Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the X-Men. If I did, I'd be rich. I'm not. I'm a poor college student. I'm not making any money from this story. Just for kicks it is. Sue me you will not. Talk like Yoda I do....
Elizabeth Glasgow is my own character though. She's my generic character that I use everywhere. She has a British accent!
Title: Of Two Minds (I)
Author: Penni Lane
Rating: R (for later chapters)
Summary: An unknown mutant finds her way to Xavier's Institute. In her search for herself, she might find her past and her future.
Category: Drama/Romance/Action-Adventure
Spoilers: None. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Nein.
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Elizabeth glanced at the hallways she'd managed to slip into. She pressed a button on her belt and smiled
as the little red light on the security camera disappeared. That should give her time. She turned the
corner and ran to the next, taking a quick peek around it to be sure that she was alone before turning
and running to the big steel door.
"X marks the spot," she remarked quietly to herself as she fiddled with the locking device.
The door slid open quietly and she entered the round room. There was a long bridge out to a circular
platform, where the computer system was. She moved quickly to the chair and started to type. Within
seconds, she had accessed the mainframe. She began to download the information onto a mini disc, and
let the computer run while she watched the currently empty hallway behind her. Soon enough, they
would notice the problem with the cameras. Then they would notice her. The drive ejected the full
disc. Download complete. She stuck it into a pouch on her belt and went out the door just as alarms
started to sound. She saw red lights on the cameras.
"Shit!"
She ran down the corridors she remembered taking to get to the room, hoping she could outrun anyone
who might try to catch her. This mission was important. It could save a lot of lives, she'd been told.
The information would help the government track down mutants with superhuman abilities that were
a threat to society. Eve raced to the air vent she had gotten in through and stopped in her tracks.
It had been resealed. She glanced around for the 'culprit' and began to work on getting it back
open. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and turned. Behind her was a tall, well-built, and
very attractive (she had to admit) man who was glaring at her dangerously. He lunged forward
suddenly, grabbing her throat and slamming her into the wall.
"Who sent you?" He growled. "Magneto?"
"Who?" She gasped.
He tightened his grip. "I'm sure you know who he is."
She found herself unable to breath, and brought her knee up hard. He stumbled back, wincing for only
a moment before regaining himself and coming forward. She blocked his punch and swung at him, missing
as he shifted to the left. She heard a slicing sound, and stared as blades emerged from the skin
between his knuckles. It caught her off guard, and she was almost slashed as he came towards her.
She blocked with her forearm and sent a roundhouse kick into his shoulder. Anger flashed in his eyes
and he lashed out with his other hand, cutting through her clothes and into her flesh. She jumped
back, looking down at the wound. It wasn't serious. She threw herself back into the fight, and it
was an even match for a good fifteen minutes. He then landed a kick to her stomach and she was
knocked back against the wall, trying hard to breathe again. She didn't have time to move as he came
closer and stared at her.
"Don't take this personally," he told her, retracting his claws.
She looked up, and their eyes met. Electricity seemed to surge through the air between them before he
struck her and everything faded away as she slumped to the floor.
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"She accessed Cerebro." A woman.
"But how?" Another girl.
"Maybe she has the ability." A man.
"I thought we kept tabs on all mutants." The first woman again.
"She could have slipped through." The man again.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and then squeezed them shut, not ready for the bright light of the room
she was now in. She opened her eyes again, squinting to adjust her vision. She looked around, and her
eyes fell on the group that had been talking. Two women and three men were staring at her. She
recognized one as the man she had fought. One woman was wearing a white lab coat. She had red hair
and glasses. She wore a wedding band. The other women was shorter, a young African-American with long
white hair. One of the other two men was wearing some strange sort of glasses. He was young as well,
and also wore a wedding ring. The other man was much older. Bald. He was in a wheelchair. He looked
towards her and she heard a voice in her mind. It was the man's voice she'd heard before.
~Don't be alarmed. We won't harm you.~
She raised an eyebrow and thought to herself, ~Then why am cuffed to this table?~
The man in the wheelchair stared at her. ~Because we don't know if we can trust you.~
~You can hear me?~
~Yes. Strange. You must have some form of telepathy that's gone unnoticed.~
~What does that mean?~
~It means that you are one of us. A mutant. Why were you stealing our files?~
She was quiet for a moment, not wanting to tell the truth.
~I assure you, it's safe to be honest.~
Elizabeth sighed, suddenly feeling a form of trust in the elderly gentleman. ~It was a government mission.
Funded by some Eric person... I can't remember his last name. He gave the director information that
an attack was planned. Said this was the base of operations.~
He sighed. ~Magneto is the alias he uses. He's been trying to get to us for years.~
She noticed that everyone was watching them. ~Perhaps I should introduce myself.~
He smiled and nodded. "She's been awake for some time now. I don't think she'll be any trouble."
The metal cuffs that had held her down retracted into the table, and she sat up slowly, letting the
blood flow to the rest of her body.
"Gentlemen, Storm - let's give Jean some room to work."
The two men and the white-haired woman followed the man in the wheelchair from the room. The man from
last night cast a suspicious look her way before the doors slid shut. The red-haired woman came up to
the table.
"I'm a doctor, I'm just going to make sure Logan didn't hurt you too much."
"Is that his name?"
She smiled. "Yes."
"Where am I, really?"
"Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters."
"A school? This is a children's school?"
"More or less. It's a haven for special kids. Kids with unique abilities."
"Mutants."
"Yes, like you and me."
"Me? How did you..."
"I have telepathy as well. Charles told me before he left the room."
"The man in the wheelchair. He's in charge here, isn't he?"
"You ask a lot of questions."
"Do I?"
"What's your name?"
"Elizabeth Glasgow... Beth."
"I'm Jean Grey-Summers."
"You're being awful nice to someone who tried to steal from here."
"Charles Xavier trusts you. That says a lot."
"Will everyone see it that way?"
"Probably not. But not everyone can read minds and communicate the way we can."
Elizabeth sighed as Jean finished checking the bump on her head. "Will I survive, doc?"
"I think so. Professor Xavier will want to see you soon."
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She easily found her own way down the complex halls of the institute, coming to a stop
at large oak double-doors. She raised her hand to knock, but suddenly felt the needlessness of
the action. The doors were easily pushed open, and shut quietly behind her. Elizabeth found herself
in what seemed to be a large study. Bookcases lined the walls, and two ceiling-to-floor windows
were at the opposite end of the room, behind a large mahogany desk. Charles Xavier sat just in
front of the desk. He looked up as she approached.
"Ah.. Miss Glasgow."
"Professor Xavier."
"Please, have a seat."
She did. "I'm sorry about all this."
"I know. And you're angry. We can help you find out who's responsible."
"I already know who's responsible. Director Sanford."
"The head of the CIA?"
"He assigned the mission. Personally. He's behind it."
"Are you sure it was him?"
"Who else could get the security clearance? Retinal scans, hand prints, voice pattern analysis..."
"There is one person. A mutant with the ability to change her appearance entirely. She's done
things like this before."
"Who does she work for?"
"Magneto."
"Wait. Let me guess. He can control metal?"
"He never was a fan of subtlety."
Elizabeth sighed.
"I can only answer some of your questions."
She looked up. "I wish you'd stop doing that...it's unnerving."
He offered a smile. "Sorry. Force of habit...but one of your questions, about what causes these
abilities... we know that it's an uncommon combination on the x-chromosome. A mutation during
crossing over. But for some reason, it's been occurring more frequently lately."
"So it's not hereditary?"
"Not that we know of. Why? Was one of your parents..."
"My mother wasn't. I never knew my father."
There was an uncomfortable silence before either spoke.
"You're welcome to stay with us. Learn to control your abilities. And I'm sure, with your
experiences, you have some skills that would make you a good teacher for the children."
"I'll have to think about that... I have a life. Not much of one, but there are so many things
that I don't know if I can leave behind. My cat, for instance."
The professor smiled. "You can bring your cat with you."
"What could I teach? I'm not much of a math or science person..."
"Do you know any foreign languages?"
She laughed. "Only seven or eight. I guess I could do that...but the CIA would wonder where I went.
They'd send recovery teams."
"I have some influences that can help with that. Will you join us?"
"As I said, I'll need to think about it."
"You're welcome to stay as long as you like, regardless."
"Thank you." She stood and turned to leave.
Just as she had reached the door, he called after her. "What was your mother's name?"
She cast him a curious glance over her shoulder. "Why?"
"There's something I want to find out. I've been tracing the frequency of the mutations within
family trees."
"Her name was Anne Glasgow. She never married. I'm her only child."
With that, Elizabeth left the room.
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Not knowing where exactly she was going, Elizabeth walked down the halls mindlessly. She could've sworn
she'd seen recognition in the professor's eyes at her mother's name. She leaned against a wall, taking
a breath. How could he have known her mother? His accent was undoubtedly Scottish--it was possible the
two had met before, but Anne Glasgow had never mentioned any Charles Xavier. She brushed an errant strand
of light auburn hair away from her face as she stopped and leaned against the wall. As she thought of
her mother, sadness found its way into her heart. It had been a long ten years since she had been killed.
The murderer had never been found. With that thought, she was jolted from her musings. He knew her
mother's name.
"I'm supposed to show you to your room."
She looked up. "Oh?"
It was Logan. "Trust me, there are things I'd rather be doing. This way."
She followed him up the stairs to the third floor.
"The students are all on the second floor. This top floor is for the adults."
"Lovely..."
He stopped in the middle of the hallway, gesturing to the right. "That one's yours. Someone will show
you the rest of the place tomorrow."
He entered the room across the hall from hers and shut the door. She heard the lock slide into place.
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So ends Part One of the story. Post feedback if you like it, or even if you don't.
Cheerio!