If it were any other morning the others would look forward to it but this one wasn't something you would want to be caught up in the middle of.
Today Clint and the others would receive their sentencing for their wild party last night and drugging Dr. Reyes as well.
Everyone with the exception of Illyana of course who was still in solitary showed up in the common room taking their usual seats.
Dr. Reyes was already there in her usual lab coat but this time she was standing instead of sitting in a chair. And a less that pleased look on her face.
"First off is like to announce that today's group therapy session has been cancelled due to the behaviors all of you displayed last night." Dr. Reyes announced but she wasn't finished yet though.
"In regards to your punishment everyone else here is on restricted freedom until further notice!" She states dishing out the punishment.
Clint didn't look at her but clenched his fist tightly, while mentally noting that Illyana was right this ain't a hospital at all is a goddamn prison and Reyes is the warden. And now their all being treated like prisoners.
"Where am I going to run?" Rahne asks with her hands in her jacket pockets. She loved running wild and free in her wolf form she didn't want to run she needed to run.
Dr. Reyes looked at the redhead obliviously, "Rahne of all the patients here, you were the closest to being released, I am really disappointed in you!"
Rahne hung her head down in shame which made Clint's blood boil seeing that pathetic excuse for a doctor treat the girl he cared about like that.
Dr. Reyes looked back to the rest of them, "And until I'm satisfied that this streak of insubordination is out of your systems, nobody gets out of my building!" She declared with authority.
Roberto sat up for a moment to look at her considering that his powers are solar based he needed sunlight to be able to function.
"What if we need sunlight, doctor?" Roberto asks smartly.
Dr. Reyes doesn't answer with words. She calmly takes her empty chair and drags it over to the window into the light.
"Make do!" She answers.
Clint couldn't take it any more, taking his head out of his hand not looking at her but just throwing it out there so he doesn't blow up.
"And if we can't I'd like to know what happens then if you won't give us a little needed slack?" Clint asks resistantly but quietly agitation clear in his voice.
Dr. Reyes turned her eyes to him and slowly walked over to his chair in front of him. The others had solemn looks, but Rahne seemed a little worried for Clint as if he overstepped the line.
Clint saw she was barely a few feet away she refused to make eyes contact with her looking calmly at her legs pretending she wasn't right there. Slowly he brought his gaze up to meet her's and her expression was darkened and non tolerable to any more so called insubordination.
"Is there a problem here Clint? Is there something you'd like to say to me?" Dr. Reyes asked the tension high in her voice with her tone low.
Clint gives a fake smirk, "Yes there is actually last time I checked screwing around and being rebellious is part of human nature most commonly found in teenagers like us, and yet you talk this big game and all about what you do is for the greater good but the reality is you see us as a bunch of strays that need to be trained and tamed telling us what we want but not really knowing or caring about what we want and the moment we pull away you jerk us around on a leash until we give up all I'm saying is sometimes the dog can only be restricted so much freedom and jerked around too many times until it fights for it's freedom and fights back that's all!" Clint says darkly getting up from his seat to look her right in the eye their faces a few inches apart giving her a glaze that could melt a hole through a steel door.
Dr. Reyes looks at Clint cautiously, "Are you threatening me Clint?" She asks lowly her tone clearly telling him not to screw with her.
But Clint doesn't back down keeping his solid look. "No I'm just exercising my constitutional rights to freedom of speech making sure you know that I'll use whatever rights I have to self defense if need be if you jerk me too far and the others for that matter, unless you've restricted our freedom to those rights as well!" He challenges.
Everyone can literally feel the tension reaching it's breaking point in the room.
Dr. Reyes inches in a little closer, "Go to your room right now before I put you in solitary!" She says pointing to the door.
LET ME EAT HER! I want to bite her head off! Venom yells out angrily inside of Clint's head his eyes stay locked with Dr. Reyes purposely bumping into her shoulder as he goes to leave.
Dr. Reyes looks to the rest of the group, "As of today we're on lockdown!" She declares.
Clint also heard as he exited the room heading to his own slowly.
You should've let me snack on her she's getting on my nerves! Venom points out about as angry as Clint feels right now.
"Yeah well if she ever does that again next time I will, you'd really being doing the world a favor there!" Clint comments completely serious. He would never really regret hurting or killing someone unless they made him fear for his life like he feels now every time he's even near that woman.
Everyone else went off to do their own thing while Dani went off with Dr. Reyes who wanted to do another test with her.
Dani sat up with a bunch of hooks and wires connected to her. Dr. Reyes came back with some kind of sedative or muscle relaxer.
"Toady, Dani we're going to go a little deeper." Dr. Reyes explains getting the needle ready. Tying a large blue band around her upper arm.
"Clench your fist! This will relax you!" She instructs Dani who does as she's told giving a little wince against the pain from the injection.
Dr. Reyes then proceeds to remove the band taking off her rubber gloves getting the machines set up. A little camcorder and a multicolored tablet screen.
"I'm gonna ask you a series of questions, and I want you to respond truthfully." She says to the Native American who starts to get drowsy from the effects of the drug kicking in.
Dani nods, "What's the last thing you remember before you woke up here?" Dr. Reyes asks casually.
Off to the side the machines start to respond the numbers beginning to change.
"My dad woke me up, he said we had to run, and everything was shaking." Dani says.
"What were you running from?" Dr. Reyes asks curiously.
Dani becomes slightly groggy, "He said it was a tornado." She answers.
"We both know it wasn't a tornado Dani, what were you running from?" Dr. Reyes asks again more seriously.
Dani tilts her head back closing her eyes. The picture changes to that night the reservation was destroyed it shows her running through the woods with the wind howling and the snow falling and a deep inhuman growl coming from behind her.
"It was snowing." Dani says looking back at the memory.
Dr. Reyes looks confused, "In the summertime!" She clarifies, looking at the tablet seeing the colors and numbers beginning to rapidly change.
"It brings the snow." Dani adds on.
Dr. Reyes looks back at her, "What does?" She asks.
Back in the memory Dani is still running hearing the thundering sound of heavy footsteps following behind her.
"The demon bear!" Dani answers. Looking back at the tablet the colors start changing again, Dani gasps loudly throwing her head back.
Dani's vision becomes slightly blurry seeing Dr. Reyes fading away. She leans forward more awake this time, "Where are you?" Dani asks desperately. Her voice beginning to echo.
"I'm right here Dani." Dr. Reyes confirms. Dani's picture in front of her completely fades away and shows a vivid image of some sort of biometric monitor and a long line of kids wearing the same clothes some even younger than herself in some sort of facility. And older men who look like guards keeping them in line.
The camcorder shows Dani staring off into space. "What is this place?" She asks.
The scenery changes to a white padded room with a mutant hitting training dummies with some sort of blast before hitting the guard in the room.
"What are you doing?" Dani calls out.
Dr. Reyes reaches out to her, "Dani!"
The imagery changes to a bunch of mutant kids getting abuse and heated and even zapped and dragged away like prisoners.
The look on Dani's face changes to one of horror and sadness, "No! No! No!" She cries out.
In another end of the building Clint just finished with his breakfast heading back to his room when suddenly he hears the sound of a metal crunch beneath his foot he looks down to see he has just stepped on a license plate.
Clint looks clearly confused bending down to inspect it picking it up, "What the hell?" He says to himself look down and back in the hallway to see if there was anyone who was around to have put it there.
His gaze falls back on the plate getting a closer look as it is slightly crumped with a smear of fresh blood on top. It's a New York license plate the plate number being 'FLS-130' Clint's eyes widen at the realization of that plate number. It can't be, it can't be he mentally repeats to himself.
Your heart rate is spiking and several chemical levels elevated especially dopamine and epinephrine what is it Clint? Venom buds in curious and fascinated at the same time.
Clint slowly stands back up looking like he literally just saw a ghost his eyes never leaving the plate once.
"I know this license plate I've seen it before but it's impossible!" Clint tells himself and Venom who was listening every second.
What is impossible Clint who does this thing belong to? Venom asks more demandingly this time.
Clint let's out a deep breath, "It's my mom's license plate from her car, even though I passed my drivers test my mom couldn't afford to by me my own car not even a used jalopy from the junkyard so I rode with her to my school and back and wherever she need to go I recognize this plate by heart." Clint finally explains.
But your mother is dead she died several months ago! Venom argues.
Clint just nods blankly still looking at the plate. "And that's what's scaring me she is and the car was totaled from the accident and hauled off to the scrapyard, so how the hell did this end up here?" Clint asks more to himself then Venom.
He tears his eyes away from the plate for a moment notice a trail of shattered glass as well as fractured and broken car parts scattered leading down the hall in front of him.
Against Clint's better judgment he follows the trail slowly and cautiously.
As he keeps going eventually the trail leads to the infirmary with the doors wide open. Clint hesitates for a moment before entering the infirmary it's as neatly organized as the day it was when he arrived here all the beds are empty except for one at the far end of the room on the left side.
Clint squints his eyes for a moment trying to zoom in and get a better look at who the occupant is until he sees a mess of dark brown hair with a vitals monitor beeping steadily.
Clint approaches the woman until he's on the left side of her bed and gasps at it being his dead mother looking the way she did right before she died.
His mom's eyes slowly open up her breathing hoarse and ragged really shallow. "C…Clint!" She calls out Clint hears the same chimes in her voice as it was in the past.
Clint stands there unsure of what to do and leans down to his mom, "Yes mom I'm here I'm here mom!" His voice breaks down reliving the memory like it was before.
She tries to say something but nothing comes out as the monitor starts dropping and she loses herself letting her head fall back onto the pillow lifelessly.
Clint wanted to cry his heart out and was about to until her eyes shot open, she suddenly sat up in bed like a zombie the sudden action caused Clint to jump back a few feet away from the bed.
Her face was much clearer now all bruised and bloody with cuts and scratches on her face and arms. She turns her head to him, "Murderer!" She utters out to him her facial expression turning serious and angry.
"No! No I'm not it wasn't my fault they were trying to kill me!" Clint pleads tears starting to fall feeling this wave of guilt hitting him as he back away still keeping eye contact with her. Her head and eyes followed him, "Your not my son your a monster, a murderer!" She says loudly and distortedly this time.
Tears fall down now unable to take anymore the only person he had the woman who had raised him had just disowned him like he was nothing. Her voice goes on repeat 'murder, monster, monster, murderer' over and over again.
Clint hadn't been paying attention to where he was backing up to and suddenly trips over something landing on his back feeling something under him he turns to see a severed hand with a pool of dark red blood underneath that's fresh.
He screams getting to his feet seeing a pile of them now severed heads and body parts some with bite marks on them. Clint suddenly realizes his shirt is soaked in fresh blood and his hands are covered in it. His mother still chanting and taunting relentlessly.
Clint turns and runs off in a small corner alone still covered in blood he crouch's down against the wall and starts sobbing holding himself.
Meanwhile in the solitary confinement cell block Illyana is still in her cell stroking the top of Lockheed's head. A small click sounds at the steel door as it creeks opened Illyana freezes on the spot turning around quickly getting up from her bed she heads towards the door.
Illyana gently pushes it open the rest of the way to reveal a stick man figure with a smiley face all in fresh black paint slowly dripping down the wall.
Illyana tries to keep a straight face at the sight of this figure. Looking absolutely terrified for once.
In the bathroom and showers Rahne is in an empty stall naked washing herself when she suddenly hears a small noise from behind her. She turns her head to see what it is but there nothing there. Rahne turns back turning off the water she wraps a towel around herself nice and snug.
"Hello? Dani? Clint? Who's there?" Rahne calls out as she walks over to the sinks and mirrors peeking around the corner.
A low jingling sound is made in the reflection of a mirror is what appears to be a man wearing a silver metallic cross as well as black and pinkish red robes.
Rahne's face turns to horror literally seeing a ghost from her past. "You're not real. I killed you!" She shudders out backing up away from the man.
The man reveals himself to be the dead Reverend Craig wearing his church robes and his face covering in claw marks smiling at Rahne devilishly. "And like Christ, I rise again!" He says very demonically revealing a red hot branding iron with a 'W' the same one he used on Rahne before walking towards her.
"Stay away from me!" Rahne warns raising a hand at him.
Back in the Solitary cell block the picture is still dripping with wet paint in the shape of a smiley face man.
Illyana quietly but scared brings Lockheed up to her face, "Lockheed, what's going on?" She asks quietly.
She opens Lockheed's mouth before speaking in a different voice that was barely above a whisper, "It's her!" He says through Illyana.
Back in Dr. Reyes' office she and Dani are still testing. Dani looks back at her completely out of it but still aware of her surroundings.
"Focus Dani! Can you control it?" Dr. Reyes asks her voice echoing in the eyes of the girl.
Dani shakes her head, "Nobody can." She answers quietly.
In the showers Rahne looks as if she's about to have a heart attack her breathing is erratic and gasping in and out trying to shield herself from the man. Reverend Craig just stares her down darkly.
The shower nozzles start hissing out steam Rahne's head turns back and forth her hands coming up to hold it, she then starts screaming like something out of a horror film. Dropping to the floor her fingernails turning black extending into claws her hands and body starting to be covered in red wolf hair her eyes turn black with those yellow irises, her teeth extend into canine fangs looking up at the Reverend growling and snarling like a actual wolf or in her case werewolf.
Reverend Craig slams his foot down on Rahne's hands with audible crunch of her bones. She screams out loud for a moment before being pushed on her back and pinned down on the wet tiled floor. The Reverend holds her head to the side raising the branding iron that's still red hot and slams it down in the side of the girl's neck. The entire bathroom becomes filled with hot steam and Rahne screams of pain as the iron is slowly searing her flesh bringing a pain you can't even imagine.
A long and loud wolf howl roams through the halls all the way to the cafeteria where Sam and Roberto reside. Roberto is cleaning a dish pot while Sam is sitting up on the edge eating of bowl of cereal. The howl causes both of them to jump causing Sam to drop his spoon he looks to Roberto who shares his expression. Sam drops the bowl leaping off of the edge taking off for the source of the howl with Roberto right behind him.
In the other part of the building Clint is still crouched and covered in fresh blood when he hears the wolf howl. He jumps up immediately aware that something is wrong, his eyes widen managing to utter one word.
"Rahne!" He says to himself knowing she's in trouble running like a bat outta hell for the bathroom where she told him she was going after they finished their breakfast earlier.
In Dr. Reyes' office she hears a loud howl fro down the hall she drops her clipboard and breaks for the door opening it running down the hall.
Dani tries to gather herself still drowsy for the drug yanking the chords and wires off of herself trying to stand up but barely being able to do so. Trying to go out the door panting heavily trying to steady herself against the doorway.
Dr. Reyes runs to the source which is the bathroom where she is met by the three boys Clint, Sam, and Roberto. Slightly taking i. That Clint's hands and shirt are drenched in blood.
"Stay back!" She warns them and they do so as she opens the bathroom door with a bunch of steam coming out and Rahne in her wolf form whimpering then she takes off down the hall. As Dr. Reyes and the boys chase after her.
Dani watches helplessly as the wolf zooms by her and the others following behind.
"Rahne!" Dani calls out after her.
Rahne comes to a stop when she can't get past the door and slumps to the ground her paws and fur receding to reveal her pale human skin being stark naked turning over whimpering in pain reverting back to her human form crying. She turns her head to reveal the left side of her neck with a fresh brand 'M'.
Dr. Reyes quickly takes off her lab coat throwing over the poor shivering, naked girl. Getting a good look at her neck. The boys catch up and Clint is the first to notice the freshly branded mark on her neck causing him to gasp and she bends down to old her hand.
"Oh my God Rahne, it's okay I'm right here!" Clint tells her over and over hoping she can hear him.
Sam and Roberto catch up and notice Rahne and Clint's appearances the neck brand and the bloody clothes and hands.
"Jesus Christ!" Sam says in shock of the two.
"Whoa is that real? That's real see I told you guys this shits real!" Roberto says with a 'I told you so' attitude.
Dani watches now from the middle of the hallway.
"What happened to them?" Dani asks worriedly.
"You happened!" A voice from behind says.
Dani turns to see Illyana standing there free as a bird giving Dani a death glare.
"It's Dani it's all Dani!" Illyana announces to the rest of the others as she slowly walks toward Dani.
Dani looks at the blonde incredulously, "I didn't do anything." She argues.
"You brought this evil here!" Illyana snaps back at her.
"I now know your power new girl." Illyana states as her right shoulder and arm become encased in a blue glow as a metallic armor forms over them.
"Let me show you mine." Illyana simply says then lunges at Dani with her eyes glowing pure blue as a portal opens with Illyana and Dani both going through.
"Illyana, no powers!" Dr. Reyes tries to call out.
Illyana wraps her hands around Dani's throat choking her pinning the dark haired Native American beneath her. Dani gasps for breath but Illyana doesn't give.
Dani then gets a quick memory flash of a little girl with blonde hair in a bed being pounced on by a group of men wearing white smiley face masks.
Suddenly that same mask appears on Dani's face causing Illyana to scream in terror jumping back to the hallway together where Dr. Reyes takes a hold of Illyana injecting her with a sedative in the side of her neck.
Illyana looks up at Dr. Reyes with all the will power she has left to stay awake.
"She's in our heads she'll kill us all." Illyana warns barely before her eyes close slipping into unconsciousness.
Dr. Reyes looks up at Dani for a moment as the girl hold her neck taking in a few big lungfuls of air.
Dr. Reyes proceeds to get up holding Illyana's body dragging it back to her room as the purple puppet Lockheed falls out of Illyana lifeless grasp remaining on the floor in the hallway.
Dani still gasping for air eyes the puppet then picking it up and pocketing it.
Later on in Illyana's room a bunch of crayons are moving back and forth on their own while Illyana now fully awake is sitting crisscross on the cold floor drawing a picture.
There's a knock at the door but Illyana doesn't acknowledge it. The door opens revealing Dani who enters the room looking at Illyana carefully.
"Something's happening to me and I can't control it." Dani says openly to the girl who still doesn't acknowledge her presence.
"That place you took me to was it Hell?" Dani asks out of curiosity.
Illyana remains focused on her drawing but shakes her head 'no'. "Limbo! It's place we made up." Illyana answers truthfully.
"'We?'" Dani asks unaware of who the Russian is referring to.
"Me and Lockheed." She clarifies.
Dani takes a few steps closer reaching into her back pocket to revel the little purple dragon puppet. She bends down slowly down to the ground reaching out her hand with the puppet, "I brought someone for you." Dani says softly.
Illyana brings her gaze up and quickly claims Lockheed holding him against her chest eyeing Dani who give a passive expression.
Silence fills the room between the two girls.
Illyana looks at Dani with a glimmer of respect as if she's trying to say 'thank you' non verbally to her.
Taking a deep breath in as tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. "At first it was just our special place. We went there in our minds whenever something bad was about to happen…" Illyana explains pausing for a minute.
"We went there so much, stayed there so long it became real." She whispers.
Dani interjects for a moment, "I saw a memory it wasn't mine." Dani says softly knowing full well it was Illyana's.
A tear falls down Illyana cheek at the pain and trauma of the memory.
Dani hesitates for a moment before begging the question on her mind, "Who were they?" She asks.
Illyana sniffles for a moment, "I never knew any of their names, they were all the same, they made us cry…..and it made them smile." Illyana chokes out.
Dani offers her a sympathetic look of comfort that she know Illyana needs right now looking down at the drawing of a little girl at the center with demonic smiley men surrounding her as if to grab her.
Elsewhere in the building in the control room Dr. Reyes is finishing up some reports typing on her keyboard. Suddenly she gets a little beep on one of the monitor screens reading 'SYSTEM NOTIFICATION' then it quickly switches to 'INCOMING MESSAGES'.
Dr. Reyes watches as she opens it downloading the first message.
ANALYSIS REPORT FOR MOONSTAR, DANIELLE
Subject presents extreme danger
Collect additional DNA samples
Terminate subject
Dr. Reyes eyes the message carefully then pops up on top of the message 'DR. REYES CONFIRMATION CODE:'
Dr. Reyes enters her code as the message disappears and up pops a diamond looking emblem reading 'ESSEX CORPORATION' confirmation received.
The screen closes to bring up the next message that's being downloaded Dr. Reyes watches carefully.
ANALYSIS REPORT FOR FINCHAM, CLINT
Subject presents extreme danger
Life functions critical condition
Prep subject for transport
Dr. Reyes skims through it before the confirmation code comes up again which she enters as the message on the screen disappears again pops up a few hexagon emblems reading 'LIFE FOUNDATION' confirmation received.
One can only wonder what'll happen next.