Disclaimer: no money, no ownership. Oh yeah, except the secretary, I made him up but he's a loser. All other characters are property of their creators.
Reviews as welcome as always!
OYOJ&R4
The Kavita Rao Centre for Genetic Study
Rahne was not entirely sure what the significance of this place was, but if Jamie seemed convinced then that was good enough for her. To Rahne, it seemed to be just some sterile, imposing building with its whitewashed walls and small, regular windows giving it a distinctly impersonal air. Even Jamie seemed slightly put out by the sight but he took Rahne's hand for comfort and walked inside. The man sitting at the reception desk wore a harassed expression and a cheap, crumpled shirt; clearly he did not belong amongst the upper echelons of this place.
"Can I help you?" He asked politely as they got closer.
"Yes, I'd like to talk to Dr Rao, please," Jamie said with equal politeness. The request seemed to surprise the man and he looked distinctly flustered as he pushed paper around the desk busily.
"Why would you-? I mean, absolutely not! Out of the question," the man babbled. It seemed to be an overreaction, to say the least. Even if Dr Rao had been busy or otherwise unavailable then that was all he had to say; he was reacting as though Jamie and Rahne had burst in to hold him up at gunpoint.
"Calm down," Rahne said soothingly. "We're not here to, to attack you or anything like that."
"Oh you're not, are you? No-one ever is! They're all 'oh yes, business call' and then it's out come the petrol bombs and..."
"Wait, what?" Jamie cut in, shocked. "Petrol bombs?"
"Oh yes," the man said bitterly. "This is one of the most well known mutant studying centres in the country- that makes it a prime target for any lunatics with weapons and a hate-on for mutants. It's not as though the police are any good..."
"Look, Dr Rao will know me," Jamie said with more certainty than he truly felt. "I used to be a, uh, patient here. I'm just hoping she could help me with some answers..."
"A patient?" The man repeated blankly. "I mean... okay, I'll contact her. What was the name again?"
"Jamie Madrox," Jamie said. The man shrugged, clearly the name meant nothing to him but why should it? He was just a glorified receptionist when it came down to it. He pressed a button and spoke into it quickly. Jamie could not make out the exact words but recognised his own name being mentioned several times. The first time this happened, the voice on the other end of the conversation rose audibly and the discussion became much quicker. The poor receptionist looked absolutely baffled by the turn of events, which made Jamie curious. Obviously his return here was a very big deal to him, but it appeared that Dr Rao was equally excited- or surprised. There was even more to this than he had thought.
"Okay, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to Dr Rao," he said. His tone was equal parts confusion and relief that this strange pair would finally be someone else's problem. At least with arsonists it was easy to tell what was so disturbing about them. He bumbled along, not even bothering to try and make small talk, leading them through winding corridors and up flights of stairs. Even at the fast pace he lead them, Rahne could pick up traces of various scents- human, mutant and chemical. Whatever research went on here, it involved experimentation of some kind- but Jamie had never mentioned any of this to any of the X-Men before. The man finally stopped before one door marked 'Dr K. Rao' and knocked briskly.
"Come in," an accented but educated voice called. The receptionist opened the door and ushered the pair inside before departing with slightly more haste than was really polite. As they walked in they were met by what had to be Dr Rao- a tall Indian woman with black hair in a neat ponytail and an expensive suit. She shook Jamie's hand, and then Rahne's, who was surprised by the firmness and strength of the grip. Dr Rao was clearly far more than just a scientist; she was a woman of conviction and fortitude.
"Please, sit down," she said politely, gesturing to two empty seats. Rahne sat next to Jamie and took his hand comfortingly; whatever his exterior appearance indicated, she knew him well enough that even without her enhanced senses she could tell he was very nervous. Rahne did not know the doctor quite as well but suspected she was almost as nervous herself.
"I apologise I'm staring, Mr Maddox," Rao apologised. "It's just you're older- younger... well, you're not quite the age I expected."
"I don't even know what age I am," Jamie conceded. "And it's Madrox."
"Again, my apologies," Dr Rao said. "I don't think it would be safe to expect anything in a situation like yours, but I doubt anyone expected the current situation."
"To be honest with you doc, I don't even know what the situation even is at the moment," Jamie admitted. "I mean, I only found out James existed a few hours before, well, he didn't any more... technically."
"Technically?"
"That's kind of why I'm here," Jamie explained. "We... merged, and it resulted in me, erm, in charge of the new body. But the Professor- that's Professor Xavier- thinks that James' personality or whatever it is still exists inside my head. Or something... he doesn't know much more than me really."
"It's possible," Dr Rao explained. "I suppose I should begin by explaining just why your situation is different to almost any other mutants..."
Los Alamos Hospital, 15 years ago
The familiar petulant wail of a newborn filled the air and the ears of everyone present- except the mother. Joan Madrox had slumped into unconsciousness almost the instant her child had been born, before she could even be told what gender it was. An anxious doctor had examined her and pronounced her stable, but the situation remained tense. The labour had been unlike any he could remember- the technical term was 'complications' but he had no idea what exactly the complications had been, as strange as that sounded. At various stages there had been the impression Joan had been giving birth to a single child, twins or triplets, and this estimate had swung wildly as the labour progressed. Eventually one child had been born and to the best medical expertise available that appeared to be all- though that would not have come as much relief to the exhausted new mother. The assisting nurse had slapped the infant lightly as was the customary precaution in case of breathing or heart difficulties- then let out a shriek almost as piercing as the baby's. In her arms were two baby boys- identical to the last wrinkle.
"What the-?" The doctor had the sense and restraint to keep his astonishment under his breath- the last thing the new father needed was to hear the doctor at a total loss for words. The doctor even managed to restrain himself to a muted gasp as one of the two boys vanished suddenly... although vanished was not quite the word. There had been a sort of blurring effect as though the two infants were merging somehow- then one had vanished entirely.
"Congratulations, Mr Madrox, you are the father of a healthy new baby boy," the doctor said, managing to keep his voice impressively steady. Not steady enough though- even down to the last frayed rags of his nerves Daniel Madrox picked up on the slightest hint of uncertainty.
"Doctor? Is there something wrong? Is Joan... is the boy... going to be okay?"
"You're wife is fine, she's just absolutely exhausted," the doctor said, glad there was one thing he could be vaguely certain about.
"And... Jamie?" Daniel remembered the name they had agreed beforehand. The doctor was on much less secure ground on that one- the Hippocratic Oath neglected to cover infants that materialised and disappeared seemingly at random. In the end he resorted to an older but equally valid motto: when in doubt, tell the truth.
"To be perfectly honest with you, Mr Madrox... I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen to, uh, Jamie..."
"What do you mean?"
"Can I suggest you sit back down, Mr Madrox? This could take a lot of explaining..."
Present Day
"This is of course second hand," Dr Rao pointed out. "But it comes from both your parents and Charles- sorry, Professor Xavier when he, shall we say questioned the doctor, and I don't see why they would make anything like this up."
"So you're saying my powers were there from the very beginning?" Jamie asked, bemused. "I mean, I knew they manifested earlier than most do, I was at the Institute when I was eleven, but I thought that mutants only, erm, mutate when they get to their teens don't they?"
"That's what we thought too," Dr Rao admitted. "Well, we still do for the most part. With your powers showing at such a young age, you're actually one of the first mutants recorded since scientists actually accepted the possibility they even exist. For a long time very few people- myself, Professor Xavier and an English scientist, Dr Essex- actually thought mutants were real. There are records going a very long way back of people who we now know must have been mutants, but although we all like to pretend otherwise, scientists are very slow to accept some new ideas."
"But if mutants only gain powers when they reach a certain age, then why did Jamie have his from when he was born?" Rahne put in suddenly.
"I don't know," Dr Rao said bluntly. "The best explanation Professor Xavier and I could come up with is that mutation is exactly that- it involves genes that are somehow different from normal humans. With all the things they allow people to do, I suppose some appearing much earlier than normal is just an especially unusual mutation in itself."
"Which makes me what? A mutant... mutant?" Jamie wondered. "If I wasn't screwed up before I certainly am now."
"I wouldn't say that much," Dr Rao protested. "Who's to say what a 'normal' mutant should be? All the things we know about mutation and we've barely scratched the surface. We certainly can't say what should be the case? I know I certainly can't."
"I'll take your word for it, Doc," Jamie said quickly. In his hours as lab assistant to Hank he had quickly learned how fond scientists could be of propounding upon their latest theories and ideas to anyone within earshot. He recalled a memorable afternoon trying to clean up the results of an experimental power-suppressive gas gone wrong while Hank, who had received the full blast of the gas in the face, gave a rambling review of Darwin's Origin of the Species, his fur frizzy and scorched and his voice slightly slurred. Jamie may have been being unfair to the good doctor by expecting her to act the same way but in truth he didn't care about what mutants were 'supposed' to be, he just wanted answers to his own dilemma. "But it doesn't explain, well, anything about James- did the guy just pop out of nowhere?"
"Not exactly," Dr Rao said. "The thing about James is that... well, we don't know anything about him."
The Rao Centre, 6 years ago
"I don't like it!" Jamie whined. "It's really cold in here!"
"Look, I'm sorry Jamie, but we really need to do these tests okay?" The lab assistant said gently. Like all the others, she had grown fond of the nine-year-old boy. For the first time since he had arrived, four years previously, his parents had left him in the sole care of the scientists, although they did visit regularly. Currently Jamie was dressed in what looked like a black wet-suit but with three strange circular devices on the chest. The theory was that these would channel the kinetic energy generated in his numerous bumps and tumbles and prevent said energy creating duplicates, but so far this had proved unsuccessful. The assistant lead Jamie to the punch-bag in the corner of the room.
"Okay, Jamie, hit this as hard as you can," she instructed him. The boy glowered at the punch-bag, clearly imagining the assistant in its place. He stomped forward and threw a haymaker at the padded equipment before turning away in a strop. For a moment everyone held their breath... and then it rebounded, hitting him right on the back of the head. He fell to his knees and three dupes popped out, prompting sighs from all those watching. The original Jamie was the first upright and quickly reabsorbed one dupe, but in that moment the other two got up and started to run away. One collided with one of the assistants and Jamie pounced on him quickly, but the other proved more nimble. It dodged and weaved around the room, ducking the arms of the adults and twisting aside every time Jamie grew close. Eventually Jamie managed to trap it in a corner, but the dupe turned out to be one of the more stubborn, independent varieties and pulled faces at Jamie as he closed in.
"Stop it!" The real Jamie snapped and jumped at the dupe. The impact knocked them both down and soon they were rolling on the floor, completely impossible to tell apart. One Jamie bit the other on the arm, prompting the bitten one to jump upright. The biter was punched in the eye but then the assistants managed to drag them apart. One had deep teeth imprints in his arm and the other was sporting a massive black eye, but they were otherwise identical- and more to the point, both still existed. Whichever had been the real Jamie should have absorbed the dupe- but this hadn't happened. Before the assembled scientists had time to get excited- or even before they really realised what happened- one of the Jamies suddenly collapsed and began twitching violently. The other was quickly shepherded out of the room as a tide of white coats converged on the fallen boy.
Present Day
"Whoa," Jamie said. "That's kind of... whoa. I mean... what happened? Why did that happen?"
"We don't know," Dr Rao admitted. "We think that it may have been the suit's influence somehow- I don't need to tell you that we could never get it to work properly. We tried all sorts of things but the dupes kept appearing... and being reabsorbed. Whatever happened that day was an anomaly- we've never been able to replicate it."
"Luckily," Jamie said pointedly. He could see the doctor was disappointed about not being able to study the phenomenon more thoroughly but she was not the one who had to live with the consequences, literally. It was bad enough having two people fighting it out in his subconscious, he didn't want to think that there may be other rogue dupes out there he would have to try and discover and then master.
"Yes, yes, of course," Dr Rao said hurriedly. "Of course, we soon realised that the one who had collapsed was the duplicate when we did our tests to try and work out what had happened, as the data we had on you did not quite match up to that we got about the dupe. Unfortunately we didn't actually find out what exactly that meant."
"Wait, back up a minute there will you?" Jamie said. "So this weird dupe wasn't actually a dupe at all? He had different DNA to me, is that what you're saying?"
"Basically... yes." Dr Rao shrugged; she couldn't explain exactly anything she didn't fully understand herself after all. "My best guess is that the dupes you create are technically individuals in their own right, and James was one that somehow manifested a mutation of his own- he was a mutant version of you."
"Holy shit," Jamie said, then glanced across at Rahne guiltily. "Uh, excuse my language."
"We had very similar thoughts ourselves," Dr Rao said, smiling. "James proved to be very unstable, in many ways, so we decided not to try and reintroduce you both. We had to try and study you both separately, but unfortunately we did not get far in either case. One year later, Professor Xavier decided his institute would be a better place for you, at least when you weren't needed here for us."
"And the Professor didn't think to try and work with James as well?" Rahne made her first contribution for a while. She had been slightly confused by the scientific talk without even Jamie's rudimentary knowledge he'd gathered from Hank, but now she was on slightly firmer ground. Something about leaving James behind like that while Jamie got to escape life as a lab rat did not sit right with her, nor did it sound like something the Professor would do. She gave herself a moment to laugh at her own moral pretentiousness- she had only ever known James for a few hours at most, and she would be the first to admit she didn't understand the scientific facts about the situation. She had no real grounds to be judgemental... but that didn't mean she had to like it, either. The Dr shifted uncomfortably and her scent altered. Rahne's eyes narrowed sharply. "You did tell him about James, didn't you?"
"I told him that there had been complications," Dr Rao side-stepped the question. "And we explained that we needed to do further tests. But he was insistent that you were to come with him, so we let you go."
"After all, you didn't need me anymore, did you?" Jamie asked bitterly. "You had a new lab rat to experiment on, and no-one even knew he existed, not even me. There was nothing to stop you doing whatever you wanted."
"Nothing except ethics and humane morals," Dr Rao said sharply. "We're not monsters, Mr Madrox. Everything we do here we do with the aim of helping mutants and humans alike, and I would have thought you of all people would appreciate that."
"Sorry," Jamie mumbled. He looked as though he had just been on the receiving end of a lecture from Wolverine, and Rahne would have laughed at his shell-shocked expression if she hadn't been cowed herself. Dr Rao may have looked benevolent enough but she was clearly no pushover.
"You were half right anyway," Dr Rao said. "No-one knew he existed. He had no parents, no family, something about how he came into existence meant that even you, the closest thing he had to a relative of any kind, never even remembered or realised he was alive."
"Oh, the poor boy," Rahne said sadly. She was a naturally compassionate and caring girl, but more than that, she could sympathise in a way with James. For much of her life she had been a pariah and an outcast, cut off from the world and rejected by any- and everyone. What must it have been like to discover no-one even knew you were alive?
"We did our very best to help him, of course we did," Dr Rao said. "As arrogant as it sounds, I think we were the closest thing to a family he ever had. By this time we were treating other mutants too, which must have helped him settle somewhat. But that was not the only problem he faced..."
The Rao Centre, Four years ago
"What's the diagnosis doc? How many weeks until my thirtieth?" James asked lightly. He was almost unrecognisable from the mischievous little rascal that had defied the laws of probability by bursting into existence two years previously. The features were the same and the irrepressible sense of humour had only ever grown, but there was one stark fact that belied those details: in two years, James Maddox had doubled in age, and was now to all intents and purposes a young man of eighteen. That kind of aging was enough to worry anyone, although he happened to be in one of the best places in the world to find answers.
"I don't think it's quite that bad," Dr Rao said, smiling. "The results are much more positive."
"Well that's a relief," James said. "I've got nothing against living to an old age, but I'd rather not do it within the next year."
"That's not going to be an issue," Dr Rao assured him. "Whatever happened, I can tell you it's over. As far as we can tell, you are completely stable again, and your powers should return to their usual levels within a few days at the most."
"Is that all the tests done?" James asked. "Because it's kind of cold in here."
"Yes, you're free to go," Dr Rao said. James quickly pulled his t-shirt back on, though not before winking cheekily at one of the younger lab assistants, who blushed lightly. Ever since James had found his body aging so fast, he had not become disheartened or fatalistic, in fact the very opposite; he had decided to get as much life in as possible before he ran out of time. There was a knock on the door and a shaven head peered inside.
"Hey James, they told me you should be out by now," the man said. "What's taking you so long?"
"Says the man who can get out of a door without busting the frame," James shot back quickly.
"Oh, so that's how you want to play it, old man?" The newcomer said. Dr Rao rolled her eyes as the pair bantered back and forth. Guido Carosella was a new addition to their patients and had hit it off with James almost instantly. Guido's powers allowed him to absorb impacts and other kinetic energy but for some reason they had backfired and the energy had spread through his body instead, distorting his torso and chest into a grotesque mass of muscle.
"Didn't your parents ever tell you to respect your elders and betters?" James asked. His accelerated aging process had been a prime source of material for Guido's jokes, but far from being upset or insulted, James appeared to enjoy the constant ribbing. Dr Rao presumed that it somehow helped him to cope with what would otherwise be a very traumatic experience. The two boys had by now vanished out of sight and the other doctors quickly shuffled in to discuss the bizarre turn of events.
"So it really is over?" Dr Hines asked. The young blonde looked like the stereotypical ditzy valley girl but she had a very sharp mind and had been pursued by several other organisations before deciding to join Dr Rao. "What changed? The results so far have been extremely consistent, there was no indication of them dropping off, let alone ceasing completely."
"I'm sure with further research we can discover the cause of the phenomena," of the other scientists said uncertainly. Dr Rao raised an eyebrow at that and turned to Hines.
"Basically... we have no idea."
"It's just that I've been thinking about it, and I may have a theory," Hines said nervously. She may have been extremely intelligent, but she was also quite clever enough to realise that sheer brains meant very little against experience and knowledge gathered over a long time- two things Dr Rao possessed in abundance.
"Then please explain it," Dr Rao said. "It's more than anyone else can say."
"Well, apart from Jamie all the other mutants have developed their powers during adolescence, haven't they?"
"That's right," Dr Rao confirmed. "As we can tell, Jamie was the exception and not the rule."
"Okay, so due to the accelerated aging, James is now eighteen, which basically means that his growth and hormones and so forth have all stabilised, at least if our other subjects are anything to go by..."
"That seems logical enough," Dr Rao agreed. She was beginning to catch on to what Hines was saying but had decided to let the girl explain it further. After all, it was a very impressive theory and Hines deserved the credit for coming up with it.
"James' genes have always been slightly unstable due to his being a dupe, so what if the aging was a part of that? What if the accelerated aging was due to his mutation developing in an unusual direction? Now he's basically reached adult age and development, physically at least, his powers have stabilised themselves too, and so the other effects have all stopped or at least slowed down..."
"Yes... that would make sense..." One of the other scientists said.
"It would explain a lot," another agreed. "The aging only started when he reached thirteen- about the age mutant abilities usually appear. And now he's old enough..."
"That's brilliant," a younger doctor said, grinning. "Brains and beauty- Carol's got it all."
Hines blushed prettily as the others congratulated her, and Dr Rao grinned to herself.
Present Day
"So that's why he was so much older than me," Jamie said, looking astonished. "And why I didn't sense him as a dupe, his powers had developed so he was a separate being. That's just... actually, I don't know what that is, except kind of hard to get my head around."
"Believe me, we found it pretty amazing too," Dr Rao said. "This was beyond anything we'd discovered. Mutant development and what was effectively cloning- natural cloning, without any outside influence. Of course, we soon found out that James' power was not the ability to get old faster. He had mutant abilities of his own."
"He had powers? I mean, I know he had powers, he was with that team, but..." Jamie was finding it harder and harder to fully comprehend what he was being told. He'd wanted answers, and he was getting them- but he would never have guessed the route they would take him on.
"They appeared to be derivatives of your own," Dr Rao explained. "He couldn't fully create dupes himself, but he could temporarily insert himself into another person's mind- dupes by proxy, if you like."
"But if he's a whole different person, how come I absorbed him like this?" Jamie asked.
"I don't know," Dr Rao said apologetically. "There's still a lot about this that I don't totally understand. My guess is that he was still just close enough genetically to trigger your powers somehow, and as you were no longer wearing the suit..."
"Thanks doc," Jamie said. He stood up abruptly, surprising both Rahne and the doctor. Dr Rao had expected him to ask more questions, or at least seek clarification, and Rahne had wanted to hear more herself, quite apart from which Jamie was pretty laid-back and such borderline-rude brusqueness was totally out-of-character. She remembered his sudden mood-swings back in his room- how could she not?- but she had been sure that he had got over it, ascribing it to his tiredness and shock at seeing her. Jamie must have noticed their expressions as he hurried to excuse himself.
"I'm sorry, it's just so much to take in right now," he explained. "I just need to try and, and, understand. I just don't... it's just too much. I mean, I know where you are now, so if I need to try and find out more..."
"Of course," Dr Rao said kindly. She completely understood his confusion. It had taken her quite a long time to fully comprehend what exactly had occurred, let alone work out all the side-effects and ramifications, and she was a scientist, she had been actively looking for this kind of thing.
"Well... thanks again." Jamie shook Dr Rao's hand and left the room quickly. Rahne smiled at Dr Rao and hurried after him, almost like a dog after its master. That simile made her smile wryly. She had been sincere about her desire to stand by Jamie and help him through this- but that was proving harder than expected. She only had the loosest grasp of what exactly had happened, and she suspected Jamie was not a lot better off. Still a promise was a promise, and to Jamie. Whatever she could do, she would. She quickly dashed after him, but almost ran right past him. He was leaning against the wall outside the reception with an expression somewhere between fear, revelation and determination- an odd combination, but an understandable one in the circumstances.
"Jamie? Are you okay?" She asked nervously. It was not a particularly intelligent question but she was not sure what, if anything, was appropriate to say in a situation like this. To her relief Jamie did not take offense; he seemed too shell-shocked to display any strong emotion.
"I could be worse," he replied vaguely. Rahne edged closer and took his hand. To her surprise he used the opportunity to pull her close her and wrap both arms around her. She quickly got over her shock and returned the embrace warmly, realising he just needed someone to hold him, someone real and comforting when he needed them most.
"I killed him," Jamie said suddenly. Rahne didn't pull away but she did look up at him in shock.
"I did," Jamie countered her unspoken argument. "Just listening to Dr Rao in there... it made me realise. James wasn't just some dupe, he was a real person, a totally different person, and I took that away from him. Everything he was and could have been, and now he's gone. He's gone, he's dead and it's my fault. I killed him, just as much as shooting or stabbing him would have done."
"Jamie, you didn't know," Rahne said. "You couldn't have known. No-one would. What happened was... bad, of course it was, but it was a mistake you couldn't have seen coming."
"I suppose that makes it okay then," Jamie said darkly.
"It doesn't make it okay," Rahne said. "But seeing you like this... beating yourself up, torturing yourself with your guilt... it hurts, Jamie. It hurts in ways I can't even describe. You're better than this, you are the best friend I have ever had. And won't find out what has happened for my sake, do it for your own- for both your sakes. If James really does still exist in your head, maybe you just need... resolution."
"Resolution..." Jamie said thoughtfully. He clearly still felt the deep guilt but his expression had firmed distinctly, the expression of a man prepared to face his demons and if necessary fight them head-on. "That should shut the son of a bit- gun! Son of a gun! - up. This is a strictly one-man brain-" he tapped it pointedly. "And I'm that man. Come on Rahne... we've got a lot of visiting to do."