The future revealed - Katianna's ending
Author: Katianna
THIS WILL MAKE NO SENSE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE "THE FUTURE REVEALED!!"
Disclaimer: Mutant X and all recognisable characters and plot lines belong to Tribune Entertainment etc. I am not making any money out of this! (doh)
Author's Note: So I was watching this episode and decided I really didn't like the way it all went for Ashlock. I had such expectations for his final appearance and tribune etc didn't pay up so I wrote this. I apologise for the bad mood I was in when I finished it, blame it on the physics again. I'm going to skip most of what happens in the Sanctuary because the changes I'm implementing don't affect it. It all started to go wrong when they were stood on top of the Sanctuary
"Emma," Jessie called, as he strode over to the two on the beach, "Whatever Ashlock is planning, it's in the city. You and Brennan go check it out, see what you can find." As he neared he cast a warning glance at Ashlock's molecular that had joined them. Lowering his voice he added. "Take Patricia with you. See what you can get out of her."
"What are you and Shalimar going to do?"
"We're going to break into Sanctuary."
Shalimar watched as Jessie came stumbling back to the Double Helix. She had warned him that Adam would have protected against such an entrance. Going through the air vents was just too easy. She tried not to grin as Jessie lowered himself painfully into a chair.
"OK, so that's not the way in." She looked up and him and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, don't you start."
"I can hack some of the systems from the Double Helix, but I'm not going to be able to get the front doors open. I should be able to open the side door, but I risk setting off a couple of alarms."
"No, we don't want to be obvious. A vent? A backdoor? Anything they wouldn't notice inside. Even getting us close, I could phase the rest of the way."
"I think I can" Jessie looked up from the console as Shalimar trailed off. She was staring into a middle distance in the back of the Double Helix.
"Shal? Shalimar are you OK?" She looked over her shoulder at him, eyes wide.
"He's here."
"Who? Ashlock?" Se nodded tersely, flicking her head back to follow his progress around the room. He didn't walk; he stalked, with a rolling grace that something within her was so frighteningly attracted to. He laughed as her walked towards her. He knew the effect he was having on her, the turbulence his every movement caused in her mind. The violently contrasting emotions. Moving away from her he began to stalk around Jessie. Stopping just short he glanced back at Shalimar.
"So this is the cavalry. Just you and Kilmartin. All alone. No pesky Empath to get in my way today." He laughed slowly at her as she realised his meaning. Without Emma's help she might not be able to push Ashlock out. He resumed his long strides, now circling Jessie as you might a future prize. Running his hand along his shoulder, making the gesture seem so violent, with hardly a glance.
"Get off him Ashlock." She fumed.
"Fight him, Shal. You can do it." Jessie added.
"Oh, oh now isn't that inspirational. You know I can't hurt him, right?" To prove his point he ran his arm through Jessie. Every movement of his arm sent shudders up her spine. Closing her eyes she sent a psychic tug along the invisible line she knew connected her to Emma.
"Help me." She whispered, praying Emma would answer the call.
"You can get him out Shalimar. All of your power is in your feral side. Activity, movement. This is the way you win battles. Ashlock can not meet your challenge. Fight him and you will win." Opening her eyes, Shalimar grinned. Fighting, now that she could do.
"Jessie go outside." She ordered, her eyes fixed on the illusion in the corner.
"Shalimar?"
"Trust me." She took her eyes off him for a moment, to smile calmly at Jessie and then returned to watching Ashlock. Grudgingly Jessie moved out of the Double Helix.
She grinned at Ashlock and something within her crowed as she watched a sliver of doubt roll behind his eyes. He didn't know what she was doing and it unnerved him. Adrenaline started to pound in her ears as she prepared herself for the fight. Feline eyes blinked over her own as her perception of the world was heightened several notches. She felt the power in her mind and slowly, almost delicately she flicked out her hand.
Ashlock flew forcefully into the wall where his image dissipated. He would have shaken the walls if his image had have had form. But He was in her mind, and now he was gone. She had done it. She had won.
Patricia stood beside the great transistors of the power plant, fighting in her mind with the decision she was forced to make. She was not a killer. Ashlock loved her, loved them all. He just didn't want them to be alone.
The two new mutants of Mutant X stood before her again. She didn't know how they had found her, but it was too late now. Her mind was made up. They would join Ashlock. They would never be alone again. She began to call her power around her.
Lightening danced across Brennan's skin uncalled. Emma stepped back to avoid a stray discharge.
"Brennan, what's happening to you?"
"I don't know. I'm not controlling this."
"Could it be Patricia?"
"She controls electrons - right? That's all lightening is. If she's a negative charge, then that's going to affect me andwell this happens." He lifted one hand, containing a spiky web of energy and watched it lean away from the charge caused by Patricia. He moved his hand closer and watched as the electricity tried to jump off his hand away from her, giving off smaller sparks and crackling with energy. Watching Brennan take a step closer to Patricia, Emma screamed as a stream of charged blue light collided with Brennan, knocking both him and Patricia to the floor. Checking them both she found them alive but unconscious.
"Well, that was easier than expected."
They were waiting, the drug that would cure Ashlock was in production and they all sat together in the lounge, neither of them really trusting the other. Neither of them noticed the two figures entering through different doors.
She was stood behind him. None of them had noticed her yet. He was weak. She could feel it. She wanted to stalk him. To chase him until he lay on the floor panting, blood pumping and to rip at his throat. He would die. She watched his attention distracted as he watched Jessie emerge from the far door and made her move.
She felt a thrill as his body dropped to the floor, neck twisted at an unnatural angle. She had killed him. She was free of him and she could not help but smile at what she had done. She looked down on his body at her feet and resisted the urge to take out all the unwanted emotion on him. To destroy his perfect body. To rip and tear and She stepped away.
Looking up she met Jessie's eyes. There was an emotion there she had never seen before. Fear. Pure fear, and of no one but her. Looking away she found Adam's eyes and saw things there she had never wanted to see. A turmoil of emotions - Anger, Grief, Disgust hatred. All aimed at her. Adam was not proud of what his cat had brought home to him. She had killed one of them, and something in his eyes screamed out at her. Something within her broke, leaving her slipping, sliding down the wall until she sat on the floor, her feet barely inches from her mental torturer, who would never trouble her sleep again.
(Please allow for the fact this was written late at night after a one and a half hour physics lecture)
Things in the Sanctuary were tense. Patricia, now freed from the psychological tyrant, had offered them information on the Strand. There was cause for joy.
Yet Adam had refused even to look at Shalimar since Ashlock's death, almost a week ago and she was dying inside. Adam was her mentor, her surrogate father, and through all her faults he had loved her.
Now his every cold look scarred her and for the last three days she had not emerged from her room to eat or drink or talk.
"Adam, we need to talk to you." He was tired, so very tired. How had things got so bad so fast? He looked up to see Emma, Brennan and Jessie standing in the doorway. At least Shalimar wasn't with them. He wasn't sure he could cope with seeing her. He could feel from the rolling anger that Emma was - probably unconsciously - feeding to the room around her, that they wanted to talk.
Shalimar waited in her room, on her side as though sleeping, though her eyes had not closed in the last week. She was waiting. Although she did not know what for. She was tired. Oh so tired, but she could not sleep. Not even the part of her that usually so resented the lack of activity stirred. Her eyes were dry; all tears having dried long ago.
Something in her had been left empty when Ashlock had died. Though she had never gone to her willingly, something in her had been joined to him, and had died as he had. Killing him had not healed the wounds he had caused in her. Instead it had opened more. But still she was not sure her mind could have survived any of his attacks when he was at full strength, as he would have been if Adam had healed him.
Adam. That wound was still too raw to probe. To question why or wonder how.
She knew he was standing at the door before he opened it. His presence had always been soothing to her. His touch and voice had always had the ability to bring her back to herself.
Now his presence prompted fear. Was he here to shout at her? To tell her of the wrongs she had done. Would he throw her out of the Sanctuary for not being able to control her anger, her violence? Would he find a replacement for her on Mutant X? She did not want to fight this out with him. But she did not have the energy to run. She no longer knew which side of this argument she would be on.
He did not confront her as he entered, nor demand that she stand or face him. Instead he sat on the floor with his back to the wall, as if her expected her to attack him. That more than anything shook her. She would never do anything to harm him, or any of Mutant X and she hated the thought that he might not trust her.
When she made no movement he cleared his throat and began. And he began the way all good apologies should.
"I'm sorry Shalimar. I am so, so sorry that you had to that you felt you needed to do what you did." He took a deep breath, steadying himself, composing himself. "I saw only what I wanted to see. Ashlock waslike my first child, and I hated myself because I didn't know how to control him. All I wanted was to make him understand how much I cared for him. Because; to me, he was one of you.
"I didn't want to understand what he was doing to you and to the others because I knew if I'd have accepted that I would have accepted defeat and that is not something I do easily.
"I understand why you did it. I understand that it was an act of self-preservation. And for what it's worth I think I would have done the same thing." Shalimar rolled over so she could see him properly.
Frowning she looked him straight in the eye. "Would you?" She watched with trepidation as Adam took a metal hypodermic needle out of its casing.
"This is filled with a drug that would have increased the rate of his molecular breakdown. It was a last resort. I didn't want to risk him triggering the destruction of the city before he died. I was planning on telling him it was a cure. Maybe sedating him first." She knew he was telling the truth.
"Oh Adam, I'm so sorry." Uncurling from the bed she folded herself into his lap, arms around his waist. Smiling gently he held her close. Nodding at the three friends who had appeared at the door. "Let's not do this again, OK?" And he laughed.
They were going to be OK. Once again they were Mutant X, Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Untouchable, Indestructible. They would fight another day.