Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.
AN: I'm sooo excited for this one! I've had this sitting around for, like, three to five years. I was so anxious to get it out!
I would've liked even more detail, but I did what I could in fleshing it out. You can only push your fic so far until your imagination runs dry. This is somewhat inspired by the Animorphs book 'Back to Before', (Which was inspired by 'It's a Wonderful Life'), where a slightly similar plot happens, but not really. Credit goes to Applegate for the title then! (Even if it doesn't completely fit, I suppose.) The only similarities being that "This is what would happen if you weren't a superhero." plot is going on, but with a couple twists on the trope. One being that Molly has to gather everyone, another being that we don't get to see much of the kids "other" lives, unfortunately, but, hey, they'd be pretty boring if they weren't X-Men, so whatevs, right? Please enjoy and don't be afraid to review! Critique is gladly welcome!
Molly was sound asleep. It was nighttime, long past midnight and she was out like a light. The door to her room noisily burst open and Splicer agents piled inside like ants out of an ant hill. The Splicers had opened her door by force, kicking it in like a trained swat team. They were dressed the same, as always. Black helmets, black bullet proof vests, long Kevlar sleeves, pants, and big, dark boots. Genovilia Fawn was out in front, leading her men like any great Captain, her shoulder-length blonde hair streaming out of her helmet like spun gold. Her bright red lipstick sick with a satisfied grin. She had Molly by the metaphorical throat, in her own bedroom. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Trapped like a rat in a trap.
Molly went from zero to sixty, wide awake. Molly bolted awake from her sleep, was upright in no time, quickly changing to her trusty tiger form. Snarling and hissing, she got ready to attack, her body like a coiled spring, getting ready to jump onto the attacker nearest to her that wasn't Fawn.
Crreeeeeeeak...
WHHHUUUUMPHHH!
Nevermind that the entire bed just broke under her sheer weight.
"The subject is highly dangerous," Genovilia said behind a black helmet, "Tranquilize."
SWFFT!
SWFFT!
Molly felt two large darts hit her neck, then the familiar feeling of very heavy grogginess hitting her. Her eyes started to close. She shook her head, moaning, trying to fight it, widening her eyes. As unconsciousness continued to take her over and things became blurry, she was vaguely aware of Remy rushing into the room, knocking out the team of men left and right with high kicks, cards in hand ablaze with kinetic energy, ready to be thrown.
"Disable!" Fawn ordered again, but angrily. Remy was faster than these lunkheads, to Molly's awe.
SWFFT!
Molly moaned out for Remy again as she watched a dart go into his neck, craning herself forward in concern, even though she now could barely move. She was going under fast! "Molly...We'll save you...promise," Remy said as he sank to the floor on his knees, his eyes pleading at her as they closed, his hand reaching out and then going limp with the rest of his body as he fell out flat onto the floor.
Molly threw her hulking body forward, anxious to do absolutely anything to save Remy, but it wasn't of any use. The tranquilizer finally kicked in fully and she felt herself falling onto the bed and quickly asleep.
Molly gasped, shocked upright once again, wide awake. And human. Oh, was that good or bad?
"Remy?!" She called out, looking around.
She was in a bed. No, not a bed. _Her_ bed. Her old bed, in her old room, in her old apartment in Nevada. She looked around. Everything was as she'd left it. The pictures on the walls, the armoire across from the foot of the bed. Some clothes strewn about on the floor with bits of trash lazily not in the trash can. Toys on wooden shelves and some dirty glasses and plates spotting the room. Everything was familiar, but Molly knew this wasn't where she belonged.
Molly got out of the bed and tentatively walked over to the door. She gently pat it down, checking for any traps. It was safe. She slowly opened the door and peeked out, greeted with silence and an empty living space. No one else was around, just her. Molly stepped out into the short hallway. There wasn't a sound, nothing.
"What's going on?" Molly wondered.
She walked out to the living room and to the front door. Molly opened it and peeked out. The street was the same as she remembered. The neighbors were out walking their dogs and tending to their lawns, with kids playing in the driveways. Other people were leaving their own apartments for work and errands. Cars buzzed past with people inside them ready to get to work and school. Molly closed the door and went to go get dressed, throwing on the clothes faster than she ever had before. Something was going down, and she was determined to find out just what.
Molly grabbed her phone from the charger on the table in the kitchen and punched in the number for the Institute.
"...The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again," An automated voice said on the other end.
"What?" Molly wondered, looking at the phone. She tried again and again, greeted with the same message.
Molly put the phone down and started pacing.
"Okay, I'm in Nevada. Everything feels real, but it can't be real. So...now what?"
She thought a moment. The answer was glaringly obvious-go to New York, find the Institute and figure this mess out.
Molly only hoped she had enough money for transportation.
Molly drove to the airport after packing a few clothes, practically slamming down her credit card at the ticket desk.
"I need a one way ticket to New York, please," Molly said.
The woman behind the desk with the short red-hair ran her card through.
"Sorry Miss, but you don't have enough to cover a ticket. I'm reading only 300 dollars on your card."
Molly was taken aback. Whoever was controlling this illusion was trying to screw her over.
"Figures," Molly stayed calm, "Thanks anyway."
Molly went into the bathroom. Checking to make sure all the stalls were empty, she ducked into one. She really should have made sure her powers still worked before even leaving the house, but panic had taken over. Molly concentrated on a blue jay. She felt feathers and experienced the sensation of becoming smaller, getting a beak and thin bird legs. Relieved, she changed back. Now the plan, though dangerous and not her usual M.O, was to sneak aboard whatever plane was headed for New York. Molly felt a sharp sting of guilt for what she was about to do, but on the other hand, this was a made up place. An illusion. None of it was real, so the "rules" no longer applied.
Molly came out of the bathroom, human again, and looked at the schedule for planes flying out. Flight 623 to New York flying out in two hours. Plenty of time to sneak on board. Molly went outside and found a nook to morph discreetly. Molly considered what to change into. Some bird small enough not to be noticed and to have good enough eyesight. Molly also made a mental note to stay far, far away from the jet engines. She finally decided on changing again into a common blue jay. Flying overhead, Molly spotted the plane right away. Molly landed on the ground, looking for a way inside. An open slot or something. After some minutes of watching, she found it. They were connecting the plane to the airport entrance for people to board. Molly just had to fly in before they connected, and anyone noticed. Falling through the sky like a stone, Molly swooped into the connecter, hoping that once she was inside, no one would notice the blue jay flying around the inside of the plane. Eventually, Molly made it to the inside. No one was around. It made sense, she realized, if the plane was being moved around, no one would be inside. Molly flew to the back, past rows and rows of chairs, past the attendant' station and the bathrooms, to the very back of the plane where the luggage was stored. She changed back to human and opened the door, quickly shutting it. Thinking fast, she made her way to a mouse, taking refuge behind a duffel bag. Just in case anyone looked for the bird that had flown in.
A few minutes later, Molly heard people walking around.
"You're sure you saw a bird fly into the connector?" A male voice asked.
"I thought I did," Another male voice.
"You're getting old Jerry. There's nothing in here, lets go."
"What about in the back with the luggage?"
"Dude, it's got a door? You expect a bird to open a door and hide in there?"
"Right. What did you bring for lunch?..."
The voices faded into the distance.
Molly would've breathed a sigh of relief, if she'd been human. She changed back, hoping that all the luggage was stored and no one would come in. Molly was annoyed that she'd had to leave all her stuff behind, but in the end it wouldn't matter. Remy promised to rescue her, and she knew that nothing would keep him from that. Hopefully they hadn't kidnapped him too, or the team had prevented his capture if they had tried. Molly dreaded to think what her body could be going through back in the real world, but tried not to dwell on it too much. Instead, she wondered how the Splicers could be so technologically advanced as to create this alternate reality that looked and felt so real. They'd done amazing stuff before, so this obviously wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but they'd made science-fiction science fact at the drop of a hat. Unless of course they were using a powerful telepath, but Molly doubted it. The team always seemed human enough, calling them subjects. Not mutants, not people, but subjects. Like lab rats. Molly shuddered with great malice and a chill up her spine, clearly unsettled.
"Okay," She talked quietly to break the silence, "I get to New York, I find the school. If it's not in operation, I, ummm..." Molly wondered. She snapped her fingers, "Find Remy! Of course!"
It seemed the only viable option. She wasn't completely sure where anyone else had lived before coming to the institute and Remy would be easy to find. She had to keep her mind open to the possibility that he may not know her or trust her, so she couldn't get all gooey on sight. Now was the time to be level-headed and calm.
Of course, Molly became a bit too calm as she found herself falling asleep once more.