Chapter 7: The Rogue Recruit
Essex Laboratories
Nathaniel Essex and Cassandra Nova's private plane landed outside the lab. As that occurred, they turned in the direction of Marie Carlyle, who was still unconscious in the back of the plane. They had wrapped her naked body up in thick blankets, but despite this, her weak body was still shuddering with cold. A look of stress was permeated on her young features as Nathaniel moved toward the back of the plane to pick her up and carry her to the main laboratory.
As they entered the lab, they caught the attention of Scott, Jean and Warren who were sitting on the sofa together. However, when Jean caught the sight of Marie, she could feel the foreboding sense that the younger girl had been abused.
"Another one of us?" Warren asked.
"Indeed. We'll be starting her treatment right now. We think it would be a good idea for you three to be awaiting in her room when she wakes up," Cassandra said.
Jean, Scott and Warren nodded, following their adoptive "mother's" command. They walked up to where the dormitories were located, and entered the bedroom that was empty. They took their seats in the chairs that were there, waiting for Marie's arrival.
Meanwhile, down in the main laboratory, Marie was placed down on the metal examination table and hooked up to tubes and wires to monitor her heartbeat, breathing, cerebral patterns, and blood pressure. The blankets were stripped from her naked body, which was covered in bruises and infected bite marks from years of sexual abuse. Her sensitive area was bruised heavily from numerous rapes she'd had to endure by her father.
Essex turned to his scientists. "Make sure you are wearing full, long sleeves and gloves. I believe that any physical contact with her skin would cause her to drain your lifeforce," he said.
The doctors and scientists all nodded, and proceeded to get fully prepared to transfer Marie to one of the tubes in the room. The procedure would alter her DNA and fix her broken mutation, just like how the procedures did for Warren, Scott and Jean before her.
Once Marie was hooked up to the tubes and wires to monitor her vitals, the doctors all lifted her and carried her to the tube in the room. They placed her inside, and the machines turned on. The green, gelatinous substance filled the tube and encased her inside it.
Slowly, the changes began occurring. The first change Essex and Cassandra took notice to was Marie's long, thick dark hair changing. The hair on her forehead was transforming and turning in a bright, white color. Her pale skin was slowly beginning to have color return to it.
Marie's body twitched inside the tube. The tension in her face grew more noticeable as her weak, frail body began to put on weight and muscle. Her previously thin body was growing to have curves, especially in her hips. Her abs could be seen, and her biceps were growing stronger as well. Already, her form was looking a lot better.
For a moment, her green eyes opened. Essex and Cassandra could see the pain visible in her eyes as she continued to float there in the tube. The twitching in her body grew worse.
"She's changing," Essex whispered. "She'll need to stay in there longer. Her mutation is broken, but it isn't beyond repair. It can be fixed. But her case is different from that of Jean or Scott. Her energy-absorption abilities are so powerful, she could kill someone with one touch. It explains how she killed her father as he was sexually assaulting her."
"Her father may have seen her as good for nothing but sex, but with what she can do, she's remarkable," Cassandra whispered as she touched the tube holding Marie inside it.
"Indeed," Essex whispered as Marie's mutation continued to change.
The longer Marie stayed inside the tube, Essex could see on the computer monitors that her mutation was growing more and more stable. However, in order for her mutation to be completely fixed, she'd have to stay in the tube for a little more than two hours.
Two Hours Later
The gelatinous substance drained from the tube, and once the tube was opened, the doctors slid Marie's unconscious body out.
Her body was physically stronger. And when the doctors and scientists touched her bare skin, their energy wasn't being drained. Marie was placed on the medical table, and relieved of all the tubes and wires sticking out of her.
"Now, she'll be able to treat her abilities like a light switch. She'll be able to turn it on and off as she pleases, and I believe that she can also retain the memories of those she has touched," Essex whispered, reaching a hand over to stroke Marie's face. "Additionally, we've added some improvements to her to make her stronger. She can now fly, has an enhanced stamina, and enhanced strength. She's more powerful than she could ever imagine herself to become, Cassandra. I would not say she's class-five like Jean Grey is, but just imagine if she could come close to that."
"Now, we have four of them," Cassandra said.
"But we must not move forward with our plan, yet. They all need more training, before they start their mission to change the entire world," Essex said. He turned to Hairbag. "Bring the girl up to her bedroom. Scott, Jean and Warren are up there awaiting. I think it would be best for her to wake up to them."
Hairbag nodded and complied as Marie was dressed into a white tank top and a pair of sweatpants. He lifted the teenager's body up and off the metal table and proceeded to carry her up to the dormitory. And as Marie was being placed in her bedroom, Essex and Cassandra proceeded to go up to their room for an hour of lovemaking.
Hairbag carried Marie to the dormitories and opened the door. He gave silent looks to Scott, Jean and Warren, who were sitting around the room. He set her down on the bed and pulled the blankets back to cover her. Her bruises and other injuries from years of sexual assault had healed during her procedure.
Scott, Jean and Warren took in the sight of Marie's unconscious body. Her features were smoothed out, and she looked so peaceful. Jean could feel her heart aching at the thought of this being the first peaceful sleep this girl had gotten in a long time.
'I can't begin to imagine what she's been through,' she thought as she watched Marie sleep soundlessly.
Scott reached over and wrapped his arm around Jean silently. He knew that she knew Marie had been through abuse. He also understood Jean's history with abuse at the hands of her own parents made Jean connect with Marie empathetically.
"Jean, I know what you're thinking right now," Scott said. "I don't need to be a telepath to know."
Jean's eyes misted with tears that she struggled to hold back. "I – I . . . don't ask me how. I just . . . I know she was abused. But I can sense something else happened."
"You think you and her have more in common than you'd first thought?" Warren asked.
Jean nodded, brushing her tears out of her eyes.
One Hour Later
Her head felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds as she came to consciousness, groaning painfully. Her throat was stone dry, and her limbs felt sore.
Marie let out another groan as she struggled to have her eyes adjust to the light around her. The last thing she remembered was passing out in the rain after having – what she believed – killed her father. But how she killed him was the thing that confused her the most. It was almost as though she had absorbed his strength into her body as he'd raped her.
She took stock of her surroundings even though her eyes were closed. She noticed she was clothed with what felt to be real clothes. She felt a thick layer of blankets and sheets wrapped over body, and the soft, agreeable feeling of a mattress and pillow.
Groaning again, she allowed her eyes to open slowly. Turning her head to the side, she could see three individuals near her bedside. She noticed a glass of water on the bedside table.
"Hey," said the girl who was there. She had long, flaming red hair and green eyes, as well as an athletic body shape. The body sitting beside her was dark-haired with blue eyes, and the other boy there was blonde, blue-eyed, and seemed to have metal wings growing from his back.
Marie just swallowed. "Where . . . Where am Ah?" she asked.
"It's okay. You're safe. You're at Essex Laboratories now; well . . . you were found by our adoptive father and adoptive mother," the red-headed girl said. "I'm Jean. This is Scott and Warren."
"H-How did . . . what happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" Warren asked.
Marie could feel her eyes starting to sting as she thought about what had happened. Something about Scott, Jean and Warren's non-threatening stance and the understanding in their eyes made her feel comforted, slightly. "Ah – Ah just remember mah dad comin' home . . . and he – he –" she started to say.
"He hurt you?" Jean surmised.
"H-How do ya know?" Marie asked.
"My parents, they – they were drunks. They beat me," Jean explained quietly.
Marie hesitated before saying, "Mah dad, he . . . he did a lot more than that."
Just looking into the girl's eyes, Warren could only guess what Marie meant by that. He didn't even want to admit it to himself, but he knew in his heart what this girl had been put through. Marie's father had raped her, and apparently, it had happened more than once. He didn't know how he knew, but he could sense it.
"But why? Why was Ah brought here?" Marie asked.
"We can only guess Cassandra and Doctor Essex – our adoptive parents who own this place – they saw something in you," Scott told her. "It was the same with all of us," he added.
Marie breathed out a sigh. Hearing from three other kids her age that someone had seen something in her that was potential of being worthy was a surprise. For all her life thus far, her father had seen her as nothing more than a personal plaything and sex slave. He raped her, starved her, degraded her and embarrassed her for all fourteen years of her life. To think someone saw her as worthy of something was something that she hadn't expected at all.
However, as she looked over at her three new companions who were in the room with her, she could sense that it was true. She could sense that whatever was going on, it was sincere.
Cassandra's Office
Journal Entry 555,
We are one step closer to changing the world. For years, Nathaniel and I had been planning for this, and now, we are another step closer to achieving our goal.
There are many out there who are so small-minded, that they cannot see the bigger picture being painted right in front of their very eyes. I should know. I've known a few in my own family.
But now, with the recruitment of Marie in addition to Scott, Jean and Warren, we now have four mutants who are very well worthy of helping us reach success. This is something Nathaniel and I only could have dreamed of for years. However, Scott and Jean just came at the right time.
Setting the pen and journal aside, Cassandra turned on her computer that she had in her office. Clicking on the application that allowed her access to view the security cameras, Cassandra watched with a smile the footage of Scott, Jean, Warren and Marie in Marie's new bedroom, sitting up and talking with the newest, youngest recruit to their cause.
As Cassandra watched this occur, Nathaniel came into the room.
"We're on step closer, my love," he whispered as he leaned over Cassandra's shoulders to view the security camera footage, as well.
For years, after having waited for the four, perfect mutants to come across, Nathaniel and Cassandra never would have even been able to guess that they would have found the four, perfect mutants in four teenagers. However, it was something that satisfied them greatly.
From the moment they had taken Scott and Jean in and adopted them legally, Nathaniel and Cassandra knew that the power Scott and Jean had was beyond anything anyone on Earth could begin to comprehend. Jean was especially one-of-a-kind and unique in that she was omega-level class.
Now, now, that they had their four prodigies in place, it was nearly time for them to begin. Cassandra pulled out of her lover's embrace, and walked over to a bookshelf in the corner of her office. Pulling out one of the books, she set it down on her desk.
The book was worn and the spine was bent, proving the amount of years she and Nathaniel had spent looking at it. Her fingers grazed the cover on the gigantic book, which was a book on Egyptian mythology. In fact, the page that she and Nathaniel kept going to was one that they remembered by heart.
Opening the book, Cassandra's fingers grazed the old, black and white photographs that were of hieroglyphics and pyramids. But one of the images stood out to her, as it had many of times.
It was of a large, towering mutant, with red, gleaming eyes and a strong face, sitting on a throne. It was just simply a sketch, but it was an image nonetheless of what was to come for the world. The image alone was one that made Cassandra's eyes widen with fascination no matter how many times she looked upon it. She'd heard the stories numerous times from her lover.
"He shall rise soon, and with their help, we'll have the power to change the world," Essex breathed out, leaning over and kissing Cassandra passionately on the lips.
Cassandra left the book wide open on her desk as she responded to the kiss fervently, projecting to Nathaniel her feelings of infatuation and adoration as her hands carved out ever detail of her face. Her fingers ran through his hair as he arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
A/N:
Be sure to check out my series I'm developing with MarvelMaster616, Peace in Our Time. Volume 2 is live now.
DC-MarvelGirl 1997
