Ensnared in my Reverie
***There's a new mutant in town, and she has the intention of riding the world with mutants. She can be deadly and you won't even know it until you're already dead***
Summary: Mutants have been dying and Adam is worried this might be some kind of epidemic. But he soon finds out how wrong he is, because all these appeared to have good health when they died. Adam is confused how this new mutant kills, and when he finds out exactly how, there is a price to pay. He must find a cure or he will loose two members.
Read and review!!!
***NOTE*** Oooh, 2nd to the last chapter! Wow! I hope I didn't write Adam off as some useless leader, because he didn't do much in this story. I'm sorry, but I just have no idea how Adam's brain cells work, though I tried to decipher it [to no avail].I know, it's a sorry excuse for a writer. But, well, I gave this my best shot.
**Disclaimer** [I haven't done this before so I'll do it now] Mutant X is not mine. Seriously.
+read, enjoy, review+
Chapter 9 - The Angelic Sacrifice
"Adam, what are we going to do?" Shalimar asked frantically, as she tried to restrain Jesse, who was struggling wildly on the cot. "What about Emma? We can let her spend the rest of her life in a mental institution."
Brennan was moping the sweat of Emma's face. "I don't understand," he murmured to himself. Then turning to Sheila, he asked, "Why is it you have a different effect on psyonics?"
Sheila licked her lips nervously, and thought of how to explain it. She sighed and spoke slowly, "What I do is I control Emma's mind, to let her think that whatever is happening to her is real. Its like I'm controlling her mind, but Emma's has the ability to do mind control, so its like controlling mind control."
"Controlling mind control?" Adam echoed softly as if to himself. He was leaning against the wall, deep in thought and they all knew he was thinking of a way out for Emma and Jesse.
"Imagine a remote control car," Sheila said, looking at Brennan. She shrugged slightly, "I know it's a crude representation but it'll work. Imagine this little boy playing with the control on the car. That's Emma controlling her mind, but then I came along. I'm this big bully who tries to snatch the controls away from the little boy and in effect, the car goes berserk. It doesn't know who to follow."
Shalimar gasped. "That's what's happening to Emma?"
Sheila nodded uncomfortably. "Emma's confused. She's not sure if what she sees is real. She doesn't give in to whatever she sees."
"Is that-?" Brennan hesitated. "Is that what happened to your dad?"
"Yeah," Sheila replied quietly. "I guess he knew what I did to him, even though I was only six. He kept convincing himself it wasn't real. In that process, the monsters in his head didn't kill him, because he didn't believe them. But in effect, he kept on living, and his mind went insane."
They were all quiet as they thought about the fate of Emma if they didn't do anything.
"What about Jesse?" Shalimar asked sharply. "What happens to him?"
"Slowly, he'll give in to his fears," Sheila answered remorsefully. She stared at her hangs, as she wrung them in despair. "For the other kinds of mutants, they all slowly believe what they see. They believe that their dreams are real and once they believe, there's no way out. And when there's no way out, the monsters in their mind will kill them."
Shalimar whimpered. "So Jesse's gonna die?"
"No!" Adam burst out, fire in his eyes. It was as though he had come up with something. He turned to Sheila. "When you touched Emma and Jesse, what happened?"
And then suddenly-
"Where am I?" Emma murmured, her eyes closed. "Is this a dream?"
"Stop hurting me!" Jesse yelled his voice hoarse. "I can't take it anymore!"
Shalimar squeezed Jesse's hand. "He's giving in."
Sheila looked at both of them, tears in her face. She shook her head, feeling the guilt and the regret, the pain with what she could do. She focused on what Adam asked. "I trap them in their own state of unconscious. That's it. And it's their own mind that kills them."
"How is that?" Brennan asked.
Sheila glanced at him, but then she looked away. "When I trap someone in their unconscious, they meet up with other things on their mind. Like their fears, and that's how they are killed. It's when they give in to the idea that the place they are in is real, that they die."
"So what you're saying is, if we can convince Emma and Jesse that they're only having dreams, then they will wake up?" Shalimar asked, straightening up away from Jesse but still holding his hand.
"That's my guess," Sheila admitted nodding thoughtfully. Her brow furrowed. "But no one can talk to them. I mean, you can't communicate with Emma or Jesse. They're both locked in their own minds and they won't listen to anyone else. I'm not sure how you can convince them."
Adam looked at Sheila. "What you're saying is we need another psyonic?"
"No!" Sheila exclaimed, miserably. "God, I don't know. I've never saved any before, and as much as I want to, I'm not sure how."
"Adam, isn't there any other way?" Brennan asked anxiously.
"This isn't real," Emma began chanting to herself. "This isn't real. Help me, please, anyone?"
Sheila sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
"I can't take it anymore," Jesse gritted.
"No!" Sheila exclaimed, rushing forward towards Jesse. "He's giving in. If he gives in to dying, he will die in real life too. He has to resist."
"Can't you do anything to help him?" Shalimar asked, fear in her eyes. Fear of losing her friends.
Adam spoke, his tone serious. "I think that Sheila can communicate to them, long enough for her to convince them that it's not real. But the consequences could be dangerous. We might risk losing Sheila-"
"You can risk losing me, but you can't risk losing two members of Mutant X," Sheila cried out. "I can do it. I'll try to do it, I just don't know how."
"You just have to tap into their minds," Adam said, his voice strained. "But I can't allow you to do this, Sheila. It's like a suicide mission. You're only seventeen-"
"Adam, I'm only seventeen but I've killed a whole lot of mutants, and five people that I cared for so much, one of which is alive and in a mental institution but my dad is good as dead. My whole life has been nothing but pain, and anger. I need, at least, to do something to redeem myself," Sheila said her voice serious. "And if I die in the process, then-"
"No, we can't risk anything now, Sheila," Adam interrupted shaking his head. "If you die, and both Emma and Jesse won't wake up, there's no other way out for them. I'll try some simple medications first, before-" he paused looking directly at Sheila, "-before we try what you can do."
"But-" Sheila began to argue.
"Don't argue with me, Sheila," Adam warned.
Shalimar walked over to Sheila. "I'm sure we can find another way to Emma and Jesse without risking your life too," she said gently. Sheila smiled weakly at Shalimar and Brennan. Adam was already busily mixing solutions in test tubes, and typing things on the computer.
There's no more time, Sheila thought hysterically, her eyes straying over to where Jesse and Emma were lying, still asleep but with all the violent actions going on in their heads.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Sheila asked them, wiping an invisible tear in her eye. "I just want to be alone for a while," she added calmly.
"Sure," Brennan answered.
Shalimar smiled at her, and she showed her the way to the bathroom. "We'll be at the lab, okay?"
Sheila smiled and nodded her thanks. She watched as Shalimar walked away, and then she closed the door and locked it. Then she took a deep breath. She had everything planned out. She was going to explain to Emma what was going on, and then leave it to Emma to convince Jesse.
She would try Jesse but she wasn't sure if he would believe her easily. She prayed to her mom, to her angel, and to Billy. And even to Donald, her foster dad, whom she knew had loved her once. She prayed for the strength to help Jesse and Emma.
And she began.
She was looking for Emma, through the screams of all the other mutants whom she had lain this curse of hers. She wanted to help them too, but she had to help Emma. And Sheila did find Emma, trapped in a desolated place. Poor Emma was lying down, in a fetal position, clutching her head and screaming in agony.
"Emma," Sheila called softly. "Listen to me."
Emma looked up. "Where are you?"
"I'm in your mind," Sheila replied hurriedly. "Look, I know you can't see me and you probably won't believe me, but you have too. I'm real. I'm here at the Sanctuary with Adam, Shalimar and Brennan. They want so badly for you to wake up. And I do too. But I need you to believe that this is not real."
"But I've been walking around in circles, there's nowhere else to go," Emma complained.
"Yes there is," Sheila responded. She was slowly growing tired. "Emma, this is all in your head. It was me who did this. Sheila, from the club? I'm a mutant, a psyonic who can trap people in their own subconscious until it slowly destroys them. But you have to resist. You can let yourself be destroyed, otherwise the others will be devastated."
"Jesse? Where is he?" Emma asked, pushing herself to a sitting position.
"In the same place as you. He's trapped in his mind, and he's slowly giving in. He is slowly being destroyed and I need your help to convince him that what he's seeing is not real-"
"I've tried!" Emma cried out, shaking her head furiously.
"Try again, Emma. I know you can do it, and I'll try too. Together we can help him, and the two of you will wake up," Sheila explained. She was gripping the cabinet, as her knees weakened and she slowly dropped to the tiled floor. She squeezed her eyes tight and concentrated. "Emma, promise me you will wake up from this nightmare."
Emma frowned. "So this is all a nightmare?"
"Yes, and when you wake up, you'll find Adam, Shalimar and Brennan, waiting for you at the lab to wake up," Sheila went on. "For you and Jesse to wake up. It's all in your mind."
"What about you? What will happen to you?"
"I'll also be waiting for you," Sheila answered, taking deep shuddering breaths. The effort was weakening her the more. "I'll go to Jesse now, Emma. It's all a dream, and you'll wake up soon. You have to."
Sheila gasped as she let go of Emma. She was on all fours, her arms trembling. She still had to find Jesse, and she did. She found him nearly just in time. He was already to kill himself.
"Jesse, listen to me," Sheila cried out to him.
"You're not real," he said through gritted teeth.
"No, I'm real. Adam, Shalimar and Brennan are waiting for you at the other side-" Sheila began.
"I know. They're dead," Jesse scoffed. "I killed them."
"No!" Sheila insisted. "That's not true, Jesse. They're still alive. All this is only in your mind. This is my doing, because I'm a psyonic who can trap people in their subconscious. I did this to you that night at the bar. When you felt something burn, remember that? Jesse, I need you to stop believing this nightmare so you can get out of this place. And I can release you."
"Yeah right," Jesse muttered angrily. "I'm going to die, whoever you are. Leave me alone."
"Jesse, please. You have friends who are still alive and they need you," Sheila went on, nearly drained of energy. She was crying now. "Emma is still alive too. She's just in the same place as you are but she has stopped believing in this nightmare. And you have too, Jesse, so you will wake up. Jesse, this is all in your head."
"I can't-" Jesse murmured, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes. "I don't-, I don't know."
"Jesse, it's not real. Open your eyes, and wake up," Sheila said in one last attempt. And then Jesse's face dissolved into nothing and she was back in the bathroom. She collapsed onto the floor, breathing deeply.
The sweet smile of the angel was above her again. "You did great, Sheila."
"I did?" Sheila murmured, her eyes half-closed, and sweat matted her hair.
"They'll be okay now," the angel soothed. "And you will be too."
"Can I help two more people?" Sheila asked tired, but still with some strength left.
The angel smiled. "I knew you'd want that."
"Just them, so I could release them too," Sheila murmured as she concentrated again on finding him. It was all over in a few minutes. She sighed deeply, completely drained and tired. The angel was hovering above her, smiling and beckoning to her.
"I'm coming now," Sheila murmured softly and then, her eyes closed. And when she took her last breath, there was a sweet smile on her face, just like the angel.
***There's a new mutant in town, and she has the intention of riding the world with mutants. She can be deadly and you won't even know it until you're already dead***
Summary: Mutants have been dying and Adam is worried this might be some kind of epidemic. But he soon finds out how wrong he is, because all these appeared to have good health when they died. Adam is confused how this new mutant kills, and when he finds out exactly how, there is a price to pay. He must find a cure or he will loose two members.
Read and review!!!
***NOTE*** Oooh, 2nd to the last chapter! Wow! I hope I didn't write Adam off as some useless leader, because he didn't do much in this story. I'm sorry, but I just have no idea how Adam's brain cells work, though I tried to decipher it [to no avail].I know, it's a sorry excuse for a writer. But, well, I gave this my best shot.
**Disclaimer** [I haven't done this before so I'll do it now] Mutant X is not mine. Seriously.
+read, enjoy, review+
Chapter 9 - The Angelic Sacrifice
"Adam, what are we going to do?" Shalimar asked frantically, as she tried to restrain Jesse, who was struggling wildly on the cot. "What about Emma? We can let her spend the rest of her life in a mental institution."
Brennan was moping the sweat of Emma's face. "I don't understand," he murmured to himself. Then turning to Sheila, he asked, "Why is it you have a different effect on psyonics?"
Sheila licked her lips nervously, and thought of how to explain it. She sighed and spoke slowly, "What I do is I control Emma's mind, to let her think that whatever is happening to her is real. Its like I'm controlling her mind, but Emma's has the ability to do mind control, so its like controlling mind control."
"Controlling mind control?" Adam echoed softly as if to himself. He was leaning against the wall, deep in thought and they all knew he was thinking of a way out for Emma and Jesse.
"Imagine a remote control car," Sheila said, looking at Brennan. She shrugged slightly, "I know it's a crude representation but it'll work. Imagine this little boy playing with the control on the car. That's Emma controlling her mind, but then I came along. I'm this big bully who tries to snatch the controls away from the little boy and in effect, the car goes berserk. It doesn't know who to follow."
Shalimar gasped. "That's what's happening to Emma?"
Sheila nodded uncomfortably. "Emma's confused. She's not sure if what she sees is real. She doesn't give in to whatever she sees."
"Is that-?" Brennan hesitated. "Is that what happened to your dad?"
"Yeah," Sheila replied quietly. "I guess he knew what I did to him, even though I was only six. He kept convincing himself it wasn't real. In that process, the monsters in his head didn't kill him, because he didn't believe them. But in effect, he kept on living, and his mind went insane."
They were all quiet as they thought about the fate of Emma if they didn't do anything.
"What about Jesse?" Shalimar asked sharply. "What happens to him?"
"Slowly, he'll give in to his fears," Sheila answered remorsefully. She stared at her hangs, as she wrung them in despair. "For the other kinds of mutants, they all slowly believe what they see. They believe that their dreams are real and once they believe, there's no way out. And when there's no way out, the monsters in their mind will kill them."
Shalimar whimpered. "So Jesse's gonna die?"
"No!" Adam burst out, fire in his eyes. It was as though he had come up with something. He turned to Sheila. "When you touched Emma and Jesse, what happened?"
And then suddenly-
"Where am I?" Emma murmured, her eyes closed. "Is this a dream?"
"Stop hurting me!" Jesse yelled his voice hoarse. "I can't take it anymore!"
Shalimar squeezed Jesse's hand. "He's giving in."
Sheila looked at both of them, tears in her face. She shook her head, feeling the guilt and the regret, the pain with what she could do. She focused on what Adam asked. "I trap them in their own state of unconscious. That's it. And it's their own mind that kills them."
"How is that?" Brennan asked.
Sheila glanced at him, but then she looked away. "When I trap someone in their unconscious, they meet up with other things on their mind. Like their fears, and that's how they are killed. It's when they give in to the idea that the place they are in is real, that they die."
"So what you're saying is, if we can convince Emma and Jesse that they're only having dreams, then they will wake up?" Shalimar asked, straightening up away from Jesse but still holding his hand.
"That's my guess," Sheila admitted nodding thoughtfully. Her brow furrowed. "But no one can talk to them. I mean, you can't communicate with Emma or Jesse. They're both locked in their own minds and they won't listen to anyone else. I'm not sure how you can convince them."
Adam looked at Sheila. "What you're saying is we need another psyonic?"
"No!" Sheila exclaimed, miserably. "God, I don't know. I've never saved any before, and as much as I want to, I'm not sure how."
"Adam, isn't there any other way?" Brennan asked anxiously.
"This isn't real," Emma began chanting to herself. "This isn't real. Help me, please, anyone?"
Sheila sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
"I can't take it anymore," Jesse gritted.
"No!" Sheila exclaimed, rushing forward towards Jesse. "He's giving in. If he gives in to dying, he will die in real life too. He has to resist."
"Can't you do anything to help him?" Shalimar asked, fear in her eyes. Fear of losing her friends.
Adam spoke, his tone serious. "I think that Sheila can communicate to them, long enough for her to convince them that it's not real. But the consequences could be dangerous. We might risk losing Sheila-"
"You can risk losing me, but you can't risk losing two members of Mutant X," Sheila cried out. "I can do it. I'll try to do it, I just don't know how."
"You just have to tap into their minds," Adam said, his voice strained. "But I can't allow you to do this, Sheila. It's like a suicide mission. You're only seventeen-"
"Adam, I'm only seventeen but I've killed a whole lot of mutants, and five people that I cared for so much, one of which is alive and in a mental institution but my dad is good as dead. My whole life has been nothing but pain, and anger. I need, at least, to do something to redeem myself," Sheila said her voice serious. "And if I die in the process, then-"
"No, we can't risk anything now, Sheila," Adam interrupted shaking his head. "If you die, and both Emma and Jesse won't wake up, there's no other way out for them. I'll try some simple medications first, before-" he paused looking directly at Sheila, "-before we try what you can do."
"But-" Sheila began to argue.
"Don't argue with me, Sheila," Adam warned.
Shalimar walked over to Sheila. "I'm sure we can find another way to Emma and Jesse without risking your life too," she said gently. Sheila smiled weakly at Shalimar and Brennan. Adam was already busily mixing solutions in test tubes, and typing things on the computer.
There's no more time, Sheila thought hysterically, her eyes straying over to where Jesse and Emma were lying, still asleep but with all the violent actions going on in their heads.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Sheila asked them, wiping an invisible tear in her eye. "I just want to be alone for a while," she added calmly.
"Sure," Brennan answered.
Shalimar smiled at her, and she showed her the way to the bathroom. "We'll be at the lab, okay?"
Sheila smiled and nodded her thanks. She watched as Shalimar walked away, and then she closed the door and locked it. Then she took a deep breath. She had everything planned out. She was going to explain to Emma what was going on, and then leave it to Emma to convince Jesse.
She would try Jesse but she wasn't sure if he would believe her easily. She prayed to her mom, to her angel, and to Billy. And even to Donald, her foster dad, whom she knew had loved her once. She prayed for the strength to help Jesse and Emma.
And she began.
She was looking for Emma, through the screams of all the other mutants whom she had lain this curse of hers. She wanted to help them too, but she had to help Emma. And Sheila did find Emma, trapped in a desolated place. Poor Emma was lying down, in a fetal position, clutching her head and screaming in agony.
"Emma," Sheila called softly. "Listen to me."
Emma looked up. "Where are you?"
"I'm in your mind," Sheila replied hurriedly. "Look, I know you can't see me and you probably won't believe me, but you have too. I'm real. I'm here at the Sanctuary with Adam, Shalimar and Brennan. They want so badly for you to wake up. And I do too. But I need you to believe that this is not real."
"But I've been walking around in circles, there's nowhere else to go," Emma complained.
"Yes there is," Sheila responded. She was slowly growing tired. "Emma, this is all in your head. It was me who did this. Sheila, from the club? I'm a mutant, a psyonic who can trap people in their own subconscious until it slowly destroys them. But you have to resist. You can let yourself be destroyed, otherwise the others will be devastated."
"Jesse? Where is he?" Emma asked, pushing herself to a sitting position.
"In the same place as you. He's trapped in his mind, and he's slowly giving in. He is slowly being destroyed and I need your help to convince him that what he's seeing is not real-"
"I've tried!" Emma cried out, shaking her head furiously.
"Try again, Emma. I know you can do it, and I'll try too. Together we can help him, and the two of you will wake up," Sheila explained. She was gripping the cabinet, as her knees weakened and she slowly dropped to the tiled floor. She squeezed her eyes tight and concentrated. "Emma, promise me you will wake up from this nightmare."
Emma frowned. "So this is all a nightmare?"
"Yes, and when you wake up, you'll find Adam, Shalimar and Brennan, waiting for you at the lab to wake up," Sheila went on. "For you and Jesse to wake up. It's all in your mind."
"What about you? What will happen to you?"
"I'll also be waiting for you," Sheila answered, taking deep shuddering breaths. The effort was weakening her the more. "I'll go to Jesse now, Emma. It's all a dream, and you'll wake up soon. You have to."
Sheila gasped as she let go of Emma. She was on all fours, her arms trembling. She still had to find Jesse, and she did. She found him nearly just in time. He was already to kill himself.
"Jesse, listen to me," Sheila cried out to him.
"You're not real," he said through gritted teeth.
"No, I'm real. Adam, Shalimar and Brennan are waiting for you at the other side-" Sheila began.
"I know. They're dead," Jesse scoffed. "I killed them."
"No!" Sheila insisted. "That's not true, Jesse. They're still alive. All this is only in your mind. This is my doing, because I'm a psyonic who can trap people in their subconscious. I did this to you that night at the bar. When you felt something burn, remember that? Jesse, I need you to stop believing this nightmare so you can get out of this place. And I can release you."
"Yeah right," Jesse muttered angrily. "I'm going to die, whoever you are. Leave me alone."
"Jesse, please. You have friends who are still alive and they need you," Sheila went on, nearly drained of energy. She was crying now. "Emma is still alive too. She's just in the same place as you are but she has stopped believing in this nightmare. And you have too, Jesse, so you will wake up. Jesse, this is all in your head."
"I can't-" Jesse murmured, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes. "I don't-, I don't know."
"Jesse, it's not real. Open your eyes, and wake up," Sheila said in one last attempt. And then Jesse's face dissolved into nothing and she was back in the bathroom. She collapsed onto the floor, breathing deeply.
The sweet smile of the angel was above her again. "You did great, Sheila."
"I did?" Sheila murmured, her eyes half-closed, and sweat matted her hair.
"They'll be okay now," the angel soothed. "And you will be too."
"Can I help two more people?" Sheila asked tired, but still with some strength left.
The angel smiled. "I knew you'd want that."
"Just them, so I could release them too," Sheila murmured as she concentrated again on finding him. It was all over in a few minutes. She sighed deeply, completely drained and tired. The angel was hovering above her, smiling and beckoning to her.
"I'm coming now," Sheila murmured softly and then, her eyes closed. And when she took her last breath, there was a sweet smile on her face, just like the angel.
