Not Myself

By Princess Alexandria

Princess_alex24@hotmail.com

Scott had the plane ready to go and most of the team was already there.  Only Emma was keeping them waiting.  He was about to call her yet again when the door opened and his eyes widened.  Christy was carrying an unconscious Emma into the room and looking like it was the most normal thing to do.  "What is going on here?"  He snapped at her and moved to take the telepath out of her arms.  Jean beat him to it and telekinetically grabbed their teammate, moving Emma to Logan.  He took a few steps closer to her, determined to get to the bottom of this and if he had to he'd lock her up until they could.

"Scott, really..."  Christy shook her head.  "I told you now wasn't a good time for me."  The voice, the accent…

"Emma?"  Scott took a few steps closer and recognized the body language.  Christy never stood like that.  "What happened?"

"I thought this was an emergency.  We could talk on the way."

"So we're taking Christy with us on a mission?"

"It's either that or leaving me home."  The cool irritation made it clear who he was talking with.

"Fine, get in the plane.  I'll brief everyone as we go."  Scott turned and moved up the ramp.  There were no dull days around here.  If he didn't know they'd need another telepath he wouldn't have risked taking Christy along.  She wasn't trained for missions.  She was going to have to stay in the plane… if Emma managed to reverse whatever happened before they got there.

********

Christy glanced around as much as she could while not being in control of her body.  She didn't like being a passenger.  Logan strapped Emma in carefully, but the way her body was so limp worried Christy.  ~You'll be okay right?~  She asked as they moved into the seat next to Emma's body.

~I'll be fine.~  Emma responded in her mind.  ~However I would appreciate it if you got to work opening that doorway before I am forced to go into whatever the situation is in your body.~

Christy could see the strange looks they were getting as they got ready to take off.  ~I'll try.~

~Do more than try.  My telepathy is severely limited from in here.  It took almost all I had to send Annie away.  I'm going to need my full powers.~

The plane rose straight up out of the ground and then started forward.  It was a bit strange having a plane that could do that.  "We've found another one of those houses.  He has five kids working for him and one of them just got arrested for breaking into a jewelry store."  Scott started to talk and Christy found herself paying attention to that rather than the doorway she was supposed to be making.  "We're going to hit the house fast and hope we can finally catch this guy."

~What's going on?~  Christy sent to Emma and the irritation sent back let her know that Emma wasn't pleased she was listening in.

~There have been cases of adults taking in mutant teens and making them steal.  It's a crime ring and we need to capture one of the adults to find out more and stop it.~  Christy mentally nodded and then started to concentrate harder on the doorway.  The talking going on in the plane was distracting and made it harder to do.

********

Emma noticed Scott's eyes kept falling on her.  He'd set the autopilot and turned the seat around for this meeting.  He obviously had questions.  "Christy was learning how to lower her shields, but they went back up when I was inside.  I have only partial control of my powers, through the link I made sure to establish to my body before I went in."

~So you were able to get in without Cerebra?~  Jean asked her silently so that Christy wouldn't hear the conversation.  Emma could probably trap Christy in her mind so they all had privacy, but she knew that would upset the woman.

~It took a while to teach her how to lower her shield, but yes.~

~What was going on in the classroom?~ Emma sighed as Jean obviously felt that since the briefing was over they would be able to chat.  She could feel Scott's presence in this conversation.  Jean had hooked him into it.

~I told her I'd been in her mind.~  Emma tilted her head just a little and stared at Jean.  ~She was a bit emotional about it.~

~I thought you didn't want to tell her until you'd done all your surveillance.~  Scott added.

~Well it came up in conversation.~  Emma turned to stare out the window.  "So how long until we get there?"  She spoke out loud so that the others would.  She still didn't want to give a report yet.  The further she went into Christy's memories the worse it got.  It just made sense to see what was there before going into details. 

"We should be there in less than two hours."  Scott turned back to face the cockpit and Emma sat back further in the chair.

"Well, I hope you excuse us, but conversation seems to distract Christy and I'm hoping she can open that shield before we arrive."

********

Logan sat behind Emma and Christy.  The first thing he noticed during the briefing was that Christy's body had Emma's scent.  Not like it had rubbed off on her while carrying the woman, but as if it really were hers.  It also looked like Christy had quite a few more blonde highlights in her hair.

~Jeannie.~  He thought, hoping the redhead would pick it up.

~Yes Logan?~

~Christy has Emma's scent now, and I think she's starting to go blonde.~

~Really?~  He could feel her curiosity about that.  He watched at Jean turned in her seat to look at the woman.  ~Her eyes don't match anymore either.  One is much lighter, like Emma's.~

~What are you two talking about?~  Emma had obviously caught on to the glances her way and the telepathic communication.

Jean answered.  ~Christy is starting to change, starting to look a little more like you.~

~Even smells like you.~  Logan added.

~I… see.~  Emma sounded a bit distracted at that.  ~Well, that is something else we can look into later.~

~Something else?~  Jean still kept him in the telepathic loop as she asked Emma that.

~I believe I've found evidence that Christy had mutant powers on her own world and.  However she did get injured during her hunts and it took time to heal so that particular power wasn't in effect.~

~I thought her world didn't have mutants.~  Logan added.  He didn't think the girl would lie about something like that.

~That's what Christy believed.  But they had at least one.~ 

~What was her power?~  Jean asked and there was a bit too long of a pause from Emma.

~She could sense death.  She knew when someone near her physically died and actually used that power to alert her of danger a few times.~  Logan just sighed as he thought about that one.  To be able to sense death on a dying world.  What would that be like?  Seems Jean was thinking about that too, because the conversation went quiet and then just ended. 

********

Christy watched as the door finally opened.  Finally.  She was tired from her effort to make it do that, but she smiled as Emma stepped outside and vanished.

She opened and closed her hands, moving them into her line of sight.  The body was hers again.  When Emma stirred Christy turned to check on her.  The ice blue eyes opened and looked at her.  "Well, that took a while but you did it.  I think you need to practice opening that shield so that it isn't such an effort for you."

"Yeah."  Christy couldn't argue with that.  Emma had been trapped in her body over an hour because Christy didn't have control of that.

"When we get there you're going to stay in the plane."  Scott said when he noticed Christy was back.

"You sure I can't help?"  She offered calmly. 

"You don't have your guns."  Scott had a bit of an attitude.  "Not sure what you could do without them, and we are here to save the kids, not kill them."

"Fine."  Christy looked away.  Killer, that was all he'd ever see when he looked at her.  Was that all she was anymore?

"One Eye, you don't need to be such a dick about it."  Logan muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.  Christy gave him a small smile for defending her and he nodded slightly at her.

Scott's voice was tighter.  "We should be setting down in ten minutes."  Christy looked around and noticed a slight change in the others.  They were more serious, prepared.  Here were the warriors that Christy thought they were and hadn't seen in them yet.

********

Scott was finishing the landing procedures as the others got up to get ready and go.  The small town didn't have an airport, but a farm not too far from their destination had an empty field that worked just fine.  Night had just fallen, so that would help to disguise the plane on the odd chance someone used that dirt road in the distance.  "Stay in the plane and don't even go into the cockpit."  He muttered as he was getting up from the seat.

"I'm not a kid Scott."  Christy's voice was cold.  "You don't need to act like it.  I know all about battles and needing to be ready to run.  I used to have a team of my own."  Scott looked at her when she said that.  It was true, he had treated her like one of the kids left in the plane until the battle was over.  It had just been a reflex.  Logan and Emma's disapproving glance told him it was a mistake.

"Sorry, habit."  Was all he said as he moved around her to the hatch.  Jean was working on grabbing the mutant detectors.

Christy's voice was softer when she addressed Emma.  "Be careful."  He had to turn around and verify what he'd heard.  Christy was standing closer to Emma, and it made him uncomfortable.  They didn't know enough about Christy to trust her on this mission, trust leaving her on the plane even, but they were doing it because Emma said to.  They hadn't heard why they should trust Christy yet though.  No Emma hadn't thought to share that bit of information.  He was going to have to insist on details from the blonde.  She'd been in Christy's mind a few times, she should have something to report by now.

"I will."  Emma continued to talk to Christy, but Jean was looking at him strangely so he had to stop watching. 

********

Emma stood outside the two story house focusing on the inhabitants.  It was the right house.  The four children had thoughts about the recent theft that resulted in their friend being arrested and fear about how the police would treat the girl.  The oldest boy was even trying to figure out how to break her out of jail. 

What was missing, however, was the leader of this little gang.  The adult that had recruited them for these crimes was conspicuously absent.  He'd left not long before they arrived.

~We missed him.~  Emma told Scott as they waited to move in.  She and Jean would knock the kids out telepathically so that they could avoid a fight.  ~He got a phone call and left them here alone.~

Scott's anger and disappointment at missing the leader of one of these groups yet again was palpable.  ~Well, let's move in.  We need to get these kids out of here before the police get any information out of the girl they have in custody.~

Emma nodded and worked with Jean to deal with the children left behind.  Once they came to they could explain who they were and what was happening, but they didn't want a repeat of the fight they'd had in Florida.  No one liked beating up children that didn't know to stop fighting.

********

The plane was so quiet.  Christy glanced around from her seat.  She should have asked about a radio or something before they left.  She didn't even have her old cards to play with.

She just leaned against the window and stared out at the darkness while she waited.  She needed to start carrying cards around again.  She just sighed at that thought.  Any old cards wouldn't do.  Here she was in the Blackbird waiting for the real Xmen to come back and she missed her cards.  A slight smile came to her lips as she thought about their reaction to some of the games she'd play with those.  The random romance game would be entertaining with this audience.  During long waits she used to pull the cards out and deal different piles of two.  Her men got to listen to bad romance and porn based on whatever couples appeared in the deck.  It was a joke, something to fill nights so that they didn't have to think about other things.  Mark played to, since he knew the characters and wasn't afraid to be the focus of their teams attention.  The more strange the pairing the more fun they had.  She sometimes missed that world.  Missed those people.

A light seemed to be coming closer to the plane.  Christy stared at it harder trying to make out what it was.   The others couldn't have finished what they were doing yet. 

A motorcycle came right up to the plane, it's headlight shining on the closed hatch.  Christy couldn't see who it was in the darkness, until the man moved into his own vehicle's light.  It wasn't one of the X-men.  He was a tall thin man and Christy had a bad feeling about how he seemed completely unsurprised to find the plane in this field.  He was eyeing the hatch a bit too much.  Christy could tell he wanted in and was glad that the windows on the plane didn't allow him to see her in there.

"Don't touch anything."  She muttered the words Scott said to herself as she moved to try find something to help her out.  A communicator would have been nice, and the cockpit had one, but she didn't know how to use it.  Emma had left Christy's purse in her room so she didn't have her cell phone.  She moved to the back of the plane and found all the compartments were locked.  So there wasn't a way to check for weapons.  "I really need to learn hand to hand combat."  She muttered as she glanced out the door at the man again.  He was about to open the hatch.  Shouldn't that thing have a lock or something?  He didn't look like he was worried about it.

Christy took a deep breath and moved to stand in front of the entrance to the plane with a grim expression on her face.  She wasn't equipped for this type of fighting, but she couldn't let him on the plane.

********

Jean stood up from where she'd kneeled down by the unconscious girl's body.  "Well our mystery man this time isn't a teleporter."

"Great, somehow I would have felt better if it were the same guy."  Scott grumbled.  Jean had to agree with that.  There was no telling how many of these group homes existed. 

"His power is unlocking things.  He uses it to unlock safes, doors, steal cars."

"Well, Gambit should be jealous when he hears about that."  Beast came to stand near them.  They had all the kids in the same room and were almost ready to wake them up.

"Nah, Gumbo would probably say it held no art that way."  Logan moved into place.  Jean and Emma planned to keep the kids immobile until they had their cooperation, but the doors were covered anyhow.

********

The hatch went down.  Christy stared at it in shock.  It shouldn't have done that.  She quickly schooled her features and moved to the opening, noting with some satisfaction that he'd obviously not expected anyone to be there.  "I'm sure you aren't on the list."  She spoke slowly and stared at him coldly.  He was a tall thin guy with black hair and a mustache.  Not anyone that looked remotely like any Xmen she remembered.

When his eyes hardened she knew she was right.  He wasn't a friendly guy.  She kept her voice steady, even though she was nervous.  "They left me behind because they were afraid I'd kill someone… and low and behold, you appear to cure my boredom."  Her eyes held nothing but threat and amusement, as if she anticipated a short fight where she'd win.

"Who the hell are you?"  He spat out, his voice gravelly.  He wasn't looking intimidated enough.  Perhaps her slacks and button up top weren't scary.  She was still dressed for teaching after all.

"Well, today I appear to be the Gatekeeper, keeping you out of the plane."  She smirked at him and didn't flinch when he stepped onto the ramp, obviously intending to test her ability to do just that.  He dropped his backpack on the ground as he moved up.  She forced herself to sound bored, but her eyes were taking in his form with a growing unease.  He knew how to hold himself, like the raiders she'd fought, and she knew better to go against those men unarmed.  "Really, do you know whose plane you're trying to break into?  This move is not good for your health at all."

"Yeah well the X-men are busy with my kids."  His eyes held no concern at all about that.  "And they left a little girl to guard the plane."

She sighed.  "I've heard that little girl comment before."  Her voice deepened.  "He's dead.  Killed him."

"You're all talk."  He growled and lunged forward.  Christy was shoved back into the plane and he slammed her hard against the wall, driving the breath out of her lungs.

Her heart was pounding in fear but fear never made her freeze.  That was a sure way to get killed.  When he pulled back a little she rammed her knee into his crotch.  That got her a backhand across the face and an even angrier man.  "I wear protection bitch."  He explained his lack of response to the knee.

"Oh, I thought you just didn't have a dick."  She growled at him and resisted the urge to check and see if her lip was bleeding.  Her hair was hanging in her eyes, but she didn't move it or take her eyes off of him.  She needed to keep him off the plane.  It didn't matter what he thought he was going to do here.  She wasn't going to let him.

********

"So you see this is a country wide problem."  Jean continued to explain to these kids why their leader had abandoned them and what he was doing.  They looked heartbroken, but were starting to believe her.  "You kids do have a place to stay if you want."  Her voice was gentle.

"We can't leave Renee in jail."  The oldest boy spoke.  "He said we'd get her out before he left."  He spit out the last few words.  It was clear he'd abandoned them.  His closet was empty.  He'd packed up the things they'd stolen as well.

Jean glanced at Scott.  "We can deal with getting Renee."  She didn't like ignoring the law, but the police knew the girl was a mutant, and things were probably about to get very bad for Renee if they didn't get her out of jail soon.  The Police didn't have a history of tolerance with mutants.

********

Fuck, Christy thought as she was bounced off the edge of the plane door again.  Only her fierce disregard for her own safety made it so that she could push him back onto the ramp.  Undoubtedly without her mutation she'd be unconscious from the blows he was landing.  He was stronger than he looked, but still not super strong. 

She regained her balance and just rushed him, grabbing him around the waist and trying to ignore the fists that beat on her back trying to get her to let go.  They tumbled down the ramp away from the door.  That was her only goal at the moment, keep him away.

She landed on the bottom of their human tumbleweed, her back slamming into the edge of the ramp.  Pain radiated all over from that and she couldn't moved for a moment because of it, a moment that he took advantage of to hit her in the face.  "Stay down you fucking crazy bitch!"  He growled at her and got up to kick her hard in the ribs, surely hard enough to break them.  Christy had to remind herself they weren't there.  She concentrated on the fact that she had no bones to break, hoping that would keep the bones from being there to receive the punishment of the second kick which sent her the rest of the way down the ramp to land near his backpack.

He straddled her, holding her down.  "Honey, when I'm done on the plane maybe I'll take you to the bushes and"  His hips started to thrust into her with every word.  "Pick your locks."

"You don't have a tool for that dickless."  Christy glared at him and struggled to move, but his hold on her was too strong. She'd be damned if this asshole was going to rape her.  She'd managed to avoid such a fate on her world.  Bigger men than him had thought about it.  None had got the chance.  She took some satisfaction in the fact he didn't seem to like her lack of fear.

This time when he hit her very hard she went limp and pretended that he'd knocked her out.  He tested her by squeezing her breast, but she refused to react to it.  Her shirt buttons had been ripped off in the fight and his hand cupped her bra-clad breast, but she did nothing even though she wanted to fight him.  She needed him to back off enough for her to try to fight again.  Right now she was pinned too well to do anything.

"You're spirited, I'll give you that."  He stood up.  Christy relied on her ears to tell her what he was doing because she could practically feel his eyes on her.  He groan as he straightened up and Christy was relieved that she'd at least managed to hurt him.  Still she didn't react as soon as he backed off.  She needed to catch him by surprise.

She could hear him rummaging around in his backpack and she risked opening her eyes.  He wasn't looking at her.  A slight smirk came to her lips as her foot shot out and wiped his legs out from under him.  Christy moved quickly to straddle him and slam her fist into his face like he'd done to her.  It didn't work for her any better than it did him.  He was still conscious. 

She noticed that his bag's contents fell out and her eyes hardened when she saw the bomb.  He had planned to kill the others.  He was going to put that on the plane and kill them.  Her fist connected with a new savagery to his jaw, and she hit him a few times alternating fists until she finally noticed he was unconscious.  She had no idea when that had happened.  His face was cut and bruise.

She didn't have anything to tie him up with and didn't want to leave him alone.  She risked touching the bomb to make sure it hadn't been activated yet.  It looked safe enough.

Without taking her eyes off of him she tried to fix her appearance a bit.  The torn sleeve of her shirt was ripped off completely.  She ripped off her other sleeve just to make them match.  The shirt was a goner anyhow.  She tied her shirt exposing her stomach, but at least covering her bra.  It was surely more exposure than she was used to, but it would have to do. 

"You planned to kill them."  Her voice was cold as she stared down at him.  She wasn't one prone to rage, but she'd been beyond mad once she realized his plan.  If she hadn't been left behind it might have worked.

********

They walked through the neighbors yard with four children in tow.  Emma was going to be very glad to get them back to the school and out of her hair.  The idea that the man that set up that group home was still free frustrated her.

"I told her to stay in the plane."  Scott muttered as they noticed the ramp was down.

"I don't believe Christy intended to disobey."  Hank said, his eyes being a bit better than theirs.  "She appears to have an uninvited guest."  Emma sent out her mind to encounter the unconscious man Christy was sitting next to on the ramp.

"It's the man we were after."  A slight smirk came to her lips.  This trip wasn't as unsuccessful as they'd thought.  They walked a bit faster towards the plane, with kids in tow.

When they got closer Emma noticed the man certainly looked like he lost a fight.  Christy's hair was wild around her face and her shirt ruined.  "What happened?"  Scott demanded, ignoring the staring children.

"I got my ass kicked keeping this guy off the plane."  Christy handed Scott a backpack.  "He had a bomb.  I didn't know what to do with it."