Chapter 8

Misty sat next to Logan and stared into the fire.  They had decided to camp it out for the night and continue the search tomorrow, a fact that she wouldn't mind so much if there weren't so many mesquites.

"Ouch," she slapped her neck as another one bit her.

Logan sent her a wry look, "if you keep doing that yer gonna injure yerself kid."

Misty glared at him, "my names Misty, not kid, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

Logan shrugged, "ya look like a kid to me."

Remy laughed as Misty rolled her eyes, he didn't know why the man got such a kick out of tormenting her, but it sure was funny to watch.

"Come mon p'tite, Logan mean nothing by it, non?  It be a pet name."

Logan snorted, "kinda like Fido."

Misty threw a rock at Logan and it bounced off his head, which only made Remy laugh harder.

"The two of you are impossible."

Logan nodded, "that's what I've been told."

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Dim sat on the patio watching the stars when Scott came out.  He saw the large man who had been his friend, who had protected and cared for him when he didn't know whom he was, and it broke his heart to see him so sad.

He walked up to him and sat next to him on the bench.

"Is everything alright?" He asked softly, placing his hand on the larger man's arm.

Dim turned to look at him and smiled sadly, "Dim do not understand why things happen this way."

Scott nodded, he knew that to this large gentleman, the events that had happened were mind boggling.

"Well Dim, I guess it's really hard for anyone to understand, but in the end everyone did what they thought was best. They all tried to help in their own way."

"Even friend Claire?"

Scott nodded, "Even Claire."

"Then why is she gone? Doesn't she like us anymore?"

Scott rubbed his forehead with his hand, "its not that she doesn't like us Dim, she is just going through something really hard right now.  She got hurt real bad and it is taking her awhile to get better."

Dim was silent for a moment and then his shoulders started to shake and Scott realized he was crying. He stood up and wrapped his arms around the larger man's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" He whispered into his ear.

"Dim didn't help," his voice was shaky, "Dim left friend Claire there and now she's gone, its all Dims fault."

Scott felt tears build in his eyes and he felt like choking, Dim actually thought what had happened was on his shoulders. Scott tightened his grip on his resting his cheek on his friend's head.

"Listen to me, i no one/i blames you.  Not me, not the X-men, and most of all not Claire.  Your one of the few people who was kind to her and she'll never forget that."

Dim nodded, and sobbed softly into Scott's shoulder.

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Claire woke up with the feeling of weightlessness.  She opened her eyes as she saw that she was encased in something but when she reached her hand forward to touch it she couldn't.  She was being held in stasis by gale force winds that were circling her and holding her a loft.

"Now don't try to get out of it my dear, you will only hurt yourself." Gerald's voice came out of a speaker at the top of the container.

"What in the hell are ya doin?" Claire asked, glaring at him.

Gerald simply smiled serenely, she looked quiet beautiful suspended as she was, her loose white clothing flowing around her, her hair just long enough to be caught in the breeze.

"I am simply doing what we were supposed to do years ago."

"We?"

"Yes Claire, before you disappeared."

Claire watched as the scientists behind him worked hurriedly.  "Let me repeat the question, what is going on?"

"Oh them?" He looked behind at them dismissivly.  "They are getting ready for the experiment.

Claire had a sinking feeling that she was the experiment.  She looked around the glass globe she was in, she was about 3 feet from its surface all around, but to her frustration she could not penetrate the force field the wind created.

She heard the whir of gears and she looked to see multiple mirrors being pulled into place, all the while everyone ignored her.

"Now my dear, what is going to happen is we are going to accelerate rays of light until they gain such a speed that it will put stress onto your body."

"Why are ya gonna do that?"

Gerald shook his head, "why are iyou going/i to do that my dear, there is no excuse for poor grammar."  He simply shrugged when she glared at him.

"We already explained this my dear, we want to create anti-matter."

Claire studied him for a moment, she didn't see how that involved her. Gerald laughed when he saw her confusion and he walked up next to the glass.

"Not to worry, you shall understand soon enough!" He turned to look a Kovak who nodded that he was ready and Claire watched as Gerald moved away from the glass and slipped dark glasses over his eyes, and everyone else in the room did the same.

There was a series of whirring noises as machines were put into place, positioning itself for what ever was to come.

"Now do not worry my sweet," Gerald spoke, "this will only hurt a little."

Claire pounded against the airflow, trying to get at the surface, screaming profanities at him, but it did no use. She watched as a laser heated up and suddenly released a ray of light so bright that she had to turn away and cover her face.  The light refracted off of the mirrors until there was soon a web of light surrounding her and slowly closing in as it bounced back and forth, criss-crossing around her body. Soon the heat became unbearable and her skin started to blister.

Gerald watched as Claire fought not to scream, admiring her courage, but at the same time knowing it was in vain.

"We are almost there," he whispered to Kovak, who nodded and turned up the power.

In the container Claire felt something building with her, starting at her sternum and working it's way down into her abdomen and into her arms and legs. She squeezed her eyes shut, it hurt so much, as if it was burning from her insides out.  The only thing she could think of was how she was going to hurt Gerald when she got out of this.

Suddenly it was as it something popped in her body, and the build up of pressure seemed to flow out of her as if it were water.

Gerald watched in awe as the energy flowed from Claire's body, coming out in silk like strands from her limbs.  The substance exploded with a heat that he could feel from where he was standing when it hit the wall of air, but the energy was either not strong enough, or the barrier was too thick for it to pass all the way through.

Kovak killed the energy supply to the laser and the light stopped, however the room remained illuminated by the energy circling Claire as she floated in the middle of the sphere.  She looked around her and reached out towards the strange blue light, pulling back when it burnt her on contact.

Gerald watched this, "interesting, she cannot reabsorb it."

Claire looked through the glass at Gerald, so this was anti-matter, it didn't seem so impressive to her.

"This is it?" She asked and Kovak walked forward.

"Do not be fooled by its beauty, it must be contained in this space, not touching  anything or it will explode."

Claire narrowed her eyes; the man had just made his first mistake.