Lost Identities
By Saturnian Blonde
Standard Questionably Useful Disclaimer: Marvel owns all rights to characters, names, etc. No profit is being made from use of anything. Yet.
Rating: PG-13
Comments: I hope this explains some things about her powers…. Thanks for all the lovely reviews!
Chapter FIVE
Xavier watched from the observation room as London finished the rewiring job in some circuitry in the Danger Room. She had finished the external security in less than two days. Working together with Remy, when they weren't fighting amongst each other, they managed to fill in the gaps in security. Well, the ones they would admit to.
He had allowed her some timeframes to help her with her powers in the afternoon, and she had given him her plans to create a new simulation program for the Danger Room, excited to finally be able to work with sufficient technology to help her powers along.
"It's a program that allows me to study DNA from top to bottom. It uses holographs to display the information, and I can then interact with the holos. It'll help me remember all the strands, and then I can manipulate them to see what changes will affect the whole in what ways… you know?"
He had given her permission, and she had been working all week installing new technology, and he was excited to witness her handiwork.
He saw her give the go ahead, and activated the program. The lights went out in the room, as four separate holo-projectors started, displaying a huge fuzzy image. She groaned, and a swift kick to the panel she had been working on soon brought the image into focus. A perfect 3D replica of a DNA strand hung in the air, slowly spinning on an axis.
She pulled on a thin pair of gloves, sensors attached to the fingers. He watched marvelled as she moved her hands, the computer picking up on her actions and doing as she commanded. The program acted like an interface, allowing her complete control over the animations.
"Well, it seems to work fine so far," she said, as a small holo-projected keyboard appeared in front of her. He watched the speed at which she furiously typed, inserting new commands, starting to download the information she had into the computer, watching with wide eyes as the DNA strand in front of her morphed to accommodate the changes. With a wave of her hand, she could zoom in to one part of the strand, searching each gene throughout.
"I'll leave you to your work, then," he said as he turned off the intercom. She didn't notice as she stood in the middle of the room, transfixed at the images in front of her. She saw images of what physical attributes the DNA would give a person, had full predictions of mutant abilities, and the exact placement of both X Genes, how the were formed at the moment in herself. She smiled as she entered more and more data, the real-person construct of the DNA shifting more and more until it formed a replica of her current body.
"Perfect."
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"Bayville High main office, how may I help you?" Sheryl answered the phone, shifting through paperwork. "Sure thing, I'll put you through." Putting the call on hold, she knocked and opened the door to Ms. Darkholme's office.
"What?" She asked in a harsh voice; in her office were two of the boys who were usually in there on a daily basis, the one that looked like a frog, Tolanski or other, and Lance Alvers.
"You have a phone call, line 1. They say it's urgent."
"Get out of my sight." She said to the two boys, and they left. Ms. Darkholme sat down behind her desk and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she said wearily, rubbing the bridge of her nose as if relieving some tension.
"Raven, I've seen something." She balked, staring at the receiver in her hand. Irene?
"What?"
"It's about one of your children."
"Which one? What do you see?"
"All I can tell you is that you have to stop your aggressions towards Xavier and his students. If you don't… that child will die."
"Which child? Damn it Irene, don't be vague on me now… what the hell is going on?!" She shouted into the receiver.
"The same thing goes for Magneto, so I sincerely hope you'll put aside any plans you have with him."
"And you think he'd just let me walk away from him?"
"I've talked to him as well, he is aware of what is at stake. Both your child and his will be dead. He is willing to step away from warfare, if not to stop the death of his child, then of yours." Raven thought back to this with a heavy heart. She did not want to see either Kurt or Rogue hurt, regardless of how she treats them. As for Magneto, she couldn't really care less about Pietro or Wanda… well, maybe Wanda, she was useful…
"Is there anything else?"
"When Xavier asks a favour of you, don't refuse."
"That's it?"
"That's all I can hope for."
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London waited in the school office, feeling as if she was really a student in trouble, waiting for the principal to yell at her.
Well, not really. Ms. Darkholme had called her down to her office to talk about something. She couldn't help but worry that she had done something wrong, that perhaps this had to do with the classes she taught now. They actually weren't as bad as she had thought they would be, except for the fact that whatever Mr. Epps taught the class, she had to un-teach because he was wrong. The students actually seemed interested in what she said, and most of them were doing really well… she hadn't had any troubles yet, except for the fact that the Pietro kid was in it, and was usually glaring at her, or smirking at her as if he knew something she didn't…
"Ms. Sikorba!" She snapped out of her thoughts to see Ms. Darkholme looming over her. She quickly jumped to her feet and followed her into her office.
"Your Professor Xavier has asked me to help you with your mutations." London's eyes shot open; how could the principal help her?
"Begging your pardon, Ms., but I don't understand." Something changed in the principal's eyes, but they went back to their cold hardness an instant later.
"Have they not taught you anything at that mansion?" She sneered, standing up and walking around the desk. She sat on the edge, in front of her chair.
"Not really. I just fix their computers."
"Yes, Xavier told me that much. He also told me that you can change your DNA around, change your shape."
"Um... well, yeah, but I can't really…"
"You can't, or you won't?"
London stared back at her, hardening herself against Darkholme's glare. I am getting nowhere with this, what the hell does she want?
"Look, I can't see where you're going with this; how can you help me?" She looked at London, analysing something, before she smiled coldly.
"I'm a shapeshifter." London stared in amazement as her form changed, her body, clothes, all morphed into a tall, blue skinned woman. Her yellow eyes glowed at her. "You will learn to change your appearance; unless you don't want to, in that case you may as well leave now."
London looked at her, her thoughts racing. If she knows how, and she teaches me… maybe it won't hurt anymore… it sure didn't seem to hurt her at all when she changed shape…
"No… I want to," she said, deciding, "If you'll teach me."
"Then we have a lot to work on. Call me Mystique"
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"So where are we going?" London asked as Mystique drove her green convertible down the road.
"Someplace where we won't be bothered." London inwardly groaned, since they had left the office, Mystique had said as many words as she could count on her fingers.
"Am I going to get anything more than that?" 20 bucks she says 'no'.
"No."
"Okay then." She looked out past the car as it drove through a forest. The trees reminded her of home, and home reminded her of Russia and Poland. How did I get myself here? She asked herself. She felt as if she's been everywhere. N'awlins, T.O., Montréal, all throughout Europe… but New York was starting to feel like home. And she had only been there a week, and that thought scared her. I've never stayed in one place long, how much longer can I tolerate here? She did feel grateful for Xavier trying to help her, despite what she had done. She even felt grateful to Mystique, although she hadn't done anything yet.
"We're here." Mystique said curtly, and London looked up to see where 'here' was. A large house, only a little smaller than Xavier's mansion, was surrounded by woods, and she could see a small lake through the trees to one side of it.
Mystique led her inside, and they walked through the living room, where a dark haired man sat sketching something on a drawing pad. He looked up as they passed by, and he stared at London with something like recognition in his eyes, before he looked back to Mystique. London had a strange feeling of déjà vu, looking at him. She had seen him before… at the club where she had worked in Toronto! She slowed in step as she passed him, staring. She shook her head as she realized Mystique had already left, and ran out to catch up.
Mystique stopped past a study.
"Eric, we're going to use the training room, make sure we're not disturbed." He only nodded, not even looking up from the notes on his desk. She peered in the room where he was, and stopped dead at the sight of him.
"London." Mystique called after her, annoyance flashing in her eyes. London turned, and with one last look at Eric, she followed her down the hall, still shocked. There is no way that that man in there is who I think he is. No way.
They entered a large room, sets of weights, various weapons, and a large matted area for sparring or something.
"Show me what you can do." London just blinked at her.
"Show you what exactly?" She thought through all the things she could do. There was her singing that she had picked up through Lena, because that was her natural mutation, and… well, they were pretty close. There was going invisible, that she had learned from one of the mutants in the New Orleans Thieves Guild that she had worked with on her stealth training. Another was her ability to heal others, which she had picked up by accident in a large crowd and had a hard time dealing with the sudden change as it asserted itself rather violently. She shuddered as she remembered being hospitalized after that incident, when she was thirteen. The rest were too random and uncontrolled for her to assert without a lot of time and a lot of pain. And she didn't want t think about actually changing physically.
"Whatever you want to show me."
London frowned, but began to concentrate. Mystique watched, fascinated, as the vein tattoos along her body darkened, turning black and almost glowing, before fading back into her body, and their natural tone.
"That's it?" London inhaled a shaky deep breath, and sung one note, holding it.
[Mystique looked around; she was in a beautiful park, surrounded by trees and playgrounds. A small girl, with blonde hair in curls, ran up to her, offering her a small daisy. Mystique knelt down, accepting the flower with a small smile. The girl grinned, before running off to the swings.]
Mystique blinked, and looked down at her hand, where the flower was gone. The whole park was gone, she was still in the training room, and London was looking at her strangely.
"You did that?" London nodded. "Show me something else." London's veins glowed again, and then she vanished. Mystique turned at a tap on the shoulder. London stood behind her.
"Incredible." Mystique murmured, trying to keep her amazement from her voice and expression. London just stood there, waiting for her next orders. "Xavier also says you can heal?" She nodded.
"Only others… have a knife?" Mystique frowned slightly, but went to a rack where various weapons were kept. Pulling out a small throwing knife, she walked back and handed it to the girl. She noticed how she took it carefully, as if not wanting to think about it. "You have another target in mind, or should I just show you personally?"
"It's fine, show me." Mystique held out her arm, and London gripped the knife a little tighter. Her eyes softened as she held the knife over her outstretched forearm.
"I'm sorry, I can't do it." She turned the knife over and handed it back to her. Mystique rolled her eyes and took it, dragging it against her own forearm, leaving a long red line. Blood slowly started to drip down it. She watched silently as London changed herself again, and closed her eyes. Hovering her hand over her arm, Mystique felt a warmth wash over her skin. When London pulled her hand away, the cut was completely gone, the blood the only evidence that it was there at all. Something grabbed her attention to London's own arm; she flexed it slightly, wincing as she did. Mystique grabbed her hand, pulling up her sleeve to see a long, thin scratch, in the same place that her own cut just was. "That happens sometimes…" London said, blinking as if to clear her vision. Her eyes seemed faraway. "If I get tired, then sometimes all I can do is take it from their body to mine… makes it a little smaller."
"Still," Mystique was impressed, but she felt a tinge of worry for London, who was breathing a little harder.
"Can you change yourself, physically?"
"That's what I need help on." London said quietly. "Every time I try to, all it does is hurt. I can manage small things, sometimes, if I have enough control, but the bigger they are, or the more things I try to do, the worse it gets."
"Well, how do you do it then? How, exactly, do you change your appearance?"
"I have to change my DNA." Mystique was silent for a while. When she changed her body, she only changed the atoms and molecules, and she had a feeling that this was a completely different area from her own."
"How do you get those powers then?"
"The same way. If I'm around people long enough, or if I touch them and focus, then I can pick up on their DNA sequence. Those powers are really only ones others have, I just copy them." London signed. "The powers are easier to change between, once I learn them properly. But changing my body… if I was to change it wrong, I could end up having a stroke, or… just dying, right? I'm afraid that I'll screw something up… and then there's the fact that whenever I change my actual shape, it hurts like a bitch."
"Well, then, we'll start small."
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