Absorption

I felt my hand close over Brandon's face and suddenly I saw things, memories. That time I was playing baseball in the backyard with the neighborhood boys, even though Mom told me not to. (No! That's Brandon's memory!) The time I almost lost my virginity to Max Peterson, even though I thought he was the weirdest boy in school. (I'm only fourteen, I've barely ever masturbated!) I stepped back from Brandon's lifeless body and fell on my ass. Why did I do that?!

I stood up and ran into the hallway, feeling a strange tug on my head. No, it wasn't strange, it was her, Ms. Morris. She was awake, she was watching what I was doing. She'd seen me kill Brandon.

Kill me? How could I kill myself? That didn't happen. (Stop it! That's Brandon talking through me, it's not real!) I rubbed at my temples to clear out the horrible confusion, but it wasn't helping. If only Korra hadn't decided to suck me dry, I'd be okay. (That's not me!) I shook my head. Brandon's consciousness was getting to me, more so than Steve's had. Why? I needed to go see Ms. Morris, she could tell me why I did that. I need to know.

I stumbled into Ms. Morris' room and saw her in front of the window, where I (Brandon!) had left her for the night. If she could move the muscles in her face, she'd probably look very disappointed with me right now.

Korra? What's the matter?

Who? Oh, wait, duh, me. My name is Korra, not Brandon, like I think it is, for some reason. I could barely speak anymore than a whisper. "I... I think there's something wrong with me."

What do you mean?

"I just... I killed Brandon, and I don't know why..." I sat down on the nearest piece of furniture. "I killed him, and I absorbed his powers and his memories... and it felt so good, and I didn't want to stop."

Korra, this is inexcusible. I can't have you living here if you're going to do this. You need to turn yourself in to the police and, and submit yourself to a nanocyte injection.

"No!" I stood up in a jolt, literally, there were jolts of electricity throughout the room, some of them coming close to Ms. Morris. "I'm not going to do that! I'll die!" Where had that thought come from?

No, you won't. The nanocytes will simply inhibit your powers, then you can get some help to calm the voices in your head. Brandon's voice. Steven's.

"Shut up, lady!" Steven said, though my mouth, my voice. Using my (Steven's) power, I started sinking Ms. Morris' chair into the floor. "You're not using those techno thingies to kill me!"

Steven, please, let Korra speak.

"No!"

Using my own (and I mean mine, nobody else's) kinetic thrusters, I floated toward Ms. Morris. "Please," I said, "don't let Steven make me do this..."

Steven's causing this?

"I don't know!"

Something punched me. It took me a second to realize it was my own fist. Great, I was hitting myself.

"Shut up, you little bitch!" Steven said. He turned me back toward Ms. Morris. "I'm gonna use Korra to take your powers, too, lady."

You don't have to do this, Steven.

"The hell I don't! You people made me this way, you made me go crazy!"

I shook myself out of it. "No!"

Steven again, "You did! All of you! Because you were afraid of me!"

My hand reached out toward Ms. Morris' face, and then I watched as Steven made me suck her bioelectricity out. Memories surged through my head, they filled me, and then I heard things. Things that I didn't want to hear, but that my brain forced me to hear. I closed my eyes, hoping to drive the images away. I covered my ears, hoping to block the sounds out. Neither one helped, though.

I saw things, things like my first girlfriend, Nancy Yaeger (No, those are Ms. Morris' memories, not mine!). Things like the time I was Chosen, and I realized that I couldn't feel my body anymore (I'm moving right now, why do I think I can't?). Things like when William Brand came and told me that he wanted me to run the school, help the young, dangerous Chosen (William Brand funds this place, really?).

And then it all stopped as I moved my hand away from the decaying face of Erica Morris. I felt stronger. I looked at the mirror across the room and saw that I appeared to have aged some. Good. Closer to my real age. (No! I'm fourteen, that's Steven!) It felt refreshing to be female again. Too bad my parents were dead. If they could only see their daughter now.

Korra's parents are still alive, though.

I smiled. Monica and Colin were both out gone for the week, I could raid Monica's clothes for something that fit better, then I'd go see dear sweet Mommy and Daddy. The lightning that surged between my fingers bore a red glow.

I smiled.

Inside, Korra screamed.

***

I blasted the door open with a bolt and watched Korra's parents cower in the corner. Mom had a wonderful look of pure horror on her face while Dad made damn sure that he came between Mom and I. (Stop this, Steven! Stop it!) I ignored her voice inside my head - well, technically, her own head - and made the ground burst through the floor and encase them.

"Hi, Mom, Daddy, how are things?" I asked, smiling at them. I walked over to them and knelt down. "It's been awhile."

Mom stuttered out, "Ko-ko-ko-kor-Korra? Wha-what's wrong with you?"

I stood up. "Call me Stephanie, now. I think it fits." Of course it fits. It was my name before I was Chosen, after all. (Stop, Steven!) Shut up, Korra! I shook my head to try and clear her out. Didn't exactly work, but it at least shut her up for the moment. "So, Mom, Daddy, how about we have a little talk?"

Dad spoke up, "Why are you doing this, Korra?"

I reached out and grabbed him by the chin. "I told you to call me Stephanie." I sent a jolt of electricity into his face. He jerked his head away. I just laughed. "Oh, Daddy, that's too bad." I stood up and walked over to the fridge. I looked at the stainless steel door and saw exactly what I didn't want to see.

Korra. Looking back at me.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked the reflection.

(How about you leave my parents alone?)

"Get lost. I don't wanna talk to you."

(I don't care what you want! I want my body back!)

I punched the fridge right in the reflection's face. "Shut your goddamn mouth!" Electricity surged around my fist, alternating between red and blue. I turned away from the fridge and back toward Mom and Dad. "It's time to have some fun." I walked toward them and time seemed to slow. I knew what it was I wanted to do, I wasn't gonna let that stupid little bitch tell me what to do. I grabbed Mom first, loosened the ground holding her down and picked her up by the neck. "So long, Mom."

(I'm so sorry...)

Mom's eyes widened. "Korra? You're not doing this?"

"What?" I asked.

She pushed away from me. "My daughter just spoke to me, in my head!"

I balled my hands into fists. "Cunt!" Electricity shot out from my body, hitting walls, bookshelves, chairs, doors. I grabbed Mom by the neck again. "That's the last time you'll talk to her!" I just squeezed. I was going to absorb them, but I was pissed. I squeezed as hard as I could, and the snap at the end was very satisfying.

(No!)

"Shut your goddamn mouth, Korra," I growled.

***

Steven's actions were getting me mad. He'd just killed my mom, snapped her neck just like that. I wanted to pummel him, I wanted to beat the crap out of him, I wanted to...

No, I didn't, these were his emotions running through me. Was it because he was controlling my body? I couldn't think very easily, things were getting messy. Why were they messy? Was it because Korra just murdered her mother? No, wait a minute, that's...

Dad! That freak bio leeched my dad!

I balled my hands into fists, and in my own brain, electricity shot out, hitting dozens of neurons.

***

And I was on my knees in my living room, my dad's body on the floor, obviously having been sucked dry, Mom's body a few feet away, her neck at an impossible angle. (Of course it is, you stupid bitch, she's dead.) I looked down at my hands and saw the blue electricity surging from them. I was back! I was in control again! Yes! I stood up quickly, wanting to cheer!

Then I remembered that my parents, Brandon and Ms. Morris were all dead.

"I have to get back..." I said aloud, to no one in particular. I ran out the door and hopped onto the nearest power line. I had to get back before Colin and Monica got home.

***

I pounded on the walls of Korra's mind, trying to rip them down. That bitch locked me away in her brain! How could she do that? I tried to use Bradon's power to rip the wall apart, but nothing happened.

"Of course you can't," a voice behind me said. I spun around and saw Korra standing there, arms crossed under her breasts. "The only powers you can use here are your own, Steve."

"How are you here?" I asked, not even realizing that my panicked voice was still Korra's.

She smirked. "The same way you are, we got sucked up by Korra's bio leech ability."

"But, you are Korra!"

She walked over to me and flicked me on the forehead. "No I'm not, stupid. You just see me as Korra, just like I see you as Korra, because we're both Korra, but we're not Korra."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" As I asked, a portion of the wall moved outward, grabbing my left wrist. Another section grabbed my right wrist, and I looked down to see that my feet were also encased by the wall. "Brandon?" I asked.

She punched me in the face. "Bingo!"

Another Korra appeared from nowhere. "We're all here, Steven," this one said, and I knew it just had to be Ms. Morris.

"Even Korra's dad?"

"No. Despite absorbing his memories, because her father wasn't a Chosen, he simply faded into nothing."

Brandon grabbed me by the throat. "Which is what we should do to you!"

Ms. Morris waved her off of me. "Please, Brandon. She's suffering enough just knowing that she's stuck in here with us."

***

I hopped off of the nearest power line and landed on the ground in front of the mansion, where I saw dozens of cop cars, sirens casting a flashing red glow over everything. Monica was standing in front of the mansion, a fiery glow in her eyes. I threw up a polarity wall just as the air in front of me exploded. How had I know to do that?

I didn't have time to answer that question, however, as I was suddenly up in the air. I looked to my left and saw Colin standing there, the same fiery glow in his eyes. Clearly, they knew what I'd - what St - no, what I'd done. I wasn't gonna make a corpse take the blame for what I'd done.

"Please, let me go?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah, drop her, Colin," Monica said, anger in her voice. "Let her go so that I can blast her skull to pieces!"

"I can - " I was cut off by the fact that I was suddenly dropped from the air. I stood up and held my hands up in surrender. "I can explain this."

Monica grabbed me by the collar. "You can explain shit! You killed Brandon and Ms. Morris! Why?!"

My voice filled our heads. Calm down, Monica. This isn't Korra's fault.

Her eyes widened. "Are you trying to use Ms. Morris' power to get us to trust you?!"

No, she's not. It's me, speaking from inside a portion of Korra's mind. Brandon and Steven are here, as well.

Monica backed away. "No! I don't believe you!"

"I'm not doing that," I said.

***

"But I'm doing this," I said, and shot a bolt directly at Colin. He went flying right into one of the cop cars. I looked back toward Monica. "You really should have listened. Ms. Morris was telling the truth. We're all in here," I pointed to my head. "And you will be, too."

I made a step toward Monica, then something slugged me right in the face. I looked around for what it was, and saw Peter stop, arms crossed, smirk on his face. "Hey, there." I fired a bolt at him, but he moved out of the way faster than I could shoot him. I tried it again, but again, he moved. "Gonna havta do better than that, Stevie."

I was about to shoot at him again, but I was suddenly lifted off the ground again. I looked over at the cop car Colin had landed on and saw that he was standing again. "Shoot her!" he shouted to someone I couldn't see. I felt something prick my skin, then felt the shock of more voltage than I could produce surging through me. It didn't take much to knock me cold.

***

Monica walked over to me and waved her hand in my face. "Korra or Steve?"

I sat up and rubbed at my head. "If I was Steven, I'd lie about it anyway. But either way, I'm Korra." I stood up and pulled the taser prongs. "I'm so glad that worked."

She patted me on the shoulder. "Hey, Ms. Morris has never lied to us before. You okay?"

I shook my head. "No. I killed Brandon and Ms. Morris. I did that." I looked over at Monica's aunt. "You have something to take care of that, right?"

Captain Montoya nodded her head. "Yeah, kid. We'll take you to the station and shoot you up with some of Knight's nano-whatevers."

Monica smiled weakly. "Nanocytes, Aunt Holly."

The humor was appreciated, even if it wasn't helping anything.

***

I sat in the cell, waiting for the minutes to slowly, painfully, tick by until I got my injection. I wanted them to hurry up. Every second I still had my powers was a second that Steven could take control of me and use me to escape. I looked down at my stupid Mickey Mouse watch and waited, waited, waited.

Finally, I heard footsteps coming toward me. I heard those HARP guys shout something at whoever it was, but I wasn't paying attention to them. Two cops stopped in front of my cell, one of them with the keys, the other with the syringe. The one with the keys opened the door while and then the other one walked in. "Sorry to do this, kid," he said, and I saw real concern in his eyes.

"Just, please get it over with," I said.

He was about to stick the syringe in my arm, but he stopped when his partner said, "I don't think that's necessary." A sudden electrical attack - not from me, I might add - fried the cop. The other cop, holding a ball of blue electricity in his hand, stepped forward and took his hat off. "Korra Reston, I presume?" He bowed in front of me. "My name's not important, so my friends have taken to calling me the Benefactor."

I slid across the cot to move closer to the wall. "Monica told me about you... and... Harmony Sprite mentioned you, Knight said."

He smiled. "Ms. Morris's memories have served you very well." He stepped over the body of the other cop. "Just wait until you can control all those memories, all those gifts."

"Is that your gift? Giving people control?"

He was still smiling. "On the contrary. I have many gifts, much like you. It's because I'm like you that I'm taking a special interest in you. You don't need to lose your gifts, you simply need some help controlling a very specific power, you need help quieting the voices in your head." He leaned closer to me. And I can help you do it, his voice said, in my head. He gently brushed my cheek with his hand. "So, Korra, you interested?"