If I'm Gone
By Colorain
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or the characters. I also don't own the rights to songs sung by Hanson, and I don't really care if the words aren't perfect. This wasn't intended to be a standalone, but for the moment it's going to have to be until I do some research to fix the chapters that come after this. Archival? Just e-mail me and ask.
A bright flash of white light raced through their minds. When they opened their eyes, she was gone.
Not physically, of course; she was still lying on the table. But she no longer breathed and her heart no longer beat.
Adam was the first to recover, both from the blinding light and from the severity of the situation. The paternal doctor in him kicked in: never stop trying to help. He rapidly scanned the biomachines and checked the girl's pulse with his own fingers. It was funny, that he couldn't remember her name, but that wasn't important right now.
"She's dead." Adam told Mutant X, his voice choked with grief and tears. They stood silent, not quite sure how to react.
"Did we know her?" Shalimar asked finally. "I mean, she seems so familiar, on the tip of my brain . . ." She trailed off. The others knew what she was talking about.
"I'm not sure. It's very possible we did." Adam told her.
"Is there a reason we can't remember? Who she was, how she died—how she even got here?" Jesse asked his mentor.
Adam looked at the girl that no one could remember. He smoothed back her hair—a gesture he couldn't explain, but somehow knew had to happen.
"If she was a psionic," he mused, "then it's possible she performed a mental block."
Brennan spoke up. "They can do that?" he asked in surprise.
Adam steepled his fingers and furrowed his brow. "Well, technically it's only theoretical. I've never heard of it actually happening before—though most people probably wouldn't remember it happening to them." He took a deep breath, and continued. "We all know how psionics affect the mind, right? Well, what if one could . . . craft an illusion or . . . force an emotion so strong you didn't even remember her?" The group said nothing. Each was wracking their brain for a memory. Only snippets remained.
For Shalimar—breathing.
For Jesse—falling through his fingers.
For Brennan—running away.
And for Adam? A yin and a yang, equally beautiful, equally her.
~*~
If I'm gone when you wake up,
Please don't cry
And if I'm gone when you wake up,
It's not goodbye
Don't look back at this time as a time of heartbreak and distress
Remember me, remember me
Cause I'll be with you in your dreams