Chapter 11
This is dedicated to all those people out there who have given me the encouragement to keep writingJ
"Where were you?" He demanded from the easy chair.
"I-I was studying," Marie managed to choke out. It was as though this wasn't her body…she couldn't think clearly…
"You were supposed to be home at six," her father growled…
No, Marie thought, her mind caught in a foggy daze, this isn't me…
The huge man stood up, an outline against the glaring light of the nearby lamp. She could smell the strong reek of alcohol, and she saw the empty bottles of beer, glittering in the light.
"No, Daddy, please," she pleaded.
"Dammit, I'll show you what happens when you don't listen to me."
Marie was roughly shoved across the room, where she fell, banging her head on the corner of an end table. Pain coursed through her body as she helplessly begged him to stop.
Nononononono…
With one final vicious kick to her ribs, he stormed off, leaving her alone. Marie curled up into a fetal position, feeling the warm blood trickling from her nose and trying hard to open her right eye, which stayed numbly shut. All she could think about was how the girls would laugh at her in gym tomorrow, and Pam and her friends would say that she tripped over her own feet again…
"What's the matter, kid?" Logan's voice tore Marie out of her trance.
"No-nothing. Ah'm fine," she answered, her voice quivering with uncertainty. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the others, but Wolverine noticed her discomfort.
"Doesn't look like ya are. Are ya having those memories again?"
"Yeah. But-but Ah have to help Kurt and Ororo, ya know?"
Logan didn't say anything, but felt admiration for Rogue. He understood how hard this must have been for her.
"Are we really going to be breaking in?" Kitty nervously said aloud.
"Yep. And there's gonna be a fight, I can smell it," Wolverine replied.
Kitty turned pale.
"Tha's it ahead," Marie said, pointing to a decrepit factory in front of her. The building was old and one could easily tell that it had long since been abandoned.
"What are they going to do to them?" Kitty questioned as she slid down behind a bush next to Rogue.
"They're going to kill them, and broadcast it to tha world. Except Mystique is gonna appear like that mutant hatin' senator. Ah think they want mutants to be 'fraid of humans."
"And they're-they're really going to hurt Kurt and Storm?"
Rogue nodded, her teeth clenched.
Kitty looked sick.
A few feet ahead, Cyclops indicated that they should start circling the building.
**
"This is going to be so cool!" Toad said, rubbing his hands like some kind of cliched villain.
Fred gazed over at Darkholme, who was now in the shape of some senator. A polished gun glistened in her hand as she instructed Pietro and Lance to set up the cameras. Behind them, in a dark corner, Aileen stood, bony hands folded across her chest.
"Man, your girlfriend's creepy," Fred commented.
"At least I have one."
"Hey, I can have any girl I want," he replied belligerently.
"Sure, whatever."
Fred glared down at Tolensky, who grinned.
Lance, who had finished adjusting the huge camera, gave a thumbs up to Darkholme. The principal, in the guise of the balding senator, smiled icily and loaded the gun while Storm watched, her eyes wide with terror. Mystique sauntered up to her captives, the weapon by her side, and leaned down close to Ororo.
"It certainly is ironic that you will be ruining Xavier's school. After this, every mutant will flock to Magneto," she explained.
Storm struggled and managed to free her mouth from the stained rag around her mouth.
"Please. Do whatever you want with me, but let Kurt go."
Mystique just laughed cruelly, her eyes gleaming their natural gold for a split second. She did not acknowledge Storm's plea; instead, she stood up, raising the gun slowly. Ororo's face paled, even as there was a tremendous explosion from the back, raining debris everywhere.
"What the hell?" Darkholme screeched, looking over her shoulder.
It was Xavier's brats, coming in through the hole they had just made in the wall.
"Get them!" She ordered, her skin turning cobalt and her hair lengthening. There was no way that she'd let the little devils ruin her plan again. Fred was the first to take off after them, charging like some unstoppable tank. Logan jumped at him, nimbly hopping onto his thick back and trying in vain to get his metallic claws through the Blob's layers of fat.
Like some enraged bull, Fred grunted and tried to heave Wolverine off, coming toward Kitty like a steam locomotive. She gasped and closed her eyes, phasing through him, just as Cyclops's bright red blast knocked the blubbery mutant over.
Toad and Avalanche rushed in to help their rotund buddy, and mayhem ensued. Kitty was vaguely aware of bodies being thrown everywhere, with Wolverine doing most of the tossing. Then she felt something slither across her leg, and she gazed down, shrieking when she saw the dozen cobras crawling over her.
Jean, who was trying to ward off that smelly freak, Toad, turned when she sensed the telepathic power behind her; it was Aileen, her ashen hands by her waist and her eyes glittering like those of a feral animal. Focusing her own psychic abilities, she fought off the gnawing fear and started to push toward Phobia's mind, only to be kicked in the back of the head by Todd. Her breath was knocked out of her and landed flat on her face.
Meanwhile, Mystique was advancing on Ororo and Kurt, who had just waken up, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Time to finish this," Darkholme snarled, and was steadying the gun when a set of hands reached around and grabbed her neck, sucking the life from her. Moaning, she fell over, and Rogue stepped past her prone body, a small knife in hand.
"Don't worry, y'all. Ah'm gonna get ya out of thar," Marie comforted them, working the sharp knife across the ropes.
"Oh no, you don't."
Rogue whirled to face Aileen, who looked like some demonness that had crawled out of a sulfur pit. The raven haired girl had snatched up Mystique's gun, and was now pointing it at Marie's heart.
"Don't do it, Aileen. Ah know you're not like 'em," she said softly, dropping the knife and raising her hands.
"What do you know about me?"
"Ah-Ah know tha' you're bitter cause you was hurt. But ya don't have to hurt people for it."
Aileen's face darkened, and her grip tightened.
"How do you know that?"
"Ah saw your memories. Ah saw how people hurt you in tha' past, like your dad. But we ain't gonna hurt y'all, Aileen."
"That's what everyone says," Phobia spat, though her voice shook and her dark eyes were brimming with tears.
"Please, put down tha' gun-."
"I-," Aileen said, looking like some frightened little girl. Marie tried her best to smile, reaching out a hand to her-
"Rogue, move!" Scott shouted, and she felt alarm course through her when she realized his intentions.
"No, Scott! Don't-," Marie protested, but it was too late. His blast struck one of the heavy cameras, and it toppled onto Aileen, sending the dazed girl sprawling. Rogue hurried over to her, even as Cyclops freed Kurt and Ororo.
Aileen was lying there, the camera resting on her lower legs. She had bitten her lower lip, and a thick stream of dark crimson flowed from her mouth.
"Get away from me!" She howled, clawing at Marie, her trust and legs broken. In the background, Logan instructed them to move faster. Rogue retreated, certain that she had mouthed that she was sorry.
**
"How you feeling?" Tolensky inquired from the doorway, wondering if he should turn on the light or not. It was so damn dark in here, and his girlfriend was only a shadow in the blackness.
"Fine." Her answer was cold, devoid of emotion.
"Uh, 'k."
He scampered out, nervous. In the room, Aileen stared out of the small window into the starless night, watching as the X-men played a game of basketball. Her eyes were inhumanely icy, but her smile was one of deranged mirth.
"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."
-Michael Pritchard