Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Sanctuary or Tesla. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Truth and Chaos for allowing me the use of her idea for Cassie's powers. If you want a good X-men story I suggest her stories All of this Past and Pulling Heaven Down. Also I have worked long and hard on this and I hope it's up to fanfiction standards. I know it's not the best well written and even though I've been over it more times than I can count I know there are still spelling and grammer mistakes but I hope you enjoy this.
Helen Magnus, head of the Sanctuary units and 158 year old scientist was currently taking a break from her research not only to rest her weary eyes but to answer the door. Shivering in the cold and snow stood a young woman no more than five feet three inches tall. Her short brown hair barely brushed her shoulders and her green eyes, hidden by her reading glasses lit up with excitement.
"Helen Magnus, it's been years." The woman exclaimed with a wide smile.
"Cassandra" Helen embraced the woman carefully before stepping aside to let her in. "You look lovely."
"And you look as young as when I first met you." Cassandra remarked, skillfully unbuttoning her long black trench coat to reveal her extensively covered body. Hanging her coat on the rack, she uncoiled her scarf and deposited it along with her hat. "I came as quickly as I could but traffic was hell."
"Quite understandable." Helen led Cassandra down the hall a short distance before Dr. Will Zimmerman crossed their paths. "Cassie I would like for you to meet my newest colleague Dr. Will Zimmerman, forensic psychiatrist. Will this is Cassandra Summers, an old friend and former patient of mine."
"It's nice to meet you." Will stated, offering his hand towards her. Cassie's small gloved hand met his and Will's eyebrows shot upward in curiosity.
"Cassie is an extremely rare form of abnormal." Dr. Magnus filled in, "She unwillingly absorbs the memories, emotions, and thoughts of a person or object by touch, though the results cause drastic harm to her own well being."
"That's the reason for the gloves then." Will clarified. Sliding her hand out of its protective covering,
Cassie held her naked fingers close to the young man's face. "If I were to touch you, if only for a mere second, not only would I obtain all of your thoughts and memories, but if I were to hold on long enough I could suffer from blood loss, broken bones, and even cardiac arrest."
"Wow" Will said simply stunned
"My my my Cassandra Summers what have you done with your hair?" a voice questioned, appearing from the shadows.
"Tesla, I see you've emerged from hiding." Cassie replied turning around towards the new figure whilst slipping on her glove. "As for my hair, I rather like it this length."
"Now I never said your hair was undesirable, it is in fact quite fashionable, I merely pointed out that since our last meeting it is no longer the length of your elbows."
"Coming from you Tesla, I will consider that a complement."
"You two know each other?" Will once again asked confused. "I thought Tesla went into hiding sixty years ago."
"Along with her abilities, Cassie has yet to age in eighty years." Helen filled in. "Over the years I have conducted multiple tests but I have yet to deduce a reason for her age."
"Now Helen let's not dilly dawdle" Cassie interrupted, "You brought me here for a reason. My life's story can wait for another time. "Quite right, follow me then."
Helen led the group down several flights of stairs directly to a containment room where Henry Foss was watching a young man attempt to escape the restrains of his chair.
"We believe this man has information that can lead us to the Cabal. What I'm asking you is significantly dangerous but I'm running out of options and I must know what this man knows."
"I'll do what I can." Cassandra said slipping off the glove of her right hand.
Helen entered the security code and the door slid open allowing Cassie to enter. The young woman took a deep breath, walking over to the man, her head held high. With two fingers raised outward she hesitated only a second before placing them on the man's forehead. Upon contact her face contorted in pain as images and voices filled her head. Holding on for a breaths intake her eyes rolled upward, blood spouted from her nose and she crashed to the floor.
Swiftly, Nikola entered the room and picked up the unconscious girl. Carrying her to the infirmary he passed Magnus, giving her a look that she knew meant he disapproved of her actions. Magnus followed him into the infirmary where he deposited the unconscious form onto the bed.
"She'll need a blood transfusion, no doubt." Nikola remarked as Helen moved to stop the blood flowing from her nose.
"She'll be fine if that's what you're asking." Magnus supplied as she hooked up a heart monitor and grabbed a bag of blood from the storage unit against the wall. "She didn't hold on nearly long enough to cause lasting damage.
Turning from her patient she glanced to where the half vampire once stood only to find the room empty.
Cassandra awoke to the sound of the heart monitor's steady beep. As many times as she had been placed in the hospital, Cassie knew that the sound of the heart monitor was a good sign. It meant she was alive. Her head throbbed and memories that didn't belong to her flashed before her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" a voice asked breaking her concentration. Helen stood over her looking well worn out. The situation with the Cabal and her missing daughter were clearly having an undesirable effect on the woman.
"It hurts but nothing that isn't normal." She replied, her voice raspy.
Helen handed her a glass of water which she graciously took. "You were out for merely two hours but luckily didn't require too much blood."
"I'm sorry Helen but I couldn't get anything from him." Cassie said sadly, placing the water on a stand beside her bed. "Only past memories, none of which dealt with the Cabal. Give me a day to recover and I'll try again."
"No. It was risky as is and I will not put your life on the line yet again." Magnus stated firmly. "We will just have to deal with what we have. Now I suggest you get some rest." Without another word Helen walked out of the room leaving Cassie the only choice but to let her eyes drift shut.
Two days later and Magnus still had Cassie, much to her displeasure, on bed rest. Magnus, along with John Druitt were nearly halfway around the world following different leads in hope that one would bring them closer to finding their beloved daughter Ashley.
With no one there to stand constant watch over her, Cassie quickly changed out of her hospital gown and silently crept to the room with the man from the Cabal. With shaking hands, she stripped off both gloves and moved inside the room. With her face set in pure determination she set forward upon him.
Nikola Tesla had finished work on the cure for the Lazarus Virus days ago and now spent time tinkering in Magnus's laboratory with her outdated equipment. He heard soft footsteps down the hallway and having nothing better to do, followed them.
He arrived at the cell which held the Cabal man just in time to see Cassandra place her hands on either side of the man's head and gasp in pain. Blood sprung from her noise and lacerations tore at her skin but yet she held on. By the time he got to her, nearly a minute had passed. He pried her hands from the Cabal man just as a large crack was heard from her ribs. As she passed out in his arms, she whispered two words, Dana Whitcomb.
The sound of the heart monitor was at first fuzzy to the ears of Cassandra but soon grew louder and clearer as she focused on it. Her eyes slowly opened but blinked back closed at the bright light.
"I see you're finally awake." The sickly sweet voice of Nikola Tesla rang out. Cassie's eyes opened once more and groaned at the sight of the vampire genius. "Now Cassandra is that the ways to treat the man who saved your life? Now I suggest you try not to move. You have at least two broken ribs, several lacerations, a massive headache no doubt, and I had to pump two and a half pints of blood into your system. Next time you decide to go all heroic at least tell someone. I'd rather not have Helen blame me for your death."
"Thanks for the concern." Cassie mumbled trying to sit up only to fail from an over zealous amount of pain.
"I told you not to move. Sometimes you act worse than a child." Nikola tutted.
"Me a child? You pout if you don't get your way." Unfortunately Cassie's outburst forced her to move which then led her to cry out in pain which then prompted Nikola to smirk in triumph.
"For once I advise you to listen to me." And for once, Cassandra did, settling back into her pillows, out of breath and exhausted; she fell into a deep slumber.
"Helen! I need to see Helen now!" Cassie cried sitting up in bed.
"Helen is not here." Tesla answered her annoyed. "And you have ripped open the stitches on your arm."
"Nikola I need to speak to Helen immediately."
"As I have already told you, Helen Magnus is not here and you will not be getting out of this bed to jet halfway across the world to find her." Nikola retorted as he snapped on a pair of latex gloves and sterilized a needle and thread.
"You don't understand Nikola! I have information that could be vital to her search!"
"I have already spoken to her about the little incident you pulled and she is looking into this Dana Whitcomb. Now lay back and hold still before you injure yourself more."
With an exhausted sigh Cassie sank back into the pillows and let Tesla sew together the wound that she had reopened.
"Oh come on Nikola just let me get out of this stupid bed." Cassie groaned.
"Doctor's orders are to stay in bed." Tesla replied tinkering with one of his experiments."
"Nikola it's been nearly a week. I can move without opening any wounds and I would like to get out of this stupid bed and stretch my legs."
"My answer is no Cassandra as it has been for the last week. You will not under any circumstance leave this bed until I declare you well enough to move and until that time I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me work in silence."
"If you want silence why don't you just go work in your lair Dracula." Cassie huffed.
"Listen and listen closely Cassandra" Nikola growled, getting dangerously close to her, "I would like nothing more than to return to my laboratory but I have the most unfortunate task of babysitting you so you don't try and pull another stunt like the last one. So shut up and let me work in peace."
"You're a real asshole sometimes Nikola. I hope you know that."
Nikola smirked and turned back to his experiment while Cassie lay back in bed bored.