Emma lay in the hospital bed. The nurses had changed her in to one of those paper hospital gowns and she hated it.
But what was worse was Illyana.
Emma would have sneered if she could have. Who does she think she is? Breaking in to my home, bringing me here… I don't care if I needed it… Why did Kurt send her anyway?
Emma could see Illyana talking to the nurses at the admissions desk.
She'll never let me forget this. Emma thought to herself. Never.
Illyana said something to Brian and then turned away and strode in to Emma's room. She stopped at Emma's bedside and looked very thoughtful for a long moment before speaking.
"We… We used to be too much alike… to get along I mean." She paused. "Now, don't get me wrong… I never liked you. I hope I never will…" She dropped her eyes. "But I never wanted this either." She looked around the dismal little hospital room.
"We've hidden you away pretty well. No one should be able to find you without Kurt's say-so." She continued. "But… I wish I knew if you could hear me… I just wanted to tell you…"
Illyana took a deep breath. "I am … sorry. For the person I was and the things I did. You were my competition but I went out of my way to make you my rival and … That wasn't necessary. But I did it anyway."
She sniffed slightly. "But I want you to know… I am sorry." She paused and squeezed Emma's hand very tenderly for a moment. "And I just wanted you to know that… Just in case… you don't make it."
Emma balked. Her breath caught in her throat.
"And I want you to know that… If you don't make it… I don't … I wouldn't…"
She looked for just the right words before they came out naturally and of their own volition. "Emma… I forgive you. I don't want to be your friend… But I think I'm ready to… just be nothing now. Understand?"
Illyana shook her head. "I guess that's it. Get well soon Emma." She said softly. "And know that… If I discover who did this to you… I will make them pay."
And with that Illyana turned away from the bedridden woman and rejoined Brian in the hall. "Let's go. We've got a busy night ahead of us."
Brian nodded. "Right. Our radios don't work in here. We need to go outside to report in."
They began to saunter down the hall together.
"I've got an idea." Brian suggested. "Are you a betting girl?"
"Depends on the odds." Illyana told him.
Brian smiled. Sounds like a 'yes' to me. "How about a little contest? If I win we go on a real date, out in public somewhere nice."
"And if I win?" Illyana asked.
"Well, what do you want?" Brian asked.
Forgiveness… Illyana admitted to herself alone. "I want… one 'get out of jail free card'." She smiled.
"What?" he shook his head, confused.
"I want the right to screw up without having anyone hold it against me." She finished.
"Done." Brian stuck out his hand and she took it gingerly.
"Really?" She asked. "No matter how badly I've made a mess of things?"
"No matter what. If you win, you're entitled to one mistake of any size with no repercussions."
She eyed him as they slipped out of the hospital. "So what's the contest?" She asked, suddenly afraid that he had tricked her in to something and she had missed it.
"Oh, Kurt. We'll see who can kill Kurt. Winner gets their wish."
She looked mildly surprised. "Deal!" She agreed with a firm handshake.
"All right." He smiled, quite pleased with himself. Wow. That was easy… Now all I have to do is make sure I kill Kurt before she does. He took a deep breath. And I bet I can do that.
Illyana eyes him. Can it really be this easy? Could he really forgive me if I just kill Kurt first? It's so… trivial. So easy… Who would have thought tonight would offer me this?
But back in the room, something was happening.
A nurse noticed first, from the hallway and came in to check, but sure enough, Emma was showing increased pulse and blood pressure.
"Doctor! Doctor!" The nurse called. "I think our Jane Doe is beginning to come around."
The doctor walked briskly down the hall and spun around the doorway in to the room.
"You're right." He acknowledged. "Get me an adrenaline boost out of a crash cart."
The nurse ran off and returned just a few seconds later with a large, long needle wrapped in sterile packaging.
What do you think you're going to do with that? Emma wondered as she watched the doctor rip open the packaging and pull out the needle.
"Ready?" He asked the nurse who threw herself across Emma to hold her shoulders down.
The doctor forced the fluid through the needle and watched it spurt. "If you're ready to wake up… This will do it." He said, flicking the needle to be sure that he got all the air out, before suddenly up-ending it in to Emma's chest and depressing the plunger.
Emma felt the needle sink in through her chest plate and pierce her heart. It felt like her heart was tearing against the needle with every beat but she could do little more than just lay there and take it.
Suddenly she felt the warm liquid in the needle flow out in to her heart. It felt as though her heart was full to capacity but still he forced the needles contents out.
And he pulled the needle free as her heart beat again.
But a gasping breath accompanied this beat and a convulsion that almost sat her up despite the nurse that fought to restrain her.
"Wha… What…" Emma looked down at her chest. I'm out of it. I'm awake!
Emma turned her eyes on the Doctors. "T-thank… you." She took several deep breaths.
"What do we do now?" The nurse asked.
"Call Mr. Wagner and inform him of the change in her condition." He said. "And be sure and mark all this down in her file."
"Very good doctor." The nurse strode out in to the hall with Emma's chart.
Emma pulled the IV from her arm and jumped up towards the window. Down below she could see Illyana and Brian talking.
I have to move quickly. I hope you're ready for this Kurt.
Emma closed her eyes and Kurt sprang immediately to mind yet again.
"Emma!" He sounded relieved.
"I don't have much time." She explained. "Watts' has the power of suggestion. People follow his orders without question – worse actually, they invent their own reasons for carrying out his orders. They don't even remember being told what to do after a moment or two."
"I figured as much." Kurt told her. "What else have you got?"
"Illyana and Brian are compromised. Watts was waiting for them at my apartment. He told them to kill you."
Kurt swallowed. "Okay. But… What brought you around? We're trying to figure out how to break the programming."
Damn it… "It was Illyana." She admitted. "She … forgave me... And … offered to avenge me."
Kurt nodded. "So, a huge surprise will do the trick. That's nice to know."
"I had the surprise and then a needle of adrenaline to finish the job." She explained. "But yes, the shock is what did it."
Kurt nodded. "Any idea about a group called The Aristocracy?"
"Oh, right. You've met them already? Damn! I've been out all day! They're punks and wannabe's for the most part, they have a large meeting place with a lot of side tunnels in the middle of town. It used to be a train station or some fool thing but now they use it as a meeting place."
"I think we know the place. We're headed there now." Kurt added. "Rest up Emma. If we can't break Watts control over my people a telepath might come in handy."
"I will." She bowed her head and disappeared. Immediately Kurt heard Rachael frantically calling his name. They were still high above the city but the had stopped over a small alley and he was bleeding from the nose yet again.
"Kurt!" Rachael shook him hard
"Ja! Ja! It's okay. Emma just came out of it. Watts' power is suggestion. Large shocks rattle the person back to normal." He finished. "We just need to figure out how to shock them back to reality."
Rachael looked tremendously relieved despite Kurt's now bloodied and disheveled appearance. He pinched his nose closed and hoped for the best.
"We have to keep going. Emma thinks they're in the big subway station down town. The main depot from the map, remember?"
"One of Kitty's places."
"Ja. If we hurry we can head her off!" Kurt looked around the city as though trying to get his bearings.
Rachael let go of him. "It's this way." She said, and the two of them resumed rocketing through the sky towards the uncertain future.