Six
Oz studied herself in the full-length mirror then looked at Kurt.
"What's wrong Oz?"
"We're so different." She looked at herself again. "I have five fingers and five toes and my eyes are not like yours!" she chuckled. "Also, I don't have all those markings."
Kurt had to laugh. "One, I did these markings on my own, and two, just because we are twins doesn't mean we are exactly the same."
Oz looked him in the eye. "Can you do them to me?"
Kurt tilted his head then nodded. "If you really want it."
She nodded. "If you are my brother, let us be like."
Kurt understood and pointed to the table.
"They had to poison the needle in order for it to scar." Professor Xavier said.
"But how do they know that they really are family?" Storm asked.
"When Oz was here earlier she had been startled and had teleported, Kurt caught the vibes off of her power and it awakened a connection in his mind. He came to me with these feelings and through time I realized that it was a family connection. So I read his mind and sure enough, they were family and this is their first meeting."
Logan grunted as he looked out of the window.
"What bothers your Logan?" Professor Xavier asked wheeling around to face him.
"Nothing." He said. "What happens now?"
"Nothing, classes are in the morning, there is going to be a reception to welcome Jean Grey back into our mists and life will resume-"
"Professor!" Logan turned to face him. "What about Oz and Degas and everything?"
The Professor shrugged. "Logan, Oz isn't a child, she can take care of herself and I doubt that she wants our help."
Logan shook his head and walked away.
"What is it with him and walking away?" Scott asked.
"That's how he expresses himself," a voice said from the door. Oz stood in the doorway with Kurt behind her. "Well. That'd be my guess anyway." She looked down then looked up at Professor Xavier.
"Oz," he nodded.
"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"Reuniting me with my brother." She looked back at Kurt who smiled and looked down. "And for not pushing to get inside my head. I am leaving now, I'm going to go find my place in the world."
"I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you for." she shrugged. "Harboring me here."
"I wouldn't call it-"
Oz teleported away, Kurt followed.
**** **** **** **** **** ****
Lightening lit the nighttime sky, thunder made the boards of the old church tremble. Candles surrounded the alter where a crying Mary held a dying Christ, a mimic sculpture of the real one in Europe. Oz sat in the third pew from the front, Kurt was lying beside her with his head on her lap he was fast asleep.
She ran her hand through his hair as she watched the candles burn. Silently she prayed, for strength, for courage, for speed to kill her enemies, enemies that were closing in on her. She could feel them, Degas was closer then she'd like her to be, Toby was with her and they were seeking Oz's blood.
Oz looked down at her twin brother, he had cut her all over her arms, legs, stomach, he had been hesitant about cutting her torso but she finally got him to do everything. When he saw her back he had shed a tear, regretting not being there to help her.
"There was nothing you could have done brother, we didn't know each other."
"I know, but still."
Oz smiled. " 'But still'."
War was close, too close, and who would this war effect? She asked herself. What'll happen if the information is pried from my mind and given to them?
"We don't know," a voice said softly beside her. "That's why we can't let them have it."
Oz looked up to see Jean smiling down at her. She looked around; Scott, Storm and the Professor were also there.
"We're here to help you Oz." Professor Xavier said. "We'll help any way we can."
Kurt opened his eyes and looked up at Oz. "Oh, hello."
Oz looked down at her brother. "Have a nice sleep?"
He sat up and smiled. "Yes, I dreamt of us."
Oz smiled weakly.
"I know we'll make it through this Oz." He said with confidence. "I promise."
"I'm touched," she smiled. "I truly am, but how are we going to fight them? What are we going to do?"
"Anything to win." Jean said. "But Oz, can you tell me what you meant when you said the you saved my life?"
Scott circled around Jean and looked over her shoulder at Oz.
"It was a long time ago, you lived by Wayside manor. That day we had been given free time to go outside and do whatever we wanted to do. I remembered this for some reason, I don't why it wasn't sealed with the rest of it, but anyway, I had walked away from the house, down to a park, and I was watching everyone play, having a good time, then I saw you and a friend of yours, you two were playing by some sort of river dam, and then it began to rain. Everyone started to head home, your friend left, she shouted that she was leaving, but I guess you didn't hear her due to the all the noise the dam was making. So she left and you ventured closer to the side to see how it all worked I suppose. Then an unexpected wave rose up out of nowhere and slammed into the side of the dam. It caught you off guard and scared you; you lost your balance and fell over the side. Over the side was a generator and some sort of bladed fan, I never learned what that was. You were screaming for your friend, but she had already left and no one was around to help you. I heard them calling me back in, so I turned to left, but then I heard you screaming and crying. So I went back to you and I helped you up, but you were scarred of me and you fought me. I lost my grip and you fell into the fan. I was scarred, for the first time in my life I was scarred for someone beside myself, I didn't know you, but I didn't want you to die. So I jumped in after you. I pulled you out, the blades of the fan had cut my back in many places, but I didn't care, I pulled you out and set you under a tree. You weren't moving; there was nothing I could do. I didn't know what to do, there were a few people running towards us screaming, they grabbed you and were shouting at me and looking around hissing for my parents. Then they took you and got in a car and drove off. I didn't know what was happening I figured you were already dead, I cried and left."
Jean nodded. "I remember that now, a couple days after that my friend was hit by a car and she died, that's what woke the powers inside of me."
Professor Xavier nodded.
Scott nodded. "That's why you were asking about her."
"That's why I backhanded you." she said. "Because I had a feeling that this Jean everyone was talking about was the one I helped so long ago. I thought if she remembered me, maybe she could help me. It was a wild thought, it happened so long ago, but, I don't know," she shrugged and stood up. "Maybe I am just crazy."
"Well, being crazy enabled you to find me."
"But what can we do?" Oz asked. "I don't want to remember anything inside of me, it hurts too much. And I don't know what the potential of this information can do."
"Well," Professor Xavier smiled. "We don't know what we can do to help Oz, but all of us are here."
Oz looked Professor Xavier in the eyes. "All of you?"
Rogue and Bobby walked into the church followed by every student at the school.
"All of us." Logan made his way to the front.
"But how?"
"The only way we can," Logan said. "We fight."
"Okay, I really do appreciate this you guys, but this is my war."
"War?" Professor Xavier asked. "You're right, this is a war, a war to save your mind and possibly every mutant everywhere."
Oz sighed. "Fine, then how shall we fight them Professor? Pick their brains? Scratch them?" she looked at Logan.
"What we need is a plan." Scott said.
"Well not shit Cyclops."
Scott looked over at her.
"Oz,"
"I'm sorry Professor, but this isn't just any old mutant we are dealing with, this is Degas, and true, I don't remember her all that well, but the way she spoke last time I saw her. It brought out every demon I ever dreamt about, it brought back shadows and horrors I never want to deal with."
"Oz," Professor Xavier started. "We are going to help you, whether you like it or not."
Oz nodded. "Now that's more like it. Be more forceful Professor, it makes you look young again."
He sighed and shook his head.
"Okay, Scott was right, we need a plan, we need to know where she is, who she is with, we need to get her around all of us then we all need to attack her and whoever else she is with and we need to win."
"That's a straight forward plan." Scott remarked.
"I know do you have anything more elaborate?"
"No."
"All right then, Professor, can you use Cerebro?"
"Yes."
"Good."
They returned to the mansion and after the use of Cerebro they discovered that Degas was at Albuquerque ransacking Oz's old apartment.
"Good thing I moved out." Oz remarked. "Okay, we need to get them to a secluded spot. It has to be populated and I have to have a reason to be there, otherwise she'll know something is up."
"Don't you think we should have more information about her before we continue?" Scott suggested.
Oz sighed. "You're right, we do." She turned to Jean then to the Professor. "Professor, can you look into my mind and pick out Degas from my past? Just Degas?"
"Yes." He nodded and she crouched down beside him. "Just, relax."
It was like a pipe burst in her mind; everything about Degas came sweeping in. Degas was her cousin, and at first she was her friend, but after Oz had escaped the first time, without the Marauder's help, they turned on her, considered her a traitor though she had escaped to find a place for all of them to live. It wasn't Jake who found out the truth about them, it was Oz and it appeared that the Marauder's already knew about it.
When she escaped they were sent after her, they were the ones who caught her, they were the ones to torture her and close her mind. After that they were the one's who beat her, they were the ones who poisoned her, they were the ones to lock information inside her brain.
Professor Xavier gasped at all he saw, Oz ripped away clutching her head. She screamed and teleported away.
Oz studied herself in the full-length mirror then looked at Kurt.
"What's wrong Oz?"
"We're so different." She looked at herself again. "I have five fingers and five toes and my eyes are not like yours!" she chuckled. "Also, I don't have all those markings."
Kurt had to laugh. "One, I did these markings on my own, and two, just because we are twins doesn't mean we are exactly the same."
Oz looked him in the eye. "Can you do them to me?"
Kurt tilted his head then nodded. "If you really want it."
She nodded. "If you are my brother, let us be like."
Kurt understood and pointed to the table.
"They had to poison the needle in order for it to scar." Professor Xavier said.
"But how do they know that they really are family?" Storm asked.
"When Oz was here earlier she had been startled and had teleported, Kurt caught the vibes off of her power and it awakened a connection in his mind. He came to me with these feelings and through time I realized that it was a family connection. So I read his mind and sure enough, they were family and this is their first meeting."
Logan grunted as he looked out of the window.
"What bothers your Logan?" Professor Xavier asked wheeling around to face him.
"Nothing." He said. "What happens now?"
"Nothing, classes are in the morning, there is going to be a reception to welcome Jean Grey back into our mists and life will resume-"
"Professor!" Logan turned to face him. "What about Oz and Degas and everything?"
The Professor shrugged. "Logan, Oz isn't a child, she can take care of herself and I doubt that she wants our help."
Logan shook his head and walked away.
"What is it with him and walking away?" Scott asked.
"That's how he expresses himself," a voice said from the door. Oz stood in the doorway with Kurt behind her. "Well. That'd be my guess anyway." She looked down then looked up at Professor Xavier.
"Oz," he nodded.
"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"Reuniting me with my brother." She looked back at Kurt who smiled and looked down. "And for not pushing to get inside my head. I am leaving now, I'm going to go find my place in the world."
"I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you for." she shrugged. "Harboring me here."
"I wouldn't call it-"
Oz teleported away, Kurt followed.
**** **** **** **** **** ****
Lightening lit the nighttime sky, thunder made the boards of the old church tremble. Candles surrounded the alter where a crying Mary held a dying Christ, a mimic sculpture of the real one in Europe. Oz sat in the third pew from the front, Kurt was lying beside her with his head on her lap he was fast asleep.
She ran her hand through his hair as she watched the candles burn. Silently she prayed, for strength, for courage, for speed to kill her enemies, enemies that were closing in on her. She could feel them, Degas was closer then she'd like her to be, Toby was with her and they were seeking Oz's blood.
Oz looked down at her twin brother, he had cut her all over her arms, legs, stomach, he had been hesitant about cutting her torso but she finally got him to do everything. When he saw her back he had shed a tear, regretting not being there to help her.
"There was nothing you could have done brother, we didn't know each other."
"I know, but still."
Oz smiled. " 'But still'."
War was close, too close, and who would this war effect? She asked herself. What'll happen if the information is pried from my mind and given to them?
"We don't know," a voice said softly beside her. "That's why we can't let them have it."
Oz looked up to see Jean smiling down at her. She looked around; Scott, Storm and the Professor were also there.
"We're here to help you Oz." Professor Xavier said. "We'll help any way we can."
Kurt opened his eyes and looked up at Oz. "Oh, hello."
Oz looked down at her brother. "Have a nice sleep?"
He sat up and smiled. "Yes, I dreamt of us."
Oz smiled weakly.
"I know we'll make it through this Oz." He said with confidence. "I promise."
"I'm touched," she smiled. "I truly am, but how are we going to fight them? What are we going to do?"
"Anything to win." Jean said. "But Oz, can you tell me what you meant when you said the you saved my life?"
Scott circled around Jean and looked over her shoulder at Oz.
"It was a long time ago, you lived by Wayside manor. That day we had been given free time to go outside and do whatever we wanted to do. I remembered this for some reason, I don't why it wasn't sealed with the rest of it, but anyway, I had walked away from the house, down to a park, and I was watching everyone play, having a good time, then I saw you and a friend of yours, you two were playing by some sort of river dam, and then it began to rain. Everyone started to head home, your friend left, she shouted that she was leaving, but I guess you didn't hear her due to the all the noise the dam was making. So she left and you ventured closer to the side to see how it all worked I suppose. Then an unexpected wave rose up out of nowhere and slammed into the side of the dam. It caught you off guard and scared you; you lost your balance and fell over the side. Over the side was a generator and some sort of bladed fan, I never learned what that was. You were screaming for your friend, but she had already left and no one was around to help you. I heard them calling me back in, so I turned to left, but then I heard you screaming and crying. So I went back to you and I helped you up, but you were scarred of me and you fought me. I lost my grip and you fell into the fan. I was scarred, for the first time in my life I was scarred for someone beside myself, I didn't know you, but I didn't want you to die. So I jumped in after you. I pulled you out, the blades of the fan had cut my back in many places, but I didn't care, I pulled you out and set you under a tree. You weren't moving; there was nothing I could do. I didn't know what to do, there were a few people running towards us screaming, they grabbed you and were shouting at me and looking around hissing for my parents. Then they took you and got in a car and drove off. I didn't know what was happening I figured you were already dead, I cried and left."
Jean nodded. "I remember that now, a couple days after that my friend was hit by a car and she died, that's what woke the powers inside of me."
Professor Xavier nodded.
Scott nodded. "That's why you were asking about her."
"That's why I backhanded you." she said. "Because I had a feeling that this Jean everyone was talking about was the one I helped so long ago. I thought if she remembered me, maybe she could help me. It was a wild thought, it happened so long ago, but, I don't know," she shrugged and stood up. "Maybe I am just crazy."
"Well, being crazy enabled you to find me."
"But what can we do?" Oz asked. "I don't want to remember anything inside of me, it hurts too much. And I don't know what the potential of this information can do."
"Well," Professor Xavier smiled. "We don't know what we can do to help Oz, but all of us are here."
Oz looked Professor Xavier in the eyes. "All of you?"
Rogue and Bobby walked into the church followed by every student at the school.
"All of us." Logan made his way to the front.
"But how?"
"The only way we can," Logan said. "We fight."
"Okay, I really do appreciate this you guys, but this is my war."
"War?" Professor Xavier asked. "You're right, this is a war, a war to save your mind and possibly every mutant everywhere."
Oz sighed. "Fine, then how shall we fight them Professor? Pick their brains? Scratch them?" she looked at Logan.
"What we need is a plan." Scott said.
"Well not shit Cyclops."
Scott looked over at her.
"Oz,"
"I'm sorry Professor, but this isn't just any old mutant we are dealing with, this is Degas, and true, I don't remember her all that well, but the way she spoke last time I saw her. It brought out every demon I ever dreamt about, it brought back shadows and horrors I never want to deal with."
"Oz," Professor Xavier started. "We are going to help you, whether you like it or not."
Oz nodded. "Now that's more like it. Be more forceful Professor, it makes you look young again."
He sighed and shook his head.
"Okay, Scott was right, we need a plan, we need to know where she is, who she is with, we need to get her around all of us then we all need to attack her and whoever else she is with and we need to win."
"That's a straight forward plan." Scott remarked.
"I know do you have anything more elaborate?"
"No."
"All right then, Professor, can you use Cerebro?"
"Yes."
"Good."
They returned to the mansion and after the use of Cerebro they discovered that Degas was at Albuquerque ransacking Oz's old apartment.
"Good thing I moved out." Oz remarked. "Okay, we need to get them to a secluded spot. It has to be populated and I have to have a reason to be there, otherwise she'll know something is up."
"Don't you think we should have more information about her before we continue?" Scott suggested.
Oz sighed. "You're right, we do." She turned to Jean then to the Professor. "Professor, can you look into my mind and pick out Degas from my past? Just Degas?"
"Yes." He nodded and she crouched down beside him. "Just, relax."
It was like a pipe burst in her mind; everything about Degas came sweeping in. Degas was her cousin, and at first she was her friend, but after Oz had escaped the first time, without the Marauder's help, they turned on her, considered her a traitor though she had escaped to find a place for all of them to live. It wasn't Jake who found out the truth about them, it was Oz and it appeared that the Marauder's already knew about it.
When she escaped they were sent after her, they were the ones who caught her, they were the ones to torture her and close her mind. After that they were the one's who beat her, they were the ones who poisoned her, they were the ones to lock information inside her brain.
Professor Xavier gasped at all he saw, Oz ripped away clutching her head. She screamed and teleported away.
