Cipher's Elegy

By Cypher

Chapter Three: Plans and Discussions

"Really, it just kinda clicked." Douglas winced as his injured shoulder was rotated. "Couldn't you be a little more gentle?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ramsey, but we have to make sure you didn't dislocate it. Lifting Logan is no easy feat." Hank McCoy pressed his furred fingers against Douglas' shoulder blade, eliciting a hiss from the younger mutant.

"Still, it was, like, so cool. None of us were expecting that." Kitty stood on the opposite side of the bed from where Hank was working, leaning her elbows on the edge and watching Douglas' face as it kept shifting from smiles to contortions of pain. "Where did you learn that?"

"I, uh, just did. From Logan." Douglas yelped as Hank's hand slipped, pulling on his shoulder. Concentrate on Kitty, on the fight, anything but what he's doing--AGH! Jesus, McCoy! "I kinda thought of his fighting style as a language and..." he waved his good hand.

Kitty picked up what he meant. "Your powers just took over the rest. Like, cool!" She glanced down at his leg, where an ice pack was resting on his foot. "So, um, do you think he'll be better by Saturday, Mr. McCoy?"

Hank raised an eyebrow and placed a heating patch on the strained shoulder. "Why? Got a hot date?"

Douglas immediately looked down, his skin tone taking on a distinct red color. His hand, which had been inching its way towards Kitty's, shrunk back and rested itself on top of the heating patch, as if holding it in place. His left foot, the uninjured one, began rubbing his right calf nervously.
Kitty herself had turned a shade pinker, but simply laughed and waved her hand. "Yeah, kinda. We're gonna take in a movie."

Hank chuckled, mainly at Douglas' shy reaction, and removed the ice pack, examining the foot, especially the swollen first and second toes. He gently took them between his fingers and wiggled them. Douglas failed to make eye contact, or even look up from the bed sheet he was intensely staring at, but a small 'ow' worked its way to Hank's ears.

I've got to work on his shyness. Big time. Deciding to take a risk, Kitty reached out and ran a tender hand through Douglas' gold locks. Even sweaty, they're pretty soft. Wonder if that's true for his lips, too.

The move did not go unnoticed by Douglas, who's breathing, not to mention heart rate, increased dramatically. Stay calm, stay calm. She's just...reassuring you, like mom likes to do. It's just her fingers in my hair, nothing much. Her gentle, delicate fingers slowly moving along my head, feeling every strand they can and caressing them. They're only searching for the best place to rest and tilt my head up so our moist lips can finally-NO! No no no! Get a hold of yourself! Jesus Christ! Don't let your hormones get the better of you! Nonetheless, the image of Kitty kissing him had been firmly planted into his mind.

Hank ahemed. "Kitty, I believe it would be best if you left Douglas in my care. I want to make sure he didn't pull any tendons in his leg, and to do that I'll need some privacy." It'd help to calm him down, too. I'd better tell Kurt to give him some tips on how to be relaxed around women. He glanced over at Kitty, and realized he couldn't do that, not without hurting Kurt's feelings. Let's amend that to Scott.

Kitty pouted, but let her hand fall from Douglas' head to his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "We'll, like, talk later, okay?"
"O-okay." Douglas was sure his voice cracked again. Oh God I'm pathetic.

Kitty smiled, though, and walked off.

When he was sure she was gone, he fell back against the bed, jostling his shoulder but not really caring. "Thank you."

"I thought it best, before you had a heart attack." Hank shook his head and replaced the ice pack. "You really like her, don't you?"

Douglas' gaze settled on the exit of the medical bay. "Yeah, I do..."

~*()*~

Jamie Maddox pushed himself against the shadow of the door frame as the resident doctor, Hank McCoy, wandered out of the infirmary. After he was sure he wasn't spotted, he glanced in the medical room, pleased to see that the new mutant, Douglas, hadn't left. He was still nursing his foot with an ice pack. His shoulder looked better, though, as did his attitude. While Jamie hadn't been able to understand Douglas' words in the Danger Room, their meaning was conveyed loud and clear. Making sure he didn't look too much like a runt, as Roberto sometimes called him, he strolled into the room, calmly approaching the patient's bed.

Douglas didn't seem to notice. His eyes had clouded over, and his lips were thinned, as if he was concentrating on some difficult problem. Jamie hesitated, torn between shaking the teen out of his revere or just leaving.

"Hurensohn!"

Jamie jumped at the blonde's outburst. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean-" He started to back away.

Douglas' eyes cleared up as he realized that the mutant doctor had left. "Sorry! Sorry...I didn't meant you, I'm sorry. I thought the fuzzy blue Bigfoot was still around, and since they don't like me swearing in English..." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and squinching his face as he felt how much sweat had accumulated due to his fight. "I was just thinking over the more advanced moves of that martial arts and finally realized what one move Wolverin--er, Logan was going to make. I would've been knock out, and I guess I...called him an SOB out loud." He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry."

Jamie stopped his retreat, but didn't make a move to get any closer to the bed. He had thought to come down and talk about something that had been bothering him a long time, something that this new mutant and he had in common, and now he wasn't so sure. "I...you don't mind that I'm here, though? If you want to be alone-"

Douglas waved his hand. "Bah. I'd be bored without someone to talk to." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. He still hadn't changed out of his uniform, though Hank had pulled half of his shirt off to get to the wounded shoulder. He had, after Kitty had left, pulled the rest of it off. "So, what's up?"

Jamie rubbed his wrist, unsure for a moment. "Well, it's um, my powers."

Douglas blinked, his brow furrowing slightly.

For being brilliant, he certainly doesn't pick things up quickly. Everyone else figured it out in a day. Jamie found a chair nearby and sat on it. "Well, you know whenever I bump into somebody or something, more of me appears, right?"

Douglas nodded. Unlike Cyclops or Nightcrawler, he and Jamie had code names that basically described what they could do. "That's where the name Multiple comes from, right?"

"Yes, it's just," Jamie glanced around, almost as if he wasn't sure he should be divulging this information and making sure they weren't being spied on, "everyone thinks it's useless. And since you have a basically useless power too..." he trailed off, though what he wanted was implied.

"You want me to teach you how to use your powers in a cool way, like what I did in the Danger Room?" Douglas nearly laughed when Jamie nodded his head, the downcast look on the younger mutant's face the only thing stopping him. "I don't think your powers are useless. Hell, they're more productive than mine."

"But you actually, actually took on Wolverine! Yours makes you smarter and able to outwit people in battle." Jamie pulled his chair forward so he could rest his arms on Douglas' bed.

Douglas did laugh at that. "Outwitting people in battle doesn't necessarily come from being a genius. Anyone can do it. My powers just taught me how I might, key word is might, be able to get a blow or two in against Wolverine." He patted Jamie's hand, gently, not wanting to have to deal with two Jamies. "If it came down to just him versus me, my powers would do squat. He's faster, lived longer, shit, he could dice me up before I even realized the fight had started. Yours, on the other hand," he pulled his arm back and moved his shoulder, feeling the heat increase the blood flow. Keep it moving, it'll help the muscles not go stiff... "Yours could allow you to outnumber him infinity to one. You could overpower him in sheer numbers." He tilted his head. "Hasn't anyone told you to use your mutation at its fullest? To just...screw rules and inhibitions and let loose?"

Jamie shook his head, though Douglas caught a spark in his eyes. Poor kid. Hasn't anyone told him just how great his powers are? I'd trade him in a second. Being all brainy isn't as fun as they say.

"Everyone just treats my power like a nuisance or something. And worse, they treat me, no matter how many there are, like a kid." Jamie rubbed his eyes, not wanting to appear weak in front of the new comer. Yet, somehow he had the feeling that this Douglas understood on some level what he was going through. He's not saying my power's useless...but I couldn't beat Wolverine. All I did was annoy him. And the other mutants. When Jamie got no response from the injured teen, he looked up. Douglas had rested his chin on a fist and was staring at the wall. He's started thinking again. I guess I bored him... He was about to stand, when Douglas' hand, the unoccupied one, reached out and snagged his wrist. Jamie paused, unsure what the gesture meant. Douglas was obviously back to his little world, but he didn't want Jamie to go? That wasn't very fair.

"Have you ever..." Douglas trailed off, catching Jamie's attention once more. "Have you ever...um...hold on..." His nose scrunched up. Jamie recognized that look. He did it a lot himself, whenever he was trying to put something into words. Deciding that mayhaps staying could prove valuable, he returned to his seat, his azure orbs gazing at the older face, watching it move as thoughts came together.

"Have you ever had someone train you, seriously take you aside and just train you with your powers?" A piercing blue gaze from Douglas met with Jamie's eyes, and Jamie, his mouth already open with an affirmative answer rolling on his tongue, paused. He thought, seriously thought through all his time at the institute.

Kurt's helped me a lot, but mostly just done big brother stuff, like play and help me with my schoolwork. I don't think he's ever really...tried to train with me. The other X-Men don't really notice me, and the others... Jamie blinked, realizing that through all his memories, while he was trained with the group, he was always shunted to the side, given the least amount of time because he was too young, or he didn't have enough control. Not once had someone taken him aside and even tried to teach him individually. "No."

Douglas released Jamie's wrist, though his brow was still furrowed. Jamie had choked out an answer, really choked, but it was unintelligible, even for him. "Huh?"

"No, I...I don't think anyone has." Jamie frowned. How could he have missed something so obvious. All because I'm younger. I just know it!

"Would you like me to try?" Douglas smiled a little. He hadn't mentioned to Jamie that grabbing his wrist had produced a bit of pain in his shoulder, and he was currently cursing in, of all languages, Latin, in his head to try and keep the smile on his face. "I always had my powers, kinda like you, but someone came around and taught me how to use them, control them. Without him I doubt I would've even landed a single blow to Wolverine today."

Jamie's eyes widened. He had come seeking some help, maybe a few pointers on how to control powers. He didn't expect this new comer to volunteer time to spend with him, to become, for all intents and purposes, a personal trainer. It was great! No wonder Kurt likes him! He's like...like the other half of an older brother, the one half willing to help me with things the polite, fun-loving half won't touch! He filed a few jokes he had heard earlier, but didn't understand, to ask Douglas about. That and sex. He had heard of it, but didn't really quite know what it was either. Kurt had turned an odd shade of purple when he asked, and Kitty had fallen THROUGH the wall laughing at Kurt's expression. "That'd be wonderful! You mean it?"

Douglas blinked. "Of course I mean it. I wouldn't say it if I didn't." His smile grew slightly, though he winced. The pain killers Doc McCoy had given him were wearing off. "When I'm better," he amended. "Speaking of which, could you find the doctor? I could use some Advil or something."

Jamie nodded and was off so fast that for a moment, Douglas wondered if Kurt had teleported him away. Well, Jonah, I'm gonna try and continue doing what you started. Wish me luck. And one hell of a pain killing drug.

~*()*~

Hank McCoy smiled as Bobby Drake ran by, followed shortly by a pissed, and soggy, blue elf. It was only a matter of time before those two turned on each other. They had sometimes joined up and pulled pranks together, but one could only attack the same people so many times. And with the newest addition to their team injured... I wouldn't want to be Bobby when Kurt catches him. He turned the handle and wandered into the study, where the other staff, as well as Scott Summers, had been waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's quite alright, Hank. Please." Xavier extended his hand towards the couch Ororo was sitting on. "As we were saying, Douglas displays quite a bit of potential. Assuming he's given the right teachers." He shot a quick glance at Scott and Ororo. "I'm afraid that with his powers, he'll have to be taught by Logan. Unfortunately, this means he won't be able to bond with the others and form a sense of teamwork. If anyone has any suggestions..."

Logan grunted and crossed his arms, remaining in his potion against the wall. "Kid needs to work on his strength and flexibility before I can really teach him anything. Perhaps some gym sessions with the Elf would help."

Scott cleared his throat. "I suppose I could take him with Evan and I to the gym, teach him how to lift some weights. That's, what, three X-Men he'll be bonding with then?"

"I was under the impression," Hank glanced around, making sure no one would interrupt, "that he would be joining the New Mutants. If that's the case, it might be prudent to include him in their workouts."

"We've already done that, but on some training exercises, he won't be able to do anything." Ororo ran a hand through her hair, feeling the edges for a moment. "Destroying oncoming attacks is out of his league. The best he can do is dodge, which, unfortunately, is only a part of the exercises we use."

"He seems to have more control over his powers than the New Mutants, anyway." Xavier rolled his wheelchair closer to the window and stared outside, watching Rahne take a nap in her canine form. "Scott, you mentioned someone named Jonah?"

"Yeah." Scott stuck his hands in his pockets. "Kurt said the guy looked like a mutant."

"Perhaps it would be prudent to find out more about him. In the meantime," Xavier turned around and faced his faculty once more, "I would like you to keep me apprised of how he's fairing, his attitude. Make sure he's fitting in."

Scott frowned. Normally the Professor just does quick scans. I don't think he's asked us to keep a close watch on a new student before. "Why can't you just read him, Professor? Like you do with all the others?"

Xavier studied Scott, contemplating telling the younger student. "I suppose since you'll be working together, you should know. Douglas appears to have some sort of...block in his mind. Every time I try to enter, there's a wall keeping me out, even for quick scans. I'm sure he's not doing it on purpose."

Scott's frown deepened. Then how do we know he's not a spy from Mystique or something? He noticed the teachers giving him an impatient look. Right. I've been dismissed. Rubbing his chin, he let himself out and headed for Jean's room. The Professor wouldn't bring someone he knew worked for Mystique, but still...

"You're sure he's not from Magneto, Chuck? Someone who can't be read would be an excellent spy for him." Logan glanced at the door. He knew the team leader that just left would be thinking the same thing.

"I'm positive of that. Neither parent was aware of Magneto, and my time with the boy seemed to indicate he hadn't been approached, either."

"It could all be a rouse, though." Ororo also crossed her arms. "He's able to block you. How could he not do that without training?"

Hank rubbed his head. Jonah, perhaps? If he's a psychic mutant, that might explain the block. That didn't seem to fit, though. His initial scan by the Professor would've picked that up. Then again, Douglas' mind is unique. Just as Xavier's mind works differently for his telepathy, maybe Douglas' is wired differently for his translation skills. He blinked, then smiled. I think a CAT scan is in order for our young mutant.

"Hank? Care to fill us in on why you're smiling?" Xavier could sense a tingle of something in the blue-furred mutant's mind, something that suggested he knew what was going on.

Hank shrugged and stood up. "Just a theory on why he can block you. I should go test it. It shouldn't take more than a few days."

Xavier bobbed his head. "Very well, if you feel-" his gaze settled on the door. "Hank, I believe Jamie is looking for you. It seems Douglas is in pain again."

Hank bowed briefly before leaving, catching the youngest mutant of the Institute as he stepped outside of the study.

Logan snorted as the two walked off. "Have to work on his pain threshold, too."

"Later, Logan. Much, much later." Ororo stood. "If you'll excuse me, I should begin preparing lunch."

Xavier waited a few moments, thinking over what had been discussed, the elation he sensed from Jamie as he passed the door, Logan's thoughts on the new mutant. One thought in particular stuck out. It appears that Cipher is more of a mystery than he let on.

~*()*~

Kurt finished brushing his fur for the second time that day, all thanks to one mischievous, back stabbing ex-prankster buddy. Granted, he had air-dried most of his fur while chasing Bobby, but damn if it wasn't annoying. Brushing his fur was not a swift chore. I am so going to have to get revenge. He must pay. Pay, I tell you! Sometimes he wondered if he had inherited part of his mother's vicious streak. It certainly made his life more interesting, not to mention dangerous.

Maybe I should plant something in his bedroom. Oh! A snake in the bed! He thought about this for a moment. Perhaps a fake snake would be better. No use getting me in more trouble. Question is, how will I sneak in and out? If I teleport he'll smell the sulfur and realize I've been there. But if I open the door or window... He shuddered. Once he had tried to sneak into Bobby's room, only to discover the iced mutant had jury-rigged his own alarm system. It took him a week to get the honey out of his fur.

Glancing at the currently vacant other bed, he shook his head. Douglas would never pull a prank. He's too serious. Besides, if I sacrifice him to the dreaded honey, he's more than likely gonna sell me out. He thought a little more. Ach, mein Kaetzchen. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping me. She's been the victim more than enough times to want revenge. Smirking a little, he thought it best to ask for her assistance before doing anything. Perhaps she would have a better idea. Though she doesn't know he's terrified of snakes.

It was strange, really. Bobby Drake, the all time prankster, couldn't stand snakes, or most reptiles for some reason. Perhaps it was because they didn't like him due to his cooling powers, but as reptiles couldn't communicate, it was quite the mystery.

Pulling on a shirt, he bounded out of the room and crawled down the hallway wall, listening for Kitty. He found the phasing Shadowcat a little ways down, talking with Jean in her room. As he approached the doorway, automatically raising his mental shields to protect his devious mind from Jean's telepathy, his ear twitched, picking up bits of the conversation.

"I just, like, don't know what to do with him. He's going to explode before we even get to the movie theater. Isn't there anyway you could, like, fix his shyness?"

Kurt froze. She's...going out with someone? Thoughts of revenge were banished to the back burners of his mind as he strained to hear more, to find out who this guy was.

"Even if I could, Kitty, I wouldn't." Jean sighed. "It's just part of being a teenager. Weren't you embarrassed and shy when Lance came along? Heck, before Lance. Weren't you like him the first time a guy showed any interest in you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, but come on. A guy like him must've been, like, totally popular with the girls at his last school."

"He's a shy person, Kitty. Give him some time, though, and I'm sure he'll be fine. It's just...new to him, that's all."

"Oh, I'll give him as much time as he needs. He's a total babe. Who wouldn't want to wait around for him?"

Kurt's shoulders slumped, though it was slight as he was concentrating on keeping a grip on the wall. He knew that for all the labels Kitty had for him, 'total babe' was no where on that list. Keeping a heavy sigh to himself, he turned and crawled back to his room, his tail drooping slightly. So now there's another guy in her life. Guess she's never gonna notice a fuzzy elf. Closing his door with his tail, he fell on his bed, staring out the window as he rolled onto his back. Well, life goes on, I guess. I'll just...have to hope it fails like all the others. He licked his fangs. He hated wishing ill-will on his friends, but he wanted Kitty, and every now and then, he felt he was allowed a selfish thought. I must find out who this guy is. He's going to have to face me down if I'm going to let him get far with my Kitty.

And down below, in the infirmary, slowly falling asleep from the pain meds, Douglas let out a quick, soft sneeze.

~*()*~

~*()*~

~*()*~

Author's Prattle: Well, here's chapter three. Don't know when chapter four will pop out, but who knows. I had bursts of inspiration on this chapter, might be the same the next one. However, I've also had a burst for a Stargate fanfic, so it could be a while. We'll see, we'll see.

As for the one German remark, I believe I basically translated it when Cipher was talking with Jamie. Yes, there is a bit of a bond forming there. Referring now to Cipher's inability to be scanned, Hank's quite correct. Think about it: genetics alone can't alter a person's mind to be a translator or telepath. Certain areas would have to be rewired, reprogrammed, or even completely regrown. It's simply the rewiring. He's not a bad guy.

Disclaimers. Not many this chapter. I don't own X-Men Evolution, the characters, or Cipher. I do own Jonah. I don't own Advil, though. I do believe that's it for this chapter.

Oh, in case any of you are wondering, please remember that Logan's bones are adamantium, a metal. Therefore, his body mass is at the very least double, more likely triple the body mass of an average human. That's how Douglas strained himself. As for the foot...how would you feel if you kicked metal?

Well, until next time! As always, reviews are welcome, but more importantly thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!