CHAPTER NINE
Jesse slowly opened his eyes, wincing in pain as he adjusted to the light. His body felt numb all over. He tried to raise his arm to cradle his aching head but found that they were handcuffed securely behind him. With supreme effort, he slowly lifted his head to look at his surroundings.
He was in a large metal cage in the middle of what seemed to be a warehouse. There was a guard standing right outside his cage with his back to Jesse. Several people armed with weapons were also walking around the warehouse.
Jesse muffled a groan as he tried to get up on his elbow to get a better look, careful not to get the attention of the guard.
He didn't really remember what had happened to bring him to this place. All he remembered was being at the cemetery at Ellie's grave. He had been completely lost in his own thoughts that he didn't realize footsteps approaching until it was too late. He had turned around to feel a sharp stinging pain to his neck and after that he had no recollection of what had happened.
From his captivity and his surroundings he knew that whatever did happen, it couldn't be good. What he did know was that he needed to get out. And soon. Now if only his body would cooperate with him.
Finally up on his elbow, he slowly took a breath to phase the binds from his hands..Nothing happened. Thinking that his body must still be fighting the effects of whatever drug he had been given, he counted to ten and took a deep breath to try again.still nothing.
Jesse was beginning to feel a sense of panic. He tried to mass instead but again nothing happened. By this time he was almost to a sitting position, adrenaline beginning to pump as panic set in full impact. No! Not now. It couldn't fail him now! He needed to get out. He didn't know what was happening. He just couldn't phase.or mass for that matter. Breathing heavily, he looked around him nervously as the panic slowly turned to fear.
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Mr. Kilmartin!! A pleasure to have you finally join us! A booming voice came from behind him startling Jesse.
Jesse's head snapped around to where the voice came from. He immediately regretted the sudden movement as he clenched his teeth to the sharp wave of pain that traveled through his upper body.
"Oh and a . don't even bother to try do your little rock boy and ghost guy routine." Xavier continued as he approached Jesse's cage. "It's not going to work." Xavier said matter of fact, as he gave a wry smile and a tilt of his head to his prized catch obviously pleased at how the day was turning out.
"What did you do to me?" Jesse said through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving that of his captor.
"Oh, that. No worries, just a little injection of our special homemade serum that would render your mutant abilities useless for a good twelve hours or so" Xavier said almost gleefully. "And you can bet we got a lot of where that came from. Thanks to our resident genius here, the lovely Ms. Lena" Xavier added as he put his arms around Lena, who was standing next to him.
"So how does it feel to be normal, Mr. Kilmartin?"
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"What do you want from me?" Jesse said angrily.
"Hmm,.where to start?" Xavier said as he deliberately paced the floor outside Jesse's cage tapping his chin with his index finger as a mock show of being deep in contemplation.
"How about.do you have any idea how valuable you are, Mr. Kilmartin?" Xavier said turning his head questioningly at Jesse. ".and not just you, all you mutants for that matter." He continued without waiting for an answer. "You mutants are, for lack of a better word, freaks of nature. You're the product of man, technology and god combined. You can do things that we humans can only dream of. And that, Mr. Kilmartin makes you and all your mutant kind a valuable commodity."
"You have no idea of what the market is out there for mutants like you." Xavier continued. "People are willing to pay good money, for your kind. From researchers, to scientists, to government agencies even, and renegade groups, private corporations and individuals. The list goes on." Xavier shrugged as he continued. "I don't question their reasons, I just give them what they want, for the right price, of course."
"So you're the one behind the recent incline in the disappearance of new mutants" Jesse said taking in Xavier's account. "So what?" he continued after a while, "now you want to sell me off to some buyer? Is that it?"
"Ho, no, no, no, no, Mr. Kilmartin" Xavier said shaking his head. "On the contrary. I'm not going to sell you off. Well.not yet anyway. You see, the problem I have now, is that my demand for mutants outweighs my supply by way too much. So you, Mr. Kilmartin, are here to help me resolve that problem."
"What do you mean?" Jesse asked slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer to the question.
"Well, for a start, I know Mutant X takes care of some of these mutants in what you call your safe-houses. I also know you have a database of new mutants which I would love to get my hands on." Xavier said as he walked towards the cage, bending down as he peered at Jesse through the metal fence around the cage. "You, Mr. Kilmartin, will tell me what I need to know to ensure that I always have a ready supply of mutants to meet my client's demands."
"And what makes you think I will tell you anything?" Jesse asked incredulously.
"Oh, I don't think you will, Mr. Kilmartin, I KNOW you will," Xavier answered with a spine tingling evil laugh that made Jesse's skin crawl.
Jesse slowly opened his eyes, wincing in pain as he adjusted to the light. His body felt numb all over. He tried to raise his arm to cradle his aching head but found that they were handcuffed securely behind him. With supreme effort, he slowly lifted his head to look at his surroundings.
He was in a large metal cage in the middle of what seemed to be a warehouse. There was a guard standing right outside his cage with his back to Jesse. Several people armed with weapons were also walking around the warehouse.
Jesse muffled a groan as he tried to get up on his elbow to get a better look, careful not to get the attention of the guard.
He didn't really remember what had happened to bring him to this place. All he remembered was being at the cemetery at Ellie's grave. He had been completely lost in his own thoughts that he didn't realize footsteps approaching until it was too late. He had turned around to feel a sharp stinging pain to his neck and after that he had no recollection of what had happened.
From his captivity and his surroundings he knew that whatever did happen, it couldn't be good. What he did know was that he needed to get out. And soon. Now if only his body would cooperate with him.
Finally up on his elbow, he slowly took a breath to phase the binds from his hands..Nothing happened. Thinking that his body must still be fighting the effects of whatever drug he had been given, he counted to ten and took a deep breath to try again.still nothing.
Jesse was beginning to feel a sense of panic. He tried to mass instead but again nothing happened. By this time he was almost to a sitting position, adrenaline beginning to pump as panic set in full impact. No! Not now. It couldn't fail him now! He needed to get out. He didn't know what was happening. He just couldn't phase.or mass for that matter. Breathing heavily, he looked around him nervously as the panic slowly turned to fear.
************************************************************************
Mr. Kilmartin!! A pleasure to have you finally join us! A booming voice came from behind him startling Jesse.
Jesse's head snapped around to where the voice came from. He immediately regretted the sudden movement as he clenched his teeth to the sharp wave of pain that traveled through his upper body.
"Oh and a . don't even bother to try do your little rock boy and ghost guy routine." Xavier continued as he approached Jesse's cage. "It's not going to work." Xavier said matter of fact, as he gave a wry smile and a tilt of his head to his prized catch obviously pleased at how the day was turning out.
"What did you do to me?" Jesse said through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving that of his captor.
"Oh, that. No worries, just a little injection of our special homemade serum that would render your mutant abilities useless for a good twelve hours or so" Xavier said almost gleefully. "And you can bet we got a lot of where that came from. Thanks to our resident genius here, the lovely Ms. Lena" Xavier added as he put his arms around Lena, who was standing next to him.
"So how does it feel to be normal, Mr. Kilmartin?"
************************************************************************
"What do you want from me?" Jesse said angrily.
"Hmm,.where to start?" Xavier said as he deliberately paced the floor outside Jesse's cage tapping his chin with his index finger as a mock show of being deep in contemplation.
"How about.do you have any idea how valuable you are, Mr. Kilmartin?" Xavier said turning his head questioningly at Jesse. ".and not just you, all you mutants for that matter." He continued without waiting for an answer. "You mutants are, for lack of a better word, freaks of nature. You're the product of man, technology and god combined. You can do things that we humans can only dream of. And that, Mr. Kilmartin makes you and all your mutant kind a valuable commodity."
"You have no idea of what the market is out there for mutants like you." Xavier continued. "People are willing to pay good money, for your kind. From researchers, to scientists, to government agencies even, and renegade groups, private corporations and individuals. The list goes on." Xavier shrugged as he continued. "I don't question their reasons, I just give them what they want, for the right price, of course."
"So you're the one behind the recent incline in the disappearance of new mutants" Jesse said taking in Xavier's account. "So what?" he continued after a while, "now you want to sell me off to some buyer? Is that it?"
"Ho, no, no, no, no, Mr. Kilmartin" Xavier said shaking his head. "On the contrary. I'm not going to sell you off. Well.not yet anyway. You see, the problem I have now, is that my demand for mutants outweighs my supply by way too much. So you, Mr. Kilmartin, are here to help me resolve that problem."
"What do you mean?" Jesse asked slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer to the question.
"Well, for a start, I know Mutant X takes care of some of these mutants in what you call your safe-houses. I also know you have a database of new mutants which I would love to get my hands on." Xavier said as he walked towards the cage, bending down as he peered at Jesse through the metal fence around the cage. "You, Mr. Kilmartin, will tell me what I need to know to ensure that I always have a ready supply of mutants to meet my client's demands."
"And what makes you think I will tell you anything?" Jesse asked incredulously.
"Oh, I don't think you will, Mr. Kilmartin, I KNOW you will," Xavier answered with a spine tingling evil laugh that made Jesse's skin crawl.