Chains of Separation
Part Four: Curiosity Killed the Mutant
Kat Warrior OK, so this chapter focuses mainly on what's happening to Nightcrawler. I
couldn't think of anything for the X-Men themselves, so get ready for
plenty of Kurt-ness! If figure people would start coming after me if I
didn't upload this is soon. ^_^;
Kurt had woken up alone again after his nap, but gratefully so. He'd felt like a great deal of energy had been restored to him, and so had looked around his room some more. He had come across a rather small chest of drawers and decided to investigate. In it had been filled with various clothing articles, most of which had proven too big.
In the end, he had decided on a bright green Hawaiian shirt with light colored flowers (much like one he owned), and a pair of extremely baggy khaki shorts that he'd had to hold up with a black leather belt. Now, to try the door.
He wobbled as he walked up to the exit of his room, not really hoping for much. He turned the knob and was surprised to find it unlocked. Either Mystique seriously doubted he would have the strength to get up, or Louis had been in the room last and left it unlocked on purpose.
Kurt cracked the door open and curiously poked his head out into a long hallway.
***
The prison was in an uproar as sirens went off and guards darted back and forth. A scantily-clad, blue-skinned, female mutant had been found on the premises, and was desperately being searched for. There was no telling what she was up to.
Karl was sitting in his room looking like he was sulking but was actually feeling a bit cocky and relieved. So, Mystique had come to free him finally. That was good news. He just had to look calm until she arrived.
A rat scurried into his cell, looking for crumbs and a place to hide from all the excitement. Karl was quite shocked when the rodent morphed itself into Mystique, but he smiled just the same.
"So, you finally came to release me, huh?" he asked with a pleased, slightly suggestive grin. He stood and approached her.
"You could say that", she purred, nearing him. Before Karl could blink, Mystique had pulled a dagger from her boot and driven it into his throat. "God said that death is a release for you humans, didn't He?" she hissed in his face.
A small, gray rat darted out of the cell, leaving a bloodied corpse behind.
Mystique felt suddenly refreshed as she morphed back into her usual self so the guards could see where she was and then morphed into an eagle and flew away in their plain viewing. The only thing the guards could look forward to was finding now a dead body in one of the cells.
***
Kurt, despite being slightly dizzy and tired, was finding his exploration of the fortress exciting. He guessed that they might be underground, as he hadn't found a single window. He knew it wouldn't be too long before he ran into one of the Brotherhood members.
He turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with Pierto.
"What are doing out here, Fur-ball?" the white-hared boy demanded, looking both surprised and irritated, "You're supposed to be in your room recovering or something like that."
"My mind needed some exercise," Kurt replied, not able to think of a better excuse, "If you were locked in there with nothing to do, you might get bored, too."
Kurt found himself edging slowly away from the one known as "Quicksilver", thinking that he might need a head start if he needed to run. Or he could risk teleporting in the strange building.
"You're coming with me," Pierto insisted, taking a firm grip on the furry mutant's left arm. Kurt cringed as the other boy's hand came into harsh contact with the place where he'd received the injection from Louis.
As they went, Kurt heard a sickeningly familiar voice say "What's up, yo? Did the prisoner get loose?"
"He's not a prisoner, Todd," Quicksilver argued, "Mystique says he's our guest, remember? I found him in the hall and he seems to have lost his way. I'm being a good host and escorting him back to his room by a different route." His grip tightened and it was all Kurt could do to keep from yelping.
"Then keep him blind-folded, yo!" Toad snapped, leaping onto Kurt's tired shoulders and putting his smelly hands over the blue mutant's eyes, "He can't see where he's going or he might do that 'BAMF' thing."
"Not like he has anywhere to go," Lance's voice put in, "He doesn't know what it looks like outside of here. He's still stuck in the building. If he gets out again, we'll just bring him back. If he doesn't learn his lesson this time, we'll be good teachers and try to make him learn it again!"
Toad laughed and sent Kurt flying forward as he leapt off his shoulders. Kurt grunted as he hit the ground face-first, and then wheezed through his clenched teeth at the new pain and pressure on his bullet wound.
"Alright, that's enough," a stern, angry voice informed them. Everyone turned to see Louis standing in the hallway before them, looking rather frustrated. "Kurt's body can't handle any abuse right now, you know that."
"Who put you in charge of us?" Lance demanded, preparing to shake the ground and knock the man over.
"I suppose I did," Mystique's enraged voice informed them as she appeared out of seemingly nowhere, "I thought you boys were quite mature, but it seems that you do need a babysitter after all."
The Brotherhood boys hung their heads in shame, but Mystique ignored them. She was too busy scooping Kurt up into her arms and carrying him to his room.
"Come with me, doctor," she called over her shoulder, and Louis followed her.
***
After allowing Louis to open the door for her, Mystique charged into the room and quickly set Kurt on the bed. The young blue mutant moaned as he tried to open his eyes, but the pain was too much. He just couldn't open them.
Louis didn't need to be told what to do. He rushed to the bedside with his black bag and began to pull Kurt's shirt away. Soon, he had cut off the bandages and was busy repairing the stitches and stopping the bleeding.
The feeling in the air around Mystique was one of fury. She had just taken vengeance on the one who had shot her son in the first place, must she now dispense justice on the young mutants that looked up to her?
"Don't be too hard on the boys," Louis suggested, "They're young and excitable. I'm sure that they won't do it again."
Mystique closed her eyes and sighed, letting the anger seep out. She hated to admit it, but the old mutant was right. At the moment, she probably looked like an enraged young mother, fussing over how her son had been bullied.
"I'm going to bed," she murmured, and began to rise. But something stopped her. She leaned over and, rather than pulling back, gave her son a kiss on the forehead. She gazed at him for a while, knowing that he was close in body, but so far away from her in heart, mind, and spirit that she could never reach him. She finally stood, and walked briskly out the door.
Louis smiled and sighed, and went back to his work. Yes, Mystique really was no different from any other mother. She would rise to defend her son's honor and well-being, and would fret over him when he was hurt either physically or emotionally.
"What's your power?" a voice practically whimpered. Louis looked down to see the still pain-filled Kurt looking back at him.
"I can see people for what they are under their outer layers, if I choose. Not just metaphorically speaking, but they really appear to be something else when I look at them. Mystique just now, for example. I saw her not with her warrior-like attire and hard face, but in a pair of jeans and a regular t-shirt with her hair pulled back. I could see her pupils and plainly see how they shone like someone ready to cry. It's an odd gift. And you're quite the smart lad, aren't you?"
"What. makes you say. that?" Kurt managed to ask.
Louis kept talking to distract the boy from his pain. "You didn't ask if I was a mutant, but asked what my power was. You must have figured out that Mystique wouldn't trust an employee so much unless they were a mutant, too. There, the stitches are as good as new and the bleeding's stopped."
Kurt lifted his head curiously to inspect the wound. Sure enough, it looked much like it had the first time he'd seen it, though a tad more red and swollen.
In a very short time, Louis had re-bandaged Kurt and helped him lay back down.
"You've only eaten once or twice the whole time you've been here," Louis observed, standing up, "Would you like me to bring you something to eat?"
For the first time, Kurt realized that he was rather hungry. Maybe that was why he had been so weak.
"Yes, please," he said earnestly, "And I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever you have."
Louis smiled and went out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.
***
Mystique stood silently in the doorway of her son's room, her frame casting a dark shadow over his bed as he slept, unaware of her presence. A fan was going on the chest of drawers, giving the room a refreshing, cool feeling. Kurt had been quite warm and so Louis had suggested the fan. The boy obviously still was warm, as the blankets came only to about his waist now.
"You should have seen him eat," Louis murmured with amusement. "He's been here three days, and that's only the third time he's eaten anything. I'm surprised he didn't tell us about his hunger pains, but he has been asleep most of the time, and possibly felt too tired and ill to know he was hungry."
"We can't let that happen again," the blue female mutant murmured, "Make sure that he eats at least once a day. I might not be a doctor, but I know that if he doesn't eat, he can't possibly get better." With that, she turned and left.
Louis smiled as he watched her go. Once again he saw her not as a fierce, heartless warrior, but as a loving, devoted mother watching after her son in her own odd ways. He turned and look upon her son, seeing him not as a trapped, wounded teenage boy, but a young child curled up peacefully in a bed in a cheery bed-room.
"You don't belong here, Lad," he sighed, as he turned and shut the door, shaking his head.
Part Four: Curiosity Killed the Mutant
Kat Warrior OK, so this chapter focuses mainly on what's happening to Nightcrawler. I
couldn't think of anything for the X-Men themselves, so get ready for
plenty of Kurt-ness! If figure people would start coming after me if I
didn't upload this is soon. ^_^;
Kurt had woken up alone again after his nap, but gratefully so. He'd felt like a great deal of energy had been restored to him, and so had looked around his room some more. He had come across a rather small chest of drawers and decided to investigate. In it had been filled with various clothing articles, most of which had proven too big.
In the end, he had decided on a bright green Hawaiian shirt with light colored flowers (much like one he owned), and a pair of extremely baggy khaki shorts that he'd had to hold up with a black leather belt. Now, to try the door.
He wobbled as he walked up to the exit of his room, not really hoping for much. He turned the knob and was surprised to find it unlocked. Either Mystique seriously doubted he would have the strength to get up, or Louis had been in the room last and left it unlocked on purpose.
Kurt cracked the door open and curiously poked his head out into a long hallway.
***
The prison was in an uproar as sirens went off and guards darted back and forth. A scantily-clad, blue-skinned, female mutant had been found on the premises, and was desperately being searched for. There was no telling what she was up to.
Karl was sitting in his room looking like he was sulking but was actually feeling a bit cocky and relieved. So, Mystique had come to free him finally. That was good news. He just had to look calm until she arrived.
A rat scurried into his cell, looking for crumbs and a place to hide from all the excitement. Karl was quite shocked when the rodent morphed itself into Mystique, but he smiled just the same.
"So, you finally came to release me, huh?" he asked with a pleased, slightly suggestive grin. He stood and approached her.
"You could say that", she purred, nearing him. Before Karl could blink, Mystique had pulled a dagger from her boot and driven it into his throat. "God said that death is a release for you humans, didn't He?" she hissed in his face.
A small, gray rat darted out of the cell, leaving a bloodied corpse behind.
Mystique felt suddenly refreshed as she morphed back into her usual self so the guards could see where she was and then morphed into an eagle and flew away in their plain viewing. The only thing the guards could look forward to was finding now a dead body in one of the cells.
***
Kurt, despite being slightly dizzy and tired, was finding his exploration of the fortress exciting. He guessed that they might be underground, as he hadn't found a single window. He knew it wouldn't be too long before he ran into one of the Brotherhood members.
He turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with Pierto.
"What are doing out here, Fur-ball?" the white-hared boy demanded, looking both surprised and irritated, "You're supposed to be in your room recovering or something like that."
"My mind needed some exercise," Kurt replied, not able to think of a better excuse, "If you were locked in there with nothing to do, you might get bored, too."
Kurt found himself edging slowly away from the one known as "Quicksilver", thinking that he might need a head start if he needed to run. Or he could risk teleporting in the strange building.
"You're coming with me," Pierto insisted, taking a firm grip on the furry mutant's left arm. Kurt cringed as the other boy's hand came into harsh contact with the place where he'd received the injection from Louis.
As they went, Kurt heard a sickeningly familiar voice say "What's up, yo? Did the prisoner get loose?"
"He's not a prisoner, Todd," Quicksilver argued, "Mystique says he's our guest, remember? I found him in the hall and he seems to have lost his way. I'm being a good host and escorting him back to his room by a different route." His grip tightened and it was all Kurt could do to keep from yelping.
"Then keep him blind-folded, yo!" Toad snapped, leaping onto Kurt's tired shoulders and putting his smelly hands over the blue mutant's eyes, "He can't see where he's going or he might do that 'BAMF' thing."
"Not like he has anywhere to go," Lance's voice put in, "He doesn't know what it looks like outside of here. He's still stuck in the building. If he gets out again, we'll just bring him back. If he doesn't learn his lesson this time, we'll be good teachers and try to make him learn it again!"
Toad laughed and sent Kurt flying forward as he leapt off his shoulders. Kurt grunted as he hit the ground face-first, and then wheezed through his clenched teeth at the new pain and pressure on his bullet wound.
"Alright, that's enough," a stern, angry voice informed them. Everyone turned to see Louis standing in the hallway before them, looking rather frustrated. "Kurt's body can't handle any abuse right now, you know that."
"Who put you in charge of us?" Lance demanded, preparing to shake the ground and knock the man over.
"I suppose I did," Mystique's enraged voice informed them as she appeared out of seemingly nowhere, "I thought you boys were quite mature, but it seems that you do need a babysitter after all."
The Brotherhood boys hung their heads in shame, but Mystique ignored them. She was too busy scooping Kurt up into her arms and carrying him to his room.
"Come with me, doctor," she called over her shoulder, and Louis followed her.
***
After allowing Louis to open the door for her, Mystique charged into the room and quickly set Kurt on the bed. The young blue mutant moaned as he tried to open his eyes, but the pain was too much. He just couldn't open them.
Louis didn't need to be told what to do. He rushed to the bedside with his black bag and began to pull Kurt's shirt away. Soon, he had cut off the bandages and was busy repairing the stitches and stopping the bleeding.
The feeling in the air around Mystique was one of fury. She had just taken vengeance on the one who had shot her son in the first place, must she now dispense justice on the young mutants that looked up to her?
"Don't be too hard on the boys," Louis suggested, "They're young and excitable. I'm sure that they won't do it again."
Mystique closed her eyes and sighed, letting the anger seep out. She hated to admit it, but the old mutant was right. At the moment, she probably looked like an enraged young mother, fussing over how her son had been bullied.
"I'm going to bed," she murmured, and began to rise. But something stopped her. She leaned over and, rather than pulling back, gave her son a kiss on the forehead. She gazed at him for a while, knowing that he was close in body, but so far away from her in heart, mind, and spirit that she could never reach him. She finally stood, and walked briskly out the door.
Louis smiled and sighed, and went back to his work. Yes, Mystique really was no different from any other mother. She would rise to defend her son's honor and well-being, and would fret over him when he was hurt either physically or emotionally.
"What's your power?" a voice practically whimpered. Louis looked down to see the still pain-filled Kurt looking back at him.
"I can see people for what they are under their outer layers, if I choose. Not just metaphorically speaking, but they really appear to be something else when I look at them. Mystique just now, for example. I saw her not with her warrior-like attire and hard face, but in a pair of jeans and a regular t-shirt with her hair pulled back. I could see her pupils and plainly see how they shone like someone ready to cry. It's an odd gift. And you're quite the smart lad, aren't you?"
"What. makes you say. that?" Kurt managed to ask.
Louis kept talking to distract the boy from his pain. "You didn't ask if I was a mutant, but asked what my power was. You must have figured out that Mystique wouldn't trust an employee so much unless they were a mutant, too. There, the stitches are as good as new and the bleeding's stopped."
Kurt lifted his head curiously to inspect the wound. Sure enough, it looked much like it had the first time he'd seen it, though a tad more red and swollen.
In a very short time, Louis had re-bandaged Kurt and helped him lay back down.
"You've only eaten once or twice the whole time you've been here," Louis observed, standing up, "Would you like me to bring you something to eat?"
For the first time, Kurt realized that he was rather hungry. Maybe that was why he had been so weak.
"Yes, please," he said earnestly, "And I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever you have."
Louis smiled and went out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.
***
Mystique stood silently in the doorway of her son's room, her frame casting a dark shadow over his bed as he slept, unaware of her presence. A fan was going on the chest of drawers, giving the room a refreshing, cool feeling. Kurt had been quite warm and so Louis had suggested the fan. The boy obviously still was warm, as the blankets came only to about his waist now.
"You should have seen him eat," Louis murmured with amusement. "He's been here three days, and that's only the third time he's eaten anything. I'm surprised he didn't tell us about his hunger pains, but he has been asleep most of the time, and possibly felt too tired and ill to know he was hungry."
"We can't let that happen again," the blue female mutant murmured, "Make sure that he eats at least once a day. I might not be a doctor, but I know that if he doesn't eat, he can't possibly get better." With that, she turned and left.
Louis smiled as he watched her go. Once again he saw her not as a fierce, heartless warrior, but as a loving, devoted mother watching after her son in her own odd ways. He turned and look upon her son, seeing him not as a trapped, wounded teenage boy, but a young child curled up peacefully in a bed in a cheery bed-room.
"You don't belong here, Lad," he sighed, as he turned and shut the door, shaking his head.
