Cipher's Wake

By Cypher

Chapter Six: What's Happened?

Kitty smiled as Douglas quietly walked through part of the forest on the Institute's grounds. He hadn't been kidding when he said he couldn't remember what they looked like. Every day for the past week they had spent a couple hours exploring a different part of the grounds. In some ways it was like watching a kid explore. Every place they went, Douglas' face filled with some awe and wonder.

"I know I wasn't really dead, but it felt that way." Douglas squatted down and cooed a few times, calming a panicky young bird that had fallen from its nest. He picked it up and cradled it in his hand. "And just at that moment before death, your life doesn't flash before your eyes." He gave Kitty a shy smile and held out his hand.

Kitty stroked the bird's head. "Oh?" The Professor had pushed Kitty to try and get Douglas to talk about his experience, before the temple collapsed, after, and his time with Magneto. The first few days on their walks Douglas had shied away from the topics, but slowly he was starting to open up. Yesterday he explained that being trapped by Magneto and in that rubble made him subconsciously crave the freedom of being outside. Today, it appeared he was ready to cover more serious topics.

He nodded, watching as the bird looked around, as if it were unsure of what it should do in his hands. "There are flashes, of course, and you came up a lot." He took a deep breath. "I think it's different for everyone. I mean, for people who believe in God, I'm sure they see their deity, or one of its servants. Angels, devils if they believe that's where they're going, you know, that stuff." He cupped his hands around the bird's body, enjoying the feel of having its wings beat against his skin.

"And you?"

Douglas started to whistle, which seemed to calm the bird even more.

So he can even learn languages of animals? That was a rather impressive feat, though it might've just been his tone of voice. She found it soothing, after all.

"I saw my dreams, what I wanted for my future. But I also saw the small things. You know they say appreciate the small things in life, to stop and smell the roses, all those clichés. But it takes something like…like dying to really understand what they mean." He pulled his hand back and ran his finger over the bird's back. "Take this bird, for example. We see them every day, hear them, enjoy them. I've studied their anatomy, their sociology…but I've never actually appreciated one before, or gave anything in return.

"It's not just the bird, either." He looked at the nearest tree. "These have probably been here for decades, but how many people do you think have come out here just to appreciate them? To go to a tree, sit under it, and just…commune with it."

"It sounds like you've had a spiritual awakening."

"It's more…I don't want to take life for granted, not again. Look at all nature has accomplished, at how far mankind has evolved. We take so many little things for granted in both areas. I certainly did." He stood up slowly, not wanting to upset the animal he still held. "I'm not going to again. Not ever."

Kitty wanted to reach over and hug him, though she wouldn't at the moment. It would probably scare the bird off, and he seemed to enjoy holding it. "That's probably one of the deepest things I've ever heard in my life."

"Probably also the sappiest and dumbest thing you've ever heard, too."

"No, nothing like that. It's meaningful, and I think I understand where you're coming from." That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, as Douglas' eyes clouded over for a minute, but when she blinked the emotion was gone. "Douglas?"

~Kitty. Could you please bring Douglas to the library? I need to have a talk with him.~

~Of course, Professor.~ Kitty rubbed the blond's arm. "The Prof's calling us. We need to go to the library."

"You go on ahead, I just want to put this little guy back where he belongs."

Kitty nodded and kissed his cheek before leaving the area.

Douglas stared after her, then shifted his gaze to the bird. He had an urge to close his fingers around its frail body, to squeeze the life from it and hear it let out one strangled chirp before it expired. He didn't know why, he had never held any ill will towards animals before, to any living thing. And it would be so easy, all he'd have to do was close his fingers…

NO!

He flinched as his own mind screamed at him. The movement scared the bird, which lost its balance and began falling to the ground. Only his quick reflexes saved it from breaking its head on the ground. "I'm sorry…" The bird was back to its panicky self once more, but he stepped over to a low branch, where he spotted a nest, and deposited the thing there.

The voice that had yelled at him was his own, and no one else's. It wasn't like the voice he'd heard that night a week ago, the one that told him to hide the truth of what had happened. What happened? He looked down to his hands and flexed his fingers. He had wanted to kill that innocent animal, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't understand why, or how he could derive pleasure from thinking of it. This…is odd. With one last glance to the bird, he turned on his heel and started the walk back to the mansion.

~*()*~

Lance had always assumed Gambit was the worst Acolyte that Magneto could send to them. He was cocky, confident, and a pain in the ass. He had threatened, double-crossed on deals, and bullied them into doing what he wanted. Lance was extremely pleased when Gambit left to serve Magneto in other ways, and vowed to never let that bastard back into their life.

Facing the mutant before them, though, Lance wished with all his might that Gambit were here instead. The man arrived in a flowing white cape, which to Lance, meant this guy had some sort of superiority complex. The new guy was extremely well built, and Lance didn't even mind the red skin tone the man sported.

The eyes, though, blue ones that turned yellow when he was using his powers, he could do without the eyes. Even Gambit's eyes didn't freak him out this much. For some reason the eyes facing him now felt like they were piercing his soul. It was not a pleasant feeling, and he had to repress a shudder as the man stepped closer to him.

"Avalanche." The man, Exodus, snorted and looked over to the other members of the Brotherhood. "This is the best Magneto has to offer me, the ones he entrusts to defeat the X-Men and slaughter them in my name?"

"Hey, we don't do anything in anyone's name, yo."

Big mistake. Lance saw it coming even before Toad did, and a second later the amphibious member of their group was hurled into a wall by a psychic force. I don't like this guy.

"I don't care if you like me or not."

Oops. Telepathic, too. Certainly explained the soul searing feeling.

"I am taking command of you as of this minute." Exodus gave them a sneer, then turned to the other corner of the room, where the twins of Magneto were sitting. Somehow, this guy seemed to get them to band together. "Witch. How are your summoning powers?"

Wanda gave Pietro a curious look, then raised her eyebrows at Exodus.

"Look, Exie, buddy-"

The same psychic force that threw Toad into the wall reached out and grabbed Pietro by his throat, lifting him off the ground as he gasped for breath. "I am Exodus!"

"Let him go." Wanda's hands lit up as she summoned her powers. Lance quickly ducked out of the line of fire. "Now."

"Or you'll what, wench."

Lance could swear the man was smirking. Is he in for a surprise.

Wanda let loose with one of her hex bolts. Exodus concentrated on it, and Lance felt very satisfied as the jerk's eyes widened in surprise when the energy struck him, sending him into the same wall Toad had flown into. His hold broke on Pietro, who fell unceremoniously onto the floor. "That." She cracked her knuckles and readied another volley. She never got a chance. Before anyone could register what was happening, Exodus unleashed some sort of psychic wave, and she collapsed, unconscious.

"Wanda!" Pietro knelt by his sister, as Toad hopped over to see how his crush was.

Exodus wiped his mouth and sat up, glowering at the girl. "Let that be a lesson. You may have great powers, but I was once a God. I didn't become that because I was weak."

"You've made your point." Lance stood back up. "You're in charge. What do you want?"

Exodus didn't even look at Lance, standing up and brushing himself off. "We're destroying the X-Men. Did you not hear me earlier?"

For the first time since Exodus showed up, the largest of their group, Freddy, spoke up. "How? They're too powerful."

"I have an inside source." Exodus' gaze returned to the fallen witch, and Lance had a sneaking suspicion that her life would be in danger the most while he was around. "Until the final attack, she is not a part of this operation." And without another word, he floated into the air and left the room, heading upstairs.

"Man, I wish Mystique were back. She'd tell that jerk a thing or two."

"Shh." Lance waited to see if there would be any reprimand, and relaxed when none was forthcoming. "He's psychic, remember? He can read our thoughts. He's probably watching us right now."

A growl interrupted them and Wanda sat up, rubbing her head. "He is SO dead!" She made her other hand into a fist, and one of the nearby lamps exploded.

"Whoa, calm down, sis. He's dad's newest Acolyte."

"I don't care if he's Jesus Christ!"

"Look, sweet cakes, so you got off on the wrong foot with the new boss, but--aahh!"

Lance shook his head as Toad slid down the wall Wanda just tossed him into. He'll never learn. "Look, none of us like this, but at least you don't have to hang around until the big fight where we kick X-Men butt."

"Then I am so outta here." Wanda got up and stormed towards the front door.

"Wanda? Sweetie?"

Lance put his hand on Toad's shoulder. "Let her go. She needs to cool down." He looked over his shoulder to the damaged wall. "We'd better get to work on that."

"Yeah, you'd better get to work on that."

Lance glared at Pietro, who made a quick retreat to his room.

"OwowOW! Lance! You're squeezing my shoulder!"

~*()*~

"I'm just worried you're going through the motions, Douglas. You don't seem to care what Mr. McCoy tutors you in, Logan has complaints about your fighting technique, and overall, you seem distracted."

Douglas shrugged at Xavier from across the desk. "I've got a lot on my mind. I was gone three months. This whole crap with Apocalypse, mutant rights, Area 51, I don't really care. You've all been very supportive, but I was gone, dead. Not just to you, but to me, too, and I died for the supposed greater good. If you recall, that didn't go over so well, since Exodus is probably free. So forgive me if I don't want to jump right back into the self-sacrificing save-the-world routine."

Xavier folded his hands together and attempted a quick scan of Douglas' mind, finding it just as blocked as before. No, it's his mind alright. Kurt, Bobby, and Jamie had approached him first, telling him their concerns about how Douglas had changed. He had reassured them that it was just the teen readjusting to life, but Hank, Logan, and even Roberto had come to him, individually, with worries.

Roberto was the one that made him really examine Douglas' activities over the last week. The solar mutant hadn't really paid Douglas much attention when the blond attended the school the first time. The fact that he had noticed a change in the lingual mutant, and not for the better, raised a red flag. He wasn't going to call it an emergency yet, though. Douglas' explanations were plausible.

Or are they? Douglas had always had an interest in his parents' work on the Canadian Bill of Mutant Rights, and from the notes he had read while combing through his information on Exodus, the references to Apocalypse had piqued the teen's interest. And now he doesn't care. The only one he seemed to be even remotely normal with was Kitty. He didn't remember Jamie, spent no time with Bobby, and freaked Kurt out by being his friend. "I know this is a hard transition-"

"Stop saying that!" Douglas stood up and slammed his palms on the desk. "You don't know how hard this is! None of you do! So stop staying it! You know nothing!" Douglas' chest was heaving a bit, with some tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, though they were unshed.

Xavier glanced at the mutant's hands, then into the eyes, trying to read him the old fashioned way. His eyes held anger, but there was pain, but also a hint of fear. What's he afraid of? Douglas' body was tense, almost quivering. If Xavier didn't know any better, he'd say that Douglas was keeping something inside, something he desperately wanted to tell someone, and couldn't. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Douglas took a few deep breaths, then closed his eyes and stood back up. "I…I'm going for a walk. Outside the grounds."

Xavier blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I don't think it's wise-"

"I don't care!" Douglas pulled back and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry, Professor. I'm just…I need to go someplace other than the grounds. I'm starting to feel like…like this is another prison."

Xavier watched Douglas for a minute, debating whether or not he should let the teen go. If he did, there was the chance Douglas would get in trouble, with mutant-haters, the Brotherhood, even another mutant. If he didn't, though, he'd be just as bad as Magneto, keeping Douglas trapped for his own selfish purposes. "Very well, but only for two hours. And I want you to bring a cell phone so that you can call for help."

Douglas stared at Xavier, then nodded, just once, and left the room.

Xavier sighed and rubbed his head, as if he was trying to massage his mind. I can't send Kitty to follow him, she would try to catch up to him. Logan's busy, Bobby would be too loud, it's too dangerous for Jamie… There was only one person he could ask to follow Douglas. He just hoped it wouldn't hurt their relationship if the blond found out. ~Kurt, please come to the library. I have a job for you…~

~*()*~

Wanda was pissed. She was more than pissed, she was that-time-of-the-month-and-we're-out-of-chocolate pissed. People seemed to pick that up as she stormed down the street, dodging out of her way after taking one look at her. She eventually found herself going through the park, and while she was no longer storming, she was still in a pretty foul mood.

So much so, that she didn't even see the blond teen lost in his own thoughts coming her way until she crashed into him, knocking him down and her off balance. As soon as she regained it she turned to glare at the fallen man, hex bolts already forming in her hand. She needed an outlet for her anger, and he had just given it to her.

"M'sorry. My fault." He sat up and rubbed his arm. "I got lost in my thoughts." He looked up at her before getting to his knees and standing up.

Wanda raised her hand to fire her first volley, when something about the teen struck her as familiar. She had seen this guy before, in a picture. Who was he… It took her a minute to make the connection between this guy and the funereal atmosphere that had hung around the X-Men a few months ago. Kitty showed me his picture while we were trying to find Rouge. She lowered her hand, not really sure what to think about this. A dead man was standing before her. "Douglas?"

He blinked and looked at her. "Yeah."

"You're dead."

Douglas blinked again, then looked down at himself, patting his body. "Really? I seem alive enough." He put two fingers against his wrist. "Yep, got a pulse."

"No, I mean you died three months ago."

Douglas, if that was indeed who it was, sighed and planted himself down on a nearby bench. "They thought I was dead, I wasn't. And now I'm back." He lowered his head and he seemed to wrap his arms around his torso in a form of self hug. "Sorta."

Wanda frowned, but was curious. Kitty had spoken of him in high regard, though she had never met him. Her brother had and had thought he was a wimp. Hesitating, she took a seat at the other end of the bench. "Sorta?" Douglas remained silent, and Wanda thought he hadn't heard him. Then he glanced over at her with a lost look.

"I…hear things. I know I'm alive, but I don't feel…I don't feel like me. I feel like there's stuff missing--no, I know there's stuff missing. Memories, feelings." He looked back to the ground. "I sometimes think my mind isn't my own now. I have urges I never did before, urges I…I don't want." He swallowed. "I…I feel like I don't belong anymore, like I'm still dead inside." He lifted his hands and dropped his face into them. "God, I'm a mess."

Wanda frowned at the teen. Kitty had said, while shy, he was typically confident, sure. That was not the man sitting next to her. Did death do this to him? Or was it something else? "So, what, you're lost?"

"I…guess." He sat back up and ran a hand through his hair. "Not physically, no, but mentally and…spiritually," he frowned, "yeah, I guess I am. Huh. An atheist in a spiritual crisis. How ironic." He gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I…haven't been able to talk to anyone at the mansion for some reason. That…other voice," he tapped his head, "wouldn't let me. I guess I just had to talk about it, cause I feel better, knowing someone else knows. Even if it is a stranger."

Wanda folded her hands together and watched him as he stretched, seeming to gain back a little of himself just because she had sat and listened. So he's being controlled by someone. What else could that voice be? "Well, don't get used to it."

Douglas nodded and sat forward. "If, if you ever need anything, I'm at the Xavier Institute. I know the place is a bit intimidating, but it's not so bad." He brushed his hands on his jeans. "I, um, I'd better go. Thanks for listening."

"Like I said, don't get used to it."

Douglas simply shook his head and stood up, continuing on his tour through the park.

Wanda frowned and watched as he walked away. He comes back from the dead, this creep Exodus shows up at the house… Something told her the two events weren't mutually exclusive. I'll get the truth from that oversized egomaniac.

~*()*~

Kurt couldn't believe his eyes. Douglas had not only crashed into Wanda and survived intact, but the two seemed to get along, and they actually sat down and talked. About what, he wasn't sure, but it seemed to cheer Douglas up a bit. What's going on? He could risk revealing himself and asking Wanda about it. The Scarlet Witch had a bit of a soft spot for him, especially after he risked his health to try and retrieve his statue of a mother.

But the Professor wanted me to keep an eye on Douglas. The teen in question was currently making his way through the park again. He teleported to another tree, keeping a discrete distance from the blond mutant. He could go back and talk to Wanda later. She looked upset, anyways. Though when does she not look upset?

He hopped down from the tree as Douglas took a seat on the side of a small hill, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Cloud watching. That what it looked like he was doing. Without a clear view of his face, he couldn't be sure. The Professor should know about his little meeting with Wanda. He backpedaled a bit and hid behind a tree, preparing to teleport back to the mansion.

That's when a hand landed on his shoulder, and he felt himself get thrown into another tree trunk. He shook his head, his holowatch short-circuiting, and took a sharp breath. Exodus. He tried to teleport away, and found he couldn't.

"You'll do." Exodus' eyes narrowed, and a yellow glow sliced through the air towards Kurt.

"Doug-" Kurt's cry was cut off as the energy struck him and he fell to the ground. Hope raised a little as Douglas ran up the hill, apparently attracted by his cry. Look out for Exodus! Instead of kneeling by Kurt, though, Douglas stopped a foot away and looked behind him, at the ex-God. Please, don't freeze on me.

"You saw nothing. You know nothing of this. It's too soon for them to know I'm here. You had no idea he was following you."

Kurt's stomach clenched as Douglas lowered his eyes and gave a curt nod. He caught a brief flash of regret, but the blond turned and walked away before Kurt could be sure it wasn't a trick of his mind. My God…Exodus controls him!

"And now, I have you. The plan can finally begin." Exodus' boot connected with Kurt's temple, and his world went finally went black.

~*()*~

~*()*~

~*()*~

Author's Prattle: So, here's chapter six. This fic isn't getting as much attention as Cipher's Elegy did, wonder why… Anyway, things are starting to get rolling. Douglas is beginning to realize he's not himself, Exodus has come to New York, and Kurt…well, pray for Kurt. Sorry this is taking so long, between classes and writing on other fics (Life and Soul, God's in 7th Heaven), it takes a while to get a chapter out. Though, it usually only takes one day to do it. Love being a fast keyboarder.

Disclaimers. I don't own X-Men: Evolution, Exodus, or Douglas. They all belong to Marvel. I do own the plot, but that's it. I'm just using the characters in an exploration of my creative capabilities.

I don't know when the next chapter will be out. My beta is harder to catch these days, but I should get the next one out by my next set of midterms. That's about….three weeks. In the meantime, reviews are welcome (especially constructive criticism), and above all, I hope you enjoyed!