Chapter 5:

Jean sat in Xavier's office as the wheel-chair bound man entered and jumped slightly before settling himself behind the mahogany desk. Studying the woman carefully, Xavier noticed the sudden maturity of his favourite and first student. She had grown more beautiful every day and he suddenly realised how ignorant he had been as she grew up. She was a truly beautiful and accomplished woman and Jean was always humble, never egotistical or vain. She was seemingly perfect but behind the warm visage were cunning and deadly gifts of telekinesis and telepathy that she hid well and used sparingly. She had been his first pupil, almost like the poor girl in the Medical lab when she had first been brought here. Timid and shy, she soon began to become popular after the blocks were put in place and he wasn't surprised when she became a model at such a young age. Truly, a beautiful woman both inside and out. Nodding, he tore his gaze away and looked out the window for a few seconds before looking back at her cautiously.

"What do we know about her, Jean?" The girl he referred to was of course the girl in the medical bay.

The red-head sighed and motioned to the manila file in her arms. "Professor, there was very little information on any girl matching her description anywhere that I could find. I finally hacked into the Weapon X database with kitty's help and searched around. Even in that place, there was little information apart from a photograph, codename and her serial number. There was little I could go on, even in the best protected areas. I did find that she was codenamed the Black Orchid by Stryker though. I also found something, else..."

She stopped as a child peeked in and began to ask Xavier a few questions. Leaning back, Jean studied the young girl and smiled warmly as she headed out but her smile soon disappeared. Speaking softly, she looked around furtively. "Professor, I found a very disturbing piece of information about her. She has been a captive her entire life, or as long as her memory has functioned properly. I would say since the age of 2 which means that she has been a captive for 19 years in that compound. It also told me her birth name, though that was buried under a lot of viruses and safeguards. Apparently, this is Stryker's best kept secret. Her birth name is Sienna Natalyaa Tatiana Stryker..."

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Blanching, Xavier's hand began to shake on the top of the solid wood desk as he tried to comprehend what Jean had told him. He looked at her shrewdly and rather hard and then looked away out the window. Inside, his brain was churning as things began to fit together slowly. Jason had told him once that his father never wanted have another child; he would kill the child because he feared the baby would turn out to be just like Jason. Another mutant. Now, Stryker had done something worse than just killing the girl.

Seeing his distant look, Jean's voice began to reverberate in his head as she spoke softly via a telepathic mind link. " Professor, does she know any of this? Does she remember her life before her imprisonment?"

Charles shook his head. "She remembers nothing except for that cold cell and she knows nothing about her family either. The only constant thing she remembers is the face of William and his voice. She is traumatised, Jean. Completely unable to communicate or connect with others. Terrified, she is haunted by his voice and his face. I think we should tell none but the teaching faculty about this, none of the students need to know."

Then, a tear fell down his cheek. "How could William do this to his own child, his blood daughter? How could he condemn a poor, innocent baby to a life of terror and manipulation? She could have been brought here, to learn and cope with her genetic gift. Why lock her away and make such sadistic acts on his own daughter who carries half his dna? How could he?"

Jean walked over and smiled comfortably at her mentor. "Don't worry, Professor," she spoke out loud as she kissed his bald head. "We will look after her; we will make sure it is only a memory to her."

Xavier nodded. "But will it be something she will fear?"

Jena had no answer to that question and suspected the Professor needed none so she slipped out silently as Xavier stared out the window and sighed as the roses bloomed outside the sill and sent their perfume into his office...