AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an OC ChimiFic I started some time ago for Chim's Twitter RP-verse return. If you've never read a ChimiFic, this would be a good starter due to the fact that it deals with Chimera struggling to recover her memories. This could go into several genres, seeing as she is a Multiverse OC, but I decided it would be more suited to be categorized as a X-Men fic. Rate and review, if you like. ~Chimi
"…The flames are spreading through floor three!..."
"…Forget about the weapon!..."
"…Hurry! We need to evacuate!..."
"…Attention all units, you are to evacuate the facility immediately!..."
"…NO!..."
"Project: Ion is reawakening."
The female's eyes flashed open. She inhaled sharply, only to be rewarded with the burning of a clear alcohol-like gel filling her lungs. She could feel herself dropping down, down, down, then the sharp jolt of her body slamming helplessly onto the floor. The sound of shattering glass rang throughout the room. The surface beneath her was a blinding white, now slick with the clear liquid and drops of her own blood. She choked and coughed, pushing weakly at the cold ground. Jagged shards of glass pressed back at her palms as she attempted to support herself. Her vision was still blurry. She retched dryly, crawling to her hands and knees. She finally cleared her lungs of the wretched fluid, and she gasped for air. She panted, her vision clearing. She looked down at the pool of blood that was forming, at the cuts and glass fragments piercing her hands. She felt nothing.
She shakily looked up from the ground, surveying her surroundings. The area was frigid cold, all glass and chrome and white ceramic. Loose sheets of thin paper were scattered all over, abandoned by someone who was in quite the hurry. A singular steel table occupied the left wall, decorated with screens and glossy, white-framed displays. All blank. At the far corners of the eerie, cold room, there sat several more of these sleek monitors, waiting for their owners' return. She stood after a few attempts, bits of glass forcing their way into the soles of her feet. A display slid down from the ceiling, connected to it with glossy white bars.
"Project: Ion has awoken."
The screen lit up, an array of figures and complex calculations dancing across the screen. She stumbled back, bumping into a large steel-framed cylinder. She turned to face it, her eyes dancing over the glass that had been broken from the front of it. Thin wires and cables dangled from the sides of the container, each loose end capped with some kind of transparent suction cup. She whipped back around, squinting at the screen. She noticed a tiny black circle, a lens in the top-right corner of the device.
"What do I look like?" She uttered. Her voice was rough and scratchy, and the waves of sound echoed around the room.
"Project: Ion is described as a female humanoid, aged twenty s—"
"What do I look like?" Her voice grew louder now. "Show me myself, right now! Me!"
The computer whirred. "I cannot identify the designated task. Are you asking for: camera, description, analysis?" "C-camera." She commanded quickly, her gaze shifting around the room. She was shivering now, her skin lined with goose bumps. She looked back up from her arms at the screen, which now showed a strange girl staring in her direction. She stared back, bleeding and cold. The young female was completely nude, her hair streaked in every hue of color in the rainbow. It was wet and matted, her eyes wide with insanity and desperation. A small, stitched wound graced the back of her neck, although it could not be seen.
Then, she noticed the blood, the cuts and wounds on her arms. They were fresh. She raised her own hands, surveying them. The computer girl did the same.
Her heart stopped for a moment.
"Th-that's me… That's…" She stuttered, stepping back. "You're me…" The woman on the screen made no sound, but her lips moved in sync with her counterpart's. A trillion voices filled her head. Her mind was filled with frantic thoughts and questions. She held her breath as the screen reverted to the rapidly scrolling list of numbers.
"O-okay… Computer…" She spoke slowly, carefully.
"Yes, Project: Ion? Is my assistance further required?"
"Tell me how to get out of here."
She stepped out.
The cold glass door opened out into a small, frigid elevator.
"Project: Ion, you are advised to remain in the analysis room until further notice." The computer blared behind her.
"Sorry. I've gotta run. Uh, my mum's calling for me." She replied, pressing the only button along the elevator wall. The door closed, and she could feel the car rising. She was still bleeding, trails of red lining her arms and her lower legs. She didn't notice the problem presented by this, perhaps because she couldn't feel a thing. As soon as the door reopened, she scrambled out. The entry closed behind her, leaving her completely in the dark. The piercing smell of bleach and ammonia hung in the air, and she stubbed her toe on the edge of some sort of shelve. She felt her way around the room, knocking cans and bottles and god-knows-what to the floor, until she felt a round knob. She turned, stepping out of the dark and into a dimly-lit hallway. The walls were lined with doors, most of them decorated brightly with gleaming letters and colorful drawings of monkeys and puppies and all sorts of animals.
"H-hello?" She called out, only to be met with her own echo. She stepped toward the glass door at the end of the main hallway, drops of blood making their way onto the grey-and-white tiled floor. She trembled slightly as she treaded nearer and nearer the exit, glancing around. As she reached the door, she held out her hands, pressing her palms firmly against the bar. She pushed with some effort, feeling herself growing lighter and weaker by the minute. She stepped out into the cool, dark night.
Her footsteps were soft against the paved walkway, which led into an empty parking lot, illuminated by streetlights and the shining half-moon. She moved slowly, silently, across the blacktop. She shivered, folding her arms across her bare chest. She turned once, right before she reached the middle of a lonely asphalt road. She looked back at the building she'd emerged from, the brick structure shadowed by the night sky. A large, fenced-in lot sat beside the building, decorated with colorful metal structures and chain-suspended seats. She squinted, trying as best she could to make out the black letters on the front wall.
"P-Parkview… Parkview Ele—Elementary—" She couldn't see the rest. But, when she turned back away, facing the length of the road, something else stopped her. A blinding light filled her vision, accompanied by a blaring horn. She froze, grey eyes wide with terror.
Thud.
It went black.
"Guuhhh…."
The young woman's eyelids fluttered open, but she squeezed her eyes shut again and groaned. Her entire body felt numb and hot, and there was a burning pain that faded and returned with every heartbeat. She tried to sit up, but instead was gently pushed back against the hospital bed, by the hand of a stranger.
"Shh… It's alright…" Came a female's soothing voice, and she looked up.
"My head… My arms… My side…" She whimpered softly, staring at a nurse in navy blue as he began to write something down on a clipboard. Her gaze drifted to her right, and she looked up into the face of a somewhat elderly woman, her grey-streaked, black hair cut into a shoulder-length bob. She wore a lime-green petticoat over a white shirt, and deep, dark-colored jeans. Her eyes were kind and worried, her lips pressed into a thin line of concern. The lady bent down, pressing a palm to her shoulder.
"Oh dear… Are you alright…?"
"Yeah…" she grinned somewhat, trying to hide her obvious pain. "Didn't get hit by a car or anything. No biggie, right…?" The older woman smiled, and then held her hand up to cover her mouth.
"Oh, that was rude of me, I shouldn't have laughed…"
"Don't sweat it…" She forced a smile. "Where am I, exactly…?"
"Parkview, South Dakota. More specifically, the Parkview Community Hospital's emergency room." Spoke the nurse, turning to face her. "Could I have your name, by any chance?"
"My… Name…?" She blinked, forgetting all about the surges of pain that ran through her. "My name is… Uh… Names…"
"Oh dear." The nurse pursed his lips. The lady in green—whom she assumed was the one who hit her—seemed to stop breathing for a moment.
"I'll go get Doctor Matthews. Stay put." And, with that, he left the room. The green woman bent over, clutching her hand lightly.
"I'm sorry… I'm so, so, so sorry…"
"It's not your fault." She frowned slightly, looking helplessly at the teary-eyed female. "…What's your name…?"
"Avonlea. Avonlea Garret…"
"That's a pretty name." She smiled at Avonlea, trying to comfort her.
"Yes, but—I'm so, so sorry! If only I could—"
"Hey… It's not your fault, okay…? It's not your fault, Avonlea Garret…" She sniffed, sitting down in the chair on the right of the bed. Then she nodded, folding her hands.
"But… You could help me…" The rainbow-haired girl sighed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say… What if they make me stay for questioning or… Or whatever?" The woman sighed as well, looking to the side.
"I don't know."
Then there was silence. The young woman stared at her IV, trying to clear her head and just think.
"You can leave if you want, you know…" She spoke softly, somewhat hopeless. Garret turned, looking at the girl.
"I think not! I'm staying, at least until we find your parents…" She studied the other for a few seconds, then continued. "Because, judging by the looks of you, I'd say you can't be older than seventeen, eighteen tops. And, when we do find your mum, I'm going to lecture her about keeping her daughter safe, and not having her out in the middle of the road, naked, all cut and bloody, at eleven-thirty P.M.!" She nodded. "Yes, that's what I'm going to do."
She chuckled, looking back at the woman.
"Well, whoever she is, bet she won't listen… I mean, look at my hair…" She grinned, chuckling a bit. Garret nodded in agreement, laughing.
The door swung open suddenly, and the laughter came to a halt. The nurse had returned, accompanied by a female nurse and a male whom the girl assumed was Doctor Matthews.
"So, tell me what happened here."
As Avonlea began to explain, the female nurse led the girl through a series of eye-hand coordination and reflex tests, obstructing her from hearing Garrett's explanation. She recorded something on a sheet of paper, then smiled. The doctor looked at her, smiling as well.
"Alright. I'm Doctor David Matthews. I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and if you could just..."
"You lied."
The girl sat in the passenger seat of the white Mini Cooper, looking straight ahead as Garrett pulled out of the parking lot. All tests had come back, showing that the young woman needed no further medical assistance. The doctor was puzzled, but he had reluctantly allowed Avonlea to check her out of the hospital.
"Well, so did you. What was I supposed to do?" The girl shrugged.
"Guess my name's Juliet, then?" She chuckled, facing the woman.
"I suppose so… But, it's not that bad. I could've accidentally called you Stephen or David…" She smiled as well as they turned onto the highway. They were both silent for a moment.
"Can I stay with you…?" She looked at Miss Garrett hopefully. "I mean, it's not like I have anywhere to go…" She looked down at her too-big sweatpants and baggy red t-shirt, which the hospital had provided her. She truly had nowhere to turn, and the doctors had determined that she was at least twenty years of age. She chewed anxiously at her cheek, waiting for a reply.
"Well," Garrett sighed. "What is it that the good book says? 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?'"
She shrugged. "Never read it. At least, I think not…"
"Right, well, me neither."
She burst into giggles, looking over at this remarkable woman. She glanced back at her, chuckling as she turned back to the road.
"Of course you can stay, dear. But, don't think you won't have to do your part with cleanin' and cookin' and chores and such, you hear?"
She smiled, nodding, then giving a salute. "Yes ma'am!"
"Oh, now, don't call me that. Don't go calling me ya mom either…. I suppose you could call me 'aunt'… Aunt Avonlea. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?"
She nodded again, smiling to herself. By now, she'd almost forgot about Parkview Elementary and the horrible place that lay below it. She'd almost forgotten about the cuts on her palms and feet. She'd almost forgot.
But, there's something about 'Juliet Garret' that she would soon find out.
Juliet Garret cannot forget.
Juliet Garret can remember.
Juliet Garret has to remember.
REMEMBER.
End: School's Out!