Cipher's Wake

By Cypher

Chapter Five: Suspicions

The entire flight back and for much of the next day, Douglas remained asleep. Hank McCoy had assured everyone, including a very worried Kitty, that his body was simply healing. The wounds, while they looked bad, were superficial. He was a bit dehydrated, and exhausted, but that was understandable, considering what he had been through.

No one was voicing the question of the hour, though: why did Magneto take him, and what had happened to Exodus? Douglas was the only one who could answer that, and even then, they were unsure of what they knew. On the plus side, they knew Mastermind couldn't have altered his memories, or influenced his mind in any way, so he wasn't a security risk.

When he eventually did wake up, Kitty broadcast her thoughts so loudly that Jean picked up on them, and called the others to let them know he was fine. At first Douglas seemed glad to be back, but as more people crowded the room, he seemed to tense up, his skin turned slightly more pale, and the grip he had on Kitty's hand got so bad she actually had to phase out of it.

"Alright, people. I think he's had enough excitement for one day. You can all visit him individually later. Now shoo. You're crowding my infirmary."

It took a few minutes, but eventually everyone, including Kitty, filtered out of the room until Douglas was alone with only the instructors. His breathing was a bit ragged, and Hank offered him some water. "I'm terribly sorry. I should have warned them not to crowd you."

Douglas sipped his drink and gave Hank a weak grin. "S'okay. They were just happy to see me. I just…I can't handle a lot right now."

"Understandable. You've been through a traumatic experience. If we had known you were alive…"

"We wouldn't have done anything." Logan looked to the blond teen. "If he had tried to get you out, we would've released Exodus."

Douglas nodded. "Yeah…" He seemed to get a far away look, as if remembering something."

"Douglas, I know this probably isn't what you want to do, but I want you to think back. What is the last thing you remember before the Temple collapsed?"

Douglas glanced at the Professor, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I…I had found some sort of advanced lab. There was…technology I didn't recognize, advanced technology. Maybe even…alien. I turned to go and…he was there."

"Exodus?"

A visible shudder passed through Douglas, but he kept his eyes closed. "Y-yeah. He attacked my mind…pushed the way you always warned me not to let anyone do. When he realized the temple was shaking, he released his hold on me, but…I must've passed out. I don't remember anything until…until…"

"Until what, Douglas?"

Images flashed through his mind, images of him being brought up by Exodus' power. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Don't tell them that. He wasn't sure where the mental order came from, but he knew it was to be obeyed without question.

"Blonde? You okay?"

Douglas shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I'm just…it's difficult. My mind was fuzzy when I woke up. I'm just…it's taking me a few minutes. I…haven't really thought about it before."

"It's alright. Take your time."

The translator rested his head on the pillow behind him, seeming to gather his thoughts. Something in his mind stirred, and what he should tell him came to the forefront of his mind. "I…there were people above me. One of them spotted me and…and dug me out. Gambit. His name was Gambit." He heard Logan growl, and wondered what that was about. "I guess he couldn't leave me…and brought me back to Magneto with the jewels…the…the…" His mind couldn't remember the title of the crystals.

"Cyttorak crystals."

"Yeah, them. I was with them for a bit, and then when my mind cleared I knew I had to escaped and…" His gaze rested on his leg, and Logan picked up what he meant.

"Sabertooth came after you, and that's when we picked you up."

"Uh huh."

"What about Exodus? Do you remember seeing him?"

Douglas shook his head slowly. "He was gone, the rubble was mostly cleared. I…I guess I failed."

"You tried your best, Douglas. And we're glad to see we were wrong."

Douglas tilted his head, his brow furrowing as he took in McCoy's comments. "Wrong about…what?"

The Professor stepped in. "I'm sure you're tired again, Douglas, so we'll leave you to-"

"Wrong about what? What?" He looked around the room, trying meet someone's eyes. Logan was the one that rose to the challenge.

"We thought you were dead, blonde."

Douglas felt a wave of nausea wash over him, but he didn't give in to the urge to retch. "H-how long…?"

"A little over three months."

Oh God… This time he did retch, and Hank managed to hand him a bedpan just before he spilled what little he had in his guts.

"You can see why we were surprised to detect you, and why we didn't want to tell you, not yet."

Thanks for trying to spare my feelings, Professor. He took a few more dry heaves before his body decided he had suffered enough. He took some deep breaths, Hank once more offering him some water. He sipped at it, trying to wrap his mind around the revelation. "Wow…"

"That fact that you survived so long without food or water is impressive."

"Must've….must've been…stasis."

"Of course. The Cyttorak radiation created a stasis field to trap Exodus. It must've preserved Douglas as well."

"But Exodus didn't remain trapped."

"Exodus is also a lot more powerful than Douglas. Undoubtedly he was able to break the stasis field if it wasn't properly set up."

"Hello…still here…"

"Of course, sorry Douglas. We'll let you rest."

"Indeed. Given a few days of rest and recuperation, and you should be right as rain."

"Thanks, Doctor." He closed his eyes once more, and this time they remained closed. He heard the three adults leave, and let himself relax into sleep once more. I have a lot of healing to do. I won't be much use for a while.

"It was necessary to get you in without any suspicions. Tomorrow you will reinitiate your relationship with Shadowcat. Reintegrate with them. I will send a messenger to you when I feel we're ready to move forward."

Alright. He knew the voice in his mind wasn't his, but he accepted its orders without question. He had no choice. He waited to see if further orders were forthcoming before letting a deep sleep overtake him.

~*()*~

Bobby figured cleaning the Danger Room wasn't the worst punishment he could get for breaking into Cerebro. In fact, considering the positive outcome, he figured the Professor and others gave him a bit of a reprieve. Sure, he had demerits, but he just had to clean up from today's session with the New Mutants, and he was done. So when the doors opened just as he was finishing, he figured it would be Logan telling him he needed to do at least one more thing. Instead, though, when he looked up he spotted the youngest New Mutant.

Jamie shuffled in and leaned against the wall. He didn't look very well. In fact, he looked like he'd seen a terribly frightening movie and needed somebody to remind that that's all it was, a movie. Bobby put the cleaning supplies down and went over to the boy, squatting so he was eye level with him. "Hey, what's up?"

"I saw Douglas."

Bobby blinked, then sighed and hung his head. They had kept Jamie out after the first five minutes of the announcement he was awake. The blond didn't look too good, and everyone figured it would scare the kid. Guess he snuck back in when we weren't looking. "Well, you can see why we tried to keep you away from him, now."

Jamie frowned. "I'm not a kid. I had every right to go see him." The preteen sat down against the wall.

Bobby sat next to him, resting his arm on a bent knee. "You're right, you're not a kid." Because of Apocalypse, Bobby had been including Jamie in more of the New Mutant training sessions. He wasn't sure if it was natural skill or something Doug had taught him, but Jamie could hold his own in a fight thanks to his mutation, and was pretty good at team work. The other mutants were just starting to understand that Jamie was a lot more of an adult than they gave him credit for. Doug's death probably helped him to grow up.

"There's something wrong."

Bobby nodded. "He was pretty messed up when we found him, but in a couple days he'll be fine."

"No, I mean something wrong, and not with his body."

Bobby sat back a bit. "What do you mean?"

"I…I woke him. I think he heard me come in. He…he didn't recognize me." Jamie looked down, and Bobby could hear how hard it was for Jamie not to cry. "He doesn't remember me, Bobby. He doesn't remember teaching me about powers, or spending time with me, or…or even just hanging out. He remembers everyone else, why doesn't he remember me?"

Bobby rubbed his head. Odd. True, it could be that Doug had just hit his head and had some temporary memory loss, but that seemed unlikely. Mr. McCoy would've undoubtedly picked up on any sort of head trauma. "I'm sure he was just blanking for a bit. Jean says he found out he's been gone for months, so he's still probably trying to adjust to the news. See him again in a few days and I'm sure he'll remember you just fine. Hell, he'll probably take you out to tease Rahne."

"I don't know…there's something different about him. I…I can't explain it, but when I look into his eyes…" Jamie shook his head. "Never mind."

"No, what?"

Jamie bit his lip. "They aren't the eyes they used to be. He…they just don't look like they're his. I…don't know if this is making sense."

Bobby picked up his meaning. "Eyes are the window to the soul. You're saying his…soul is wrong?"

"Yeah. That's it." He brought his head up and looked at Bobby. "Could that be because he died, or almost died?"

"It's possible." Bobby glanced at his watch. "Well, I was about to go visit the language master. I'll see if I can jog his memory, get the old Douglas back." He gave Jamie a grin and patted his shoulder. "He's back, squirt. It'll work out."

"Yeah…I hope so."

Bobby watched the young mutant a moment before going over and grabbing his cleaning tools. He put them away and then headed for the infirmary. Most of the other mutants wouldn't have left Jamie alone in the Danger Room, but Bobby knew the kid could take care of himself. Besides, he needs some time to himself. Jamie had looked up to Doug like a brother, and the death had hit him harder than most of the others. Both he and Kurt had tried to replace the void left, but they couldn't cover everything.

And now he's back, and doesn't remember a thing about his relationship with Jamie. Bobby wondered if he should be angry at Doug for that, but realized he couldn't be. If he had been the one buried under a ton of rock, dug out by the enemy, and found out that he had been gone for months and everyone thought he was dead, he probably wouldn't be able to remember anything either. I'll just have to try and jog his memory.

"So, I was like, thinking tomorrow, if you feel up to it, we could go and take a walk around the grounds. Nothing long, just to get you out for a bit."

Bobby saw Doug smile and nod at Kitty's suggestion. "I'd like that. I don't even remember what the grounds really look like. I guess I'm still in shock."

"It's no wonder. Three months…" She dipped her head. "Sorry."

"No. I'll…have to get used to that. Three months of my life, just up and gone. I'll adjust."

"Look at it this way, you're going to live three months longer than you originally were."

Douglas let out a weak laugh, and Bobby knocked on the door. "Hey, mind if I say hi? He's my friend too."

"Sure. Jean was calling me for something anyways." She planted a kiss on Douglas' cheek. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Bobby raised his eyebrows when a blush didn't spread across the teen's face. Up until the end, he knew Doug had a hard time dealing with affection, especially from Kitty.

"Okay."

Kitty walked past Bobby, still smiling. She's happy, at least. It seemed Douglas remembered her just fine. He went over to the discarded seat and turned it around before sitting it in. "Hey Doug. How ya been?"

Douglas' face furrowed just slightly for a moment, turning into his thinking face, as if he had to struggle to remember who he was talking to. "Oh, not so good. I've been dead. And then attacked. Bobby, right?"

"You don't remember me? I'm your programming buddy."

"Programming?"

"Yeah. You know, I was programming that little X-rated Danger Room session and you created a code that could hack into Cerebro?" Doug's face remained blank, and Bobby began to think Jamie's suspicions were very well founded. "Come on. You wrote a program faster than I could. We talked for hours on preferred coding methods."

"I'm…sorry. I don't remember."

"Just like you can't remember Jamie?"

"Jamie? Oh, the…kid." He raised his hand just above the bed handrail. "This big, right? Brown eyes, can copy himself?"

"Yeah, him. You…don't remember doing anything with him?"

Doug's smile was fading as he shook his head. "No…I don't. I didn't even know who he was until he told me. Just like I couldn't remember doing anything with you." Now Douglas was starting to looked worried. "Oh God…I can't remember-"

"Whoa, whoa, let's slow down. Do you remember Kurt?"

"Of course. My roommate, friend. German guy with fur who's a biological masterpiece."

"Do you remember the hostility?"

Douglas sat there a minute, then slowly shook his head.

"Okay…Roberto? Remember him?"

Now Doug's face took on a darker look. "Yes. Wouldn't give me the time of day. Didn't think much of me."

Okay, so he remembers that. Maybe that was it. The good memories weren't strong enough for him to have retained. "You saw everyone yesterday, when you woke up. Was there anyone you didn't recognize?"

Douglas glanced to the ceiling. "No…but didn't we used to have an African American?"

"Who, Evan?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"He…left. He had some issues that he had to work out on his own."

"Ah."

That's it? Ah? Then again, Evan was in the group of students that didn't think too much of Doug because of his low-skilled power and bookworm nature. Okay, ah is enough. "Doug, look at me for a second." Douglas complied, and Bobby locked eyes with him. "You really don't remember us hanging out?"

Douglas shook his head and turned away. "No…I don't."

"Alright. Don't you think you should tell Doctor McCoy?"

"Why?"

"Why? Doug, you've got chunks of your memories gone-"

"I'm alive, Bobby. I'm alive and I'm free from Magneto. If the price is a few unimportant memories…then I can accept that." He rolled onto his side and pulled up the sheet. "I'm going to rest a bit. Could you close the door behind you?"

That's it? Now Bobby knew something was wrong. He hadn't seen what Jamie had in the blond's eyes, but he knew Doug's attitude. He would never back down from a problem. The Doug he knew wouldn't be so quick to accept the memory loss. He'd want to know why he was forgetting things, to find how to get them back. And most importantly, he'd never call a memory unimportant.

He stood and left the infirmary, closing the door as he'd been asked. Could it just be that death, or near death…changed him? It was a possibility, and most people would probably write off his behavior as such. But Jamie was right. There was something wrong with Doug, and he had a feeling it had to do with what happened after he had woken up. Guess I'd better ask if Scott knows how he got free. The teachers had failed to tell the other students about Doug's escape, on the grounds that it wasn't pleasant, or something they should dwell on.

"Bobby?"

Bobby paused in his walking and spotted Kurt resting on the wall. He was crouched, and Bobby wondered why he was walking on the wall instead of the floor. "Yeah?"

"Did you see Doug?"

"Yep."

"Does he seem…different to you?"

That made Bobby stand up straighter. "You too, huh?"

"He doesn't remember how…badly I treated him. And there's other things, little things."

"Head for your room. I'm gonna grab Jamie, and the three of us should compare notes."

"Jamie? But he wasn't supposed to-"

"You're the one who taught him how to sneak around."

Kurt sighed. "Ja, so I did. Alright. I'll see you in my room." With that, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, and Bobby waved in the air as he made his way to the Danger Room. They'd get to the bottom of this. With luck, the lost memories was only a side effect of being freed from the radiation cage, and not something more sinister.

~*()*~

Kurt glanced at Rouge as she continued reading her book as if he wasn't hanging onto her room's light fixture. After the little meeting with Bobby and Jamie, they had decided to do some investigating. Jamie would keep an eye on Douglas' behavior, Bobby would hang out with the blond from time to time, and Kurt would follow up on some of his own theories.

So, the first thing he did was go to Logan. His nose wasn't very powerful, but it was better than the average person's, and he had picked up some scents on Douglas despite the antibacterial bath he had been given. They were very distinctive, and Kurt had only encountered them a scant amount of times. Their scents were forever engrained in his mind, though, because they were associated with danger: the Acolytes.

Logan had picked up the scents of the Acolytes, as well as the scent of Exodus, which Kurt hadn't detected. Unlike him, though, Logan figured it was just a result of being found and captured by them. "Of course he smells like them. The bas…they had him in their clutches for God knows how long before we were able to free him." No one was really sure when Douglas had been dug out, not even Douglas himself. "It's normal, elf. Eventually the scents will vanish, and you won't be on edge around him anymore."

Kurt doubted that. There was something wrong, and he was going to keep his guard up until he knew what it was. Bobby promised to keep a close eye on Jamie, in case there was a chance Douglas turned hostile. Which led to why he was here, hanging out in Kitty and Rouge's room, waiting for the phasing mutant. He was worried about Kitty, not just about, but for her. Until we know what's going on, it's dangerous for her to be close, emotionally and physically.

He saw how quickly Kitty was bonding to Douglas again, and yes, a part of him was jealous, but he also cared for Kitty's well-being as a friend. She was falling too quickly for the teenager. He was changed, and there was a chance she'd be hurt if she tried to bring the relationship back where they had left off. There was also a chance that he'd hurt her, or that he no longer care for her the way he used to. Kurt just wanted to warn her, as a friend. That's all I am, a friend.

"Kurt? Like, what're you doing in here?"

Here goes nothing. He hopped down from the light fixture and stood on the end of her bed. He noted Rouge leaving the room while Kitty simply kept looking at him. "Listen, Kitty…we're friends, right?"

"Of course."

"So, if I thought you might be in danger, you'd listen, ja?"

"Yes. What's going on, Kurt?"

Kurt's tail slapped the side of the bed quietly. "I…I think there's something wrong with Douglas."

Kitty watched him, waiting for more.

"Not just physically. We…a few of us have noticed he's not like himself."

"Well of course he's not. He's come back from the dead. That probably changes people."

"I don't think he's changed in a good way. Kitty, I'm worried about you. He doesn't remember some things, and if you get too close-"

"What, Kurt? What'll happen if I get too close?"

"You might get hurt."

"Might get hurt? Kurt, he died. I was hurt then. Now he's back and you think I'll get hurt? I've been wanting this since he vanished, and now you're telling me to not be happy about it?"

"No, Kitty, nothing like that. I just-"

"You're just jealous! Geeze, Kurt, he's hardly back two days and already you're falling into old habits!"

That was a low blow. Kurt had felt just as bad about Douglas' death, and he had wanted to try and make up for how he had treated his roommate. "Me? You're the one spending all your time with him, gushing and trying to pick up where you left off! You can't! He's been dead, and he's not the same! I'm just worried for you!"

"Yeah right! You're just jealous, all over again."

"I am not! I wouldn't be here-"

"Unless you wanted me for yourself!"

Kurt's tail twisted around on itself, practically tying itself into a knot. "I'm just worried for you, Kaetzchen. I swear."

"Get out, Kurt. Just get out."

Kurt looked at her, then teleported out of the room, landing on the bed in his room. They hadn't moved Douglas' stuff into his room. Instead he was going to be in Evan's old one, in case he needed some time by himself. I was just trying to warn you to be careful. He's not the same person you fell in love with. Sighing, he sat on his bed and picked up the bible Douglas has written. He didn't personally believe in what Douglas had wrote, but he had learned off the teen through reading it.

Is he the same man that wrote this, or…did that Douglas die when the temple collapsed? He didn't know. He figured only Douglas knew the truth to that. With luck, though, Bobby's theory was right, and it was simply a lapse in memory that would repair itself. God, let my gut instinct be wrong, just this once.

~*()*~

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Author's Prattle: Okay, I've got Wake back on track. Sorry for the delay, but my old laptop died, and I lost ten gigabytes of information, including the rough drafts and notes on this. By the time I got a new laptop school had started up again. School has me doing a lot of reading, plus the RPGs I'm a part of, leaves little time for writing. But I have about an hour every day where I can go to the library and type. I got this one done in just under three hours. Not bad, huh? So I'll try and finish this fic by the end of the semester.

Disclaimers: I don't own X-Men Evolution, Exodus, or Douglas Ramsey. They belong to Marvel. I'm just using them in a creative exercise.

So, that's it for this installment. As always, reviews are welcome, and enjoy!