Some time later, she opened her eyes and pulled herself up off the ground. Her car... Something was wrong with...

She looked at it. Three long parallel slices had torn the roof open, and there were more on the door. It hung open by only one hinge, looking as if it had been pulled open but someone with great strength.

What on earth had happened? Her head hurt badly and she pressed a hand to it. Where had she been going? The answer was almost there, but just as she grasped it, it fled.

She didn't know where she was. Or where she was going. Or... *who* she was.

Disoriented, confused, and her head throbbing like mad, she began to walk. Who ever had attacked her could still be around. But why had they left in the first place? And what weapon could they possess that could do such damage? There were hundreds of questions cycling through her head, and she couldn't answer any of them.

She stumbled along for what might have been hours, or minutes. She couldn't tell. But she guessed that it was the former, because the sun began to fade and the air become cold. Still she kept walking, feeling that if she stopped she would be in danger.

She woke, lying under a tree not far from the road. //I guess I passed out...// Her head didn't hurt as badly as it had before, but still she didn't know who she was, or even where she was

Again, she walked, her feet sore from the previous day, and her stomach rumbling with emptiness. Her mouth was thick and dry, but after a few hours she saw a town.

It was small, but bustling in the mid-morning. She headed for the center, hoping to find a police station. Two boys played happily, tossing a football between them. One throw went wide of its mark. She looked around at the cry of "Heads up!" The brown ball was hurtling towards her head. On instinct, she raised her hands and a bolt of electricity launched from them, frying the ball in mid-air.

Everything stopped.

She gazed at her hands, horrified. All of her pain had disappeared in her moment of shock and fear. //Who the hell am I?//

The people around her likewise stared, until some one cried out: "Mutant!"

Then another, "She tried to kill them!"

Totally lost, her fear turned to terror as people pressed in from all sides. She ran, tears filling her eyes and blinding her. She ran aimlessly, with no idea where she was going, but simply wanting the nightmare to be over. Strong hands grabbed her and pulled her into an ally. She struggled for a moment, but he held her tight.

Now, just a quick note for y'all, I can't write accents. Especially not Gambit's because I've never heard him talk, and from the fics I read, it looks/sounds complicated. So, just use your imaginations, okay?]

"Calm down, cheri. Remy is here to help you." He had an odd accent that she couldn't quite place.

She saw a glint of red in his brown eyes and stopped fighting him. He let her go and she took a step back. "Who - what are you? What the hell is going on?"

"I don't think we got time to explain all that. Come." She hesitated for a moment before following him deeper into the building. He stopped next to a large metal globe, big enough for two people to stand in. He motioned for her to enter, but she didn't.

"You can either stay and let *them* find you, or come wit' me." He held out his hand. "But choose quickly."

She took his hand and climbed into the ball. He did the same, and just as he was inside, the top slid closed and it lifted gently off the ground.

**********

This was even better than he had first imagined. Magneto had expected Xavier's niece to be confused and unsure of his help, but due to her unforeseen amnesia she would have no idea who he was. She would be extremely easy to manipulate, with the three parallel scars on her arm backing up his story of Wolverine's attack.

She was resting presently, deep within his metal fortress. He would go to her soon and begin turning her against her friends and family.

**********

The room was metal, gleaming dully in the dim light. She opened her eyes a bit wider and looked around. She saw one of the people from before, the one in the coat. He was still wearing it.

"You're awake."

"Brilliant deduction." She winced inwardly at the acidity in her own voice. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I'm just a little weirded out." Upon traveling in a large metal globe with the man with her now, she'd passed out again. "What did you say your name was?"

He smiled slightly and she realized how attractive he was. "Remy. But people also call me Gambit."

"Ah, nice to meet you." There was a sarcastic edge in her voice.

"Don't worry, Magneto will be here soon. Then things will make a lot more sense."

She frowned. "What's a Magneto?"

"I am Magneto." A tall man, with white hair entered the room and she felt a tremor of... something pass through her.

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say.

"If you are well enough to get up I will take you on a tour of our... safe haven."

She pulled herself into a seated position and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was wearing the same clothes as she had been before, minus her boots, which were neatly placed at the foot of her bed. She eased herself up. "Our safe haven?" She carefully put one boot on. "There's more of you? Uh, us..." She put the other on.

"Indeed. There are many who possess the mutant gene."

Magneto lifted one of his hands and an object floated towards her from a metal table. "I believe this is yours. We found it in your car." She stared, open-mouthed as it hovered in front of her. Gingerly she reached out a hand to take the object. It was a normal necklace, a metal chain and a small teardrop-shaped glass pendant. "How-"

"I can control magnetic fields. I use them to manipulate metal."

"You found my car?"

"Yes. It was us who drove away your attackers. Unfortunately by the time we had returned, you had disappeared."

"Oh. Do... Do you know who I am?"

He shared a look with Gambit. "Sadly, no. We were only lucky enough to be there when you needed help. But we shall endeavor to help you regain your memories. Until then, I think we'll call you Voltana. Now, do you want a tour, or not?"