A/N: Again, another short chapter, but this one's action packed...
The place was bigger than it looked from the outside. She knew he was alive, she could feel it inside. It took a great deal of fruitless searching before Emma heard the scream. A familiar scream that sent tendrils of icy dread radiating from her stomach. Her fear leant extra speed to her feet, as she ran in the direction on the screaming.
The room was bright, just like every room in the building. But this one was cluttered with equipment. The largest of all was a large table in the middle of the room. It was a table that reminded her of what she'd seen in Logan's mind. He was strapped to it, twisting in his bonds. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grew as she realised that the table was covered in blood. Even as she watched, a new wound opened on his body. There was nothing she could see attacking him, his skin simply split, as if under an invisible scalpel.
Then Emma saw Psion, standing with his back to her. She realised what he was doing. He wanted to know how Logan had gained his adamantium skeleton and claws. Psion was making Logan relive that horrific ordeal so that he could watch it. But not if she could help it. She picked up a heavy, metal instrument and crept quietly up behind Psion. She didn't want to risk zapping him, while the link was still between he and Logan. She raised it over her head and missed as he ducked to the side.
"How did you?" Then he stopped. "Ah. An oversight on my part. But ingenious thinking on yours. But now, I'm-"
She didn't want to hear the rest, launching a bolt of blue energy at him and knocking him to the ground. "Why can't you just shut the hell up?" She zapped him again, but was careful not to seriously injure him. They still didn't know the extent of his operation. And she didn't know if killing him would stop Logan's torment.
"Okay, now I'm going to give you one chance. Whatever you've done to him, undo it." He smiled and she felt her anger build. "Do it!"
Then she felt pain. Her cheek burned and throbbed, and she fell to her knees. The burning rocketed through her whole body and she heard him chuckle.
"You think you can threaten me? Your weak powers are nothing compared to mine." She heard him stand. "But I think I'll let you live a while longer, so he can hear your screaming."
Her chest heaving and teeth clenched against the pain, Emma looked up at him, her gaze full of hate. She lowered her hand from where it had been pressed against her face. Her hand was covered in blood, and it ran freely down her cheek. Then, not really knowing what she was doing, she reached into his mind just as she had done with Logan. His defenses were strong, but she didn't have to go far to do what she wanted to do.
She reached in and pulled. And reached in and pulled. It was the mental equivalent of reaching into a machine and ripping wires out randomly.
The smile dropped from his face and horror flooded his features. He fought back, but too late. His overconfidence had given her the chance she needed.
He fell to the ground, twitching sporadically. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't going anywhere. As his hold on her faded, so did the pain. Emma stood and stumbled to the table. She was tired, and could still feel the echoes of burning pain through her body.
Logan had stopped screaming, but he still writhed in pain. He didn't stop. Whatever Psion had done, now Logan was trapped in his worst memory.
Emma began to reach out, but hesitated. The first time she'd done so, the images had terrified her for weeks. In her present state she didn't know if she could survive the experience again. She had to make a choice. Herself, or the man she was fairly sure she loved.
The place was bigger than it looked from the outside. She knew he was alive, she could feel it inside. It took a great deal of fruitless searching before Emma heard the scream. A familiar scream that sent tendrils of icy dread radiating from her stomach. Her fear leant extra speed to her feet, as she ran in the direction on the screaming.
The room was bright, just like every room in the building. But this one was cluttered with equipment. The largest of all was a large table in the middle of the room. It was a table that reminded her of what she'd seen in Logan's mind. He was strapped to it, twisting in his bonds. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grew as she realised that the table was covered in blood. Even as she watched, a new wound opened on his body. There was nothing she could see attacking him, his skin simply split, as if under an invisible scalpel.
Then Emma saw Psion, standing with his back to her. She realised what he was doing. He wanted to know how Logan had gained his adamantium skeleton and claws. Psion was making Logan relive that horrific ordeal so that he could watch it. But not if she could help it. She picked up a heavy, metal instrument and crept quietly up behind Psion. She didn't want to risk zapping him, while the link was still between he and Logan. She raised it over her head and missed as he ducked to the side.
"How did you?" Then he stopped. "Ah. An oversight on my part. But ingenious thinking on yours. But now, I'm-"
She didn't want to hear the rest, launching a bolt of blue energy at him and knocking him to the ground. "Why can't you just shut the hell up?" She zapped him again, but was careful not to seriously injure him. They still didn't know the extent of his operation. And she didn't know if killing him would stop Logan's torment.
"Okay, now I'm going to give you one chance. Whatever you've done to him, undo it." He smiled and she felt her anger build. "Do it!"
Then she felt pain. Her cheek burned and throbbed, and she fell to her knees. The burning rocketed through her whole body and she heard him chuckle.
"You think you can threaten me? Your weak powers are nothing compared to mine." She heard him stand. "But I think I'll let you live a while longer, so he can hear your screaming."
Her chest heaving and teeth clenched against the pain, Emma looked up at him, her gaze full of hate. She lowered her hand from where it had been pressed against her face. Her hand was covered in blood, and it ran freely down her cheek. Then, not really knowing what she was doing, she reached into his mind just as she had done with Logan. His defenses were strong, but she didn't have to go far to do what she wanted to do.
She reached in and pulled. And reached in and pulled. It was the mental equivalent of reaching into a machine and ripping wires out randomly.
The smile dropped from his face and horror flooded his features. He fought back, but too late. His overconfidence had given her the chance she needed.
He fell to the ground, twitching sporadically. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't going anywhere. As his hold on her faded, so did the pain. Emma stood and stumbled to the table. She was tired, and could still feel the echoes of burning pain through her body.
Logan had stopped screaming, but he still writhed in pain. He didn't stop. Whatever Psion had done, now Logan was trapped in his worst memory.
Emma began to reach out, but hesitated. The first time she'd done so, the images had terrified her for weeks. In her present state she didn't know if she could survive the experience again. She had to make a choice. Herself, or the man she was fairly sure she loved.