All Mixed Up
Sabretooth is pacing in the cabin, growling and staring at the four mutants he has tied up in the corner of the single room of the building. Donovan is in bad shape. Sabretooth had taken most of his rage out on her, tearing her up pretty badly. She's not bleeding but her skin is jagged and full of holes. She is very dizzy as though she's lost a lot of blood. She can barely keep her eyes open.
Warren is starting to worry about her. She hasn't spoken since Sabretooth bound her with pieces of the bed frame almost half an hour earlier. She keeps nodding off and then jolting upright again.
Jennifer has been bound with the other parts of the bed frame. She feels her strength receding. Sabretooth had torn out most of the wiring that kept her industrial strength flowing through her body. She is essentially human as far as her physical prowess is concerned. The pain she feels is keeping her from concentrating on using her powers to take away Sabretooth's mutant abilities.
Rogue is being held by a rope that keeps her hanging upside down from the ceiling. As Sabretooth passes, he pushes her a bit to keep her swinging. She feels ill and is keeping her eyes on Donovan. There had been absolutely no recognition in Donovan's eyes when she looked at Rogue.
Donovan suddenly stiffens up. She gets up, despite the bed frame holding her arms to her sides. Sabretooth turns as Donovan launches at him. "What the.."
Donovan suddenly goes totally stiff and crashes to the floor a few feet from her target. Sabretooth walks toward her slowly. "Don't be dead yet, Milady! I ain't even close t' done with ya!"
"She's turned to stone," Jennifer says, slightly amused. "She might as well be dead."
"NO!" Rogue and Warren scream. They both struggle against their restraints desperately. Rogue is sobbing heavily.
Sabretooth is very upset. "How am I s'posed t' torture ya when one o' yer members up and kills herself?"
ELSEWHERE:
Donovan opens her eyes, disoriented and very nauseas. She moans and stands up shakily. Looking around doesn't help her illness, however. Everything around her is totally black. There seems to be no end to her environment, no up or down, walls, floors or ceilings. All just empty space. She doesn't even feel as though she's standing on anything. She retches but finds that she cannot vomit.
Sorry, love. Here on the astral plane, bodily functions don't really work, a gentle voice whispers in Donovan's ear.
Donovan turns and sees a beautiful young woman with short blond hair and pretty brown eyes. She is wearing a pale green dress and matching slippers. She is one of the most beautiful girls she's ever seen. Donovan finds herself comparing this woman to the girl she'd seen tied up at the cabin.
That would be Rogue. The girl you struggled not to care about because of me, the girl before her says softly. But I ended up letting you go… and this is where we end up.
What do you mean? Donovan asks. She shakes her head. Are we talking in our heads?
Kind of. Since we're in your head, we don't have much choice but to speak telepathically, because sound doesn't actually travel, you know? the girl replies. She sees the confusion on Donovan's face. Doesn't matter, the technical stuff's not important. What is important is that I finally get to talk to you again!
Who are you? Donovan asks, feeling foolish for not recognizing this aspect of her own mind. She wonders what had happened to make her forget so much of her past.
The girl reaches out and takes Donovan's hand. Donovan is annoyed at the lack of sensation but ignores it. I'm Mandy Harper. I died about a year ago when someone shot at you. Being a telepath, I was in your mind at the time of my death so my psychic energy was transferred to your mind. So we share the same space, in a sense.
Donovan scratches her head. You were shot? But bullets don't really hurt me…
Ironic, isn't it? Neither of us knew at the time what your abilities allowed you to do or withstand. Besides, it's not like I took the bullet for you, though I gladly would have done it. The moron missed you and hit me, Mandy says with a wry smile.
I'm so sorry, Donovan doesn't know what to say. She feels pity for this girl who is forced to live in someone else's mind because of some bigoted idiot but doesn't feel any real attachment because of what she can't remember. She looks down and closes her eyes. I wish I could do something. But I can't even recall some of the most trivial events of my life before I met Warren. I certainly don't remember any kind of death important to me.
Mandy places a hand on Donovan's forehead. You will.
Donovan shrieks as the first sensation she receives while in this astral plane happens to be a searing jolt of pain. She lurches backward and feels as though she'll fall forever. She is stopped as Mandy appears behind her to stop her.
Images flash all around the two girls. Hundreds of images for the years of memory that had been wiped away. Donovan feels ill again as it all speeds past her. How am I supposed to remember anything if I can't see any of it clearly?
But Donovan does remember. It all floods her inner mind just as quickly as it flashes through the space around her. She drops to her knees, wanting to cry but unable to. She stares up at Mandy, who is smiling weakly. I know this is hard to take, love. But you know as well as I do how necessary that was.
Donovan throws her arms around Mandy, showering the girl in kisses that neither actually feels but appreciates just as much. How could I have forgotten you? But… wait, I thought you let me go. I thought you, left.
There was no where for me to go. I had to sit back and watch your life but not interfere. But now you're here and I really had no choice. You need to know what's going on before going back out there.
Donovan shakes her head. I can't leave you again. I love you too much. Nothing else matters.
If you don't get out there, they're going to die, Mandy says. I've been watching them while we've been down here, mentally, of course. Sabretooth plans on skinning Rogue, tearing the wings off of Warren, and pulling the machinery out of Jennifer.
If it wasn't for Jennifer, none of this would have happened. She deserves all that she gets, Donovan replies coldly.
Mandy smiles lovingly. But could you honestly go through life knowing that you let her die? You're not that heartless. Besides, what about Warren? He saved you when no one else would have given you a second look. And Rogue? You care about her.
Rogue… Donovan takes a deep breath, not getting any oxygen but feeling a little better. I do care about her. But she's not you. She's probably not even gay.
Doesn't matter what she is. She's still a person. A girl who needs help badly. You remember now what she has to live with. She's scared, alone, and she does look up to you a great deal. You have to save her, Mandy replies. Besides, I'm always going to be here. Even when you move on to someone new, I'll always be here in your mind, loving you and taking care of you.
Donovan hugs Mandy again. How do I get out of here? How do I come back?
I brought you here because you were hurt badly and needed to heal. I'm sure the stone casing restorative capability has finished. Just think about going back to where you were. And the same holds true for coming back. Just think about wanting to be with me and you will be, Mandy explains. Now go, before anything else happens to them.
In the real world, unnoticed by Sabretooth or his captives, the stone shell around Donovan's body begins to crack.