ONE TIME ONLY
"Where am I?!"
Christina got to her feet, and fell forward. "Ow! Goddammit!"
She found herself in a square chamber, with bars on the outside, and inside it was surrounded on all four sides by clear, fiberglass walls.
"Hey!" she called out.
Looking past her prison, she saw it was located in a very large, dingy room, with many other cages like the one she was confined in. All were empty.
"Let me out!" she yelled, banging on the glass.
Lights came on, and a door at the far end swung open.
"No," Christina whispered, as the monster robot marched into the room. "Back, just get... don't come near me!"
Christina fell backwards, bounced off the fiberglass and slid to the floor. The monster ran for the cage, and slammed into it, then stepped back.
"God, that hurt!" it called out. Then the front panels opened, and out jumped a short, heavy man with black hair.
"Hot in there. Damn."
The man straightened up, dusted himself off, then hit a button on the inside of the robot, powering it down.
"Who are you! Hey, asshole, I'm talking to you!"
He got close to the glass enclosure. "Wow. A mutant. I've never been this close to a mutant before!"
His eyes were wide in awe and wonder. Christina just glowered at him.
"Harvey!" he pointed to himself "you're Christina Campbell... the one who gave the good Mr. Peller such a hard time."
"Bullshit and fuck Simon Peller!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the glass. It was then she noticed there were hard metal bands wrapped over her wrists.
Harvey noticed the surprise on her face and pointed. "You can't hurt anyone with those on."
"Dammit!" Christina moaned.
"I think they're nice and shiny," Harvey tried in an attempt to get on her good side... well, he could only hope she had one.
The door at the far end swung open, and two people came in. One was a blonde haired woman, and she was clinging to the arm of
"Simon!" Christina hissed. She tensed up as he strode fast to her prison.
"Away, Harvey! Get back and take the robot with you!"
Christina shrunk back as Simon slapped his hands on the cage, making it shake.
"Christina! It's been a long time! But really it seems like yesterday, when you tried to murder me!"
"Sorry I didn't succeed!" Christina snapped back.
"You blinded him, you little bitch!" the blonde woman yelled at her.
"Gabrielle!" Simon snapped at her, and she went quiet, but silently fumed.
"Where in the world have you been, mutant?! I had the city metro-cops looking everywhere. Many supporters were so kind to visit me in the hospital as I recovered from your malicious attack. And you did blind me, little mutant! But as you can see... I can see!"
"Zik Zak fixed him," Gabrielle smiled proudly. "And they gave him all the resources need to be able to combat your evil kind!" She pointed to the robot Harvey was fiddling with.
"I was supposed to say that!" Simon roared at her.
"Sorry!" Gabrielle stammered.
"You lost your eyesight as well as your mind? One out of two is not bad I guess!" she grumbled.
"Where the hell have you been hiding!?" he demanded, striking the cage again.
"Piss off!" she replied.
"The others of your kind rioted across the city after you tried to kill me. Others just like you! You're not the only freak anymore."
"Horrible!" Gabrielle agreed.
Simon glared at Gabrielle, who smiled helplessly. "Just call me the cheerleader!" she tried.
"I think 'dumb blonde' might be more appropriate," he snarled.
"Let me out you sonofabitch! Where the hell is Kyle!" Christina screamed.
Simon slammed his hand onto a control panel on the outside of the cage. There was a sudden whooshing noise inside, and Christina trembled as a wave of cool air rushed across her skin.
"What'd you do?!" she yelled.
Simon stepped away from the sealed cage, now smiling.
"Er... Mr. Peller sir?" Harvey called.
"Not now!" he called.
Christina banged on the glass. "Let me out!"
"What's that? Can't hear you, shout that again!" he grinned evilly.
The whooshing continued, slower now. Christina felt sick as she realized the air was being sucked out of the chamber.
"You bastard!" she yelled out, pounding on the glass.
"Louder! he demanded.
It was slow at first, but Christina soon found herself breathing harder to take in the same amount of air, she soon found her lungs seeming to expand but seeming to be void of oxygen as well.
"What do you want from me?!"
Simon Peller rolled his eyes, and looked at Gabrielle, who rolled her eyes. Then he turned back to the chamber, glaring into her eyes.
"I want you to die!"
She turned away, looking around desperately for a way out.
"I don't want you to exist anymore! You're not right! You're poison! God forbid you should exist long enough to breed more mutants!"
"Mr. Peller!" Harvey shouted urgently.
"WHAT, GODDAMMIT!?"
"What are you doing?! Let her out of there, NOW!"
Christina discerned the voice as female and that was it. She was down on her knees, searching for a way out.
"Theora?" she begged in a weak voice.
A face loomed in front of hers. It was a young man with brown hair and a light beard.
"Working on a code. The bastard won't give it up." he smiled gently.
"Don't check out, now!"
Christina slumped against the wall.
"You're insane! Simon Peller open that chamber!"
"Go suck eggs, Harriet."
"I got it," the young man said, and with a loud click and a louder hiss, the door swung outward and Christina toppled out.
"Your insufferable, you know that?!" the woman shrilled.
"Can you sit up?" the young man asked. Christina's eyes fluttered and she began coughing wildly.
"Fuck... you!" she gasped, before descending into a nother coughing fit.
"Breathe in!" the young man ordered.
"I'm trying!" she yelped.
The fresh air revived her. What had become dim and muted was now becoming sharp and clear. She looked up and saw the robot moving swiftly around the floor, as Simon Peller and a woman with short brown hair and of a smaller stature faced off, both standing ram-rod straight and facing each-other and just inches apart. The other woman, Gabrielle, was trying to stop the robot and get Harvey out of it.
And near the door were some men in semi-formal dress and all but one had weapons.
"You can't be serious! You're making the biggest mistake ever, by taking custody of this monster. But you got this warped idea in your head that mutants deserve equality. I guarantee you, this will go poorly! Look at me, woman. My eyes are scarred!"
"Simon Peller you're a closed-minded, xenophobic bigot. Don't even dare to exhume all these false platitudes of trying to help her when you did nothing but torment her. I've read all the reports. Christina might be different, but she had a clean record until you 'got involved'. It boggles my mind that such forward-thinking employees at 23 must suffer under your reign of terror against anything you don't like. Did you forget the inquiry and the sworn statements of Edison Carter and Theora Jones-Carter? They gave her stellar reviews!"
Christina's heart seemed to pound harder at the mention of her friends, her family. In the old days she might have thrown herself at Simon's feet and begged for mercy.
"Who are you, and what's going on here!?" Christina demanded the young man.
"Roger," he smiled "Miss Garth here is a champion for your cause. She want's to grant you a sort of... amnesty... you look pale. Can I get you some water?"
"Wait... no... yes... water is fine... unless you got something hard?"
"Heh! Maybe another time. Ok, be right back!"
"Christina Cambell?" Harriet called out, then walked over to her and took her hands gently, warmly. She smiled, and her mouth worked but nothing came out. Finally, she spoke.
"I believe in you. Unlike the campaign my opponent runs, I believe in fairness and equality for all."
"Opponent! Ha! You lost your last run against me!"
She turned to him. "And you lost as well, bigot!"
Roger came back with the water, and Harriet turned back to Christina.
"Come with me. I have a safe place you can go to. With others, like yourself."
"I heard rumors you were hiding mutants, and now I find out it's true. You have no soul, woman! You've opened the door to terrorists and they will ruin this great city of ours!" Simon yelled.
"Wow... he like... never shuts up, does he?" Roger gaped.
Christina stepped back. "Simon, what did you do with Kyle?"
"Ah. Sent him back to Ben Cheviot. He's on parole... as long as he behaves. I hope Ben appreciates this great favor. And before you ask, NO you can't return to Edison Carter and his lovely wife. You had your chance and you blew it after stealing my money, resisting arrest, injuring two metro-cops, and then blinding me!"
Christina turned to Roger. "No, he never shuts up."
"Take her and go. Harriet, get out! Take Christina with you! Any damage she does, and she will, the responsibility lies with you. So go ahead, and prove my point!"
"Mr. Peller!" Gabrielle exclaimed.
"I have bigger and more important things I need to worry about!" he said, just staring as Harvey-robot continued marching around the room.
"You're... running for political office?" Christina asked.
Harriet nodded.
"Against Simon Peller?"
"She'll never win! And why are you still here?!"
"I... really need fresh air!" Christina headed toward the door, Harriet soon followed, and Roger, with a enthusiastic wave to Simon Peller, followed after them.
"Oh, Christ, those two have been together for 3 damn months!" Simon moaned. "Will you stop already!" he demanded. The Harvey-bot stopped in front of him. "I think I'm stuck."
"Good God, it's a miracle you were able to catch those two! I could handle that thing better than you!"
"Maybe you should," Gabrielle said. "Are you sure that letting Christina go with Harriet was such a good idea?"
Peller smirked and smiled knowingly.
"Let her find out the truth the hard way!"
