9. Stockholm Syndrome
Unknown Part 2
Mutant Underground Headquarters,
Shortly after his release from medical custody, Jean-Paul sought out Shard. She was in the powers training rooms, detonating her concussive bursts against steel girders. It was…..impressive. Waiting outside for the detonations to pause, Jean-Paul walked into the room and got her attention. Dropping her arms, Shard asked, "What can I do for you, JP?" Wincing faintly at that obnoxious nickname, he said, "We need to find them." Her face set. "Come with me," she said, businesslike and sombre. Leading him out from the training rooms, she didn't pause to get changed, heading deeper into the complex. Taking him through a security checkpoint, she lead him into an eerily lit computer laboratory, holographic displays of the United States lighting up a corner of the room. "What is this?" he asked curiously. "This is how we find people," she replied, smiling faintly. She headed over to one of the terminals. "After the…incident with Sinister," she said, face locking up, cold and remote, "Blink, Chamber and Domino were at one of our holding facilities for a few days. During that time, our computers registered their energy signatures various times." At Jean-Paul's enquiring glance, she replied "It's standard procedure. You and I are both being examined near constantly. Anyway, getting back to the point, Blink teleported a number of times during her stay here. This leaves a rather unique energy signature. We can track it." Jean-Paul felt his heart jump. There was a chance to find them. Shard began to type away rapidly, the holographic map focusing in on the steroid production facility. Shard, said "Here is the facility where we met them." Watching a brief snap on one of the side monitors, she triggered another program. Tapping away, she said, "I'm going to trace the signal." Watching the monitors, she scanned and scanned but found no trace. Blowing the map right out to a view of the world, she said, "They went out of the States. I didn't think Blink had that kind of range." Jean-Paul smiled wryly. "When fresh, I rather suspect Blink could get to the moon. She was not, however, fresh." Suddenly, one of the monitors' displays spiked. Honing in, Shard said, "Got them. They're in England. What the bloody hell are they doing in England?" "Who cares?" Jean-Paul said quickly, "I need to get there as soon as possible!" Shard looked up but he was already gone from the room.
Bishop's Office,
The Mutant Underground Headquarters,
Jean-Paul stood in Bishop's office. "You need to let me do this," the Canadian almost begged. "All I need is a jet, my squad are in." Bishop still looked doubtful. "Bishop, you didn't see them. I know you've met Blink and Chamber and if you had seen them…" he trailed off. Grimacing at the Canadian, Bishop flicked a switch on his desk and said, "Have Psylocke up here as soon as possible." He said slowly. A voice piped up out of a speaker, set in the desk "Commissioner, Psylocke is on a mission, not expected back for another two days minimum." "Monet," Jean-Paul hissed. Glancing at him, Bishop said, "Then have Monet sent up, please." Letting go of the switch, he looked at Jean-Paul and continued, "I don't know what could hurt Blink that badly. But if anyone could do it, Domino could. So I'll let a telepath show me. But JP, this isn't the time for a crusade. Those kids haven't been kids for a while and don't need you to look after them." A knock sounded on the door and Monet entered, asking, "You wanted to see me, Commissioner?" Bishop waved her inside and said, "About the girl at the steroid factory and the boy, Blink and Chamber, what can you show me?" Monet said, "Plenty." reaching out to grasp his temples gently with her fingers. Closing her eyes, she summoned up the images, the feelings of the meeting. Blink's bruises, livid against the pink skin. The menacing sadness that Chamber was practically vibrating with, that had made every psi in the room nervous for hours afterward. Also the cold emptiness from Domino, flowing over everything, nearly washing the other two out. Bishop's eyelids fluttered as he processed the memories. He sat back in his chair as Monet removed her hand, thinking. "Jean-Paul…..go. Now. I've no doubt that your squad have already agreed to this so find Porter and go. I want you to use your judgement but for God's sake don't get anyone killed," Bishop said. Jean-Paul was gone even before the sound of Bishop's words had faded. Monet nodded to Bishop and left, closing the door quietly after her. Bishop rubbed his temples, images of bruises on pink skin and a sense of fear and menace combined lingering in his brain. Shaking his head, he got back to work.
The Telepad,
The Mutant Underground Headquarters,
Monet, Morph and Cecilia watched as Shard explained to Telford Porter where they were going. He was nodding before they were done. Jean-Paul, standing beside them, was practically vibrating with suppressed energy. Telford Porter motioned to the others, waving them closer. He nearly hit Jean-Paul when he began the gesture again. Startled, the man dropped his hand to his side. When they were as close as they could get, he said, "England, here we come." They vanished.
The Granbury Estate,
A Few Hours North of London, England,
Reappearing in a small wooded thicket, Telford Porter was panting slightly with the effort of 'porting so many people. Standing straight after a moment, he said, "Good luck" before vanishing back across the Atlantic. Motioning to everyone to cluster together, Shard began, "Our aim here is the kids. Get in and get them out. No picking fights with Domino. We..." but she was cut off as for the second time in as many minutes, the squad was teleported away.
Granbury Manor,
London, England,
Reappearing inside the manor house they had just been standing outside of, the squad immediately went on guard. Domino, standing in the hall, was clapping. "Well done," she said. "I didn't expect you here for some time yet!" Suddenly, her expression and her voice changes completely. "Blink!" she snapped harshly. The squad vanish again, reappearing in a completely enclosed room. Domino and Blink, who accompanied them this time, stand in a corner and Domino said, "I wouldn't try breaking out. You are underground and the weight of the earth would probably crush you fairly quickly. Of course, with what's in these walls, I suspect you'd all have a hard time getting out anyway. Lovely to see you again, Shard, Cecilia," she hisses and she and Blink vanish. Staring at the spot where they had been standing, Jean-Paul asks quietly, "Did you see her face?" The others nod. Blink's face had been covered in greenish-purple bruises and there had been half healed cuts all across her brow. They hadn't been there two days before.
Hours Later,
The rest of the squad were sleeping. Wondering how they could sleep at a time like this, Jean-Paul paced. He had worn a groove in the floor. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound and spun around to see Blink standing in the corner. The light on the wall cast a disturbing shadow across her face, combining with the bruises to make her look like a bizarre kind of ghost. "Clarice…" Jean-Paul whispered. She smiled faintly at him. "It's good to see you, Jean-Paul. It was sweet of you to come," she said softly. "Clarice, why are you staying here? You could leave at any time," He said. As she looked at him sadly, he thought she had never looked so ethereal. "I have to stay here. It's best this way. I'd like to take you back but I can't, she'd find out," she said softly. "Domino?" Jean-Paul asked. "Did she do this to you?" he asked, reaching out with a hand to gently touch her cheek. Blink turned her face away with a small flinch. "I have to go," she whispered. "You can't find out. Jono found out and he went to talk to her and…..he hasn't talked since. I have to go," she said, voice growing more frantic, panicking. Jean-Paul reached out to her "Clarice…" but she 'ported away before he finished saying her name. In the underground cell with his sleeping squadmates, Northstar dropped down in the corner and wept like a broken-heated child.
Some hours later, presumably the next day, Blink teleported down Chamber and Domino, face revealing nothing about the visit to Jean-Paul the night before. The other members of the Mutant Underground, awake now, watched them silently. Domino watched the squad. Blink and Chamber stood in the corner pretending not to be there. This silent scene continued for half an hour when Domino snapped her fingers and the three vanished. The instant they left, Monet turns to Jean-Paul. "Monstrous!" she snaps out, furious. "Inhuman!" Jean-Paul looks at her strangely. Spitting the words out, she says "That boy, he was trying to probe us while they were here. It would have been under Domino's orders. He couldn't get past anyone's shields but I slipped past his when he was busy. What has been done to him is so monstrous it's beyond terrifying. His mind, his personality, a powerful telepath has simply written over them, wiping so much away that all that's left is obedience to Domino. They took away his ability to speak. He…what was done to him, was done by someone with an enormous amount of telepathic power. I don't think there is anyone in MU who could do it. Sage maybe and possibly one or two others but it would be a procedure of immense difficulty…" she trailed off. Jean-Paul felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Wiped. For trying to find out what happened to Blink. He shivered. "We have to do something. We can't rely on Blink to get us out. She visited last night and she…she won't be our way out of here," Jean-Paul said quickly. "We need to get out of here by main force. This is deep underground. Gravity is still the same though. That way is up," he said, pointing to the ceiling. "We go out hard, Shard and Monet getting us through the walls, Morph and Cecilia, you need to keep the dirt off us. As soon as I can, I'm getting out of here to where I can be useful. What's happened to Chamber….this just means its even more urgent to get them out of here. We can't do that trapped however many meters underground. We need to get out." Looking at them, seeing the nods of agreement, he realised that he was the leader now. He was taking responsibility for something. He just hoped it wasn't going to end in tragedy.
On one side of the room, Jean-Paul, Cecilia and Morph waited while Shard and Monet murmured to each other. Nodding in agreement, they waved to Cecilia who raised a shield around herself and Northstar. She then put up a second one around Morph, to be dropped when he could be useful. Signalling back, she gave a thumbs up and Shard turned to the ceiling and let loose with a massive concussion. Monet flew up like a human bullet, ignoring the massive chunks of the reinforcing that had braced the room against the considerable weight of the dirt falling around her. She slammed into the roof, pounding her way through the first layer. Shard let loose burst after burst and Monet began hammering at the metal plates, finally reaching dirt. Shard retreated to a shield set up by Cecilia with an opening for her hands and Morph shifted into a bizarre machine resembling a wheel with shovels for spokes. He began to spin around, shovels whipping dirt out of the way. Cecilia, concentrating on the complex shields, was carried up by Jean-Paul. Morph grew an extra appendage that lifted Shard up where she could use her concussions to help Monet force the way through. Powering up, the squad rose out of darkness, eventually slamming through the floor of the room they had been 'ported into some time ago. Domino, who had been lounging in a chair, began to react instantly when Jean-Paul slammed into her, knocking her back against a bookcase with a sickening thud. Dropping down, she rolled around groggily as the squad emerged. Monet flew through a blast from Chamber to knock him out and Cecilia slammed a shield against the back of Blink's head, sending her slumping to the ground. Jean-Paul was holding Domino by the shoulders, shaking her viciously. "Why did you do it!" he demanded. "Why?" Still groggy from the impact, Domino's head lolled on her chest. Jean-Paul threw her in a fury, so fast she slammed into the bookcase again before anyone could react. Dropping to the floor bonelessly, she did not get up. Turning, he walked over to Blink lying on the floor. Cecilia was the only one who saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Blink…" he said softly. Suddenly, something seized his mind in icy talons, digging in past his MU shields, past the street training he had gotten from Domino, past his natural stubbornness deep into his mind. He started to scream as the claws raked through his memories, digging up all the painful things from his past. Flash the soft grunt of a man he mugged, stealing money to pay Sharples for another fix. Flash the surge of revulsion he'd felt as he beat Daredevil nearly to death, Flash, the crack of Maria's spine as he failed yet another girl who couldn't even control her entire mind, Flash giving Maria the toy horse and her pathetic gratitude, Flash, Maria coming back with Blink, covered in Cockrum's blood, Flash, A woman's voice screaming at him, "Begone, devil! Your temptations will never entice me! Abomination!" Flash the screaming Flash the restraints, Flash, the withdrawal the first time he'd gotten clean. For two months, he could barely stop twitching, he'd thrash whenever anyone touched him. Flash a man's voice saying "Jean-Paul Beaubier, you have tested positive for the recreational drugs Cocaine, Ecstasy, LSD, GHB, and a number of others. You are no longer permitted to compete professionally in the nation of Canada, nor as a representative of the nation of Canada." Flash Adolescent trauma childhood Flash His parents in the hospital telling him their son couldn't be gay, they'd raised him properly Flash Searing pain in his wrists as he slashed them, washing it away with shot after shot of alcohol, convinced there was something wrong with him, something bad. Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, each new second bringing back the worst pain from a lifetime of agony. Jean-Paul collapsed onto the ground, vaguely aware of Cecilia next to him, grabbing his shoulder.
Cecilia turned as JP began to scream, running over, grabbing his shoulder searching for an injury. Suddenly, Shard started to convulse and whimper, Morph began to change shape wildly. Monet stared at Cecilia and then screamed "Shield!" as Shard began to blast randomly. Shielding herself, Cecilia watched Monet throw herself at Shard, knocking her down. She was blasted back but, protected by her invulnerability, she got up and hit Shard again. Shard dropped to the ground, convulsing and Cecilia felt claws raking across her mind. She screamed and heard his voice. "You will do what I want Cecilia. I'm afraid that if you don't, well, your daughter may just develop a terminal case of…ooh I'm sure I can think of something. Screaming, Cecilia sank to the ground.
Monet watched Cecilia get seized by whoever was attacking. It was probably a psychic and to get through MU shields and do this to agents, incredibly powerful. Monet knew she had no chance of standing up to them so she simply sat on the ground, legs crossed. She might have time to set a few things up before they got in. Diving into her mental shields, Monet began to set traps, surprises to backfire a telepathic assault on the attacker, traps that would lash out like whips that destroyed memory. So focused on her mental shields, she didn't notice a figure walk down from a balcony and she was so absorbed in her work she didn't even notice the woman who had walked into the room and smiled viciously as something knocked Monet into unconsciousness.
Blink woke up and looked around at the bodies of the MU squad. Crawling over, she checked the nearest one, Shard, for a pulse. Finding one, she breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting back on her heels, she looked around seeing the rest of the squad lying in the room, Chamber and Domino scattered around. Hearing a faint sound, she turned and saw a figure sitting on a chair in the shadows. Blink whimpered. It was her. "I..I..I…" she stuttered but trailed off. The woman would know. She would understand about what Blink had done. Standing, the figure walked forward into the light and Blink whimpered again. "Shhhhhh," Jean Grey said softly. "You will be punished, of course," she continued, reaching out and stroking Blink's hair. "You know you need to be punished. But I won't make it hurt any more than it has to." It appeared that Domino had been too soft on the girl. The physical beatings had been a start but adding in the mental component was always necessary. Jean sighed softly. This would take a while, and lots of pain to break down the walls Domino had put in place for the Sinister operation. Reaching into Blink's mind, she brushed past the shielding Domino had trained into her, pushing them aside like curtains. The girl in her hands started to twitch, tears rolling down her cheeks, but Jean ignored it and continued in. Sifting quickly through Blink's memories, pulling out the painful ones. Scanning, she saw some similarities to Jean-Paul's. A great deal of similarity to Chamber's. Pulling out sounds, Feral's spine breaking, Red Lotus' laboured breathing in Sinister's laboratory, the feeling she had after she had killed one of the Strong Guy clones, she injected them all back into Blink's head. The psychic punishment was certainly cleaner than the physical. Blink began to whimper and tried to thrash in Jean's arms but the older woman held her steady. Suddenly, she felt something start tearing at her body, pulling her to pieces. Lashing out with her telekinesis, she felt Blink fly back to the ground. The tearing sensation vanished but Blink was looking at her, eyes trying to bore a hole through her head. Jean reached out with her telepathy intending to freeze the girl up but Blink hissed at her in a fury and vanished. That girl has some serious potential and some serious issues,Jean thought to herself. Reaching out with her telepathy, scanning the estate knowing she couldn't have gone far in her groggy condition, Jean instinctively created a telekinetic shield as Blink threw herself at her from behind. Bouncing of the shield, the girl hissed again and she vanished. Spinning around physically and scanning psychically, Jean looked for the same trick. What she found surprised her a great deal. Where previously there had been seven unconscious people, now there was only one. Blink had taken the agents and Chamber. Clicking her tongue in irritation, Jean began to wake Domino up. This was very inconvenient.
The Canadian Wilds,
Canada,
Monet woke to freezing cold. They were surrounded by a snowy wilderness that looked remarkably like Canada. Turning, she saw the pink girl, Blink, curled into a ball rocking gently. Monet looked at her team-mates, still unconscious. That psychic attack had been incredible. Feeling the lump on the back of her head, Monet realised wryly that they had been taken down really easily. Turning to the pink girl, she said softly, "Blink…did you bring us here?" The girl didn't respond, just continuing to rock. Sighing, Monet turned away. She wasn't going to risk a probe, not after that attack. She walked over through the snow and started shaking Cecilia. None of the others were in good condition so they needed help. Which meant she'd have to go but damned if she was going to leave them alone, defenceless. So she had to wake up Cecilia who could probably protect them for long enough for her to get back to a facility. If they were in Canada, that is. The woman began to make sounds, groggy and suffering from psychic damage. Monet jammed a telepathic quick fix into her brain, a simple block on her memories that would give her a killer headache when it dissolved in about eight or twelve hours. Couldn't be helped. Monet explained to her softly as she woke up, "Cecilia, we're out in the woods somewhere and we're all injured. I have to go for help. You need to look after them, ok? You can rest once I get help but I need you to take care of everyone, ok?" The woman was nodding but still looked really vague. Sighing, Monet hoped it would be enough. She needed to go, they wouldn't last too long unconscious in the snow. Lifting off, she headed south, guessing from the position of the sun. She just hoped there wouldn't be any problems getting through to the Underground office stationed in Washington. At the moment, she was just as likely to fly straight through them.
Bishop's Office,
Mutant Underground Headquarters,
Picking up his phone Bishop said, "Bishop here, start talking." The voice on the other end of the line talked and Bishop's face fell. Slamming the phone down, he said, "Get me Porter at the telepad and get Sage back from wherever she's gone. We have a squad down." He ran down from his office to the telepad and met Vanisher there. "Where?" was all he said and Bishop replied just as shortly, "Washington. Better information from Monet there." The man nodded and they reappeared in the Washington facilities telepad. Jumping off, Bishop walked quickly over to Monet and the aide waiting to meet him. "Where?" he snapped out and Monet said, "I'll give it to Vanisher. Let's go." Heading back to the pad, Monet touched her fingers to Vanisher and they disappeared.
The Canadian Wilderness,
Canada,
The three reappeared, Monet immediately taking to the air to move quicker than she would have through the snow. Meters away, the squad, Blink and Chamber lay under a shield and Monet waved to Cecilia to make her drop the shield. It didn't move, wavering only slightly. "Cecilia!" Monet called but received no response. Punching the shield caused it to waver and as Bishop and Vanisher approached, Monet slammed it over and over again until it dropped. Inside, Cecilia wavered and dropped to the ground. The Vanisher gathered everyone close to him and they vanished in a flash.
Epilogue,
Medical Wing,
Mutant Underground Headquarters,
Looking through the class window, Sage and Bishop looked at the seven who had come back from England. "We got a coherent report from Monet. It explains the severe psychic trauma all the others have suffered." Bishop explained. "Blink's physical injuries are serious but not life threatening. Chamber is physically fine and only Monet suffered any physical injuries among the agents." Looking through the window, face expressionless, Sage asked, "Why have I been called in?" Bishop replied, "There are similarities in the technique. You are the expert and the only one who could undo this level of damage. I don't want to loose four agents and two potentials because of your obsession." Sage nodded slowly, accepting Bishop's plan for Blink and Chamber. "I will do what I can," she said finally. "But Lucas, I make no promises. The damage done is….significant. I don't think they will ever be the same." Bishop nodded and turned away, returning to his work. Sage continued to watch the patients for some time.