'Crystal, my dear, you need to wake up'. The voice was familiar, but the tone wasn't. 'You've had a blow to the head. You've been unconscious for days.' Stryker was by her side, pulling the hair from her face.

'What have you done to Peter?'

'Who?'

Crystal shot up in a panic. The room was dark and barely furnished. She was sat on a small, single bed. He was on a chair beside her. Something was wrong. This wasn't right. It didn't make any sense. 'Don't toy with me, Stryker! Where is Peter? Where is my dad?' Her voice broke under the stress.

'Crystal, you're confused. I came to view your battle. You got distracted and were attacked. You suffered a head injury. We've been monitoring your dreams. They were very vivid. But none of it was real.' Stryker was being gentle with her, and it was unnerving. He was an evil man, he wouldn't just change his behaviour.

'No. That's not right. I ran away. I've been living at the mansion for a year.' As her voice trembled, so did the room.

Stryker cut her off before the tremors gained momentum 'You invented this whole world to make you think you were special. You're not special Crystal. Nobody is coming to save you. You know that'.

Crystal got off the bed. She was dressed in the standard clothes all the mutant prisoners wore. She was certain she'd left the mansion wearing jeans and Peter's Pink Floyd T-shirt. She tried the door handle, but she was locked in the tiny space. No escape. 'You're lying to me'.

Stryker moved slowly and deliberately towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder. 'You are where you've always been. Alone in the dark. But, I can change that. I can make you stronger. Come with me and you can have whatever you want.' He held out his hand waiting for her to join him in solidarity. All her nightmares seemed to be happening at once, The room was spinning. The darkness grew, obscuring her sanity. The air grew thick and heavy, she was going to pass out. Every negative emotion amplified in her mind as her world came crashing down into this dark reality.

Crystal began to lift her arm but hesitated to give Stryker her hand. He smiled at her, and she edged her fingers forward, as a ghostly voice whispered to her 'Crystal, you're stronger than she is'. She shook the voice off. She'd heard it before in a distant memory, but she was too confused to place it.

'You're not strong Crystal. You're weak. You've always been weak.' Stryker pushed his hand out again but with more urgency this time. Crystal's morale was broken. He'd made her believe that the last year of her life was a lie. A side effect of a concussion. Was he telling the truth? Now that she thought about it, what were the chances of being rescued by her father and the love of her life? It was like one of the stories she'd heard when she was little. The handsome prince saving the princess. It was impossible. She knew she'd have to go with him. She had no choice.

Her fingers brushed tips with his cold hand. 'Good girl Chrissy'.

'What?' Reality snapped in.

'I said, good girl Crystal.'

'No. No, you didn't. You slipped up. Only one person calls me that and that isn't you.'

The ghostly voice called out to her again, 'look for cracks. This isn't real'.

The voice was her mother's. She knew her mother wasn't speaking to her. It was more likely her subconscious was using her mother's voice to highlight the now obvious fact. This was a dream. It wasn't even Stryker. It was Mirage.

'I've had enough of you playing with my head. This will be the last time'. Crystal knew it was her dream world and while in it Mirage could be hurt. She summoned the air around her, taking control of the world Mirage had morphed in her mind. Flames grew on her fingertips and she finally reached out for the hand that had been offered to her. Stryker morphed into Mirage, finally revealing herself as she burned slowly.

With Mirage no longer in control of her dream world, Crystal could hear the voice that was really pulling her back to reality. 'Chrissy, wake up for me. Please wake up'.

'Good evening gentleman.' Stryke watched as his three newest mutants began to stir. 'Welcome to my new lab. I hope you'll find it comfortable'.

Eric, Charles and Peter were each housed in a single-man container with a vent at the top. As they started to come to, they each tried to break down the strengthen-glass surrounding them.

'I wouldn't try to use your powers, You will find them quite useless. The inhibitors around your cell have blocked your X-gene for the time being. Trying to escape would just be a waste of energy'. His voice was cold, mocking the three men in front of him.

Peter wasn't coping with human speed thinking. The words Stryker was staying were taking a while to sink in. He didn't have his powers. He had to think about every movement as he stood up. He caught the sight of Crystal crumpled up in the container next to him. His heart sunk, this is how she must have felt when she'd seen him hanging from the last container. 'Chrissy. Chrissy, wake up'. His words seemed slow to him, like he was slurring as he spoke. God, he needed to move those inhibitors.

'Crystal and I need to have a private discussion. I don't need her to have you reminding her of reality. Plus, I've never tried this process with a mutant with Inhuman DNA. Having her sedated will help control her.'

'So, you're torturing her mind.' Charles was furious. Peter would have to be deaf not to hear the anger in his words. 'Stryker, I implore you, please wake her up. I can control her if she gets out of hand. But please, whatever you're doing to her is not right'.

'Professor Charles Xavier begging me. I never thought I'd see the day. I'll wake her up when I'm ready. First, we need to prepare you for your future.' Stryker walked over to the equipment at the other end of the room. Hank would be envious of the number of machines at the disposable of this monster.

'Do we have a future, or are you going to monologue us to death.' Eric was oddly calm. He was formulating several plans in his mind on how they could escape. Unfortunately, all of them relied on the ability to use their powers.

'You're funny. You won't be when I've finished.' Stryker paused, collecting his thoughts. He walked towards a small metal container, pulling down a sliding door to reveal his greatest weapon. 'These crystals release a mist that will enhance your powers. The mist will travel through this tube and through the vents in your cells. I've added my own little formula to this. A simple serum that will make you susceptible to my suggestions. You will be my super soldiers. Image how many wars we'd win with just you four.'

Crystal started to mumble in her sleep. The words were difficult to hear, but it sounded like she was battling someone or something. 'Oh, whatever you've done with her professor, I am impressed. What a fighter. So strong-willed. I'm going to enjoy breaking her in.' The menacing laugh Stryker gave chilled Peter to the bone.

Peter suddenly realised why Crystal was asleep. God, he was slow without his powers. The inhibitors blocked the mutant X-gene. Chrissy had one of those. But she wasn't all mutant. She was partly Inhuman, and her powers might work. 'Chrissy. I need you to wake up now'.

'It's no use, Mr Maximoff. She's quite deep under and Mirage is keeping her busy.'

Peter wasn't about to give in, especially as he could see Crystal's lips moving. Peter had shared a room with her for almost a year. She did talk in her sleep, but only when she was close to waking. Her fingers were twitching too. He could wake her up 'Good girl Chrissy'. Her hand definitely moved this time. 'Chrissy, wake up for me. Please wake up'.