Carmilla Black

It took me a moment to get my bearings when I came to. My vision was blurry and I felt like I was floating. As I blinked slowly, my vision slowly came to. Over several seconds, I was able to get a good look at my surroundings. My vision had a bit of a green tint to it. Were my nictitating membranes over my eyes? I blinked once. Nope, that wasn't it. I looked all around until I saw my feet. I was indeed floating. I was floating in some kind of liquid. I brought my hands up to my face. I felt some kind of breathing apparatus over my mouth and nose. It also covered my ears. I sighed. I reached out in front of me with my right hand until I ended up touching glass. As I tapped the glass with my index finger, I looked out through it.

I saw the people in lab coats in different areas. Some of them were treating different people who were medical beds. I recognized most of the faces. They were SHIELD agents like me. That's when I realized what was going on. I was at a SHIELD medical facility. Which one, I didn't quite know. But, I was in a safe place. Still, I had questions.

After several seconds, I saw one of the doctors walk up to me. She stopped at a console on a stand some feet in front me. She pressed a button, leaned over, and spoke into the skinny microphone that was coming out of the console.

"I see you're awake," the doctor said. I heard her voice in my ears. "I'm Doctor Cecilia Reyes. I've been overlooking over your recovery. How are you feeling?"

I took a moment to look down at my hands. I checked in with myself as I balled up hands and opened it up. I looked at Cecilia.

"I'm feeling okay, I think," I replied. I grimaced slightly as I cracked my neck. "I do a feel a bit stiff."

Cecilia smiled. "Good to hear. Now, I'm sure you have some questions. Before we get to that though, I have to ask some questions of my own. I just want to make sure you have all of your faculties. You think you can do that for me?" I nodded. "Good." She placed a folder on the console and opened it up. "Let's start with the basics. What is your legal name?"

"Carmilla Black."

"What is your birth name?"

"Thasanee Rappaccini."

"What is the name of your parents?"

"My mother's name is Monica Rappaccini. I have no idea who my father is."

"Where did you grow up?"

"In an Albuquerque, New Mexico."

"Where do you currently live?"

"I live in Manhattan, New York."

"Do you live alone?"

"No."

"What is the highest education level you reached?"

"I have earned a General Education Diploma."

"What is your height and weight?"

"I'm 5'6"…" I narrowed my eyes. "…120 pounds, last time I checked."

"Okay, I think that just about covers it." Cecilia smiled at me again. "I think we can all agree that things are more okay in that cranium of yours."

"What happened to me, doc? Last thing I remembered, I was in Phoenix with Spider-Man working on a SHIELD operation."

"You were. And now you're in Roswell."

"Did the mission go south?"

"No, it didn't. It was a success. The people behind the MGH operation are in SHIELD custody and the people who have been freed have underwent medical treatment before they were returned to their respective homes. Well, most of them have been. Some of them don't have a home to return to, so we're working on helping them with that."

I nodded. "That's good." I raised an eyebrow. "And Spider-Man?"

"Spider-Man is back in New York. He gave Yo-Yo a statement on everything that happened, including what happened to you."

What did happen to me? I tried to remember, but I couldn't. The last thing I remember was radioing in to SHIELD to let them know that Spider-Man and I were successful in our objectives.

"What did happen to me?" I asked.

Cecilia gave me a look of concern. "You don't remember?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember anything past radioing to SHIELD."

"…According to Spider-Man, you were tackled by one of the members behind the MGH operation. He intervened and apprehended the assailant, but it was too late. There was a syringe in your neck and you were having a major seizure before you lost consciousness." She frowned. "Spider-Man wanted to stay by your side and he felt extremely guilty over what happened according to Yo-Yo."

I scoffed. "Of course he did." Peter's guilt complex was only rivaled by his tendency to put his wellbeing on the line for the greater good – or what he feels to be the greater good, anyway.

"I take it he beats himself up a lot."

"That's an understatement." I returned to the subject at hand. "Okay, so I got stabbed by a syringe. What was in it? What caused me to have a seizure?"

Cecilia went quiet for a few moments. She then sighed. "I'll tell you, but I need you to promise me you won't freak out."

I glared at her. "See, when you say something like that, it makes me feel like I should be freaking out. That syringe didn't give me some terminal illness, did it?"

"No, it didn't. It's just…" She paused for a moment. "The syringe was filled with Mutant Growth Hormones in liquid form. Even before we identified the substance, we did a thorough check up on you. We felt it was warranted, between the state we found you in and Spider-Man's own account."

"Before you continue, how long have I been out for?" I asked.

"For about four days," Cecilia replied. "Your vital signs were normal at first. But then we noticed an increase in your metabolic rate, along with a rise in keratin levels. And then…" She trailed off.

"Doc, please just give it to me straight. What's going on with me?"

She shook her head. "Given the nature of both you powers and genetic modification – both your mutant abilities and ones given to you by genetic modification – your body would usually be able to handle a foreign substance in your body without consequence. However, your body had a different reaction. We're still not 100 percent sure what happened, but we believe you underwent another mutation."

I didn't say anything at first. I just didn't know how to take that piece of information. It wasn't exactly unheard of for people to have second powers. I basically had a whole set. Did I really need another power? I didn't even want another power. I shook my head.

"So what is this second mutation?"

Cecilia smiled wryly. "…Well…"

Later on that day, I was in my designated quarters. It was a small black room. There was a desk with a laptop on it. There was a TV on the wall. There was a bed that was just big enough for me to sleep comfortably on. And there was a mirror. I looked over my shoulder at my reflection as I stood with my back to it. I was dressed in pair of black sweatpants with a matching shorts bra. Coming from the base of my spine was a tail. To be exact, it was a scorpion tail, stinger and all. As it swayed from side to side, I watched it with a frown.

"What am I going to do with you?" I said to the shiny black appendage.

A million questions came to my head. Was my tail venomous? Can I hide it? How would it impact my day-to-day operations? What would Craig think? I scoffed at that last question. Craig would be more curious than anything. I knew this because I tried to bug him by playing the "Would you love me if I was a…?" game.

It was quite amusing to hear his response when I asked if he would love me if I was a Futakuchi-onna.

Then again, what did this tail mean? Was this the extent of the new mutation? Or was this just the start of something more. Was I going to turn into a full on scorpion? I cringed. What would I even do if it came to that? I shook my head.

"Never a dull moment," I grumbled. I walked away from the mirror before I walked up to the bed. I sat on it and just took a moment to think. I knew I needed to head back to New York to the other X-Men, soon. But I needed a few days. I looked over my shoulder at my new tail. "Well, I'm stuck with you. I might as well do the best to get to know how to use you." I looked forward. "I hope everything is okay back home."

For days after, I was undergoing tests led by Cecilia. Some of the tests dealt with my vitals. Other rests were focused on my appendage. During that time, I learned a lot about my tail, and not just how to control it. It was indeed venomous. The source of the venom was another specialized lymph node like the one in my left arm pit, and the venom itself was identical to the substance I deliver with my left hand. It was just another way to use my ability. I guess that was okay. And I also figured out a way to hide the tails under my clothes.

By the end of the week, I was given the go ahead to go back to New York. As I packed up my things, I took a moment to call Kitty to see how things are going.

"Hey Kitty," I said. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… well, it'll be better to show you and the others when I get home." I listened to what she had to say. I then furrowed up my eyebrows. "Wait, what happened?" I went quiet. My eyes went wide. "WHAT?!" I felt my heartbeat rise as my face became hot. I was angry. Kitty kept on talking. By the time I was done, I was ready to go on a hunt and put people into past tense. "…Okay, I'll be back soon." I hung up the phone. I tossed it on to the bed before I paced back and forth. While I paced, I breathed in and out slowly to calm myself down. Once I did, I stopped in my tracks. I laughed bitterly as I unwrapped my tail from around my abdomen. I looked at my tail and sneered.

"Well, buddy, you and I have some work to do," I said to it. It was at this moment that I made decision. I looked forward. "Sorry Scott. Sorry Kitty. But people have to die."