa, where are the other people?" Josiah asked as he watched the night sky with Zachery. It had been six years and while the child had grown from a baby to a small boy with a large mass of red hair in that time, Zachery had barely aged a day. Getting back to living off of the land and working with his hands seemed to give life back to him. "See that star?" Zachery pointed toward the sky. "Just beyond there in a world filled with people. Your grandmother, and your aunts and uncles--" "And my Dad?" "Yes," Zachery told him. "Your father is there, and he really, really misses you." "Then why he didn't he come with us?" "He wanted to, Joey," Zachery said as he put his arm around the child. "Oh, he really wanted to. It broke his heart to watch you leave. He'd be so proud of how big and strong you've grown." "Will I ever get to meet him?" Josiah asked. "Perhaps someday," Zachery promised. "I'd love to see how my grandchildren have grown. And they'd love to meet you." The small rabbit sat alone in the forest clearing, eating and minding its own business when it suddenly sensed danger. But it was too late, as Josiah had already pounced, grabbing the creature in his hands. It was the first catch that the boy had ever made, and he couldn't be prouder. "Gran'pa, I caught dinner!" the eight year old boy said happily as he raced back to the small cabin his elderly grandfather had hand built. Maybe after dinner Zachery would teach him how to make boots out of animal hides. He'd already learned to make a shirt and pants, as well as learning to cook his own food. Now that he knew how to catch his own meals, he was only a pair of shoes away from being completely self-reliant. "Gran'pa?" Josiah found his grandfather on the makeshift bed, unmoving. The boy slowly approached his grandfather as he tapped the old man's shoulder, trying to wake him. Zachery Guthrie had died at the age of 100. Despite the old man's size and weight, and Josiah's small stature, the boy still managed to find the strength to not only carry the man out to the field out back, but dig a grave for him. Even though it took several hours and a lot and tears (mostly tears), Josiah still managed to give his grandfather a proper burial. Josiah didn't realize it at the time, but his strength was growing as his mutant abilities began to emerge. The shock of losing his grandfather had activated his mutant gene earlier than it should have, and soon the boy would learn of all the amazing abilities he'd gotten from his father... After several days of holing himself off from the world, Josiah left the cabin, hungry and alone. He needed food and water, and he needed animal hides to make new clothes and shoes as he got taller. He needed a lot things to survive. Josiah needed his grandfather. Josiah walked for a long time, not sure where he was going, only that he now had nothing in the world to love him or take care of him when he got there. His father was off in a distant world and Josiah had no way of getting to him. He was truly alone now. As he finally reached the edge of a cliff, Josiah just turned around and took a deep breath, crossing his arms over his chest as he fell backwards over the edge with his eyes closed. And that's when he saw it. A vision of his father, or least he believed it was. "I love you so much," Sam said while smiling at him. "Josiah. One day we'll find a way back to each other." "You're going to grow up to be a good man, just like your father," Zachery told him. "Even though I might not be there to see it, I know you'll make us both proud. You're a Guthrie, Joey, you're going to do amazing things." Tears fell down the boy's eyes as he continued to fall, not knowing what to do. At the rate he was falling, things started to slow down as the kinetic energy started building around him until his body started propelling itself just a few feet before he hit the ground. Josiah found himself rocketing through the air until he came to a stop, crashing in the dirt several miles away. As he sat up and spit dirt out, Josiah looked at his hands, now realizing that his grandfather was right. Josiah soon got the hand of making boots for himself, as well as looser fitting clothes that he could grow into for the next few years. He'd even learned to cut his own hair using a reflection in the nearby lake, since his hair was constantly falling into his eyes and he needed to see where he was flying. He'd fashioned a belt to hang some hand-made tools just in case he ran into the trouble on his journey. The land was filled with dangerous creatures, which was why Josiah was warned to never go past the edge of the forest. But with his grandfather gone and a dwindling food supply, Josiah had to go find a new hunting ground. Over the next year, Josiah had started practicing with his powers every morning until he knew exactly what he could do and how he could use his powers to help him stay alive once he got past the forest. Since he only had a few blades to skin the animals he caught, Josiah had fashioned a long stuff to fend off the bigger, more deadlier creatures he would most encounter. Like his powers, Josiah practiced with the staff until he was proficient at striking enemies with it, making fingerless gloves to handle it so he didn't get splinters. Another year had passed and Josiah was having trouble finding enough of a steady food supply to stay in the same place for too long. The places he did find that did have a good source of food were always overrun by larger packs of animals that he had no hope of keeping at bay on his own, even with his powers. One day Josiah was getting ready to move on to another place, knowing he didn't stand a chance if he fell asleep out in the open when he heard a whimpering from not too far away. Going to investigate, Josiah found a wolf pup surrounded by a pack of mountain lions. The pup had been abandoned for being too small and weak to keep up, and now would be dinner for a hungry pack of lions. Josiah knew he had a choice. He could stay and fight or he could let an innocent pup get devoured. The boy grabbed the bo staff he'd fashioned and ran toward the pack of mountain lions, using his kinetic energy to blast through them, knocking the pack over like bowling pins. Before the lions could recover, Josiah grabbed the pup and blasted into the air until he landed on the ledge of a cliff. Sitting down with his legs over the side, Josiah set the wolf pup down as he looked out over the land. "You should be safe up here for a time," Josiah said as the pup jumped into his lap and started licking his face. The pup had grey fur and large brown eyes, and didn't seem to be older than a few months."Oh, come on, don't do that. I'm not your master, and I can't afford to look after you. I'm having trouble finding food for myself as it is." The pup just stared up at him with its large eyes as Josiah looked away. "No, I won't. I can't. You'll just leave me, like my dad and my grandpa. I don't wanna be hurt by anyone else." Josiah named the pup Sawa, although he wasn't sure why. Sawa just seemed like a name a wolf pup should have. Tired of the pup lagging behind him, Josiah had fashioned a pouch for the pup sit in for the longer journeys, letting him out for exercise and to play games whenever they stopped to rest somewhere. One night after building a campfire in a safe place, Josiah lay on the ground as the pup lay next to him. Josiah scratched behind the pup's ears as he stared into the fire. "Someday my Dad's going to come find me," Josiah whispered. "And he's going to take us home and he's going to love us and make up for all the lost time. You'll see, boy. We're going to have a real home someday. One where we don't have to keep moving around or fight for our next meal. We'll have a real family, just me, you and my Dad. And he's going to say how proud he is of me for surviving all this time, and how he's been searching for me this entire time, never stopping for even a moment. I'll bet he's looking for me right now. He's coming for us, Sawa, you'll see." Josiah fell asleep in front of the fire, dreaming of the day that his father finally arrived to bring him home. Another two years had passed in the world and Josiah had grown a few more inches. Sawa had barely grown at all, still remaining small for a wolf pup. Josiah didn't mind, though, he loved being able to carry his friend around. Josiah had fully grown into the clothes and boots he'd made, meaning he didn't have to constantly fix his pants when he ran, or even outright lose them when he was propelling himself through the air. The other problem was constantly going through pairs of boots. Walking long distances tended to wear his boots thin to the point where he'd have to walk barefoot most places until he went out on a hunt just to make sure his boots remained intact. Having arrived a new destination, Josiah let Sawa run around to get some much needed exercise as he sat down on a large rock and pulled off his right boot, which now had a hole in it. "Great," Josiah said. "What I wouldn't give for a decent pair of boots that can last." "I can get you a pair of boots," a voice said as the boy turned around, grabbing his bo staff. A man was floating in the air. He had shaggy red hair and sported a large pair of red angelic wings. "If you can help me." "If you're here for a fight, I warn you, I've taken out tougher critters," Josiah warned as he twirled his bo staff. "You ain't nothin' compared to a pack of lions." "Chill, kid, I mean you no harm," Icarus said as he touched down on the ground. "I just want information. I'm looking for some people. An old man and a little boy. He'd be about 4-years-old." "Only old man I've ever seen was my Grandpa, and he died a few years ago," Josiah said, staying away while still holding his bo staff. "Ain't ever seen a little boy, though. As far as I know, I'm the only human here." "Great, and I'm running out of time," Icarus said. "I need to find my own Grandpa and my nephew if they're even alive. My name is Josh, Josh Guthrie." "Guthrie? My last name is Guthrie," Josiah told him. "I'm Josiah, but my Grandpa would call me Joey." "No fucking way," Icarus said in shock as he got a good look at the boy. "Josiah? But that's impossible. Josiah would only be about four. Unless this planet's timescale is so jacked up that time moves faster here. If you're really Josiah, then you're the kid I came here to find. I'm-- I'm your uncle." "Grandpa said as I had aunts and uncles, and a grandma, and a daddy," Josiah gulped, not wanting to lower his guard. "Is-- is he here? Is my daddy here?" "No," Icarus said as he sat down. "He's... somewhere else trying to help a friend, but we need you, Joey. Your dad is dying, and you're the only one who can save his life." "I knew he'd come for me," Josiah smiled. "I knew he'd never forget about me. He must have been searching for me all this time, right? He's never given up on me, right? My whole family never gave up trying to find me and Grandpa." "Actually, I've only known about you for twenty-four hours," Icarus said. "Sam doesn't know I'm here. He's scared that taking you out of here would kill you because of your--" You could hear Josiah's heart break as he clutched the bo staff tighter. "My daddy didn't want to find me? He doesn't want me to come home?" "It's not that at all, Joey," Icarus said. "Bringing you here saved your life and--" "Taking me back will save his," Josiah said angrily. "The only reason I have a way home isn't because he wants me there, it's to save his own skin?" "Okay, that sounded incredibly bad," Icarus said. "Look, let me start from the beginning so there's no confusion. Your dad is--" WHACK! The bo staff struck Icarus hard enough to send him flying , landing on his side in the dusty ground. "I'm staying here," Josiah said, his voice shaking as he tried to fight back the tears. "I waited my whole life for my Dad to tell me how much he missed me and that he was sorry for losing all this time, and now-- now I find out that he doesn't even want to see me?" "Joey--" "THAT'S NOT MY NAME!" Josiah shouted at the top of his longs. "Only my Grandpa gets to call me that! He cared about me! He raised me and fed me lies about the family who were spending every moment trying to find me!" Josiah stopped as he turned his back to Icarus before saying in a soft tone while sniffling. "I hate him. Let him die for all I care." "Kid, I can't just go back without--" Josiah turned around as Icarus was standing up, who got a full view of the boy charging his body with kinetic energy before propelling forward. Josiah grabbed Icarus and shot upward into the sky. "You have powers?" Icarus asked. Josiah climbed higher into the sky as the air started getting thin. "Kid, stop, you're going to kill us both!" "I have nothing to live for," Josiah told him as Icarus tried to think quick. He let out a sonic wail, forcing Josiah to cover his ears in pain as Icarus punched him as hard as he could to knock the boy out. They both went into free fall as Icarus quickly got his bearings and grabbed Josiah, landing them safely on the ground just as Sawa started tugging at Icarus's pant leg. "I take it you're his pet," Icarus said as he sang a note to entrance the pup. "Come on, boy, I'm taking you both back to Earth. You both look like you could use a good meal." "Jesus, Josh," Alex Power said later as he examined the unconscious boy while Yoshi was feeding Sawa in the kitchen. "Any harder and the kid would be eating applesauce through a straw for life." "He left me no choice," Icarus told him. "But at least I got him here." "Sam's going to disown you, you know." "Then he disowns me, but at least he'll be alive to do it," Icarus told him as Josiah started moaning. "What about his immune system? Is he going to live? Do I have to take him back to the other world?" "He's healthier than a horse," Alex told him. "He's healthier than twenty horses, in fact. The air on that world combined with his mutant powers pretty much guarantees that this kid is going to live to be at least a hundred, maybe longer. Hell, he'll probably give Franklin a run for his money in the long life department if he plays his cards right." Josiah gasped as he sat up in Franklin's bed wearing a pair of Franklin's old Spider-Man pajamas. "Where am I?" Josiah asked in a panic. "You're in the Baxter Building on Earth," Icarus told him. "Sam's going to be home soon and--" "I'm home now," Sam said as he stood at the door. "We didn't find Franklin, Josh. I'm sorry. Who's the kid?" "You don't recognize me?" Josiah asked as he flew at Sam full blast, punching him with a full fist of kinetic energy. Sam fell backward with a bloody nose as Josiah stood over him with pure hatred in his eyes. "Let me give you a reminder, Dad." TO BE CONTINUED IN NEW WARRIORS #35! |