Perfect Synergy

"Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them." – Henry Ford

Inhale, exhale. Don't freak out Max.

After Charles announced that his cryptic hypothesis was correct, he summoned a CIA doctor that wasn't tending to the few survivors from Shaw's attack to assess my condition. I underwent a few stress tests, running on a treadmill, lifting weights, he checked my lung health, he took my blood pressure, examined my vitals, my hearing, my sight, he essentially gave me a very lengthy physical. But on top of all of that he drew a vial of blood, cut out a piece of skin on the back of my neck and began looking at both things under a microscope. Then he even went so far as to take a sample of my spinal fluid. It wasn't pleasant, being poked and prodded, but I dealt with it.

I just couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier. That utter feeling like I was going to die and not being able to do anything about it. God, the look on Charles's face as he desperately tried to help me to the best of his ability, it still haunted me. The panic, the hopelessness, the fear. It was too much. I tried to shake the image from my head but even the slightest movement caused a raging headache to course through me. Side effects of the spinal tap. I couldn't move without causing myself great pain. I couldn't do anything but lie on the cot Erik brought in for me. A very sweet gesture, coming from him. I smiled a little, actually. Unconsciously I began twirling the ends of my hair, maybe a last ditch effort to distract myself.

"When can I leave?" I asked quietly, tightening my knees to my chest.

The doctor didn't answer me at first, but he paused slightly like he wanted to give me a reply. "Soon, hopefully."

The smallest bit of human interaction actually made me feel loads better. I'm pretty sure he'd been given orders not to interact with me, so I appreciated what little he offered me. Still, he moved over to a microscope and adjusted the settings while looking through it. After zooming in and out, adjusting the stage, he scribbled something down swiftly, then went over to a machine he'd been fidgeting with since I laid down on that table.

I really wished that they weren't making such a big deal about this whole deal. It was making me nervous and a nervous electrokinetic like me was not a good idea. I just had an overdrive, plain and simple. It's happened before, not nearly on the same scale but the motion still stood. I recovered in a couple of hours and everything was peachy keen. I could understand that they've never seen me do anything like that before, but I tried desperately to reassure them that I would be fine. Obviously they didn't listen or I wouldn't've been held hostage for more than twelve hours.

Without even realizing it, I noticed that electricity was channeling through me. That never happened before. I always had to physically will it to happen, not counting the usual static that just surrounds me at all times. It didn't take long for the charge to take root in my system; actually, it took no time at all. I was overflowing with power and I didn't even notice. What the hell is this? I asked myself before I heard an alarm going off.

The machines I was hooked up to started going haywire. They were beeping like mad, trying to compensate for whatever sort of data I was producing. One of them actually died out while the other just about blew up in smoke. The doctor quickly stopped examining whatever he was looking at and tended to the machines. His eyes widened and he started checking my vitals to see if the data was correct.

He grabbed a stethoscope and placed the doodad at the end against my chest. Didn't know it was physically possible, but his eyes got wider again. He then placed two fingers on my wrist to double check what the machines and his stethoscope were already telling him. This time, his eyes didn't widen, they saddened. His gaze was directed towards the ground before heading towards a phone anchored on a wall far away from me. Punching in the number of whoever he wanted to speak to, I couldn't hear anything he said. He spoke quietly, too quietly for me to hear anything. But by the look on his face, I knew the news wasn't good.

Just as he hung up, the machine he'd been working on before started beeping horrendously as it spat out something. He returned to it, looking at the long sheet of paper as it was printed off. I could see a bit of it from where I was and if I didn't know better I'd say that was- a piece of paper. I don't understand science stuff very well. Or any other sort of stuff you learn in school. But from what he'd told me before all of the testing went underway, it was a record of my DNA.

Suddenly, I heard the door behind me burst open. I wanted to look to see who'd joined the party but I still couldn't move from my fetal position atop of the cot. Charles quickly came into view though so no need for me to risk massive headaches. He'd gone over to speak to the CIA doctor and the both looked at the piece of paper that was just spat out as well as four other papers with similar markings on them. Well, not similar, they were all very different from each other but there were tons of black marks on them. Charles furrowed his eyebrows as Doc whispered in his ear. Something didn't feel right. They were too downtrodden for my tastes. Only solidifying my feelings of dread.

Little did I know that they were going to tell me why I would probably die within the next year.

Charles dismissed the doctor and got down so he was eye level with me. "Maxine, I'm not sure how to tell you this..."

"I know my lung health ain't too great, I've been smoking for a couple of years now." I tried to joke to lighten the mood, but Charles's didn't seem amused. Or, he didn't seem to possess the capacity at the time to be amused.

"Please." He begged quietly. "This is hard enough to tell you as it is."

I nodded solemnly, knowing that the news was even worse than I initially thought.

"My dear," he started, "when I found you in Maine it wasn't because I found you like the others. I used a machine to locate mutants based on the slightest difference in our brain waves to average humans. That's how I found Angel, Alex, Sean, Darwin, but I didn't sense any mutants anywhere near where you lived. That, I was certain. When I was roaming around Virginia after I got Alex I heard a family talk about one of the children's friends who lived in Maine and who could control electricity. I thought it strange so I decided to go and have a look. I didn't think you were actually a mutant at first, just some con artist, a street act perhaps. But when you started building up that energy in the courtyard I knew that you were the real deal- or, at least half the real deal. It's terrible- Lord, I should've seen it from the start.

"I scanned your mind several times and saw that your brain waves were purely human. I knew- I knew you weren't born this way. You are a human Maxine, a human exposed to radiation." He closed his mouth to cough. "I'm not just saying this without any proof. I checked your family history as well, it's rare for there to be six siblings and only one exhibits mutant powers and none of the others do. And these tests we've been doing show us that there is a mutated gene that Raven, Erik, Hank, and myself share but you do not, I'm going to bet that that's the gene that granted us our powers."

I wasn't listening to him. I couldn't even hear him anymore. My mind was going a mile a minute. Trying to process everything that Charles told me. I just- I couldn't believe it. I'm not a mutant. It didn't sound natural in my head. I was different. I knew that much, but saying I'm not a mutant was like exiling me. I'm not a mutant, I'm just a human and a cheap parlor trick. Without even realizing it, I started to cry.

"Please, calm down, Maxine." He asked kindly, but when I didn't listen his tone grew harsh. "You're going to accelerate the process if you don't relax!"

With his hand squeezing mine, I inhaled and exhaled several times. Desperately trying to calm myself down. I looked up, noticing the flickering of the lights that was more than likely my doing. I shook my head, ignoring the headache and trying to distract myself.

That's when what Charles said really registered. "What process?"

He swallowed, hesitant and unwilling. "After the incident with Shaw your body has been producing an unsafe amount of electricity. Your body didn't evolve to take this amount of abuse, like how no matter how hard Sean screams, it doesn't affect himself, same with Alex, he isn't harmed by his own energy. But you- you're different. Your body can't differentiate between you, and the electricity. Every molecule, fiber, protein, enzyme, atom, nucleus, every part of you is slowly turning into the substance you control so effortlessly. I feel like you've been like this all your life, but only now is it really effecting you."

I tried to gulp down the lump in my throat. "And what does that mean for me?"

"Your body is - in short - deteriorating." He said bluntly, still hesitant in his appearance. "At the rate your molecules are morphing, I'd say you have, at most, a year. And that's if you don't use your powers. But that will be the case. Now, I've arranged for a car to take you home to your parents and the rest of your family. The car will be here shortly so if you want to go pack your things I'm sure-"

"No." I interrupted, my face stern and unwavering.

I made a promise to Charles. To my country. My brothers all put their lives on the line, Lucas, Devin, Collin, Cole, even my father. The Dugan boys had served the red white and blue flag since they each turned eighteen, now it was my turn. I couldn't enlist, being that I'm a girl. That just meant I would do anything for my country. Do everything in my power to make sure our prosperous nation would not fall to an sociopathic, narcissistic, egotistical, selfish, mother fucking, jack ass, son of a bitch, like Sebastian Shaw. My one true hero, Captain Rogers, did just that in the face of the Nazis. I could take out a guy in a helmet. I was capable of that much.

"I'm sorry, Max. It's already been arranged." He tried to sway me, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Tell them to fuck off." I growled, shrugging off his gesture and sitting up. "I swore to protect this country in any way I could. A quiet promise I made when I was a kid and I intend to keep it! No matter what you say to me I'm going to be on the front line and ripping Shaw in half if I have to! So don't even try to change my mind. I'd rather jump put my head on the chopping block before I let that asshole go free. You don't get to kill people without any consequences. And he has to pay a price."

In one fell swoop I detached the lubes and machines from my arm and I walked out of the room, while trying to ignore a roaring headache. So that's why you're not supposed to move after getting a spinal tap.

I turned back to Charles as my hand pressed against the door, softening a bit knowing he was only looking out of my best interests. "Just don't tell anyone, 'kay?"

He shook his head as if dissipating a dark cloud, but he smiled. "I won't, I swear. But only if you promise to give up smoking."

My jaw dropped. Bastard.