Disclaimer: I don't own mutant x so please don't sue me. I do own the keeper character but feel free to use him if you like. Just let me know first.
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The fall
Explosion
Fire
Pain
Screaming
Burning
Death
Nothing
Emma DeLauro didn't know where she was anymore.
She didn't even know if she was still herself.
Her friend's faces flashed in front of her eyes.
They were her friends weren't they?
She was so confused.
She was standing in the middle of nowhere. She looked up at the sky but she couldn't see any clouds. The more she thought about it the more she realised it wasn't even the sky.
She wanted to go home. She started walking but she didn't seem to be going anywhere. She tried to run but stayed in the same place. She was getting tired of this.
"Hello!"
"Is anybody there?"
"Where am I?"
What was this place? She was so tired and her head hurt. She started to cry. Then out of nowhere someone appeared in front of her. He was a man about the same height as her and dressed in a black suit.
"Please forgive me for making you wait so long Ms DeLauro, today has been a very busy day for us. My name is Keeper and I watch over this place."
"Um what exactly is this place? And why am I here?"
"This place doesn't actually have a name. It's usually just known as In Between. And as for why you're here, that is where things get complicated."
"Am I dead?"
She let out a small sob as she said this.
"It's a little difficult to explain but basically you are caught in the moment that comes between life and death. You see Ms DeLauro, or can I call you Emma? Ms DeLauro is a little formal"
"O-ok"
"Well you see Emma almost every being in the universe spends all of their time obsessing over life and fearing death. But in reality it all just comes down to one moment. One single moment. The second you inhale your last breath but before you exhale. It's in that fraction of a second that certain exceptional people, like you Emma, can be brought here."
Emma's head was starting to spin from all this information.
"So why was I brought here? I'm not any more exceptional than anyone else."
"You really think that? Well let's take a look at your friends for a start. How many times have you saved their lives not to mention their sanity? Look at the joy you've brought into their lives."
She felt sad at the thought that she might never see her friends again.
Seeing she was still not convinced keeper went on.
"How often have you helped Adam talk through everything when he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders? I'll bet you've lost count of all the times you helped Shalimar with her love life."
She smiled as her best friends face popped into her head.
"Then we come to Mr Mulwray. As I recall he was headed down a road to prison until you found him."
"Actually he found me"
"Maybe, but you were the reason he joined Mutant X. And you gave Jesse something he'd always wanted, the chance to be a big brother."
"Just because I helped my friends doesn't make me special."
"Hm I thought you might say that. Without you Mutant X would've cracked and broken long ago. All those new mutants you've helped would either be dead or in stasis pods and that includes your friends. Adam would've more than likely been overcome by his guilt and drank himself to death. And as for Eckhart, he'd probably have bought himself into presidency by now."
Emma shuddered at that thought.
"So Emma, now do you see how important you are? That's the reason why you're here and that's the reason why you're being given a second chance."
"A second chance? At what?"
"Your life Emma. I've been authorised to send you back if you want to go."
"Of course I want to go"
"You won't be going back to the exact time you left, that would be too dangerous. You see time doesn't move up here but down there everything caries on as normal."
"So how long have I been here?"
"6 Months give or take a few days. When you go back you won't remember anything about me or this place, you'll just have a vague sensation of having been falling for a long time but that's it. That's all you'll remember. The most important thing is that you'll be alive."
He turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Well Emma its time to go. I have to tell you though that you only get one second chance. The next time you end up here I won't be able to send you back."
"I understand. Thank you keeper."
She smiled at him as she started to fall and the dark crept around her.