A/N: Wow, so many reviews! I feel so loved!!! And to Queenie, no I don't
watch Mutant-X... Emma's my name, and as for the rest I was just making it
up. =] I didn't even realise I'd stolen dialogue from the movie earlier in
the fic, 'cos I only just watched that.
Emma woke slowly, wincing as she opened her eyes to bright light. She tried to move her hand to shield her eyes, but discovered that she was restrained. //What...?// She wondered, confused. Then she remembered.
"It's about time you woke up." She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. As they adjusted to the light she could see Psion standing in front of her. //Enough of this. Time to get violent.// She flexed her fingers, intending to send a bolt of electricity at the man in front of her. The energy never left her hands. She winced and bit her lip as she received the shock.
He smiled thinly. "You think I'd leave you able to use your power? Surely you don't think I'm that stupid."
Emma looked down at her hands. They were secured in small metal boxes, tied tightly to her wrists.
"The metal blocks any electrical charge. So if you attempt to use your ability you will only succeed in shocking yourself."
She looked back at him. "You knew. All along, you knew." She looked around the room. There had to be something she could use, some way to get free. She noticed four others in the room. Scott, Jean, Kitty and Kurt, were all sitting in chairs like hers. But they weren't strapped in. And from the look on their faces they didn't need to be. Each of them sat with a drip attached to their arms. Emma had a good idea of what was being put into them.
"Yes. You see, to me your mind is an open book. But I decided to let you bring me Wolverine, because he is useful to me. I will use him to find out how he was made what he is. Can you imagine an army of mutants like him?"
"Why do you need an army?" Emma pulled at her restraints. If she could only get a hand free...
"You're not going to get free. And you better than anyone else know why I need an army. I have to destroy them before they destroy us."
"Them?"
He didn't speak, but Emma felt him pushing into her mind. She tried, but couldn't stop him. He went deeper until he found what he was looking for. With a gasp, her surroundings changed. She was still restrained, but now she was in a terribly familiar room.
"Omnus spiritus immunde in nomine dei..." She could smell the heat of the metal mingling with insense. The air was thick with heat. "In oderum suavitatus, Tu autem effugare diabole Appropinquabit enim judicium dei Abrenuntias satanae..."
//No, no, no... Not here, not this..." She pulled at the ropes that bound her wrists. Emma knew what was coming. She'd lived through it before.
"Et omnibus operibus ejus omnibus pompis ejus, Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde adaperire!" The priest stood in front of her, his face lit with the red glow of hot metal. Behind him in the candle-lit gloom stood her parents, solemnly watching.
She cried out of help, but they didn't listen. "Out, foul demon! Leave this child! In the name of God Almighty, I cast you out!"
He stepped forward and though her wrists were bleeding from chafing against the ropes, she pulled harder. In vain. He pressed the brand to her delicate skin and she screamed, her body twisting in pain. He pulled the iron cross from her skin and Emma let the power build within her, shaped by her anger. How could they do this to her? She was their child!
"Do you see now?" She blinked quickly as her mind was snapped out of its nightmare. Psion was looking at her, that same smile on his face. Something warm and wet trickled down her cheek.
"They were your family and they hurt you. What would they do to someone they didn't know? The world is full of ignorant people like them. And they'll never understand. It's a matter of us or them." His hand traced the scarring on his face and neck. "And I intend to make it them."
The wetness on her cheek dripped down and Emma saw what it was. Blood. On her wrists, the faint chafing scars had reformed, bleeding onto her restraints.
"You see, the mind is a powerful thing. By thinking that you were living the ordeal, your body recreated your wounds. But don't worry. They'll heal." He moved away from her, detaching the needle and drip from Kurt's arm.
"Stand." The blue mutant did so. "Put her on a drip, then return to yours."
As Kurt approached her, she saw the glazed look in his eye. "Kurt, hey it's me. C'mon, you don't want to do this..." He didn't respond.
"I wouldn't bother. He'll only respond to me. But I'll have to leave you now. I don't want Wolverine to get lonely." Despite the pain in her wrists, Emma pulled harder as he left. Then she permitted herself to think. Kurt moved steadily, but slowly. //Think, think...//
Then she struck on an idea. Psion didn't know that she had two abilities. She remembered his appearance, the sound of his voice and reached out to Kurt's mind. He blinked, apparently confused. But the drug didn't allow for much independent thinking.
"Free me."
He did so, believing that the person sitting in that chair was Psion. Emma stood, rubbing her wrists carefully and removing the odd boxes. She touched a hand to her torso and sighed with relief. He hadn't known that she was carrying an antidote for his drug. She removed the vials and looked at the IV. She had no clue how it worked.
Kurt stood still, staring blankly as he waited for his next instruction. "Uh, Kurt, Put this-" She handed him a few vials- "into their IVs."
It was creepy, watching him mechanically move around the room. After watching him do it a few times, she was able to do the same to his. Then she waited, using her shirt to stem the blood flow from her cheek. It throbbed with pain as if it had been freshly inflicted. She wanted to go and find Psion and beat him to a bloody pulp, but her first duty was to those in the room. Once they revived, they could find the others and free them. And she could find Logan.
"Whoa... Where am I?" Scott was the first. She removed his IV, then Kitty, Jean and Kurt's as they all regained control of themselves.
"What is this place?" Jean voiced their confusion.
"You don't remember getting here?"
They all shook their heads.
"I'm, like, a total blank." Kitty announced, as was her fashion.
Emma briefly explained the situation and handed them the rest of the vials. "If it's not enough, we'll have to find another way to get people out. Don't wait around, just get who you can, and get out. . Call the Professor."
"Vhere are you going?"
Emma smiled at Kurt. "I'm going to go and find Logan... And kick this guy's arse."
Emma woke slowly, wincing as she opened her eyes to bright light. She tried to move her hand to shield her eyes, but discovered that she was restrained. //What...?// She wondered, confused. Then she remembered.
"It's about time you woke up." She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. As they adjusted to the light she could see Psion standing in front of her. //Enough of this. Time to get violent.// She flexed her fingers, intending to send a bolt of electricity at the man in front of her. The energy never left her hands. She winced and bit her lip as she received the shock.
He smiled thinly. "You think I'd leave you able to use your power? Surely you don't think I'm that stupid."
Emma looked down at her hands. They were secured in small metal boxes, tied tightly to her wrists.
"The metal blocks any electrical charge. So if you attempt to use your ability you will only succeed in shocking yourself."
She looked back at him. "You knew. All along, you knew." She looked around the room. There had to be something she could use, some way to get free. She noticed four others in the room. Scott, Jean, Kitty and Kurt, were all sitting in chairs like hers. But they weren't strapped in. And from the look on their faces they didn't need to be. Each of them sat with a drip attached to their arms. Emma had a good idea of what was being put into them.
"Yes. You see, to me your mind is an open book. But I decided to let you bring me Wolverine, because he is useful to me. I will use him to find out how he was made what he is. Can you imagine an army of mutants like him?"
"Why do you need an army?" Emma pulled at her restraints. If she could only get a hand free...
"You're not going to get free. And you better than anyone else know why I need an army. I have to destroy them before they destroy us."
"Them?"
He didn't speak, but Emma felt him pushing into her mind. She tried, but couldn't stop him. He went deeper until he found what he was looking for. With a gasp, her surroundings changed. She was still restrained, but now she was in a terribly familiar room.
"Omnus spiritus immunde in nomine dei..." She could smell the heat of the metal mingling with insense. The air was thick with heat. "In oderum suavitatus, Tu autem effugare diabole Appropinquabit enim judicium dei Abrenuntias satanae..."
//No, no, no... Not here, not this..." She pulled at the ropes that bound her wrists. Emma knew what was coming. She'd lived through it before.
"Et omnibus operibus ejus omnibus pompis ejus, Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde adaperire!" The priest stood in front of her, his face lit with the red glow of hot metal. Behind him in the candle-lit gloom stood her parents, solemnly watching.
She cried out of help, but they didn't listen. "Out, foul demon! Leave this child! In the name of God Almighty, I cast you out!"
He stepped forward and though her wrists were bleeding from chafing against the ropes, she pulled harder. In vain. He pressed the brand to her delicate skin and she screamed, her body twisting in pain. He pulled the iron cross from her skin and Emma let the power build within her, shaped by her anger. How could they do this to her? She was their child!
"Do you see now?" She blinked quickly as her mind was snapped out of its nightmare. Psion was looking at her, that same smile on his face. Something warm and wet trickled down her cheek.
"They were your family and they hurt you. What would they do to someone they didn't know? The world is full of ignorant people like them. And they'll never understand. It's a matter of us or them." His hand traced the scarring on his face and neck. "And I intend to make it them."
The wetness on her cheek dripped down and Emma saw what it was. Blood. On her wrists, the faint chafing scars had reformed, bleeding onto her restraints.
"You see, the mind is a powerful thing. By thinking that you were living the ordeal, your body recreated your wounds. But don't worry. They'll heal." He moved away from her, detaching the needle and drip from Kurt's arm.
"Stand." The blue mutant did so. "Put her on a drip, then return to yours."
As Kurt approached her, she saw the glazed look in his eye. "Kurt, hey it's me. C'mon, you don't want to do this..." He didn't respond.
"I wouldn't bother. He'll only respond to me. But I'll have to leave you now. I don't want Wolverine to get lonely." Despite the pain in her wrists, Emma pulled harder as he left. Then she permitted herself to think. Kurt moved steadily, but slowly. //Think, think...//
Then she struck on an idea. Psion didn't know that she had two abilities. She remembered his appearance, the sound of his voice and reached out to Kurt's mind. He blinked, apparently confused. But the drug didn't allow for much independent thinking.
"Free me."
He did so, believing that the person sitting in that chair was Psion. Emma stood, rubbing her wrists carefully and removing the odd boxes. She touched a hand to her torso and sighed with relief. He hadn't known that she was carrying an antidote for his drug. She removed the vials and looked at the IV. She had no clue how it worked.
Kurt stood still, staring blankly as he waited for his next instruction. "Uh, Kurt, Put this-" She handed him a few vials- "into their IVs."
It was creepy, watching him mechanically move around the room. After watching him do it a few times, she was able to do the same to his. Then she waited, using her shirt to stem the blood flow from her cheek. It throbbed with pain as if it had been freshly inflicted. She wanted to go and find Psion and beat him to a bloody pulp, but her first duty was to those in the room. Once they revived, they could find the others and free them. And she could find Logan.
"Whoa... Where am I?" Scott was the first. She removed his IV, then Kitty, Jean and Kurt's as they all regained control of themselves.
"What is this place?" Jean voiced their confusion.
"You don't remember getting here?"
They all shook their heads.
"I'm, like, a total blank." Kitty announced, as was her fashion.
Emma briefly explained the situation and handed them the rest of the vials. "If it's not enough, we'll have to find another way to get people out. Don't wait around, just get who you can, and get out. . Call the Professor."
"Vhere are you going?"
Emma smiled at Kurt. "I'm going to go and find Logan... And kick this guy's arse."