Hey all, new chapter out, thanks IcedBlaze for helping me out with this one! Don't own X-men or anything affiliated with it, etc. Hope you enjoy this one and let me know what you think.
Darcy rubbed her tired eyes as her feet dragged against the cold cement. Around her, the dull grey walls of the base seemed intimidating and far too close together. Stryker's footsteps echoed down the empty hallways as he led her by the hand, guiding her into one of the back rooms. Darcy could hear the distinct 'drip drip' of rainfall as it leaked in through cracks in the old structure. For convenience sake, the group of them had come to settle in an old, abandoned prison and made a temporary base out the site.
The building itself had her trembling in apprehension; in fact, the whole situation had her so uneasy that she found herself pressing closer to Stryker, despite the fact that he had been the one to bring them there in the first place. The fact that it was pouring outside and water dripped in through cracks in the unstable building didn't make her feel any better. A thunderbolt crackled loudly from outside and Darcy jumped in fright, alarmed and scared by the loud noise. Stryker held a hand against her back and urged her forward with him. Darcy's teeth jittered. She just wanted to go to sleep and leave this awful place. It really did give her the creeps.
A skeleton crew of guards opened a set of heavily barred doors as they continued walking. She could hear shrieks and cries of people further in. The clamoring of hands as they slammed against their cages beat a rhythm in time with the pleading cries for freedom. Some voices rose higher, above the others, as they let out long streams of harsh, guttural threats of vengeance. Another door opened in front of them, revealing the source of the noise. Her hands covered her ears quickly.
It was like a dam breaking, the furious noise crashing into her un-sympathetically, without remorse or recourse. It was continual, never-ending, like something out of her worst nightmares, except this time, there was no Wade or Jimmy to wake her up, to hold her and soothe her, letting her know that everything was okay. With his hand still on her back, Stryker continued to push her forward and she contemplated throwing a temper tantrum to get out of there. The noise was starting to make her feel ill.
As if reading her mind, Stryker made a motion to one of the guards. Nodding, the man moved over to one side of the doors and pressed a button. Pained, panicked cries halted the vicious symphony as the prisoners sullenly moved back from their prison doors; heated, deadly glares followed them as they moved down the metal cage corridors. When Darcy chanced a glance at the people she walked past, their reactions to her were strange.
Some looked at her with pity, others with resignation but most ignored her altogether, instead choosing to glare with hatred at the man beside her who was her escort. Eventually, they came upon a unique cell. It was completely covered in glass, with a small metal air vent at the back corner to keep the occupant breathing. Sitting calmly on the perfectly made bed was an unusual man. He was bald and huge, threatening in his calm, relaxed state. Tanned muscles bulged from his too-small orange jumpsuit. However, it was his eyes that captured her attention. The softest grey eyes that she had ever seen stared at her with devastating sadness. They made her want to cry and hug him at the same time.
"Take him down," Ordered Stryker from behind her. She turned quickly, her mouth open to protest. A pained cry forced her attention back to the other man. Billows of white cloud pumped into the room from the vent in an alarming rate. No longer was the prisoner relaxed; now he thrashed and fought against the vaporous attacker. Angry, helpless tears streamed down her cheeks and her hand reached up to touch the cool glass wall.
It was over in less than a minute. The toxic gas was vented out as the man lay prone on the ground. Shuddering occasionally, the man rested on the floor, his limbs spread out awkwardly. A sealed door opened with a whoosh. Stryker's hand was heavy against her shoulder as he pushed her into the cell and followed in behind her. Her footsteps were reluctant as they came up to the man's body.
"His power is to cause a person to feel whatever he wants when they have nightmares. I want you to learn it and put it to use when you use the ability you got from my son. Am I clear?" Darcy sniffled.
"I can't," she replied sharply.
"What do you mean 'You can't'?" Stryker growled. "I know you can, now do as your told."
"I can't do it without asking for his permission," Darcy tried to explain.
"Now, you listen here and listen well, you'll do as you're told or you'll never see your precious Wade ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Her blue eyes stared up at him with hurt and disbelief. Starting to sob, she knelt down and touched the man's arm, learning his ability as fast as she could.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as Stryker dragged her out of the cell.
***
Chapter three: Memories and Battle Plans...
"So how did he manage to escape?" Darcy asked, taking a seat next to her long time friend Logan.
The professor looked at the full table with an expression of serenity. "As you know, Stryker was brought aboard by Jean, who suspected that he had more than one base for mutant experimentation. Although she didn't survive the mission, I decided to continue her investigation. However, the need to keep him sedated interfered with my ability to read his mind to get full information. I was working on a new technique when he managed to escape. After viewing the security video, I found it was someone in the mansion who set him free."
His words caused an up cry. Their reaction was expected; everyone held the security of the mansion close to their hearts, their loyalty unquestioned. Ororo's hair whipped furiously as a harsh, cold wind ripped through the room, Scott's fists clenched and unclenched as he muttered under his breath threats that had even Logan's eyebrow arching. Hank growled lowly, his chest vibrating with the sounds while Rogue, Kitty and Piotr gaped at their mentor. Darcy, however, was frozen in her seat with shock as Logan expressed his anger by revealing his adamantium claws.
"The contents of the tape were very troubling and I have decided to conduct the investigation myself," Charles continued, ignoring the protests of the others. "The person who helped in his escape behaved quite unusually and I believe secrecy is needed in this. I will reveal this person's identity on a need to know basis, and only then in a dire emergency. Shall we continue? Logan, if you please." he leaned back into his chair, allowing the aggressive man to have his turn to speak.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Logan shifted in his seat as he began to talk. "I had this dream…well, more like a memory, of the place I escaped from when this was done to me." His claws unsheathed threateningly before disappearing back into his fists. "It was a hidden military base behind a large waterfall. A few years ago, when Darcy was still just a teenager, we drove past this lake that filled up the bottom of a valley, its waterfall closed to tourists. We took a look on the opposite shore anyway. On the top of the waterfall there was a rusty hunk of a door that led into the depths of the mountain."
Taking a deep breath, he plowed on, his tone gruff. "We didn't think anything of it and left. But after that dream, I went back there, climbed the ridge and walked to the door. The old one that we saw had been replaced with a newer and stronger one. Breaking in, I found an underground base. From what I could tell, it had been occupied recently, but the folks had to rush their packing as they left and forgot a whole bunch of files. I didn't think anything of them until one page with Darcy's name on it caught my eye."
"What?" Darcy spoke up, struggling to get over her next shock. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I thought it best to talk to Professor Wheels here first, I had no idea what the gibberish meant." Logan growled back at her sign of aggression.
"Can I see the file?" Hank said, breaking the tension.
"Come by my office a little later on, Hank," the professor replied to his request. "Logan, please continue."
The man nodded and dove back into his tale. "I decided to explore a bit more after finding that and found a doorway that went deeper down, but I couldn't break in. The door was too strong for my claws. Looking around, I noticed an active camera and a key pad by the door."
"Wow, the Great Wolverine was beat by some measly blast doors," Scott sneered.
"If you want a fight, One-eye, I'd be happy to oblige."
"Resorting to threats? Huh, consider me duly intimidated," the other man replied drolly.
"Gentlemen," The professor broke in, "Your continual snipes to each other do not progress us forward."
"So what's the plan?" Rogue asked, her southern accent soothing to those around her. The professor pulled out a file and opened it up, revealing a sketch of a building plan. "From what Logan has described to me, I have created a basic floor plan to help us navigate when we go to the base."
"Why are we going to an obviously empty bunker?" Scott asked.
"If you weren't listening before, bub, there was a section that I couldn't get into," Logan snarled, calming down when Darcy placed a calming hand on his forearm.
"How do you suggest we get in?" Darcy asked quietly. "If Logan is unable to open the door with his claws, we're going to need someone who can convince the key pad to open."
"What type of lock is it, Logan," Ororo asked sweetly.
"Electronic," was his gruff reply. Professor Xavier nodded his head and turned to Darcy.
"There is a student who can talk to electronics," he began, ignoring Darcy's posture stiffening. "I would like you to imprint on his powers and join us in this next mission."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Scott asked. "Both Logan and Darcy have deep connections to this mission that could prove detrimental to us if they decided to go off and search for more memories."
"There is a possibility of Stryker being behind the door, Scott, and it is imperative that we find him again and thwart his plans before he does something that affects the rest of our mutant brethren," the professor countered calmly. "It is also a chance for them to find their past to continue forwards into the future."
"I also found the place, bub," Logan growled viciously defending his right to join them.
"So we're all in agreement then?" Charles offered a reassuring smile to his team. "We'll fly out tomorrow, Hank and I will remain here to watch over the other children, and if you find more mutants in captivity or controlled by that acid Stryker favors, convince them to come back to the mansion for protection. Perhaps we can find out what his plans really are." Finished speaking, he turned and wheeled out of the room, leaving the others behind to discuss battle plans.