Chapter One: Marooned
The first sensation Rachel Summers felt after awakening at the end of time was the feeling of a great weight lying upon her head. It was sometime after consciousness returned to her that Rachel finally opened her eyes. Rolling onto her back she brought her hands to rest at her throbbing temples. It took a few minutes but eventually she managed to pull her body into a sitting position.
For the longest while she sat there. She didn't have the strength to do much of anything else. Her mind was foggy. Fragmented memories and images plagued her mind but Rachel could not remember who they were or why they seemed to be important to her. She barely even knew her own name but she knew it. She was Rachel Summers, the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. That much she knew. For a reason that she could not explain she also had the feeling that she had lost something of great importance.
Warily she laid her body back onto the cold earth. It wasn't much time after that until her time battered body fell asleep. Her body and mind had been through much. Sleeping was the way that her body had decided that her mind would cope with the stress.
Rachel had not been aware of the creatures that had been watching her. Their master had alerted them to keep watch for any castaway from the timestream. They found her and watched. The creatures made sure that she would not awaken before moving closer to her body. Their master wanted to see her.
Rachel's dreams were few and far between as she slept but what her dreams lacked in number they made up for in detail. The Phoenix Force was gone complete with a lack of her telekinesis and telepathy. It amused him to no end that she fought back against him. She was his first human companion in thousands of years and he was so very intent on making Rachel his. Continuous attempts at lashing out at him had failed. The last ended with him laughing over her crumpled body. Blessed darkness soon followed that dream.
Rachel slept until she became aware of someone watching her. Opening her eyes she found herself staring up at a ceiling. Rachel blinked her eyes at the puzzling sight. She thought she had been outside when she fell asleep not inside. Was she still asleep?
"So you're finally awake now Rachel?" A man's voice asked to her right.
She turned her head in the direction of the question and frowned. Those had not been dreams at all. They were very real. "Should I be touched that you decided to watch over me Gaunt?" Rachel asked, her voice flat and betraying no emotion.
"If you like," he replied and sounded very pleased with himself. "We won't have another repeat of your last performance will we Rachel?"
"No," Rachel found herself admitting to freely. Before passing out, Rachel remembered Gaunt informing her that his mind control devices would render her as passive as a kitten.
"Good." Reaching next to him, Gaunt picked up a green parcel and threw it at her. "Put this on."
Rachel had not flinched as the parcel was tossed onto her bed. Examining it closer revealed it to be a long green dress and matching slippers. She looked at the garment before giving Gaunt a cold look. When it became obvious that he was not going to leave, Rachel tossed off the covers and rose to her feet. Turning around she reached to her neck to undo the fastenings of her phoenix costume. She felt him approach her from behind. The thought to strike was there but the will and desire to act upon that thought was not.
"Once I ruled thousands of worlds Rachel. A woman would feel it a great honor to be sent to me."
Rachel's voice continued to remain emotionless as she replied. "How unfortunate for you then that there or none of them here." She had just slipped down her costume to her waist.
No sound was mad as she felt the cold steel of Gaunt's gloves upon her waist. She did not flinch when he spun her around to face him and pulled her body close to his. Both of her hands were held easily at her back within his much larger one while his free hand he used to grip her hair and force her to look at him.
"True, but fortune smiled upon me when you were tossed onto this earth."
"How fortunate for me," Rachel replied, staring up at him.
"Perhaps I ought to increase the strength of strength of my mind control device?"
"Perhaps you should," Rachel agreed.
Gaunt grinned at Rachel wickedly, "Face it Rachel, you belong to me now."
"I will never be yours Gaunt."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Any retort or reply that Rachel might have said was silence by Gaunt's mouth crashing down upon hers.
The first sensation Rachel Summers felt after awakening at the end of time was the feeling of a great weight lying upon her head. It was sometime after consciousness returned to her that Rachel finally opened her eyes. Rolling onto her back she brought her hands to rest at her throbbing temples. It took a few minutes but eventually she managed to pull her body into a sitting position.
For the longest while she sat there. She didn't have the strength to do much of anything else. Her mind was foggy. Fragmented memories and images plagued her mind but Rachel could not remember who they were or why they seemed to be important to her. She barely even knew her own name but she knew it. She was Rachel Summers, the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. That much she knew. For a reason that she could not explain she also had the feeling that she had lost something of great importance.
Warily she laid her body back onto the cold earth. It wasn't much time after that until her time battered body fell asleep. Her body and mind had been through much. Sleeping was the way that her body had decided that her mind would cope with the stress.
Rachel had not been aware of the creatures that had been watching her. Their master had alerted them to keep watch for any castaway from the timestream. They found her and watched. The creatures made sure that she would not awaken before moving closer to her body. Their master wanted to see her.
Rachel's dreams were few and far between as she slept but what her dreams lacked in number they made up for in detail. The Phoenix Force was gone complete with a lack of her telekinesis and telepathy. It amused him to no end that she fought back against him. She was his first human companion in thousands of years and he was so very intent on making Rachel his. Continuous attempts at lashing out at him had failed. The last ended with him laughing over her crumpled body. Blessed darkness soon followed that dream.
Rachel slept until she became aware of someone watching her. Opening her eyes she found herself staring up at a ceiling. Rachel blinked her eyes at the puzzling sight. She thought she had been outside when she fell asleep not inside. Was she still asleep?
"So you're finally awake now Rachel?" A man's voice asked to her right.
She turned her head in the direction of the question and frowned. Those had not been dreams at all. They were very real. "Should I be touched that you decided to watch over me Gaunt?" Rachel asked, her voice flat and betraying no emotion.
"If you like," he replied and sounded very pleased with himself. "We won't have another repeat of your last performance will we Rachel?"
"No," Rachel found herself admitting to freely. Before passing out, Rachel remembered Gaunt informing her that his mind control devices would render her as passive as a kitten.
"Good." Reaching next to him, Gaunt picked up a green parcel and threw it at her. "Put this on."
Rachel had not flinched as the parcel was tossed onto her bed. Examining it closer revealed it to be a long green dress and matching slippers. She looked at the garment before giving Gaunt a cold look. When it became obvious that he was not going to leave, Rachel tossed off the covers and rose to her feet. Turning around she reached to her neck to undo the fastenings of her phoenix costume. She felt him approach her from behind. The thought to strike was there but the will and desire to act upon that thought was not.
"Once I ruled thousands of worlds Rachel. A woman would feel it a great honor to be sent to me."
Rachel's voice continued to remain emotionless as she replied. "How unfortunate for you then that there or none of them here." She had just slipped down her costume to her waist.
No sound was mad as she felt the cold steel of Gaunt's gloves upon her waist. She did not flinch when he spun her around to face him and pulled her body close to his. Both of her hands were held easily at her back within his much larger one while his free hand he used to grip her hair and force her to look at him.
"True, but fortune smiled upon me when you were tossed onto this earth."
"How fortunate for me," Rachel replied, staring up at him.
"Perhaps I ought to increase the strength of strength of my mind control device?"
"Perhaps you should," Rachel agreed.
Gaunt grinned at Rachel wickedly, "Face it Rachel, you belong to me now."
"I will never be yours Gaunt."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Any retort or reply that Rachel might have said was silence by Gaunt's mouth crashing down upon hers.