Author's Note: I'd just like to put in that ch.1 is just a sub-
chapter to sort of give the setting and that ch.2 is the actual start of
the story. Happy reading!
~Dragonwing
One ~
Bbrrrriiiiiiiiinnngg! The bell sounded, letting all of the students at Bayville High know that the school day was over.
"Finally," Kitty sighed, as she, Kurt and Linzie walked from the school. "Yeah," Linzie said, pushing a lock of blond hair out of her eyes. "I thought we'd never get out of there." "And the best part," Kurt said, "Is that it's the weekend! Two whole days with no teachers, no classes, and no listening to that annoying bell!" "Lovely sentiment I'm sure." A voice said behind them. They turned around, "Oh, hey Sam." Linzie said. "Hey Red!" Kurt grinned. Samantha glared at him, "I told you to never call me that." His grin got even bigger; "Well what's the use of not being called Red if you've got red hair?" She took a light swing at him; he dodged it and hid behind Kitty and Linzie. It was Sam's turn to smile; though a bit wryly, "Next time you call me that, I won't miss. You guys need a ride?" "Sure." Kitty said. They all walked over to where Samantha's jeep was parked. "So, how's the school biz goin'?" Sam asked. "Pretty good." Linzie said, "Not as easy as home school, but. What are ya gonna do?" "They still buyin' that Greek alphabet bit you gave em'? You know you did turn twenty last month." "Actually they still are. Go figure." They got to the jeep and climbed in. "You guys planning on doing anything this weekend?" Sam asked. "Not at the moment," Linzie said settling into the soft leather seat and sitting her backpack on the floorboard. "Any ideas?" Kitty asked. "Not one," she said. "But if you don't make any plans, I hear Professor X was planning to get everybody to get a bit of training in." "Then maybe we had better think of something." Kurt said, reaching up and turning on the radio. "Otherwise we'll be stuck in the danger room with Logan and Red here." "If I weren't concentrating on driving, you'd be out the window by now." Sam said dryly. The grin returned to Kurt's face, "In that case, drive on!"
Two ~ She met him in the park. Maybe confronted him was a better word. He'd been following her for a while now. Never getting too close but always keeping up with her. Almost like he was tracking her or something. By the time she'd gotten to the park she was fed up. She managed to get behind a hedge without him seeing. Then when he'd tried to creep around it, she'd stepped right in front of him. She'd then asked him to explain why he was following her. It took him a minute, since he was still a little caught off guard. But he'd finally explained that he'd just wanted to talk to her. "You could've done that three blocks ago." She'd said, "Instead of tracking me all this way. It's not like I'm gonna bite you or anything." He'd apologized and asked if he could still talk to her. She'd agreed and they went to a nearby bench. They'd talked for a long time, he was very nice to her, but he seemed pretty guarded. 'Kind of like Logan when he doesn't want to be bothered.' She'd thought. He'd asked her to tell some about herself, she did. Nothing really personal, just interests, likes, dislikes, things like that. But when she'd indicated it was his turn to tell about himself, he barely told her anything. They were about to talk about something else when he'd had to abruptly leave. He'd asked if he could see her again sometime. She said alright. Then he'd left. As quickly as he'd came. He didn't even ask for her number or anything. About two weeks later, he'd come into the place where she worked. He sat down in a corner as far away as you could get from, well, everything. She'd asked if he'd like anything, he didn't. He just wanted to talk to her when she got the chance. She went about her job, totally aware that he watched her the entire time. After most of the customers had cleared out, she took her break and went over to where he was sitting. They'd talked for a while, she didn't learn much more about him. No matter how much he wanted to get to know her, she couldn't learn much more than diddley squat about him. It was beginning to get a bit annoying. Her break was about over when he'd suddenly acted very strange. It was like when a cat knows a dog is nearby. He asked if he could leave out the back, she'd said sure and shown him the way. That was when he'd kissed her. Nothing big, not even on the mouth, just a brief peck on the cheek. But it was still a kiss, right? Then he'd done that "leave quickly so it looked like he disappeared" thing. Logan came in shortly after that to get a drink and see Samantha. He'd been a bit cautious when he'd first walked in, but it wore off in about a millisecond. She supposed stranger things had happened, but this was still getting weird. When her shift was over she had to wait for Sam to finish up. Considering Sam was her ride to and from work. She'd really have to get a car one of these days. She supposed she could always ask her mother's side of the family for help, but she never really liked to. She liked to earn the things she had. She'd just have to save up. Maybe work a few night shifts when summer rolled around. That sounded good to her. Samantha finally got finished and they headed home.
She saw him a couple more times. Each one seemed more brief than the last. But she was starting to enjoy them. He listened so well, he would urge her to talk and talk. But he still wouldn't say very much other than a few tid-bits here and there. He was a mutant; she'd known that right off the bat. There was no question. The eyes, the teeth, the sixth sense, and the claws were dead giveaways. He was almost like a big cat, a VERY big cat. Though he managed to camouflage them quite well if they were ever in public. She really didn't know what made her talk to him in the first place. She could have just walked away and not thought any more about it. But there was something about him she liked. It wasn't his personality, not totally. She'd seen him have a temper worse than Logan's at one point. (Which was pretty scary.) It was more like. the way he listened to her, and the way he looked at her when he listened. So absorbed in whatever she was saying. No one had ever been like that around her. Not even her mother, and she almost smothered her sometimes she was so concerned about how she was doing. Of course it was only because of her mutation. If it weren't for that she'd have been treated perfectly normal. And it wasn't like she wasn't accepted or anything, her family loved her. Although she suspected that if it had been a visible mutation, some of them wouldn't have been so loving. She told that to him one time. He'd said it wouldn't have mattered to him, he'd still like her no matter what. She'd turned a little pink and tried to change the subject. But apparently there was no avoiding it. She knew it would come up again sometime, but for now she didn't really want to talk about it. He didn't press, instead he asked her to tell him about her family. So she'd thankfully began telling him about them. He left shortly after that, and he kissed her again before he did. But this time it was a light touch on her mouth, she turned pink again and stayed that way for quite a while afterwards. He'd also gotten her phone number that time, why she wasn't sure. Usually he just tracked her down or something. Oh well, each to his own.
Three
~
She didn't see him for over a month after that. And for some reason it made her mad. She guessed she'd just gotten accustomed to him popping up now and then. Creeping up was probably a better way to say it. Well whatever he did he hadn't done for way longer than usual. His max so far was two and a half weeks tops. No more, sometimes less. And she hadn't seen him in over a month! Why was she mad? She only knew a quarter of the stuff about him that he knew about her! They were practically strangers. Strangers that see each other a lot and enjoy each other's company. Well, if he didn't want to be around her anymore, then.then she wouldn't be around him! That's all there was to it. End of discussion. She wondered when she'd see him again? No! No seeing, no talking, no nuttun! And that was final. He called her the next day. She'd had to run to catch the phone, so her hello wasn't exactly cheery. "Yes?" she panted, plopping down on the end of the bed. "Linzie?" it was him. Her voice changed to impersonal and ticked off waitress mode, "Hello Victor. What is it?" "Can I see you?" His voice had an earnest edge, but she didn't change her tone, "That depends. When?" "Today, if it's possible." "Well you know I'm not really sure it is." "What's wrong?" That's right, let him stew in it for a while, "I'm not sure Victor. I don't know how this works in your neck of the woods, but I'm the kind of person who appreciates knowing when to not expect to see someone for over a month." "You missed me?" his voice was a mix of being surprised and pleased at the same time. "I don't know if I'd really call it miss." She wasn't going to waver now, no matter how caught off and innocent that sounded, "More like curious as to your absence and on the verge of worry." His voice sounded amused, "I promise I'll tell you when I won't be around next time." He was laughing at her! At the fact that she was starting to worry about where he was! Ok, no more Miss Nice Linzie, "Hey, if all you called me for was so you could make fun of me then I'm hanging up." "Don't! Please. Can I just see you for a little while today? Or tomorrow if you'd rather. But soon?" The image of one of those pleading cartoon kitties flashed through her mind. "All right. Today. Meet me at the bench in the park in an hour." "All right. And Linzie?" "Yes?" "Thanks. You won't be sorry." 'I'd better not be.' Linzie thought as she put the phone back in its cradle.
Linzie got to the appointed spot a little bit early, so she pulled out her English book and read a bit on the play they were studying, Macbeth. She always liked that one. Her dad was a Shakespeare freak and had always made sure she read at least one thing written by him every month. It certainly paid off now. This Shakespeare segment was going to count for one fourth of her total grade. Thank you dad. Victor soon made his customary entrance. One minute she was alone reading her book, the next he was sitting beside her. "What are you reading?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at the page she was on. "Macbeth. I'm reading it for school." "I still can't believe they bought that Greek alphabet thing." "That's what everybody who knows about it says." So far she hadn't looked up, now she marked her place and turned to face him. "So, what did you want to talk about?" "You know, I'm not really sure anymore. I guess I just wanted to see you."
"Cora would say your becoming obsessed or reliant on my company." "Maybe," He glanced around for a bit then settled back on her face, "Or maybe I just love being around you." She looked away and focused her attention on a pair of birds flying back and forth, carrying bits of this and that to put the finishing touches on their nest and to cover up their eggs. 'Keeping them safe.' She thought. "Linzie?" he took one of her hands between his. She tried half heartedly to pull it away, but of course she couldn't. "Linzie." He turned her face so she looked strait at him. "I don't know what's wrong, but I wish you'd trust me. I don't know what you're afraid of, but I'll keep you safe." The birds settled back at their nest and were taking turns covering the eggs. 'Keeping them safe.' He tilted her face up and kissed her for the third time. But it wasn't like the peck on her cheek or the light touch from the last time; this was a real bonafide kiss. And Linzie liked it. Victor pulled away and dropped her hand. He leaned back against the bench and scowled at the air. "Hey, I realize I'm new at this but I don't think I was that bad." Linzie said, crossing her arms and peering at him. He was kicking himself about something, she was sure of it. The scowl left his face and he looked back over at her. "Oh, no. It's not that. I just forgot about something. That's all." He kissed her forehead and stood up to leave. "Gonna to be gone longer than a month?" Linzie asked half-joking, half-serious. Hey, she wanted to know. He smiled, "Not this time." And that was that. She sat for a moment thinking about what he could have forgotten, but decided it wasn't anything she should worry about. She picked up her book, and with one last look at the birds, headed out of the park.
* * *
Somewhere in a laboratory hidden from view, two figures stood across from each other. One was small; the other towered over him. "You did well." The small one said, "But you're getting a little too close. We'll just have to fix that won't we?"
Four ~
It always took Linzie a while to get back to the mansion when she walked, but she didn't mind. She could just amble along. Once in a while she'd catch a taxi, but mostly she walked. When she got back, Cora was out on the front lawn with a small gymnastics mat, her CD Jam-Box, and a stack of CDs. Why? Oh yeah! Cora's new hobby was yoga. But she didn't usually do it outside, she normally did it in her room or the living room, and it was only 3:00. She'd been doing it at 4:30 or 5. Linzie walked up and watched Cora do a couple of complicated poses. Hey, at least she was flexible. The jam-box was playing one of Beethoven's pieces. Cora also had 'Bach', 'Wolfgang', 'Soothing Sounds of the Rainforest' and 'Sounds from the Far East'. "Yoga time come early today?" Linzie asked. "Yep," Cora moved around to another pose, "It's d-afternoon remember?" Linzie drew a blank. "Danger room?" Cora stood up and to change the music, "Professor Xavier wanted us to put in some extra work in the danger room this afternoon. So I thought I'd go ahead and get my yoga in." she looked up at Linzie, "Hey, you ok? You look a little flushed." "It was a long walk back." Cora found the song she wanted and put the CD in; "You seriously need a car ya know that?" "I know," Linzie sighed, "I've been saving for a while, but car prices keep going up." "Why don't you just ask your grandmother?" Cora started another pose that involved one foot going on her shoulder while the other held her up; "She'd help you in a heartbeat." "I know. But.it feels like I'm taking advantage of her. She'd probably buy me the world if I asked her to. I don't know, I just like to earn what I have. She just doesn't seem to get that." "She will, give her time." She put her foot back down and started her lunging poses. "I've given her twenty years." Linzie said, "And she still hasn't gotten it." "Well she's a pretty proud lady," Cora finished and started to cool down, "You can't help that." "Guess not." Linzie smiled, Cora was always honest with her, honest if not blunt, but she was still nice about it. Cora finished and turned off the music. Linzie rolled up her mat while she collected her CDs and jam-box. "Hey, Linz?" Cora asked as they walked to the door, "Did you even let your grandmother know you turned twenty three months ago? If I recall, she wasn't very good at keeping up with your age."
"Come to think of it I didn't. That's probably why she hasn't sent me a gift. But I'm glad. She always sends me things I'll never use." "Like that diamond bracelet she sent you last year." "You got it. It's still sitting in the cheery wood and copper jewelry box she sent me two years before." "Maybe she'll send you something useful this year." "I'd just settle with a card." They put up Cora's things and went to find the others.
* * *
They had a hard workout in the danger room that afternoon, and another the following morning. And it was just after that second workout that Linzie received a big surprise. Cora, Linzie, Kitty, Samantha and the rest of the students had gone to the living room and were just starting to cool off when there was a prompt rap at the door. Ororo opened the door and talked a minute with whoever was there, then she called to Linzie, "Linzie, there's someone here to see you. I believe it's your grandmother." Linzie nearly jumped out of her skin. Lord all mighty what could she be doing here? Practically everyone who had been in the living room with Linzie followed her to see what she had jumped about. There was a long, black, expensive car in the front drive with a chauffeur standing watch at its door. And standing impatiently in the doorway was Linzie's grandmother. She wore a burgundy dress with three- quarter length sleeves and a high collar. Her white hair was coiled tightly into a bun on the top of her head, a pair of dainty spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose. She was about as neat and trim as you could get, and she had an aristocratic air about her. When she spoke her voice was quick and crisp, "Well Linzie are you going to stand there with your mouth open or are you going to greet your grandmother?" Linzie found her voice just in time, "This is such a surprise, how are you doing Grandmother Compton? What brings you here?" "You don't think that I would miss my granddaughter's birthday do you? I realize I am a bit late, but I was away at the time of your birthday. So I arranged to come here and see you before going home." Mrs. Compton turned and looked the drive impatiently, then she saw what she wanted and turned back to Linzie, "And your birthday present is right on schedule." Just then, up the driveway came a whitish-gold new beetle Volkswagen! Linzie lost control of her jaw for the second time, this time accompanied by several others. "Grandmother, I.I don't know what to say." "A simple thank you will do for now. But first don't you think you should invite me inside?" "Oh, right. Yes, please come in." Mrs. Compton stepped inside and looked around with a skeptical eye. "I must say this is much better than the last residence you were staying in." she saw Cora and Sam, "Cora, Samantha. I trust that the both of you are doing well?" Cora smiled, "Yes thank you Mrs. Compton. We're doing very well." She nodded and surveyed the group that stood before her. "New friends of yours Linzie?" "Yes Grandmother." Linzie introduced each of them in turn; Mrs. Compton looked at each of them with that same skeptical gaze. Professor Xavier came into the room just as Linzie finished. "Grandmother," Linzie said, "This is Professor Xavier. He's the owner of this mansion and is the one who has been helping us with our muta. er, abilities." "I am most appreciative for your help and hospitality to my granddaughter and her friends." She shook his hand, "I have not heard much about this place, but from what I have seen so far it seems very respectable." "Thank you, we're very glad you were able to come. I'm afraid I haven't heard very much about you either, but any of Linzie's relatives or friends are welcome here." They all moved to the living room, "Would you like anything to drink Mrs. Compton?" Ororo asked as she sat down. "No thank you. I'm afraid I don't intend to stay very long. I merely came to see how Linzie was doing and to make sure her birthday gift was properly delivered." Logan came into the room a little while later while Professor X was telling Mrs. Compton about all that went on at the institution. He leaned in the doorway where Sam was and put his arm around her shoulders, "Who's that?" "Linzie's grandmother, Mrs. Compton. She came to see Linzie and to make sure her birthday gift was 'properly delivered'." "What?" "Linzie's grandmother is loaded. She brought her a car. It's out front next to her limo." "If Linzie's grandma is loaded, why is she working at Jack's? Or is even here for that matter?" "She doesn't like for her grandmother to buy her things. She likes to earn what she gets, she likes to work. But Mrs. Compton is determined to turn her into a 'proper young lady'. In other words, a stuck up old spinster in nineteenth century clothes who doesn't lift a finger for anything or anyone. And she probably wouldn't have anything to do with her if her mutation was physically visible. She just tolerates Cora and me." "Why you? Yours ain't visible either." "She thinks I'm not good enough to even talk to Linzie. And she never looks at Cora's hands, only her face. She's so old fashioned she's never even hugged Linzie." "Talk about a tight wad." "Tell me about it. And you just wait and see what she says when she sees you. I swear her nose'll rise ten feet in the air." Logan let out a short laugh, "Hey, I don't care. Personally I feel sorry for Linzie. Are her parent's the same way?" "Actually no. In fact, Linzie's dad, Compton's son, went against every single one of her wishes and married Linzie's mom. They're way nicer than the She Scrooge is. They treat Cora and me like their own daughters. Although sometimes that's not exactly a good thing." Mrs. Compton stood up. "Well, get ready. Here it comes." Mrs. Compton stopped a little bit before the door. She took a good look at Logan and at the arm he had on Samantha's shoulders. "Samantha," she said absently, "Don't you think that he is a bit old for you?" Logan stiffened, but Sam put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Well Mrs. Compton, since I know you really don't care about me or what I do, I don't think it's any of your business how old Logan is." "That may be true," Mrs. Compton's voice grew icy, "But amazingly, you are one of my granddaughter's closest friends. And I won't have you setting an improper example for her." It was Logan's turn to keep Sam from stepping up, Mrs. Compton only smiled a cold, smug smile, "My point has just been proven. You have a much too violent and uncivilized influence on Linzie, and as far as I am concerned you have no business being her friend. Or her acquaintance for that matter, and I shall see to it that my granddaughter will no longer associate with such subcomman place riffraff as you." Samantha nearly jumped on her, Logan grabbed her arm and held her in place, but it was apparent that he was holding himself back as well. A small growl escaped his throat, Mrs. Compton took a step back, trying to maintain her haughty air but also unwillingly letting fear slip into her expression. No one else had said anything during the entire time, now Linzie stood up angrily and stepped in front of her grandmother. "This is the last straw Grandmother. I have tolerated your nagging, and your criticism, and your snooty, snappy mouth. But now you've crossed the line. Samantha and Cora are my dearest friends and I know you don't like them. I also know you don't like anyone else in this room, I saw it the moment you walked through the door. But I don't care! I've put up with you for Lord knows not as long as dad did and I can't see how he did it at all! And as far as I'm concerned, you might as well never contact me again until you can learn to respect my friends and my life. Now I think it's best that you leave. And you can take that car with you. I don't want it. I want to EARN the things I have. Not get them from you. Goodbye Grandmother. I believe you know the way out." Mrs. Compton was thoroughly flabbergasted. She finally collected herself, turned up her nose and walked out in a huff. Slamming the door behind her. The sound of two cars starting up was heard, and the screeching of tires as they sped down the drive. When they were gone, Linzie swayed on her feet and sank into a chair. Cora knelt in front of her friend, "Thanks Linz." "Yeah," Sam came over and sat on the arm of the chair, "You did good standing up to her. We know it wasn't easy." "I'm kinda gonna miss that car though." Kurt said. Kitty threw a pillow at him and Linzie smiled.
Five ~
The rest of the weekend went by in a blur, so did the following week, but by the time the next weekend rolled around things had settled back into the normal flow. One of Linzie's favorite places to go was on the very edge of the mansion grounds just before the forest started. She'd found a small stream there about a month ago and had developed a habit of going there when she needed to relax. She went down there Saturday morning to think and try to finish Macbeth. She sat on the bank and watched the water roll lazily down stream, it was really very pretty here. On one side of the bank there was a small circle of dogwoods that she loved to sit under, she sat there now and opened her book to where she had left off. She only had a couple of scenes left so she didn't think it would take her long. Some time later, Linzie got a strange feeling. Like someone was watching her, and that she should leave. She tried to shrug it off, but it came right back. She was just about to close her book and head back to the mansion when she felt a sharp pang in her left arm. Linzie sucked in her breath and clutched her arm. She managed to pull a small dart thing out of her arm just before she dozed off. Linzie was vaguely aware of lying there for a minute or two before being lifted up by strong arms. Whoever picked her up cradled her against himself. She guessed it was a him anyway. She knew he was taking her somewhere by the gentle rocking that resulted from his footsteps. Linzie dozed in and out of this woozy state for some time. Then she realized that they had stopped. She felt herself being lowered down onto, what she supposed, was a table or a cot. A faint, familiar voice whispered "I'm sorry." And she knew no more for a long time. * * *
When Linzie woke up again, she was laying on a table in the middle of a room filled with all kinds of computers and other scientific equipment. She sat up and tried to swing her legs over the side of the table, but they were strapped down! Just then she heard footsteps outside of a nearby door. The door opened and a small man in a white lab coat walked in. "Why hello my dear. I trust you slept well?" It took Linzie a minute to find her voice, "Who are you? Where am I?" "You may call me Doctor Black, and this is my laboratory. I do apologize for the uncomfortable accommodations, but I had to run some tests as soon as you got here. They just came out about twenty minutes ago." Linzie didn't like this guy at all, "What do you want with me?" "You're here because of your mutant ability." "What? Because I can heal a few scratches? That's not a mutation worth capturing someone over." "Ah, but on the contrary my dear, you have an amazing ability. Just imagine for a moment, a creature that can give and take energy and life itself with a single gesture. A creature that would make an almost perfect weapon for any occasion what so ever. That creature is you Linzie Compton, with the right training and modivation." "Your insane!" Linzie tried desperately to release the bonds that held her legs down, "What makes you think you have the right to do that to me?" "Oh, but it's already been done, my dear. All I need to do is show you how to bring it out. And you might as well give up on trying to break those bonds. The only way to release them is to press a certain button on the control panel. Don't worry, you'll soon be one of the most powerful beings on the earth." This creep was definitely off his rocker, "Why are you doing this?" "It's simple, the scientists that started this program are all but deceased now. I was chosen to continue this work by finding mutants that would be suitable as weapons. You know your friend Wolverine?" She nodded. "Well, so far he is the best result of this program to date. He escaped however and the chip inside of him has been removed. But now, I have you. A far more fitting subject than him." Linzie heard another set of footsteps coming down the hall. The door opened and Victor Creed walked in. Linzie would have fainted right then and there if she hadn't been so angry. Doctor Black turned around when he walked in, "Ah, Sabertooth, excellent timing. You did a commendable job getting her here. Very nice." Linzie looked at Victor; he wouldn't meet her gaze. The anger inside of her was ready to boil over. He'd just been using her! Making her think that he cared about her, just so he could get her here so Doctor Frankenstein over there could turn her into a mindless war machine! Ok, this was flying right by deceitful and ramming strait into downright, outrageous, scum of the earth kidnapping! "Now don't look so surprised Linzie." She snapped her head around and glared at the little man. "You didn't really believe everything he said to you was truth? Oh, my. You did didn't you? My that certainly is amusing!" he laughed a high little laugh, thoroughly amused by the whole thing, "Well, we all make mistakes. Now, Sabertooth." Victor looked at him; "Get that gas ready. I want to get this chip installed before the day is spent." Sabertooth looked at the doctor, "Chip?" "Yes chip. You know the little electronic thing very much like the one in your own brain? Surely you haven't forgotten about it." "You said you weren't going to put a chip in her. You said you were just going to unlock her powers and that was it." "Yes, well I lied. Now get the gas ready." He didn't move, "No. You said you wouldn't." The doctor cut him off, "I don't care what I said before. I lied, and I've already put the new spore experiment in her and the chip is going next. Now do as I say and get the gas ready so I can begin." Victor took a step toward Black. "I'm losing my patience Sabertooth." He turned a dial on the control panel, "Don't make me force you to do this." Linzie watched horrified as Victor cried out in pain and held his head. He made another step toward the doctor, when he did Black only turned the dial some more. Victor looked like he was going to tear his head off it hurt so badly, and Linzie couldn't do anything about it. Victor finally managed to get to what he wanted, he got close enough to the panel that he grabbed a glass dish that had something small and black in it. Black started forward, "No! Stop it you fool!" But Victor had already smashed the thing on the floor, shattering the dish and crushing the black thing. Dr. Black cried out in rage and twisted the knob as far as it would go. The pain was so intense that Sabertooth dropped unconscious on the floor of the laboratory. Black turned back to the control panel and considered something for a moment. He turned back around and looked at Linzie, "Well my dear, it seems that we will have to do without the chip. But the spores should be enough to help you reach your full potential." 'He truly is insane.' Linzie thought, 'He acts like it's a pretty Sunday afternoon when he just brought down a mutant that could have crushed him in a second. This is bad, very bad.' Black came over and shot something into her leg. "I'm sorry I have to put you to sleep again dear, but you mustn't be conscious while this process is going on." Everything around her began to look blurry, and she slipped into a deep sleep.
Six ~
"Sam? Kitty?" Cora asked as she walked into the kitchen where they were sitting, "Have either of you seen Linzie? I can't find her anywhere, and no one else has seen her." "Sorry," Sam said, "I haven't seen her, not since this morning anyway." "I wonder where she could be." Kitty said, "You think she's alright?" "I hope so." Cora walked out of the room to find Professor Xavier. He was with Logan and Hank in the control room for the d.r. (She'd picked up the habit of calling the danger room the d.r.) Cora walked into the room, "Professor Xavier?" He turned around, "Yes?" "I haven't seen Linzie since early this morning, do you know where she went? It's almost 5:00 and no one else has seen her all day." "No I can't say that I have seen her Cora." He turned to Hank and Logan, "Do either of you know where she went?" They shook their heads. "Maybe you could use Cerebro to find her." Hank suggested, "It's all I can think of to try." Charles nodded, "That sounds like a good idea, though I can't imagine why Linzie would have left like this without telling anyone. Let's go." They went to try and find Linzie.
* * *
'They all hate me. They never even liked me. They were taking advantage of me. They're not my friends, I have no friends. Only enemies. Enemies that must be punished. They hate me, they hate me, they hate.' These were the thoughts swimming through Linzie's mind as she lay on the table. An angry and worried Victor Creed watched helplessly from behind an unbreakable window in a tiny cell. And a satisfied Doctor Black put the final touches on the programming for the spore project. A couple more seconds, and it would be complete. Linzie stirred restlessly, 'They never wanted me, they never cared about me. They hate me.' Her eyes snapped open, 'And I hate them.' She sat up; her legs weren't tied down anymore, though she couldn't remember why they had been tied down in the first place. She looked over to where Dr. Black was watching her, he seemed very excited. "So my pet," he took a tentative step toward her, "How do you feel?" She said it without even thinking, "Powerful." A grin spread across his thin face, "Excellent. And what else, pray tell, are you feeling?" Again the words came of their own accord, "Hungry." He rubbed his hands together, "Hungry for what?" A small, horrible smile crept onto her face, "More power." Dr. Black practically danced a jig; the procedure was a success! This was wonderful! All that was left to do was test it out. "Wonderful my dear! Wonderful! What's say we go to, oh say, the park. And satisfy this little hunger of yours?" Linzie got off the table; "I'd like that Doctor." "Let's go then." Dr. Black led her out of the laboratory. 'I've got to get out of here.' Sabertooth thought, desperately trying to break through the door of his cell, 'There's no telling what'll happen if he sets her loose.' * * * Professor X took off the helmet and switched Cerebro off. "It took a while, but I've found her." "Where is she?" Rogue asked, "Is she alright?" "She's in the park, but I'm afraid there is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but I know that Linzie and many others are in danger." "We've gotta get down there!" Cora said. Hank and Professor Xavier stayed at the mansion to try and find out what was wrong with Linzie; the rest hurried out and raced to the park. They had just gotten there and were running to find Linzie, when they got their first clue as to how bad this was. Actually, Jean nearly tripped over it. There in the middle of the pathway, lay the bodies of several dogs and the woman who had been walking them. Ororo bent to the woman and tried to find a pulse, "She's dead." She took a closer look, "But I can't tell how she died." Just then they heard a loud scream; they ran in the direction it had come from. Another young woman came running up to them, her face was white with terror. "Please!" she screamed, "You have to help me! She just killed him! It was like he.he.like he just stopped living!" With that the woman fainted. Scott caught her and lowered her to the ground. "C'mon, she'll be fine. We have to find Linzie." They ran a little ways more, and then they found her. She had her back to them when they came through to the clearing. She didn't move, just stood there. "Linzie?" Cora gasped, "Are you alright?" Linzie gave a small, menacing laugh, "Am I alright?" she turned around, "Of course I'm alright." The color drained from more than one face. This wasn't the Linzie they knew, but at the same time she was. She had a dangerous look about her, and she seemed to glow. But even the glow was dangerous. Then, a small man in a lab coat stepped out from behind her. "Good afternoon, I am Doctor Black. I'm so glad you could make it to our demonstration." He looked at Logan, "Hello Wolverine. How's that skeleton of yours working? I hope you've put it to good use since my predecessors gave it to you." Logan looked taken back, then a low growl rose in his throat. "What did you do to Linzie?" Sam demanded. "Why I merely showed her how to unlock her full potential. It's working quite nicely." He indicated the body of a man several yards to his left, "Much better than I had thought it would be." Ororo stepped forward, "Linzie, listen to me please. You have to come with us. We have to undo whatever this man did before anyone else gets hurt." Linzie made a noise in her throat, "Why would I want to undo it? I rather like it in fact. So no, I don't think I will be going with you." "Very good Linzie." Dr. Black said from beside her, "And since they don't even know about what they are trying to undo, why don't you give them a demonstration. You may pick any one you like." The pits of Linzie's eyes began to glow; she scanned the group of people in front of her, and settled on Jean. She brought one hand up and closed her eyes. A ball of bright light began to form on her palm; she aimed it at Jean and let it go. "Jean!" Scott moved in front of her and pushed her aside. The light surrounded him, swirling, clutching, then with one final flash the light came back to Linzie and went inside of her and Scott fell motionless to the ground.
Sabertooth finally broke through the cell door. Scrambling over the rubble, he bolted out the laboratory door and sped toward the park.
"Oh my God, Scott!" Jean ran to him and tried to find a pulse. "Oh no." Tears began to trickle down her face. He was dead. Doctor Black was pleased though, "Excellent work Linzie. Strait and clean, just as it should be." "You!" Logan leapt for Dr. Black, but was thrown back with a wave of the energy Linzie now possessed. "Linzie," Cora stood helpless to what was happening around her, "Why are you doing this? What has this guy told you? What has he done to you?" Linzie glared at them, "He told me the truth, and showed me my full potential. I know what everyone really thought of me, and now I'm getting back for it." "What we thought of you?" Kitty asked, "We were your friends, we cared about you." "Shut up!" Linzie snapped, "Your lying, I know you are! None of you ever liked me or cared about me. I have no friends, I never did. I know that now." "Man, he's brainwashed her." Evan said. Kurt nodded, "Yeah, and he's turned her on us." Doctor Black looked at them, "Now, you're not going to let them talk about you or me like that are you Linzie?" She put up her hand, "No." Much quicker this time, the same light gathered and shot out. First at Kurt, then when it was about to reach Evan, he was pulled out of the way by Jean. The light caught a tree instead; the tree withered and was reduced to nothing more than a pile of dead wood. Now Kurt and Scott's bodies lay on the ground, their lives drained away by someone who was once their friend, but now had been manipulated into harming them. Samantha tried talking to her again, "Linzie you have to believe us. This creep is the one whose been lying to you. Can't you see? He manipulated you so you would hurt the ones who really care about you. Don't let him do this to you." Linzie felt dizzy, there were too many voices talking at once. Dr. Black, Samantha, Kitty, Cora, Ororo, that woman's screaming. It was too much! It wouldn't leave her alone! The screaming! And him. His voice was there too. ' "I'm sorry." ' No! Stop it! Be quiet! Everyone just. "Shut up!" she screamed and held her hands over her ears, "Just stop it!" Black stepped up to her, "Linzie what on earth do you think your doing? Don't you know that you have to." he was cut off, the light came and claimed his life before either he or Linzie knew that it had. And she couldn't stop it! The light had a mind of it's own, it was hungry for more power, more energy. The light reached out twice more, taking a psychic life and another tree. Just then, something came into her range of vision, something familiar. He came around behind her and tried to pull her hands down, to stop the light. Rage filled her, Linzie whipped around and the light came out in full force, slamming him against a tree seconds after he was dead. She stopped, the light stopped. Realization hit her like a slap across the face. 'What have I done?' She stood stock still, not believing the damage she had just caused, 'What have I done?! I've killed them; I've killed him. They didn't hate me, they cared about me. He cared about me. Why did I listen?' Everything started to spin, she felt so tired, she wanted to rest. 'No.' She couldn't sleep yet. She had to give it back, to make things right.
Professor Xavier and Hank arrived during this last instant. Armed with a cure.
'I have to give it back.' Linzie held out her hands. The light came back, but now it was soft and warm, the light spread slowly out. It reached back along the path to the woman and the dogs. It reached to the man a few yards away, and then it reached for Scott, filling them all with their stolen life. The light spread over Kurt, Jean, even the two trees and Dr. Black. Then she turned to him; she seemed to freeze. Hank moved forward to inject her with the antidote. "Wait," the professor said softly, "Just a moment." Linzie knelt beside him and moved close to his face, "I'm sorry." She whispered. She touched her lips lightly to his and let the light give his life back. 'It's done.' She thought pulling back a little bit, 'It's done. And I'm so tired.' Everything around her became hazy, she was vaguely aware of something being injected in her arm, and she fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Seven
~
Linzie woke up feeling nauseous and calm at the same time. It was not a pleasant experience. When the nausea died down she looked around. She was in her room; there was a tray with a glass of water and a couple of shot things on her night table. The door opened and Professor Xavier came in. "Feeling all right?" he asked coming up to the side of her bed. Her voice was raspy, "Yeah." She cleared her throat, "What happened?" "Dr. Black had inserted a type of spore into you and used it to brainwash you into doing what he wanted. He unlocked the full capacity of what you are able to do. Take life, give life, take pain and give pain. And he used this to turn you on everyone you knew, and those you didn't know as well." Fear surged through her, "Is everyone alright?" "Yes, you gave back all that you took away, plus some." "Plus some?" "Well, lets say I've never seen any of them recover so quickly from anything. And Kurt has never been so fast in his life." "The speed'll ware off." Linzie didn't know how she knew that, she just did. "What happened to Black?" "He managed to get away before we could get to him. But his laboratory no longer exists, I don't think he will be back." He turned to leave, "Hank says you'll be fine and you can come down whenever you like. Oh, but don't try to talk to Logan at the moment ok?" "Why?" she sat up weakly. "He's.Well, he is a bit sore about you and Victor Creed. They are very strong enemies. He came to try and see you once this past week. He didn't get very far. But I will tell you that he wants to see you when you are well, I believe he said you would know where to find him. And don't let anyone know I gave you that message all right?" He gave her a wink and with that he left the room. "Thanks Professor." Linzie came down shortly after that. Sam and Cora and the others were glad to see she was all right. But Logan wouldn't meet her gaze for anything. Samantha told her not to worry about it. She decided she wouldn't let it bother her. She had been turning it over in her head all morning. Should she go and see him? What would happen if she did? Would he even be there? Yes, she knew that for sure. He would be there. Her mind was made up; she was going to see him. So, that afternoon she grabbed her English book, (not that she'd even read it), and started the walk to the park. No one else was at their bench, good. "Their bench." The thought almost made her giggle. Linzie sat down and tried to pretend to read, it didn't work. Just when she was beginning to think he wouldn't show up, he did. He sat down but he didn't look at her. Instead he looked at the birds in their nest. The eggs had hatched and the parents were trying to get them to venture outside of the nest onto the branch. There was one little hatchling that they couldn't get to leave the nest, finally the mother went over, picked it up and set it on the branch with it's siblings. At first it wanted to cry out, then it realized it was safe and chirped happily with the others on the branch. 'Safe.' Linzie thought. He looked back over to meet her gaze, he'd wanted to meet her here, but now he wasn't sure what to tell her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked. She held his eyes and calmly answered, "Yes I'm fine." He cleared his throat, this was not going the way he'd planned, "I tried to see you earlier." "Yes, Professor Xavier told me. I don't think Logan will be talking to me for a while though." She let his gaze loose and picked absently at the cover of her book. Why didn't he just say what he wanted? She knew there was something important he wanted to tell her, so let's have it. C'mon, out with it! "Linzie.." he began, "I'm.I'm sorry that this happened. With Black and everything. I didn't know he was going to do what he did." "That he planned to turn me into a war machine. I know." Here came the impersonal and ticked off waitress mode again. "Linzie please. Let me explain." "There's nothing to explain," she turned and looked at him, "You made me trust you and made me believe you cared about me, then you turned me over to a crack pot doctor who tried to turn me into a weapon to rent out to the highest communist bidder." "Linzie no." Linzie stood up and walked a few steps away, she continued with her back still turned to him, "No nothing. We both no all those things you said were lies and frankly, I don't care. Got it? I don't care! I don't even know why I listened to you in the first place. No, I know why. I was lonely, stupid and lonely. I let myself be won over with a few words and a kiss that meant nothing! Well I know better now. I know not to trust people so quickly." 'Why are you saying this?' her mind screamed at her, 'Victor wasn't lying! He meant it and you know it! You're just too stubborn to see it! You're too afraid to get close to him again! Well listen up sister! Opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime, hear that!? Now stop being an idiot and tell him how you really feel!' So far he hadn't said anything, now he stood up and crossed the distance between them. He knew she wasn't saying what she wanted to. Why was she running? 'Because you went along with Black and brought her to him. But what could you do? The guy could scramble your brain by just turning a dial. It's hard to argue against that.' He hadn't even meant to get so close to her, it just happened. And he didn't want to lose it now. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. Thankfully she didn't pull away, though he could feel her muscles tense up. She clenched and unclenched her fists, arguing with herself. 'C'mon Linzie, talk to me. Please.' "Linzie," he said softly, turning her around keeping one hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong?" Linzie took a deep, shaky breath. She wouldn't look at him, but she did start talking. "It's just that...Well.After Hank gave me the antidote for those spores, and I gave back all of the energy I took, I don't know. I feel, different. Like something was taken from me and put out of my reach. A thing that was taken away when the spores were first put in." She let it all out in a rush, "I know where it is, I just can't reach it, and I'm afraid to. I'm afraid if I get it back that I.I don't know.that I'll change again. That I'll try and steal other's lives again." She gave a small laugh, "I know that won't happen, the spores were taken out. I don't even know that anything will happen if I manage to get it back. But I'm still afraid something will. "I know it sounds stupid, but I." she bit her lip. His other hand circled around one of hers, "What did you lose?" "I." she kept her eyes locked on the ground, "I think it was you." "Is that what you were afraid of?" Her face reddened, he chuckled and tilted her face up to his. Her expression was a veritable mix of emotions, mostly confusion, annoyance and love. Love. That was certainly a new one for him. She frowned, "You know, I don't think you need to laugh at me." His smile widened, "I'm not." Before she could question this, he pulled her close and kissed her for what was now the fourth time. He smiled to himself, 'And certainly not the last.'
Eight
~
Ok, so it wasn't the dream relationship. She couldn't bring him to the mansion unless she wanted to witness a full out K-9 verses Feline war. And they couldn't meet just anywhere for a date, she doubted most of the restaurants she knew of would appreciate her bringing in a guy who could pass for a jungle cat if he wanted. So basically, if they went out to eat it had to be Jack's, and on nights when Logan wasn't there. (Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.) And if they met anywhere else it would have to be the park or some place with little population. But despite those few little flaws in the woodwork, she wouldn't trade it for anything else. Coincidentally, she was meeting him in the park later this evening. He said he had a surprise planned. She had no idea what it was, but she didn't think she'd be sorry.
End
~ Author's Ending Note: I hope someone who read this liked it, even if it's only one person it still counts. At first I had my doubts about this fanfic but hey, who says Victor Creed can't have at least a little soft side? And I know I haven't really used the Brotherhood teens, but I've got another fic in the works that does include them, I promise!
Later People,
~Dragonwing
One ~
Bbrrrriiiiiiiiinnngg! The bell sounded, letting all of the students at Bayville High know that the school day was over.
"Finally," Kitty sighed, as she, Kurt and Linzie walked from the school. "Yeah," Linzie said, pushing a lock of blond hair out of her eyes. "I thought we'd never get out of there." "And the best part," Kurt said, "Is that it's the weekend! Two whole days with no teachers, no classes, and no listening to that annoying bell!" "Lovely sentiment I'm sure." A voice said behind them. They turned around, "Oh, hey Sam." Linzie said. "Hey Red!" Kurt grinned. Samantha glared at him, "I told you to never call me that." His grin got even bigger; "Well what's the use of not being called Red if you've got red hair?" She took a light swing at him; he dodged it and hid behind Kitty and Linzie. It was Sam's turn to smile; though a bit wryly, "Next time you call me that, I won't miss. You guys need a ride?" "Sure." Kitty said. They all walked over to where Samantha's jeep was parked. "So, how's the school biz goin'?" Sam asked. "Pretty good." Linzie said, "Not as easy as home school, but. What are ya gonna do?" "They still buyin' that Greek alphabet bit you gave em'? You know you did turn twenty last month." "Actually they still are. Go figure." They got to the jeep and climbed in. "You guys planning on doing anything this weekend?" Sam asked. "Not at the moment," Linzie said settling into the soft leather seat and sitting her backpack on the floorboard. "Any ideas?" Kitty asked. "Not one," she said. "But if you don't make any plans, I hear Professor X was planning to get everybody to get a bit of training in." "Then maybe we had better think of something." Kurt said, reaching up and turning on the radio. "Otherwise we'll be stuck in the danger room with Logan and Red here." "If I weren't concentrating on driving, you'd be out the window by now." Sam said dryly. The grin returned to Kurt's face, "In that case, drive on!"
Two ~ She met him in the park. Maybe confronted him was a better word. He'd been following her for a while now. Never getting too close but always keeping up with her. Almost like he was tracking her or something. By the time she'd gotten to the park she was fed up. She managed to get behind a hedge without him seeing. Then when he'd tried to creep around it, she'd stepped right in front of him. She'd then asked him to explain why he was following her. It took him a minute, since he was still a little caught off guard. But he'd finally explained that he'd just wanted to talk to her. "You could've done that three blocks ago." She'd said, "Instead of tracking me all this way. It's not like I'm gonna bite you or anything." He'd apologized and asked if he could still talk to her. She'd agreed and they went to a nearby bench. They'd talked for a long time, he was very nice to her, but he seemed pretty guarded. 'Kind of like Logan when he doesn't want to be bothered.' She'd thought. He'd asked her to tell some about herself, she did. Nothing really personal, just interests, likes, dislikes, things like that. But when she'd indicated it was his turn to tell about himself, he barely told her anything. They were about to talk about something else when he'd had to abruptly leave. He'd asked if he could see her again sometime. She said alright. Then he'd left. As quickly as he'd came. He didn't even ask for her number or anything. About two weeks later, he'd come into the place where she worked. He sat down in a corner as far away as you could get from, well, everything. She'd asked if he'd like anything, he didn't. He just wanted to talk to her when she got the chance. She went about her job, totally aware that he watched her the entire time. After most of the customers had cleared out, she took her break and went over to where he was sitting. They'd talked for a while, she didn't learn much more about him. No matter how much he wanted to get to know her, she couldn't learn much more than diddley squat about him. It was beginning to get a bit annoying. Her break was about over when he'd suddenly acted very strange. It was like when a cat knows a dog is nearby. He asked if he could leave out the back, she'd said sure and shown him the way. That was when he'd kissed her. Nothing big, not even on the mouth, just a brief peck on the cheek. But it was still a kiss, right? Then he'd done that "leave quickly so it looked like he disappeared" thing. Logan came in shortly after that to get a drink and see Samantha. He'd been a bit cautious when he'd first walked in, but it wore off in about a millisecond. She supposed stranger things had happened, but this was still getting weird. When her shift was over she had to wait for Sam to finish up. Considering Sam was her ride to and from work. She'd really have to get a car one of these days. She supposed she could always ask her mother's side of the family for help, but she never really liked to. She liked to earn the things she had. She'd just have to save up. Maybe work a few night shifts when summer rolled around. That sounded good to her. Samantha finally got finished and they headed home.
She saw him a couple more times. Each one seemed more brief than the last. But she was starting to enjoy them. He listened so well, he would urge her to talk and talk. But he still wouldn't say very much other than a few tid-bits here and there. He was a mutant; she'd known that right off the bat. There was no question. The eyes, the teeth, the sixth sense, and the claws were dead giveaways. He was almost like a big cat, a VERY big cat. Though he managed to camouflage them quite well if they were ever in public. She really didn't know what made her talk to him in the first place. She could have just walked away and not thought any more about it. But there was something about him she liked. It wasn't his personality, not totally. She'd seen him have a temper worse than Logan's at one point. (Which was pretty scary.) It was more like. the way he listened to her, and the way he looked at her when he listened. So absorbed in whatever she was saying. No one had ever been like that around her. Not even her mother, and she almost smothered her sometimes she was so concerned about how she was doing. Of course it was only because of her mutation. If it weren't for that she'd have been treated perfectly normal. And it wasn't like she wasn't accepted or anything, her family loved her. Although she suspected that if it had been a visible mutation, some of them wouldn't have been so loving. She told that to him one time. He'd said it wouldn't have mattered to him, he'd still like her no matter what. She'd turned a little pink and tried to change the subject. But apparently there was no avoiding it. She knew it would come up again sometime, but for now she didn't really want to talk about it. He didn't press, instead he asked her to tell him about her family. So she'd thankfully began telling him about them. He left shortly after that, and he kissed her again before he did. But this time it was a light touch on her mouth, she turned pink again and stayed that way for quite a while afterwards. He'd also gotten her phone number that time, why she wasn't sure. Usually he just tracked her down or something. Oh well, each to his own.
Three
~
She didn't see him for over a month after that. And for some reason it made her mad. She guessed she'd just gotten accustomed to him popping up now and then. Creeping up was probably a better way to say it. Well whatever he did he hadn't done for way longer than usual. His max so far was two and a half weeks tops. No more, sometimes less. And she hadn't seen him in over a month! Why was she mad? She only knew a quarter of the stuff about him that he knew about her! They were practically strangers. Strangers that see each other a lot and enjoy each other's company. Well, if he didn't want to be around her anymore, then.then she wouldn't be around him! That's all there was to it. End of discussion. She wondered when she'd see him again? No! No seeing, no talking, no nuttun! And that was final. He called her the next day. She'd had to run to catch the phone, so her hello wasn't exactly cheery. "Yes?" she panted, plopping down on the end of the bed. "Linzie?" it was him. Her voice changed to impersonal and ticked off waitress mode, "Hello Victor. What is it?" "Can I see you?" His voice had an earnest edge, but she didn't change her tone, "That depends. When?" "Today, if it's possible." "Well you know I'm not really sure it is." "What's wrong?" That's right, let him stew in it for a while, "I'm not sure Victor. I don't know how this works in your neck of the woods, but I'm the kind of person who appreciates knowing when to not expect to see someone for over a month." "You missed me?" his voice was a mix of being surprised and pleased at the same time. "I don't know if I'd really call it miss." She wasn't going to waver now, no matter how caught off and innocent that sounded, "More like curious as to your absence and on the verge of worry." His voice sounded amused, "I promise I'll tell you when I won't be around next time." He was laughing at her! At the fact that she was starting to worry about where he was! Ok, no more Miss Nice Linzie, "Hey, if all you called me for was so you could make fun of me then I'm hanging up." "Don't! Please. Can I just see you for a little while today? Or tomorrow if you'd rather. But soon?" The image of one of those pleading cartoon kitties flashed through her mind. "All right. Today. Meet me at the bench in the park in an hour." "All right. And Linzie?" "Yes?" "Thanks. You won't be sorry." 'I'd better not be.' Linzie thought as she put the phone back in its cradle.
Linzie got to the appointed spot a little bit early, so she pulled out her English book and read a bit on the play they were studying, Macbeth. She always liked that one. Her dad was a Shakespeare freak and had always made sure she read at least one thing written by him every month. It certainly paid off now. This Shakespeare segment was going to count for one fourth of her total grade. Thank you dad. Victor soon made his customary entrance. One minute she was alone reading her book, the next he was sitting beside her. "What are you reading?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at the page she was on. "Macbeth. I'm reading it for school." "I still can't believe they bought that Greek alphabet thing." "That's what everybody who knows about it says." So far she hadn't looked up, now she marked her place and turned to face him. "So, what did you want to talk about?" "You know, I'm not really sure anymore. I guess I just wanted to see you."
"Cora would say your becoming obsessed or reliant on my company." "Maybe," He glanced around for a bit then settled back on her face, "Or maybe I just love being around you." She looked away and focused her attention on a pair of birds flying back and forth, carrying bits of this and that to put the finishing touches on their nest and to cover up their eggs. 'Keeping them safe.' She thought. "Linzie?" he took one of her hands between his. She tried half heartedly to pull it away, but of course she couldn't. "Linzie." He turned her face so she looked strait at him. "I don't know what's wrong, but I wish you'd trust me. I don't know what you're afraid of, but I'll keep you safe." The birds settled back at their nest and were taking turns covering the eggs. 'Keeping them safe.' He tilted her face up and kissed her for the third time. But it wasn't like the peck on her cheek or the light touch from the last time; this was a real bonafide kiss. And Linzie liked it. Victor pulled away and dropped her hand. He leaned back against the bench and scowled at the air. "Hey, I realize I'm new at this but I don't think I was that bad." Linzie said, crossing her arms and peering at him. He was kicking himself about something, she was sure of it. The scowl left his face and he looked back over at her. "Oh, no. It's not that. I just forgot about something. That's all." He kissed her forehead and stood up to leave. "Gonna to be gone longer than a month?" Linzie asked half-joking, half-serious. Hey, she wanted to know. He smiled, "Not this time." And that was that. She sat for a moment thinking about what he could have forgotten, but decided it wasn't anything she should worry about. She picked up her book, and with one last look at the birds, headed out of the park.
* * *
Somewhere in a laboratory hidden from view, two figures stood across from each other. One was small; the other towered over him. "You did well." The small one said, "But you're getting a little too close. We'll just have to fix that won't we?"
Four ~
It always took Linzie a while to get back to the mansion when she walked, but she didn't mind. She could just amble along. Once in a while she'd catch a taxi, but mostly she walked. When she got back, Cora was out on the front lawn with a small gymnastics mat, her CD Jam-Box, and a stack of CDs. Why? Oh yeah! Cora's new hobby was yoga. But she didn't usually do it outside, she normally did it in her room or the living room, and it was only 3:00. She'd been doing it at 4:30 or 5. Linzie walked up and watched Cora do a couple of complicated poses. Hey, at least she was flexible. The jam-box was playing one of Beethoven's pieces. Cora also had 'Bach', 'Wolfgang', 'Soothing Sounds of the Rainforest' and 'Sounds from the Far East'. "Yoga time come early today?" Linzie asked. "Yep," Cora moved around to another pose, "It's d-afternoon remember?" Linzie drew a blank. "Danger room?" Cora stood up and to change the music, "Professor Xavier wanted us to put in some extra work in the danger room this afternoon. So I thought I'd go ahead and get my yoga in." she looked up at Linzie, "Hey, you ok? You look a little flushed." "It was a long walk back." Cora found the song she wanted and put the CD in; "You seriously need a car ya know that?" "I know," Linzie sighed, "I've been saving for a while, but car prices keep going up." "Why don't you just ask your grandmother?" Cora started another pose that involved one foot going on her shoulder while the other held her up; "She'd help you in a heartbeat." "I know. But.it feels like I'm taking advantage of her. She'd probably buy me the world if I asked her to. I don't know, I just like to earn what I have. She just doesn't seem to get that." "She will, give her time." She put her foot back down and started her lunging poses. "I've given her twenty years." Linzie said, "And she still hasn't gotten it." "Well she's a pretty proud lady," Cora finished and started to cool down, "You can't help that." "Guess not." Linzie smiled, Cora was always honest with her, honest if not blunt, but she was still nice about it. Cora finished and turned off the music. Linzie rolled up her mat while she collected her CDs and jam-box. "Hey, Linz?" Cora asked as they walked to the door, "Did you even let your grandmother know you turned twenty three months ago? If I recall, she wasn't very good at keeping up with your age."
"Come to think of it I didn't. That's probably why she hasn't sent me a gift. But I'm glad. She always sends me things I'll never use." "Like that diamond bracelet she sent you last year." "You got it. It's still sitting in the cheery wood and copper jewelry box she sent me two years before." "Maybe she'll send you something useful this year." "I'd just settle with a card." They put up Cora's things and went to find the others.
* * *
They had a hard workout in the danger room that afternoon, and another the following morning. And it was just after that second workout that Linzie received a big surprise. Cora, Linzie, Kitty, Samantha and the rest of the students had gone to the living room and were just starting to cool off when there was a prompt rap at the door. Ororo opened the door and talked a minute with whoever was there, then she called to Linzie, "Linzie, there's someone here to see you. I believe it's your grandmother." Linzie nearly jumped out of her skin. Lord all mighty what could she be doing here? Practically everyone who had been in the living room with Linzie followed her to see what she had jumped about. There was a long, black, expensive car in the front drive with a chauffeur standing watch at its door. And standing impatiently in the doorway was Linzie's grandmother. She wore a burgundy dress with three- quarter length sleeves and a high collar. Her white hair was coiled tightly into a bun on the top of her head, a pair of dainty spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose. She was about as neat and trim as you could get, and she had an aristocratic air about her. When she spoke her voice was quick and crisp, "Well Linzie are you going to stand there with your mouth open or are you going to greet your grandmother?" Linzie found her voice just in time, "This is such a surprise, how are you doing Grandmother Compton? What brings you here?" "You don't think that I would miss my granddaughter's birthday do you? I realize I am a bit late, but I was away at the time of your birthday. So I arranged to come here and see you before going home." Mrs. Compton turned and looked the drive impatiently, then she saw what she wanted and turned back to Linzie, "And your birthday present is right on schedule." Just then, up the driveway came a whitish-gold new beetle Volkswagen! Linzie lost control of her jaw for the second time, this time accompanied by several others. "Grandmother, I.I don't know what to say." "A simple thank you will do for now. But first don't you think you should invite me inside?" "Oh, right. Yes, please come in." Mrs. Compton stepped inside and looked around with a skeptical eye. "I must say this is much better than the last residence you were staying in." she saw Cora and Sam, "Cora, Samantha. I trust that the both of you are doing well?" Cora smiled, "Yes thank you Mrs. Compton. We're doing very well." She nodded and surveyed the group that stood before her. "New friends of yours Linzie?" "Yes Grandmother." Linzie introduced each of them in turn; Mrs. Compton looked at each of them with that same skeptical gaze. Professor Xavier came into the room just as Linzie finished. "Grandmother," Linzie said, "This is Professor Xavier. He's the owner of this mansion and is the one who has been helping us with our muta. er, abilities." "I am most appreciative for your help and hospitality to my granddaughter and her friends." She shook his hand, "I have not heard much about this place, but from what I have seen so far it seems very respectable." "Thank you, we're very glad you were able to come. I'm afraid I haven't heard very much about you either, but any of Linzie's relatives or friends are welcome here." They all moved to the living room, "Would you like anything to drink Mrs. Compton?" Ororo asked as she sat down. "No thank you. I'm afraid I don't intend to stay very long. I merely came to see how Linzie was doing and to make sure her birthday gift was properly delivered." Logan came into the room a little while later while Professor X was telling Mrs. Compton about all that went on at the institution. He leaned in the doorway where Sam was and put his arm around her shoulders, "Who's that?" "Linzie's grandmother, Mrs. Compton. She came to see Linzie and to make sure her birthday gift was 'properly delivered'." "What?" "Linzie's grandmother is loaded. She brought her a car. It's out front next to her limo." "If Linzie's grandma is loaded, why is she working at Jack's? Or is even here for that matter?" "She doesn't like for her grandmother to buy her things. She likes to earn what she gets, she likes to work. But Mrs. Compton is determined to turn her into a 'proper young lady'. In other words, a stuck up old spinster in nineteenth century clothes who doesn't lift a finger for anything or anyone. And she probably wouldn't have anything to do with her if her mutation was physically visible. She just tolerates Cora and me." "Why you? Yours ain't visible either." "She thinks I'm not good enough to even talk to Linzie. And she never looks at Cora's hands, only her face. She's so old fashioned she's never even hugged Linzie." "Talk about a tight wad." "Tell me about it. And you just wait and see what she says when she sees you. I swear her nose'll rise ten feet in the air." Logan let out a short laugh, "Hey, I don't care. Personally I feel sorry for Linzie. Are her parent's the same way?" "Actually no. In fact, Linzie's dad, Compton's son, went against every single one of her wishes and married Linzie's mom. They're way nicer than the She Scrooge is. They treat Cora and me like their own daughters. Although sometimes that's not exactly a good thing." Mrs. Compton stood up. "Well, get ready. Here it comes." Mrs. Compton stopped a little bit before the door. She took a good look at Logan and at the arm he had on Samantha's shoulders. "Samantha," she said absently, "Don't you think that he is a bit old for you?" Logan stiffened, but Sam put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Well Mrs. Compton, since I know you really don't care about me or what I do, I don't think it's any of your business how old Logan is." "That may be true," Mrs. Compton's voice grew icy, "But amazingly, you are one of my granddaughter's closest friends. And I won't have you setting an improper example for her." It was Logan's turn to keep Sam from stepping up, Mrs. Compton only smiled a cold, smug smile, "My point has just been proven. You have a much too violent and uncivilized influence on Linzie, and as far as I am concerned you have no business being her friend. Or her acquaintance for that matter, and I shall see to it that my granddaughter will no longer associate with such subcomman place riffraff as you." Samantha nearly jumped on her, Logan grabbed her arm and held her in place, but it was apparent that he was holding himself back as well. A small growl escaped his throat, Mrs. Compton took a step back, trying to maintain her haughty air but also unwillingly letting fear slip into her expression. No one else had said anything during the entire time, now Linzie stood up angrily and stepped in front of her grandmother. "This is the last straw Grandmother. I have tolerated your nagging, and your criticism, and your snooty, snappy mouth. But now you've crossed the line. Samantha and Cora are my dearest friends and I know you don't like them. I also know you don't like anyone else in this room, I saw it the moment you walked through the door. But I don't care! I've put up with you for Lord knows not as long as dad did and I can't see how he did it at all! And as far as I'm concerned, you might as well never contact me again until you can learn to respect my friends and my life. Now I think it's best that you leave. And you can take that car with you. I don't want it. I want to EARN the things I have. Not get them from you. Goodbye Grandmother. I believe you know the way out." Mrs. Compton was thoroughly flabbergasted. She finally collected herself, turned up her nose and walked out in a huff. Slamming the door behind her. The sound of two cars starting up was heard, and the screeching of tires as they sped down the drive. When they were gone, Linzie swayed on her feet and sank into a chair. Cora knelt in front of her friend, "Thanks Linz." "Yeah," Sam came over and sat on the arm of the chair, "You did good standing up to her. We know it wasn't easy." "I'm kinda gonna miss that car though." Kurt said. Kitty threw a pillow at him and Linzie smiled.
Five ~
The rest of the weekend went by in a blur, so did the following week, but by the time the next weekend rolled around things had settled back into the normal flow. One of Linzie's favorite places to go was on the very edge of the mansion grounds just before the forest started. She'd found a small stream there about a month ago and had developed a habit of going there when she needed to relax. She went down there Saturday morning to think and try to finish Macbeth. She sat on the bank and watched the water roll lazily down stream, it was really very pretty here. On one side of the bank there was a small circle of dogwoods that she loved to sit under, she sat there now and opened her book to where she had left off. She only had a couple of scenes left so she didn't think it would take her long. Some time later, Linzie got a strange feeling. Like someone was watching her, and that she should leave. She tried to shrug it off, but it came right back. She was just about to close her book and head back to the mansion when she felt a sharp pang in her left arm. Linzie sucked in her breath and clutched her arm. She managed to pull a small dart thing out of her arm just before she dozed off. Linzie was vaguely aware of lying there for a minute or two before being lifted up by strong arms. Whoever picked her up cradled her against himself. She guessed it was a him anyway. She knew he was taking her somewhere by the gentle rocking that resulted from his footsteps. Linzie dozed in and out of this woozy state for some time. Then she realized that they had stopped. She felt herself being lowered down onto, what she supposed, was a table or a cot. A faint, familiar voice whispered "I'm sorry." And she knew no more for a long time. * * *
When Linzie woke up again, she was laying on a table in the middle of a room filled with all kinds of computers and other scientific equipment. She sat up and tried to swing her legs over the side of the table, but they were strapped down! Just then she heard footsteps outside of a nearby door. The door opened and a small man in a white lab coat walked in. "Why hello my dear. I trust you slept well?" It took Linzie a minute to find her voice, "Who are you? Where am I?" "You may call me Doctor Black, and this is my laboratory. I do apologize for the uncomfortable accommodations, but I had to run some tests as soon as you got here. They just came out about twenty minutes ago." Linzie didn't like this guy at all, "What do you want with me?" "You're here because of your mutant ability." "What? Because I can heal a few scratches? That's not a mutation worth capturing someone over." "Ah, but on the contrary my dear, you have an amazing ability. Just imagine for a moment, a creature that can give and take energy and life itself with a single gesture. A creature that would make an almost perfect weapon for any occasion what so ever. That creature is you Linzie Compton, with the right training and modivation." "Your insane!" Linzie tried desperately to release the bonds that held her legs down, "What makes you think you have the right to do that to me?" "Oh, but it's already been done, my dear. All I need to do is show you how to bring it out. And you might as well give up on trying to break those bonds. The only way to release them is to press a certain button on the control panel. Don't worry, you'll soon be one of the most powerful beings on the earth." This creep was definitely off his rocker, "Why are you doing this?" "It's simple, the scientists that started this program are all but deceased now. I was chosen to continue this work by finding mutants that would be suitable as weapons. You know your friend Wolverine?" She nodded. "Well, so far he is the best result of this program to date. He escaped however and the chip inside of him has been removed. But now, I have you. A far more fitting subject than him." Linzie heard another set of footsteps coming down the hall. The door opened and Victor Creed walked in. Linzie would have fainted right then and there if she hadn't been so angry. Doctor Black turned around when he walked in, "Ah, Sabertooth, excellent timing. You did a commendable job getting her here. Very nice." Linzie looked at Victor; he wouldn't meet her gaze. The anger inside of her was ready to boil over. He'd just been using her! Making her think that he cared about her, just so he could get her here so Doctor Frankenstein over there could turn her into a mindless war machine! Ok, this was flying right by deceitful and ramming strait into downright, outrageous, scum of the earth kidnapping! "Now don't look so surprised Linzie." She snapped her head around and glared at the little man. "You didn't really believe everything he said to you was truth? Oh, my. You did didn't you? My that certainly is amusing!" he laughed a high little laugh, thoroughly amused by the whole thing, "Well, we all make mistakes. Now, Sabertooth." Victor looked at him; "Get that gas ready. I want to get this chip installed before the day is spent." Sabertooth looked at the doctor, "Chip?" "Yes chip. You know the little electronic thing very much like the one in your own brain? Surely you haven't forgotten about it." "You said you weren't going to put a chip in her. You said you were just going to unlock her powers and that was it." "Yes, well I lied. Now get the gas ready." He didn't move, "No. You said you wouldn't." The doctor cut him off, "I don't care what I said before. I lied, and I've already put the new spore experiment in her and the chip is going next. Now do as I say and get the gas ready so I can begin." Victor took a step toward Black. "I'm losing my patience Sabertooth." He turned a dial on the control panel, "Don't make me force you to do this." Linzie watched horrified as Victor cried out in pain and held his head. He made another step toward the doctor, when he did Black only turned the dial some more. Victor looked like he was going to tear his head off it hurt so badly, and Linzie couldn't do anything about it. Victor finally managed to get to what he wanted, he got close enough to the panel that he grabbed a glass dish that had something small and black in it. Black started forward, "No! Stop it you fool!" But Victor had already smashed the thing on the floor, shattering the dish and crushing the black thing. Dr. Black cried out in rage and twisted the knob as far as it would go. The pain was so intense that Sabertooth dropped unconscious on the floor of the laboratory. Black turned back to the control panel and considered something for a moment. He turned back around and looked at Linzie, "Well my dear, it seems that we will have to do without the chip. But the spores should be enough to help you reach your full potential." 'He truly is insane.' Linzie thought, 'He acts like it's a pretty Sunday afternoon when he just brought down a mutant that could have crushed him in a second. This is bad, very bad.' Black came over and shot something into her leg. "I'm sorry I have to put you to sleep again dear, but you mustn't be conscious while this process is going on." Everything around her began to look blurry, and she slipped into a deep sleep.
Six ~
"Sam? Kitty?" Cora asked as she walked into the kitchen where they were sitting, "Have either of you seen Linzie? I can't find her anywhere, and no one else has seen her." "Sorry," Sam said, "I haven't seen her, not since this morning anyway." "I wonder where she could be." Kitty said, "You think she's alright?" "I hope so." Cora walked out of the room to find Professor Xavier. He was with Logan and Hank in the control room for the d.r. (She'd picked up the habit of calling the danger room the d.r.) Cora walked into the room, "Professor Xavier?" He turned around, "Yes?" "I haven't seen Linzie since early this morning, do you know where she went? It's almost 5:00 and no one else has seen her all day." "No I can't say that I have seen her Cora." He turned to Hank and Logan, "Do either of you know where she went?" They shook their heads. "Maybe you could use Cerebro to find her." Hank suggested, "It's all I can think of to try." Charles nodded, "That sounds like a good idea, though I can't imagine why Linzie would have left like this without telling anyone. Let's go." They went to try and find Linzie.
* * *
'They all hate me. They never even liked me. They were taking advantage of me. They're not my friends, I have no friends. Only enemies. Enemies that must be punished. They hate me, they hate me, they hate.' These were the thoughts swimming through Linzie's mind as she lay on the table. An angry and worried Victor Creed watched helplessly from behind an unbreakable window in a tiny cell. And a satisfied Doctor Black put the final touches on the programming for the spore project. A couple more seconds, and it would be complete. Linzie stirred restlessly, 'They never wanted me, they never cared about me. They hate me.' Her eyes snapped open, 'And I hate them.' She sat up; her legs weren't tied down anymore, though she couldn't remember why they had been tied down in the first place. She looked over to where Dr. Black was watching her, he seemed very excited. "So my pet," he took a tentative step toward her, "How do you feel?" She said it without even thinking, "Powerful." A grin spread across his thin face, "Excellent. And what else, pray tell, are you feeling?" Again the words came of their own accord, "Hungry." He rubbed his hands together, "Hungry for what?" A small, horrible smile crept onto her face, "More power." Dr. Black practically danced a jig; the procedure was a success! This was wonderful! All that was left to do was test it out. "Wonderful my dear! Wonderful! What's say we go to, oh say, the park. And satisfy this little hunger of yours?" Linzie got off the table; "I'd like that Doctor." "Let's go then." Dr. Black led her out of the laboratory. 'I've got to get out of here.' Sabertooth thought, desperately trying to break through the door of his cell, 'There's no telling what'll happen if he sets her loose.' * * * Professor X took off the helmet and switched Cerebro off. "It took a while, but I've found her." "Where is she?" Rogue asked, "Is she alright?" "She's in the park, but I'm afraid there is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but I know that Linzie and many others are in danger." "We've gotta get down there!" Cora said. Hank and Professor Xavier stayed at the mansion to try and find out what was wrong with Linzie; the rest hurried out and raced to the park. They had just gotten there and were running to find Linzie, when they got their first clue as to how bad this was. Actually, Jean nearly tripped over it. There in the middle of the pathway, lay the bodies of several dogs and the woman who had been walking them. Ororo bent to the woman and tried to find a pulse, "She's dead." She took a closer look, "But I can't tell how she died." Just then they heard a loud scream; they ran in the direction it had come from. Another young woman came running up to them, her face was white with terror. "Please!" she screamed, "You have to help me! She just killed him! It was like he.he.like he just stopped living!" With that the woman fainted. Scott caught her and lowered her to the ground. "C'mon, she'll be fine. We have to find Linzie." They ran a little ways more, and then they found her. She had her back to them when they came through to the clearing. She didn't move, just stood there. "Linzie?" Cora gasped, "Are you alright?" Linzie gave a small, menacing laugh, "Am I alright?" she turned around, "Of course I'm alright." The color drained from more than one face. This wasn't the Linzie they knew, but at the same time she was. She had a dangerous look about her, and she seemed to glow. But even the glow was dangerous. Then, a small man in a lab coat stepped out from behind her. "Good afternoon, I am Doctor Black. I'm so glad you could make it to our demonstration." He looked at Logan, "Hello Wolverine. How's that skeleton of yours working? I hope you've put it to good use since my predecessors gave it to you." Logan looked taken back, then a low growl rose in his throat. "What did you do to Linzie?" Sam demanded. "Why I merely showed her how to unlock her full potential. It's working quite nicely." He indicated the body of a man several yards to his left, "Much better than I had thought it would be." Ororo stepped forward, "Linzie, listen to me please. You have to come with us. We have to undo whatever this man did before anyone else gets hurt." Linzie made a noise in her throat, "Why would I want to undo it? I rather like it in fact. So no, I don't think I will be going with you." "Very good Linzie." Dr. Black said from beside her, "And since they don't even know about what they are trying to undo, why don't you give them a demonstration. You may pick any one you like." The pits of Linzie's eyes began to glow; she scanned the group of people in front of her, and settled on Jean. She brought one hand up and closed her eyes. A ball of bright light began to form on her palm; she aimed it at Jean and let it go. "Jean!" Scott moved in front of her and pushed her aside. The light surrounded him, swirling, clutching, then with one final flash the light came back to Linzie and went inside of her and Scott fell motionless to the ground.
Sabertooth finally broke through the cell door. Scrambling over the rubble, he bolted out the laboratory door and sped toward the park.
"Oh my God, Scott!" Jean ran to him and tried to find a pulse. "Oh no." Tears began to trickle down her face. He was dead. Doctor Black was pleased though, "Excellent work Linzie. Strait and clean, just as it should be." "You!" Logan leapt for Dr. Black, but was thrown back with a wave of the energy Linzie now possessed. "Linzie," Cora stood helpless to what was happening around her, "Why are you doing this? What has this guy told you? What has he done to you?" Linzie glared at them, "He told me the truth, and showed me my full potential. I know what everyone really thought of me, and now I'm getting back for it." "What we thought of you?" Kitty asked, "We were your friends, we cared about you." "Shut up!" Linzie snapped, "Your lying, I know you are! None of you ever liked me or cared about me. I have no friends, I never did. I know that now." "Man, he's brainwashed her." Evan said. Kurt nodded, "Yeah, and he's turned her on us." Doctor Black looked at them, "Now, you're not going to let them talk about you or me like that are you Linzie?" She put up her hand, "No." Much quicker this time, the same light gathered and shot out. First at Kurt, then when it was about to reach Evan, he was pulled out of the way by Jean. The light caught a tree instead; the tree withered and was reduced to nothing more than a pile of dead wood. Now Kurt and Scott's bodies lay on the ground, their lives drained away by someone who was once their friend, but now had been manipulated into harming them. Samantha tried talking to her again, "Linzie you have to believe us. This creep is the one whose been lying to you. Can't you see? He manipulated you so you would hurt the ones who really care about you. Don't let him do this to you." Linzie felt dizzy, there were too many voices talking at once. Dr. Black, Samantha, Kitty, Cora, Ororo, that woman's screaming. It was too much! It wouldn't leave her alone! The screaming! And him. His voice was there too. ' "I'm sorry." ' No! Stop it! Be quiet! Everyone just. "Shut up!" she screamed and held her hands over her ears, "Just stop it!" Black stepped up to her, "Linzie what on earth do you think your doing? Don't you know that you have to." he was cut off, the light came and claimed his life before either he or Linzie knew that it had. And she couldn't stop it! The light had a mind of it's own, it was hungry for more power, more energy. The light reached out twice more, taking a psychic life and another tree. Just then, something came into her range of vision, something familiar. He came around behind her and tried to pull her hands down, to stop the light. Rage filled her, Linzie whipped around and the light came out in full force, slamming him against a tree seconds after he was dead. She stopped, the light stopped. Realization hit her like a slap across the face. 'What have I done?' She stood stock still, not believing the damage she had just caused, 'What have I done?! I've killed them; I've killed him. They didn't hate me, they cared about me. He cared about me. Why did I listen?' Everything started to spin, she felt so tired, she wanted to rest. 'No.' She couldn't sleep yet. She had to give it back, to make things right.
Professor Xavier and Hank arrived during this last instant. Armed with a cure.
'I have to give it back.' Linzie held out her hands. The light came back, but now it was soft and warm, the light spread slowly out. It reached back along the path to the woman and the dogs. It reached to the man a few yards away, and then it reached for Scott, filling them all with their stolen life. The light spread over Kurt, Jean, even the two trees and Dr. Black. Then she turned to him; she seemed to freeze. Hank moved forward to inject her with the antidote. "Wait," the professor said softly, "Just a moment." Linzie knelt beside him and moved close to his face, "I'm sorry." She whispered. She touched her lips lightly to his and let the light give his life back. 'It's done.' She thought pulling back a little bit, 'It's done. And I'm so tired.' Everything around her became hazy, she was vaguely aware of something being injected in her arm, and she fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Seven
~
Linzie woke up feeling nauseous and calm at the same time. It was not a pleasant experience. When the nausea died down she looked around. She was in her room; there was a tray with a glass of water and a couple of shot things on her night table. The door opened and Professor Xavier came in. "Feeling all right?" he asked coming up to the side of her bed. Her voice was raspy, "Yeah." She cleared her throat, "What happened?" "Dr. Black had inserted a type of spore into you and used it to brainwash you into doing what he wanted. He unlocked the full capacity of what you are able to do. Take life, give life, take pain and give pain. And he used this to turn you on everyone you knew, and those you didn't know as well." Fear surged through her, "Is everyone alright?" "Yes, you gave back all that you took away, plus some." "Plus some?" "Well, lets say I've never seen any of them recover so quickly from anything. And Kurt has never been so fast in his life." "The speed'll ware off." Linzie didn't know how she knew that, she just did. "What happened to Black?" "He managed to get away before we could get to him. But his laboratory no longer exists, I don't think he will be back." He turned to leave, "Hank says you'll be fine and you can come down whenever you like. Oh, but don't try to talk to Logan at the moment ok?" "Why?" she sat up weakly. "He's.Well, he is a bit sore about you and Victor Creed. They are very strong enemies. He came to try and see you once this past week. He didn't get very far. But I will tell you that he wants to see you when you are well, I believe he said you would know where to find him. And don't let anyone know I gave you that message all right?" He gave her a wink and with that he left the room. "Thanks Professor." Linzie came down shortly after that. Sam and Cora and the others were glad to see she was all right. But Logan wouldn't meet her gaze for anything. Samantha told her not to worry about it. She decided she wouldn't let it bother her. She had been turning it over in her head all morning. Should she go and see him? What would happen if she did? Would he even be there? Yes, she knew that for sure. He would be there. Her mind was made up; she was going to see him. So, that afternoon she grabbed her English book, (not that she'd even read it), and started the walk to the park. No one else was at their bench, good. "Their bench." The thought almost made her giggle. Linzie sat down and tried to pretend to read, it didn't work. Just when she was beginning to think he wouldn't show up, he did. He sat down but he didn't look at her. Instead he looked at the birds in their nest. The eggs had hatched and the parents were trying to get them to venture outside of the nest onto the branch. There was one little hatchling that they couldn't get to leave the nest, finally the mother went over, picked it up and set it on the branch with it's siblings. At first it wanted to cry out, then it realized it was safe and chirped happily with the others on the branch. 'Safe.' Linzie thought. He looked back over to meet her gaze, he'd wanted to meet her here, but now he wasn't sure what to tell her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked. She held his eyes and calmly answered, "Yes I'm fine." He cleared his throat, this was not going the way he'd planned, "I tried to see you earlier." "Yes, Professor Xavier told me. I don't think Logan will be talking to me for a while though." She let his gaze loose and picked absently at the cover of her book. Why didn't he just say what he wanted? She knew there was something important he wanted to tell her, so let's have it. C'mon, out with it! "Linzie.." he began, "I'm.I'm sorry that this happened. With Black and everything. I didn't know he was going to do what he did." "That he planned to turn me into a war machine. I know." Here came the impersonal and ticked off waitress mode again. "Linzie please. Let me explain." "There's nothing to explain," she turned and looked at him, "You made me trust you and made me believe you cared about me, then you turned me over to a crack pot doctor who tried to turn me into a weapon to rent out to the highest communist bidder." "Linzie no." Linzie stood up and walked a few steps away, she continued with her back still turned to him, "No nothing. We both no all those things you said were lies and frankly, I don't care. Got it? I don't care! I don't even know why I listened to you in the first place. No, I know why. I was lonely, stupid and lonely. I let myself be won over with a few words and a kiss that meant nothing! Well I know better now. I know not to trust people so quickly." 'Why are you saying this?' her mind screamed at her, 'Victor wasn't lying! He meant it and you know it! You're just too stubborn to see it! You're too afraid to get close to him again! Well listen up sister! Opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime, hear that!? Now stop being an idiot and tell him how you really feel!' So far he hadn't said anything, now he stood up and crossed the distance between them. He knew she wasn't saying what she wanted to. Why was she running? 'Because you went along with Black and brought her to him. But what could you do? The guy could scramble your brain by just turning a dial. It's hard to argue against that.' He hadn't even meant to get so close to her, it just happened. And he didn't want to lose it now. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. Thankfully she didn't pull away, though he could feel her muscles tense up. She clenched and unclenched her fists, arguing with herself. 'C'mon Linzie, talk to me. Please.' "Linzie," he said softly, turning her around keeping one hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong?" Linzie took a deep, shaky breath. She wouldn't look at him, but she did start talking. "It's just that...Well.After Hank gave me the antidote for those spores, and I gave back all of the energy I took, I don't know. I feel, different. Like something was taken from me and put out of my reach. A thing that was taken away when the spores were first put in." She let it all out in a rush, "I know where it is, I just can't reach it, and I'm afraid to. I'm afraid if I get it back that I.I don't know.that I'll change again. That I'll try and steal other's lives again." She gave a small laugh, "I know that won't happen, the spores were taken out. I don't even know that anything will happen if I manage to get it back. But I'm still afraid something will. "I know it sounds stupid, but I." she bit her lip. His other hand circled around one of hers, "What did you lose?" "I." she kept her eyes locked on the ground, "I think it was you." "Is that what you were afraid of?" Her face reddened, he chuckled and tilted her face up to his. Her expression was a veritable mix of emotions, mostly confusion, annoyance and love. Love. That was certainly a new one for him. She frowned, "You know, I don't think you need to laugh at me." His smile widened, "I'm not." Before she could question this, he pulled her close and kissed her for what was now the fourth time. He smiled to himself, 'And certainly not the last.'
Eight
~
Ok, so it wasn't the dream relationship. She couldn't bring him to the mansion unless she wanted to witness a full out K-9 verses Feline war. And they couldn't meet just anywhere for a date, she doubted most of the restaurants she knew of would appreciate her bringing in a guy who could pass for a jungle cat if he wanted. So basically, if they went out to eat it had to be Jack's, and on nights when Logan wasn't there. (Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.) And if they met anywhere else it would have to be the park or some place with little population. But despite those few little flaws in the woodwork, she wouldn't trade it for anything else. Coincidentally, she was meeting him in the park later this evening. He said he had a surprise planned. She had no idea what it was, but she didn't think she'd be sorry.
End
~ Author's Ending Note: I hope someone who read this liked it, even if it's only one person it still counts. At first I had my doubts about this fanfic but hey, who says Victor Creed can't have at least a little soft side? And I know I haven't really used the Brotherhood teens, but I've got another fic in the works that does include them, I promise!
Later People,
~Dragonwing