Broken
AN: Okay, now my chapter titles are just getting random.
Disclaimer: I'll just go stand on a really tall building and shout it. I don't own X-Men. (But I want too.)
Proud to be an X-Nerd: Bold Italic- Laura Regualr Italic- Lexa
Chapter ten (Memories shine in the dark)
"Hi." She said it like she was happy. No one was ever happy to see them. She didn't answer. Sarah. How come she could have a name and they couldn't. She was old enough to have a name right? She didn't mention it. "Um, so, Stephen said that you've killed your trainer."
"Yes." She answered. That woman. For five years she'd tortured her. Lila Mecoon. Another named person. It was Lila's fault they were a they. Before Lila they'd been one. Now it was the two of them. 1 and 2, it's all they had. They knew numbers. Sarah had taught them those when they were still little. Lila had too, in a very different way.
"That's not a good thing." Sarah said. She ignored her. She smelled like blood and it was uncomfortable. "Do you hear me?"
"Go away." She told the woman. Sarah looked like someone had punched her. She left anyway. Now it was quiet, she liked quiet. In the silence she could hear her heart. Th-thump, th-thump. She liked it when her heart beat out it's calm steady rhythm. When it raced, after she'd trained with Lila, or if she was angry, it wasn't the same. Th-thump, th-thump. That was her rhythm, her special rhythm.
Everyone had a special heart rhythm. It was her job to stop that rhythm. Lila had always told her she was to be a killer, so she had done it. She'd killed her trainer. There wasn't even anything special about this day. Lila had gotten her up early and made her run. Then she had to practice with bombs again. Lila had been hanging over her shoulder. Yelling at her and whipping her like she usually did.
She'd gotten fed up, she'd just lashed out. Her claws extended for the first time voluntarily. It was the first time she'd ever made them come out. Only the second time they'd seen the outside of her arm. They were flashy and almost white. Lila had been skewered, dead before she hit the ground. She'd stood over the dead trainer, the scent of blood so strong, and felt nothing.
Lexa opened her eyes, waking up from her dream. I'd nearly forgotten that. Me too. They thought. It hadn't been a dream so much as a memory.
"Good morning Sleeping Beauty. We're here." Garret says, drawing her attention away from herselves.
"We are?" She asks.
"Yeah. What, were you expecting guns and whistles?" He teased. "They probably don't even know we're here. Though that'll probably change in a minute or two."
They were at an old metal gate. Despite it's old appearance, it was clearly sturdy. Lexa got out of the car, stretched her tired legs. Not once had she gotten out of the car. Somehow, she'd managed to sleep most of the way. The gate was surrounded by trees that completely covered any view past them.
Garret had also got out of the car. He went to the gate and found something by the end of one. He pushed something and spoke. "Hello?"
A bit later a voice answered back. "Yes?"
"Um, my name's Garret Kenzington, I was wondering if this was the home of Charles Xavier." Garret asks. Lexa, despite her confusion, says nothing.
"It is. How can I help you?"
"Um, well, see, I have something I need to speak with him about. May I be let in?" Garret asks of the voice.
"You may." The voice answers and the gate buzzes and then begins to open.
"Alright Lexa, back in the car." Garret says and returns to the drivers seat. Once Lexa is seated and the gate is open enough, they drive through.
She sat on the ground, the only place to sit. They'd wanted to clean the room of blood. So they'd drugged her. They didn't realize that she was still conscious, that all it ever did was stop her body. Now it was wearing off.
One, do you remember how we made them come out?
No, just that we were angry.
Not angry, frustrated.
Whatever. It's my turn.
She opened her eyes, finally able to control that part of her body. Try to move. Well, duh. I'm not stupid. One made to move her hand, nothing yet. She waited as feeling slowly started to enter various parts of her body. Finally her hands were free. She felt one wrist, to try and feel the claws. As always, there was nothing. We've never made them come out. I didn't know we could make them. Maybe we need to get angry again. Maybe we should, no, I have an idea. It'll hurt. You'll feel it, your out. It's alright, pain is nothing.
One tore at her arm with her fingernails, her teeth, anything she could think of. She had to be quick, she would heal if she wasn't. Her teeth worked best she found. Then she saw them, gleaming metallic in her arm. She pushed at one with her finger. It bolted, slamming out of the space between her first two fingers. She pushed the other one quickly, before her arm was healed enough to cover it up. It bolted out too.
This time, she felt it, felt the movement of the claws. How they slid across her bones and sliced open her skin. The tiny catch that made them stay, that stopped them from shooting out of her arm. It was subtle. She would never have noticed it another way. Somehow, she knew she couldn't rely on anger to make this part of her work.
It's us. It would be wrong to make it work that way. I don't know why. I don't either Two. Maybe, it's like our healing. It's supposed to be something our body just does. Yeah. Just this, we have a little control over. They're ours.
Without conscious thought, One removed the catch that held her claws. Their forward movement had been stopped, they wouldn't fly away from her. Noiselessly, even to her ears, they slid back into her arm.
For the rest of the day, One practiced making her claws come out and go in. She even mastered the claws in her feet. For this, she needed no trainer. In fact, she didn't need any trainers. We have to kill them. If we get another one. Exactly.
The driveway was longer than expected. From the gate they hadn't been able to see the house, the trees had covered too much, but they had ended soon. When the trees cleared, the mansion came into view. It was huge, somewhat imposing, but also beautiful. Old made to be new and new made to be old in a sea of ageless nature. Something Lexa had only felt one other time in her life came over her. She hadn't a name for it then, now she knew it was called peace.
It was before we were us. When we were one.
Lexa watched the mansion steadily getting closer, but it was still so far away. How could it look so close, but be so far away. It must be huge, they decided.
"It's beautiful." Garret said. Lexa looked over at him. She'd forgotten he was there. She was so used to his scent now, she could actually forget his presence. That had never happened before. No one had ever stayed close enough to them long enough, not even Sarah.
A pang of pain went through them. They were here, it was final. It had been before, a part of them had known it was, but they'd pushed it away. In a place so scattered it hadn't been hard. Then the sleep, they'd been so tired. They knew it had to have been a long way, but they couldn't be sure. They'd slept so much.
"How many days?" Lexa asked.
"Six." Garret answered. His pace was slow, he was in no hurry now that they'd made it. "I don't know if he'll be here today, but the person in charge here will be able to find him." Garret added.
Logan. How had they forgotten about Logan. It was the entire reason they'd agreed to this road trip. Logan was, no, what had Garret called him? James Howlett, Logan, Wolverine, and Weapon X. So many names. How had he gotten them all? She had to ask him.
I wonder if he knows about us. What will we do if he does? I'm not sure. Maybe we won't tell him. Why? I just want to fight him and see who wins. He doesn't need to know who we are. What'll happen if he does? He might try to know us. Exactly. He might try to be another Sarah. No. No. No. I can't stand for that. I know. It hurt to much. It made X-23 come out. Our heart break. Not again. No one else will get close to us. I can live with that.
Finally the mansion door was in view. They were there.
"Um, I have something to tell you." Sarah said to the little girl curled up at her side. She was only four. It was too soon. Stephen disagreed. He'd given her one more year, that was it.
"What Sawah?" The little girl asked. She was so cute and little. Her beautiful little face was so innocent. She was too young, this was too wrong. For the millionth time Sarah wished she hadn't thought of this idea, that she'd just done what she was told and dropped it. That she hadn't become attached to the girl. That she didn't love her. That she wasn't her daughter. That she was dead. That she'd never been born.
"Stephen West says you have to learn how to fight now." Sarah answered her daughter.
"You mean the mean man?" The girl asked. Where had she gotten that name from. Sarah hoped in vain that the camera's hadn't heard it.
"No, the boss." Sarah answered with her words. With her heart she said yes. The mean man, as her daughter had put it, was going to take this sweet little girl and turn her into a monster. It was torture to them both. She was still so young, as long as Sarah acted disgusted by her touch, they wouldn't suspect how much she loved the girl. Her daughter had a habit of throwing herself at Sarah. Even at four she was strong. It took two strong guards to restrain her when she was angry. How was Sarah supposed to refuse her? The answer was she couldn't, nor did she want to, not that she let anyone know that.
Stephen did. He knew just how attached Sarah was to her daughter. Yet he played with her. Gave her an inch, took a mile. Gave it back and took it again.
"I have to go now." Sarah said and attempted to get up. The girl let her go.
"Ohtay Sawah." She said. She was too little, she couldn't even speak right yet and they wanted her to learn how to kill. Sarah turned her back. She had no plan, yet. It was only a matter of time. Then she would free her daughter.
Lexa and Garret were greeted by a woman with dark skin and white hair. "Hello, my name is Storm." She said before they could speak.
"Garret Kenzington." Garret supplied. He was about to go on and introduce Lexa but she beat him to it. Something about this woman intrigued them.
"Lexa Laura Kinney." She said. She took a step toward this woman, then another and another until she was in front of her. She sniffed hugely, leaving no confusion as to what she was doing.
Earth and wilderness. And rain. Yes and rain."You smell like spring." Lexa said to the woman, to Storm.
"Strangely, you are the first to tell me that." She smiled. "They usually tell me I smell of rain."
"That's part of it." Lexa said. "You are spring."
"Then thank you." Storm said. She then turned to Garret. "The Professor is expecting you." She then turned and walked away. They were to follow her.
They went after her through the doors and through a time hole. It was like walking into another century. A century where wood and stone was architectural art, where life was both simpler and more complicated.
"Wow." Garret said under his breath, but Lexa still heard him.
"I am Lila Mecoon. Learn it." The imposing woman said to the child. A little thing. Hardly worth her time. Still money was money, and this was the best gig she'd ever gotten. All she had to do was teach this little brat some fighting skills, and she then she was done.
"Lila Maroon?" The child tried. Lila smacked her. Child or not, she would learn respect, even if she ahd to beat it into her.
"This one." Storm said and opened a door. This was it. They'd meet this 'Professor'. The man who knew where Logan was.
Lexa sniffed ahead. She smelt him. A strong smell, he was the leader, the alpha. Still, his scent held faint traces of strawberries. An odd combination. It made her uneasy.
Garret went in first. Lexa followed. He wasn't much taller than them, they realized. They'd thought he'd be taller, but he wasn't. Then he took another step and they saw the office. Or rather, the man in it.
He was bald and in a wheelchair that sat stationed behind a desk. Not at all what his scent had led her to think he'd be.
"Welcome." He said. He stared at Garret. "Interesting. I see you know all about us here."
"I do. It's a long story that's also very short." Garret said.
"Please sit." The Professor said and gestured at the seats before his desk. Garret sat. Lexa didn't. Instead she went to the bookcase. She felt both men's eyes on her. She ignored them.
"She's, well, she's part of the long part." Garret said by way of explanation.
"Very well." The Professor said.
What's that? I don't . . . It feels like. Someone's trying to get in. No! No! NO!!
Lexa didn't scream or cry out. Instead she just crumpled to the floor, completely silent.