Finding Yourself
Mystique limped to a tree, tears from both the pain in her broken arm and the pain of losing most of her team deep into her mind. Blob, Avalanche, Pyro. The only one to come out of this mission was Toad. She was about to pass out from her pain when she felt Toads fingers trace her broken arm. She didn't need to look up to know that Toad too was feeling the emotional pain.
"We...Need some help on this" Mystique said.
Toad simply nodded. He didn't know what he should feel at this moment. Pity for this woman? Anger for getting his friends captured and put into traction in the process? Perhaps both.
"Should have asked...Kurt and Rogues help" Mystique said with a smile "But no. I had to be thick headed, didn't I"Toad looked over at Mystique and saw that she was only rambling, her eyes half-closed. He groaned out loud when he felt her head. She was burning up. Those wounds must have been infected. It was then, after looking at the wounds itself, that he noticed not just blood, but a strange liquid was pumping out of it. Poison.
"Looks like we will go see them X-Men after all" Toad says as he attempts to pick his leader into his arms, but she was refusing, the venom fogging her way of thinking. Toad finally was forced to take Mystiques head on slam it against the tree to knock her out. It had pained him, but it had done the trick. Taking the woman into his arms, he made the trek.
Images flashed through her mind, the combination of venom and fatigue setting in She saw how it had first happened. She had just come home from another day of spying for the bald-headed man known as Xavier. It was then that she had gotten a strange letter addressed to her real name, but that wasn't what got her attention. Oh no. It was from Irene that got her attention. Opening the letter up quickly, she was shocked to discover a picture of her, or so it had looked like anyway. She read the letter.
"My...God" She had gasped out as she dropped the letter and photo. It wasn't a picture of her, but rather...her23 year old daughter she had forgotten all about. She couldn't believe it. Picking up the letter again, she read on, discovering that she was apart of a government agency. It really didn't detail what her powers was. It only classified her as being "strong". She leaned back in a chair and frowned, thinking to herself.
Her flashback rolled forward in her head. She had successfully infiltrated the base where she was staying at. It was a surprise to her as was as it was to Mystique. At first, she didn't wan't to except it, but after awhile, she liked the idea. They had both snuck out, having a girls night out, although it was tougher to hide her new daughter, or Lola as she was called, because even though she had the blue skin and red hair, she wasn't a shape-shifter like Mystique was. On that note, she had asked Lola what her power was.
"Other then being extremely agile and being super sexy?" She joked. "My nickname is Enhancer though. I have the ability to increase everyone elses abilities, Mutants, or humans alike"
Flashforward, they were sneaking back into the base, giggling about the barfight they had just had not long ago because of a Mutant-Hater.
Flashforward again. She was horrified to recieve a video tape that showed a beaten, bound, and gagged Lola. Apparently, the government knew and was the real sender of the photo and letter. They expected her to turn herself in, or else. Mystique instead called on some old friends for a rescue mission. It took a couple of days, but after the battle plan was drawn out, they headed for the Base. Using treachery of all types, using many forms, Mystique had successfully opened the main doors to let her team in. Blob simply piled through all of the gaurds, the bullets having no effect on him whatsoever. Avalanche was causing small earthquakes, ripping up equipment and causing fires to erupt, which Pyro manipulated to his own advantage. Mystique and Toad on the otherhand where having the most trouble. While still athletic and amazingly agile, she could only do so much with her current handguns, and her supply of grenades was running low. If not for Toads assistance in close combat, She may have been shot by now.
The battle raged on until they reached the center of the compound. There, they found Lola strapped to a mechanical chair. The next thing they all knew, there powers were gone with the exception of toad for some reason. They did there best to battle back, but in the end, Toad grabbed a rabid Mystique and exited the fight, just barely escaping with their life.
Mystique opened her eyes quickly, finally regaining her senses. Looking at her left arm, she noticed that it was bandaged up. She most have had some drugs in her, because she didn't feel any pain from her wound. She looked around her surroundings. Metal bed. Metal yet extremely clean room. The X symbol on the door. That last one made Mystique shoot up from her bed with incredible speed, bu she found a pair of furry blue hands gently push her back down.
"Do not move so much. Although we have removed the poison from your system, your are still much to sick to function properly" Hank McCoy, A.K.A. Beast said. She didn't resist him, although somehow she knew she couldn't even if she wanted to at the moment. Suddenly, a figure leaned forward from above her. He was an aging man, but still held himself into a dignified posture despite him being in a chair.
"Xavier." Mystique said in a grumbling voice. "Come to gloat at my miscomings"
Xavier shook his head. Leaning back into his chair, he pressed his fingers together and made a thoughtful face. "No my dear. You should know better by now that I actually care about those among my building, even if it is one such as you"
Mystique felt the urge to roll her eyes, but a quick memory flash of what had happened suddenly ripped through her mind. She closed her eyes, attempting to hide her emotions, not wanting to be weaker then she already seemed. Although hiding emotions from the Mutant Telepath was almost impossible.
"Toad has told me everything that has transpired to you." Xavier said in his usual tone. "I must say I wish you would have contacted me before you went on your rescue mission, but you are fully capable of making your own decisions. However, now that this situation has been brought to my attention, I would like to assist you in your endeavors to rescue your daughter, and your team"
Mystique opened her eyes. Truthfully, she did not know why she cared so much that this daughter of hers was captured. She would tell herself that it was simply the act of taking something that belonged to her, but she knew better inside. Knew that she had no claims to Lola after she had abandoned her. She decided right there that she was getting soft. She had felt horrible about what she had done to Kurt. She knew she was selfish for what she did to Craydon. Although she was heartbroken about Rogue leaving her, she had realized that it was for the best for her. She supposed that Lola was a last chance for her to redeem herself to someone. She finally hissed out "Fine.
"Very good" He said. "I was reading your mind some time ago, my apologies for not asking, but I figured it was prudent that I did so, in order to get your story." He said, stopping at that point, thinking of his next words. "Your newfound Daughter, Lola, her power is to enhance someone else's abilities, as you have discovered. I believe I have found out the reason on why you lost your powers for that short time" Mystique tilted her head up to get a better look and Xavier. "That machine she was strapped to. It is my guess that it was designed to do that, but it needed a special power source, such as a mutant. Most likely, not just any Mutant. Someone special. That machine could very well be drawing off of her powers. If that is the case, we could very well have another world wide lose of all Mutant powers. Judging from the way Lola was moving, it not only draws from her power, but from her life force, slowly killing her. If I am correct, during this time, forces all over the world would start rounding up all Mutants. What would happen next, is yet to be seen. This is all speculation though"
"How long...Has it been now? Since I was brought here" Mystique asked, suddenly wondering how long she may have been out. When Xavier replied that it has been almost a full week. She had lost time. She slowly sat up, ignoring Beasts pleas to lay back down. She slowly gets onto her wobbling legs, but overcomes it. She turns to regard Xavier for a moment, the back of her mind telling her not to trust him, not to trust anyone. To go and survive. It was that same voice that has destroyed her life as well. She nods. "Fine. What plan do you have Xavier"
Xavier nods. "I see that you are quickly recovering, so I will not delay you any longer. Colossus and Beast will be accompanying you on your trip. Most likely they will expect you to make another attempt. Hopefully, they will not be expecting any X-Men. Toad and Beast will go in first, creating confusion among the guards. They will also combine there technical skills to take out communications. That is when Colossus along with you will make your way into the compound. I believe we may be able to hack into a satellite to get a better readout of it. Once the four of you infiltrate the compound, you should join together to take over the man computer room. You should have excess to all the rooms from that point as well as discover where Lola and the others are being kept. You will once again split up into teams, that way you will have a better success rate of freeing everyone. Once you have your targets, you must secure a new location to exit. Most likely there will be an ambush waiting for you when you go through that area. I will leave it to you on how to contact each other"
Mystique just stood there for a long moment. "How...are you able to know all this"
Xavier simply smiled. "My dear, I have networks everywhere. You among everyone else should know that"
Mystique merely shook her head, remembering suddenly on how little she truly knew this odd man.
Toad was with Beast, helping him prep the X-Jet. When he was first placed with The Beast, he was a bit skeptical about him helping out. He already knew that Hank, as he was really called, was a skilled Doctor and a brilliant scientist, but Mechanic? It had seemed to much, but inspecting the inside of the X-Jet for himself, looking over every single part, his mind devouring every bit of knowledge he could get from what he saw and from what Hank had told him why the parts were set the way they were and how he had to do it, his respect for the fuzzy Mutant shot up greatly. As he crawled out from under the X-Jet, he gave Beast a smirk and nodded his approval.
"I gotta tell ya, bloke. You dun yer'self a real bang up job with this." He points a thumb behind him. "Just wonderen though, wouldn' it be better ta replace that there power displacer you got en there with a model 500"
Beast rubbed his chin for a moment. Beast could not stick to surfaces like Toad could, but he himself was an extremely agile being, gifted with incredible grip. "Hm, let me check, I do believe you may be onto something my green friend" He leaped up, grabbed a bar and made his way towards the back that would make tarzan envy him. Hank opened that hatch and crawled in. He looked for the displacer. Once he found it, he checked all systems that it supported. Finally, he crawls out of the hatch and returns to Toad. "Oh my, I had never thought about using that model before. Although the one I have at the moment indeed is more powerful, it would appear that the Model 500 was a quicker rate of destributing power from the engine to the computers. What made you think of it by the way?" He finished hanging upside down by his feet on one of the bars for the landing gear.
Toad simply smiled and gave a modest shrug, although his explanation was anything but modest. "Well ya see, I was asked to steal my one o, those Stealth bombers you see. This was awhile ago though. Anyways, after getten it, I was then asked to refit the baby for some serious Dog fighten. You wouldn't believe what them there sods wanted me ta use to refit it. I threw the plans at them buggers and told them I would make 'em better plans by the next mornen, so I dun diddit. Anyways, I was almost done, and I set one O, them high powers displacers in it for the new computer system I gone and designed. Duren a test run, I noticed that the speed was to much for the info and would cuase the computer to sometimes overload itself, so, I just went and got me sumthen smaller. Baby did everythen on the button. Wonder what them blokes did to that beauty"
Beast gave a slight chuckle at Toad's story. Although he knew it was wrong to be stealing in the first place, he still had to admire the sheer audacity and intelect this one had to offer to anyone who he sided with. It made him sad inside that he was not an X-Men. "Well, I must say. You are a very inventive person. I rather enjoy your comments and your ideas, and you are a very interesting partner. I can not wait until I will be able to work with you on the field." Beast noticed Toads face fell as he to started to hand upside down from his feet. "Oh my, have I said something to make you sad"
Toad shook his head. "Naw. Just thinken bout my friends in that compound is all mate. I was in there ya know. Them blokes, they are worse then the Friends of Humanity. If you would have seen what they had dun to that poor girl, strapped and plugged to that chair, the pain in her eyes from both the machine and of betrayal. I can't help but to think. What my buddies are going through as we speak." Toad was visible shaken. "Don't tell no one I said this, but after I had saved Mystiques life and she was in my arms, dying...I blamed her. Wanted to kill her I did"
Beast frowned. "My friend, you'r feelings for your friends is most heart warming. And your desire for killing Mystique is a feeling that most would have felt. But do not worry no more, for now you are being added by the X-Men, and you know as well as I do that whenever we set out for a mission, we will not stop because of our bonds we have made with eachother, just as have you have made with your teammates. And believe me, I feel that Mystique has come to feel the same thing over the years. You have all been a good influance to her, and I believe she remembers that"
Toad felt a bit better. He gave a smile and gave a thumbs up to Beast. "Yer right bucko. I should cheer me'self up. Afterall, them buggers don't wan't me ta look all sad and all when we rescue em all. They need to see the smilen Toad ta know they are well looked after and all" He said "And yer probably right about Mystique as well. She's always been good ta us, even after a botched up mission, and sides that, we were there for her when she was grieven over Destiny"
Beast smiled at his new friend. He swung himself so that he was now hanging from his left arm. "Perfect. You see, there is no way we can fail with an attitude like that. Your friends and Mystiques newfound daughter are as good as rescued." He said, swinging to another section of the X-Jet. He turns around to look at Toad. "Now then, why don't I show you more of the X-Jet. You and I may be able to make it even better then it is know" Toad smiled and followed, feeling better.
So much time spent. So worthless it was now that she thought about it, strapped and gagged half naked in this chair. Many times she had thought about crying about everything that has gone on in the last week, but she had always came to the same conclussion that it would do no good for her, but it would give satisfaction to her once-upon-a-time superiors. Superiors indeed. They had raised her for this very reason. This was why she was kept alive for so long, was allowed to maintain her presence. It was all an act to keep her docile. Her tries to remember the first memory she had of this place.
When she was a little girl, she always remembered the troops that had always looked at her. She never remembered any hatred from them. Each and everyone of them had always treated her nicely, afterall, she was the Head's Step-Daughter. Not only that though, the Soldiers there seemed to generally like her. She remembered, that as she was growing up, she would start to participate in drills the same as everyone else did. At age 11, she was actually doing as well as most of the mid-level Soldiers. Usually, a normal Mutants power did not manifest itself until the teen years, but her powers had flared up early, or rather, her agility. She never truly understood why physicly, she was well biult, although she didn't question it either. Although, as she grew up farther, there were always new Soldiers coming in, and the ones she grew up with started to be sent off. Most she had never seen again, but there were others that had been transferred back, which always made her happy. Especially when her favorite of them all, Dan, came back. She had had a crush on him, and finally broke down and told him everything she felt when she was 15. She still remembered what he had said.
"Lola, you are a fine girl" He had said while patting her on the head. "And you will make someone happy one day. But I am a bit old for you darlen. And besides that, you wouldn't like the real me" He had frowned at that point "Infact, you would down right hate me, possibly even wan't me dead" Lola had been crushed, but had accepted his reply.
Finally, at age 16, she convinced her Step-Father that she was tough enough to be given a job. He assigned her on Patrol Duties. She had learned every proceder there was to learn rather quickly, showing off her high inteligence as well. It wouldn't be until a year later that she would see some action. A spy was discovered and was attempting escape. Lola was the first one on him and the man had attempted to kill her, but she was to quick. Despite her superior fighting skills though, she was not yet skilled enough to subdue him, and ended up snapping the man's neck. Strangely, she felt no remorse in the kill, infact, it had seemed to be the most natural thing in the world. Later, when she met up with her crush, he had given her a look that of sadness. She did not know what that was mean't.
Afterwards, she was put through the most extreme training she had ever been through. Her step father had heard of her accomplishments that a dozen Soldiers that had died by the spy could not. She was trained in Heavy Artillary, Advanced Hand-to-Hand, Critical Thinking, Electronics of all types, and finely the finest art of Warfare. She was made into a real Soldier, or so she had thought at the time. She had been through many missions, using everything she had ever been taught, and did well, earning herself many praises and awards along with rank. It was one mission though that she had discovered her Mutant powers. She was teamed up with her crush for a rescue mission. She had been so giddy. During a firefight, Dan had almost been injured, but for somereason, she had caused his reaction time, strength, and his aim to become much like hers. Both of them knew it was her. After reporting to her Step-Father on the mission, he had been pleased at this. She wished that she would have questioned this.
She was 23, she was shocked to find the blue skinned and red headed woman standing infront of her, in her own room. She didn't know what to make of it. And then it came, a secret finally revealed. She was her mother. She had tried to rush to the door to shout for security, but Mystique was actually faster then Lola and had successfully restrained her, cupping the girls mouth with her hand. After Mystique told her the story, Lola stopped struggling. They would both start to spend more time together, in which they both thought was secret. It then happened. While in the lockerroom, she was grabbed from behind and knocked out. When she awoke, she found that her legs was strapped to the metallic chair, as well as her wrists strapped to the arms. Not only was it strapped though, but she felt the needles inside the straps, dig deep into her wrists and ankles, attaching itself to her nerves it would seem. Then she found out. Her Step-Father had been planning this all along. She found out that her amplifieing powers were manufactured, that they always knew that Mystique was the mother. She wanted to shout out to them all, but her mouth was cleave-gagged. To make matters worse, she had watched as she was put to use against her mother and friends. She had wanted to die right then. She let her head go limp and closed her eyes. She wanted desperetly for this to all be a dream.