Chapter Six: Depths of the Mind

Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel characters whatsoever. However, Mouse, Adrianna, Orana, Starrie and Sunnie are mine...

If you like it, REVIEW! If you hate it, DON'T! Please don't flame me!

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Adrianna growled with displeasure. Her hold on Anya had been completely obliterated by the fire.

"THE X-MEN WILL PAY FOR CORRUPTING MY PERFECT SPECIMEN!!!!" She roared, throwing a table through a nearby window.

"Yes, they will pay..." She chuckled to herself, sitting down on the throne she had abandoned for a moment of destruction.

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"Lady Adrianna, is that the wisest course of action?" Mouse's eyes widened, staring at the mirror Adrianna was speaking to her through.

"Do you dare to question my commands?" Adrianna asked coldly.

"No, of course not, I simply meant that the project in question has not been tested..." Mouse trailed off.

"I don't care. Use any means necessary, but get her back here." Adrianna growled for another moment before the mirror went blank, and Mouse was faced with her own reflection.

"Any means necessary? Isn't that a little bit extreme?" Mouse asked herself.

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Orana could feel something foul developing.

"The shadow of the moon foretells disaster..." She murmured to herself, then glanced back to where Xavier sat with Anya, trying to probe her mind. "Something foul indeed."

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Anya was like a completely different person than before. She had a very delicate mannerism that was almost childlike. She was curious about everything, especially things that were shiny. Which is why she liked to follow Xavier around and watch the light reflect off his head. Xavier was slightly disgruntled by this, and decided it would be wise to search her mind the moment she was ready.

"What is that? What does it do?" Anya asked curiously, tilting her head sideways.

"This is Cerebro. It is going to help us recover your memories." Xavier answered, nestling the cold piece on to his head.

"Did I forget something?" She asked in true innocence.

"That is what we are going to discover." He smiled a little, but it was slightly strained. "Now please, concentrate hard on what happened before you woke up here."

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"I still don't think it's a good idea." Mouse muttered to herself as she slipped down the hall quietly. "But disobeying orders is the fastest way to die in this profession."

No one noticed her walk calmly in to the War Room, where Xavier and Anya were lost deep in her mind.

No one noticed as she slipped a disk in to a nearby computer.

No one noticed as that file became active and spread with a will of its own.

She turned to leave, but paused by the doorway to glance upon the two figures she left there.

"I hope you survive." She said softly, and left the room.

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It was very dark in Anya's mind. So dark that it seemed to be a never ending abyss of lightlessness.

"It's so dark... Can a person truly live with a mind like this?" He asked himself, continuing to descend slowly.

"We're all here. It's fine." A child Anya appeared wearing a white nightgown that was obviously too big for her. "Follow me, I'll take you to the others."

She began to float away, then glanced back to Xavier, who wasn't moving. "Are you coming?"

Her tone was so pure and innocent that Xavier complied, following her down. They floated through a doorway, and when they did, the landscape changed to become the balcony of an extravagant white mansion. There were rose vines climbing up the walls, basking in the bright sunlight. A little farther away, there were two figures sitting at a small round table. Little Anya skipped over to them, taking Xavier with her.

"This man has come to visit us." Little Anya let go of Xavier's hand and climbed up on to a seat. One of the other Anyas handed her a fruit parfait, which she dug in to with delight. Both of the other Anyas looked at Xavier. Both had unreadable expressions.

"What are you doing here?" One asked, resting her coffee cup on the table. The other didn't ask anything: she simply stared at Xavier with expressive eyes.

"Why are there so many of you?" Xavier asked cautiously, sitting in the fourth chair that rested at the table. Little Anya smiled from her parfait.

"We represent the three Anyas." She smiled. "Do you want something to eat?" She asked after a moment of thought.

"No, but thank you." He smiled a little bit. "Could you please tell me why there are three Anyas?"

All three stared at him, as though he were the stupidest person alive.

"I'm the Anya that Lady Adrianna sealed away." Little Anya tilted her head. "Didn't you know that?"

"If I had known, I would not have asked." Xavier said with a measure of patience.

"Oh. That's the Anya that Lady Adrianna raised to be mean." Little Anya pointed at the Anya with the coffee cup.

"..........." That Anya frowned, sipping the coffee again. "Children talk too much."

"And that's the other Anya with feelings." Little Anya pointed to the quiet Anya, who hadn't spoken at all. "She doesn't talk."

There was a long moment of silence, as Xavier tried to process this. Out of the many questions that sprang to him mind, he decided on asking this one.

"Who is Adrianna?"

He really should have known better than to ask. The moment he did, a figure of Adrianna strode out of the building, on to the balcony.

"YOU!" She growled bloodily, quickly approaching the table.

"Lady Adrianna!" All three Anyas jumped back, abandoning the table. Little Anya and Silent Anya cowered behind the Mean Anya.

"Why are you here?" Little Anya asked, beginning to cry.

"I came for HIM!" Adrianna pointed at Xavier. "You will pay for corrupting my perfect specimen!"

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Three Anyas, Adrianna and Xavier! What could this combination mean? Will Anya's mind be messed up even MORE by the battle that will ensue? Review, and I bet I'll be more motivated to do the next chapter!