The Persia Saga

by Loganberryx

After the rescue of Xavier's god-daughter, Kaylan O'Connor, Logan finds that she is not all she seems to be. So begins a journey of discovery; of love, hate and new mutant powers.

14. Chapter 13: Dreams

Title: The Persia Saga – Chapter 13: Dreams.

Author: Logan Berry

Summary: After taking the serum, Kay starts to experience new sensations. She attends classes with the youngest kids to try to understand her new abilities.

Rating/warning & pairing: PG-13 language

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to any Marvel Characters. Kaylan O'Connor is a fictional character and is owned by the above author.

Feedback: Very welcome

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hold on, Hold on to yourself, For this is gonna hurt like hell….

…..You know that only time will tell, What is it in me that refuses to believe….

…..Am I in heaven here or am I in hell. At the crossroads I am standing…

Hold On, Sarah McLaclan

ooooooooooooooooo

A paw rested lightly on the soft fur of the carcass; claws slowly extending, pressed without effort, into the fresh pelt. Deep ruddy blood welled up around them. Standing proud and majestic over its fallen prey, the creature scanned the horizon; which was empty in all directions. Wild pig or antelope, it made no difference, the outcome for its victim was still the same.

It closed its eyes, savouring the heady sweet smell of its kill; the shameless pleasure of the predator. The pin-sharp rows of incisors glinted white in the shimmering sun light as the creature opened its mouth, lowering its head towards its meal. The first press of its nose into the still-warm, moist flesh sending an uncontrollable shiver of delight through it's body. It dabbed the tip of its pink tongue into a pool of salty red juice, lapping at the gooey fluid with delicate precision. It paused, relishing the sensual pleasure, bordering on wild elation.

The first bite was the most satisfying; its teeth pressed forward, slicing through the tender meat like it was melting butter. The thick warm liquid bursting upon its tongue, mixing with it's saliva as it drove deeper into the flesh. Purrs of self-satisfaction filled the air. Pulling away with this first fresh chunk, it did not chew it, but let the slice slither down its throat, craving for the sensation to never end….

Kaylan woke with a start; her body covered in sweat and the sheets thrown to the floor. It was the dream again. Turning to the bedside table she groaned seeing the clock blinked 3am. Breathing heavily, she pushed herself up and headed to the bathroom. Blinking in the bright light, she absently ran the cold water and splashed it on her face, staring at herself in the mirror as the water ran down her cheeks. "Who am I?" she contemplated.

She climbed out of her pyjamas, peeling off the damp clothing, and tossing it to the floor. Wandering naked, back into the bedroom she pulled at the curtains and threw open the French windows. The warm night air blew over her skin and she shivered from its caress. She stood for a long moment, her slim body bathed in silver moonlight, a hand on each door trying to push the dream from her mind. "No going back now...just have to stick it out." With a sigh she turned and climbed back onto the damp bed.

For the third night in a row, the dream of the creature had woken her from her sleep and she knew when she closed her eyes it would return. Her scientific mind told her it was just the start of her treatment; her x-gene asserting itself. But she was terrified by the prospect, a natural response she told herself; fear of the unknown, no control. Yet it left her with an inexplicable feeling of arousal; a sense of power, a freedom of spirit, feelings of such intensity she had never before experienced. She knew her only choice was to ride it out, but how long would the nightly visitations last, she did not know. "Maybe this is it; maybe this is how I will live my life from now on." She shivered at the thought and tried to push it from her mind, turning over and clutching the pillow to her chest, she closed her eyes thinking back to the morning her new life started.

ooooooo

"It'll be ok, I promise." Jean smiled.

Kaylan tried to look down the length of her body to the end of the medi-bed where Jean stood. For a brief moment she experienced a strange feeling of deja-vu. Somehow she had been in this same situation before, but the moment passed as Jean spoke.

"I'm only going to give you a very small dose to begin with." Jean reassured her, "We have to make sure you don't have any nasty reactions."

Kay's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Jean fill the small syringe from one of the vials. "Logan?" she whispered. The presence of her new-found friend, at what was to be her 're-birthing' as she'd jokingly called it, meant a great deal to her. She had approached him with the request at breakfast and with a curt nodded and well-hidden feelings of pride and privilege, he accepted.

"'I'm here darlin'," Logan stepped up to the side of the bed wrapping his large hands around her small fingers in comfort. "It's gonna be ok." He added, gently squeezing her hand. She tried to smile but the fear was clear in her eyes. The scent of fright and sadness mingled together and shades of green and blue coloured his vision. But today it didn't matter, "She can make me see whatever she wants, it ain't gonna bother me. Hell, she's brave."

"My dear, try to relax." The soft baritone voice of Charles whispered from the other side of the bed. She turned to face her uncle, remembering that gentle voice from when she was a child. "There is nothing to fear."

"Alright, we're ready." Jean announced as she stepped up to the bed, taking Kaylan's left arm by the wrist.

"Kaylan," Charles murmured. "I have to ask you one more time. Is this what you what? Your life is about to change forever."

Kay smiled at him, tears welling up in her eyes, a myriad emotions flowing through her. Nothing in her entire life had prepared her for this moment, but she knew her future was indeed inevitable. She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, uncle, it's what I want."

Kaylan stiffened with anticipation as Jean cleaned the soft patch of skin on her arm with a cotton swab. Charles tried to take her mind off it. "Kaylan, do you remember when you were a child and I used to visit?" She nodded. "Do you remember the stories I used to tell you?"

"Oh yes, I do." She smiled.

"Do you remember the unicorn? Concentrate on him like I taught you, my dear. " It was one of Charles' mind-relaxing techniques which he had used on Kaylan as a small child during the traumatic period of the loss of her mother and her father's estrangement. Now, he recalled the technique to help her through yet another unpleasant event.

The memories of her childhood came flooding back; long hours alone in the town house, filled only with private tutors and the constant fussing of her nanny. Her days were made brighter by the regular visits of her dear God-father, Uncle Charles who would spend hours telling her stories and playing games. She recalled the happy feelings she always felt at his visits and how they had always been so much more intense than at other times. He had never told her how he had helped her through that year by easing her mind with pleasant thoughts, but now he would be revealing his gift.

Kaylan pictured the unicorn of her childhood in her mind's eye. As Charles closed his eyes, suddenly the mythical creature was cantering through her brain; bright dazzling colours shimmering in its mane, its hooves leaving a trail of sparks as it ran. The image was so vivid, just as she remembered it from so long ago.

"All done." Jean's voice broke in and the galloping creature vanished from Kaylan's mind. The procedure was over. Kay opened her eyes as Jean placed a Band-Aid over the puncture mark. "Nothing we can do now, but wait."

Looking up, she fixed Charles with a mischievous eye. "It was you all along wasn't it?" She murmured. "You made the unicorn for me when I was a child."

Charles smiled, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. "Yes, it helped you through so much Kaylan. I thought it would help now."

Kay slowly climbed off the bed. "Thank you uncle, it did." Sighing in relief, she swung her legs off the bed, rubbing her forearm. "That's it," she thought, "no going back now."

Logan looked bemused. "Enough with the mythical animals you two, how ya feelin' Kay?"

She turned to face him. "I feel fine, I think."

"You may experience some side effects in the next few days, but with the small dose I've given you they shouldn't be too bad. Let me know immediately if you experience anything, ok.?"

"I will. Thank you Jean, and you as well uncle." She bent and kissed him on the cheek. Turning she headed for the door, with Logan following behind her. "I think I'll get some fresh air, take a walk in th…." Kaylan's sentence was cut short as a wave of dizziness washed over her and her legs buckled. Logan, stepped in, scooping her up as she keeled sideways. He carried her back to the medi-bed as she protested. "I'm ok, I'm…", but her head swam and her vision fizzed.

Jean busied herself checking Kay's vitals. Her temperature was up a little and her heart was racing but her blood pressure was near normal and she showed no other symptoms that gave Jean cause for concern. "I think even that small dose is having an effect. Plenty of rest for you my dear. Doctor's orders."

"I'll make sure o' that, she ain't goin' no-where." Logan growled in mock aggression as he winked at Kay.

"Make sure she doesn't Logan. I don't what to have to get Scott to post a 24 hour watch." Jean giggled.

"I promise Jean, I'll stay in my room and get some sleep."

ooooooo

Now as she lay naked, clammy and tired in her bed clutching her pillow, that first morning of her new life seemed such a long time ago. The dizzy spells had passed, but with their departure came the dreams and night-sweats. She couldn't decide which was worse and tomorrow would be her second injection, "Lord-knows what will happen next." She thought as she finally closed her eyes and let the dream play out once more.

oooooo

"I know your going to feel a bit awkward. But would you like to sit in on one of my classes?" Jean asked. The two women sat in the small study, which acted as a staff common-room, drinking tea.

Whilst Jean expressed how pleased she was with Kaylan's progress, Kaylan resolved not to reveal the strangely erotic animal dreams she had been having. She felt a little uncomfortable about them and their content and even though all the house-hold had made her so welcome, she still felt it would take time for her be that comfortable with these new people.

Jean continued. "When new students arrive, we have a series of induction classes. You know, lay a few ground rules, and teach them how to behave at the school. But also, and the professor feels very strongly about this, we teach them how to deal with their powers, how to control them and how to use them for good. If you felt like joining in…" she offered.

"I would love to. It's been a while since I've been in a classroom. I miss it and I think it would help me…. Adjust."

"Great, well there's no time like the present. I have a class starting right about now."

Jean lead the way to one of the seminar rooms at the far end of the school. The boisterous noise of prattling children could be heard all the way down the corridor. Many of the children had only been pupils at the school for a few days; some had only just arrived. Everything was new and exciting to these 12 to 14 years olds as they began to make new friends and found for the first time they could impress their fellow classmates instead of frightening them.

"We call this class 'Dealing With Mutation,' DWM–101 for short, but some of the older children have jokingly taken to calling it WMD–101, Warning Mutant Danger - 101as we occasionally have the odd mishap when new students can't control their mutations, but really it's rare. The children at first are usually only allowed to use their abilities to train in a special program in the danger room with the staff, but the reason a lot of them are here is because of their lack of ability to control their new found gifts."

As the two women entered the room there was a scramble for desks and a hush descended on the assembly. "Please Kaylan, take a seat."

Kaylan walked through the rows of children to an empty desk two rows from the front. She squeezed herself into the chair, designed - she realised as she breathed in - for much smaller frames than hers. Even after all her years as a lecturer and academic, sitting with the children brought back the vivid feelings of pre-pubescent awkwardness and embarrassment; memories of her first day at prep school in Switzerland and how the other children had called her names because of her piercing blue eyes. Yet, as she looked at the youngsters around her - some outwardly no different to any other teens, others clearly ill-at-ease by their obvious mutations - she realised that she was truly privileged to be surrounded by such extraordinary people.

"What's your thing miss?" a small but authoritative voice demanded causing Kay to look round. Sitting to her right a small girl sat alone. She had dark brown hair that hung in two untidy plats and a ruddy complexion like she's been playing out in the cold. She faced Kaylan, grinning with a wide smile of braced teeth.

"My thing? Oh you mean my mutation." Kaylan felt surprised by the child's bluntness but also by her reaction to it, 'my mutation'; like it had always been there. She smiled to herself. "I'm getting used to it, I think?" "I'm a cat, of some sort, not sure just yet." She answered simply.

"Ya don't look like a cat, miss? Where's ya tail, and ya whiskers, all cats have whiskers." The child added with some authority.

"Well I don't have those just yet, I've only been a mutant for a few days."

"A few days!" The girl screeched, "but you're a grown-up. Your like really old. How come you only just became a mutant?"

"It's a long story…?" Kay fished for a name from the little girl.

"Annabelle, miss."

"You don't have to call me 'miss' Annabelle, Kaylan will do just fine."

"Ok." She added nonchalantly. For a moment the young girl examined her quizzically; arms lying folded on top of her desk with her chin resting on her hands and her head tilted to one side.

"Maybe I can tell you about my abilities another time, when they've developed a little."

"Annabelle!" Jean exclaimed. "Please concentrate on the task. You can talk to Miss O'Connor after class."

"Yes mam." the child replied a little dejected.

Kay patted her on the arm and winked. "It's alright." she whispered. Annabelle's face lit up and her chest swelled with satisfaction; she had found herself an ally, and an adult one at that. Pleased with her new-found friend and hoping the other children would notice, Annabelle sat up straight and turned to face the front of the class. Kaylan smiled to herself at the young child's obvious pleasure and settled back to listen to Jean's lesson on Mutant Etiquette.

00000000

"Ok class, now that we've been through the rules, we're going to try a little technique for dealing with those awkward moments when you don't feel in control of your powers. Now what's the first thing we do?" Jean addressed the class. Several hands rose into the air. "Jonas?"

A small green-haired boy eagerly waved his hand above his head, more clawed fingers covered in scales. "Takth a deep breath Mith Grey." The boy whispered shyly, his pink forked-tongue protruding slightly from his mouth as he spoke.

"Yes, Jonas, good answer. What else?" Another sea of hands rose. "Crystal?"

A tall child sitting close to the window, wrapped in thick, padded garments, lowered her shimmering glass-like fingers as she answered. "Ask politely to be excused."

"Good, ok, now I'm going to teach you some breathing techniques for you to use once you have excused yourself and found a place to sit quietly for a while."

Jean set about explaining the simple breath control, giving a short demonstration and then asking the children to join in. Kaylan closed her eyes and began the repetitive process; breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth.

As she began the visualisation those same strange feelings that manifested themselves in her dream began to grow. Slowly at first, odd flashes of the creature flickered in her mind. She tried to push them aside; to focus on Jean's voice guiding the class further into the meditation and the forest-scene Jean was describing. But the pull of those potent emotions grew ever stronger; the sense of power and freedom enticing her deeper into the waking dream. She felt the eyes of the beast suddenly upon her, scowling back at her. Irritated by the intrusion, it turned away. Filled with fear yet unable to stop herself she timidly raised her hand and reached out. Her fingers shook, yet the creature ignored her. Her outward reach seemed to take forever and then,

"WWWEEERRRRAAAWWW" the cat whirled on its haunches, mouth wide in anger, saliva dripping from its sharp white teeth. In an instant it lashed out a paw, catching her and slicing deep tracks into her outstretched arm. The pain seemed so real, blood oozing out onto the flesh and Kay yelped at the burning sensation, her eyes suddenly opening in shocked surprise.

"Kaylan, its alright, I'm right here with you, are you ok?" Jean was already by her side. Sensing the growing wave of powerful emotions building in the woman she had made her way quickly through the desks gently opening her telepathic link into Kaylan's mind to help her through her experiences. Kay blinked as reality reasserted itself. "yes, yes." She exhaled, "I think so, it was just a vision, I'm ok."

Jean was more than a little concerned. She had seen the creature manifested in Kaylan's mind and she sensed also it was not Kaylan's first encounter with it. "You've seen it before." She whispered. Kay nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how." Kay answered, rubbing her temples.

"Maybe we should call it quits for today."

"No, no I want to continue if you will let me." Kay looked around the class, a complete stillness had descended as the children stared at her; some a little afraid, others curious at the woman's behaviour.

"Alright, but any more signs like that and your off to the medi-lab." Kay nodded agreement and smiled. "Alright class, lets start again."

Once again, Kaylan closed her eyes as Jean gently coaxed them back into their meditation. As the feelings returned Kay fought to control them; like a deep-sea fisherman reeling in his catch, she let the feelings run then, pulled back with every ounce of her being. Slowly her confidence grew, the emotions easing and becoming familiar. This time as the big cat appeared in her minds-eye she reached out with a steady hand. A sense of relief coursed through her body as she felt the first touch of fur under her fingers; It's side rising and falling as it breathed in and out. With each breath a deep rumbling purr escaped it's throat. She pressed her hand to it, feeling it's warmth. And as Jean continued her gentle dialogue, Kay moved closer to the animal, kneeling at it's side and feeling its fur against her as she lay her body lightly over it.

Suddenly her whole being was filled with a bright feeling of inner peace and contentment; the fear and hostility that usually accompanied the creature was ebbing away. She felt herself sink into the animal's skin; the softness and warmth surrounding her, pressing at her legs, arms, face and torso, yet it was not claustrophobic or uncomfortable but powerful and tender. She felt a strong sense of acceptance. Finally she and the creature-within met on equal terms; the merging of the two, human and animal, had begun.

She opened her eyes wide, as if seeing for the first time. All around her was bright and clear, every nuance of the room, normally unnoticed by the human eye could be seen and as she concentrated harder she began to pick out the tiniest details; the fine markings of the spider in it's web above the door, the tiny flecks of dust collecting on the skirting-board. Sounds began to grow in volume; she picked out the tick-tick-tick of Jean's watch, inaudible to most of those in the room yet bright and piercing in her ears. Focusing ever harder, the tiniest of scuffling sounds reach her from metres away, far below the floorboards of the old house a family of mice scurried through the dust and detritus, four, she knew instantly.

As she pushed herself deeper into these new experiences her nose picked out the scent of Jean's perfume from across the room. Seeking out greater stimuli, Kay sucked in a deep breath, her brain instantly sorting through the myriad aromas; Dust, candy, dirt, rubber-soled shoes. Then through it all her brain latched on to a set of unmistakable scents. Her focus shifted totally to it; sweat, a long gym work-out?, the faintest hint of gasoline fumes, bike maintenance? and the heady odour of cigar smoke and leather mixed with the deep overwhelming scent of male. Kay's head snapped round just as a shadow passed across the small window in the door. But the sudden distraction sent her senses reeling; her vision fizzed and the clear images vanished, the minute sounds and vibrations stopped, leaving her ears ringing with white noise and the scents that had been so easy to discern suddenly made her gag and sneeze.

"Are you alright." Jean whispered, her attention on the silently meditating class broken by the loud 'achoo'.

"No, not really." Kaylan answered, her mind still reeling from the intense bombardment to her senses. "Think I'll go lie down for a while."

"Well, it's nearly time we finished." She added. Jean slowly brought the youngsters out of their meditation and the once still room begin to rustle with whispering voices and giggles. Having given them homework and dismissed the class, Jean drew up a seat next to Kay. "Everything ok?"

"It was such a strange sensation, not like the nightmares I've been having, more like a test of wills. Its the first time it let me touch it, do you think it has accepted me?"

"I think you've finally accepted yourself." Jean smiled back, patting her on the arm. "I can't say I've had any experience like this when my powers manifested, but you, you have had this forced upon you and everything is flowing out like a tidal wave. This could just be the start. But why didn't you tell me about the dreams, I could have tried to help you through them."

"There was something about them…I...I couldn't share. I felt I needed to deal with them myself."

"I think your spending far too much time with Logan." She laughed. "His 'loner have to do it himself' habits are rubbing off on you. Would you mind?" Jean raised her hands and indicated she wished to take a look inside Kay's mind.

"No, I don't mind. If you think it will help."

"I don't know about that, but it will help me to understand." Jean raised her hands to the side of Kaylan's face and gently let her mind open. The images rushed by as she floated through Kay's consciousness focusing on the cat-like creature; strange scenes of wide empty prairies, and bloodied grass where fresh meat lay. Pushing deeper towards the animal Jean felt herself running, running alongside a large wild cat. At first she could not make it out, its speed blurring it's outline. But as she watched it's gracefully sleek body bounding over the grass-land she could discern its identity. Slowly moving away and letting it run, she returned to the room and Kaylan sitting with her eyes tight shut opposite her.

As Jean lowered her hands Kay opened her eyes. "Well?" she asked.

"Well, I could see it, and see some of the things you've been seeing these last few days. If only you'd told me."

"Well, that's passed now," Kay answered. "Don't worry, I can handle it. So, what did you see?"

"It's defiantly a cat, but we already knew that's what your mutation would be. It seems to be some kind of African wild cat, it looked a bit like...like a cheetah, I think. But it didn't have the usual spots."

"Do you think its just my mind manifesting my unconscious thoughts?"

"Possibly, it could be your bodies way of dealing with the activation of your x-gene. The brain's way of dealing with things it can't understand, by making images of your mutation."

"Well at least I'm not going mad." She joked.

"No your not, but any more dreams and you come straight to me ok. That's what I'm here for…to help."

"I will. There is more Jean, just now, in the meditation. My senses went wild. A little like in the alleyway the night Logan rescued me, but much stronger and more vivid. I could smell and hear and see things so clearly. But then something distracted me and I lost control." Kaylan kept the reason for her distraction to herself; owning up to loosing her concentration from cigar smoke leather and bike grease was something she felt strangely unwilling to discuss.

"Sounds to me like your x-gene is enhancing your senses, learning to keep control will be your next step. Maybe a bit of time with Ro may help, she knows some good techniques for such things. Any biological changes to your vision and hearing are something we can check out in the lab during your next injection, speaking of which…" Jean looked down at her watch. "it's that time Kaylan."

Kay sighed inwardly as they headed toward the med lab to start round two. If this was just the beginning; just a brief glimpse of what was to come she knew she was going to have to draw on all her years of self-reliance and scientific single-mindedness to get her through the weeks to come. "You've finally accepted yourself," Jean's words repeated in her mind. "I hope she's right," but as she thought on the strange and wonderful feelings she had experienced during the meditation and the sense of elation still lingering, she smiled to herself, "Then again, I think maybe I'm going to enjoy getting to know this new me."