The sky was dark. Ominous. Deadly. Her eyes stung with tears threatening to fall. The beat of her erratic heart deafening in her ears. She gasp, struggling to fill her lungs with oxygen but only ended up coughing as her airways were assaulted by smoke. A heavy weight across her chest pinned her to the ground, trapping her to face what happened next. A flicker of light to her left caught her eye and she turned towards it, praying help had come.
Her prayers went unanswered as the light grew and with it came a heat that scorched her bones. Lips filled with blood parted, attempting a scream for help but no sound came. She was trapped, laying there, blood dripping down the side of her face and flames flickering closer. Pressing her palms against the coarse wooden beam, she struggled to push its weight away from her. Two inches up, enough to get a breath before the beam crashed down against her ribcage, knocking all oxygen from her lungs.
The heat grew stronger, the flames closer and with it she knew this was the end.
'Why do they not come for me?'
Sy blinked and looked around the room for the female that spoke those words. Off to her right she could barely make out the form that was trapped in the same predicament as her.
'Do I mean so little to them?'
Drawing air into her lungs Sy attempted to call out to her, "Hey!" She coughed and tried again, "Hey! Are you ok?" Her lungs closed in on themselves causing her voice to come out in a wheeze.
'Am I to die here?' The other female continued as if she couldn't hear Sy.
"We'll get out of this! I promise!"
The flames were closer to the both of them, Sy could feel the heat, and gritted her teeth against the pain as they danced across her fingertips. Her amber eyes stayed trained on the other female watching as the flames danced across her flesh. The flickering fire light allowed her to make out the wavy mane of golden wheat spread out around the young female like a halo. Her head tilted to the side and glazed over green-blue eyes stared, unseeing in Sy's direction. Sy jolted at the feeling of recognition those eyes gave her as they focused on her. She gasped as the flames traveled along the beam and seared the flesh from left hip to right shoulder.
'All hope is lost.' The blonde's voice carried steady as if the flames burning her affected nothing.
Sy opened her eyes and stared at the female again, "Hope is never lost." She spoke between gasps.
'Hope is lost to those who wish to never be found.'
Sy closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, "But those who have been lost will always be found."
'Then why do you wish to never be found?'
The pain was becoming too much to bear, but she managed to speak between clenched teeth. "Because no one cared enough to look."
'Remaining in the darkness of what has once been is better than knowing the truth.'
"You know nothing!" Amber eyes snapped to stare at her companion in this fire ridden darkness.
The female's lips curled into an all knowing smile, 'I know everything.' Her lips didn't move.
Sy woke with a gasp, her hand clutched into the fabric of her tank top that rested over her erratic beating heart. With a deep breath she let go and ran her fingers across her sweat covered cheeks. Her fingers were shaking as she pressed her palm against her lips and peered through the gaps between the digits.
"What in the name of the Gods was that?"
The black mass that molded itself around her, huffed and released a grumble as Sy continued to wiggle. Chiara lifted her paw away from Sy, allowing her the movement she was looking for.
Sy scrambled away with a gasp, she could feel the phantom weight of the beam still across her chest. With trembling hands she ripped the tank away from her flesh, hoping for a reprieve from the tightness. It didn't work.
Even her legs were wobbly like a new born filly as she made her way towards her bathroom. Clicking the light on she braced herself against the sink staring into her bright amber gaze. She turned on the tap, cupping her hands beneath the cool flow and splashed the water against her cheeks. Repeating the process multiple times before she finally stopped the flow and looked back up at her mirror image. Her eyes slowly slid down her reflection's neck to stare at the patch of bright pink skin. The only scar on her lightly tanned flesh.
Phantom pain still lingered along the puckered flesh. The scar itself was small, a little more than two inches wide but Sy could still feel the weight crushing her, immobilizing her. She knew that dream wasn't just a dream but a memory of something that once been.
Still feeling the heat she stripped herself of her remaining clothes, flipped on the shower and clambered inside. The water felt like ice against her overheated flesh, helping to erase the lingering sting of flames.
Sy's had that dream many times, more than the ones of the men hunting her. But that was the first time someone else was forced to live through her torment.
"Who was she?" Her fist slammed against the cool tile before she slid down to the flooring. She pulled her knees up against her chest resting her cheek against them, staring at the plan white wall.
Claws against the hard tile let Sy know she was no longer alone. Sy tilted her head to the other side after a small pitiful whimper reached her ears. Chiara's dark fur could be seen behind the glass door as the large feline lay outside the stall.
"Who was she Chiara? Do you think we knew her?"
The feline let out a rumble, one that told Sy that she most likely knew this strange woman. She sighed and closed her eyes; this woman entering her dreams had something to do with this place. The blonde had never been there before all of this.
A sudden thought passed through her mind, "Chiara you don't think... She's who I used to be, do you?" The question came out weaker than what she hoped.
Chiara let out a strong growl as her ears swiveled back and forth, attempting to find her friend's distress. Sensing nothing the feline settled back down while Sy pieced the small puzzle together.
This woman had to be connected to Shield in some way; why else would she appear in an old memory when never being there before. And Fury, he knew something, Sy was positive about that. Why else would he request her over everyone else at the Mansion?
"Looks like we have some digging to do my friend. But first," A smirk spread across her lips, "How bout we get the pack up here?"
Chiara let out a happy rumble at the mention of their family, and followed Sy out of the room after the red head turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
After changing into a black tank top and light denim jeans, Sy leaned into the hallway and glanced both ways. A rumbling growl sounded behind her followed by a nudge from her feline counterpart. She clicked her tongue as she shoved the large black mass away from her leg.
Sy tilted her head back and meet the red eye glare straight on. "Chiara chill. I need you to stay here. The norms would freak if they saw ya." She turned away and stepped out into the corridor, ignoring the agitated fluff ball. "Be good. I'm gonna get the others. There's also Cheetos in the cupboard."
Chiara's ears perked up and she rotated to raid Sy's stash of the orange covered crunchy things. Amber eyes rolled towards the ceiling, grumbling about weird eating habits of demonic cats.
But first, it's time to deal with Fury.
Finding the Angry Bald man is easier said than done, Sy felt like she spent forever attempting to locate him and received no result. Ruffling up her bangs, she groaned in despair, it seemed to her Shield had it out for her. Just as she was contemplating jumping out the window a familiar back entered her field of vision.
"Phil!"
The poor Shield agent barely had enough time to dodge but ducked down in time that Sy flipped over his head. She landed on her feet and spun to latch on to the male's arm.
"Sup?", Sy's grin nearly split her face in two.
Phil sighed, "Agent Siren, I was in the middle of an important discussion."
"Don't care. Now can you be a doll and tell me where the Dictator happens to be gracing others with his angst leather wearing self?"
"Director Fury" She didn't miss the emphasis on Director, "is currently on the main deck. You should be able to find him there."
"Ah. Phil you're an Angel." Sy planted a kiss on his cheek before taking off down the corridor. "Don't work too hard now," she called over her shoulder with a wave.
"She's much too like Tony for her own good."
The main deck's activity was buzzing with life as Sy passed the metal doorway. Fury stood in all his leather goodness in the high raised middle. Her footsteps were nonexistent as she walked up the ramp and stood behind the Dictator.
"Agent Siren. I don't believe I called you to deck."
"Well that may be true but I happened to spend an eternity searching for your hide."
The dark skinned man glanced over his shoulder, "The reason is being?"
"I want my pack and there's two ways we can do this."
Fury turned completely around, taking in her stance, hands on hips and shoulders squared. She was possibly looking for a fight so his best interest would be to give Sy his utmost attention. "Fine. Speak."
"One would be you giving me the go ahead for my pack to be stationed within these walls. My pack comes quietly and willing to help with anything you desire. Or two. I call them anyways and tell them that my mental stability has been compromised. Then your Heli-Carrier will be invaded by agitated pack mate's hell bent on destruction." Her lips curled into a smirk. "You're choice."
Fury sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers, pondering his options. The entire deck went silent, watching the interaction, completely enraptured that someone would speak to Fury that way.
Fury's dark eyes found Sy's and gave a slight nod of his head. The red-head's entire demeanor changed, her shoulders relaxed and a genuine smile played on her lips.
"I appreciate this Director. I really do." Sy spun and skipped away from the room, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Guard your loins Shield! The pack's coming to town!"
At this time Fury was already regretting his decision, Sy was bad, so how much worse would her pack be.
With a skip in her step, Sy made her way towards the labs hoping to locate the Science Bros. Last night Tony came by her room during her talk with the pack, Sy could smell him lingering by the door this morning. If she wasn't so enthralled in the call, she would have called out to him and had him join the festivities. But she never even noticed his arrival, to lost in her thoughts about Captain Rodgers. Spangles was just lucky Logan wasn't on board; the poor man would've been pinned to the wall by 500 pounds of aggressive Adamantium.
Sy snickered, she could just picture Rodgers face, if he thought she was scary there would be no way in hell he could handle a pissed off Logan.
The doors to the lab opened with a click. "Sup Science Bros!"
Tony and Bruce both looked up at the intrusion. "Well you seem to be in a better mood, little Miss." Stark pushed away from his screens and approached her with open arms and a smile.
Sy returned the hug with a strong squeeze, "I have amazing news. At least for me."
Bruce pushed his glasses back up his nose, looking back at his screen. "And that would be?"
Sy pulled away from Tony and snuck up behind Bruce, wrapping her arms around his neck. Remembering the good Doctor was easily agitated, she alerted the chemical compassion of her pheromones. Releasing waves of calm and serenity, she could feel Bruce's muscles relaxing beneath her hands. "My pack is coming."
"You're pack?"
"How did you get Fury to agree to that?"
"To answer you Bruce. My pack is a group of mutants who make up my family." She placed her chin on top of Bruce's brown hair, to maintain direct eye contact with the other brunette. "And Fury had two choices. Allow or be invaded."
"Seems fair."
Bruce looked up at Tony his face drawn into disbelief. "How are those options fair?"
"The kitty that's currently hanging off your neck by the way, has emotion instability and her pack mates keep her stable."
"Thanks Tony, really, for making me seem crazy." Her voice dripped with the amount of sarcasm.
Tony winked, "No problem Kitty."
"So you have a dependency problem?"
Sy drew back from Bruce, as far as keeping her arms around his neck would allow, while Tony chuckled. "Seriously. Not cool. It's not a dependency problem. How do I put this? The feral side of me, my inner animal is very affectionate and has a need to be surrounded by those we love."
"Dependency!" Tony singsonged from across the room which earned him an amber glare.
"Haven't you heard of safety in numbers? They're my family. They mean the world to me. You don't know how hard it is to be away from them. I can't smell them, I can't hear their heartbeats. I'm a feral. The closest to an animal that a human can get, they keep me thinking logically without being completely over run by my instincts."
"What would happen if your instincts take over?"
Sy blinked, "That really depends on what they're telling me. Like if my instincts were screaming danger, and my logical side has been disabled, it automatically goes to fight or flight."
"So you would either run from the problem or confront it." Tony nodded, pleased that it was that simple.
"Not that simple." She stared at Tony as if she could read his mind. "If fight or flight is engaged, I fight. And if they run, I chase. If it comes to a chase, my feral side takes completely over and the person might not survive."
Bruce glanced back at the female, "So without your pack you're more dangerous?"
She smiled and nuzzled her face into Bruce's neck, "Exactly. Their presence keeps calm over me. Without them it's easier for me to flip shit."
"Well Bruce seems to be doing a good job."
"He reminds me of Colossus and you Tony remind me of Remy." She nuzzled Bruce's neck one last time before pulling away. "The two of you feel like pack. You may not smell of pack or home, but there's a comfort in your presence. It's why I haven't shown the two of you aggression."
"Unlike Rodgers."
"Spangles has shown hostility towards me and as such he will get it right back." Her smirk looked deadly with her sharp canines.
"You have issues, don't you?"
"Ever heard of Stryker?"
Tony studied Sy before he gave a slow nod of his head.
"Let's just say Stryker is the reason I have no trust with any form of military personnel."
Tony looked ready to say something but closed his mouth at the amber glare pointed in his direction. Only they were directed over his shoulder, he turned his head to get a glimpse of Rodgers. Well this can't be good.
Steve shifted his weight from foot to foot, before looking up with a sheepish smile, "Good Morning. Um. Siren, Ma'am. Could I speak with you?"
Sy looked ready to skin Steve alive, but after a moment's pause the amber in her eyes receded and she slowly nodded her head. Her footsteps were slow and careful, not making a single sound as she followed Rodgers retreating back.
"Be right back," her lips tilted into a small smile that she directed at the brunettes.
The doors closed with a hiss blocking the worrying looks of the science bros. They continued down the hallway a bit and Sy stopped leaning her back against the wall. "So what's this about?"
Steve glanced over at Sy, "I wanted to speak about my reaction yesterday?"
Her head tilted and her eyes shown with cautious curiosity. "Go on."
He paused, glancing over Sy's face and took a deep breath when he saw nothing but curiosity. "I apologize for the way I reacted." He sighed scrubbing a hand through his blonde locks. "I have never come across someone of your caliber before. I didn't know the correct way of handling that information. I want to apologize if I have in anyway made you uncomfortable."
The hallway went silent as Sy watched him carefully, searching for any signs of him being deceitful. She turned her head away from him with a hissed breath, if Rem was here he would call her a dumb ass for what happened. Norms didn't trust their kind; she knew that, so the question was why she reacted like that.
You want to be accepted.
Sy flinched at the thought, and tapped her head against the wall behind her.
Make things right.
She sighed, rotating her head towards the only other person in this empty corridor. Steve looked in one word, pathetic, with his head tilted towards the floor and his eyes downcast awaiting Sy's verdict.
"I accept your apology."
Steve's head shot up with a strange look in his eyes and Sy turned away refusing to return his gaze.
"And I apologize for reacting how I did." She swallowed and released a hissed breath. "My actions were hostile in nature and a man like you did nothing to deserve such a thing."
Her head remained motionless as her gaze slid back to Rodgers. "These few days have been... Troubling to say the least. And I was in the wrong to take it out on you." She pushed off the wall and started to return the way they came. "If you wish to have no further interactions with me. I will understand." Her steps faltered and she came to a standstill as a gentle hand grasped her shoulder.
"If it's all the same to you. Then I would like to try to understand you better."
Her eyes widened and she spun to look at Steve's face with hope in her eyes. Seeing nothing but the same hope in his gaze a gentle smile grew across her lips.
"I would like that very much Captain."
An answering smile graced his face. "Steve."
Sy nodded her head and grasped his left shoulder with her hand. "Thank you Steve."
"You are welcome Siren."
With a squeeze Sy lifted her hand away from Steve, "So would you mind escorting a lady to the dining hall?"
Steve shook his head with a light laugh and offered his arm, "I would be most honored."
Sy smiled and laced her arm through the captain's, allowing the gentleman to lead the way.
The mess hall went dead silent the second Sy walked through the doors. Most likely because of the comment she made on the main deck. As they passed by a table, Sy rolled her eyes at their whispered conversation. Or the dead silence could be caused by the fact she's hanging off of the Captain America's arm.
She released herself from Steve's personal space and put some distance between then earning her a confused stare from Rodgers. She simply waved towards the table with the gossiping females who were tracking their movements with their eyes and Steve nodded in understanding.
Sy made her way to the line and immediately starting looking around the room, hoping to catch sight of a blue tail. Steve came up behind her and watched with his head tilted to the side.
"May I ask who you're looking for?"
"Blue man." Was her answer before she could stop herself. As soon as the words passed her lips, she recalled where she was and sighed in longing.
"Blue man?"
"It's nothing. He isn't here anyways."
The line passed quickly and Sy grabbed her tray before looking for a place to sit. Catching a flash of red, she smiled and made her way towards the reclusive woman with Steve on her heals.
"Hey Natasha." She called as she got closer, gaining the woman's attention. "Is it cool if we seat ourselves here?"
Natasha study Sy closely before glancing over at Steve and nodding her head.
"Cool." Sy pulled out the seat across from the other female, placing her tray on the table and seating herself. "So Natasha. How has this morning been?"
"Aside from your Guard your loins. Nothing to exciting."
"Yeah about that. Hope that comment doesn't have Fury rethinking his decision."
"The Director most likely regretted his decision the second he said it."
"Yeah." She leaned back on her seat, "So what's the story on The Dictator? Seems like he has a stick up his ass."
Coughing from her right had Sy looking over; Steve had a hand over his mouth and looked to be choking. She reached over and pats him really hard between his shoulder blades with her fist.
"You alright Rodgers?"
"I.. I'm.. Fine."
Sy gave one last thump and pulled her hand away, patting his shoulder on the return trip. "There. There. It's ok. Logan did always tell me, my language would kill someone someday."
When Sy looked back at Natasha she notice a smile in her eyes, though the rest of her face stayed blank. Head cocked to the side, Sy stared at the woman, silently contemplating what it would take to make her actually smile.
Shaking those thought from her mind, she turned her attention to the plate before her, "This stuff looks weird." She twirled her fork through the goo. "Is this supposed to be eggs?"
"Most of the food is prepackaged and freeze dried." Natasha states matter of factly earning her a dead panned stare from Sy.
"Really? How can you live off this crap?"
"It's editable. I assure you."
Sy looked back at the plate with a pout, "I'm almost tempted to remove myself and find some real food."
"Almost?"
"Too lazy. And the fall might kill me. Not all of us can be as lucky as Warren and have wings." Sy eventually scooped up some "eggs" and shoved them in her mouth. After the first bite she continued eating the eggs hurriedly, barely stopping to take a sip of her orange juice.
"Not so bad if you eat it quickly. But I'm glad I saved my toast for last." Sy glanced at Steve and received a nod, looked like military man didn't like the eggs either. She watched him thoughtfully as she took a slow swig of her juice. "Ya know. You should come by the manor. I made the Professor go organic."
Steve shot Sy a confused glance that he hid by taking a sip of his milk, like the man needed to grow more.
"You know organic. Farm fresh eggs. No steroids. Told him that the steroids they give the egg laying chickens were bad for mutant health."
That earned her a chuckle from solder boy, which she answered with a wide grin. It seemed that Rodgers was opening up to the idea of another "more than human" on board.
Breakfast passed by quickly after that and Sy found herself wandering down the corridors, alone. But that was fine with her; it gave her time to think. Humming the theme to Harry Potter, Sy made her way towards the labs hoping to be of assistance to the science bros.
Thinking of the two men, Sy was assaulted with feelings of pack and home with underlining hits of embarrassment. A sudden thought has Sy's steady pace coming to a halt and a look of complete horror took over her face. She scent marked them, without realizing it. The duo felt so much like pack that she didn't even notice, though all the blame could be put onto Tony. His hug must of triggered her bonding instinct, add that on top of being away from those she cuddled with daily and bam scent marking happened. Shit, she has to let them know she has marked them as pack. Her footfalls picked up speed, hoping to make it to the labs before Bruce took a break.
After everything that has happened, she had to add scent marking two people as pack without their knowledge, Remy would just get a kick out of this mess. Speaking with Remy was next on her list, after cleaning up the mess with The Science Bros, Remy spent years with her maybe he could help her understand a few things.
'You think he knows anything.'
A chill ran down her spine as she saw the blonde woman lurching within the deepest parts of her cerebrum.
Sy steps stuttered to a halt, and her eyes glazed over, 'Who are you?'
Shadows danced across her vision as a whisper from her worst dreams answered, "You know." The figure in her mind smirked with malicious intent as the world around her darkened further, "You have simple forgotten."
Like a rubber-band pulled too tight, Sy snapped. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, body completely limp.
Tony looked up from his banter at the sound of something hitting metal. He glanced at Banner who also stared at the door, with his eyebrows drawn together.
"Well if we both heard that, then it must be something, right?"
Banner nodded in agreement, and watched as Tony headed for the doorway. He leaned out into the hall and looked left than right. A sharp exhale of air passed his lips before he quickly disappeared down the hall.
"Bruce! Clear a space and lay down something soft if you can!"
The doctor tilted his head to the side before removing himself from his seat to do as Tony asked. He cleared out one of the larger chairs that they hardly used, stacking everything neatly on Sy's table. As the footsteps came back down the hall, Bruce looked up and a silent oh God passed his lips.
Cradled in Stark's arms happened to be a shivering mass of flame haired woman. Banner wandered over to Tony's side clutching the blue blanket tighter.
"What happened?"
"I have no idea." Tony glanced at the doctor before walking over to the cushion and gently set the female down. "I found her like this on the floor. Most likely that thud was her hitting the ground."
Grabbing the blanket hanging from Banner's hands, he placed it across the shivering female with a frown on his face.
"Any idea what could cause this?"
Tony shook his head No, "The possibility of anyone knowing aboard this ship is nonexistent. Sy hardly talks about herself; the only people who might know would be her pack." His words drew out towards the end and he paused, "That's it."
"What's it?"
Tony leaned forward and started to dig through Sy's pockets.
"Tony?"
"No one knows about Sy, right?"
Banner nodded then realized Tony couldn't see him, "Yes."
"The only people who do know would be her pack."
Banner caught on and finished Tony's thought. "So the logical thing would be to contact them."
Tony glanced over his shoulder with a smile, "Exactly." He turned back around and continues his search, letting out a proud "ah hah" as he pulled out her small touch screen. He sat back on his heels, unlocked the screen and went straight to her contacts.
Banner leaned over Tony's shoulder to get a good look at the countless names listed there. "So do you know who you're looking for?"
"Well I figured since they refer to themselves as the pack..." He trailed off as he clicked groups and there was "THE PACK" types out in all caps. Tony tapped the title and the folder opened to a few names that had Tony's eyebrow raise.
Banner pushed his glace further up his nose, "Are those Harry Potter characters?"
"Would seem to be," Tony scrolled through the names taking each in and the symbols next to them. "Let's see we have a heart, fist, three stars.."
"Try the stars."
Tony nodded and clicked "James Potter", after making sure it dialed he brought the phone up to his ear.
After the fourth ring a male voice with a Cajun ancient answered, "Cher! What da hell happened to ya last night?!"
"Ah. If you're referring to Sy when you said Cher. She's sleeping."
The line went silent before the Cajun exploded, "Who are ya and what have ya done to Sy?! I swear if you 'ave done somethin I'll kick yer ass!"
"I haven't done anything. But I found her passed out in the hall."
It went silent again, "Is she ok?"
"I'm not sure."
The man sighed and Tony heard a shuffling through the line, "Who am I talkin to?"
"Tony Stark."
"Ah th' Ass dat ran Sy off the road, right?"
"Accident."
"Details. Since ya seem to 'ave no idea what is goin on. Answer some questions."
"No problem."
"Is she acting like a normal sleep or not?"
"Care to elaborate?"
The Cajun muttered under his breath in French, this dumb fuck, "Is she shiverin, tossin and turnin, face pale and sweatin?"
Tony glanced at the sleeping girl looking for any of those signs before giving his answer, "No."
"Ok. Now is she aware of 'er surroundins?"
"I carried her to the labs and she didn't move or make a sound."
The Cajun sighed, "She's trapped in her 'ead."
"Ed?"
"No ya dumb fuck! 'Er 'ead you know 'er mind?!" He sighed, "Good God Sy, yer trapped wit a bunch of Idjits."
"I take offense to that."
"Well ya should!"
Tony sighed and glanced at Banner, who was trying to hide a smile at the conversation. "So Cajun what do we do about Sy?"
"I have a name homme. It's Remy Le Beau. But ya can call me Gambit." Remy sighed, "As for Cher. There's not much ya can do. When she's trapped in 'er 'ead, she's trapped until she can get 'erself out."
"Well I guess it's a good thing you're coming up then." The line went dead silent and Tony pulled the phone away to look at the screen, making sure the call was still connected.
"Comin up? I 'avent 'eard anythin bout comin up."
"Tony. Sy probably blacked out before she said anything."
Tony nodded, "Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Well Gambit. Sy got permission from Fury for her pack to board the heli-carrier."
"Sweet! Only problem is most of the pack 'ave to continue der trainin. But I'll 'ave a chat wit de Professor." The line went silent. "Keep dis phone wit ya. And I'll call back within the hour."
The line went dead as Remy canceled the connection; Tony pulled the phone away and looked down at the screen.
"Tony didn't Sy say you remind her of Remy?"
"Yeah. So it would seem I remind her of an angry Cajun."
Banner chuckled and patted Tony's hair as he passed, going back to his work.
Tony locked the phone and slipped it into his back pocket. "I think letting Sy sleep here for now will be our safest bet."
"I agree. Hopefully Rodgers doesn't come looking for her."
"Yeah I wonder what that was about." Tony's smile turned lecherous, "You don't think Spangles has a crush, do you?"
"I believe I will refrain from making a remark."
Tony pouted, crossing his arms across his chest, "That's no fun."
For the next forty-five minutes, Tony and Bruce passed the time by continue their work on Loki's staff. Every minute they would glance up and train their gazes on Sy, hoping for any sign of movement. Tony signed for the millionth time after seeing Sy still lying in the spot they left her.
"That Cajun needs to call back."
"Give him time Tony."
~A man has gun, hey man have fun~
Tony glanced over at Sy's phone and sees it dancing in a circle from the vibrations. He grabs it, flips it open and brings it up to his ear, "Hello."
"Bout time Homme!"
"I think I should be saying that to you, Homme."
"Don't be a prick metal man!" Remy sighed, "How's Sy doin?"
Tony glances at the female in question, "The same as she's been."
"Right, well I talked to the Professor. He said Sy is fine and should be awake in a while."
"That's good."
"Problem though. The Professor said the pack can't come up, that most of them need to stay with their training."
"Sy's ain't going to be happy about that."
"Exactly. I said the same thing. So he said I can come up but it I 'ave to wait a few days, clearance or some crap."
"Alright. I'll let Sy know."
"Cool." Remy's voice got distant, most likely pulled the phone away to yell at someone called feathers. "I got to go. Let Sy know what's goin on for me."
"I will"
"Good boy. See ya."
The line went dead and Tony slowly pulled the phone away to stare at the screen.
"What did he say?"
"He called me a good boy."
Bruce chuckled, shook his hand and went back to his work, drowning out the sound of Tony flipping his shit over insolent Cajuns.
Light, strong and burning, glared through her closed eyelids giving the darkness a pinkish hue. Her body lurched forward with a gasping cough as if she spent the last few minutes not breathing. A shudder passed through her body followed by a sharp pain in the back of her head.
She cringed and leaned forward cradling her head between her hands, "Who the fuck hit me with a truck?"
"I would say me, just for the fact that was an interesting rhyme."
Her eyes slowly opened and she had to blink a few times to get vision clear. "Not sure if I should punch you or hug you Tony."
"I think the hug would be more appreciated."
Sy's chuckled and turned her head to face the quirky male. "Hugs are always appreciated." She dragged her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek against them with a sigh. "So what happened?"
"I think we should be asking you that."
"Logical." Another sigh as she ran her finger through the hair at back of her skull. "Though I can't answer that seeing as I don't remember what happened."
Bruce looked up and Sy smile as they made eye contact.
"You don't remember?"
"I just don't. Ok Tony?"
Tony held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender, which earned him a chuckle from the female as she closed her eyes.
A sudden thought had them snapping back open as she stared hard at a spot on the wall. "How long was I out?"
Tony looked down at his watch, "2 hours and 17 minutes."
"Try not to elaborate too much just for Lil old me."
"Would you like the seconds?" That comment earned Tony a half-hearted glare from the kitten, which he responded to with a chuckle. "Well you should be happy to know that I spoke to a pack member of yours?"
Sy's eyes brightened at the thought of her family before narrowing, "How in the hell did ya accomplish that. No one has there number except-" She caught off that thought before rifling through her pockets. "You stole my phone!" She screeched and if Tony wasn't halfway across the room she would be strangling him.
"Well kitten. I found you in the hallway and having no idea what to do, since you say almost nothing about yourself, I took the most logical step and contacted someone who would."
If she had hackles they would have raised as she hissed, "You have overstepped your boundaries."
"You should be happy. Your pack now knows that your mental state has been compromised."
"Yeah Tony. Thanks. Come over here so I can show you how grateful I truly am."
"No thanks I'm good over here."
Sy hissed and lurched forward on the cushions to get into a position to pounce. She made it halfway before a ringing sounded in her ears and the pounding off her pulse bounced around her skull. "Fuck!" Her body crunched in on itself as her hands plastered themselves to both sides of her head and she gave a painful whimper that had Tony and Bruce both cringe.
Her body trembled in time to the pulsing before everything slowed to a halt. Her hands slid away and she slowly blinked her eyes open as she tried to calm her heaving breaths.
"Kitten. You ok."
"I... I think so. J-just give me a minute."
Tony carefully made his way over to the female and gently placed his hand on her back between her shoulder blades. Sy focused on the soothing circles of his thumb, the steady intake and exhale of his breath, and slowed her breathing to match as she leaned into his touch.
"Don't think these changes anything."
"I don't think anything of the sort."
Sy huffed at the smile she could hear in Tony's voice.
"Are you ok Sy?"
Blue-green clashed with the concerned brown of Bruce's gaze, "I think I'll be ok."
Concern faded to be replaced with a knowledge that held an underlining of worry. "I thought you had accelerated healing?"
Sy's eyes narrowed in confusion, "I do." She spoke slowly and carefully, wondering what Banner's point could be. "Why do you ask?"
"Your healing abilities, if I'm understanding correctly. Wouldn't they be able to take care of the underlining case of a simple headache before it happened?"
Tony looked back and forth between Sy and Bruce, after Sy's cry of pain he was wondering the same thing.
"The understanding you hold of my mutation is remarkable Bruce," She smiled even though it came out a little strained. "My healing capabilities can do as what you have stated if the pain is physical."
Bruce blinked and his eyes glazed over in thought. "So what you're saying is the pain isn't in the physical but psychological?"
"Exactly. The last time I had a migraine as bad as this was after the Professor spent a few hours in my head." She grimaced at the thought of waking in the middle of Xavier digging through her psyche.
"The Professor was digging through your mind? For what?"
Sy glanced back at Tony with a smile, "He had to. I had a black out just like the one you found me in and he wanted to find the cause."
"Did he?"
"If he did he didn't tell me. All he said is my mind is fragile and knowing would cause me to break."
"So your Professor possibly knows something as is hiding that knowledge from you?"
Sy shrugged, dislodging Tony's hand in the process and swung her legs over the armrest to rest them on the floor. "Don't make him sound like a bad guy." Burrowing her face against her knees she tilted her head to watch Tony. "The Professor did what he believes to be right. And I trust that man with my life."
"But he's hiding your past from you. Don't you want to remember?"
Her eyes narrowed and he voice became laced with a rumbling growl. "What I do remember has shown me nothing but the darkness within some ones soul. What I remember is being removed from my home twice. I may not remember my first home but maybe that is for the best."
"The best? Sy do you hear yourself? What about your family? Friends?"
Her head shot up as he eyes bled amber. "Who Tony?!" She curled her claws into her palm, restraining herself. "I have been taken twice and no one looked for me both times! If I was so important to these people, why didn't they try to find me! Huh?! You think I would want to remember my family?! My mother?! My father?! These people that supposedly loved me so much that they left me to rot in Striker's cells?! Left me with a man who sliced me just to test my healing abilities! A man who starved me just to see how feral I could become!"
Sy ignored the widening of Tony's eyes and continued voicing her rage. "A man who would shove me into rooms with others of my kind after starving me for weeks to see if I would kill for a meal!"
At the sharp intake of breath from both Tony and Bruce, she finally understood all that she had revealed about herself. Her eyes snapped shut and she twisted away from the sorrow and pity she saw drawn across Tony's face. She clasped her hands over her ears in hopes of drowning out the sounds of the two males rapidly beating hearts. What had she done, two people who started accepting her and she ruined it by showing how much of a monster she could be.
A gentle hand brushed across the base of her neck and she flinched away from it as a shiver passed down her spine at the feeling. The hand followed and clasped the back of her neck, rubbing soothing circles at the top of her spine. Against her will, her hands unclenched and she released a shaky breath as the calming feeling of home rushed through her veins. Sensing movement beside her, she slowly blinked her eyes open to come face to face with Tony.
Tony smiled though it held a bit of sadness, "Sy. Are you ok?"
Sy's eyes slowly lost their amber the longer she stared into Tony's dark gaze.
"Listen Sy. I think out of everyone, me, Banner, Natasha, and even Spangles can relate to what happened to you." Tony smiled when he noticed Spangles earned him a twitch of a smile. "Everyone on board has gone through some tough shit; take it from me I read their files."
Banner scoffed in the background as Tony chuckled; both earned a softening of Sy's eyes.
"I think I know what you're feeling. You probably feel lost since this would be the third time you have been removed from your home."
Sy tensed beneath his hand and he started drawing circles into the skin until she started to relax again.
"But Sy. I think it's safe to say everyone here loves having you here. I know I do. And if it will make you feel better and safe, then I would love to join your pack."
She blinked before her eyes widened slightly and her head lifted off her knees. Tony could see the question in her gaze, are you being truthful, and nodded his head with a smile.
A gasp left his lips as he fell back with an armful of red haired kitten. He smiled when he felt her arms wrap around his shoulders and her face nuzzled against the side of his neck. A silent thank you hung in the air and Tony carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her closer to his chest as he placed his head a top her hair.
Nuzzled beneath Tony's chin Sy took in a deep breath and pushed herself closer as the scent of Home and Pack fluttered through her mind, calming her.
"Never thought I needed a hug so much before."
Tony's chuckle reverberated through his chest and Sy relaxed into the feeling, Remy always cracked jokes when Sy got like this, just to make her smile.
Remy. Sy jerked back as if she was shines and stared deep into Tony's eyes. "You said you spoke to a member of the pack."
"Still pissed about that?"
"That matters no more. What matters is who did you speak to?"
"A Cajun."
Sy chuckled softly at the smile on Tony's face, "Remy might kill ya for that."
"Called him that over the phone."
"Great. I'll never hear the end of that." Her voice drawled as her eyes rolled. "But anyways what did he say?"
"Told us that you were trapped in your head and that he's coming up in a few days."
She sighed, "Ok that's-," She cut herself off and stared hard at Tony. "What's in a few days?"
Tony's head tilted to the side, "He's coming up."
"Rem? He's going to be here soon?"
"Yep."
Sy's face nearly split in two with the size of her grin and Tony found a matching smile on his lips. "The packs coming soon?"
Tony shook his head in the negative and watched her smile slowly fade, not understanding why he felt his heart drop at the sadness in her eyes.
"Remy said that the pack had to continue their training and only he would be able to spare the time to come here."
Sy nodded in understanding, "Makes since. Most of our pack-mates are still some form of student, Me, Rem and Kurt are the oldest of our group."
Confusion clouded his gaze, "I thought you were a student?"
Sy's grin held mischief, "Now I never said that."
"Then what?"
"I'm a teacher at the institute, I mainly watch over the younger children seeing as I'm a feral so my protective and motherly instincts are stronger than most of the others."
Tony's eyes widened at the girl, no the woman who happened to be sitting in his lap with a dark grin. "How old are you exactly?"
"No idea. But I do know I'm at least 24." Sy cocked her head to the side, her eyes full of playful mischief. "How old do you think I am?"
"Younger." Was the only thing Tony managed to get out past his dry throat.
"How much younger?" Humming, Sy drifted her hand down Tony's chest and dug her fingers into his front pocket.
"At most, maybe 18."
She slowly climbed out of Tony's lap with a chuckle, "Wow. Flirting with someone you thought was just past the legal age. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"Hey!" He looked over his shoulder at Banner hoping to get some assistance, but the Doctor's eyes were plastered to the female. Looks like he wouldn't be getting any help from that department. When he turned back to Sy, she was straightening out her tank-top and making her way to the doors.
"Well boys this has been fun and everything but I'm starving. If you wish to find me I'll be in the kitchen area." She paused at the doorway and glanced back at Tony over her shoulder, "Feel free to download the info from my top, he should be done by now." With a final wave, she disappeared behind the metal doors.
Tony swallowed and turned back to the good Doctor, "Well that was certainly a surprise."
Banner nodded and managed to pull his eyes away from the door when Tony snapped his fingers. "I believe her healing abilities may also slow down her aging rate. Which would explain why she looks so young."
Tony finally broke from his daze and sent a wicked smirk in Bruce's direction. "I knew you've been looking. Does the Doctor have a crush on our residential kitten?"
Bruce sent Tony an exacerbated look and made his way to Sy's station.
"You do don't you!"
Banner refused to acknowledge his statement with a reply, regardless of what he said Tony would come to his own conclusion on the matter.
"Hey Doctor. Don't ignore me!"
OxO
Head tilted back, Sy took a deep breath and couldn't help but wonder what Rem would think about their new temporary pack-mate. She was under no illusion that after the end of these events she would see any of them again. It was a depressing thought but she knew there would be no sense in getting her hopes up. What she could do is live in the here and now, spend time with these crazy characters and enjoy the chaotic moments.
She couldn't wait till Rem got here, she was bad by herself but things went chaotic between the two of them. Thinking of her pack-mate, she unfurled her fingers and flipped her phone open. With practiced movements she sent a text to her partner in crime.
~Hey Baby, heard your coming~
Within seconds her phone chimed, First Blood, and she brought the phone up to eye level.
~Not yet Cher. But don't worry I will be soon~
~I'll make sure I'm at the receiving end~
~Love the sound of that~
~Knew you would Sugar. How's the children?~
~Your little midgets are fine. Sad that you aren't around but are safe~
~Glad to hear it. Keeping an eye on the spawn of our everlasting love?~
~Chh. As if I would let anyone else watch the minions. Their minds are soft, still corruptible.~
~Then maybe you shouldn't watch them~
~That hurts love~
Sy chuckled, she could just picture Rem with his hand pressed against his heart. ~Whose going to watch them when you're up here?~
~I think the Professor is gonna take over.~
~What about the rest of the Pack?~ She glanced up taking in her surroundings and headed into the food deck.
~Classes.~
~What about Kurt or Warren?~
~Warren's having issues about me going up alone. And Kurt might just pop in every once in a while.~
~You do know we are in the air right?~
~Duh.~
~How ya getting here?~
~Flying of course.~
~I fear for our lives already. And wipe that smug grin off your lips.~
Remy's reply took a bit more time to show up, Sy used that time to grab food and seat herself in a far back corner. At the ding of First Blood, Sy opened the text and nearly fell out of her chair laughing.
~Sometimes ya scare me Cher O.o~
Chuckling, Sy typed out her reply, ignoring the stares the humans shot her way. ~At least I make life memorable~
~That you do Cher. That you do~
Setting her phone beside her, she began the process of shoving the edible stomach nutrients down her throat. Humming to herself, her eyes roamed the room watching the process of others grabbing their own sustenance, seating themselves and eating while chatting with their coworkers. People watching were what she and Rem called it, easiest way to catalog the responses of people. When a person talks there is a high chance that what they say they don't mean, by studying another's body language and the mannerisms they hold you have a higher chance of fully grasping that person's character.
A flash of gold caught Sy's gaze and she tilted her head in the direction it past hoping to find it again. When she did a silent gasp left her lips and her fork clattered against her plate. Time seemed to slow down as she focused on the blonde woman walking beside Agent Romanoff. Sy's eyes widened as the female turned and sent a smile in her direction. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to steady herself, and when she opened them again the blonde was gone.
Placing her head into the curve of her palms, she took a shuddering breath as her eyes slammed shut. Now she happened to be seeing the fucking Phantom of her dreams in the waking world. As if she wasn't bad enough already, let's just add hallucinations to the list of shit wrong with her. Glancing at her phone, she debated telling Rem but she knew it would be hopeless; he wouldn't be able to help. Only one person would be able to and she made a silent promise to call the Professor later.
When her ragged breathing seemed to be under her control once again, she slowly pushed herself back up and looks directly into the gaze of Natasha. The red headed female had her head cocked very miniscule to the side and what looked like hidden concern in her eyes.
Sy sent a wavering smile at the other female, "Hey Romanoff, would you care to sit?"
Natasha nodded and set her tray on the table across from Sy's own. "Are you faring well?"
Picking her eating utensil back up, she took a small bite and swallowed before answering her eating companion. "Faring as well as I can be given the circumstances."
The red head nodded, "Glad to hear it. Director Fury would be less than pleased if you became uncomfortable."
Sy paused, her fork hovering before her lips, "You don't have to do that, ya know?" Closing her eyes, her utensil made the rest of the journey and she chewed thoughtfully.
"May I ask what I happen to be doing?"
"Hiding yourself."
Natasha's eyebrow rose slightly, "How am I hiding. I am sitting before you."
Sy smiled around her spoon and spoke after swallowing, "You may be sitting before me. But I can tell by the way you are holding yourself that you are, how do I put this, sealing yourself off from the world."
Romanoff's eyebrow rose again before schooling her features back into a calm facade.
"You can't fool me my friend." Sy shot Natasha a pointed look, "I used to be like you. When shit gets a little too much than what you are capable of handling the only way to survive is to seal yourself away. Cause ya think that the only way to save what is left of yourself is to block out everything, to separate yourself from the rest of the world."
Sy's eyes glanced over as everything Striker put her through came flooding back, the memories vivid and dark. Then everything flipped, to when Rem and Logan found her, locked in a cell, the scent of death, defeat, fear surrounding her, choking her on every breath she took. Rem blasting the lock on her cage and holding out his hand towards her with the promise of safety, friendship, a family. Her slowly taking his hand and allowing him to draw her closer to his chest, whispering words against her ear as he walked her into the light. Feeling the feral side recede, though still beneath the surface it no longer had the power to control her.
With a smile in her lips, she returned her focus to Natasha, "But eventually you learn you can't fully live that way. You finally see that being locked away hurts those who care about you."
"You speak from experience."
"Everyone goes through tough shit at some point in their lives. Just some others have it worse." Sy smiled gently and when she saw Natasha's lips twitch, her smile tilted into a grin. She polished of her orange juice and pushed away from the table.
As she passed by the red haired female she set a hand gently on her shoulder and sent calming feelings through the touch. "Everyone needs someone there. And if you wish it. I'll be here for you when you need it. We don't have to discuss our problems but we can enjoy each other's company." With a finally smile and a soft pat, Sy disposed of her tray and left the room humming, feeling eyes track her movements the entire way.
Skipping through the corridors, Sy thought back to what Fury and the Professor said her purpose on deck was. Calm tempers, maintain peace and hopefully create friendships in the process. Glancing up at the ceiling, she sent a silent hope to the Professor, do you think I'm doing ok despite my faults. Looking down at the time displayed in her phone, she calculated how much work she could get in before contacting the Professor. It was only three and Xavier would most likely have a class, so she figured she had plenty of time.
When she entered the labs it was surprisingly silent, except for the high pitched ring Loki's staff has decided to make, she glanced around the room and noticed both the Science Boys were nowhere in sight. Shrugging she made her way to her station and hopped up on to her desk, sitting Indian style before the bright screen. Leaning down she pulled out her Mp3 player and plugged the ear buds in. Scrolling through her playlist, she settled on the one titled 'No Place Like Home', a playlist Rem put together weeks earlier. Letting the beat take over, she set about continuing where she left off, after checking the recently opened software and making sure someone downloaded the program she told them to.
'Do It.' A voice whispered through her head as her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
'Don't you want to know the truth?' Her eyes flashed from green-blue to amber and back again.
'They know something.' A sting at the back of neck had her fingers typing before she even realized she moved.
Command Prompt 328B Accepted
A small box about a third of the size of the screen appeared a small square blinking in and out of existence.
Program Number 702 Accessing
System File 435H Uploading
Upload Complete
Search Commencing
Shaking her head to clear the fuzzy feeling that took over, she leaned back on her hands and glared down at her lap. Something wasn't right with her, these compulsions, the voice, and the hallucinations. It made her feel like she was back with Stryker all over again, that someone turned her into a marionette and was yanking the strings around.
The computer made a soft electronic chirp; alerting her to the fact the search was complete.
Hidden Files Found Command
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, wondering if what she might find would be worth it. Going over the Pros and Cons, she silently stared at the screen. She wanted to know but in her mind she could see the Professor staring at her with a disappointed frown on his face.
Accessing files Timeline
Timeline 1 days, 1 hours, 49 minutes and 26 seconds
Taping her fingers against the wooden desk, her eyebrows furrowed as her mind ran through the possibilities. Fury had to be hiding something of great importance if it would take a day of decoding encryptions.
Manual Override Timeline
Manual Override 9 hours, 19 minutes and 24 seconds
The decision was made for her as the metallic click of the lab doors open brought her out of her trance and she quickly entered the Command Prompt to Shut Down. A second after hitting enter, she looked up into the smirking face of Tony. The Command box flickered before disappearing from existence, leaving nothing but her homepage behind.
"Is the kitten looking up porn?"
Sy scoffed, turning back towards her screen, ignoring the tingles running down her spine and pulled up Banner's information on Loki's staff. "I'm not very interested in the overly dramatic fake performance of human mating habits." Energy levels, gamma readings, she skipped over all that and pulled up her multi spectrum camera along with real time energy visualizations.
"I think that has to be the most amusing name for porn I have ever heard."
Sy smiled up at Tony, "I'll take that as a compliment." A flicker caught her eye and she directed her gaze back to the screen, what the hell was that.
Tony smiled and strutted his way over towards Sy's station, leaning over her shoulder to stare at the bright screen. "So kitten. What are you looking for?"
"Is this Kitten name thing going to stick for the rest of eternity?" Her eyes didn't move from the screen, hoping whatever that jump was would come back. There it was again, she reached up and pulled the left ear bud out, attempting to focus her hearing.
"Yes."
Her eyes rolled, "Figures." She didn't need to glance back at the goateed male to know he had a smug smirk plastered to his face. "As for what I'm looking for, that would be irregularities in the frequency of Loki's Stick of Doom."
"You speak like a Cross between me and Point Break. Also me and Banner went over Loki's Stick of Doom and found nothing of importance."
"I believe Point Break would be Thor, correct?"
"You would be."
Sy nodded and went back to staring hard at the screen, on the verge of full out glaring. "As for the frequency. You never know. Yes you can study it through visualization but I don't think you can hear it."
"You can hear it?"
"Yeah. It's kind of like an annoying buzz mixed with a rumbling growl. Though the frequency has changed in the last few hours."
"Interesting. So you're watching the visualizations while listening?"
"Currently. No. I have music playing so I can drown out the sound." She glanced back at Tony, "It gets annoying after a while." Attention back on the screen she continued with a shrug of her shoulders, "Add that on top of you finding it of utmost importance to establish communication. It makes it hard to focus."
"Ow. I think that actually hurt."
She chuckled and set up a program to record what the computer was picking up. Using her hands she spun on the desk to stare directly at Tony. "You're a strange one Mr. Stark."
"I think a lot of people are. They just don't show it."
"Blame that on society. They believe that the world needs to be one singular type to function correctly. Most are either brainwashed at a young age, I blame schools."
"But one can't become intelligent without the help of a good education."
"Maybe though schools don't really help much. Everyone has to learn at the same intensity or they get left behind and most teachers don't even notice or don't care."
"Your logic is sound."
"Why thank you Mr. Spock."
Tony full on laughed, his head tilting back and exposing his throat, hands landing beside Sy's hips inadvertently caging her in. A cough caught their attention and they turned to see Banner standing in the doorway with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Sy and Tony shared a look before bursting into a fit of laughter. She happened to be able to get herself under control faster than Tony and stared at Bruce with amusement in her eyes.
"Gods no Brucey. Tony is more like a playful Brother than anything else."
Bruce nodded his head and head over to the large glass like screen hanging in the middle of the room.
Tony finally got himself under control and walked over to Banner, parting him on the back in passing. "Don't worry Brucey," He shot a wink at Sy after using her nickname for the bigger male sending her into another bought of laughter. "I would never impose on your territory."
Bruce stiffened underneath Tony's hand and shot the loud mouthed male a nervous glare, "I don't understand what you imply."
"I think you do Bruce. I think you do."
Sy finally got herself under control, missing the exchange between the two and taking a glance out the window, her eyes widened at the sight of stars. Hitting the lock on her phone she glanced at the time and began packing up all her stuff.
"Hey Science Guys. Did either of you realized that's its past 7?"
Tony looked out the window, "I noticed, I got here around 6:30."
"And you didn't tell me." She gave Tony an unamused glare and he held his hands up in surrender. "Anyways I'm gonna head out for the night. Things to take care of and all that. I'll take a look at the frequency and report to you two in the morning." Tucking her laptop beneath her arm she disappeared within the hallways as quick as she could.
Making a quick stop by the kitchens, she asked for something simple and quick. When the man reached to grab a salad, she glared at him until his hand changed course and grabbed a toasted roast beef sub sided with a bowl of fruit. Smiling she thanked him and vacated the area with her meal.
Enter her room she tossed her computer next to her pillows, silently apologizing to him about the abuse and set her meal on the table. As quickly as she could she changed into a pair of soft shorts and re-entered from the bathroom braiding her hair.
A soothing purr pushed against her mind, and her eyes closed as she sat on her bed, enjoying the calm that came with Chiara's rumble. Reaching for her meal, she pulled it into her lap as Chiara jumped up on the bed and curled herself around her friend. Humming, Sy ran her fingers through the soft fur between the large cat's ears, while using her free hand to eat.
A loud antique telephone, rung breaking the silence and she peeked an eye open grabbing her phone.
"I'm proud of you Sy."
"Professor, I knew I felt a nudge at the top of my spine."
Xavier chuckle passed through the line, "I was merely checking on you."
"I appreciate your concern Professor." Sy sighed and rubbed her temple, "I have no idea why I even started that search. Curiosity maybe."
"You have always been a curious one."
"If Tony hadn't of walked in, there's no telling what I might of done."
"Even so. With Mr. Stark in the room, you would usually continue with your, how does Remy put it, diabolical schemes."
"We make the Manor fun, and you were probably just as bad as us."
"I don't believe I'll dignify that with an answer."
"I'll just ask Magneto the next time I see him."
"I would prefer you didn't."
"Yeah might try to convert me to the dark side, maybe Hank then."
"I believe that would be the safer bet."
Her lips split into a grin as they effortlessly switched the conversation to Logan and how the school is functioning. The Professor finally said his farewells after another twenty minutes. Sy spent a good minute staring at the phone, hoping that maybe Logan would call, or that maybe she should give him a ring. Finally deciding against it, she set her phone off to the side and settled down against her portable heater Chiara.
Sy pulled her bag towards her and removed all items she would need for the time being. Logged in, connected her mini-tablet, cracked her knuckles and started to access the database. All information that passed between the three of them in the lab made an appearance and she created copies, sending them to her wireless device. Once that was complete, she moved on to the hidden information her search found and rerouted it to the same device. Regardless, the override would take a few days to complete which would give her ample time to come to a decision about what to do. Either way, she would have the information routed and could access all her work from the smaller device.
Picking up her mini, she watched as green numbers passed along the black screen underneath a neon green loading bar. Bar full the screen flashed before fading out and restarted itself. After the customnary greeting passed and the home screen loaded, she tapped on the small angry emotioncon face in the bottom right corner. All information from her time spent with Stryker appeared, she skipped all the subjects she didn't need and open the folder titled Mind Control. Scrolling through all the inner folders till she got to the one she needed. Signal Transferance. Opening the contents a loading screen appeared and she typed in Comparrison Loki. She watched as both signals were pulled up side by side and the comparrison began. Re-locking the phone she set it down on the end table and collapsed back against Chiara.
The Professor knew something, even though she didn't want to believe he was hiding something from her, the feeling was there. Blinking she realized Xavier didn't give her a chance to ask him about the things she was seeing. A cold shiver slid down her spine as she stared at the screen, he always asked her what was on her mind but this time he didn't.
Feeling lost and confused for the first time in years, Sy snuggled further back into Chiara's warmth and squeezed her eyes closed tightly. Slowing her breathing, she let the sound of the engines lull her to sleep.
That night she dreamt of a faceless male tending to a bullet wound on her left shoulder.