To own the X-Men, or not to own the X-Men…well, I don't…so there.
A/N: Holy crap! Joe is so helpful! (If you like Touch, go check out FightingKirbys [Joe's] stories…There's a story completed that takes place some time after this particular story, and there's a story in progress that takes place several years before this one! Very interesting and extremely well written!)
Get him!
He's getting away!
Don't just stand there, fools!
Run!
The voices in Touch's head continued to scream and echo. He ran out of the Med Lab in a panic, feeling the natural urge to escape captivity. He rounded a corner and slid to a stop as he faced a very confused Scott Summers.
"What are you…?"
SLAM!
Scott didn't have the chance to finish his sentence. Touch slammed his fist into Scott's jaw, leveling him. Touch continued on his path, not entirely sure where he was headed, but at the very least away from where he was.
----------~~~~~~~~--------
"Look, all ah'm sayin' is that Dinah needed to get more action going and less chattin'," Jack was frustrated and angry. Pip sighed as he pulled into the Xavier Estate driveway.
"Please, Jack…Dinah's mah best friend. Ah don't want you getting' mad at her, just as much as I don't want her yellin' at you."
Jack sighed and leaned back in his seat. In all of the chaos and tension with Dinah, he had totally forgotten how Rebecca felt. She was caught up in the middle between the man she loved, and her best friend, who she loved like a sister. Jack looked away from her and didn't say anything. A few moments of awkward silence passed, and Pip finally pulled into the garage. They all got out of the car and headed towards the door. Jack moved closer to Rebecca, but she pulled away from him.
"Ah think ah'm gonna go to my room. Ah'm pretty tired." She walked briskly down the hallway and out of sight. Jack started after her but Pip grabbed his shoulder.
"Let 'er go, Jack."
"Damn it, Pip! Where do you get off tellin' me what to do?" He jerked his arm away from Pip.
"Look…ye know as well as I do that she's hurtin'. Ye and Dinah keep fightin' like that and there's goin' to be some serious repercussions." Pip stood back and glared at him.
Jack pointed a finger at Pip's chest.
"I am not a child and I don't know why you insist on treating me like one. I thought you were my friend."
"I am yuir friend, Jack! Can't you bloody see? But they're also my friends, and I don't like anyone treating them like crap."
"Fine. What ever." Jack threw his hands up in the air and started to walk away.
A figure in black suddenly rounded the corner and almost ran into him. Pip stepped forward to get a better look at him.
"Jack! That's the guy ye kicked into the other guy."
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Pip."
Touch backed up slowly.
Caged.
You're trapped.
Surrounded.
Find a way out.
Break free.
The voices were growing louder in Touch's head. Jack started to move towards him, ready for another fight. Touch looked around him and spotted a container near a door, holding several umbrellas. He glanced at Jack, gave him a quick kick to the stomach and bolted towards the door. He tugged an umbrella up, flipped it in the air, and caught it. Jack caught his breath and ran at Touch again. Touch dropped down and hooked the handle of the umbrella around Jack's ankle, causing him to trip. Pip stood dumbfounded.
"What in the bloody hell….?
Touch ran off down the hallway again. Pip ran over to Jack.
"He just pulled the same move the old guy did." Pip held out a hand to help him up.
"So ah noticed…"
The voices continued to pound in Touch's head. He was in a total state of confusion and was acting on instinct alone. His body was still weak from his previous encounters, and he was slowing down. He came to a stop when he entered a large entry hall. His eyes narrowed as he sensed something. He crept forward, alert for anything. His fear and the voices got the better of him and he broke into a run again. Touch stopped almost immediately as a very short and wild looking man jumped down in front of him-seemingly out of nowhere. Touch hesitated for a second, which was more than enough time for Logan to punch him across the jaw. Touch had never been hit that hard by a human before, and he dropped to the ground in a heap. Logan shrugged as he pulled a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. He barely looked up as Jack, Pip, Dinah, Hank and Xavier all came rushing into the entry hall. They stopped and looked from the body on the floor, to Logan, and back to the body. He shrugged again and took a long drag on his cigar.
"You lose somethin'?"
---------~~~~~~~~----------
"Touch? Can you hear me?"
Strange, unfamiliar voices. Touch felt like he was in a thick fog and everything he felt seemed muffled. Light slowly broke through and the fog cleared. Touch opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar place.
"Touch, my name is Charles Xavier and you are safe. You are in a medical facility receiving treatment. You are not a prisoner of any kind."
Touch blinked a few times and let the words of the crippled, bald man in front of him register. He slowly sat up, expressionless, and looked around the room.
"Where am I?"
"You are in my school for gifted students, such as yourself. We are just outside of Salem Center in Westchester County in New York."
"New York?"
Touch closed his eyes and covered them with his hand.
Why can't I remember? What am I doing here…all my memories…jumbled…
"I understand your confusion."
Touch looked at Xavier blankly.
Xavier sighed. "I am willing to help you if you give me the chance. Given some time, I can help you sort through your memories."
Touch continued to just look at Xavier, almost as if he were gathering information. He looked away finally, towards the room where the old man's body lay. Touch gingerly got off the examining table and walked into the room. Xavier followed him, curious. Touch stood and stared at the body.
"This is who you were. Your powers allow you to transfer your consciousness into others. In this case, you transferred all of it into this young body, before you died." Xavier entwined his fingers below his chin in thought.
"The human body is nothing but a shell." Touch continued to stare at the body. Still in a trance-like state, he reached down and pulled the black, leather trench coat off of the old man's body, and pulled it on himself.
"I prefer my shell to have a little style."
Touch flicked the collar up and strolled out of the room. Xavier looked at the body of the old man, now looking as if he was carelessly thrown there. Xavier looked back towards Touch. He reached out with his mind.
"Touch…I want to help you. I can piece together your past."
"Xavier…my mind is in shambles. I remember my life being the same."
"If you learn nothing else while a guest in my home, learn this…
Xavier concentrated and began to sort through the shattered memories. Those most recent were the easiest to fix. The alley, the thugs, the old man, the X-Tremes, a young woman, a cave, mountains, a bar, the city…memories from both personas were repaired. The process began to slow…Xavier tried to focus harder but it was becoming too difficult. He pulled out of Touch's mind, satisfied with the work already done.
"Trying and failing is looked upon with greater respect, than not trying at all."
Touch looked at Xavier with disdain. He turned away and shut his eyes. The voices were quieter now, but still echoed mercilessly within his skull.
"I wish only to discover who I am and who I was. I will do so in my own time, and in my own way." Touch looked back at Xavier. He looked hurt for a moment, then covered it up with professional seriousness. Touch noticed the change and smirked. He gracefully bowed low towards the ground.
"But, since you consider me a guest in your home, as a gentleman, I cannot refuse."
A/N: Holy crap! Joe is so helpful! (If you like Touch, go check out FightingKirbys [Joe's] stories…There's a story completed that takes place some time after this particular story, and there's a story in progress that takes place several years before this one! Very interesting and extremely well written!)
Get him!
He's getting away!
Don't just stand there, fools!
Run!
The voices in Touch's head continued to scream and echo. He ran out of the Med Lab in a panic, feeling the natural urge to escape captivity. He rounded a corner and slid to a stop as he faced a very confused Scott Summers.
"What are you…?"
SLAM!
Scott didn't have the chance to finish his sentence. Touch slammed his fist into Scott's jaw, leveling him. Touch continued on his path, not entirely sure where he was headed, but at the very least away from where he was.
----------~~~~~~~~--------
"Look, all ah'm sayin' is that Dinah needed to get more action going and less chattin'," Jack was frustrated and angry. Pip sighed as he pulled into the Xavier Estate driveway.
"Please, Jack…Dinah's mah best friend. Ah don't want you getting' mad at her, just as much as I don't want her yellin' at you."
Jack sighed and leaned back in his seat. In all of the chaos and tension with Dinah, he had totally forgotten how Rebecca felt. She was caught up in the middle between the man she loved, and her best friend, who she loved like a sister. Jack looked away from her and didn't say anything. A few moments of awkward silence passed, and Pip finally pulled into the garage. They all got out of the car and headed towards the door. Jack moved closer to Rebecca, but she pulled away from him.
"Ah think ah'm gonna go to my room. Ah'm pretty tired." She walked briskly down the hallway and out of sight. Jack started after her but Pip grabbed his shoulder.
"Let 'er go, Jack."
"Damn it, Pip! Where do you get off tellin' me what to do?" He jerked his arm away from Pip.
"Look…ye know as well as I do that she's hurtin'. Ye and Dinah keep fightin' like that and there's goin' to be some serious repercussions." Pip stood back and glared at him.
Jack pointed a finger at Pip's chest.
"I am not a child and I don't know why you insist on treating me like one. I thought you were my friend."
"I am yuir friend, Jack! Can't you bloody see? But they're also my friends, and I don't like anyone treating them like crap."
"Fine. What ever." Jack threw his hands up in the air and started to walk away.
A figure in black suddenly rounded the corner and almost ran into him. Pip stepped forward to get a better look at him.
"Jack! That's the guy ye kicked into the other guy."
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Pip."
Touch backed up slowly.
Caged.
You're trapped.
Surrounded.
Find a way out.
Break free.
The voices were growing louder in Touch's head. Jack started to move towards him, ready for another fight. Touch looked around him and spotted a container near a door, holding several umbrellas. He glanced at Jack, gave him a quick kick to the stomach and bolted towards the door. He tugged an umbrella up, flipped it in the air, and caught it. Jack caught his breath and ran at Touch again. Touch dropped down and hooked the handle of the umbrella around Jack's ankle, causing him to trip. Pip stood dumbfounded.
"What in the bloody hell….?
Touch ran off down the hallway again. Pip ran over to Jack.
"He just pulled the same move the old guy did." Pip held out a hand to help him up.
"So ah noticed…"
The voices continued to pound in Touch's head. He was in a total state of confusion and was acting on instinct alone. His body was still weak from his previous encounters, and he was slowing down. He came to a stop when he entered a large entry hall. His eyes narrowed as he sensed something. He crept forward, alert for anything. His fear and the voices got the better of him and he broke into a run again. Touch stopped almost immediately as a very short and wild looking man jumped down in front of him-seemingly out of nowhere. Touch hesitated for a second, which was more than enough time for Logan to punch him across the jaw. Touch had never been hit that hard by a human before, and he dropped to the ground in a heap. Logan shrugged as he pulled a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. He barely looked up as Jack, Pip, Dinah, Hank and Xavier all came rushing into the entry hall. They stopped and looked from the body on the floor, to Logan, and back to the body. He shrugged again and took a long drag on his cigar.
"You lose somethin'?"
---------~~~~~~~~----------
"Touch? Can you hear me?"
Strange, unfamiliar voices. Touch felt like he was in a thick fog and everything he felt seemed muffled. Light slowly broke through and the fog cleared. Touch opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar place.
"Touch, my name is Charles Xavier and you are safe. You are in a medical facility receiving treatment. You are not a prisoner of any kind."
Touch blinked a few times and let the words of the crippled, bald man in front of him register. He slowly sat up, expressionless, and looked around the room.
"Where am I?"
"You are in my school for gifted students, such as yourself. We are just outside of Salem Center in Westchester County in New York."
"New York?"
Touch closed his eyes and covered them with his hand.
Why can't I remember? What am I doing here…all my memories…jumbled…
"I understand your confusion."
Touch looked at Xavier blankly.
Xavier sighed. "I am willing to help you if you give me the chance. Given some time, I can help you sort through your memories."
Touch continued to just look at Xavier, almost as if he were gathering information. He looked away finally, towards the room where the old man's body lay. Touch gingerly got off the examining table and walked into the room. Xavier followed him, curious. Touch stood and stared at the body.
"This is who you were. Your powers allow you to transfer your consciousness into others. In this case, you transferred all of it into this young body, before you died." Xavier entwined his fingers below his chin in thought.
"The human body is nothing but a shell." Touch continued to stare at the body. Still in a trance-like state, he reached down and pulled the black, leather trench coat off of the old man's body, and pulled it on himself.
"I prefer my shell to have a little style."
Touch flicked the collar up and strolled out of the room. Xavier looked at the body of the old man, now looking as if he was carelessly thrown there. Xavier looked back towards Touch. He reached out with his mind.
"Touch…I want to help you. I can piece together your past."
"Xavier…my mind is in shambles. I remember my life being the same."
"If you learn nothing else while a guest in my home, learn this…
Xavier concentrated and began to sort through the shattered memories. Those most recent were the easiest to fix. The alley, the thugs, the old man, the X-Tremes, a young woman, a cave, mountains, a bar, the city…memories from both personas were repaired. The process began to slow…Xavier tried to focus harder but it was becoming too difficult. He pulled out of Touch's mind, satisfied with the work already done.
"Trying and failing is looked upon with greater respect, than not trying at all."
Touch looked at Xavier with disdain. He turned away and shut his eyes. The voices were quieter now, but still echoed mercilessly within his skull.
"I wish only to discover who I am and who I was. I will do so in my own time, and in my own way." Touch looked back at Xavier. He looked hurt for a moment, then covered it up with professional seriousness. Touch noticed the change and smirked. He gracefully bowed low towards the ground.
"But, since you consider me a guest in your home, as a gentleman, I cannot refuse."