As always the X-Men and all related characters belong to Marvel. They shall never be mine, sadly.

Thanks to Mnesomne's Tears, jane-ant-that-plain, and RogueOnFire for their kind reviews.

Note: Please keep in mind that this story loosely follows the events of X2. My plot belongs to me, however, as you'll see in this chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Before our eyes the man did a back flip and transformed into a woman with blue skin and red-orange hair. Her skin appeared to be covered by tiny scales, as well. "Deathstrike," Stryker ordered simply as he stepped behind myself and Cyclops for protection.

Shots rang out as the woman somehow managed to take out a number of men with perfectly executed acrobatic moves. Deathstrike attacked the woman, but was somehow outmatched and sent flailing toward a metal column. The woman slid backwards out of the room on her stomach while flipping us all the bird.

"Midus," my ears pricked up. "Ascertain that intruder," his order was firm and direct.

I took off down the stairs at a brisk run and slid through the doors in a baseball slide just before they closed. I slid back up to my feet and continued after the woman, but her speed easily outmatched my own agility. She soon disappeared into the room filled with computers and monitors. Just as I stepped into the room she changed into Stryker and ordered the technician out. She smirked as she sat down in a chair.

"Come peacefully or face the consequences," I ordered as I stood no more than five feet away from her.

She turned and her eyes narrowed at me in anger. "And to think the XMen were worried that you'd been hurt," she muttered sarcastically as she stood up. "How wrong they were."

She lunged forward in a powerful kick, but I did a back handspring and dodged out of the way. Her eyes flickered in surprise before she attempted to attack me again. "I am to ascertain you and lead you back to the Colonel," I informed her as I punched her in the gut and sent her stumbling backwards. "Will you comply?"

"And to think Erik thought you to be something special," she hissed in her strange voice as she jumped in the air and did a spin kick, sending me flying out into the hall to land against the opposite wall. Her eyes glistened as she waved; the doors trapping her inside.

Stryker, Cyclops, Deathstrike, and a number of guards rounded the corner just then. "You let her escape Midus?" he glared down at me as I struggled to my feet. "Is there any other way to access the system?" Stryker asked the technician.

"No sir," the technician shook his head quickly. "The room's secure and the only place to access the system."

Stryker furrowed his brow in anger. "Blow it open," he turned and ordered his men. "Do it now!"

He stormed down the hallway and the three of us followed him quickly from behind.

"Security's been breached," a man announced as he ran past us, his rifle raised in the ready position."

"Stryker!" the man that had transformed into the blue woman ran down the hall towards us. Three metallic claws slid out of each hand as he lunged toward us.

"Deathstrike," Stryker said simply as he turned his back on the man. "Perhaps a little reunion is in order."

She lunged forward and kicked the man into a room, but not before his eyes met mine and recognition flashed through them.

"Midus, you're my last defense against the invaders," Stryker grasped his hand on my shoulder before he led us back to the door that separated us from the two men in the wheel chairs. "You are to stay here and protect the mission at all costs. Do you understand?"

I saluted him as I stood at attention, my back to the door. "Sir, yes sir," I said formally.

"Good," he said simply as he led Cyclops away and down the hall.

I could hear sounds coming from the room at my back every now and then, but nothing was definitive. I narrowed my eyes as a strange feeling washed over me and blood rushed to my head.

"Don't let her escape!" his cold and hardened voice shouted as I ran blindly down the halls. Blood was dripping down my face from the wound on my forehead and the blue flame in my hand was my only light. "Maverick, Deathstrike, Deadpool," his voice was growing more and more faint. "Apprehend Midus."

The code name alone made me clench my left fist tightly and narrow my eyes. The man that had promised me freedom and a full life in exchange for a few weeks had done nothing but lie and be cruel to me. The countless tests and demonstrations had left me confused and wary. I had lost hours as I constantly slipped into dark periods where the only thing I could remember was the blood that filled my mouth because I constantly bit my tongue in order to try to stay conscious.

Nothing pleased the man that had wanted to use me for his own gain. I had sat through test after test, procedure after procedure. But nothing satisfied him. Every agonizing moment of pain brought me closer and closer to the brink, but nothing put me over the edge. He had plans for making me part of his super breeding program, and I had somehow fought off Maverick, a man that was to be my mate. I had endured every single absorption with bared teeth and a cold heart. Every psyche that had penetrated my mind was carefully pushed into the darkest depths of my subconscious.

But, it had to end. If not for me, then for my grandfather. I had been promised that he would be set free as long as I cooperated, but there was no telling how long it would be before I would have another chance to escape this hell.

I glanced down at the blue flame that I controlled in the palm of my hand and I frowned. Somehow I had killed yet another man with my bare hands, but this time it wasn't accidental, it was purposefully. Somehow he had made me do the one thing that I feared above everything else: touch a man. And now there was more blood on my hands and another crazed psyche fighting with the weaker ones already in my mind.

And I couldn't fight it anymore. Like a crazed animal I ran up and down the halls and sought the exit, but realized that I was simply going around in circles. The blue suddenly blurred my vision and I felt myself shift into something that wasn't me.

"Te mataré con mis manos peladas," I murmured to myself as I let the blue flame dance around me mockingly. "Él pagará sus pecados con su propia sangre," I felt peace come over me as I sighed softly.

And then I spotted them. A large group of armed men with their rifles pointed at the hallway that I was walking down, and at their backs appeared to be to a large door.

"¡Libertad!" I shouted as I pushed a wall of blue flame towards them and rushed them out of their hiding positions. I continued to run forward as I grabbed a dropped rifle in my left hand and shot wildly at the men that were trying to retreat from the intense and wild flame that was crawling over the floor and rising to the ceiling.

"Cecilia!" I turned and cursed under my breath as his blue eyes met mine. "Don't make me do this!" his voice was full of remorse as he raised the two pistols in the air and their laser guides pointed at my chest. "Cecilia, this is suicide."

I narrowed my whiskey brown eyes as I backed up towards the exit slowly, my eyes slit in anger as my mate approached me. "¡Venido con mí y nosotros puede escaparse junto!"

He shook his head sadly as Deathstrike and Deadpool appeared at his side. "Cecilia, I know you're in there and right now things seem to be pretty bad, but if you just come back we can get this all figured out," he took a step forward and I blasted him back with a wave of blue flame. "I know I've made things hard for you, but I really do care."

"Odio todo sobre ti," I whispered softly as the pain filled my gut. "No soy como ti, y nunca estaré," I said firmly.

His blue eyes reflected off of the flame that danced around him carelessly. He had been remorseful about the way he had tried to force himself on me, and from that day on things between us had changed somehow. He had changed. "Midus," he whispered softly, his guns lowering slightly.

"Don't let her escape!" his voice shouted out again. "Don't let her leave this facility."

I shook my head as I tried to grip what was left of myself with every ounce of strength inside of me. "Maverick, come with me!" I shouted in a pleading voice, hope filling me at the thought of having him by my side.

He rushed forward suddenly; his eyes bright with life as he dashed through the fire and nearly made it to my side. "Take them down!" his cold voice echoed off of the walls. "Take both of them down now Deadpool!"

Deadpool raised his pistols and shot two consecutive shots. The first hit Maverick in his shoulder, and the second was aimed for my chest. But, Maverick lunged in the way and took the bullet in his back, near his spine. "Get out of here while you can Midus," he slumped towards me as he dropped his two pistols to the ground and brushed a gloved finger over my cheek. "So much beauty..." he leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, what little life that was in him instantly becoming mine.

"¡Su muerte no estará en inútil!" I shouted as tears brimmed in my eyes. I placed my hands together and spread them apart as the room filled completely with the blue flame. My eyes met those of my would-be destructor and I narrowed mine in anger. "Die, you bastard!" I shouted as I turned on my heel and fled from the facility.

Even in the darkest of times there is a light of hope. But, in my case that small ray of hope was slowing fading into the dimly lit snow-covered hills that surrounded me. I let out a feral scream as I charged forward into the blistering cold, my mind focused on three things.

My grandfather and of course survival.

And revenge.

I slumped back against the metallic doors and shook my head in confusion as a wave of nausea swept over me violently and I held my head in pain.

"They're inside!" I heard a voice shout from the distance just before a large explosion shook the entire facility.

I wanted to move forward, but Stryker had left me in charge of protecting the mission, and that's what I was going to do. Come hell or high water, I would guard this door with my life. I braced myself as a large group of armed men lined up in the hallway in front of me and faced the open doorway, as if expecting the intruders to come this way any moment.

"Oh shit!" one shouted as the pulls on their grenades were wrenched from them and explosions filled the hall. I didn't move a muscle as debris flew at me and the ground all around me shook. But, once the dust settled I found myself face to face with two people. The blue woman and a peculiar looking man in a red helmet.

He smiled at me as he took a step forward. "Cecilia," he seemed to be relieved by my presence. "We were worried that something had happened to you," the blue woman grabbed his arm. "Are you blind Mystique? This is my granddaughter!"

I raised my hands in a defensive position as I narrowed my eyes at him. The strange feeling still wouldn't leave me, but it was as if I was working on autopilot.

"What have they done to you?" he spat viciously as he walked closer toward me still, and then recognition filtered through his eyes. "Stryker," he said simply.

I narrowed my eyes at him and backed up a bit, not sure of what he was capable of, seeing as how the woman had outmatched me earlier.

"I told you that she wasn't the same Erik," the blue woman said stiffly in her strange voice. "Stryker's got her under his control."

The man cleared his throat and shook his head. "But not for long," he insisted as he raised his hands and every metal object in the small hall came flying at me. I just stood there and took wave after wave of blunt object until finally something hit me in the head and threw me back against the wall. I saw stars just before closing my eyes to the bright lights.

"I do hope that helped Erik," the woman's strange voice woke me roughly. "Seeing as how she could wake up and kill us right now."

I glanced around in confusion as the blue woman pulled me to my feet and my eyes met those of Erik Lensherr. "What are you doing here?" I asked in confusion as I gulped. "What happened?"

"My dear, I'm afraid that we do not have time for this," he shook his head slowly. "I must get to Charles before it is too late. And the others," he glanced back down the hall. "I'm afraid there's not much time..."

I nodded my head slowly, my find finally void of all command and ugliness. "I don't know what Stryker did to me, but he did the same thing to Scott and Yuriko," I spat in anger as I clenched my fists angrily. "I'm going to find out."

"But the others?" he seemed taken aback by my vicious tone of voice.

"I'm going to pay that bastard back if it's the last thing I do," I took off down the hall and stopped only to turn and wave farewell. "I've got to figure out what he knows about me!"

I ran down the halls with a destination in mind, and I knew the first place to start would be the closest place. And it just happened to be the room that Deathstrike had pushed Logan into. I ran into it blindly, gasping when Logan ran into me. "Cecilia?" he narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air before he let out a sigh. "We gotta get outta here."

"No," I said stiffly as I moved past him and began to look around the room that served as a laboratory. I could remember many hours spent being prodded and examined by many doctors and scientists. "This place looks familiar to you, doesn't it Logan?" I didn't even turn around to look at him as I rummaged the desks and file cabinets that littered the room. "You were a subject here years ago. I remember hearing about you when I was here. The formidable Wolverine."

He grabbed my arms and forced me to look up at him. "How do you know that kid?"

"Because this is the place that I was trapped in for so long!" I shouted angrily. "We were both slaves to the same man, but at different times!" I pulled away from him as I ran across the room. "I have to find the truth. It has to be somewhere. I have to know what the hell he did to me!"

He followed me swiftly out of the room and I deliberately made my way back to the room filled with computers and monitors. The door had been torn open, but everything was in perfect order inside. I sat down at the chair and glanced around at the monitors. "They've got the kids," Logan mumbled as he pointed a finger at the image of Storm and some blue guy leading a group of kids out.

"That they did," I muttered as I cracked my knuckles and placed my hands over the keyboard and got to work. The numbers and sequences flew by quickly, but it was as if my mind was working like a computer. Within minutes I realized that the files I needed could be downloaded and copied onto a removable disk. "Hand me that flash drive!" I shouted as Logan handed me a bunch of different things, obviously at a loss for what I wanted.

I watched while holding my breath as the files began to transfer from the hard drive onto the removable disk. It would take weeks, maybe even months to decipher and decrypt all of the information. But I had a gut feeling that everything I'd ever wanted to know about myself was on that disk. At least, everything that Stryker knew about me. "It's finished," Logan said gruffly as the computer beeped and the disk slid back out. An insignia flashed across the screen as I pulled out a marker and labeled the disk after what was flashing on the screen. Weapon X.

"Erik said that the others are in need of some help," I stood up as I slid the disk into the pocket inside my jacket. "We need to get moving Wolverine," I moved toward the door.

He stopped me with his hands and pushed me up against the wall. "I don't give a damn if this ain't the right time or the right place," he growled as he raked his lips over my own and sent my blood pressure to the ceiling. I let out a moan as he dug his hand into my hair and plundered my mouth greedily for a long moment before pulling away.

"It's been a helluva lonely wait," I grinned as he pulled me out of the room. "This disk could hold everything you ever wanted to know about your past Wolverine," he raised his brow and grunted as he continued to drag me down the halls. "Where are we going?"

He dragged me down a hall and stopped suddenly, listening intently as the sound of water filled the hall slowly. "We've got to get to the others," he said stiffly.

"But what about Stryker?" I demanded angrily as I jerked out of his grasp. His eyes roamed over my face before he finally nodded in agreement and we started off at a quick run down the hall. He stopped a few times to sniff the air, and eventually led us out of the facility through a reinforced door. "A helicopter!" I pointed as I broke away from him and dashed up the incline through the snow, just in time to see Stryker prepping the craft for take off.

But, he didn't have time to react as Wolverine charged him and slammed him up against the front of the helicopter, digging his claws into Stryker's chest. "How does it feel bub?" Wolverine spat as he shook slightly in anger. Stryker continued to shake as he looked over Wolverine's shoulder at me.

"Midus!" he shouted angrily as he winced in pain. "Detain him!"

A/N: Considering that it took so little for Scott to regain his bearings, I do not find it unbelievable that Cecilia could possibly do the same thing. To make things a little clearer, the flashback was after she had absorbed Miguel and was attempting to escape the facility. That's why a great deal of it is in Spanish. The next chapter is the end, everyone. I've written the Epilogue so I'm set for the end. I originally intended to turn this into a three part saga, but somewhere along the line I lost my inspiration. Please be kind and review. Even if you don't like the story. Any sort of feedback is good feedback in my book.