Author's Note: I do not own any of the X-Men except for Steam which is a creation of my own daydreams.
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Whir Click
Whir Click
Whir Click
Steam could hear nothing but the whir and click of a machine. She held still for a moment, trying to figure out where she was and what was making the noise.
Finally, slowly, she opened her eyes. At first all she could see was blindingly white light. Steam blinked, squeezing her eyes tightly before opening them again. This time the white light looked like a round light on a steel arm hanging from the ceiling.
Steam wrinkled her forehead in frustration. Why couldn't she remember where she was? She couldn't even remember what had happened. The last thing she could remember was being poked awake by Weezer sometime during the night.
Slowly Steam sat up, her body groaning in protest. She was half way up before she felt a pulling on her chest. She glanced down to see what was holding her back.
At some point she had been undressed and redressed in mint green sweat pants and a white t-shirt. A white bandage encompassed her left shoulder and her arm was tucked into a blue sling. Diodes linked with wires had been fastened to her chest. The wires trailed away from her body and down the edge of the padded table she was sitting on.
Steam reached up with her right hand and clumsily took the diodes off. Now she could fully sit up.
A sharp pain seared up from Steam's spine and into her head. She winced, closed her eyes and tucked her head close to her body. Forcing herself to remain calm, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. After a few moments the pain disappeared.
Steam unrolled her neck and lifted her head up, scanning the room, trying to figure out where she was.
By the look of various machines and glass covered cabinets, she was in some sort of medical ward or hospital. There was no call button clearly visible, so that pretty much ruled out this being a hospital.
"Eliza."
Steam jumped, a slight gasp escaping from her lips. Wildly she twisted, searching for the source of the voice.
"Eliza, calm down."
"Who—who's there?"
Steam's voice was shaky and weak.
"Eliza…"
This time the voice was leading, it trailed off into thin air leaving an image in Steam's mind.
Slowly, almost robotically she got down from the examination table. The floor was cool underneath her bare feet and she twitched her toes upon contact with it.
The door leading out of the room was automatic and slid open with a soft hissing sound.
Beyond the door was a dimly lit hallway. Steam stepped hesitantly out of the examination room and glanced around the hallway. The automatic doors shut abruptly behind her.
The walls of the hallway seemed to be metal plated and were smooth to the touch. Steam trailed her fingers along the wall as she silently made her way to the elevator pictured in her mind.
The doors to the elevator opened before Steam could touch the 'up' button. She stepped inside and turned to face the bank of buttons each numbered and unlit.
"Eliza."
The voice came again this time leaving the image of a 1 in her mind. Steam reached out and pressed the button numbered with a 1. The words Ground Floor were printed next to it.
With a swoosh the elevator doors closed and Steam could feel the contraption moving upwards.
In a matter of moments the elevator dinged and its doors opened once more. This time the hallway they opened upon was warm and comfortable. While it was still dimly lit, Steam could now see that it was partly due to the fact that it was quite late and most likely no one else was awake.
Steam stepped out of the elevator and gasped. She had never seen anything quite like where she found herself now.
She was standing on the edge of a large foyer. The walls were paneled dark wood on the bottom and painted a light color higher up. To Steam's left was a great entrance area. The wall was dark wood holding diamond paned glass. A large, heavy looking door took up much of the wall.
Directly across from Steam was a similar hallway to the one she just came from. She could see closed doors and a wall of windows leading off into the distance.
Steam turned slightly to her right. A great staircase climbed up one side of the wall. It led to a window lined second floor. Framed by the staircase on the first floor was another hallway.
"Come here Eliza."
Steam turned and silently crossed the foyer. She wasn't sure where she was, but she thought it best that she didn't wake anyone and truly find out where she was.
As soon as Steam entered the shadows that spilled from the hallway and into the foyer her ears pricked up. She froze, melting into the shadows. It had sounded like the scrape of a foot against the floor. She glanced up, her eyes straining in the dark. She thought the sound had come from the second floor but she could see nothing and no further sounds came from the stairwell.
Steam mentally shrugged her shoulders and made her way underneath the stairs and through the hallway.
"This way Eliza."
Eliza turned to her right and continued down another hallway. This hallway had no windows and was considerably darker, making Steam struggle to see where she was going.
Suddenly just a head of her a door opened spilling a bright warm yellow light into the hallway.
"Here Eliza. Come here girl."
Steam paused and drew in a breath. Butterflies were going spastic in her chest making it hard for her to breath. Sweat and nerves prickled at her hairline. Whatever awaited her in the room was most likely not the worse thing she would ever face but for some reason her nerves had run away from her and Steam was left with shivers and fear.
She hesitantly made her way to the doorway and peered inside.
The room was of middling to large in size. Of the walls that Steam could see, one was filled with floor to ceiling bookcases. Books were stuffed tightly together. Here and there, a picture frame with an indistinguishable picture inside, sat. Other knick knacks had been sprinkled throughout the shelves. The other wall Steam could see was a bank of diamond paned windows much like the ones in the front foyer.
In front of the windows was a large oaken desk. The desk was covered with books and papers. The warm yellow light was coming from a covered lamp on the desk that looked like it should not be able to cast so much light.
Steam quietly stepped into the room and took a better look around. The right wall was much like the left, covered in book cases filled with books. The wall behind her was taken up with an antique buffet table that was covered with a modest liquor cabinet and more books.
"Welcome Eliza."
Steam jumped. It was the voice from her head, but this time she could hear it out loud. She glanced around the study and was startled to find a stern looking bald man seated in a wheelchair studying her.
He was sitting in a darkened corner of the room by the right hand book cases. An open book was on his lap and it was apparent that Steam's entrance had disturbed his reading.
"Oh, I didn't mean to intrude."
Steam turned to leave.
"Don't go just yet Eliza if you please. You weren't intruding upon me at all. I called you up here because I thought it best to answer your questions immediately."
Steam turned back around and studied the man. He didn't look like much and she supposed if it came to it, she would have no problem taking him on.
"Please Eliza. I don't mean you any harm. Please have a seat so we can have our chat."
Steam nodded and crossed the room to an overstuffed green chair. She sat with one left curled underneath her, the other she dangled, stroking her toes through the long carpet.
The bald man closed his book and set it on a shelf. With no apparent means of mobility, his chair rolled smoothly over the carpet and came to rest behind the desk.
"Do you remember me Eliza?" His voice was soft but strong. He sounded comforting but stern.
Steam gulped and shook her head no.
"I haven't seen you since you were four years old. My name is Charles Xavier." Here he paused, hoping to get some response from Steam.
Steam narrowed her eyes. She did not remember the man's face, but his name struck home.
"You! I know all about you and I refuse to have anything to do with you."
Steam unfolded her legs and made to get out of her seat but she found she couldn't move. Her face turning red, she struggled to stand up.
"I'm sorry Eliza, but we need to have this conversation. It would be extremely dangerous to let you run wild in the state you are in."
"The state I'm in? And what state would that be?" Steam questioned, venom dripping from every word.
"Do you know where you are? Do you know how you came to be here?" Xavier paused again. "What is the last thing you remember?"
Steam leaned forward, an angry retort on her lips. Her words died before even being uttered. She had no idea where she was, how she got her, or even why she was here."
"Fine I'll bite." Steam flung herself back into the chair and assumed a hateful pout.
Charles sighed and rubbed on hand across his forehead.
"When you first arrived here last night, you were in no condition mentally to be treated. Although I normally disprove of mentally shutting someone down, that is what I had to do to you in order to let Dr. Gray treat you. Basically I induced a comatose like sleep and blocked your most recent memories."
Steam felt a growl well up from inside her. The thought of someone else being inside her head and seeing what was inside made her skin crawl.
"Don't worry child. All I did was put you to sleep and blocked the memories from bothering you. I did not 'look around' while I was busy. I have no idea what you are thinking. I did not even look at your memories to see what had happened to you."
"Undo it. Just… undo it." Steam closed her eyes and braced herself for the flood of memories.
Charles sighed and he too closed his eyes.
Suddenly the image of a blood covered Weezer flashed on the insides of Steam's eyelids. Fire. Muzzle flashes. Blood everywhere; and finally the climb up the wall and into Logan's bedroom. A gut wrenching sob ripped itself from Steam's lips. She bent over her knees, the tears falling hot and fast.
She felt rather than saw, Xavier wheel his way over to her. She felt his arms come around her and lift her up so that her face was now buried in his shoulder.
"I am sorry child. For whatever happened, I am sorry."
Steam pulled back slightly, snot mixing with tears. "They're dead, all of them."
"Who is?" Charles asked rubbing slowly circles across Steam's back. He use to rub her back when she was upset as a child. Now, like it did then, the movement calmed her.
Steam took in a trembling gasp of air. "We were attacked, surprised during the night. He wanted more money…. Didn't give it to him---- he killed them all."
Charles pulled Steam closer to him. Pain flashed across his face. He wasn't sure what had happened to the girl in the past thirteen years, but he was sure none of it was part of a normal and happy childhood.
Finally Steam had cried herself out. She sat, leaning against the Professor, her body shuttering with hiccups.
"It's going to be alright child. You're safe here."
Steam pulled away completely and looked Charles in the eye. "And where am I exactly?"
"Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. It's the school I started for mutants."
A nasty look crossed Steam's face. "My father has told me all about this place and what goes on here."
Charles started at Steam, shocked at what she was just said.
"Eliza, I'm not sure what your father said, but I can assure you that none of it is true."
Steam backed up in her chair. "Are you calling my father a liar? We might have had our differences, but he was not a liar."
Charlies leaned back in his chair, an argument now would accomplish nothing.
"Well perhaps we should continue this conversation in the morning. You've had a very long and troubling past few hours and I am keeping you from your rest."
Steam composed herself, angry that she had allowed herself to show so much of her emotions to a stranger. She nodded curtly.
"Shall I return to the examination room in the basement?"
"Oh, no, it's no longer necessary to keep you under observation. A room has been prepared for you. Up the stairs in the foyer and turn to your right; room number 6."
Steam pushed herself from the chair awkwardly using only her right arm. She quickly crossed the study and left, never looking behind her.
Charles wheeled himself once more behind his desk and hung his head. He knew that after Rose's death things had gone badly for Robert. He had no idea just how bad things had gotten.
The first rays of dawn were peaking through the trees when Charles lifted his head. He had made his decision. He was, after all, Eliza's guardian for the next four years until she turned 21.
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