Notes: Since it may be a little difficult to find info on him, "Ernie" first appeared in Generation X #5 (with Marrow, but under another name) as a member of Gene Nation. If you don't know who they are, brush up on your Morlock history.
Chapter 12: Illyana's Gift
Illyana wasn't sure why, but she was actually starting to like Deathbird.
Mikhail had only been gone for a couple of hours, but the Shi'ar woman had already proven herself to be a good cook and a master chess player. Illyana didn't even mind losing every game, so long as Deathbird kept playing with her.
She was more than a little surprised when Deathbird suddenly glanced at the clock and announced, "This will be the last game. Then you'll go to bed."
Illyana pouted. "But even Professor X never made me go to bed this early!"
Deathbird arched an eyebrow. "Then he cannot be much of a teacher. If you don't get enough rest, you won't be alert. If you are not alert…bad things can happen."
"But wouldn't you protect me from any bad things?" Illyana asked.
The woman smiled slightly. "Of course, child. But there are things that even I, with all my power, cannot turn back. So you must help me keep you safe as best you can."
"I guess I never thought of it that way."
"You would not. You are not Shi'ar like I am, and I seriously doubt Mikhail would make you do anything you didn't want to."
"He's trying to be extra nice to me." Illyana lowered her head. "Since we never spent any time together."
"I would rather see you disappointed than dead, child." Deathbird glanced at the game again, and moved her queen into position almost absently. "Checkmate."
"How do you DO that?" the girl asked in awe.
"Strategy and power," Deathbird replied simply. "Come. I will show you where you'll be sleeping."
* * * * *
Marrow gasped as she awoke from the nightmare, the screams still ringing in her ears. She forced herself to calm down, and was only slightly dismayed to find three large bones spikes protruding from her arm. They had not ejected from her, thanks largely to Nate's telekinetic shield. While it clearly couldn't stop the bones from emerging, it did keep them from flying out and hurting anyone.
~"Everything okay down there, Marrow?"~
She jumped a little, still not completely used to hearing Nate's voice in her head. ~"Yeah. Nightmare."~
~"Feel like talking about it?"~
~"No. Just need something to drink. Don't get up."~ Marrow crawled out of her sleeping bag and silently crept past Piotr's bed, determined not to wake at least one of her roommates.
She was halfway to the kitchen when she felt…something. It was nothing like Nate's presence in her head, but at the same time, it was just as comforting. It was a smell, she realized at once. Something that smelled like safety, like family, like…home. And while Marrow was certain she could not recall the smell at all, something in her head insisted that she knew it well.
She made a detour and ended up at the rec room. There was a dim, flickering light that spilled out from under the closed door, and the smell was stronger than ever now.
Marrow eased the door open and walked in. She could make out a small, trembling figure over by the window. On the sill, there was a thick, violet candle, the flame dancing slightly as the breeze from the door caught it.
At that, the figure stopped trembling and bolted upright. Even in the dim light, she knew the face, streaked with tears as it was.
"Ernie?" Marrow asked softly, confusion in her voice. "What are you doing down here so late?"
He looked away and wiped quickly at his face. "I-I can't s-sleep a lot. I-I come down h-here to t-think."
Marrow hesitated in the doorway for a moment, before making up her mind and closing the door behind her. Ernie seemed to relax slightly as she sat down beside him, her eyes on the candle. "That looks like one of Ms. Munroe's."
He nodded. "I-I like it. She l-lets me b-borrow them."
There was silence for a few moments as they both watched the tiny flame bob and shift slightly.
"Do you…ever think about…that night?" Marrow asked suddenly.
"You m-mean…" Ernie trailed off, his eyes widening a bit. "I-I try not to."
"I know. But, sometimes…it's like I don't want to remember…but I have to. Is it like that for you?"
"I-I remember things…b-before then. Like Callisto…a-and stealing f-food…a-and y-you…"
She blinked in surprise. "You knew me? Really?"
He nodded gravely. "You d-didn't have as m-much hair…a-and you c-couldn't control your b-bones as good. I remember Callisto t-took you away. She s-said you w-were going to a b-better place."
"It was better…for a little while." Marrow frowned. "But I messed it up by accident. I had to leave."
"You c-came b-back. But t-then that n-night…"
"Remy found me," she supplied. "Well, someone picked my egg up. I guess it was him. I knew he'd help me, cuz I remembered he used to help Callisto steal food for all of us."
"I-I don't t-think he likes m-me very much," Ernie muttered.
"He'll get used to you."
"How d-do you know?"
"Because I like you," Marrow said firmly, reaching down to squeeze his hand. "You're nice to me, and you're the only one here that understands what it's like to be a Morlock."
Ernie said nothing for a long moment. Then he glanced at the clock on the wall. "You s-should go back. Someone will c-come looking f-for you."
"So let them come." Marrow curled up beside him and laid her head against his leg.
He watched her until he was sure she was asleep. Then he slowly and carefully stroked her red hair, once and only once, before training his gaze on the candle.
In a corner of the room, a pair of crimson eyes flared slightly before vanishing back into the darkness.
* * * * *
~"Hello, Illyana."~
For a moment, Illyana almost thought she was still awake. That was, after all, when most people said hello.
~"No, you're still asleep…in a manner of speaking. And this is a dream…somewhat. Rather, it's your dream, and I've inserted myself into it."~
~"Who are you? Where are you?"~
~"It'd be easier to show you. Just a minute."~
It was as if someone had flipped on a light switch inside her head. Illyana had had some vivid dreams in the past, but this one was so sharp, so clear, that something told her it would be a long time before she could ever forget it.
She was back in the place that Mikhail had taken her earlier that day…Sector 6. Except there was only one person there this time, and he looked a lot less threatening than Deathbird first had.
He was a boy, probably only a year or two older than Illyana. He had blond hair and piercing blue eyes, the kind that could look right through a person if they needed to. All the same, she found it impossible to feel wary. Everything about him seemed to exude calmness and sincerity, and she felt she could trust him immediately.
~"My name,"~ he said (rather, thought directly into her head, as his mouth never moved), ~"is Franklin Richards. As you already guessed, I'm currently in Sector 6. Though, I'm not exactly on the tour you saw."~
~"How did you know my name?"~ Illyana asked. ~"Did Mikhail bring you here, too?"~
~"You're familiar with mutants. I am one. One of my powers is telepathy, so that's how I got your name. And yes, your brother did bring me here."~ He started to say something else, and then thought better of it.
She was not at all alarmed by the revelation, and instantly filed Franklin's face away with people like Nate, Dr. Grey, and Professor X in the back of her mind. ~"So why did you…um…'bring' me here?"~
~"There are things you must know, Illyana. Things no one else could or would tell you. I've brought you here to show you the truth."~
Illyana bit her lip. ~"You…you're going to tell me Miko's really dead, aren't you?"~
Franklin's expression softened ever so slightly. ~"No. In fact, he is very much alive. And that is, unfortunately, a big part of the problem."~
~"What…problem?"~
Franklin turned away and gestured towards a large, imposing machine giving off a steady hum behind him. ~"You remember this? It does, as Mikhail told you, house the three primary power generators of The Hill. Now, allow me to show you what he did not tell you."~
The air around the machine shimmered, and the front wall melted away.
Illyana gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. ~"But…there's…PEOPLE in there!"~
~ "Yes. Myself; my friend, Ray; and Deathbird's younger sister, Lilandra. For now, we are the primary generators. Lilandra is merely replacing the last one that failed, but Ray and I have been here for years."~
~"Failed? What do you mean…failed?"~
Franklin closed his eyes. ~"To the citizens of The Hill, we are only batteries. When a battery dies, you replace it. The latest was a boy who called himself Proteus. I was not fond of him…but he did not deserve what they did to him. None of us do."~
~"I-I don't understand,"~ Illyana said softly. ~"Why would Miko let this happen? Why would he bring you here…?"~
~"Despite his position of leadership here, I cannot blame your brother for my suffering. I do not believe he is aware of all this."~
~"You mean…he doesn't know?"~ she asked hopefully.
~"Not exactly."~ Franklin hesitated for a moment. ~"Illyana, your brother is insane. He has no idea that what he's doing is wrong or even harmful to us. When he looks at us, he only sees power sources. He doesn't realize that we're living, breathing people like him."~ Illyana said nothing, so he went on. ~"The Hill itself somehow exists outside the world you came from, yet alongside it. But it is not a normal world. The Hill…is alive. How, I'm not sure. I don't even know if it was like that before I was brought here. But it is a world of illusions layered upon illusions, and to maintain them all, it requires incredible amounts of psychic energy. Mikhail tracks down mutants with psychic powers and brings them here. The Hill taps into our power and drains as much as it needs at any given time to keep its masks on."~
Illyana simply stared at him.
~"I know it's a lot to take in, and it's asking even more for you to just take my word on all this. You're probably thinking this is just a crazy dream. But I can prove to you that this is all very real, and that what I'm telling you is all true."~
~"How?"~ Illyana asked after a few seconds.
Franklin closed his eyes again. ~"In ten minutes, Deathbird is going to come and check on you. Five minutes after she's gone, you'll hear my voice…and this time, you'll be awake when you do. Then I'll give you all the evidence you need. "~
~"How…how do I know you're not messing with my head?"~ she asked.
~"I suppose you don't. Search your heart, Illyana. Only you can decide whether you trust me or not. Even if you don't, you know something in this world isn't right. You shouldn't be here. But since you are, maybe you can help us set things right."~ Franklin opened his eyes and stared at her. ~"If you do help us, I promise I will personally do everything I can to get you home safely."~
~ "But…why me? If you know Miko is my brother, what makes you think you can trust me?"~
He smiled warmly. ~"Because as much as you love Mikhail, there is another brother you love even more. We both know that he is the one you belong with. If Mikhail was truly in his right mind, do you really think he would keep Piotr from seeing you?"~
* * * * *
Professor X frowned as he held Illyana's fuzzy black bear at arm's length. "I certainly sense the strong link you spoke of, Nate. But I see no way to re-activate this 'doorway' that Illyana was taken through." He handed the bear back to Piotr. "Son, are you sure there's nothing more you can tell us about the bear? Anything at all that might be significant? Something only family would know, perhaps?"
Piotr shook his head. "Only the obvious, and I've already told you that. Illyana always called it Miko, after our eldest brother, Mikhail. She could never get his name right when she was younger. Sometimes, she would pretend the bear actually was him. I thought it wasn't healthy at first, but she grew so attached to it so quickly, and I couldn't see any good reason to take it from her. I did think it strange that our father had managed to get a black bear, as they weren't really all that common where we lived. Perhaps even he was reminded of Mikhail when he found it."
"Petey?" Jubilee asked suddenly. "Illyana's never…tried to go off and find Miko on her own, has she?"
"No, of course not," Piotr replied. "My parents never actually told her that he was dead. But one day she asked me to take her to where he was buried."
"Did you?"
"No. Mikhail died in an explosion, in space. There were honorary graves…but I never visited them. I didn't feel Mikhail's soul was really there. His body certainly wasn't. I explained that to Illyana, and she seemed to agree with me."
"Maybe she just agreed that his soul wasn't there, because she thought it was somewhere else, like in her bear," Nate suggested.
"I…suppose it is possible she thought that," Piotr said slowly. "But how does that explain her disappearance?"
"I have a crazy theory. And I know it's crazy, I just said so. But I'm living proof that it's possible, so everybody hear me out."
"We're listening, Nate," Professor X said.
"This link we've all picked up proves that Illyana not only felt especially close to Mikhail's soul, but proves that she was. So I'm thinking maybe some Mikhail from an alternate universe picked up on it and pulled her into his world, and used her connection to the bear to do it."
"I cannot believe that my brother—any version of him—would kidnap Illyana," Piotr said firmly. "He would not just take her away from her—OUR family with no warning, or explanation, or…"
"I hate to say it, Piotr, but people change," Nate pointed out. "Especially in alternate universes…"
* * * * *
True to his word, Franklin called out to Illyana after Deathbird had left.
~"Are you willing to trust me, Illyana?"~
~"Yes. For now."~
~"I can work with that. The first thing we need to do is bring you here."~
~"You want me to sneak out?! Deathbird could hear me a mile away!"~
~"She won't hear you. Open your mind to me, Illyana. You possess a talent that you are not even aware of. But you will be very soon. We just need to draw it out into the open."~
A strange warmth rushed through her body, and for an intensely humiliating moment, she was certain she'd wet the bed. But then she seemed to be hurtling through the air, and the next thing she knew, she was standing before the machine in Sector 6 again. Only this was no dream, she actually WAS in Sector 6 now.
"How…what did you…?"
Franklin appeared before her. At least, it looked like him. Somehow, though, she sensed it wasn't. Not really.
~"This is an astral projection of me, Illyana. I can't turn the machine off from inside, but he can show you what to do."~
Minutes later, the machine let out a loud hiss as it slowed down and then stopped. The front panel slid away, similar to the way it had in her dream, but different all the same.
"Franklin? Are you okay in there?" Illyana asked as steam poured out of the open panel.
Franklin's head eventually emerged. He was, of course, nothing like it had been in the dream. There, he'd been composed and neat, seemingly perfect. Now, he was scruffy and soaked in sweat. But it was definitely him.
"Thank you, Illyana," he sighed as he carefully stepped out and leaned against the machine.
A woman who had to be Lilandra, as she looked too much like Deathbird to be anyone else, followed him. She held a sleeping girl carefully in her arms as she stepped out. "I do not think she'll be waking up soon."
"That's probably for the best. She needs to recover her strength." Franklin took a step forward and nearly collapsed, but Illyana caught him just in time.
"I think you do, too," she advised.
"There's no time for that," he insisted, leaning on her shoulder. "We have to free the other psychics. It's the only way The Hill will ever weaken enough for us to escape."
"I will stay here and look after the girl," Lilandra said.
"Do either of you know where the keys are? Or maybe a map so we don't get lost?" Illyana asked.
Franklin smiled. "We don't need either. Between you and I, we have everything we need to free the others. Haven't you wondered how I managed to bring you here, Illyana?"
"Yes…but I thought that was one of your powers?"
"No. That was your power. I merely turned it on for you. You've had it inside you the whole time."
"Then…I'm a mutant, too?" Illyana asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes. From now on, you should be able to take us wherever we need to go. You only need to have a clear image of the place in your mind beforehand. I can help with that." He placed a hand on her forehead.
Illyana gasped as an image of a cell with a large iron door sprang into her mind's eye.
"Get a good look at it. Once you're ready, wish we were there."
She closed her eyes and imagined herself and Franklin standing in front of the cell. Instantly, the strange warmth returned, starting in her stomach and spreading throughout her body. It was quickly followed by a fleeting sense of weightlessness that vanished as suddenly as it had come.
"Open your eyes, Illyana. We're here."
She risked a peek, and was shocked to see the cell before her. "I…I did it?"
"You did. Now it's my turn." Franklin raised his hand and frowned at the great door, as if it were an annoyance.
There was a long, loud groan as the door slowly slid open, as if it had always been unlocked. The dim light from the hallway spilled into the cell, revealing a ghostly pale figure chained to the floor.
"Stay here, Illyana," Franklin instructed as he stepped into the cell. "Wake up, Boost. It's time to go."
The chains rattled as the thin youth raised his head, his large, pink eyes blinking slowly. "Psi-Lord? Can it really be you, after all this time?"
Franklin stopped at once. "How did you…?"
"The others all told me that you would save us. I did not dare believe them, but you have come…" He lowered his head and began to sob quietly.
"Why did he call you Psi-Lord, Franklin?" Illyana whispered.
"…it's a long story. Let's just say it's a nickname I picked up along the way." Franklin bent down and studied the chains. "Can you escape from these chains, Boost?"
"No, sir. They are designed to block my mutant power. I have tried, but…"
"That's okay." Franklin glanced at the doorway. "Illyana, I need your help again."
"I don't know anything about picking locks," she informed them as she walked over.
"You don't need to. You're going to teleport Boost outside of the cell. You only need to concentrate on taking him and leaving the chains behind."
"But…what if I mess up? What if I hurt him by accident?"
"You won't," Franklin promised. "You brought me all the way here, and he weighs less than I do. You're just taking him a few feet. I know you can do this, or I wouldn't ask you to."
Illyana took a deep breath and gently placed her hands on Boost's arm, trying to ignore how much it resembled a bone. It took a little longer, but she was able to summon the warmth again, and soon found herself outside the cell with Boost perfectly intact.
"Excellent work," Franklin said as he emerged next. With an almost careless motion, he gestured to the door, which shut itself behind them. "Everything from this point on should be much easier."
"Why is that?" Illyana asked.
"Boost has a very useful mutant power. He'll show you what I mean. Boost, if you would?"
With a nod, Boost turned toward Illyana. His body seemed to convert into a silvery mist as it leaped at her, rushing into her chest.
She gasped as something like a weak electric shock raced throughout her body.
~"I hope I did not frighten you,"~ he apologized from within her head.
Illyana blinked a few times. "What just happened…?"
~"My power allows me to enter the bodies of others and give them full control over their powers. You will find it much easier to teleport while I'm within you."~
She seemed confused. ~"But…don't you mind it at all? Not having a body?"~
~"I like to think of myself as a servant of mutantkind. If I need only to give up my physical form temporarily in order to help my brothers and sisters, so be it. Besides, it's not uncomfortable. You have a very pleasant mind…so full of optimism and hope. It's a welcome change."~
Illyana smiled at that and turned to Franklin, who seemed to be staring into space. "Now what?"
He blinked and looked at her. "Now, we free all the psychics. But we have to do it in an instant."
"What? But that's impossible!"
Franklin smiled. "No, it isn't. We happen to be three very exceptional people." He tapped his forehead. "In here, I have memorized the names, faces, and cell numbers of every psychic ever imprisoned here. I'm going to share that information with you, and once you have it all, you're going to teleport them all out of here to a location I've already picked out. I'll also give you an image of what it looks like, of course."
"I…I don't think I can do that! I mean, I've only done this three times!" Illyana protested.
~"You should not doubt Psi-Lord,"~ Boost chided in her head. ~"He can do great things with the power of his mind. If he says we can do something, then we can."~
"Don't be afraid, Illyana," Franklin said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I know this is all very new to you. But you must understand that countless lives depend on our success. Each of these prisoners has a home they miss…most have a family that misses them in return. Would you deny them the right to go home? It is a right that everyone should have…even you. And I promise you will go home, when we've liberated everyone."
Illyana bit her lip. "Okay. I'll try."
"That is all I ask." Franklin cupped her face in his hands and closed his eyes. "Open your mind to me. I'm going to share the knowledge with you."
It was like someone had opened a floodgate of faces. Illyana had never seen so many different kinds of people before. Each of them had its own personal story, and which each passing face, she grew more and more terrified at what Mikhail had done to them. How could he not see them as the people they so obviously were? How could he snatch them from their homes? How dare he take HER from her home? If she had not believed Franklin before about Mikhail's madness, she did now.
~"They are all depending on you, Illyana,"~ Franklin announced in her head. ~"You must be their savior now. Only you can set them free."~
"Then I will," she whispered, calling upon her own power again. It hit her in a rush this time, supported by Boost's own power. Not only could she feel the warmth in her own body, she could feel it rippling throughout all of Sector 6, reaching out to include all the faces she'd seen.
"That's all of them," Franklin murmured softly. "Here's where we're going."
An image of a large, grassy field surrounded by tall, rocky cliffs on all sides popped up in her mind.
"It's time, Illyana. It's time to go."
She nodded and focused. The weightless feeling as upon at her once, and this time she dared to open her eyes as she felt her body tugged upwards. There were flashes of red and black, but nothing that she could make out. It was all gone in a matter of seconds, and she suddenly found herself landing across Franklin's chest.
He wheezed as all the air was forced out of him, but still managed to smile. "You got distracted," he said knowingly, "but I do believe you've done it."
Illyana rolled off of him and looked around. They were surrounded by all of the people she'd seen in her head. Most of them had landed just as ungracefully as she had, but they seemed to be unhurt. All of them looked confused as to how they'd gotten there, but the realization that they were free was setting in quickly, and a cheer began to go up.
Franklin fell back into the grass and closed his eyes, laughing loudly. "We did it. We really did it!"
Amidst all the shouting, Illyana suddenly remembered something. ~"Are you okay, Boost?"~
~"I am fine. But I must admit I have never seen so many people, so…happy before."~
~"Get used to it, Boost,"~ Franklin chuckled. ~"I have a feeling every last one of them is going to want to shake your hand."~
Illyana then caught sight of a small girl fighting her way through the cheering crowd. "Hey, isn't that…?"
"Frankie!" squealed the tiny redhead as she launched herself at Franklin, knocking him over in her excitement.
"Good to see you, Ray," he answered, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Where'd you leave Lilandra?"
"I am here," said the Shi'ar woman as she emerged from the crowd next. "I assume that all went well?"
"I guess it did," Franklin replied, casting a long look around. "But this is just the first step. There is much to do, but they'll all be safe here for now."
"Are you certain? Deathbird will be outraged when she finds all the prisoners gone. She will be particularly upset that I managed to escape."
"You let me worry about her. For now, we'd best get Illyana back into bed. She and Boost both need their rest, and they won't get it if they're together."
Illyana felt her body relax as Boost rushed out of her, landing in a crouch in front of her. "Wow. I'm really sleepy all of a sudden…"
"The loss of my presence can have that effect," Boost explained.
"All the more reason to hurry." Franklin reached for Illyana's hand. "Thank you. Without you, none of this would've been possible."
Illyana pushed his hand away and pulled him into a big hug. "Something tells me you would've found a way eventually…but you're welcome."
Franklin hesitantly returned the embrace. "I promise you will go home soon."
"Here's not so bad," she replied, giving him a big smile as she stepped back and promptly vanished.
Endnotes: For those of you unfamiliar with Marrow, Ernie, or Boost:
(Gah…forgot FF.Net doesn't allow web addresses anymore)
Geocities, and then:
/Area51/Realm/5113/mainpag1*htm (* = .)
It's got tons of info on Marrow. Check the Allies section for Gene Nation & Morlocks. (You won't actually see anyone named Ernie, but more than likely you can guess who he is)