"I remember her, she was working with Stryker the entire time."

"Under the influence of that vile serum he whipped up, no doubt. She, like Kurt and Scott, must have been drugged-"

"Do we know that?"

"I can't think of any other explanation."

"Well, what if…?"

"Yes?"

"What if she hadn't been under his control? What if she knew about it the entire time?"

"A mutant aiding the destruction of our race? Impossible! If she was helping him, then maybe Stryker was right all along in his quest to kill us all…"

I heard voices often, floating throughout the room where I was lying on a bed. I couldn't understand what had happened to me at first, but soon my memories had flooded back. I'd been fighting Logan until he'd pumped me full of liquid adamantium.

I had died.

I had felt my body absorb the metal into my system, I had tasted the metal, I had cried it. Where was I now? In a hospital? Who had found me? How was I still alive? Questions raced through my mind, but I soon slipped into unconsciousness with great relief. I was not yet ready to meet my saviors.

I knew that at least a day had passed when I woke up, and I was feeling much better. I opened my eyes and felt my brain come alive on its own, with no drugs in my body to cloud my senses. I lifted my hand and clenched a fist, marveling at the simplicity of an action made of my own free will. It had been so long since I was free of William's drug, so long since I had been free at all.

Sitting up, I looked around the room. It was small, but there was enough room for my bed, a few comfortable chairs, a desk and a door that led into what I assumed was either a closet or a bathroom. There was a door on the opposite side of the room that was cracked open, and I could see a little way down a hall.

The healing factor was taking care of me- I felt better than I had in a long time, but that may have just had to do with the absence of drugs in my system. I felt almost giddy at the freedom, but just as quickly dread welled up in my chest and squeezed my heart. I was free now, but where was I? Where the people that saved me planning on being as benevolent when they found out I was awake?

The paranoia swept over me, and I extended my claws. I had never thought that I'd be grateful for the murderous things, but over the years I had come to accept them as a part of my body- I could hardly remember a time when I possessed anything less than talons. I stood from the bed and realized that I was wearing a plain, cotton nightgown. I scowled, hating the knowledge that someone had stripped me while I was unconscious and then put me in this frumpy bag of a nightshirt.

I went to the second door and found that it was a closet after all. A woman's closet…where was I?

The clothes inside were colorful- something I had missed dearly as I was forced to wear bland, dark colors while under William's influence. I felt angry and defiant, promising to kill him the moment I had the chance, as soon as I found out what had happened at the Alkali base.

I quickly changed into whoever's clothes where in the closet- a pair of dark denim jeans (a little too long at the ankles), a lavender blouse that fit surprisingly well and a pair of sneakers that, while not flopping off my feet like clown shoes, were half a size too large- it was all that was available, I'd take what I could get. Under the blouse I donned a tight white tank top to use as an undershirt, and I filched a pair of clean underwear from the top drawer of a little bureau against the back wall of the closet. It's common knowledge that sharing clothes- especially underwear- is less than sanitary, but at the time I didn't care; I would have worn a burlap sack with matching slippers if it meant I could keep my freedom.

The clothes were nothing, my main concern was finding out exactly what had happened to me.

Dressed and feeling much more secure, I ventured out of the room and went down the hallway. The walls were hardwood and I thought for a while that I could've been in a hotel. There were other rooms, though each one I checked seemed to be empty. The rooms were empty, though not unoccupied. Several of the rooms I'd checked into were decorated and arranged with the personal touches of several different types of personalities.

The differences between the sexes occupying the rooms were fairly obvious. The boys' rooms were generally darker in color. The bedspreads and sheets were blue and green plaid, or just solid colors. Most of the boys' rooms smelled like Burberry cologne and had movie posters on the wall, or pictures of family resting on the nightstands. The girls' rooms were lighter in color and brighter in overall theme. Some of them had butterflies stenciled on the walls, and most of the girls' desks were cluttered with folded laundry, textbooks and makeup.

I stepped into the room of one of the girls and took a closer look at what was on a desk. The textbook was for high school level algebra. I frowned; was I at a school? Then, the thought struck me that the only place I could be was at Xavier's mutant school. I dropped the textbook and went back out to the hall. I had to find him and demand to know what happened at the base and how I could repay him for saving me. I was free now, free, free, free!

I had to tell him everything- everything from the first day I came to America with my father to my final fight with Logan at the base. I couldn't see anyone and the school was so big that I didn't know where to look for the professor. Would he be in a main office, or in his personal room?

I suddenly felt frantic and started into a light jog down the hall. The hall of bedroom quarters opened up into the main foyer of the grand mansion. I glanced down and stopped dead in my tracks.