Diary Entry: Nearly Six Months Inside

I had to be on discipline detail when the news came in that the Wagner twins had been caught trying to teleport past the electric fences again. Why me?

My friend Wanda Maximoff tapped my arm. "Sorry. Looks like you're up this time, Elena." Reluctantly, I rose from my chair in the television security room. I hated discipline, or to be more honest, punishing mutants for trying to escape. Working at Camp American Freedom made me sick.

It was where any mutant still living was brought who hadn't had the sense to go to Canada or Mexico. The humans found it amusing, and far less expensive in "useful" human life, to have mutants guarding other mutants in these prisons. I was caught six months ago, myself, and my willingness to turn on my kind to avoid more torture and my stamina favorably impressed the warden. So here I was, on guard duty and about to commit blasphemy.

Most of us guards didn't like our duties. We did them to the least of our ability, and then went home and drowned our sorrows in alcohol or other experiences. Wanda had already had one nervous breakdown this year and cringed any time someone called her a traitor, which regularly happened.

I made my way down to the discipline block. When I reached the cell with the racks, I saw the Wagners there, bound and bloody. Kurt, as usual, had been beaten worse than Krystal. His fur was matted with blood, and one of his golden eyes was closed, while her fur was relatively unscathed. I shut my eyes and gulped. Get through this day, and get home. This is just work. Just get through it.

I took out a fully automatic Uzi from the gun rack outside and walked into the cell, training it on Kurt. Blasphemy. This is blasphemy. "Come on, Krystal. Get into one of the racks. I can kill him before he teleports anywhere."

Kurt interrupted me. "But guard Elena, she needs to be released first, ja?"

I smiled sadly and shook my head. "Kurt, you can't get away with that here. I know and you know that you taunted Boris to beat you instead of her. She can do a very short teleport out of her bonds."

He shrugged as best he could. "Can't blame a man for trying."

Krystal did do a short jump, the most either of them could do with the collars on, and then fastened the cuffs to her wrists and ankles resignedly. Her tail lashed and she whimpered slightly as I touched the button that started the rack up. The cuffs bit deep into her wrists and ankles, and stretched out her arms and legs until they were taut, but not in danger of more. This won't last forever. It can't last forever! This is America...

When she was secure, I nodded to Kurt and shifted my sights to Krystal. Kurt slowly attached his own bonds, and once again I deliberately hurt another mutant.

They both were secured. I pulled back a little and heard footsteps in the hall. I waited, keeping a casual grip on my weapon, hoping it wasn't the man I feared, standing in the doorway to the cell.

Damn. It was Pietro Maximoff. Unlike his gentle sister, whose demonic nature was under control, Pietro was a true demon. He took to torture and dominance like a duck to water. He smiled nastily at me and slapped his club into his hand explosively.

Krystal trembled at the sound, and Kurt tensed. I forced my own fear out of my body and said casually, "What are you doing here, Maximoff?"

He walked directly to me, fondling a large sharp knife. "Since your last infraction, I thought I might take a souvenir from these as well. It would teach the bad mutants a lesson, no, if I took...say, a tail?"

I broke in before Kurt could change to English from German. "Do you have a permit this time, or are you just taking the authority on yourself again? I know the warden didn't like my ... gentleness with the LeBeau thief, but he wasn't pleased when you blinded him, either."

"Mmm...so you care, Elena?" His dark eyes lit up and he moved to press the knife against my throat. I took a few steps back and said, quietly, "No."

"Then I'll take this one," he said, and was over Krystal's tail in one second.

Kurt started up again, and I prayed Pietro didn't know German as I put my hand over the blade of the knife, cutting it a little. Krystal just closed her eyes, and a small tear started leaking out a corner of one eye. "Stop," I said loudly. "Maybe we can make a bargain?"

Pietro chose to be amused by that and nodded, sheathing his knife. Kurt took a huge breath, and I added to my previous cruelty.

I walked over to him and released all my rage at his face. "If you don't shut the hell up and stay shut up, Wagner, I'll rip off both your tails and gag you with them myself." I raised my club as if to strike, but gentled my face and mouthed the word "Please!" as I did so.

His mouth remained open, but he was silent as he lay there helpless. I nearly vomited nice job, hitting some poor bastard who can't fight back but maintained control as I turned to face Pietro again.

The tear had leaked further down Krystal's cheek, and others had joined it. Pietro had indeed sheathed his knife, but instead he held her tail and played it between his fingers. "What bargain do you want to make, my sweet?" he asked, tugging a little on the tail in his hand.

Wanda gave me the words a few months back, after I had improperly restrained Remy LeBeau and Pietro had been brought in to correct my "error." I went over them once, then spoke. "By the powers of blood, ink, paper, spirit, and honor, I bind Elena Sidney and Pietro Maximoff to the bargain. May negotiations begin fairly and not be closed until they are agreed, and a contract is signed."

He dropped her tail after the first few words, and all playfulness dropped away from him. His eyes grew darker, and his face hardened. He walked toward me, looming over me. "You may be safe for now, but I assure you, my sweet sister will burn for days for this betrayal, mortal. Now, what do you want out of this little chat?"

I held my left hand up and set the gun down with my right. "I want no harm to be done by you to either of the Wagner twins, directly or indirectly, in any way, for the next six months."

He considered this, eyes flashing, then turning back to me. "What can you offer me to make my...restraint worthwhile? Why should I not strip the flesh from their bones as they lie here?"

I closed my eyes. It's a small price to pay...I owe so much...it will all be over soon... Without opening my eyes, I said, "If you agree to do nothing that won't heal by morning, no permanent damage of any kind, no draining of my blood or life to use against me later, I will be yours from noon until the last light of the sun fades from the sky this day, and this day alone."

Krystal cried out, "Don't do this! He's a demon!" and Kurt was muttering in German again. I ignored it as best I could.

He thought, and looked me over lasciviously. "Not quite enough. I want something more."

"Then I will demand more."

He shrugged. "Do you use birth control?"

Oh God, I hadn't thought about that... I had to bargain in good faith. The thought of lying was making me sick enough. I swallowed and nodded.

"Drugs?"

I shook my head.

"Barriers, then?"

"Yes, damn you."

He smiled. "Then, I will agree to never touch any of you again in any way. I will swear to leave all three of you alone in this life, and in the afterlife, should you visit my mother's land in death. But you must agree to not use any birth control during our time together, not try to prevent conception in any fashion, and swear by the blood that you will do your utmost to keep any child of our union alive, if one should result."

I looked at the Wagners again, in one last attempt to give myself time. I didn't want to agree to this. They were both staring at me, four glowing golden eyes flowing with tears. Kurt was shaking his head no, and Krystal's tail twitched. I closed my eyes and saw Her face, though, and that decided it for me.

I opened my eyes, turned my back on the Wagners, and said in hatred, "I agree to your terms."

He smiled, triumphant. "And I to yours." The rest of the ritual concluded as Wanda had said it would, with the ritual knife appearing so we could swear by blood, pens appearing to sign the contract when it appeared, and swore by our honors and our spirits that we would abide by spirit and letter of our agreement.

He left the cell then, not looking back at me or the twins. I sighed and took the Uzi back out to the gun rack. As I locked the cell, a voice said, "You should not have done that, you know. We are not worth this."

Without looking back to see which one had said it, I forced out, "Didn't I tell you to shut up, Wagner?" I left then, locking the cell behind me.