Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or the X Men. Evie is my character.
/Personal thoughts/
~~telepathic communications~~
Chapter 12
Shalimar and Evie soon saw Logan returning to Onnaka's hut with the professor, Jean, Scott, Emma and Jesse.
As soon as he saw them, Jesse ran ahead. Hugging both of them, he asked, "Are you both, ok? Have you been able to find Brennan?" Shalimar just buried her face in his chest and held him tightly. It tortured him to see her so unhappy.
Onnaka had put Kira in her bed and returned to see the others coming to the house. She had fixed food while she waited for Kira's return. Now having set it all out, she approached the others. "Professor Xavier, I am very glad to see you again. Please come in, rest and have food while you talk. Everyone, please come in." Onnaka lead the way as all thanked her and entered.
As they ate, Logan and Shalimar gave all the information they had.
"I knew we would not be able to trap him again. We need another plan," the professor stated.
"How can we fight a ghost?" Logan growled as he had become increasingly aggravated since Ororo left. "I can't punch what has no form and when he is in a body, I can't risk hurting Brennan or Storm."
"Physical strength will not solve this problem, Logan. This will take psionic powers. Unfortunately, the Shadow King is more powerful than any of us." Charles lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to relax enough to think.
"Professor, can you contact Ororo to make sure she is…umm… alright, now?" Evie asked.
"Yes, of course; as long as the Shadow King is within Brennan, Ororo's mind is clear to me. I sense an immediate concern from you. What is it, My Dear?" His furrowed brow showed his emotion.
Evie looked at Shalimar who just stood up and walked away. She turned to Charles and continued. "I believe you should try to contact her. Let her know we are coming up with a plan. There's also a potential for another problem." She glanced back to Shalimar, who still had her back to them, and then to Logan, who had a questioning look.
"Evie?" the professor was beginning to get more concerned.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make it sound dramatic but I don't want to see them hurt. While we were recovering Kira, The Shadow King approached in Brennan's body and spoke to us. He touched Shalimar's hair and told her of Brennan's mind fiercely battling him. Then he turned to Ororo. He clearly has other interests in her beside her power, now that he's in Brennan's body. He grabbed her…and forcibly kissed her in front of us."
Everyone jumped at the sudden sound of Wolverine's claws extending. His growl was low and controlled but Shalimar heard it. She turned and stared at him with golden eyes returning his growl with a warning of her own. Fury passed and he realized that he was not the only one hurt. Logan walked over to Shalimar. He approached her slowly, to not further provoke an attack. When he saw her eyes return to normal he closed the distance and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Darlin'. I'm sure Brennan is doin' all he can to fight this."
"And so is Ororo." Shalimar spoke into his chest so only he could hear.
"I know, Darlin'." He kept her in his arms.
"I believe you are right, Evie." The professor closed his eyes as everyone watched and waited.
~~Storm.~~
~~Professor. Thank God you are here.~~
~~Is the Shadow King still in Brennan's body?~~
~~He was. He had been telling me of his plan to rule.~~
~~Evie told us of his…additional…interest in you. Ororo, have you been harmed?~~
~~No, Charles. I am safe for the moment. He has discovered that the fight, Brennan has been waging, is taxing his body. He left Brennan unconscious to rest and had us imprisoned and guarded. He has gone back to the top of the mountain. I do not believe he will return for several hours.~~
~~Very good. We are in the midst of conceiving a plan of action. Be prepared for anything in the morning.~~
~~Very well. Please, tell Logan and Shalimar not to worry.~~
~~Goodnight, Child.~~
~~Goodnight, Charles.~~
Charles opened his eyes. "They are fine for the moment." Turning to Logan and Shalimar he conveyed her thoughts, "She asks that you both not worry. The Shadow King has retreated to the mountain and left both of them imprisoned for the night."
"Then let's go get'em out." Releasing Shalimar, Wolverine was ready for action.
"No," Scott interjected, having to endure another of Wolverine's growls. "What's to stop him from doing this all over again?"
"Scott's right." Jesse stated, turning to see Shalimar's disappointment. "We need to find a way to stop him for good." Shalimar returned to her seat beside him as he put his arm around her and drew her to him.
"Professor, how did you defeat him last time?" Emma asked.
"After he was forced from Storm's body; Jean and I, together, telepathically pushed him into a tear in the astral plane just as it was closing. It took all of our combined energy to do it. We both ended up passing out."
"The way I remember it, they were out for the better part of four hours. Onnaka went from bed to bed keeping constant watch on all three of them." Scott added.
"Three?" Evie questioned.
"Yes. Storm also passed out and would have died if Rogue hadn't caught her as she fell from the sky." Jean answered.
"Wait. Did Storm force him out of her body? Maybe Brennan can do the same." Jesse was trying to put the pieces together.
"Actually, Storm flew straight up, until the air was too thin to breathe. The Shadow King was forced out of a dying body," the professor explained. "I'm afraid Brennan can't do that."
"Why can't he?"
"Evie?" Shalimar yelled.
"I'm serious. Why can't we find a way to make Brennan appear to be dying? The Shadow King will be forced to leave him," she explained.
"And then he'll go right for Storm. Not a good plan, Darlin'," Logan objected.
"Why not?"
Logan was shocked to hear Jean favoring such a thing.
"Ororo's better able to fight him." She knew the power of her best friend's mind.
Logan was just about to argue again when Charles put up his hand to stop the conversation. "I think in your arguing you have come up with a plan, or at least the beginning of one. The Shadow King must be forced to leave Brennan and yes, he will go right for Ororo. Her fighting him in her mind will not be enough. He must also be forced to leave her. That will leave him open to our attack."
"Professor, are you suggesting that we try to kill both Brennan and Storm?" Scott was struggling to understand his mentor's rationalizations at the moment.
Everyone began speaking at once stating various degrees of discontent.
"Please, please!" Charles commanded their attention. "I do not wish for either one to be hurt but there is little choice. The Helix is stocked with all the medical supplies our doctors would need." He lifted a hand to indicate Jean and then Evie. "Evie is here to heal as best as she can in conjunction with both their medical abilities." Charles tried to sound as reassuring as he could.
"If we have to do this, can it at least be as painless as possible?" Shalimar regretted even having to voice such a thing.
"Scott and Logan attacking would be too violent." Evie offered. "There would be too much medical clean up."
"We probably wouldn't be able to get close enough, anyway," Logan reluctantly admitted.
"What would happen if Storm zapped Brennan?" Scott asked.
"His body is able to generate electricity and his powers help him to manipulate it. Getting hit from an outside source would overload his system, and in effect, shut him down." Jesse informed them. "If the power wasn't strong enough though, it'd only cause him to pass out. The Shadow King would probably know he'd recover and be able to continue."
"So we tell Storm to hit him hard," said Scott.
Jean contradicted, "That might not be a good idea. After Brennan is attacked, the Shadow King will go for Storm and continue from her body. We might not be given the opportunity to get to Brennan fast enough to restart his heart and correct the damage."
"What if it was a slow death?" Onnaka spoke for the first time. Seeing everyone turn to her, she looked down and added, "I apologize for interrupting."
"Not at all. Your ideas are most welcome, My Dear. What do you have in mind?" the professor asked.
"The last time, Ororo was not dead, just dying. If we can cause the Shadow King to realize death was imminent, would he not again leave?"
"How?" asked Jean.
"Poison. We have a plant, that when ingested, causes slow death."
"Yes, that would work. Brennan would die slowly enough. If after the Shadow King's defeated I could just get to him quickly to heal him, he should be ok." Evie stated.
"Should be?" Shalimar's fear was evident. Jesse tightened his arm around her.
"Timing will still be critical, but not as much as with electrocution." Jean offered to ease her mind.
"That gets Brennan back. What about Storm?" Logan's frustration was rubbing his nerves raw.
"The same poison will work on her," Onnaka explained.
"But the Shadow King probably won't go into her if she's showing the same signs as Brennan." Emma surmised.
"When Ororo was a child, she was lost in the woods for two days. Just before we found her, she was so hungry, she had decided to eat some of the vegetation. One of the plants she chose was this poison. We found her moments later and our mother immediately treated her with a special drink, when she realized what Ororo had done. This ingestion and immediate treatment acted as an inoculation. Though she would eventually die, the poison works much slower in her system than it would in others."
"That is the best plan, then," the professor concluded.
"But how do we poison them?" Shalimar was still struggling with the whole affair.
"We only have to get it to Ororo. She will know what to do." Onnaka showed proud confidence in her sister.
"If we do it while the Shadow King is still on the mountain we can use a diversion for the guards while one of us sneaks in and gives it to Storm." Scott was beginning to scheme.
"Finally, something I can do. It's about time." Logan's attitude began to improve.
"This will no doubt be an effort by all if it is to succeed," the professor explained.
"But, Professor, how do we deal with the Shadow King, himself?" Jean was still clearly concerned.
"I have been thinking about that since we left the mansion. I believe our answer is Miss DeLauro."
"Me?" Emma was surprised.
"Actually, yes, My Dear. It was great wisdom that Shalimar asked for you to join us. I believe that your psionic blast will be the key to finally destroying the Shadow King."
"From what I've heard so far, I don't think I'm strong enough to scare him let alone destroy him."
"Not alone. Remember I said 'an effort by all'. Along with Jean, Storm and myself, your power will bring the final blow." Feeling confident now and seeing he had their attention, he outlined the full plan. When everyone was given all the details, he asked them all to rest and he would awaken everyone at the proper time.
Evening in the mansion was tense. The children, though not fully informed, could sense the worry of the others. Kitty and Jubilee were left in charge of everything. They knew, however, that if they needed help, Hank, Adam and Remy were still there. Hank and Adam had just finished another set of scans on Marie's progress.
"Well, mes amis. What do you tink?" Remy held to his promise to not leave except to use the bathroom and shower. Kitty made sure he had everything else he needed delivered to him in the lab. She even arranged to have one of the older boys go down to the lab and keep him company under the guise of wanting to learn to play cards. He saw through her deception yet was pleased to know she made the effort and appreciated it.
Hank was the first to speak. "Physically, she's doing just fine. All of her vitals are strong and her systems are working well. It seems the professor's influence has worn off and she is unconscious on her own. It was expected that she would remain unconscious until her mind and body have had a chance to rest sufficiently. Then she should return to us. I estimate approximately another 12 to 14 hours."
"Adam?" Remy needed to hear his report most. Would they be celebrating or mourning?
"I concur with Hank's estimate. Her physical strength has been an asset through this whole procedure. Anyone else might be out for days. The process of re-sequencing couldn't have gone any smoother. All the scans now show her DNA in proper alignment throughout her entire body. We were able to safely touch the skin sample that was treated in the initial tests on Monday. I can still touch that same sample now, so the process has been shown to be stable. Although all signs are extremely positive, we'll just have to wait for Marie to wake up. You really need to rest. She will need you most, when she wakes tomorrow."
"Remy will be just fine. Sleepin' here will be de best ting." Remy was tired but refused to leave.
Adam went to turn in. Lying in his bed, he began thinking of Evie and his kids; all so far away. Not having Marie's procedure to focus all his attention on, now left him more time to think of them. Not knowing what was going on was driving him crazy. He trusted them all but was still concerned. Brennan was already compromised and he was seriously concerned with Emma going up against such a powerful entity. Giving in to his need to know more, he used his ring to call Evie. "Evie, are you awake?"
She was startled at the suddenness, but hearing his voice made her heart skip a beat. "Adam, I'm here. How are you?"
"I'm tired, Darling. Marie's procedure is over and went extremely well. We're just waiting for her to wake up; probably sometime tomorrow morning. What's everyone's status?"
"We were all just awakened by the professor. He has a plan which we're to begin now. We found out that Brennan was left unconscious for the night to rest. Shalimar is worried but she's holding up well. The plan involves forcing the Shadow King out of their bodies by making him believe they're dying. It gets confusing but Charles is confident."
"Wait. How will they appear to be dying?"
"Not appear. They must actually be or it won't work. We decided poison would convince the Shadow King and still leave us enough time to get to them."
"Evie, you're going to be very busy. Try to just get them out of the woods instead of completely healed so you can have a chance to rest. Two dying patients may prove to be a strain." He knew that was an understatement but didn't want to burden her with his concern.
"I'll be fine. Onnaka also has an antidote. Don't worry. Adam,…I miss you."
"I miss you too, Darling. You'll be back before you know it and I'll be waiting. Please be careful. I love you."
"I love you, too, Adam."
TBC