This is a work of fiction:

All characters seen in the story are either purely fan-made or from the X man's movies/ Marvel comics. I only own my own OC characters.

Thanks again to my Beta: lizzieBdarcy! You're the best!

Song: The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

Yaa! A chapter! Hope you guys like this one, let me know your thoughts in a review or a PM. Oh and thank you Arianna le Fay/ Arkytior's song / SeLena8819 /Mako for the reviews for the last chapter!

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith…

Chapter 25: The nature of his game.

His eyes were cold, devoid of emotions and weirdly at odds with the wicked grin on his face. Silently and completely relax he stood tall and straight in his expansive suit as his gaze roamed over her. She forced herself not to flinch when he unexpectedly moved his hand, splaying it flat on his chest while slipping the other in the pocket of his suit. The wicked Cheshire grin never left his face, not even when he parted his lips to speak

"My name is Seba-"

"I know who you are." She didn't give him time to finish and raised her chin in defiance and pushed herself up to meet him head on. The smell of rust and rotten wood assaulted her senses, and she had to swallow down the bile that threatened to rise. Her eyes shifted, quickly looking around to take in her surroundings. The area looked like a typical disused and abandoned factory. Sunlight streamed in through broken windows and missing sections of the roof. Sharp metal beams stuck out, creating bony fingered shadows that seem to creep along the concrete floor towards her. Sea gulls gawked outside the factory hall and there was a dull sound in the distance that reminded her of water beating against the shore.

The harbor?

She forced herself to breathe in deeply, pushing panic away before she turned her dark eyes back to him, narrowing them at him in a heated glare. Shaw hadn't moved. His eyes were still focused on her, looking her up and down with the same assessing boredom one gave to a cut of beef at market. She tried for the same boredom, tried to keep her words even instead of the growl they ended up coming out as.

"You're a monster."

His lips pulled back over his teeth in a grin, making him look more like a predator than ever. The abrasions on the palms of both of her hands, caused by breaking the fall on the concrete floor, were already healing and his eyes stopped roving when he noticed it. They widened with such clear interest that instinctively she folded her hands into fists to shield her palms from him.

"It seems my reputation precedes me." The arrogant tone of his voice and his open delight made her stomach churn. A sudden snicker to her left, caused by Shaw's words, made her head snap to the owner of the sound and in an instant she knew that Shaw wasn't the only thing she had to worry about.

Angel was there too.

She was looking down at her feet with an emotionless look on her face, arms crossed over her chest as she desperately tried to avoid all eye contact. The former stripper turned traitor was standing next to the man that had inflicted the deadly wounds on the CIA agent she'd tried to heal when they were still at the agency. He was just as handsome as the first time she'd seen him, and when she caught his eyes he winked at her while another snicker left his lips. His fingers were lazily moving; a small whirlwind twisted and turned in his palm following the pattern of his fingers.

For a small second she stared back stonily at his flirtatious grin until movement just behind made her turn her head to look over her shoulder. The red skinned mutant that had brought her there was still standing behind her. He bowed his head in an oddly polite greeting before he stepped away, taking his place besides the other two mutants.

"Please, at least allow me the pleasure of introducing my associates," Shaw's voice made her eyes snap back to him immediately. The former scientist waved his hand over the group of mutants first before he continued. "Angel you're already familiar with, she is the newest member of our brotherhood."

Katherine bit her lip hard, and dug her nails into her palms. She forced Shaw's voice out as she forced herself to stay calm and think.

Why am I here?

What does he want with me?

"Azazel is the gentleman who was kind enough to bring you to us." The former German scientist kept talking, his deep rich voice send cold shivers down her spine.

Think….

Her mind was running haywire and her thoughts reeled, searching frantically for a way out, a way to escape the predicament she found herself in. There was no way that she could take on all four of them, even if she had the powers to do so. But there had to be something she could do, something to stop the panic that was threatening to overwhelm-

Panic!

That was it. Her breathing almost stopped when she found her thoughts straying to the panic button that Moira had given her. It was still in her back pocket.

"And last but not least -" Shaw's voice dragged her mind back and as nonchalant as possible, she moved her hand back placing it over the back pocket of her jeans. She could feel the outline of the small device, and she pushed her fingers against it. The button gave in against the fabric and the feeling of the small click flooded her with momentary relief. She had very nearly refused to take the tracking device with her when Moira had handed it to her, but now she was glad that the CIA agent had insisted. At least now someone knew she was in trouble and that she was no longer in John's apar-

John!

No, no no no no...

"Mister Quested is the last member of our fine club, -"

Her heart gave a painful lurch in her breast, sending her blood sizzling through her veins while at the same time cold realization slid through her nerves like ice. The mutant that Shaw had introduced as Azazel had picked her up at John's apartment; they had known she was going to be there. A wave of nausea rolled up from her stomach, but she swallowed it down, forcing herself to breathe in deeply, slowly.

"But he prefers going by the name of Ripti-"

"What have you done to John!"

For the second time she interrupted him, hissing through clenched teeth, arms taut at her sides, body shaking. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him, watching and waiting for him to respond but instead he grew silent and grim. The only acknowledgment he had heard her was the visible twitch of a muscle in his jaws. His eyes shifted from his fellow mutants to her first, before his head slowly followed. The predatory smile that graced his face caused the hairs on Katie's arms to lift.

"Ah, yes. Your human…." his words were cold and cutting and laced with disgust. "He's fine, he wasn't there."

Katie stared at him, uncomprehending. "What do you mean he wasn't there?"

Without any warning he took a step towards her, his long stride eating up the concrete between them until he was right in front of her. Every instinct screamed at her to move, but she ignored it and only lifted her chin to meet his stare as he towered over her. One corner of his mouth lifted. "It continues to astonish me how well sentiment works as bait." He held out his hand without looking away from her, and the man that had been playing with the whirlwind before, now stepped up to fill it with a manila folder. Shaw's eyes flickered down without moving his head and he started shuffling through the file, licking his thumb which each turn of the page. "It was quite easy, using that human to lure you out Miss Burrows. Or should I call you Miss Miller?"

The use of her maiden name came so unexpectedly that she could only stare in bewilderment. He continued looking through the files, and when she finally did look down she had to swallow the sudden lump that formed in her throat when she immediately recognized the photo he was currently staring at.

A Mugshot of the day she was arrested for trying to steal James's car.

He turned to another page and her heart nearly stopped when she recognized the police report of James's murder, a document she'd gone over possibly hundreds of times. It was accompanied by crime scene photos, some of which she had never seen before.

Breathe…

She had to remind herself to keep breathing, as the air seemed to thin between them.

"It was actually very easy to find out everything about you, once Angel told us your full name." He dropped the file to the ground, letting it scatter around them. "You'd be surprised how much people are willing to talk with the right amount of pressure." Photo's, files, everything that she had so carefully hidden away for years was now lying at her feet.

"Your telepathic friend did an excellent job in hiding your little group of misfits though, even one of our closest friends in the military didn't know where you all were hiding..."

Her eyes flickered back and forth over the files on the ground, until they stopped on a particular piece of paper that contained the CIA logo. The pieces of the puzzle clicked as she found herself staring down at a detailed record of the phone call she had made when she was still staying at the CIA. The whole conversation she'd had with John was typed down and a side note scribbled at the bottom of the page contained the diner's phone number and address.

"You did promise him very sweetly that you would keep him up to date, so all I had to do was bribe his new worker to tell a little white lie the next time you called."

Amber.

No warning bells had gone off the moment the girl had picked up the phone that morning, and how could they have. From all the things that could have happen the moment she had stepped outside the mansion, this was the last thing she had expected. It made no sense, what on earth did he want with her? She ran the conversation through her mind again and again, trying to find the answers to the questions that kept racing through her mind, until suddenly one sentence popped up.

"Even one of our closest friends in the military didn't know where you all were hiding."

The echo of his words resonated in her head, and the implication behind them made her lift her chin back up to him again "If you think I'm going to tell you where they are, you're gravely mistaken."

The lethal calmness in his intelligent eyes sent a shiver through her body, and goose bumps cropped up on her arms when he replied without missing a beat. "Darling, what on earth gave you the idea that I was even remotely interested in the location of those traitors?"

Her heart pounded so loudly, she was certain that everyone could hear it, but still she kept his gaze, concentrating on not allowing her voice to waver. "Then why did you bring me-"

Before she had even finished asking the question, he was already providing her with the answer. "You are here, because my interest lies solely with you" He crowded his hands into his pockets and canted his head to one side, eyeing her curiously.

Her brows knit in confusion. "Why?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He scoffed as if her reaction amused him "I witnessed how you brought someone back from the brink of death, and it peaked my curiosity. A mutation like that could turn out to be quite" He breathed in deeply through his nose, savoring her discomfort before he finished. "Useful in the future I have planned, and I wanted to learn more about it." Shaw's voice rumbled through the room like thunder, and unconsciously she slid one foot back a couple inches to put some distance between them.

Useful?

Her whole body stiffened and a heavy lump of dread settled itself in her throat as the full meaning of his words hit her like punch in the stomach. Her chest grew tight and her eyes darted around looking for an escape, but when she found none the vague feeling of powerlessness that had been building up inside of her gained in strength and clarity.

"You're insane if you think I'm joining you" It took a moment, but she managed to get the words out.

His eyes narrowed to near slits while his grin widened; stretching out the edges of his lips so far it had to hurt. There was playfulness in his eyes as if he was enjoying her discomfort, like a cat playing with a mouse before dealing the fatal blow. "My dear," he purred. "Who said anything about joining us?" I only said your mutation could be useful."

Her entire face blanched and her eyes grew to nearly twice their usual size in what was obviously complete and utter confusion. He laughed heartily, throwing his head back, and letting the sound reverberate round the large hallway. "Aren't you just exquisite? You really thought I would let just anyone join." He shook his head in mock dismay. "No darling, only those I deem worthy are allowed to join me." His eyes drifted towards Angel, who's back stiffened as his eyes settled on her. The smile slid away as quickly as it had come.

"Angel passed my tests." His voice dropped, acquiring a rougher edge that threw her stomach into a dangerous free fall. Her head shifted to the side to look at the former striper. Angel avoided all eye contact, staring down at her feet and swallowing in discomfort while she tightened her arms around herself even more

Movement from the corner of her eye forced her head back to Shaw. He had put his hand in his pocket and when she settled her eyes back on him again he pulled it back out. A flash of silver was visible between his fingers and her eyes focused on whatever he was holding. Tentatively he unfolded his fingers one by one, knowing full well that her eyes followed his every move. Her breathing stopped all together as she watched the metal item drop from his hand, dangling from the silver chain he held between his fingers. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased and her breath returned when she stared at the round metal object.

A pocket watch?

He lifted the watch, cradling it in his hand. With his thumb he traced the edges. "Only those that I deem worthy deserve a place in the new world I'm creating." Without warning he reached his free hand in the jacket of his suit. "Let's find out if you're one of them."

The gunshot thundered through the factory hall, startling even the walls it rang from.

She stumbled a few steps back because of the impact and stared in disbelief at the smoking gun he had pulled from his coat. A searing pain bloomed inside her chest and she dropped her gaze, seeing the damage to the front of her white blouse where the bullet had ripped through. Blood soaked quickly through the white fabric and her fingers lifted shakily to the bullet hole. Some corner of her brain clinging to the mundane noted that he would have shot her right through her heart, if the organ hadn't been reversed.

Another click made her look up.

Shaw had lowered his still smoking gun. His attention was completely focused on the watch in his hand. He clicked his thumb on a button on the side and the same clicking sound echoed through the factory hall, almost too loudly. A smile erupted on his lips that looked almost victorious as he looked back up at her again, waving the watch in his hands almost childishly.

"Now, let's see how long it takes for you to heal from a gunshot through the heart."

She could see the minute hand move, ticking away the seconds. It wasn't a pocket watch, but a stopwatch. He was timing her, using her mutation as an experiment for his own plans.

Everything became blurry, sound, sight, everything apart from the pain. It grew and grew until it exploded, forcing her to her knees with such a force that she couldn't even cry out. The bullet had passed through her completely, exiting through her back without hitting any vital organs. But it had severed several arteries, causing blood to pour out of the wounds. She could still bleed out if she didn't stop the bleeding soon. Especially now that her heart, that he'd tried to hit but had missed, was beating so loudly that it only increased the blood flow towards the wound. Her veins hummed and energy rushed from her limbs to the wound on her chest, as her mutation desperately tried to heal the wound he had inflicted.

The pain made her attention divert, and it was only when the tips of two leather shoes intruded her clouded field of vision, that she realized he had moved even closer. Shaw moved directly in front her and to her surprise, he knelt down, making himself eye level with her. He set the barrel of the gun under her chin, and then tilted her face, forcing her to look at him. The metal barrel was still hot from the shot and it burned her skin.

She refused to flinch as she met his eyes.

He scanned her face for a few seconds before he lowered his gaze to the red stain on the white blouse that was still spreading. With an intense sort of interest he studied her. The stopwatch swayed from the metal chain he had wrapped around his fingers as he reached his claw like fingers towards her.

Transfer it.

Her thoughts screamed the solutions, as it desperately tried to find a way to stop the pain. She flexed her fingers and splayed her hands, snapping open her palms and shoving it towards him. He didn't move a muscle, just lifted the corners of his mouth amused by whatever she was attempting. She was close enough to touch him, her fingers almost grazing the skin of his neck when out of nowhere a bright red tail wrapped around her wrists, tying them together in front of her, stopping her movement. Azazel had moved in a blink of an eye, and was now standing next to them, holding her wrist together in a death grip. He raised his tail, pulling her arms above her head, and a frustrated, painful groan escaped her lips as he hoisted her up.

"You thought I wasn't aware of your little trick?" Shaw's hand found the first button on her blood soaked blouse, and undid it with the same teasing care a lover might. "I do my research Miss Miller. You're really very naive, aren't you?"

Her breathing became panicked, on the verge of hyperventilating when he flattened his cold hand on her stomach and splayed his fingers. Moving them slowly upward, he watched her as the tips of his fingers grazed over the scar below her bra first before he moved to the bullet wound he'd given her just above it.

"Fascinating."

Blood still poured from the wound, more so when he started examining her like a lab animal, probing and pushing his fingers in and around the wound to satisfy his sick interest. The pain his touch caused made her head snap back, and she gasped, groaning and whimpering in agony as he conducted his assault. Azazel was still standing next to his self-proclaimed leader and when their eyes met, something like pity crossed through them. But before she could give it any thought it was gone and he averted his eyes from her.

Her hands, still bound at the wrist, balled into fists.

Never before had she experienced the raw panic and the feeling of helplessness that raged through her body, and staying calm took more effort than she could spare. Tears burned, demanding release, but she refused to let them fall as she tried to remain in control of the humming inside her veins, tried to stop the healing process, to do anything to stop giving him what he wanted to see.

But it was useless.

Her powers coiled and pushed inside her veins and she felt the tethers of control slip. With a shudder the hold on her mutation broke and immediately she felt the ruptured arteries inside her chest knit together. She always had perfect control over her mutation; it was something she had perfected in the morgue. She had only lost control once before. The night she had tried to heal the CIA agent she had experienced the same lack of control, and just like then the Nazi scientist was again directly responsible for the slip.

Shaw seemed not to be aware of her struggle; the scientist continued his assault on her body. His fingers carefully roamed the newly formed skin that knitted together underneath his touch. His voice dropped to a dangerous timbre that exacerbated the shivers racing under her skin, and he leaned so close she could feel his breath. "How efficient, everything is healed simultaneously." Adrenaline surged in her blood, blocking the last remnants of pain that ravaged her chest as not a trace of her wound was left. Her heartbeat became a throbbing pang and she struggled to keep her eyes open as the last bit of blood trickled down the skin of her chest and stomach onto the concrete floor beneath her , were it gathered in a large puddle.

Though the bullet wound had been small, the severed arteries had caused her to lose a lot of blood.

Too much blood.

His hands lifted from her skin and she heard the click of the stopwatch as he stopped the time. Her shoulders sagged, head dropping on her chest. A small relieved feeling that he had stopped touching her flooded her, but it only lasted a small moment, for his cold fingers quickly found its way back to her skin again. Immediately her head snapped back glaring at him as the taste of blood and vomit soured her tongue, burning her throat and forcing the words to spill.

"Get your fucking hands off of me!"

She drew on every bit of her remaining energy, struggling against the death grip Azazel's tail had around her wrist. But Shaw would have none of it, the hand that had been groping her clasped her chin, and he forced her to look directly at him. "Such language" He mocked, lips curling with scorn. "It's at times like this that I miss my Emma. She would break your puny mind and teach you the right way to address me."

Angry she looked into those cold blue eyes, unable to turn away because of his viselike grip. His smile turned derisive and his dismissive attitude made the anger inside of her burn so fierce that for a small flash her vision blackened. She reared her head back before launching forward spitting a thick mix of saliva and blood in his face. His response was to shove her hard, causing her to fall backwards. Azazels tail released her wrist as she hit the concrete floor behind her. Her chest heaved up and down, wheezing air escaping her throat as her lungs tried to draw in air.

Shaw straightened up again as though nothing had happened, blood trickling down his cheek. Calmly, he took a white handkerchief from his pocket, whiping it away, before holding it out for Azazel. The red skinned mutant took the ruined cloth from his hand, before he stepped back, returning to his spot next to the other two mutants. Shaw ignored her completely, he just lifted the stopwatch in his hands, cradling it in his palm.

Everything in the room went silent as he studied the numbers on his stopwatch.

A sliver of bright light hit her face and she blinked a couple times to clear her vision as she stared up. Part of the ceiling in the old hall was gone, and dusty rays of sunlight beamed down. White seagulls flew around in circles, gawking loudly. It was enough normalcy to calm her heavy breathing and galloping heartbeat, and it was only when Shaw talked again that she moved her head slightly to the side to look at him.

"5 minutes and 20 seconds". He tsked in irritation as he gazed at Katherine, shaking his head. "That is disappointing."

She turned her head back to the sky, trying to ignore his voice. But the former German scientist kept on talking as he stepped back to her broken body. "That's far too slow to be useful."

His footfall stopped next to her, and the sun disappeared as his shadow fell over her. The rays created a halo behind his head, making him look like an angel and if she hadn't been so weakened by the lost of blood she would have laughed at the irony.

"Now the transferring could be of use, but not if this is the state it leaves you in." He was still holding the gun in his hand, waving it over her. "Such a shame, I had high hopes for you." He tsked again as his brows furrowed in thought. "Though I wonder." He spoke quietly to himself, face drawn in thought. "I shot you through the heart and you survived."

No you didn't…

The words were on the tip of her tongue but she kept her lips sealed. There was no way that she was going to disclose the information of her reversed heart to him. He'd already taken too much from her.

"Right now, you're quite useless to me." There was a click of a gun hammer being pulled back. "However – "

Her eyes widened the moment the gun entered her line of sight.

" Surviving and healing yourself and those around you is a very convenient mutation and it makes the scientist inside of me wonder how far we can take it. "He pointed the gun straight at her forehead." So let's do another experiment, let's see if you're capable of coming back from the death." He clicked the stopwatch in his other hand." That is, if you are capable of coming back."

She wanted to open her mouth to yell at him, to curse at him, but he didn't give her time. He pulled the trigger of the gun, and in flash everything went black.

TBC