Agony and Fear

It was past midnight when Althea heard the noise. She turned on the light next to her bed and saw Wanda tossing and turning in her sleep. Immediately Althea got up and went to her bedside. "Wanda! Wanda wake up!" She shook her.

Wanda sat up with a gasp, shaking. "Are you okay?" Althea asked.

"I'm fine," Wanda shivered.

"You're not fine," Althea said. "You want me to get Cover Girl or my dad?"

Wanda shook her head. "Look I'm sorry I woke you up okay? I'll just sit a minute…"

"Come on," Althea sat on the bed. "Just put your head on my shoulder. It'll help calm you down."

"What? No way!"

"Relax. I do this with my little sisters all the time," Althea scrunched next to her. "When my mom first left us they really had a hard time with it at night. During the day they pretended they were all right. But at night…" She sighed. "I kind of have to be the mom sometimes."

"I guess that's pretty tough," Wanda muttered as she curled up next to her.

"It's not that bad," Althea shrugged. "Come on, it's gonna be okay. It's okay."

Wanda settled down. "I'm sorry," She sighed. "I just…It was about the hospital. I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," Althea said. "But if you ever wanna…you know?"

"Yeah I know," Wanda sighed. "They didn't…touch me if you know what I mean. But I was always afraid they would. I was terrified that if I let my guard down for even a moment…The looks on some of their faces…"

"Shhhh," Althea stroked her hair. "It's over now. They can't hurt you here. I won't let them."

"You won't?"

"No."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Okay."

"Were you ever captured? By Cobra?" Wanda asked.

Althea paused. "Once," She said softly. "Just before my water powers emerged. I try not to think about it. I wasn't really hurt or anything but let's just say there are a lot of unpleasant memories."

"Oh," Wanda said. "I'm sorry I got you up and everything."

"Forget about it. I don't mind. Like I said, I do this with my little sisters a lot. You know you're kind of like my sister now too," Althea said.

"Never thought of it like that," Wanda sighed. "Do me a favor? Don't ever tell Toad we did this! I think it might give him ideas."

"Trust me," Althea said. "I don't intend to. Go to sleep now." They stayed like that all through the night.

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Wanda wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares in the house. Pietro woke up to the sound of whimpers. He looked over to the side and saw Low Light twitching in his cot. It was decided that Low Light should share the basement room with Pietro for now since he seemed to encourage Claudius into staying awake.

"Low Light!" Pietro shook him. "Low Light!"

Low Light shot up, covered in sweat. "Low Light what's wrong?" Pietro asked.

"Nothing," Low Light sat back. "Just a dream."

"Was it about your father?" Pietro asked.

"No," Low Light sighed. "Not this time. It was about…a mission I was on. A long time ago."

"Oh," Pietro said quietly, understanding that such things were best not talked about. "Do you want to talk about something else to take your mind off of it?"

"What about kid?"

Pietro fidgeted. "That Mutant Registration Bill."

"Hmmm," Low Light mused. "I was wondering when you'd find out about that. So they're starting that up again. Last time it didn't even make it to the floor of the Congress."

"Yeah well it looks like it's got a chance of passing now," Pietro said bitterly.

"No it won't," Low Light told him.

"How do you know that?" Pietro said hotly.

"You're right," Low Light said. "I don't. I just have faith."

"Yeah that'll work," Pietro grumbled. "Humans will never accept us. They'll hunt us down and…"

"Don't say things like that!" Low Light snapped. He then softened. "Who am I kidding? A lot of humans will do that. Bit too eager. I've seen it before."

"Like with that general that killed those mutants?" Pietro asked.

"Yeah," Low Light sighed. "But that scumbag is the exception rather than the rule. I think."

"Well that's reassuring," Pietro groaned.

"It's a dangerous world for mutants, I won't deny that," Low Light sighed. "Right now, hiding is the best defense your kind has without starting a full fledged war."

"I hate this!" Pietro fumed.

"Yeah it stinks," Low Light sighed. "To be honest I don't know how we're gonna get through this. But we'll find a way."

"We? You're human! What do you have to worry about?"

Low Light sighed. "Yeah well, human sympathizers aren't exactly popular either if you hadn't noticed. That's why there's so few of us. Most people are more afraid of what other humans do rather than what mutants can do."

"The follow the herd instinct," Pietro said bitterly. "It's never going to get better is it?"

"Not if we allow those kinds of people to stay in power no," Low Light said. "We have to fight their hatred and hunger for power with all we have. I just hope we don't start Armageddon while we do it."

"Low Light, I'm scared," Pietro hung his head down in shame.

"Me too kid, me too."

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Morning came and went. That day everything seemed to be going smoothly. Until the middle of training. Lance started feeling a little queasy suddenly. Then it happened. A huge headache slammed into his brain for no reason. It hit him so hard and so fast it forced him to sink to his knees instantly. Before he knew it the ground started to shake around him.

"Avalanche!" Spirit ran over to him.

"Please make it stop," Lance whimpered. He screamed as his body shook violently. He couldn't stop shaking. His mouth started to spit foam.

"Oh god!" He heard Althea's voice. "There's blood coming out of his ears!"

Everything was a blur of pain and agony. He couldn't see or fathom what was happening. "Make it stop…" He howled as his world crashed around him. "Make it stop!"

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"What's wrong with him?" Todd cried out as they worked on Lance.

"He's having a severe attack," Roadblock told him. "Stay out of their way!"

The others could only watch helplessly as they witnessed the medics working on him. They followed behind at a distance as they took him inside to the infirmary.

"Lance…" Todd looked at the doors as they closed.

"What's gonna happen to him?" Fred looked like he was going to cry. "Is he gonna die?"

"No," Roadblock comforted him. "He's going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" Pietro cried out. "Didn't you see him? He was bleeding and foaming at the mouth and his eyes were rolled back! What if he had an aneurysm or something? If he hadn't passed out so quickly his powers might have destroyed the whole base or something!"

"It's okay kid," Shipwreck hugged him. "It's okay. The docs in there are working on him and he'll be just fine. Okay?"

"But…" Pietro asked.

"Just be strong okay?" Shipwreck took his head into his hands. "Okay?"

Pietro nodded. They waited in the waiting room for a few minutes. Lifeline came out. "How is he?" Roadblock asked him.

"He'll be fine," Lifeline sighed. "He had an attack. It's due to his powers evolving as well as the effects of the drugs in his system."

"I thought the pills you gave him were supposed to stop that!" Fred said.

"No they stop the lesser affects," Lifeline said. "And they prevent his body from going catatonic when he does have a serious attack. If he wasn't taking them, he…"

"Don't say it!" Pietro said.

"He needs to rest a while," Lifeline said. "We want to keep him under observation for a few days. See how he deals with it, both physically and psychologically. It will help when his next attack comes."

"You mean if his next attack comes," Wanda said.

"No," Lifeline said sadly. "When his next attack comes."

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Lance lay there in the bed. He was terrified. The majority of the pain was gone, only a numb dullness remained. Still he had no idea why his body betrayed him like that. He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything but the pain.

There was a knock at the door. He looked up and saw Todd, Pietro and Fred coming in. "Hey yo buddy!" Todd smiled. "How ya doin?"

Lance looked at them. "What…? Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary," Todd said. "You had an attack."

"Who are you?" Lance looked at them.

"What?" Fred blinked.

"Who are you people?" Lance asked.

"Lance don't you know us?" Pietro asked.

"Come on buddy," Fred looked worried. "This isn't funny."

"I…I don't know," Lance began to shake. "I don't know…I…"

"Shhh!" Todd instinctively went to his bedside and started stroking his hair in order to calm him down. "It's okay, Lance. You're safe. It's gonna be okay. We're your friends. We'd never let anything bad happen to you. Pietro go get the doc!"

"Right," Pietro used his speed to take off. This seemed to startle Lance for a second.

"Don't freak out okay?" Todd said gently. "That's just Pietro. He does that all the time. Okay, take it easy. Just calm down. Okay?"

"I don't know…" Lance's voice grew higher with fear.

"Lance listen to me," Todd said gently. "We're your friends. You gotta remember!"

"I don't," Lance was shaking now, tears were leaking out of his eyes. "I don't."

Lifeline came in with Pietro, Roadblock and Spirit. "Let me see him," He went to Lance's side. "Hello Lance. I'm Lifeline. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to check you over, okay." Lance nodded feebly and Lifeline started examining his eyes and ears.

"What's wrong with him?" Fred asked.

"It's one of the symptoms of an attack," Lifeline said. "Short term memory loss. It won't last long."

"How long?" Pietro asked.

"Anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to a day or so," Lifeline told him. "The best thing to do is stay close to him. He'll remember you much faster if he's surrounded by people he knows and cares about."

Lance looked at them. "Why are you talking like I'm not in the room?" He said angrily. "I'm here! I can hear everything you say you know!"

"Sorry," Todd said. "We didn't mean anything by it yo."

"You always do that!" He shouted. "You always think…you…" He looked at them in recognition. "I…I remember now!"

"Well that's good," Pietro sighed.

"I don't know how you can forget us," Todd smirked. "We're so loveable!"

"Please," Lance grumbled.

"Would you guys excuse us for a minute?" Lifeline asked. Soon only Lifeline, and the other adults remained.

"That was the most frightening experience I've ever had," Lance shook.

"It's over now," Lifeline said gently. "We just want to run a few more tests on you. Okay?" Lance had no choice but to agree.

First Lifeline took a blood sample. Then he took Lance to another room and had him lie down on a table. Using a strange machine Lifeline ran a scan on his vitals as well as his brainwaves. After a few minutes he allowed Spirit and Roadblock to accompany him back to the room. Lance was never so glad to see the inside of a hospital room.

"How did this happen?" Lance asked as Spirit helped him back onto the bed. "I thought the medication was supposed to stop this?"

"It only lessens the effects of the drug," Spirit told him.

"You mean it could have been worse?" Lance blinked. Spirit nodded.

"I knew I'd have problems," Lance gulped. "But I never imagined anything like this! How could this happen to me? How could you not tell me?"

"We weren't sure," Roadblock told him. "Apparently there are several different side effects of the drug, due to its insatiability. It effects different people different ways."

"This is going to happen again isn't it?" Lance blinked.

Spirit nodded sadly. "I'm sorry."

"God I'm a washout," Lance groaned putting his head into his hands.

"No you're not," Roadblock told him.

"Oh don't give me that!" Lance snapped. "Look at me! I'm a mess! What if I had an attack like that on the battlefield or something?"

"Listen," Spirit told him. "Lifeline thinks he's come up with a way to not only decrease your attacks but to predict them. By increasing your medication and by having your vital signs monitored regularly you may lead a normal life."

"Yeah right, I've never been able to have anything close to a normal life," Lance scoffed. "What if it doesn't work? What if…"

"Will you stop being so negative?" Roadblock snapped.

"I can't help it! I don't want to leave here!" Lance yelped. "This is the first place in a long time that I felt like I was wanted. That I belonged. That I wasn't a total screw up and now…" He started to shake.

"That will not happen," Spirit held him by the shoulders. "You do belong. And you are wanted. And you're not going to be sent away because of your condition. I promise."

"Kid in case you haven't noticed we didn't just take all of you in to make you perfect soldiers!" Roadblock said. "We set this up to help mutants and make sure you ain't exploited. Not just to train you, but to help you. We ain't gonna give up on you because things are a little rocky. Got it?"

Lifeline walked in. "We found something," He said. "These attacks you have indicate a radical shift in your body chemistry. Your body is compensating for your evolution. Therefore there's a good chance that these attacks are not fatal."

"Whoopee," Lance grumbled. "Am I gonna mutate into a rock or something?"

"I don't think you're physical form will change," Lifeline said. "But your powers will increase. You may not get as many headaches as before when you use your powers now."

"To be quite honest with you I don't really feel like using them for a long time," Lance sighed. "Look this is gonna sound weird, but can I get out of this room for a bit? I just wanna sit outside and clear my head. I feel like really need to go outside for some reason!"

"Maybe that's not a bad idea," Lifeline said. "You do have earth based powers. Maybe your body needs some physical contact with the ground in order for it to calm down."

"I'll take him to the garden," Spirit said.

"Another thing," Lance gulped. "Can you not tell the guys where I am? I just can't face them like this. I…"

"Of course," Spirit nodded. "You need some time to compose yourself. I will make sure you're not disturbed."

"I'm already pretty disturbed," Lance grumbled as Spirit helped him into a wheelchair. Soon they were alone in the garden.

Lance sat on the ground. He closed his eyes and removed his slippers, letting his bare feet touch the earth. "I feel better now," He sighed. "Just sitting here feels…safe. Like it's where I belong."

"Your connection with the earth is growing," Spirit noted.

"This whole thing has just hit me," Lance sighed. He looked around. "I didn't realize how bad it was until now."

"It will be all right," Spirit said. "It's not like you can't lead a normal life or anything."

"As normal as it gets when you're a mutant. I don't wanna end up like an invalid or something," Lance said. "I'd rather die."

"That won't happen," Spirit told him.

"I hope not," Lance sighed. "It feels like I'm cracking up inside. Look I know I probably asked this before and it sounds stupid but…you won't leave us will you? After everything I've been through the past couple of years I don't think I can take anybody ditching me again. I think I'd go crazy or something. Well crazier anyway."

"I'm not going to abandon you," Spirit told him. "I promise."

"I just need to hear that every now and then," Lance sighed. "It's stupid I know. Makes me sound like a little kid."

"It's not stupid," Spirit told him. He allowed Lance to rest his head on his shoulder.

"I feel so weak," Lance muttered sleepily. "It's embarrassing. I'm supposed to be strong but I want someone to take care of me right now. I'm not used to it."

"We all have our moments of weakness, young one," Spirit told him. "That is why we need each other. To keep us strong. Rest now."

"'Kay," Lance muttered before he fell asleep. Spirit let the boy rest next to him for a while. He hadn't the heart to move him. He looked so peaceful.

"Poor child," Spirit sighed, brushing Lance's bangs from his face. "You've been through so much. And I fear the worst is yet to come."

Yup, they're all pretty much messed up. But things get even more complicated as the outside world becomes more hostile to mutants! Will our team learn to trust the Joes, or turn their backs on them? Stay tuned to find out!