* * *
Too rugged for my tastes, but he smelled good. Flung me over his shoulder like a bag o' dirty laundry. In the instant he'd grabbed me Ah'd decided ta play along, see where they took me an' what Ah could learn there. Ah knew Trask must be close an' my mouth had watered at that. When Ah found him, Ah knew Ah had ta stop him: for what he'd done and for what he would do.
My nose pressed into the man's shoulder blade. Ah had plenty o' time ta contemplate th' scent while he took me outta the cell. Cool Water? Hugo? Not like Ah'd been shoppin' for cologne anytime recently. Spicy an' herbal, like a walk in the woods. Filled my nose 'till Ah suspected Ah might be drownin' in it. Ah raised my head an' rested my chin against his back, hopin' that the sharp point might be diggin' in just a little. The man he'd called Wipeout followed closely behind. He seemed outta place: tall an' skinny with thick glasses and a nervous flutter ta his hands. Lookin' more closely Ah could see beads of sweat hangin' like pearls at his hairline.
Ah knew then that he musta been real powerful for them ta keep him around. Wondered if he were a psychic like Jean or the Professor. Experimentin', Ah thought o' the rudest word Ah knew, screamin' it inside my head. Wipeout didn't react a bit, just kept trudgin' behind, watchin' me an' sweatin'.
They carried me into an enormous room. The hum o' machinery was like a chant. Footsteps behind me an' another male voice. Not Trask.
"Put her down over here, Hawkshaw."
Ah was dumped unceremoniously onto a stainless steel table, cuffs at my wrists an' ankles. "That's enough. Thank you, Wipeout," Hawkshaw said. Ah got my first look at the man who'd spoken. He was almost pretty, with full pink lips an' brilliant blue eyes. Somethin' in that softness frightened me more than if he'd been as big as Mr. McCoy and twice as strong. It was th' fanatical glaze that blinkered his vision. Ah was a puzzle piece ta him and Ah needed ta know the entire picture.
The man snapped on a pair o' surgical gloves. Ah noticed Hawkshaw had done th' same. The man drew amber liquid into a syringe. "Hold her arm," the man said. Ah squirmed at that, tearing my skin against the metal cuffs. "Keep her still!"
Hawkshaw clamped his hands down on my upper arms. Ah tried ta bite him and he slapped my face, not hard, but enough ta sting. "Hurry up, Tam," Hawkshaw urged. Ah lunged at him again and my reward was a slap that made my ears ring. Ah felt the quick pain as the syringe went into my arm, pressure as Tam injected th' liquid.
"What is it?" Ah growled at them, doin' a fair impression o' Logan.
They ignored me.
"How long?" Hawkshaw asked.
"Not long," Tam answered, all business. He pressed a button in the wall. "We're ready for you, Bolivar."
My head was spinnin'. Ah felt nauseous, but that mighta been fear. Ah closed my eyes, tryin' ta concentrate on my breathin'. Helped a little. Ah heard their voices as if we were all in a tunnel.
Heard a hiss o' a door openin'. "Gentlemen." That voice...ran through me like lightnin'. Trask. My eyes snapped open. The world was a wash o' colors with no distinct lines. Ah could see them all by the door, but they were blobs. My nausea rose. Ah swallowed bile. "We should get started."
"Where's Doctor Moreau?" Hawkshaw asked.
"He will not be assisting in this case. Prep the subject."
Something wet on my arm. My body was comin' apart. Ah felt a dull pressure. Wetness runnin' down ta my wrist. Fingers on my arm, holdin' the skin taut. Prick o' a blade runnin' all th' way down. Ah wouldn't give 'em the pleasure o' a scream.
"Do you have the electrode?" Trask asked.
"Here."
His hands were surprisingly gentle on my arm. But then...Ah can hardly think o' it. Somethin' went down under my skin and Ah woulda fought against it only Ah couldn't move. My body was too far away. All Ah could manage was a whimper. Ah felt one o' those gentle hands touch my forehead. "Too much like Tonya," he murmured. Ah could barely hear him. Louder he said, "Now let's do the other arm."
"What about the legs?" Tam asked.
"If we have time," Trask replied. "We don't want to compromise the subject's recovery by keeping her under too long."
They repeated the process on the other side. By that time, whatever they'd given me was wearin' off. Ah felt ribbons o' pain in each arm. By concentratin' hard Ah found Ah could move my head a little, but when Ah looked all Ah could see were clean white wrappings over my skin. Ah was frightened by what might be inside.
When they were done, Hawkshaw lifted me again, this time carryin' me against his chest. "Where's Wipeout?" he asked. Ah could hear th' words rumblin' inside.
"He's occupied right now," Trask said. "You'll just have to be careful. Don't touch her skin until you get back to the cellblock."
Wipeout. My skin. Don't touch. Cellblock. Ah saved th' words for later when Ah could be sure ta understand 'em. Hawkshaw moved under me with a steady gait, but each step was a challenge ta my heavin' stomach. Ah musta passed out a little, 'cause the next thing Ah knew, Hawkshaw was dumpin' me onto the cot in my cell.
As soon as he closed the door, Remy's face appeared in the grate between th' cells. "Comment ça va (how are you)?" he asked immediately.
Ah rolled my head ta face him. "Ah've seen better days," Ah told him with difficulty.
"Y' want t' talk 'bout it?"
A wave o' nausea rolled over me again. "Ah'd rather not. Why don't ya tell me somethin' nice instead."
"Nice?"
Ah closed my eyes. "Interestin'. Somethin' Ah'd like."
"Like t' take you out proper when dis is all over."
"An' how do Ah know that'd be nice?" Ah managed weakly.
Remy chuckled. "We argue 'bout dat later, non?" He was quiet a minute, 'till Ah thought he wasn't gonna say anythin' else, but then he continued in a serious voice. "At night, I used t' take my bike out t' de highway dat runs into Nawlins t' watch de trucks come t'rough. At night when dere all lit up, dey look like spaceships flying near de ground. Used t' t'ink dat of all de t'ings t' do in de world dat might suit me best."
The pain in my arms had settled into a dull throb an' Ah was driftin' off ta sleep, but Ah wanted ta hear the rest o' Remy's story. "Why?"
"Diff'rent roads t' take. Always lookin' for de best one I figure. No set path t' follow." Ah remember thinkin' that was a nice idea. "Fais do-do (go to sleep)," Remy whispered.
* * *
Rogue been gone a li'l bit when de doctor came t' see me. Didn't stand on ceremony, just unlocked de door and stepped right in. Pulled out a scalpel and I backed into de corner. Didn't figure t' go wit'out a fight, powers or no.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. De man seemed tired an' beaten. Dere was somet'ing in dat combination dat made me want t' believe him.
"Why don't you put down dat t'ing and we talk, hein?"
He shook his head. "That thing in your neck?"
"What about dat?"
"Do you want it out or not?"
"I don't turn my back t' nobody."
"You will if you want that thing out." He circled 'round t' my side den, just like I was some skittish animal and he was afraid I'd bite him.
"Laisser les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)," I muttered grimly an' turned my back t' him.
Dat was some kinda pain. De doctor was tryin' t' be careful, but dat didn't change de fact dat he was cuttin' me open wit'out de benefit o' anesthetic. De hurt was like liquid under my skin. "How come my powers don't work here?" I gasped, tryin' t' take my mind offa t'ings.
"There's a general dampening field around the detention area, but it's not perfect. If you really tried I think you could push through it. I'm not sure what would happen on the other side though. Your powers would most likely be weak, but it's also possible that they could come out explosively. No one's ever done it before."
"Dat what you want me t' do?" De doctor had finished wit' de incision and pulled out a pair of tweezers. Dere was a little flash of pain and den he was holding a bloody chip so I could see. "What's dat?"
"The first stage in a process Trask and I invented." He shook his head and continued, almost as if he was talkin' t' himself. "It was never supposed to be like this."
"Be like what?"
He jumped, like he was rememberin' I was dere. "We found a way to control mutant powers, put them to good use. The process was almost complete when Trask's daughter, Tonya, she...vanished one day."
"Kidnapped?"
"No. Literally vanished. She was a mutant and that was her power. She couldn't control it, she was too young. After, Trask changed. Even I'm not sure what he's thinking these days."
"Dere somet'ing you want me t' do 'bout dat?" De old mercenary's role slipped down on my head before I knew it. I didn't want t' get involved in de doctor's private battles. From what I'd seen back at de house, dere was more t' it den he was saying. De words slipped out and den dere was no way t' take dem back.
De doctor looked at me coldly. No one likes de hired guns, but den most people need dem at one time o' another. "No. All I want you to do is take Tom, Jenny and Rogue and get them out of here before Trask completes the process."
"What is dis process?"
"We use electrical impulses to tap into the mutant nervous system." Despite de current situation, de doctor couldn't help but let a little pride seep into his voice.
"You turn mutants into slaves. C'est vrai ça (is that true)?"
"That's not exactly..."
"It's de truth, isn't it?"
"Keep your voice down. I'm risking a great deal to be here. You'll ruin everything."
"I'm risking a great deal t' be here and so's Rogue and everyone else you got locked up in dis funhouse. You invented dis process t' control mutant powers, why didn't you ever consider dat mutants might be able t' do it for demselves?" I was getting too angry, but it felt good t' say it. "Take away free will and den what kind o' world you got?"
De doctor looked like he didn't know whether t' be embarrassed or angry. He chose t' retreat. "If you're going to get out of here, you have to do it tonight. They'll come for you first thing in the morning." He turned t' go.
"Wait! Rogue's got some friends. Dey were captured by Trask. Dey must be here somewhere."
De doctor looked puzzled. "Trask does many things these days without telling me, but if they're mutants they're probably in recovery on the other side of the complex. It takes about a week to synch the devices with the subject's neural impulses."
"What are dey doin' t' Rogue now?" I asked. Fear made me cold.
He didn't answer, just shut de door behind him.
When dey brought Rogue back, I tasted relief. Was like cream in my throat. Hard t' see her on her cot. She rolled back into de corner, her pale skin shinin' in de dim light.
"Why don't ya tell me somethin' nice instead," she said.
Dat caught me by surprise. Woulda figured she wanted t' talk strategy, not hear sweet not'ings. "Nice?"
"Interestin'. Somethin' Ah'd like." Wanted t' charm her, like I'd done t' so many others. But den I was nervous dat de words wouldn't come, or dat I wouldn't know of de right t'ing t' say dat she might like. Never wanted t' touch anyone more in my life. Reassure both o' us dat we were still alive. But den I got t' t'inkin' 'bout how nice it might be t' get away an' forget dat we stood on opposite sides o' de fence. Magneto seemed a distant memory t' me den, but I didn't know what Xavier was t' her.
"Like t' take you out proper when dis is all over." My voice shook at de end. Hoped she didn't hear dat.
"An' how do Ah know that'd be nice?" she countered softly.
Had t' laugh at dat. De girl certainly could keep her wits 'bout her. "We argue 'bout dat later, non?" Dat's when I t'ought o' de perfect t'ing. Closed my eyes and 't was like I was right dere in de moment I wanted t' describe for her: exhaust fumes, de swish o' tires, heaviness in de summer air and de rising feeling while de trucks came down. "At night, I used t' take my bike out t' de highway dat runs into Nawlins t' watch de trucks come t'rough. At night when dere all lit up, dey look like spaceships flying near de ground. Used t' t'ink dat of all de t'ings t' do in de world dat might suit me best."
"Why?" Could tell she was tired. Didn't have time for de longer explanation. Realized I didn't want t' give her de longer explanation. Had t' save somet'ing for later when we went out proper like normal people.
"Diff'rent roads t' take. Always lookin' for de best one I figure. No set path t' follow." Dere was an ache in my chest when I realized dat I'd given all dat up fighting wit' Jean-Luc and leavin' home. "Fais do-do (go to sleep)."
Too rugged for my tastes, but he smelled good. Flung me over his shoulder like a bag o' dirty laundry. In the instant he'd grabbed me Ah'd decided ta play along, see where they took me an' what Ah could learn there. Ah knew Trask must be close an' my mouth had watered at that. When Ah found him, Ah knew Ah had ta stop him: for what he'd done and for what he would do.
My nose pressed into the man's shoulder blade. Ah had plenty o' time ta contemplate th' scent while he took me outta the cell. Cool Water? Hugo? Not like Ah'd been shoppin' for cologne anytime recently. Spicy an' herbal, like a walk in the woods. Filled my nose 'till Ah suspected Ah might be drownin' in it. Ah raised my head an' rested my chin against his back, hopin' that the sharp point might be diggin' in just a little. The man he'd called Wipeout followed closely behind. He seemed outta place: tall an' skinny with thick glasses and a nervous flutter ta his hands. Lookin' more closely Ah could see beads of sweat hangin' like pearls at his hairline.
Ah knew then that he musta been real powerful for them ta keep him around. Wondered if he were a psychic like Jean or the Professor. Experimentin', Ah thought o' the rudest word Ah knew, screamin' it inside my head. Wipeout didn't react a bit, just kept trudgin' behind, watchin' me an' sweatin'.
They carried me into an enormous room. The hum o' machinery was like a chant. Footsteps behind me an' another male voice. Not Trask.
"Put her down over here, Hawkshaw."
Ah was dumped unceremoniously onto a stainless steel table, cuffs at my wrists an' ankles. "That's enough. Thank you, Wipeout," Hawkshaw said. Ah got my first look at the man who'd spoken. He was almost pretty, with full pink lips an' brilliant blue eyes. Somethin' in that softness frightened me more than if he'd been as big as Mr. McCoy and twice as strong. It was th' fanatical glaze that blinkered his vision. Ah was a puzzle piece ta him and Ah needed ta know the entire picture.
The man snapped on a pair o' surgical gloves. Ah noticed Hawkshaw had done th' same. The man drew amber liquid into a syringe. "Hold her arm," the man said. Ah squirmed at that, tearing my skin against the metal cuffs. "Keep her still!"
Hawkshaw clamped his hands down on my upper arms. Ah tried ta bite him and he slapped my face, not hard, but enough ta sting. "Hurry up, Tam," Hawkshaw urged. Ah lunged at him again and my reward was a slap that made my ears ring. Ah felt the quick pain as the syringe went into my arm, pressure as Tam injected th' liquid.
"What is it?" Ah growled at them, doin' a fair impression o' Logan.
They ignored me.
"How long?" Hawkshaw asked.
"Not long," Tam answered, all business. He pressed a button in the wall. "We're ready for you, Bolivar."
My head was spinnin'. Ah felt nauseous, but that mighta been fear. Ah closed my eyes, tryin' ta concentrate on my breathin'. Helped a little. Ah heard their voices as if we were all in a tunnel.
Heard a hiss o' a door openin'. "Gentlemen." That voice...ran through me like lightnin'. Trask. My eyes snapped open. The world was a wash o' colors with no distinct lines. Ah could see them all by the door, but they were blobs. My nausea rose. Ah swallowed bile. "We should get started."
"Where's Doctor Moreau?" Hawkshaw asked.
"He will not be assisting in this case. Prep the subject."
Something wet on my arm. My body was comin' apart. Ah felt a dull pressure. Wetness runnin' down ta my wrist. Fingers on my arm, holdin' the skin taut. Prick o' a blade runnin' all th' way down. Ah wouldn't give 'em the pleasure o' a scream.
"Do you have the electrode?" Trask asked.
"Here."
His hands were surprisingly gentle on my arm. But then...Ah can hardly think o' it. Somethin' went down under my skin and Ah woulda fought against it only Ah couldn't move. My body was too far away. All Ah could manage was a whimper. Ah felt one o' those gentle hands touch my forehead. "Too much like Tonya," he murmured. Ah could barely hear him. Louder he said, "Now let's do the other arm."
"What about the legs?" Tam asked.
"If we have time," Trask replied. "We don't want to compromise the subject's recovery by keeping her under too long."
They repeated the process on the other side. By that time, whatever they'd given me was wearin' off. Ah felt ribbons o' pain in each arm. By concentratin' hard Ah found Ah could move my head a little, but when Ah looked all Ah could see were clean white wrappings over my skin. Ah was frightened by what might be inside.
When they were done, Hawkshaw lifted me again, this time carryin' me against his chest. "Where's Wipeout?" he asked. Ah could hear th' words rumblin' inside.
"He's occupied right now," Trask said. "You'll just have to be careful. Don't touch her skin until you get back to the cellblock."
Wipeout. My skin. Don't touch. Cellblock. Ah saved th' words for later when Ah could be sure ta understand 'em. Hawkshaw moved under me with a steady gait, but each step was a challenge ta my heavin' stomach. Ah musta passed out a little, 'cause the next thing Ah knew, Hawkshaw was dumpin' me onto the cot in my cell.
As soon as he closed the door, Remy's face appeared in the grate between th' cells. "Comment ça va (how are you)?" he asked immediately.
Ah rolled my head ta face him. "Ah've seen better days," Ah told him with difficulty.
"Y' want t' talk 'bout it?"
A wave o' nausea rolled over me again. "Ah'd rather not. Why don't ya tell me somethin' nice instead."
"Nice?"
Ah closed my eyes. "Interestin'. Somethin' Ah'd like."
"Like t' take you out proper when dis is all over."
"An' how do Ah know that'd be nice?" Ah managed weakly.
Remy chuckled. "We argue 'bout dat later, non?" He was quiet a minute, 'till Ah thought he wasn't gonna say anythin' else, but then he continued in a serious voice. "At night, I used t' take my bike out t' de highway dat runs into Nawlins t' watch de trucks come t'rough. At night when dere all lit up, dey look like spaceships flying near de ground. Used t' t'ink dat of all de t'ings t' do in de world dat might suit me best."
The pain in my arms had settled into a dull throb an' Ah was driftin' off ta sleep, but Ah wanted ta hear the rest o' Remy's story. "Why?"
"Diff'rent roads t' take. Always lookin' for de best one I figure. No set path t' follow." Ah remember thinkin' that was a nice idea. "Fais do-do (go to sleep)," Remy whispered.
* * *
Rogue been gone a li'l bit when de doctor came t' see me. Didn't stand on ceremony, just unlocked de door and stepped right in. Pulled out a scalpel and I backed into de corner. Didn't figure t' go wit'out a fight, powers or no.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. De man seemed tired an' beaten. Dere was somet'ing in dat combination dat made me want t' believe him.
"Why don't you put down dat t'ing and we talk, hein?"
He shook his head. "That thing in your neck?"
"What about dat?"
"Do you want it out or not?"
"I don't turn my back t' nobody."
"You will if you want that thing out." He circled 'round t' my side den, just like I was some skittish animal and he was afraid I'd bite him.
"Laisser les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)," I muttered grimly an' turned my back t' him.
Dat was some kinda pain. De doctor was tryin' t' be careful, but dat didn't change de fact dat he was cuttin' me open wit'out de benefit o' anesthetic. De hurt was like liquid under my skin. "How come my powers don't work here?" I gasped, tryin' t' take my mind offa t'ings.
"There's a general dampening field around the detention area, but it's not perfect. If you really tried I think you could push through it. I'm not sure what would happen on the other side though. Your powers would most likely be weak, but it's also possible that they could come out explosively. No one's ever done it before."
"Dat what you want me t' do?" De doctor had finished wit' de incision and pulled out a pair of tweezers. Dere was a little flash of pain and den he was holding a bloody chip so I could see. "What's dat?"
"The first stage in a process Trask and I invented." He shook his head and continued, almost as if he was talkin' t' himself. "It was never supposed to be like this."
"Be like what?"
He jumped, like he was rememberin' I was dere. "We found a way to control mutant powers, put them to good use. The process was almost complete when Trask's daughter, Tonya, she...vanished one day."
"Kidnapped?"
"No. Literally vanished. She was a mutant and that was her power. She couldn't control it, she was too young. After, Trask changed. Even I'm not sure what he's thinking these days."
"Dere somet'ing you want me t' do 'bout dat?" De old mercenary's role slipped down on my head before I knew it. I didn't want t' get involved in de doctor's private battles. From what I'd seen back at de house, dere was more t' it den he was saying. De words slipped out and den dere was no way t' take dem back.
De doctor looked at me coldly. No one likes de hired guns, but den most people need dem at one time o' another. "No. All I want you to do is take Tom, Jenny and Rogue and get them out of here before Trask completes the process."
"What is dis process?"
"We use electrical impulses to tap into the mutant nervous system." Despite de current situation, de doctor couldn't help but let a little pride seep into his voice.
"You turn mutants into slaves. C'est vrai ça (is that true)?"
"That's not exactly..."
"It's de truth, isn't it?"
"Keep your voice down. I'm risking a great deal to be here. You'll ruin everything."
"I'm risking a great deal t' be here and so's Rogue and everyone else you got locked up in dis funhouse. You invented dis process t' control mutant powers, why didn't you ever consider dat mutants might be able t' do it for demselves?" I was getting too angry, but it felt good t' say it. "Take away free will and den what kind o' world you got?"
De doctor looked like he didn't know whether t' be embarrassed or angry. He chose t' retreat. "If you're going to get out of here, you have to do it tonight. They'll come for you first thing in the morning." He turned t' go.
"Wait! Rogue's got some friends. Dey were captured by Trask. Dey must be here somewhere."
De doctor looked puzzled. "Trask does many things these days without telling me, but if they're mutants they're probably in recovery on the other side of the complex. It takes about a week to synch the devices with the subject's neural impulses."
"What are dey doin' t' Rogue now?" I asked. Fear made me cold.
He didn't answer, just shut de door behind him.
When dey brought Rogue back, I tasted relief. Was like cream in my throat. Hard t' see her on her cot. She rolled back into de corner, her pale skin shinin' in de dim light.
"Why don't ya tell me somethin' nice instead," she said.
Dat caught me by surprise. Woulda figured she wanted t' talk strategy, not hear sweet not'ings. "Nice?"
"Interestin'. Somethin' Ah'd like." Wanted t' charm her, like I'd done t' so many others. But den I was nervous dat de words wouldn't come, or dat I wouldn't know of de right t'ing t' say dat she might like. Never wanted t' touch anyone more in my life. Reassure both o' us dat we were still alive. But den I got t' t'inkin' 'bout how nice it might be t' get away an' forget dat we stood on opposite sides o' de fence. Magneto seemed a distant memory t' me den, but I didn't know what Xavier was t' her.
"Like t' take you out proper when dis is all over." My voice shook at de end. Hoped she didn't hear dat.
"An' how do Ah know that'd be nice?" she countered softly.
Had t' laugh at dat. De girl certainly could keep her wits 'bout her. "We argue 'bout dat later, non?" Dat's when I t'ought o' de perfect t'ing. Closed my eyes and 't was like I was right dere in de moment I wanted t' describe for her: exhaust fumes, de swish o' tires, heaviness in de summer air and de rising feeling while de trucks came down. "At night, I used t' take my bike out t' de highway dat runs into Nawlins t' watch de trucks come t'rough. At night when dere all lit up, dey look like spaceships flying near de ground. Used t' t'ink dat of all de t'ings t' do in de world dat might suit me best."
"Why?" Could tell she was tired. Didn't have time for de longer explanation. Realized I didn't want t' give her de longer explanation. Had t' save somet'ing for later when we went out proper like normal people.
"Diff'rent roads t' take. Always lookin' for de best one I figure. No set path t' follow." Dere was an ache in my chest when I realized dat I'd given all dat up fighting wit' Jean-Luc and leavin' home. "Fais do-do (go to sleep)."