Fanfic: Altered States (1/?)
Title: Altered States
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: Eventually NC-17
Summary: Tortured pasts lead to interesting futures. (Callie and Arizona as Superheroes)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not intend to profit in any way, shape or form by posting this story. It's for fun, nothing more, and nothing less. Please don't sue me.
A/N: Okay, so this has been something I started several months ago and finally got back into recently (mostly because of Drea). I intend for the story to be somewhat gritty and intense at times, so I hope I can bring that to light (as well as some hot, hot sex scenes). Please read my second note at the end of the chapter, I would appreciate it!
Everyone has that moment. That moment in their lives when they’re lost and filled with such an empty despair that the hardest choice they can make is to go on. I didn’t want to open my eyes ever again after the horror I had seen that day. I think I finally understood why my father was so protective of me. He knew of how cruel man could be. How cruel man was to nature, to animals and most of all, how cruel man was to one another.
I wish I could erase those images from my mind, but they are forever scarred over my heart. I was not meant to see such unspeakable evil. I was becoming a woman. I was earning my place in the world; discovering who and what I wanted to be in the future. This should have been a joyous exploration, but had I known what I would truly discover, I’m not sure I would have made the trip. I suppose something good did come out of it. It awakened my true nature which was hidden behind polite society rules and an overbearing father. It awakened a need for justice within me. Justice not just for those I witnessed destroyed, but for those who were doing the destroying.
Callie Torres was a rock star. She strutted down the hospital’s hall with a swagger no one else could reproduce, but everyone wanted to watch. Everyone including her best friend, ex-fuck buddy, Mark Sloan, he couldn’t help but grin as he started walking next to her. “I can keep up, but I doubt I’ll look as good.” Callie shook her head and had the decency to laugh, but it was curt and loud laugh and Mark knew it as her courtesy laugh. “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad.” She raised her left eyebrow and glanced at him with a look of disapproval. “Okay, fine it was.” He shrugged and opened the door to the attending’s lounge, holding it open for her before following her inside.
Callie headed inside and stood at her locker, gathering her change of clothes and putting away some of the things she didn’t need to take home with her. Mark and Callie had met when she started medical school and the two became the closest of friends. They shared everything and honestly thought they would end up married, but that was before Callie came to the realization of who she really was. It wasn’t that Mark wasn’t a good catch; she just didn’t want to settle. She would never admit to his face. Callie felt there was someone out there that was made for her and she was made for that person; whether it is a man or woman. She would just know, so she clung to that thought with all her might.
Despite not being a couple, she and Mark were virtually inseparable, except when he was out gallivanting or screwing around. Which was more often than Callie would even like to admit. She wasn’t a party girl. She grew up in Miami; daughter to one of the most successful businessmen in the world. Her father had government contracts that other businesses would kill for. And they often tried. Because of this, Callie learned at a young age she would be in a world of danger. Her father knew it too. He enrolled Callie with various martial arts instructors as soon as she could walk. Not only would Callie know how to fight and control her body, but she was also taught how to use a variety of weapons. She always thought of it as a game and pushed herself in order to appease her father and earn any recognition from him, which he so rarely gave.
Callie was a great daughter. She even heard her father, Carlos, say so once. She got the best grades in school and kept herself out of trouble. Knowing she had taken the teachings in her early to heart, she continued them throughout her teenage years as well. She enjoyed how relaxing the martial arts sessions became and enjoyed how empowering they made her feel. After high school, Callie felt fairly lost. She didn’t really know what field she wanted to go into, but she definitely knew she didn’t want to take over her father’s business. She would leave that to her sister. She decided to join the Peace Corps and get some life experience before making any decision. Little did she know that this would be a decision that would change her entire life.
Mark waved his hand in front of Callie’s face and then pinched her shoulder when she didn’t pay him any attention. She hissed and turned to smack him in the arm, to which he quickly jumped out of the way. “Hell no. The last time you hit me I had a bruise the size of Canada and couldn’t operate for three days.” He narrowed his eyes at her and then raised a brow. “You were standing there staring off into space. You were thinking about Botswana again, weren’t you?”
“Shut it, Mark. I don’t want to talk about it.” Callie shuddered slightly and then slammed her locker shut. They both turned and headed out of the locker room and made their way out of the hospital in silence. As they entered the apartment building across the street Callie sighed softly and crossed her arms over her chest. Mark pressed the button for the elevator and when it arrived they stepped inside. “You want to go to the apartment first?”
“No.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a plastic card. She slipped it into a slot which was just under the numbered buttons on the right side of the elevator doors. A small panel opened up to the right of the key card slot. Callie leaned down to the panel and a retinal scanner flashed green over her eyes. She then pressed her thumb into the button beneath the scanner and that flashed green as well. Once the security precautions were me, the back wall over the elevator opened to reveal two silver poles. Callie mounted one, Mark the other and both of them slid down five stories worth of space to land in a secret laboratory.
The lab was state of the art and then some. Many technologies that weren’t yet available to the masses were easily conquered with Callie’s father’s connections. When Callie told Mark about her plans, he couldn’t help but want to be involved. They often joked that he was her Alfred; after all, most of her best ideas came from Batman. They often joked that even her back story was similar, only her parents were alive and well.
“Cal, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up. You know, you wouldn’t be so broody if you talked about it some.” Mark frowned at the quiet, but he was used to it. He genuinely wanted to help his best friend, but in all the years he knew her, she never talked about it more than mentioning the place. He knew something happened there; something that changed Callie and made her adopt this crazy alter ego and second life. This was his best friend, the superhero. He walked over to the table in the center of the lab and flopped onto a chair while poking at the buttons of the laptop in front of him. He was scanning the news networks for activity.
“Don’t worry about it, Mark.” Callie just muttered under her breath adding, “…I like being broody.” She headed into the gym of her secret lair. It was across from where Mark was sitting. They would often converse while he messed around electronically and she worked out. She wouldn’t call herself ripped, but she just needed to ensure she would never get winded. She learned long ago from many of her teachers that fitness wins battles and she could control her pain with mind over matter. When she decided to go through with her crazy idea, she took all the precautions necessary to ensure it would remain a secret and that she could remain safe, even from bullets and blades. Of course, she’s had her mishaps. Usually lacerations of all kind, which is why having Mark as her sidekick was particularly handy; who didn’t want a world class plastic surgeon fixing up their cuts and bruises?
After working up a light sweat, Callie decided to go and check on her alter ego. She grinned to herself as she remembered when she and Mark were working out the details. They came up with all kinds of silly names to call herself, but she kept reminding him that this wasn’t supposed to be funny. She wanted to be a beacon of light, of hope for people. She had seen devastation that no one person should ever witness. She had all but lost all of the hope she once held in her heart, until she decided to fight for justice. And they both had a light bulb moment. Mark suggested she just call herself Justice, but she replied, “No, I’m Lady Justice.”
From that moment, everything was sent in motion. She relied on Mark to help her with setting up her ground operations. She had never been more thankful for her substantial trust fund and sunk a lot of it into the outfit and the Justice Lair. Money well spent, as far as she was concerned, and she was glad her father never asked any questions, he simply supplied her with more whenever he felt she needed it. She was also making her own money as an orthopedic surgeon and even Mark dumped plenty of money into this outrageous adventure. He wasn’t going to let Callie have all the fun, so he learned about computers and how the police operated so that he could help her from the Justice Lair while she was on the streets. They became a great team.
Even though it was only Callie putting her ass on the line out there, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Callie finished her work out and headed over to check on her suit while wiping her forehead with a towel that was flopped over her shoulders. She glanced at Mark and saw he was playing a video game, but still had a police spotter playing in the background. She chuckled and shook her head while checking the chest plate of her super suit. She had a slight mishap last week and managed to have four guys firing guns at her. She prides herself on her ability to not get shot, but while doing a backflip, she managed to slip when one of the gun men literally pulled the rug from beneath her. Thankfully, her suit can handle gun shots, but the vast amount hitting one specific spot not only heated the metal causing her to be burned, but bent the metal into her skin. Getting the metal off after her had been cooled was not only exceeding painful, but left her a rather nasty scar. Just one more to add to the many she already had. But it was worth it. She had stopped a large human trafficking ring that the police had been working on for years.
“Slow night, I guess.” She flopped into a chair next to Mark.
“You could always just go and patrol tonight,” Mark responded, way too into the game he was playing to bother looking up.
“Yeah, I probably will. It’s kind of sad to realize that there is always some type of crime being committed somewhere.”
“That’s just the world we live in.”
“You don’t need to tell me that, Mark! I think I know it far better than you.”
Neither of them said anything after Callie’s outburst. She stood up and left the room to gear up. She’d use tonight to get rid of some of her frustration, because if she didn’t, Mark was going to be introduced to her right fist again. She quickly slipped into her tights and then worked her armor on. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she slipped her mask on. She then stretched her neck out until she heard a little pop and then she shrugged her shoulders back, standing tall; Lady Justice was now ready to roll.
Callie loved the feel of her suit. She couldn’t believe how much help Mark had been in its creation, but the man knew how important comfort was; every inch of suit, including the armor, were made specifically to fit her body. The tights she wore under her armor were adorned with an inlay of electrical current which powered the entire suit. It was specially made to ensure protection to the wearer; the fabric was not currently available on the normal market and the best part, the suit would not power on if it was worn by anyone other than herself. It was just one of the many advantages of the connections her family had and the money she shelled out for these advantages ensure there was no proof of purchase and nothing could be traced.
The armor itself was Callie’s favorite part. It protected her and offered her amazing abilities. She chuckled to herself as she checked her utility belt. Yeah, there was no better term so she just stole Batman’s idea, though Batman would likely frown upon the fact she was packing heat. Almost anything she could ever need was located in that belt. Anything else she would need was likely a part of her suit. Her bracers housed a grappling gun and made her feel a little like Spiderman when she used them, not that she minded. It enabled her to get a jump on most criminals and if she didn’t have the element of surprise, they’re usually so stunned at what they’re seeing that they end up in shock until it’s too late. All the technologies of her suit, coupled with her amazing acrobatic and martial art abilities, made her a lethal and powerful ally of justice. Even the police cheer her on when they catch her in the streets, though their official stance on vigilantes is obviously less than favorable.
“Call me if anything comes up, otherwise, leave the line available.” Callie had placed her earpiece in her ear as she headed to one of the many secret exits from the Justice Lair. She hated the earpiece, but it was the best way to keep in contact with Mark, who was her eyes and ears outside of the radius she had access too. He wasn’t a computer genius, but they managed to have access to nearly anything they could ever need because of Binary. Binary was a super genius that works with a few other vigilantes. She managed to get into contact with Lady Justice one night and Callie had no idea how she was able to break into their computer security. She was thankful for the help. Binary fixed her computer security issues and ensure she was more protected than before. She doesn’t really get involved with Lady Justice’s movements unless necessary, though she did try to recruit her several times. Apparently, Binary is the leader of a group of heroes, though she’s been very quiet about who is involved. She told Lady Justice she would only give more information when Lady Justice finally agrees to work with her. Well, work for her, which is exactly the reason Callie has been so hesitant to join forces. How do you trust someone you’ve never met or even seen in person, especially when that person broke into your security in order to contact you?
“I will do, Lady Justice. Keep safe out there.” And with that, she disappeared into the night.
The heat against her skin burned, but she ignored the sensation as she ran. Iraq in the middle of a war and the best weapon the military could have was boxed in a ten year old girl. She crept silently into the village, the nanites in her bloodstream doing their job and camouflaging her from prying eyes. She took a quick scan of the scene, four guards, two to her left, one to the right and one standing in front of the door to the only hut with any activity. Suddenly, a small child laughing burst around the wall where she was hidden, he would attract attention, possibly give away her position, so without a second thought she reached out and grabbed the child, breaking his neck with a sick and quiet crunch. She pushed the body under the hut and narrowed her eyes slightly so that she could internalize the pain that another innocent was forced to die by her hands.
A gasp was released loudly into a vacant room as she pulled her body up with a start into a sitting position. She was covered with sweat and tears were falling down her cheeks. This was just another day in her life. She decided to get up; sleep would obviously be elusive tonight, much like every night. The fact she could get by on no sleep was one of the few gifts that came from being a secret government weapon. The nightmares that plagued her due to the guilt and weight that her own government placed on a child were another. Arizona had the courtesy to laugh at that thought. She could basically do anything and survive anything because of the nanites in her bloodstream. To most people, this would be a rare opportunity to get and do anything, but the horrors she witnessed and the blood that stained her hands made this miracle of modern science a huge cross to bear. She couldn’t help wonder why she bothered trying to sleep at all.
She glanced around the bedroom of her new apartment and shook her head. She should buy some furniture, but she wasn’t sure how long she would be staying here. She had tried Maryland, Miami, Arizona (oh, the irony) and California, but none of them seemed to suit her. It was time for a change in her life, which is how Arizona Robbins ended up in Seattle, Washington. The weather was part of the reason she ended up here too. She hated the desert and heat; they only brought back memories she wish she could forget. Unfortunately, she rarely forgot anything, but that wasn’t really her fault. Her own government was at fault, though no one would ever know the truth. A classified human weapon project was what the military wanted and she was what they ended up with. A powerful and mentally damaged weapon was what she became. She was only thankful her father was able to save her. She once believed in duty and honor to her country above all else. What a crock of shit.
Arizona sighed as she lifted herself off the mattress she was sleeping on. It was covered in a combat green sheet and there was nothing else in the room. She headed into the bathroom which was decorated in pink and red. This was her sanctuary. She loved the pink towels and the red carpet and the smell of lavender and vanilla. She had one picture that hung in the bathroom; it was a black and white photo of her family. The only picture of her family she ever owned. She took a quick shower and then crossed the bedroom to the closet. Inside the closet was her military issue duffle bag which was half full of her clothing. The rest was folded and placed in neat piles along the floor. She grabbed one pile and dressed quickly before she headed into the living room. There was a table with a laptop, a large flat panel television on the wall and a beat up red couch. There was no other furniture and no personal touches, except in the bathroom.
She didn’t really have time to dawdle, but she was glad that she had set the coffee maker too automatically start brewing at five am. She poured the coffee into a mug and took a long drink while she gathered her things into her pink purse. Though most of her nontraditional childhood was spent being a military weapon in a warzone, when she was finally pulled from her nightmare, she was able to go to school and work her way to a normal adult. Though the government was lead to believe the project ultimately failed and the nanites destroyed themselves, that story was far from the truth. Her father thought of that particular lie and there was no way to prove one way or the other without her cooperation and without exposing the project itself. The nanites had a failsafe that enabled them to avoid syringes, but should one ever leave her body, it would just destroy itself. This failsafe turned out to be her savior.
Unfortunately, Arizona’s life has already been filled with despair, sadness and guilt. Her mother was killed during childbirth when her brother was born. She was raised by her father, who permitted the military to use her for a secret project. He had no idea of the horrors she would be told to commit and what she would witness. He ended up saving her, but it had been too late. He only realized something had gone drastically wrong when he realized his daughter was not sleeping. At all. And that’s when she told him of the missions she was working. She was being sent as an advance unit into highly dangerous zones and clearing the way for the other soldiers. She was being used to keep casualties to a low. She was also being sent into villages that were believed to house insurgents and demolish them. As a child, she only did what she was told. She didn’t really understand right and wrong yet. She killed so many people, but she knew exactly how many children she killed. Fifty nine lives that hadn’t even started were murdered by her hands. That’s part of the reason she chose to become a pediatric surgeon. She wanted redemption for the children she killed by saving children.
Out of grief for all the innocent children she killed, she saves them during the day and out of guilt for all the lives she’s taken, she sweeps the streets at night as a super hero. She takes down villains and hasn’t killed another person due to her powers since she left the military’s scrutiny.
She was saved from her military service at the age of thirteen. She spent nine years doing dirty work for the military and her father sent her to an old family friend where she wouldn’t be bothered. The nanites were an amazing technology and not only granted her insane powers, but they also made her exceedingly smart and she breezed through school, having to prove what she knew in order to be placed in the appropriate classes. She was smart enough to not overdo it also. She was placed in an advanced class and skipped a year of school as well. She was valedictorian of her high school and college class and went on to medical school. Choosing surgery as a specialty was an easy choice; the nanites gave her the uncanny ability to control her breathing and bodily movements. In fact, she often had to force herself to make mistakes so that people thought she was normal. And now, she was the newest staff member of Seattle Grace hospital. She was hoping this would be a place she could stay, at least longer than a few months.
Arizona stepped out into the crisp Seattle morning air and grinned. She felt the dampness in the air as it was sucked through her lungs and out of her nostrils. Definitely beats having sand particles in your lungs, your clothes, your shoes, places you’d rather not think about sand being in. She shook her head from that thought and chuckled. Even being away from Iraq for years, she still felt as though sand were in her bed every night, but she knew it was more likely her mind playing tricks on her. She had a ten minute walk to the hospital. She could’ve been there faster, but she definitely didn’t want to make a scene or have more eyes on her than necessary, despite the early hour. She was dressed in a crisp white tshirt and a pair of khaki military issue cargo pants, a habit she was never quite able to get rid of. She wore a khaki trench coat and a pair of comfortable tennis shoes. She made sure they had rubber soles so they could be heated; it was the easiest way to get traction in case she needed to run up the side of a building.
Walking into Seattle Grace, Arizona smiled at the clean smell of antiseptics. It was the only smell that could really jar the scent of decayed or burnt flesh from her nostrils in the past, so it quickly became one of her favorites. Her shoes made no noise on the shiny tiled floors, despite being slightly wet, just another advantage of being her; silence. She made her way to the chief’s office in order to introduce herself and get the lay of the land, so to speak. The chief wanted to meet with her regardless, since he hadn’t seen her face to face before. Arizona’s father set all this up. He was a man with connections and the only reason Arizona got this position without actually living in the city. She came up to the door and knocked, a little harder than she expected, nerves were actually rattling her. She grinned slightly at her knuckle imprint in the wood and hoped no one else would notice it.
“Come in,” she heard through the door and turned the knob and allowed herself inside. She was greeted by a black man with a fading head of gray hair. He looked up and his eyes met hers from behind his glasses. “Well hello there. I take it you’re Dr. Robbins? ” He asked as he stood up to his full height. He walked around his desk and held his hand toward Arizona.
She nodded slightly and accepted the hand shake, making sure her touch was firm, but nothing over the top. “In the flesh, sir, and may I say that it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She offered him a lop-sided grin, her dimples popping out to show she was adorable and harmless. Really, she was.
The tall man tiled his head and laughed a bit, “Yes, email and phone calls aren’t quite the same, but I know your father and several of the members on the hospital’s board do as well. We were happy to help you both out. You come highly recommended and I’ve read about some of your work on the internet, so we were actually really happy to scoop you up.”
Arizona forced a blush on her cheeks and lowered her head slightly, “Thank you, sir. You sure know how to make a girl feel welcome.”
He nodded again and made his way back around his desk and sat in his chair. “I just have a little paperwork for you to sign and then I can take you up to the peds floor. It’s pretty amazing how coincidental you father contacting me just as our previous head of peds had a heart attack and passed away.”
“I was sorry to hear about Dr. Kenley. I had read a study he did once on juvenile diabetes. He was a really good doctor and I hope I can fill his shoes in an equal capacity.” She said as she sat down and leaned over the desk, reading the paperwork chief Webber placed on the desk before them. She quickly signed her name on the bottom of several forms.
“I’m sure you’ll exceed expectations.” He smiled as he took the paperwork and placed it neatly in a folder for Human Resources. He then handed her a keychain which held several keys and a fob at the end. He also placed a black pager on the table and an identity badge with a picture of her face on it. “The key fob will get you into restricted areas and the other keys are for the peds ward, most of the rooms open with this skeleton key and the one on the end is to your office. Everything is on the fifth floor.” He was about to stand up when his pager sounded and he glanced to the waistband of his pants. He sighed slightly and glanced up at Arizona, “This is something I need to handle right away.”
Chief Webber picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few moments, someone must have picked up since he went on to speak, “I need you to come down here and show the new Head of Peds her department. Give her a solid walkthrough and show her around the hospital. …I don’t care, just tell Stark to postpone the surgery for thirty minutes under my order. He can call to confirm with me.” He then hung up the phone. “I’m really sorry to desert you, but I have Dr. Karev coming down to show you around, he’s one of the most promising residents in our program and has really been leaning toward peds, though he dislikes the attending he’s working with. You’re very pretty and a much better doctor, so I have a feeling you’ll be able to better nurture his talent, as long as you can get past his gruff exterior.”
“Don’t worry, sir, I was raised in a military family, I can hand gruff.” She offered the chief a wink and he laughed while walking by her. He held the door open and she stepped out. He followed and shut the door behind himself, locking it afterward. He pattered her shoulder and then squeezed it gently. “Welcome to Seattle Grace, Dr. Robbins,” and then he walked down the hallway.
Not even a minute later a gruff looking man in pale blue scrubs and a white coat caught Arizona’s attention. He has a scowl on his face as he walked toward her, but it quickly became a grin when he realized who he was about to be showing around. “Whoa, Chief Webber didn’t tell me the new head of peds was a fox.”
She shook her head slightly and narrowed her eyes toward the man, “Eh, more like a wolf.” She winked at him and he flushed slightly, the scowl turning into a small smile. Oh, he was so squishy on the inside… no wonder he was in peds. Arizona had to force herself not to laugh. “Well then, away we go?”
The man nodded and the scowl made its way over his face again. They walked swiftly toward the elevators and he sighed a bit. They stopped in front of the elevators and he hit the up button three times, the last touch was more like a punch to the button. “The elevators in this place are like trap doors into a world where drama is created, so just be prepared for that.”
And not a second later did the doors open to reveal a stunningly beautiful woman. She was obviously of some type of Spanish origin, with beautiful dark locks of hair and soulful brown eyes. Her body was full of curves in all the right places and Arizona felt her mouth instantly go dry with arousal. Her blue eyes traveled down the body of the other woman and then slowly back up where they met with the brown eyes of the beauty which suddenly captivated her. Blue eyes stared into brown and brown into blue as she stepped out of the elevator, the stare never stopping as she began to walk down the hallway. Arizona licked her lips, not the most subtle move in the world, but she immediately smiled when the beautiful woman grinned and offered her a wink. Then that gorgeous woman flipped her hair and finally turned her gaze straight ahead. Arizona watched her walk away, and what a walk it was, the sway in those hips having so much swagger and sex appeal that Arizona wanted to fan herself. Down girl.
“Eye sex much?” Karev muttered as they both stepped into the elevator. He quickly hit the five button three times, the last touch more like a punch. “I didn’t think you played for the other team.” Oh yeah, the scowl was definitely back on his face.
Arizona’s eyes were still on the beautiful woman as the doors closed. She puffed out a breath of air from between her lips. “There are many things you don’t know about me and several things that you may never know.” She crossed her arms and smiled to herself suddenly thinking she’s going to really enjoy Seattle.
A/N 2: Okay, so that’s the end of the first chapter. I’m really unsure if I should continue, because first of all, I’m not sure how many A/U fans are out there and whether or not they would enjoy a superhero based story, so I would truly, truly appreciate it if you could leave me a comment on whether or not to continue. I will say that other Seattle Grace doctors are also superheroes and would eventually be introduced to the story. I also have a big bad villain that will eventually be introduced (as well as several minor ones). Yes, Callie is supposed to be like Batman and Spiderman. Yes, I am pulling things from other superheroes for pretty much all of the characters that will have powers (I’m creative, but not THAT creative). So anyway, words of encouragement or let me know if it sucks and I’ll stop (and someone will have to find my body after Drea kills me for stopping). Thanks in advance!!