8

Lynx 12

Title: Lynx

Author: Lady Bethia

Series: Lynx

E-Mail: Page: http/groups. PG

Disclaimers: The X-Men are not mine. I am making no profit from this story. Lynx and Megan are mine.

Summary: Scott is furious with Hank about the medical information he disclosed about Gambit's paternity. Moreover, Rowan tells the X-Men about her beginnings.

Chapter 12

Scott was furious, no beyond furious. 'How could Hank do this to him? How could he not warn him and Jean about the relationship between them and that whore and thief? God what did I do to deserve this.' Scott ranted in his own head as he went immediately to the solitude his office.

Once at his desk, he sat down in his old worn leather desk chair. He took a deep cleansing breath and held it for a full minute before releasing it. The red haze of anger was under control again. Gazing up at the clock on the far wall of the wood paneled office, Scott decided to give Hank another ten minutes before he would order him to a meeting in his office.

Scott never thought that Hank would be able to drive him to this level of fury. Hank had always been there for them all. He never kept harmful secrets or blurted out important information in front of the wrong people.

Now he had hurt Scott to the core by informing everyone that his - his grandson was that whore and thief Gambit. Didn't he deserve some consideration and warning about this announcement? It had only been three years since he lost his son but found him again as an adult recently. The adult his child had become Scott did not like much because of his lack of respect for the ideals the Professor held them all too especially the one about killing. His son was a professional soldier and killer not a hero who would do anything to keep from killing unless it was the very last resort.

Scott stood and walked over to the large bay window and stared out over the front lawn of the estate and became lost in thought. Scott finally pulled his attention back from the past and looked at the clock on the wall as it chimed the half hour. It had been thirty minutes since he got up from his chair to stare out the window. 'Where did the time go?' He thought annoyed with himself.

Going to the phone, Scott called down to the lab. "Hank I want a meeting with you in my office as soon as you are able to leave Rowan safely." He paused took a deep breath and then asked, "How is she?"

"Yes Scott very well I will attend this meeting. As for Rowan, she is recovering from a mild heart attack. I have sedated her and she is asleep. Jubilee and I feel that she will recover faster if she were taken back to their room again now that she is no longer in danger. As soon as I have ensconced her there I will join you." Hank replied in a tired sad voice that was becoming more and more common these days.

"Good." Scott said more sharply than was his norm for speaking with Hank as he turned off the intercom without waiting for further reply.

"Scott you wanted to speak with me?" announced Hank as he entered the office of his friend and colleague a few minutes later.

"Yes." Scott barked as he dove in for the kill. "What in hell did you think you were doing by not even giving Jean and I the curtsy of forewarning us about Gambit!" Scott all but yelled.

"I did not forewarn you because I felt it was safer that all the facts be presented at one time to everyone so there would be less chance of misunderstandings about who was told what when and why first. So I made you angry by not telling you first. You are an adult get over it. I have work to do. If you wish, further dialog on this subject send me an e-mail and I will pencil you in at my earliest convenience. Now if you do not mind I have to prepare for all those autopsies that I must perform on the children we were unable to save now that Rowan and Megan are no longer residents of my med-lab." Hank snapped back. He rose to his full height and walked out with dignity leaving a flabbergasted Scott in his wake.

Shortly after Hank's abrupt departure Jean entered Scott's office. "Well do you think you have enough people mad at you about you total lack of self control?" Jean asked crisply.

"Why in hell are you mad at me? It was Hank that dumped this horrible surprise on us in public not me. He hurt us with this." Scott growled.

"Be quiet." She said in a deadly soft voice. "Don't you think Gambit is just as disgusted as you are to be related to you? I would be after the way you scared Rowan so. You literally gave the poor child a heart attack."

Jean walked closer to Scott, stared him in the eyes, and said, "Rowan is important right now. Stopping Sinister is important right now. Having a hissy fit about Gambit being a blood relative to us is not important. I am very happy to have him as my grandson and I will accept him even though I don't have too. I mean he is the child of my clone's son. You may do as you wish but don't let it interfere with X-Men business or the children. Have I made my self perfectly clear?" Jean finished her quietly spoken hissy fit at Scott knowing that she had hit nerve with the clone's son comment.

"I am not the bad guy in all this." Scott said in defiance.

"Yes you and the Professor were idiot husband mine. Now drop the subject before the Professor steps into our private affairs." She growled at him.

Getting control of her anger, she continued on to a different track. "Hank said that tomorrow afternoon you can ask Rowan some more questions. But I will be in charge of what is asked and how it is asked. You will not hurt that girl again with you temper." Jean cocked her head to the side expectantly waiting for Scott to concede or fight back.

"Very well the meeting will be at 3pm." He said thru clenched teeth.

Jean laid a hand on Scott's arm and sent soothing thoughts through their unique telepathic link. It helped but she knew he would have to work most of this hostility out by himself.

"Go to the danger room no one is there. After a while I'll give you a back rub." Jean said gently.

"Yeah your right." He replied as he kissed her on the forehead before he left the room. He knew that Jean was not the enemy in this and he was beginning to realize there were no enemies in this situation except his own dislike of Gambit. 'Arrogance that is one of my biggest vices alone with anger,' thought Scott in shame.

"Men," she mumbled. "You can't understand them and you can't beat any sense into them."

The War Room was very quiet as the Professor, Jean, Scott, Gambit, Logan, Jubilee and Rowan entered and moved to their predetermined seats Rowan between Logan and Remy with Jubilee standing behind her. Finally, Jean, Scott and the Professor sat across the table from the others.

"Rowan how are you feeling my dear?" The Professor asked in a friendly gentle way.

"Better. Jubilee took good care of me." She answered shyly.

"Good. Very good. I am sorry that we scared you yesterday. Believe me when I tell you that it was not our intention to harm you. Do you feel up to answering some questions for us today or would you feel more comfortable if we did it a little later on?" He asked sincerely.

"Yes, I think I can do it." She replied.

"Let us start with the beginning shall we. What is the first thing that you remember?" Xavier asked.

FLASHBACK Rowan POV

When I first woke up, I was dizzy, sounds were too loud, and the smell almost made me sick. It was all so over whelming. After a few minutes, I was able to separate out my different senses and adjust them to tolerable levels.

Then disjointed thoughts raced through my mind. 'Who am I? Where am I? What is going on? Why do I think I recognize these people and know that I should fear them?'

I quickly realized that I was strapped to a metal lab table in a room that looked like something from the original Frankenstein movie without the dust and cobwebs. At least that is how Mom's memories described it to me.

"Who, who are you?" I asked in a small-terrified voice that did not recognized as my own. It was then that I think I realized that I did not even know the sound of my own voice. I began to shake from cold and fear.

"I am Mr. Sinister and this is your Mother and Father." The man who spoke was tall and had a bleached white face and a red diamond in the center of his forehead. In addition, he had a cape that looked like it had a life of its own.

"I don't know who I am," I cried.

"Your name is Lynx," said the unsmiling woman who was supposed to be my Mother.

I am Sharon Oaks and this," she pointed to my Father, "is Sabretooth."

Father smiled at me and the only thought that went through my head was 'he's going to eat me!' So I cringed away from him as best as I could against the restraints.

Mother simple looked at him in disgust.

Mr. Sinister glanced over at my parents and told them to leave. He had work to do on me.

Hours later, I was abandoned alone in a bedroom dressed in a tight fitting black body suit. The room was furnished with only a small bed and dresser. The bathroom, off the back wall, was small and cramped with a shower stall, toilet and sink with a small mirror. I looked through all the drawers in the dresser and found nothing. The closet did not even have hangers in it. The bathroom was also empty except for a roll of toilet paper.

A small sound caught my attention as the door to my room opened and my Mother walked in.

"Hello Lynx," she said.

"Hello Sharon Oaks" I return her greeting with the name she had given me before not knowing if she wanted me to call her anything else.

"Lynx you don't have to call me by my full name. Why don't you just call me Sharon?" She said.

"Alright, Sharon." I said.

She looked very tired and sad. Then she walked around and inspected me. That was all I could call it, the way she looked me over. At least when she did it though I was not scared not like when Mr. Sinister had me in the lab alone.

Rowan stopped and began to cry.

"It's alright Chere." Remy said as he petted her back. "Ya wan' ta stop now Chere?"

"No I'll be alright." Rowan answered her concerned brother.

Sharon talked to herself as she compared me to people I don't know. Finally, she stopped.

"What do you remember? You seem to speak and understand English just fine. You understand concepts too. Can you pin point out any memories?" She asked me all those questions with an intense studying gaze.

"I am not sure," I replied. "I am very confused. There seemed to be a lot going on in my head but none of it makes any sense to me." Shaking, I started to cry.

"He hurt me in that place after you left. He cut and stabbed me. Why am I here? What is going on? Help me please." I sank to the floor in hysterics.

Sharon looked like she was about to cry too and said, "I am going to help you as much as I can. I can't promise anything. You are not the only prisoner here child."

"You see Sinister murdered my husband, daughter, son and parents and kidnapped me. I don't want to be here anymore than you do." She answered.

"What I talk to you about does not leave this room. Do you understand? Your life will depend on what I will teach and tell you." She spoke very slowly and harshly as she placed her hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. She made sure I understood the importance of what she had to say.

Rowan stopped talking and stared out at nothing as if she was caught in another place and time. The Professor said to the dazed child, "Rowan, Rowan please come back to us. Rowan do you hear me child?"

"Huh what? Professor I'm sorry what happened?" She answered in a tiny scared voice. She was afraid that she had said or done something that was wrong but she could not remember what it was.

"We were just worried about you. You stopped speaking and were just staring into space." He replied gently and soothingly to her.

"Oh. Can I have some water? I have never talked about these things before and I didn't realize it would hurt so much." She said with a snuffle.

Remy handed her a glass of water, which she drank and handed back to him.

"Do you think you can continue my dear?" asked the Professor.

"Yes sir." Rowan replied without thought. She would have answered that way even if she was not ready Sinister, Sabretooth and Sharon had trained her well.

FLASHBACK Rowan POV

After the talk with Sharon, I had some idea of what was going on.

Sharon explained that Sabretooth had wanted to take as mate a woman named Sharon Oaks but she had died in an accident years before. Sharon said that she thought Sabre told Sinister about her and that he dug up her body to see if it would be of any use to him maybe a way to further control Sabretooth.

With her body, Sinister discovered some interesting genetic possibilities in Sharon's DNA. He then searched through several timelines until he found one where she was still alive. The woman he found would become my mother through his experiments. Sharon Oaks was a 41-year-old married mother of two in her own time line.

When Sinister finally found her, he ordered the Marauders to retrieve her and leave no witnesses. The Marauders killed her entire family, knocked her out and took her back to Sinister's lab. She was now Sinister's slave with no way back home and no one there even if she could get back.

She then told me about how he had used her in several experiments but one of them was the one who resulted in me.

The thing that frightened me the most was what Sharon told me next. I was a newborn and all the memories that I have to be able to function at all were from her. I was just a lab experiment. I had not begun life like normal people.

It took them a full year to produce my zygote and grow me to the equivalent of a thirteen year old. She explained that usually Sinister made clones or altered clones of those people he had a use for. However, in her case, it was the crossing of Sabre's DNA with Sharon's that he wanted. He still grew me in the clone tank because there was too much of a chance of losing me if he implanted me in Sharon or another woman.

Sharon's soul reason for living now that her real family was dead was to destroy Sinister. During the year, that the two of them worked on creating me Sharon was able to learn a great deal and make herself very useful to Sinister. Therefore, when the time came to implant memories into me she was able to interfere with this process. Sinister only wanted me to have her memories up to the age of thirteen. It would give me all the basic skills I needed to survive including social skills, literacy, math comprehension etc but Sharon changed the setting so that I would hopefully get a complete copy of her memories. She had a plan to keep me from becoming a mental copy of herself so she set things up with Sinister that she would be my teacher of non-fighting skills and adult skills that I would need.

She did this to give me a fighting chance to save my mind and soul from him. She warned me about the abuse and the training I was libel to go through. She hoped that she had given enough of her will and understanding to learn from whatever they did to me.

Whatever I failed to get from her memories, she was going to teach me. Above all, she wanted most for me was to have her sense of right, wrong and justice and the knowledge of when to use it to my maximum advantage. We were to eventually destroy and kill Sinister so no one would ever go through this horror and torture again.

Rowan was white and shaking. She looked like what she had told them was pulled out of her by torture.

"Rowan dear I think that will be quite enough for today. You need your rest."

"Thank you Professor Xavier." She said as she pulled in on her self and sank lower into the wheel chair.

"Gumbo let's get her back to her room. Jubilee get her something to eat and drink." Logan ordered in a soft growl as he patted Rowan on the head stroking her hair.

"Sure. See you back in our room Rowan." Jubilee said with a smile as she left for the snacks.

"There is more to her story." Scott stated to the Professor after Rowan, Gambit, Jubilee and Logan had left.

"Of course there is but she can not tell it to us all at once. Most of it is quite horrible in the amount of abuse the girl has suffered." The Professor stated. "Furthermore I feel that we should wait a few more days before we ask her any more questions concerning her past."

Scott reluctantly agreed and left with Jean.

The next morning the X-men received some important information on another lab of Sinister's. Most of the X-Men left except for Hank, Bobby, Jubilee, Remy and Rogue. The two days after that the alert came thru that, everyone except Bobby and Jubilee needed to be at the site. There were injuries and heavy resistance. Bobby was to remain as security for the mansion, the Professor and the children.

P.S. to my readers. "Chapter 8 really goes between chapter 12 and 13. I hope you enjoy."

TBC