Edited: 3/5/16
Chapter 26 – Cause and Effect
"If you can't fly, then run,
If you can't run, then walk,
If you can't walk, then crawl,
But whatever you do,
You have to keep moving forward."
Martin Luther King
The Director's hand clenched into a fist, and if he'd been twenty years younger, he might have indulged his temper by slamming it on the top of his desk. Instead, he forced the digits to straighten and calmly deleted the useless e-mail.
"It has been nearly five months, and we still have no intel on where Stryker went to ground?" He fought to keep his voice low, but anger wove a poisoned undertone beneath the quietly spoken words. How many decades had it been since someone so completely bested him? More than he cared to contemplate. IX went off line months ago, and he still didn't know if his creation was dead or alive. The implant in his brain going dead suggested the weapon had been destroyed. Due to the lack of reports of a berserker unkillable weapon tearing apart a random city, he was forced to conclude that whatever dismantled IX had somehow done the impossible and destroyed X too. It was the only explanation for both weapons falling off the map.
If it weren't for the fact that he'd been betrayed, The Director would have been impressed. Stryker was proving to be more of a threat than he'd first suspected. Hell, the pup reminded him of himself back in the day, which was all the more reason to destroy him once he was found. The world didn't need two men of his caliber squabbling over it.
"Have we received any reports on IX or X?" He demanded.
"No, sir. I've been keeping track, and nothing has appeared in the news to indicate their continued existence." The Voice responded.
"Continue searching, and track down Stryker. I want that bastard found."
"Yes, sir."
Kitty hadn't had a chance to eat with IX last night. The second she stepped into the dining room, she'd been ambushed by her friends. That hadn't been the happiest meal ever. Instead of understanding what she was doing and why, they interrogated her. They treated her like she was dating an abusive boyfriend or something and had shown up with a black eye.
No matter what she said, they wouldn't listen. In the end, she'd told them all to mind their own business and leave her the heck alone. Siryn's wide, hurt eyes stuck with her though. They were glittering points of accusation, and when her roommate reached up to touch her chest where Kitty knew the scar was, she almost broke. Almost. She hated making everyone worry, and knew that by befriending IX, she was hurting them. Still, she couldn't stand by and let things continue the way they were.
Leaving IX alone wasn't enough, she needed to get everyone else to leave him alone too. Even Kitty's optimism couldn't go further than that. Getting everyone to be friends would be amazing, but she knew an impossible task when she saw one. No, for now, Kitty's major goal was to put a stop to the bullying. Maybe after that she'd be able to work on creating a friendlier atmosphere between IX and the rest of the students.
Sunlight bathed the dining room in big squares, bringing a smile to the short girl's lips. Saturday was turning out to be a beautiful day, and she didn't even let the disgruntled look of her friends sway her when she passed them by.
IX sat in isolated splendor at the end of the table. Humming under her breath, she grabbed a plate of pancakes, three strips of bacon, and a glass of orange juice before she headed straight for him. The soft murmur of conversation died when Kitty entered the no man's land of empty seats separating IX from the rest of the students.
"Kitty." A voice hissed in warning, but she ignored it, not even bothering to look and see who was warning her off.
Without asking, Kitty plopped herself down next to IX. He'd watched her approach from the corner of his eye, and turned his head to look at her fully when she sat down.
"Good morning," Kitty chirped with a wide grin. The grin wilted a little around the edges when he turned back to his bowl of Cheerios without a word. Someone laughed and heat burned in her cheeks. Turning to her own food, she began to eat to hide the embarrassment. It felt like every eye in the room was burning holes into her forehead, and Kitty's stomach clenched unhappily around the first bite of pancakes. Was it like this for IX all the time? If so, she could kind of understand why he hunted in the woods for his food. Even if they hadn't ruined his meals, Kitty couldn't imagine how he ate comfortably while being stared at all the time.
Her fingers shook when she reached out to grab her glass of juice, and to her horror, it slipped out of her grasp. IX's hand shot out, catching the glass before it could topple over, though some of the orange liquid sloshed over the rim onto his hand.
"Er, sorry?" Kitty squeaked when he gave her another cold look. Again he remained silent, much to her irritation. Why in the name of all things soft and fluffy was he ignoring her? Shouldn't he be happy to have a friend? It was better than having her dump juice on his head, wasn't it? Kitty scowled as she watched him clean up the mess.
Before she could figure out what to say, he pushed his half eaten food away and left. Her stomach gave a pitiful gurgle, suddenly not carrying about what the others thought in the face of missing breakfast all together. Without a thought for table manners, she shoveled pancakes into her mouth, finishing them off in record time while ignoring the muffled laughter and conversations she just knew were about her.
Once finished, she leapt up and ran to the door to find IX. If he thought he'd get away with pretending she didn't exist, he was wildly mistaken.
Adelaide's lips curled in disgust while she watched Kitty make a fool of herself with IX. It would be easier and safer to make friends with a great white shark than that one. Why anyone would want to be IX's friend was beyond her. Tormenting IX probably wasn't the sanest past time, but she knew better than the rest how orders orientated IX was. As long as he saw the Professor as his keeper, then he wouldn't retaliate. But how could anyone want to spend time with a murderer?
In a way, she could see why Kitty might decide to defend IX. He was small and weak looking. Kitty only saw his true face once, during the attack, and Adelaide figured time must have blunted the memory. How else could she forgive him?
She'd never seen him kill. Never watched blood flow over pale skin or listened to the helpless screams of the damned. Kitty was playing with fire, and didn't even know how badly it could burn her.
Maybe I sshould warn her? She thought as she nibbled a piece of toast. No, Kitty wasn't the sort to listen to warnings. That, and IX had been rendered impotent here. It wasn't like he would hurt Kitty without orders, and the Professor would never turn IX against the students. Everything would be fine.
Did IX deserve a friend? No. Of that, Adelaide was certain. He'd destroyed so many lives that all he deserved was hell for what he'd done. She hated that anyone would look at IX and think to protect him. The fact that it was a fellow mutant was maddening. IX hunted, tortured, and killed other mutants. It was like a water buffalo calf attempting to befriend a muzzled hyena. Sure, it might turn out all right, but probably not.
Whatever, it'ss her life, let her live it asss she will, Adelaide decided. Some people liked to jump off cliffs, and talking sense into someone like that was impossible.
IX froze when the door behind him crashed open. Closing his eyes, he waited for the inevitable. Instead of pain, or something unpleasant dumped over his head, a small hand gripped his arm.
"IX, why'd you run off like that?" Kitty demanded. He turned, and before he could formulate an answer, she frowned. Her fingers squeezed the arm lightly. Still frowning, she reached out and pulled the sleeve of his sweater up. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the limb unbound. A tentative finger probed where the bone had been broken yesterday. Her eyes darted up to his face. "I don't…how?" she demanded.
He gently pulled his arm from her loose grip and tugged the sleeve back down. "I told you it would heal."
Kitty gave him an incredulous look. "You never said it would heal overnight. Seriously, wow. I thought you weren't allowed to use your mutation. Isn't that why you have that thing on the back of your head? And why would they stop you from using your mutation if it's just healing anyway? That seems silly to me. Really, healing isn't the sort of thing they should have to block, you know?"
Words seemed to tumble out of her mouth at an impossible rate, and IX wondered if she'd stop talking long enough for him to answer the first question. Finally, they came to an end and her sharp blue eyes locked on his face. It was tempting to turn and walk away again, but IX was certain she'd follow. Maybe if he gave her the answers she was looking for, she'd leave him alone?
With a sigh, he started walking towards the lake. As he suspended, she followed. "Well?"
"Healing is a secondary power for me. It is always active, though when I am in control of my power I can accelerate it to heal instantaneously. Without control, I am able to heal most damage within a twelve hour period." The bland words didn't satisfy the girl's curiosity, if anything, it seemed to prod it to greater heights.
"So if healing is your secondary mutation, what's your primary power?" Kitty asked. Having two powers was rare, but not unheard of.
IX studied the water, wishing she would go away and leave him alone. Mornings were usually peaceful for him. The natural tendency of teenagers to sleep in worked in his favor, but Kitty didn't look the least bit tired. Instead she continued to stare at him, a mountain of questions piling up behind her inquisitive gaze.
Giving in to the inevitable, he replied, "My primary powers are difficult to define. I'm able to do a lot of things."
"Like what?" He could almost hear the small growl of irritation in her tone at his evasive reply.
"A limited form of teleportation. I can create shields around myself, unlock doors, and walk through a crowed unnoticed. I can create fire." He shrugged, as if it didn't matter and what he was saying wasn't impossible.
For the first time ever, words failed her, and Kitty gaped at him.
It had taken over an hour to untangle himself from Kitty's clinging presence. He couldn't comprehend what she wanted from him, and whenever he asked, all he got was the same response: to be friends. The answer was as baffling now as it was in the beginning. The girl had plenty of friends, so why did she need one more?
Shaking his head, he set aside the puzzle that was Kitty. He didn't know what would happen now. Her insistence on their friendship would result in retaliation from the other students. It didn't matter what they did to him, but what about Kitty? He'd been tasked with defending the students, but hadn't been briefed on what to do if one student attacked another.
A sharp cry of pain broke into his troubled thoughts. IX glanced up and spotted a young boy on the ground not too far away. Red hair blew in the gentle breeze, falling into tearful brown eyes. Crimson oozed from a large scrape on the child's knee, reminding IX of the firearms training, and one of the targets he'd been required to shoot. He recalled how the father in the simulation had cradled the crying girl, and wondered where this child's caregiver was.
He was too young to be a student, and clearly wasn't a member of the staff, so IX chose to dismiss the issue as someone else's problem. Before he could escape, wide brown eyes found him and seemed to become even wetter. The sound of crying grew louder, and when he didn't go to the boy, the child jumped up and ran to him. IX froze when the boy crashed into his legs and clung to him, still sobbing. Pulling his hands up and away from the crying creature, IX stood awkwardly.
"Release me," IX said. The boy didn't, instead he buried his face in IX's stomach and squeezed him like he was an oversized teddy. To IX's dismay, the muffled sobs grew to loud wailing. "Stop," he said, the slightest hint of desperation flavoring the word as green eyes darted around the courtyard.
The scream of wind against flesh made IX's hands lift a little higher in the classic 'hands up don't shoot' pose.
"What the hell did you do?" Pietro growled, appearing a few feet in front of him. IX attempted to step back, but the boy refused to release him. Pietro's form blurred, but he didn't attack. His eyes burned into IX's, demanding answers.
Not wanting to set the speed mutant off, IX kept perfectly still. "I did nothing. The child fell. He saw me and attacked. I have not harmed him."
"Attacked?" Pietro said, anger leaking away against his will. The normally bland look on IX face was a bit off, and he almost laughed when he saw anxiety flare in the depths of those green lifeless orbs. IX clearly had no idea what to do with a crying child, and he couldn't help the small smirk that flared across his lips.
"He will not release me."
Pietro bit back a laugh. Malcom was still crying hysterically, and Pietro thought it had more to do with IX's utter failure to comfort him than the scrap on his knee at this point. The little boy was outrageously spoiled by everyone in the school, and he had no idea what to do with someone like IX.
It was tempting to abandon IX to Malcom's tearful clutches, but guilt over the broken arm thing kept him there. That, and this was an unprecedented chance for amusement at IX's expense.
Stepping back, he looked IX and Malcom over. "Well, duh, you're doing it all wrong."
"I haven't done anything to him."
Pietro ran his fingers though his hair to keep from laughing. "Exactly. You aren't supposed to stand there like a tree, idiot. You're freaking him out."
A hint of a frown touched IX's lips. "I wasn't the one who grabbed him. He grabbed me." IX said, as if that absolved him from any part of the situation. His hands were still raised, and for a second Pietro wondered how long he could stand like that before he got too tired to hold them up.
"Geeze, haven't you ever dealt with kids before?"
"No."
Pietro rolled his eyes at the cold reply to his rhetorical question. It was beyond obvious that IX didn't have a clue what to do. Wonder what he'd do with a bawling baby. The grin died on his lips when he recalled all the blood IX had spilled. He had a feeling that IX's response to a crying baby wouldn't be anywhere near appropriate. Good thing he's not allowed to hurt people here, or poor Malcom would be dead.
With an exaggerated sigh, Pietro stepped forward. He frowned when IX stiffened, then felt a tiny sliver of guilt when he realized the short boy was bracing himself for an attack. Glaring, he snapped, "I'm not going to hurt you, relax." The stiff pose didn't change, but IX didn't protest when Pietro reached for his hands.
"Right. When a kid hurts themselves, they'll usually go to an adult for reassurance that they're all right."
Before he could move IX's hands, IX looked down and said in a clear slow voice, "Stop crying. You wound is not life threatening." Pietro slapped a hand to his forehead. That was about as reassuring as a pit bull's smile, he thought. Malcom must have agreed because the crying reached a pitch that made both teens flinch.
IX gave Pietro an accusing look, clearly blaming him for the deteriorating situation. Stepping forward, Pietro grabbed IX's hands and folded them around Malcom's back. It was like repositioning a mannequin. IX stood with ridged awkwardness. It was obvious that he'd rather be anywhere but there in that moment. "Why is it still crying?"
"He. His name is Malcom and he is a boy. What is it with you people always referring to people as it? Don't do that anymore. It's fucking creepy."
Malcom twisted in IX's arms and gave Pietro a wide, teary eyed look. Pietro flushed, "Oops, sorry kiddo."
"S'okay, but don't say bad words. Jean said it's not nice." The words were thick with tears, but understandable.
IX blinked down at the miniature human being, unable to comprehend how it went from screaming bloody murder to scolding in the space of one heart beat to the next.
"What is your status?" IX demanded. Confused brown eyes blinked up at him, not understanding. That was too much for Pietro, and he howled with laughter. Looking from the laughing mutant to the still teary boy, IX longed for his powers back so he could teleport away. Apparently insanity was the defining feature of the people who lived here. It was better when they tormented him. At least that behavior made since. He decided to ignore Pietro for the moment and focus on the boy whose chin was beginning to quiver in an alarming way. "Do you require the medic?" He tried again.
Malcom blinked, and more fat tears slid down his red cheeks. He sniffled, giving IX his best kicked puppy look. "Can I have some ice cream? That will make me feel better."
"I fail to see how frozen milk and sugar would improve your physical health."
Pietro fell over, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. For a second, IX wondered if he would be blamed if the foolish mutant managed to die from oxygen deprivation.
At IX's less than positive answer, Malcom's mouth opened and the wailing began again. Closing his eyes against the painful sound, IX reached behind him and gently pulled the six-year old's hands apart. Before Malcom or Pietro could react, he lightly pushed the boy onto the hysterically laughing mutant, then to Pietro's astonishment, he turned and ran.
"Not…fair…" Pietro gasped as Malcom latched onto him, still crying as though his leg were broken instead of scraped.
"Did you really throw Malcom at Pietro when he started crying?" Kitty demanded. Her voice made IX pause, his pen hovered over the notebook for a second before he finished writing the long string of notes. Minutes passed, and he could hear the short girl begin to fidget while he worked. He'd managed to avoid her for the rest of the day on Saturday by hiding in his room. It was less than dignified, but after dealing with the noisy child, he'd performed a tactical retreat back to safe territory where the rest of them couldn't follow.
At least, he didn't think believe they were permitted in the lower levels of the school. A pile of books slammed down in the spot across from him. "IX!"
Stiffening his spine, IX looked up into Kitty's furious face. "I didn't throw the child. Pietro had previous experience with children, and when the boy would not stop crying, I detangled him from my person and directed him towards Pietro."
"Directed him towards Pietro?" She said, disbelief coloring the words.
"Yes."
"Right. Why was Malcom 'tangled' with your person to begin with?"
IX gave her one of his practiced frowns. "According to Pietro, he was seeking comfort from an adult figure after having damaged himself. However, when I asked if he needed the medic, he requested ice cream. That would have done nothing to alleviate the pain of his scraped knee."
A giggle exploded out of Kitty when IX finished explaining. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Are crying children humorous?" He demanded.
"W-what?" She gasped between chortling laughs.
"Pietro laughed at the crying boy too. Why is he funny?" IX wanted to know. The noise and clingy nature of the child was more bothersome that humorous to the assassin.
At that, Kitty's giggles turned into an all-out belly laugh. Tears rolled down her red cheeks as she tried to catch her breath and failed. After a few minutes of this, IX calmly packed his notes and walked away from the foolish girl. Kitty tried to call him back, but couldn't catch her breath long enough to do so.
Kitty scowled, anger tingling in her chest when she realized she'd been out maneuvered again. For some reason, IX was avoiding her even more now than he had when she used to torment him. It made no sense to the curly haired girl, but she refused to give up. IX was going to be her friend, even if she had to tie him up to keep him beside her.
With a dejected sigh, she headed towards the lonely tree where IX hung out after classes. Maybe stalking him like this wasn't the best way to earn his friendship, but she didn't know what else to do. If she didn't stalk him, he would ignore her completely, just like he did everyone else. The only time IX paid attention to someone was when they were attacking him, and even then, it was a grudging sort of attention that ended the moment the perpetrator lost interest. Except for the staring. IX never approached anyone, but he always watched them from afar. Honestly, Kitty thought the staring was creepy because she had no idea what he was thinking. Was he dreaming about killing them all? Wondering what they would sound like screaming? Imagining them naked? She just didn't know, and she wasn't sure what he would say if she asked him.
In the past couple of days, she'd learned to take care what she asked because the small assassin was not the type to blunt or sugar coat anything. She could ask him whatever she wanted, and he would answer. Sometimes the answers were traumatic.
"Did you really kill all those mutants like Pietro said?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was ordered to do so."
A shiver raced down her spine at the memory. Even though Kitty hadn't asked, she had the feeling IX would do anything if he was ordered to. The thought was more than a little terrifying. How could anyone be like that? It was crazy, then again, everything she'd heard about the place he'd come from was crazy.
Her dark thoughts were shattered when the world suddenly exploded into painful motion. Agony shot through her left ankle before roaring darkness swallowed the world.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I go monster hunting and snare a little cat instead." The malicious voice weaved through the dizzying darkness, and Kitty forced her eyes open. Jagged bolts of pain throbbed through the back of her head in time with her heartbeat, and distantly, she felt it echoed in her ankle. The world swayed back and forth in a confused, upside down blur, making the small girl feel sick.
Clenching her eyes shut, she tried to phase. Another wave of agony accompanied by a warning twinge in her gut told her not to try again. Her head felt like it was going to split open any second, spilling her brains onto the grass. "What…happened?" Saliva filled her mouth, and Kitty carefully swallowed it back, refusing to throw up. Getting sick upside down would not be a wonderful experience, and she didn't want to spend an hour washing vomit out of her hair. Just…ew.
A gloating laugh met her question, and she forced her eyes open. It took longer to focus than she liked, but she finally found the face of the teen. He sneered down at her, his dark pit like eyes gloating. "What? Can't escape, little girl? Guess your powers aren't so great after all." He smiled, or at least tried to. The right half of his face looked like it was made out of red gravel, twisting his lips on that side. Not all mutations were pretty, or particularly useful. Marcus's mutation was rock hard skin, but only in patches, like port-wine stain birthmarks. If it weren't for the one spread across his face, he might have been able to play human.
Kitty cringed but kept her mouth shut. Everyone knew he despised the students with flashy mutations, and he'd already been in trouble for bullying the younger kids.
"Let me down," Kitty hissed through gritted teeth. Blood was already roaring in her ears, and her head felt like an over full water balloon. The cruel look in his eyes made her tense stomach clench even harder.
"Now why would I do that? I heard you're IX's little pet now, and someone has to set you straight, little girl. After all, we wouldn't want anything bad happening to you, now would we? This is for your own good." Then he smiled again before slamming his fist into her exposed midsection. "IX is fair game for all, and by trying to stand between us and him, you make yourself an equal target," he whispered, still in the tone of mock concern while she choked on a scream.
The pain was like nothing she'd ever felt before, making even the pain in her head dull in comparison. How many times had she seen someone hit IX like this? Dear Goddess, it hurt. Tears poured from her eyes and to her horror, vomit erupted from her mouth to spray over the soft grass in wet chunks.
"Pathetic. If you want to play the hero, little cat, you're going to have to learn how to take a punch. Here let me teach you."
Kitty cringed, wanting to beg him to stop but unable to breath around the agony in her middle and the waves of nausea. Her body tensed, waiting for the pain to rip through her guts again when she heard a scuffling sound.
Cracking an eye open, she saw a short figure standing in front of her. IX, her lips tried to form the word, but her voice failed her. She looked beyond him and saw Marcus on the ground glaring up at IX. "Leave," IX's voice sounded as empty as always, but under the quiet word, she heard steel.
Marcus scrambled back to his feet, rage purpling the skin of his face that wasn't stone like. He wasn't sure how the little bastard managed it, but he'd practically appeared out of nowhere, caught his punch and turned it aside before tripping him. IX stood between him and Kitty instead of following up on the attack while Marcus was down, which only infuriated the large boy more.
Lashing out, his fist slammed into IX's face. His head turned with the blow, but he didn't fall. Nor did he move out of the way. "You're the one who should leave, before I break you in half."
IX licked the blood from his lips. His cold eyes locked on Marcus's dark ones as the pair stared each other down. The next blow slammed into his abdomen with enough brute force to drive IX to his knees. Still, he didn't cry out or indicate the punch hurt. Instead, he staggered back to his feet, again putting himself between Marcus and Kitty.
"No stop!" Kitty cried out behind him. "Leave him alone."
Marcus laughed, her voice was thick with tears. She was a hell of a lot more fun to play with than IX. "Don't worry Kitten, I'll have you all to myself in a second. Just gotta wait your turn, all right?" With that, he reached out, grabbed IX's arm, and threw the much smaller mutant over his shoulder before slamming him back first into the ground behind them.
Air exploded out of IX's lungs, and it took all his considerable self-control to allow the other mutant to attack without retaliating. He had to protect Kitty, but he could not harm a student. The conflicting orders held him paralyzed, unable to complete the first without disobeying the second.
"Now, where were we?" Marcus purred, as if she were a girl he'd been chatting up in a bar.
"Pathetic." The word was a little breathy, but still dead of emotion. IX sat up slowly, staring at Marcus in a way that made the larger mutant want to flinch. Green eyes scrutinized him, locking on the marred half of his face. "You are jealous of a little girl because her power is far more impressive than yours. Why are you here? You have no power." His lips curled into a fake sneer that eerily mimicked the one Marcus used. "Just a birth defect."
Marcus roared, fury driving all thoughts of Kitty out of his mind as he attacked the downed assassin.
Kitty's scream rang in the cool evening air. Suddenly the temperature around the three plunged, turning her breath white. Blue, half frozen hands clutched Marcus's shoulders, pulling the teen off IX. Bobby drove one of his rock hard fists into Marcus's side, cursing under his breath when he hit a hard spot, making one of his knuckles splinter. Air woofed out of the larger teen as he collapsed to his knees.
"W-what the fuck?" He choked, gaping up at Bobby.
Bobby glared down at him, fury burning in the cold depths of his blue eyes. "I don't care what you do to it." His eyes flicked to IX's still, bloody form. "But don't you dare hurt Kitty. Get out of here, the Professor will want to talk to you." Something vindictive flashed in his eyes. "You should probably pack. You were warned about picking on other students."
Marcus sputtered. "What? That's not fair. Everyone beats the shit out of IX. No one's been punished for it."
"But you attacked Kitty. That's unacceptable." Bobby took a threatening step forward, causing the cold to focus around Marcus. Swallowing hard, he staggered to his feet and ran.
Turning around, he went to the still dangling girl. With a thought, he made a blade of ice to cut the thin nylon rope and flinched when Kitty fell. Before he had a chance to help her up, Kitty was on her feet.
"Are you al-" Pain blazed in his cheek when she slapped him hard enough to jerk his head to the side. "What the hell Kitty?" He shouted, his hand coming up to touch the reddening skin.
"What the hell?" She snapped back, and he actually cringed away from her. Kitty never cursed. Never. He gulped and held up his hands in an attempt to placate her. What was going on? He'd just saved her for Christ's sake. Why was she attacking him?
Kitty poked him hard in the chest. "I'll tell you what the hell, Robert Drake." At the use of his full real name, Bobby almost whimpered. "What's wrong with you, huh? It's okay for Marcus to beat up IX, but not me? Do you even hear the crazy crap coming out of your face? You're no better than he is!" She threw her hands up in the air, tears still coursed down reddened cheeks, and the look in her eyes made him want to beg her for forgiveness.
He shoved the emotion down, masking it with indignant anger. Bobby's chest puffed up and he glared down at her. "I saved you, and this is how you thank me? Nice, Kitty. Real nice." He held on to the edges of his mock anger, drawing it around him like a tattered cloak as he turned and stalked back towards the mansion, not even bothering to check on IX.
All of the strength her rage gave her collapsed once Bobby was out of sight, and Kitty crumpled to her knees. Her head was killing her, it felt like she'd been hit in the gut by the hulk, her ankle was screaming a lovely counter point of pain to it all, and to top it all off, her hair smelled like vomit. Unable to help it, Kitty started crying again as she crawled miserably towards IX. She'd thought Bobby was her friend, how could he be such a total jerk? It wasn't fair.
Her pity party came to an abrupt end when she saw IX's battered face. "Oh my gosh, IX! Are you all right? IX?" Kitty reached out a hesitant hand, not sure where to touch him that wouldn't hurt him more. How could anyone do this to another person? It was sick.
IX's hand shot up and gently captured her wrist. One blank green eye opened and stared at her before darting around, attempting to locate the enemy.
"Shh, it's okay. We're all right now. Bobby came and…er…chased Marcus off." She wasn't sure if what Bobby said was true, but she hoped the bully was kicked out for what he'd done.
Some of the tension drained from him at her words. "Are you injured?" The dull monotone words took her by surprise. Here he was, bleeding and broken looking, and he wanted to know if she was hurt? Kitty couldn't help but grin through her tears.
"I'm not as hurt as you." Again that eye opened, pinning her in place.
"How injured are you?" he demanded.
Kitty swallowed, and that sent another wave of pain through her head. "Um, I hit my head on the tree, and my ankle really hurts. And my stomach where…he hit me." The last was said in a quiet squeak, as if she still couldn't believe someone would do that to her.
"Why didn't you use your power?"
Heat burned in her cheeks. "I tried, but it didn't work."
IX nodded as if that made sense. "Your power requires you to activate it. Such powers can be disrupted by a concussion." The way he said it made Kitty flinch. She could tell he spoke from experience, and she couldn't help but wonder how many kids he'd attacked from behind, deliberately inducing concussions so he could take them out without them being able to use their powers. Is that what he would have done to me, if he'd gotten away and then came back later to collect us? The others told them about what IX's organization did when they found enclaves of mutants, and it wasn't pretty. Nothing about who IX used to be was pretty. But he can be more than what he was, that's why the Professor kept him, isn't it? IX doesn't have to be a monster.
"Why did you taunt him like that?" Kitty demanded, remembering IX's cruel words and how they'd driven Marcus to attack him.
"It was the best way to keep his attention on me."
Instead of you, Kitty finished silently, realizing IX had offered himself up as an alternative target to protect her. Shame and joy mingled oddly in her chest at the thought. She hated the fact that she was the reason he was hurt, yet couldn't help but feel happy he'd defended her. Maybe he was finally starting to be her friend.
A low hiss drew her out of her thoughts, and to Kitty's horror, IX was sitting up. "No don't! I'll go get help." She tried to stand, and fell over. The pain in her ankle shot through everything else, and made her cry out.
IX's arm slid under her shoulder. "IX!" He didn't react, instead, he slowly pulled her to her feet.
"Put your weight on me. I'll take you to the infirmary." His voice was as bland as always, without a hint of pain. Then again, she'd seen him shrug off a broken arm, and knew that even if he refused to show it, he still felt pain. Biting her lip to keep from protesting, Kitty let him take most of her weight. She knew how stubborn he could be, and this way, they'd both be in the infirmary soon.
"What happened?" Hank rumbled. If it wasn't for the fact that IX's face was black and blue, still leaking blood, he would have pounced on the young assassin. Then again, he wasn't likely to bring his own victim to the medic if he had been the one to hurt Kitty. Not that he could harm any of the students. Still, the scent of blood, fear, and IX combined to make his fur prickle. Even months later, and having zero interaction with IX, he couldn't shake the feeling of animosity.
"Kitty fell into a trap meant for me. Her ankle was injured, and I believe she has a concussion, along with abdominal bruising." IX's cold assessment made his lips twitch in an aborted snarl.
"And you?"
"I'm fine."
Hank snorted. The kid had balls, he'd give him that. Then again, with his ability to heal he could be half dead and not have a scratch on him come morning. Gentler than he expected, IX helped Kitty onto the exam table. He turned to leave when her small hand captured his. "Please stay? Let Hank look you over?" IX stared down at her for a long moment before giving a slight nod of acquiescence. He stepped aside, letting Hank take his place.
"All right Kitty, please tell me what happened," he asked, not only so he knew the sequence of events, but to test her recollection to help determine the severity of the concussion.
She swallowed once, looking down at the ground in shame for having fallen for something so stupid. IX never would have been caught in the trap, she was sure. "Well, um, I was looking for IX and went to the oak tree by the lake where he likes doing homework sometimes. I didn't see the snare, and it pulled me upside down by my left ankle. It sort of flung me back, and I hit my head on the tree trunk. I think I blacked out for a second, then Marcus was there." Her eyes darkened at the memory.
"Marcus?"
"Yeah, he's the one who set it up. Said he was h-hunting monsters but caught me instead. Then he punched me in the stomach." Heat burned her cheeks but she forced herself to continue. "I threw up," Kitty admitted weakly.
Hank patted her hand. "I would have thrown up too."
"Really?"
"Yes. Head injuries often make you feel sick, add being upside down and hit in the stomach, well I don't think anyone would have been able to hold their cookies. What happened next?"
"Oh! IX came and pushed Marcus away when he tried to hit me again. Then he kept Marcus focused on him until Bobby came."
"Where's Bobby and Marcus now?"
Kitty scowled. "Who knows? They're both jerks."
"Kitty!"
"What? They are. Sure, Bobby helped out, but only cuz I was hurt. He told Marcus that he could hurt IX all he wanted, but not me. That's so wrong," she glared at Hank, daring him to disagree.
The blue mutant again held his hands up to pacify her. After all, he'd seen some of the results of her more creative endeavors when punishing IX, and he had no wish to walk around with pink fur. Pink just wasn't his color.
Over the next half hour, he asked Kitty an endless stream of questions, did an x-ray of her ankle, and proclaimed it broken. She ended up choosing a purple tiger stripe design for her cast.
"Do you have a permanent marker?" Kitty asked, her wide blue eyes pleading. Hank gave a soft smile and fetched her one.
Next her eyes landed on IX, who hadn't moved from his spot beside her. "Here, sign it," she gave him the marker? IX blinked at her.
"Sign what?"
"My cast, silly," she giggled at him.
"Why?"
"Because that's what friends do."
He decided not to argue, knowing that no matter how often he told her they weren't friends, she wouldn't agree. Instead he wrote IX, the letters as mechanically perfect as something printed on a box. Kitty held back a sigh as she stared at the letters.
"Your turn," Hank grinned.
To Kitty's shock, IX's body stiffened ever so slightly. If he hadn't been right next to her, she wouldn't have seen it. Is he afraid of Hank? No, that can't be true. IX isn't afraid of anything. She studied his face, but it was hard to read anything beyond the bruising. His right eye was completely shut from the swelling, and the left was as blank as ever.
IX stiffly switched places with Kitty. He stared up at the ceiling while Hank poked and prodded each sore spot. After an endless repetition of 'does that hurt?' the healer was satisfied.
"It looks like nothings broken. There are a few deep tissue bruises, but everything else is superficial."
IX nodded, refraining from pointing out that he'd told the man he fine. "May I go now?"
Hank grinned. "Sure, make sure Kitty doesn't fall over, okay? Crutches can be a pain to get used to."
"Yes, sir."
The scent of smoke drifted through the forest, and under the burning wood smell, Trowa caught the aroma of cooking meat. Anger drew him towards the smell. He moved silently through the woods, feeling more at home in the foliage than he ever did in doors. Even though his mutation didn't require natural habitats to work, he still liked using it in the woods best. There was nothing better than sneaking up on a grazing deer and being able to run a hand over its velvet fur before it knew he was there.
When he grew up, he planned on being a wildlife photographer. There were a lot of people who would have used his gift to kill people or spy, but Trowa wasn't interested in any of that. He planned on getting the most detailed photos ever. The natural world would unfold before his eyes, entirely unaware he was there, watching and documenting everything. It was one of his fondest dreams to be the first to document the life cycle of the Snow Leopard. Very few photographers had managed to capture the mysterious cats on film, and none could boast a full documentary of the animals in their natural habitat.
He stepped out into the hidden clearing. Glee shot through him when IX didn't look up. Even though he'd tested it a few times in the mansion, he hadn't been certain it would work when it was just the two of them with no other students to act as a distraction. Sure, it worked on everyone else, and made the other kids ban him from playing hide and go seek, but IX was different. If anyone would have been able to see through his camouflage, it would be IX. It wasn't like he was actually invisible or anything. Instead, when he thought about it, he could go unnoticed. In a crowd, people would walk around him, but their conscious minds wouldn't register his presence.
The delight at proving to himself that he could sneak up on the assassin died when IX pulled the roasted quail carcass off the fire. A sharp spike of anger lanced through him while he watched the tiny murderer cut a sliver of flesh off the helpless bird. Even though the students weren't sabotaging his food anymore, he was still hunting in the woods. Not as often, but still. It made the vegetarian boy sick. Yes, predators killed for food, and he even planned on documenting the process when he got older, but there was no reason for IX to kill when they had plenty of food to eat. Bad enough domesticated animals had to suffer horrible conditions to become food for humans, but to kill wild animals, who had lives and families of their own? It was utterly disgusting to kill them when they didn't have to die.
Trowa did not condone violence normally, but for IX, he'd make an exception.
After the outcry of both students and staff over his eating habits, IX stopped hunting squirrels. Why the furry rodents held a special place in the hearts and minds of the people here was a mystery, but he would refrain to keep the peace. He also decided to keep from hunting rabbits for the same reason. Both animals were small, furry, and rodents, so it was logical to assume that both would upset the students if he killed them.
That left birds and fish, both of which he continued to hunt every few days to keep his skills sharp. He took another bite of the succulent meat. Even without seasoning, and cooked over an open fire, the bird tasted better than anything he got while eating with the students. While the food in the dining hall was cooked well, and there was a variety, he could never relax enough to enjoy it.
Unlike him, the students were more than willing to disobey orders and risk punishment when it suited them.
He started to carve off another slice of flesh when a booted foot slammed into his shoulder. Pain and confusion froze his mind, but not his body. Without thought, he rolled off the log and came up in a crouch. The small paring knife flew before his mind caught up.
No.
The blade was poorly balanced, but at this distance it didn't matter. A boy who hadn't been there a second ago appeared to his senses with the handle of the knife jutting out of his chest, directly over his heart.
No.
IX recognized the boy. A student, one of the shyer ones who kept his distance. One whose power IX had not been able to previously identify.
Soft brown hair framed the narrow, now bloodless face. Wide brown eyes stared at him in utter shock. "But…" he gasped, staggering. IX leapt forward, his arms gently easing the boy to the ground.
"Do not speak, be as still as possible." The cold words were enough to keep the boy from thrashing around and finishing the job, but IX saw how the knife twitched with every heartbeat. He knew the blade was cutting the delicate organ still. He would bleed out in minutes at this rate.
Pain flared down his spine. IX bit back a startled cry at the alien sensation, but then he felt the low buzz. Though he could not touch or control it, he felt power beginning to slither through his veins. With the power came pain. Closing his eyes, he fought back the growing agony and reached out with his mind. For the first time since being freed, he willingly asked for aid.
Help me. Free my power. I can save him.
Xavier's grading pen slipped from numb fingers when the thought slammed into him. It took less than a second for his mind to merge itself with IX's, and he was almost thrown out again when pain licked across his senses. It ripped relentlessly at the small assassin's body, growing by the second, and it took him precious seconds to understand what was happening.
IX's training hadn't just conditioned his body and mind, but his power. For the first time in his existence, he'd gone against a direct order. He'd skated close to disobedience in the past, but he'd never crossed the line like this.
He'd harmed a student. Killed, Xavier slammed a mental fist on the thought before it could form. Trowa wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Free me.
Even through the pain, IX's mental voice was focused. If Xavier could, he would have freed the mutant, but the device could only be disabled in person, and by the time anyone who could do it reached them, both boys would be dead.
Closing his eyes, Xavier gave himself over to his own power. His mind flowed into IX. I will be your bridge, he thought to IX before he forced himself into place.
It felt like he'd grabbed two ends of a severed electrical wire. Agony blazed in his mind, and he fought his own survival instinct not to let go. IX's power arched like lighting over his mind, burning him as it filled him up before spilling back into IX. Blood began to drip from his nose as his fists gripped the arm rests of his wheel chair.
The pain grew as his power punished him. Microscopic cuts began to lacerate his internal organs, veins, tissue…everything. Then he felt his Wielder's mind flow into his and the disjointed wrenching sensation of his power now filtered through someone else. With the closer connection, he also felt the echo of agony as his power burned them both.
No. He mentally growled. The power will destroy you. It is my duty to protect you.
I order you to save Trowa, IX. If it destroys us both, so be it.
The words echoed in his mind, and IX bowed to Xavier's iron will.
IX rested his hands against Trowa's narrow chest. Closing his eyes, he focused, drawing the power out of himself and down into the damaged flesh. Every second that passed caused the pain to grow, but IX ignored it. He ignored the taste of copper in his throat, the itch in his eyes as tears of blood oozed out from between the tightly clenched lids, and worse by far, the growing echoes of agony coming from Xavier.
They burned together as healing fire spilled down his hands and into the faltering heart.
Trowa gasped, shaking in pain and terror as he watched the knife work its way up out of his chest. The fear spiked when blood began to drip from IX's eyes, nose, and ears. He was frozen as the strange power seemed to throb inside of him, and he fought not to scream around the mind numbing agony of the healing.
IX's head dipped lower and lower, until it almost touched the handle of the knife. Blood dripped freely onto Trowa's chest while he worked. All thought was discarded. His whole world became the wound, the power, the healing. That was all he was as his own blood fled through a million invisible cuts.
Finally the knife wobbled, and fell, leaving behind a red divot and a splash of blood. IX fell to his side, curling into a ball as the agony shook him viciously. The damage was extensive, but he could feel Xavier, still locked to him and still burning.
You will protect your wielder.
IX forced himself up past the pain and gave Xavier a violent shove, dislodging him from his mind and sending him careening into darkness before he could issue any further orders. Every breath hitched in his chest, and he could feel the pressure of blood filling his lungs. The power no longer punished him for his transgressions, but the damage was done.
Unable to help it, he coughed, spraying a wide fan of blood over the ground next to him. Trowa skittered back on hands and knees. The recent injury driven out of his mind by IX's blood soaked form. "Shit!" He hissed, shock locking him in place. "Are…are you all right?"
IX forced his lips to curl into a false smile. It was ghastly, painted red with fresh blood. "No," the word was little more than a choked exhale.
Smoke drifted up from the fire, bringing with it the acrid scent of burning flesh. Trowa swallowed back the bile in his throat, ignoring the stink of the burning quail while his mind frantically tried to force his body into action. "Right, uh, hold on. Just, stay here. I'll be back." Pine needles hissed beneath his sneakers as he ran, desperate to outrun the wet rattle of IX's breathing and the fear that the small teen would be dead when he got back.
Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and adding my story to your favorites.