Chapter 8
Over the course of the next week I made a second sword and we practiced man-to-man combat. It was a nice change. I hadn’t battled man-to-man since I came here. I cheated a bit by prying into her mind to see how she was going to move. She shut me out and it became more challenging and fun. Not much later a mad pounding on the door woke me up in the middle of the night. I was confused and a little groggy from sleep. Did they not lock down tonight? I answered the door, coming face to face with an extremely angry Cyclops. “Where is she?” he snapped.
I just looked at him in surprise. My mind wasn’t awake enough to grasp what he was saying. “Who?”
“Dad!” Pol yelped, running to the door.
He swept her up into his arms, looking very much relieved. “Thank God you’re alright.” He muttered.
“You’re her dad?” I stuttered, mentally cursing Pol for not telling me. Then I cursed myself for stupidity. Cyclops was Scott Summers. Summers. Why hadn’t it clued in before? Not even after Clowe had mentioned it on her first day.
“Come with us Zeff.” Pol said, ignoring the look of surprise on Cyclops’s face.
I took one look at him and knew I wasn’t welcome. I shook my head and backed slowly into the room. “I- I couldn’t.”
“Then please… don’t say anything?” She pleaded.
She looked so worried. I knew I wouldn’t tell. “All right.” I muttered, wishing dearly I could have accepted her offer.
Not long after I decided to go to my post watching Mary-Ann. At least that way I could plead absence when they asked how Pol escaped when I was supposed to be on watch. I got to Mary-Ann’s rooms and we were in the middle of a game of hide-and-seek when Clowe stormed in with several soldiers. The soldiers went over to where I was and started pummeling me with fists and feet. I curled up into a ball on the floor to protect my head and vitals. “Daddy!” Mary-Ann cried.
To my surprise she didn’t run to him like she usually did. This time she grabbed one of the soldiers and tried to pull him off me. The soldier moved to throw her off of him but Clowe’s voice stopped him. “Enough.”
The soldiers stopped all at once and stepped back slightly. I peaked out from under one arm to see Mary-Ann standing between me and her father. Her arms were flung out wide as if she was trying to shield me. “Don’t hurt him.”
I stood up at attention. “Mary-Ann, move.” Clowe told his daughter.
“No.”
“Pardon me?” Clowe looked genuinely surprised.
“Not if you’re going to hurt him again.” Mary-Ann replied.
I decided I should intercede before things got out of hand. “It’s alright Mary-Ann.” I told her. “I haven’t been very good. I deserved that.”
“No you didn’t.” she argued. “No one de-surfs to get hurt.”
Clowe sighed. “If I promise I won’t hurt him will you move?” he asked.
Mary-Ann looked up at him stubbornly. “Promise?”
Clowe nodded and she stepped slowly to one side. The soldiers came and flanked me, hands on my arms and shoulders. Mary-Ann looked like she was about to protest but I shook my head and followed them out.
We marched to an interrogation room. Here I was flung into a chair. My arms secured to the back of the chair and the chair secured to the floor. I looked up at Clowe, adapting a shamed look on my face. “I take it you found out I was teaching Polgara some fighting tricks.”
Clowe froze at the door, his back to me. He seemed to take a moment to register what I had said. He turned and glared down at me. “You’ve done a lot more than that.”
I threw on my confused look. “Where have you been today?” Clowe asked.
I started reciting a string of things. “Breakfast. Training. Mary-Ann. Lunch. Time with Polgara. Supper. Research. Snack. Mary-Ann.”
Clowe glared at me. “You mean to say you haven’t been in your room since supper tonight?”
“No sir.” I replied. “Polgara usually meditates through the night and I wasn’t tired so I decided to do something useful with my time.”
“What were you researching?”
“The layout of Xavier’s base and bios on different team members.” I replied without hesitation. It wasn’t too much of a stretch. I had been studying those things in my off time.
Clowe studied me critically for a moment. “So you didn’t hear that Polgara and X5-452 escaped last night?”
I adapted a look of shock and confusion. “What? How?” I even threw in a ‘reflex’ attempt to stand up.
“I was hoping you could tell me.” Clowe said, running a hand over his face.
I looked up at him. He looked exhausted. “How did they escape with Magneto here?” I asked. “I mean, 452 is basically all metal.”
“Magneto was taken out.” Clowe said. “They combined their strength. They attacked with their Elements. With Magneto out of the way their parents were able to get them out fairly easily.”
“Their parents got them out?” I asked.
He nodded. “Apparently their Element drains them.”
That was something to tuck into my wells of knowledge. Clowe actually sighed in exhaustion. “No matter.” He said. “We’ve posted Agents near any outside contact the Elementals may have.”
Clowe actually let me go. He trusted me enough that he didn’t think I had anything to do with the escape. He did watch me really closely after that night. With no field missions to take me off the grounds I felt very pent in. Even with my time with Mary-Ann. I started to think of escaping again. It was a little over a week after the Elementals escaped that I finally had enough.
“We need to get out of here.” I told Chimaero as we sparred one afternoon. “For good this time. I was thinking of checking out Xavier’s mansion. What do you think?”
“What do I think?” Chimaero repeated. “I think you’re crazy! They aren’t going to just let us in the front door. Especially not after we kidnapped two of them.”
I thought of the Professor still floating in Ansem’s lab and grinned. “They will if we have the right leverage.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see.” I replied. “Meet me at the South doors at 2300 hours. Bring Mary-Ann… and a vehicle if possible.”
He shrugged and took off toward his sister’s rooms. I watched him for a moment and then moved to Ansem’s lab. I got there with little trouble. It was getting late so the halls were almost completely deserted. I paused at the door and listened. I couldn’t hear any voices inside so I figured Ansem and Clowe were somewhere else.
I entered the lab and looked around. There was a lab technician at the stasis tank but that’s it. He didn’t pay any attention to me. Who paid attention to soldiers unless they were being tested? That is how I got right up behind him. I placed the barrel of my gun against the back of his neck. “Release the old man.” I said threateningly.
The techie froze, his hand hovering just above the console. “Do it.” I said, cocking my gun.
The techie’s hand started to shake but he pressed the combination to end stasis and drain the tank. Once I was sure he had done what I wanted I hit him in the side of the head with the butt of my gun. As he crumpled to the ground I unloaded my gun and holstered it.
I grabbed a towel and dried the Professor off. He was not a young man. Who knew how easily he could get sick? I unattached the various tubes from his body and dressed him in one of Ansem’s lab coats. It was too big for him but it covered him up. I checked to make sure he was breathing alright and his pulse was good. Then I picked him up and headed for the door.
Luck was with me tonight. I only had to detour a couple times to avoid being seen. We hid in the underbrush outside the compound. A Humvee pulled up alongside us and stopped. I looked up to see Chimaero behind the wheel. I made sure the Professor was comfortable in the back and nodded to Chimaero to drive.
We got stopped at the gate by a soldier. “Where are you going?”
“X4-494 and X4-000, transporting Mr. Clowe’s daughter to her grandmothers for the week.” Chimaero stated calmly.
When the guard bent to check his clip board Chimaero gunned it and we broke our way through the gate. The guards opened fire on the vehicle. Fortunately it was fairly bullet proof. I leaned out the window and returned fire. Mary-Ann woke up and started crying. “It’s ok Mary-Ann.” Chimaero said. “Go back to sleep.”
She sat up and stared out the window. It took a minute for her to register what was happening. Then she started screaming. I pulled myself back in the window and stowed my gun under the seat. Then I turned to her. “It’s alright Mary.” I told her. “Come here.”
She looked over at me and then climbed over the seat to sit on my lap. She turned her head into my shirt and started sobbing. An hour and a drenched shirt later she had fallen asleep. Just then the Professor stirred. He sat up and blinked, taking in his surroundings. “What? Where am I?”
“Please sir.” I said softly, drawing his attention to me. “I just got her to sleep.”
The Professor’s eyes searching me, taking in the sleeping child on my lap. Then I felt his mind probe mine. I started to bar him out then I decided it was easier than trying to explain it to him. He closed his eyes and sighed. “When will we get there?” he asked his voice barely above a whisper.
“Probably close to 2 am.” I told him. “You should get some rest. I’ll wake you up when we get close.”
He nodded and drifted off to sleep. I placed Mary-Ann gently on the seat beside him. Then I retrieved my gun and moved up to sit beside Chimaero. Luckily there were no more problems the whole ride.
When we got to the institute I woke up the Professor. He punched in a security code that deactivated the alarms. Once we were in and parked I carried him over to a console where he reactivated it. Then, with Chimaero carrying Mary-Ann close behind, we went inside. I paused just inside the front door, waiting for the Professor to tell me what to do. “Where is Polgara?” he asked, looking around. “She’s always on night watch.”
“Professor?” I heard Pol’s voice from down the hall. Right on cue.
As soon as she caught sight of us she froze, her eyes catching mine. It was something she was not ready for. “Ah, Polgara there you are.” Xavier muttered, ignoring the surprise on her face. “Would you care to run to my room and grab my spare chair for me? I fear I may pull this young man’s arms off yet.”
“Of course.” she muttered, casting a curious glance at me.
Turning around she bolted up the stairs. In a few minutes she was back with one of Xavier’s wheelchairs. She set up the chair and I helped him into it, grateful not to be carrying him anymore. “Pol, would you show our guests to their rooms?” he asked after he was settled. “I have some calls to make.”
“Yes sir.” Pol answered, extremely confused by now.
As she turned back to the door Chimaero stepped in with Mary-Ann sleeping in his arms. “This is Mary-Ann.” Chimaero told her. “I had to get her away from Dad before he corrupted her too. She’s my baby sister.”
Pol was so shocked I was amazed she didn’t fall over. She turned and led us up to the second floor and to the right wing. She stopped at a room three doors in. Opening the door she grabbed a flashlight and led Chimaero inside. I stood waiting until they came back out. This time without Mary-Ann. Pol then led us up to the next level and off to the left. About six doors in she stopped and shone the light around. It illuminated the sleeping forms of three boys. Only one of them looked normal. He was the one who had the bed at the far end of the room. There was one who looked like a blue demon, hanging upside-down by his tail and one who was just a curtain of dragon-like wings in the corner. Chimaero barely glanced at the others before walking into the room.
Pol turned to go but I stopped her, curiosity overcoming any thought of sleep I may have. “Where’s your room?” I asked.
“In the attic.” She replied. “But I’m almost always downstairs. Welcome to my world.” She grinned and bolted, leaving me standing there staring after her like an idiot.
I did a little snoop work to figure out who we were being put with. The boy who was asleep at the far end had the name “Hunter Reid” on most of his belongings. The demon boy’s belongings were labeled with the name “Jacob Wagner” and the winged fellow was called Corbin O’Riley. I lay back on the bed that was left for me but between Chimaero’s snoring and the strange boys in the room I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go have a look around downstairs.
I walked into one of the reading rooms and found Pol sitting in a large chair with her knees drawn up to her chest and staring at the fire lost in thought. I went over and sat in the chair opposite hers. We sat in silence for a minute and I started to wonder if she was even aware that I was there. “Why did you come here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t know quite what to tell her. I didn’t want to tell her that I had missed her company or that I felt bound to her in some way. I was sure she would laugh at me and not believe me. “Tim just went too far I guess.” I said finally. “Ever since he teamed up with the Brotherhood his schemes have been getting more and more… I don’t know, evil or wrong. But I mean, kidnapping your Professor? Where is his reason for that? It’s this Magneto person’s doing.”
“Understandable.” She muttered, half to herself, “Magneto and the Professor are old colleagues. There is a rivalry between them that has never really been stopped. But why he would even bother to get Clowe involved is beyond me.”
We sat in silence for a few more minutes. When I felt sure she wasn’t going to ask me to leave the exhaustion of the day finally set in and I went back up to bed. It felt weird sleeping on a real bed. We only had cots at Manticore and the conditions were pretty much the same at the MRA. But I have to admit it was a nice change.
The next morning I was greeted by Mary-Ann’s voice calling my name. I looked up. She ran over and wrapped her little arms around my legs. Her face was wet with tears and she looked terrified. “Zeffan were are we?” she asked.
“It’s ok Mary.” I told her. “We’re at Xavier’s school. We came here so your Daddy can’t hurt us anymore.”
“Daddy never hurt me.” She said.
“No but he hurt Chimaero.” I reminded her. “And he hurt me. We don’t want him to change his mind about hurting you.”
“That is correct Zeff.” I turned to where Professor Xavier sat in the doorway. “You are all here to keep you safe.”
“Whodat?” Mary-Ann asked from behind my legs.
“Why hello there.” Xavier called. His voice softened so that it wasn’t in the least bit threatening. “I am Professor Charles Xavier. Come on out. I won’t hurt you.”
Mary-Ann came out to stand beside me but she kept a firm grip on my leg. “Why you sit in that chair?” she asked.
“Mary-Ann, hush!” I was shocked. “I’m sorry sir. I haven’t had a chance to explain things to her yet.”
The Professor just smiled. “It’s quite alright Zefferan. Never suppress a curious young mind.” He held his hand out to her and she took it hesitantly. Gradually she let go of my leg and moved to stand in front of Xavier. “You see, Mary-Ann, I can’t use my legs so I must sit in this chair to be able to go places. Would you like a ride to breakfast?”
She looked at me for permission. Her eyes held excitement, her fear forgotten. I nodded and she climbed up on Xavier’s lap. He looked at me to follow him so I did. He told me how things went at the school and what behaviors were not tolerated.
At breakfast Wolverine took one look at Chimaero and lunged, intent on taking his life. Only the Professor’s firm voice halted him. The Professor told the teachers about us and the circumstances of our arrival. Both 452’s parents and Jean and Cyclops kept an annoyingly close eye on us. They couldn’t understand why two soldiers of our rank would change sides and they didn’t want to take any chances.
Jean asked if she could do a scan on me so that she would know how to treat me if I got hurt. I have to guess that the Professor had told her about my unusual heritage. I was surprised to see the type of machines they had in their lab. They were as much or even more advanced than Clowe’s.
I hesitated when I first stepped into the lab. Any labs made me nervous. Jean must have seen it because she smiled reassuringly. She seemed extremely interested in my bones. She said that they were made of a different substance than human bones. They were not only stronger, but lighter too. That explained how Joe was able to throw me so far when I fought with him.
Over the next few weeks our friendship with the girls grew. They were the only ones at the school who knew for sure that we had changed sides and they wanted us to feel welcome. Mary-Ann had no problem fitting in. She was young enough that they figured she wouldn’t have too strong of ties with the MRA yet. She was still too young to have powers. As such she was the youngest kid at the school and pampered beyond belief.
Wolverine seemed to verbally attack Chimaero at every chance he got. The teachers all made sure that we sat at the other end of the room from the girls during lessons, if we were in their classes at all, and they always tried to make sure that we weren’t left in a room without one of them there. Cyclops kept an annoyingly close eye on me. He didn’t trust me at all. Not that I could blame him really, I had kidnapped his daughter… twice. I could even feel his eyes watching our training sessions from the control room.
Yet despite this, I was relaxing. It was a much happier place then the MRA. The students were always pranking each other and teasing and telling jokes. I found much more to laugh at here, especially with 452. She always seemed to be getting into trouble in loud and amusing ways.
The boys we were roomed with were nice too. Hunter was smart and basically the rock of our group. He could talk himself out of any situation. He seemed to be dating Destiny. Jacob was a practical joker. He loved to prank and was usually the source of any uproar. Corbin was quiet but dependable. He was the one that always seemed aloof from the rest of us. Maybe that’s why he and 210 got along so well.
There was also a music room. It was amazing. It had almost any instrument you could possibly want to play. I found myself drawn to it. I never realized how much I missed music when I was at the MRA. Even after not having played in years I was able to sit at the piano, or with a guitar, and just play as if I had been doing it all my life. Music became my escape from my problems.
The guard of the parents only lessened about two months after our arrival when they were called away on a job. The students got a holiday, time to relax and visit family and so forth. All the guys were heading out with the girls to visit family. I steeled myself into accepting that I’d probably be left here alone. I decided to go for a walk in the garden one evening and I came across Pol sitting and enjoying the evening air. I sat down next to her. “I can see why you like it here.” I said softly, the early evening was peaceful and quiet. I hated to break the calm but I was curious. I wondered what she was up to. “It’s so relaxed and peaceful, much different than I was used to. Clowe’s is run like an army training camp. This place is like, I don’t know, a school or a family or something.”
She smiled. She looked so pretty when she smiled. It was a much different look for her then her usual slight frown and brow furrowed in thoughtfulness. “I’m glad you like it.” She said.
I turned to her. “The others are going to visit their other families. Aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I leave tomorrow.”
I felt my hopes plummet. I had hoped she was staying behind as well. I looked up at the sky. The stars were just starting to come out. I wished I could go back and see my family again. I missed Zoë a lot and I knew she missed me. Something connected us that way. It may be because we were twins. “Why don’t you come with me?” Pol asked, startling me out of my reverie. “No need for you to stay here alone. Kitty is taking Jacob to meet her grandparents, Destiny and Hunter are going to Toronto to meet Dee’s family, and every one else is returning to Cobourg.”
“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family.” I told her, feeling hope rise in me again.
“You won’t.” she said kindly. “Zeff… I haven’t seen my mother for almost two years now. I haven’t even talked to her in that period of time. It would feel easier on me if I had someone there to talk to.” I was a little uneasy. It was her family. “Besides,” she went on as if trying to convince me, “Chimaero is going to Psycho’s and that is just down the street from my place. I’m sure he’ll feel just as uncomfortable as you will.”
I agreed, if Chimaero was going so would I. Besides, it would be nice to be getting out of the school. I hadn’t been out since I came. The next day we were both headed to her home.
Chapter 28
I woke up back at the institute. I looked blearily up at the faces around me. “Where am I?” I asked groggily.
“In the infirmary.” The professor’s voice cleared my head a little. “You’ll probably feel a little disoriented. You hit your head kind of hard.”
I looked at him in confusion. He knew damn well I hadn’t hit my head. He smiled at me. “You have a visitor.” :And don’t be alarmed at his companion.:
I looked at the foot of my bed to see the President of the United States standing there as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Suddenly it clicked. The Professor was telling me what my cover story was. “So this is the infamous Polgara.” The President said with a smile. “I was coming to see you kids and the Professor told me one of you was missing. Then this young lad went out and found you.”
As he leaned forward to shake my hand his companion became visible. Ansem Gill was standing inside the institute at the foot of my bed. Without thinking I grabbed Zeff’s hand with my left hand as I shook the President’s hand with my right. :What’s he doing here?: I asked Zeff quietly.
:He came to “talk” with the Professor and the President… though I think we know what side our President is on.: Zeff told me. :Just play it cool. You don’t know him.:
:Yeah… right…:
“This is Mr. Gill.” The President said as Ansem came forward. “He is the head scientist at the MRA.”
I couldn’t bring myself to shake his hand. I just couldn’t. I closed my eyes and sank into my pillow. I needed to figure things out before I said something I regretted. The Professor asked the President and Ansem to follow him, claiming I needed to rest. When they were gone I opened my eyes and looked up at Zeff. “Things are only going to get worse from here on in.” I whispered.
I could still hear the President in the hall. He was arguing with the Professor. “I’m telling you Charles. There was something in her eyes I didn’t like when I introduced Ansem to her. Are you sure you haven’t met before?”
“She has been listening to Zeff, Chimaero, Kyra and Ondraya.” The Professor said, before Ansem could reply. “She loves her friends dearly and doesn’t like people who hurt them. They were all Manticore prototypes so you can understand why she might not like Ansem. I know that you are aware of the Manticore program. The kids there don’t exactly have easy lives.”
“You have Manticore Prototypes living here?” The President asked incredulously.
“Yes.” The Professor replied. “And they are under my protection. Come, let me show you the grounds.”
Zeff stayed with me until the Professor called him upstairs for a talk about something or other. Jean kept me in the infirmary for a few days to make sure my powers were settled again. Once she was convinced I was back under control I was given a clean bill of health.
I soon discovered that it wasn’t only my elemental powers that were back but all of my powers. I felt complete and whole and connected to those around me once again. Once I discovered that the first thing I did was teleport to the top of the terrace and just sat, the wind billowing around me.
My relief wasn’t to last however. I hadn’t even had my powers back a week when Magic came to me while I meditated. I could hear her voice echo inside my head. “We are treading on dangerous ground now Polgara. If Timothy Clowe finds out the results of his Elemental Suppressant who knows what he would do?” Her voice cut through my meditation and I was suddenly assaulted with images.
I could see an island. The island was about the size of New York City. As I got closer I could see that it was covered in normal people. All the non-mutants were being rounded up and shipped to various islands of the same size. As I got still closer I found that I was actually chained to a post in the centre of the island.
I could feel the effects of the suppressant wearing off. Knowing that my powers were going to flare out beyond my control I tried to warn the humans away. They didn’t understand. They didn’t have anywhere to go even if they did discover what I meant. Then my power flared out, consuming everything on the island, every last person, until everything was reduced to dust.
I jerked awake and leaned over the garbage pail beside my bed as my stomach emptied itself of its contents. I coughed and hacked, trying to clear the image of every man, woman and child that had disintegrated from my mind. Magic’s voice echoed in the depths of my mind. “We must make sure they don’t discover the result of their experiment.”
Shaking I got up and pulled on a hooded sweatshirt. I turned and took the bag out of the garbage. I went downstairs and threw the bag into the large garbage bin outside, then I went into the kitchen and turned on a pot of tea. I had just poured myself a cup when Zeff came in. He looked slightly pale as he went and poured himself a cup as well.
Zeff was followed shortly by Chimaero. Then Psycho Dark and Kitty came in followed by Dee a few minutes later. We stood in silence for many minutes, each of us staring at our cups of tea and thinking. When we finally started talking we realized that we had all just had the same dream. Only each person witnessed themselves destroying the island full of normal humans.
“No doubt about it.” I said. “We have to avoid those cure weapons at all costs. I have to find a way to counter act the effects.”
Just then the door opened and the Professor rolled in. “Is everything alright?” he asked, looking us each in the eye.
Everybody either looked at the floor or at me. “Yes sir.” I replied. “We just had a dream.” I went on to tell him the dream, telling him which parts were different for which people.
“Sir,” Zeff said when I was done. “We all knew what had happened to Pol when Ansem was here. Not all of us are psychic. How do we know he didn’t pull the information out of someone?”
“That had to be why he came.” Destiny said. “With Magneto on their side they already know the layout of the building. The only thing that makes sense is that he wanted to see how Pol was faring without her powers, or her element.”
The Professor was silent for a moment. “The thought has crossed my mind. I tried to read his thoughts when he was here but he blocked me.” He turned to me. “I’m meeting with Ansem and the President again tomorrow. I want you to accompany me. Try to read his thoughts when his attention is split.”
“Why Pol?” Dark asked. “Hasn’t she been through enough recently?”
I smiled gratefully at her. I was feeling kind of worn out. “Because Pol is the strongest telepath I know.” The Professor replied, surprising even me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was stronger than I. But you must remember,” he turned to me, “Breaking through another telepath’s barriers is hard work. And it can seriously damage both you and them if not handled right. The last thing we need is for the President to figure out what we’re doing.”
I nodded. “I’ll be careful Professor.”
He smiled at me. “I know you will.”
I tried to return his smile but the truth was I was terrified. This was the man who kidnapped, cut into, experimented on and threatened both me and those I loved. And now they wanted me to get inside his head.
I spent the rest of the night in one of the common rooms pouring over one of the Professor’s books on telepathy. Everybody else kind of hung around and did their own thing. None of us wanted to go back to sleep. The rest of the Protectors woke up just as the sun was rising and soon they were all hanging out in one of the common rooms and the kitchen. Zeff came in and sat down on the couch next to me. He saw the book in my hands and looked at me with concern. “You’re really worried about this aren’t you?”
I nodded absently. “It’s just… he tried to kill me Zeff. Who knows what’s going on inside his head? I don’t want to know. And what if something goes wrong?”
“Hey… look at me.” He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t even think that. Nothing is going to go wrong. You are the most powerful telepath in the world! And if anything does go wrong? Well then you’ve got the second most powerful telepath there to help you.”
I smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“You thirsty?” he asked.
“Mm, a coffee would be great.” I agreed.
Zeff got up and left. A few minutes later I heard the sound of glass breaking from behind me. “Chimaero!” I heard Zeff call, his voice bordering frantic.
I looked over to see him trying to hold Psycho at arms length. She was trying to get close to him, an odd look in her eyes. I struggled to place the look. Then I realized… it was one of sexual lure. I knew right then something was wrong. There was no love lost between the two of them. Psycho had not quite gotten over his MRA days. I had no clue what had gotten into her but I needed to knock some sense into her before she did something she would regret later. I did the first thing that came to mind and hauled off and smacked her across the face.
She backed away from Zeff and looked at me, relief written across her entire face. “Thanks, I needed that.” She muttered as Dark ran into the room and led her away.
“What was that about?” I asked, confused.
“She’s in heat.” Zeff said, moving to stand beside me.
“Excuse me?”
Zeff shook his head and chuckled softly. “It’s one of the side effects of having her DNA crossed with that of a feline. She’ll go into heat two or three times a year. I just have to remember to stay away from her for the next twenty-four hours.”
“What can we do?” I asked.
“Just keep and eye on her I guess.” He shook his head sadly. “Rotten timing. As if we don’t have enough on our hands. Now we have to deal with an X5 in heat as well.”
“It gets worse.” Kitty said from the doorway.
“How’s that?” I asked.
“It’s contagious to them.” Kitty replied.
“Shit.” Zeff muttered. “I forgot about that.”
I frowned at them. “You mean…?”
“Dark will start too.” Zeff confirmed.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Chimaero said as he and Corbin came into the room. “The Professor has it covered.”
“He locked them in the danger room.” Corbin grinned. “They’re using their access energy to do some training. This is really weird.”
“Tell me about it.” Kitty said. “I had to live with them for years.”
Corbin turned to her. “How did they─”
“You don’t want to know.” Kitty assured him.
He looked from Kitty to me and back again. “You’re right. I probably don’t. He said as he left.
Zeff looked down at the coffee stain on the rug and shrugged. “It’s probably for the best.” He said. “Look, the President isn’t coming until ten or so. Why don’t you go get some rest and I’ll let you know when he’s here.”
I tried to argue but he insisted. What he said made sense. I needed to be at my best before confronting Ansem. I sighed, put my books aside, and escaped up to my room. I lay down on the bed and tried to slip into meditation but it was hard. My nerves were shot and my mind was running a mile a minute. I lay there for a few minutes just battling my nerves into submission before I was actually able to slip into meditation.
I was woken a couple hours later by Zeff’s voice in my mind. :Pol, the President will be here in an hour. You ready to get up?:
:I’ll be right down.: I replied.
I got up, changed and brushed my hair in about ten minutes. I hadn’t bothered to braid it again since Christmas. Once I looked semi-presentable I grabbed my quantum mechanics text book and went down to the Professor’s office. I situated myself in a corner where I would be more easily ignored. I willed myself to drop all the mental barriers I had put up around my mind and set myself to reading. It wasn’t too long before the Professor entered. He was followed shortly by the President and Ansem.
I schooled my emotions into a calm studiousness so it would look like I didn’t even notice that they had entered the room. “Who… Why is she here?” the President asked. “I thought you said this would be a private meeting Charles.”
“Pay her no mind.” Xavier replied. “I assure you, Pol won’t bother us. When she gets reading she loses track of what happens around her. She hasn’t even realized that we are here. She won’t know what we are saying.”
“Really…” Ansem said in disbelief. “I had heard that nothing gets by her. That she absorbs everything.”
:That was before you stole her abilities from her.: The Professor said telepathically. Out loud he said “That was before we found her something at her level to read.”
“All right.” The President said. “But I better not hear any of what we say here repeated on the streets.”
“You won’t have to worry about that. I promise.” The Professor said.
I flipped a page and waited for something I could use to get inside the fortress of Ansem’s mind. It wasn’t long before I caught a break. As we had suspected, Ansem wasn’t there for the conversation. He was there to spy. I have to admit it was all I could do not to throw up barriers when I felt him probe my mind. :She’s taking to the cure much better than we expected.: Ansem thought.
I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t afford to. I sank my teeth in, so to speak, and followed the thought back to where it originated. Almost immediately he started throwing up barriers. But they were half-assed and weak. I had the strength and the element of surprise and I was using it for all I was worth. I got further in and the barriers got stronger as Ansem paid less and less attention to the conversation in the room. It was obvious he hadn’t known that I was fully functional again but I needed to know how much he did know.
I followed the thought, wriggling my way through every single crack in the defences of his mind. The things he knew about us, and the things he wanted to do if he got our hands on us, scared me to death. When I had scoured his entire mind I pulled away. I felt him cave gratefully as I broke contact and went back into myself. “Are you alright?” the President was asking Ansem.
I risked a glance. Ansem was white as a sheet and sweating profusely. “I’m fine.” He assured the President with a shaky smile. “I haven’t been feeling the greatest. Haven’t been sleeping well.”
He glanced over at me but I had already turned back to my book. My own mental defences were up in full force but I doubt he would have been able to hurt me anyways. “I should go. I trust you will update me later sir?” Ansem asked.
“Of course.” The President answered.
“I’ll have Polgara show you out.” The Professor said. “Pol?”
I pretended not to hear him. “Pol?” he called again. He smiled. :Pol.:
I jumped and dropped my book, turning to him. “Sorry Professor I didn’t see…” I pretended to just notice the President. “Sir! I’m sorry!”
“It’s alright Pol.” The Professor said. “Can you show Mr. Gill to the door? Then you can get back to your book.”
“Of course.” I grabbed my book and turned to Ansem. “This way.”
Zeff met us just outside the door. He placed himself between me and Ansem as we walked to the front entrance. I opened the door and waited. Just before Ansem left he turned to me. “I don’t know what you were looking for.” He told me. “But if you ever invade my mind again, I’ll kill you.”
“Get out of my house.” I said, returning his icy glare.
We watched as he got into a car and pulled away. Then I closed the door and sank down against it. “You alright?” Zeff asked.
With the adrenaline finally dying down my mind was reeling and I was shaking uncontrollably. “It wasn’t there.” I said. “Either he doesn’t know…”
“Or he used Manticore memory techniques to forget.” Zeff put his arms around my shoulders and helped me to my feet. “No offense but we’ve got to get you out of sight.”
I smiled and closed my eyes. “Sure.” I muttered.
I felt myself stagger and snapped back into reality. “You sure you’re ok?” Zeff asked.
“Maybe I should go and lie down.” I replied.
He helped me to one of the back common rooms where I would be out of sight. I lied down on the couch and let my mind take control. I was immediately assailed by images and sounds that I didn’t ever want to see.
Everything that Ansem ever did or wanted to do to us played in my head and I couldn’t shut it out. I saw him cutting into us, exploiting our powers in ways I never would have imagined. He pitted us against each other and against his enemies… even our friends and family. He tested the grey areas in our Elemental-Protector bonds seeing how far we would go to protect each other. I saw him and Clowe discussing ideas of what to put us through.
The thoughts that were directly related to me hit me hardest. I saw them torturing Carol and Cynthia, using my love for my friends and family to make me do their bidding. I would do terrible things to keep them from getting hurt. I couldn’t help it. They had complete control.
I also found myself strapped to a table in their lab. They had Zeff and a random soldier standing on either side of me and were trying to get Zeff to start an incision so they could study me better. When Zeff refused they told the soldier to do it. He had no medical training and would obviously cause more harm than good. I could see the tortured pain in Zeff’s eyes. He couldn’t hurt me, but he couldn’t let the soldier hurt me either. He reached for the knife…
“No!” I sat up and looked around. I was back in the institute. I saw Zeff kneeling beside me. Ever my Protector, he had a hand on my shoulder as if he had been trying to wake me up. I couldn’t take in any more. I felt my self control break as I burst into tears.
Zeff looked at me anxiously and wrapped his arms around me, trying to comfort me. “It’s alright.” He said softly. “You’re safe. It wasn’t real.”
He didn’t understand what had happened. I tried to tell him but the words wouldn’t come. “Zeff, he tried to… he tried to…”
“Hush.” Zeff said. “He can’t do anything. You’re safe here.”
He stayed beside me, comforting me, until I drifted off into oblivion again. This time the images I saw were quite different. I was assailed with images from Ansem’s own past. I witnessed the bomb that exploded his home when he was five, killing his parents and separating him from his twin. I saw his adopted father hit him whenever he got drunk or angry. I saw the effort he put in at school and in the military to gain top marks so he would never be under anyone ever again. I felt his anger and resentment when Clowe took over at Manticore.
That’s when I felt a force fighting to break through my barriers. I could spare little thought for it. It was only because of the level of the power of the attacking force that I answered it. To my surprise I found Zeff, Dee, my mom and the Professor all trying to get through my barriers. :What do you guys want?: I asked, a little irritated that they would bother me right now.
Zeff seemed to sense my irritation. :We want to help you.: He told me. :Pol, you are in danger of becoming sick again or worse. I don’t know what you have seen but if you don’t want it to effect your mind you’ll let us help.:
So they wanted to help huh? Ok. I removed my barriers and let the images in my mind hit them full force. I could feel their revulsion as they helped me sort out my mind. I was surprised when the Professor dug into my own memories and pulled some images out and stored them with the others. :Those weren’t yours.: he told me gently.
I had no choice but to trust him, though I didn’t like him snooping through my memories and thoughts. They stayed with me until the images were no longer bombarding me then they pulled out. I was so tired but I knew that I needed to regain consciousness or I would fall into too deep a sleep to get myself out if it.
Chapter 27
The next day, when the Professor was using Cerebra to try to locate Beast he had a heart attack. He was quite old by now and the stress of the lifestyle he had been living added to by the circumstances we were dealing with now was just too much for him. He didn’t make it.
It was a hard toll on the school. The students were asked to keep quiet about it at first so the adults could figure out what they were going to do. The wave of sorrow and fear that flooded the school was almost overwhelming. The moment Zeff had heard he had run to the med-wing where the Professor’s body was. Even then it was hours before he had a moment alone.
That night, barely anyone slept. Everyone was huddled in groups. They talked amongst themselves, comforting each other and reminiscing about things the Professor had done in their lives. Our group was no exception. The only one who didn’t join in with us was Zeff. He was taking it pretty hard. In fact, he had barely left the med center since he went down. Finally I decided to go keep him company if he wouldn’t come to us.
I walked hesitantly into the medical center. He needed to come away. It wasn’t healthy for him to be standing beside the Professor’s body for hours. I entered the room and froze. Zeff had a hold of the Professor’s wrists and was glowing slightly.
I ran over and grabbed his arms, trying to break his grip. He held on with vice-like determination. I felt his wrists. They were almost as cold as the Professor’s. “Zeff! What do you think you’re doing?!” I screamed at him. My voice alerted Jean in the next room and she came running. I looked up at her as she approached “He’s cold as ice!”
Zeff pulled back into himself and looked at me in confusion. Then, quite suddenly, he passed out. Jean was just helping me to get him to a bed nearby when something happened that almost gave me a heart attack. The Professor coughed. He coughed! He was dead not two seconds ago but now he was coughing uncontrollably.
Jean ran over and helped him upright just as Scott, Logan, and Ororo ran in. They took one look at the Professor and froze. Scott and Logan ran to his side and Ororo ran over to me. Between her and me we got Zeff into the bed. He was still cool to the touch. “Do we have any way to warm him up?” I asked Jean.
She was checking the Professor’s breathing and pulse. Seeing that he was fine she let him rest and came over to Zeff’s bed. She pulled the covers up over him and typed something into the monitor beside his bed. “This will monitor his vital signs and with any luck, bring his body temperature up to normal.” She said.
She and Ororo pulled off his shirt and laid him back on the bed. She stuck an IV in his arm and attached other chords to his arms, chest and head. I could feel the bed gradually getting warmer. “What is his normal body temperature?” I asked. “Is it the same as ours?”
Jean looked up at me. There was concern in her eyes. “I don’t know. But I sure hope so.”
I pulled a chair over beside him and sat down where I could see the monitor and the Professor. The adults were all buzzing around him making sure he was alright. I grabbed Zeff’s hand and waited for something to happen. About a half hour later the Professor woke up. He saw his first students standing around him and smiled. “I… hope… I didn’t… scare you.” He said weakly. His voice sounded hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a while. “The boy?”
Jean nodded to Zeff and the Professor turned to look at him. He didn’t seem at all surprised to see me sitting beside his bed. “He’s relatively stable.” Jean said. “We’re trying to bring his temperature back up to normal. How are you feeling?”
“Tired.” Came the worn reply. “A little food and water would be nice.”
Ororo went to make some soup for him and Logan went to get some water. Scott came over to stand beside me, looking down at Zeff. He had a slight frown on his face and his brow was furrowed in confusion. “Why?” he asked simply.
“Because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.” I told him gently. He turned to me. “This is Zeff’s home. The Professor is like his father. He’s more used to having a father figure than I am.” I smiled wryly but Scott didn’t return it. “He’s used to the one in charge being a strong, solid, male figure. On his home planet it was his father, a ruler of his people; at Manticore it was Ansem; at the MRA, Clowe. Here it is the Professor. And the Professor is the first father figure of Earth he’s actually gotten along with and liked.
“We are Zeff’s family now. And he loves us all like family. True he gets along better with some than others but that’s true of any family. He would still lay down his life for any of us… even you.”
Scott shook his head. He was still unsure. But he did not press the matter. He turned and left. Ororo came down with some thin soup and Logan brought the water. Then they too left. They had to tell the students the good news. And it was going to be one hell of an explanation they needed to come up with.
The Professor and Jean talked in hushed tones so I couldn’t hear but at that point in time I wasn’t listening. Zeff had stirred and now he turned his head to look at me. “Hey you.” he said weakly.
Before I could come up with a reply he started to cough uncontrollably. I propped him up until his coughing died. He rested back against the pillow. Before I could ask him how he was he had fallen asleep again.
It was weeks before Zeff was well enough to leave the infirmary. But those weeks were anything but quiet. The new President wanted to meet with the Professor but he wasn’t well enough for it yet and Jean was making sure he took it easy. That got the President mad. He started calling us a threat to the people and went out of his way to make life miserable for us.
He cut off all our supplies and cut the power to the school. He had armed soldiers outside the property keeping us in and others out. They even threw a tap on our phones. He did all this and then told us if we wanted him to stop we needed to let him speak with the Professor. However, even after he got the Professor on the phone he didn’t let up.
They decided together that the President should come and visit the school. To see for himself that the school wasn’t a threat. But that would take weeks of planning before he was comfortable enough with the arrangements to come by. In the mean time we were relying on a backup generator and the students with powers that could help us to get by. As such we spent many days in the dark and the air conditioning was turned off. With the school so full of students it got quite hot in there.
I spent my days alternating between visiting Zeff and locking myself up in an empty classroom, looking over Beast’s notes. He had been researching much about the cure before he disappeared but I needed to get my hands on one of Clowe’s weapons to find anything that would be of use. When I mentioned it to Psycho she told me to leave it to her… I don’t even want to know what she was planning to do.
As the weeks went by I tended to shut myself up for longer and longer periods. I wanted to find out how to counteract the weapons before it was too late. I would find an empty classroom and spread my papers out in front of me. Psycho somehow managed to obtain a gun without so much as scratching herself. So, with the gun and Beast’s research I had plenty to build off of.
I could tell I was getting close so I would become so caught up I would lose track of time. In fact with my lack of powers it became quite easy for people to sneak up on me. It became one of Psycho’s favourite pastimes.
One day, as I was working, the sound of somebody approaching startled me. I looked up to see that it was Zeff. He was finally out of the infirmary. He grinned, running his finger along the side of my face as if tracing my startled expression. I smiled slightly and turned back to my work. He went over and opened the window, allowing a slight breeze into the room. I sighed softly. The breeze felt nice against my skin. “Thank you.” I said quietly without glancing up from my work.
He came over and sat beside me, glancing at the papers in front of me. He seemed to not be able to make head or tail of Beast’s scribblings. “I’m trying to find a way to counter act the effects of Clowe’s new weapons.” I told him without looking up.
“Is there such a thing?” he asked.
“Of course there is.” I said. “But the first step is figuring out how they work. I can then try to figure out how to reverse the process.” I shivered slightly despite the heat. “I hate the thought of going into battle knowing he can render both our elemental and mutant abilities useless.”
“Do you think it will come to that?” he asked. “Battle against Clowe and Ansem?”
“It’s inevitable.” I said, making a mark on one of the sheets. I didn’t believe for a second that he was so naïve as to think it wouldn’t. “They’ve cut all power and supply roots to the institute. The Professor may be recovering right now but as soon as he’s well we’ll have to strike back. They have us basically under siege here. Our phones are tapped, transportation is blocked. Even if we don’t strike soon Clowe will.
“I thought running and hiding was bad. But this sitting and just waiting for something to happen is much worse. Everybody is on edge. There seems to be no end to the arguments here. Logan is about ready to remove some heads.” I shook my head sadly. “I find myself looking for stuff to do just to stay away from people. So I find myself sitting here, looking over what information Beast was able to dig up for me before he disappeared, and trying to come up with a solution.”
He leaned toward me and gave my shoulders a little rub. I felt myself relax despite everything. “I think you need a break.” He told me. “You need to get out and see some sunlight, get some fresh air, replenish your strength. You know what being stuck indoors does to you. At least come down and have some supper. You’ve been up here since last night.”
I looked up into his eyes and saw that determined look he got when he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I sighed. “A little food would be nice.”
We went down and had some supper. It wasn’t much but it was enough to stop my stomach from growling. Then we went out into the garden. The sun was setting, casting a beautiful pink and orange glow in the sky and casting a soft golden light over everything around us. Zeff sat down under a tree. I snuggled up next to him, enjoying the secure presence I always got off of him. I didn’t have nearly enough security these days.
I looked up at him. He had pulled his hair back into a braid in an effort to stave off the summer heat, exposing his pointy ears. Without thinking I reached up and ran a finger along the top of one. To my surprise I felt his body tremor and his hand shot up and grabbed my wrist. I looked at his face. His face was flushed and I’m guessing it wasn’t just from the heat. “Sorry.” He said, blushing more. “They’re extremely sensitive.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I said, but I couldn’t hide the grin that snuck onto my face.
“There you two are.” Chimaero’s voice came from off to one side. We both jumped. We hadn’t heard him come up. “Hey man, you ok?” He asked as he took in Zeff’s flushed face.
“Yeah.” Zeff said, a little too quickly. “Just really hot out.”
“Sure, whatever you say!” Chimaero grinned at him and sat next to us. “Are you two ready for tomorrow?”
The President had finally decided to make an appearance. That meant bodyguards and such. And it meant keeping an eye on the more troublesome students. Zeff shrugged indifferently. He gave little thought or care to those in power. He had realized years ago that the government was corrupt. I tried to look just as unconcerned but I failed horribly. “I guess so.” I couldn’t suppress the growing uneasiness I felt deep inside. Something was going to go wrong. I knew it.
That night I went to bed early. I slipped into meditation mode and felt myself relax. After awhile I slipped deeper, into a state of unconscious awareness. In my mind’s eye I could see a dark shape slinking through the yard and into the building. It flitted from room to room but I couldn’t see what it was doing but I could guess it wasn’t good. It reminded me of the soldiers at Clowe’s with the way it moved. Then it entered my room. It slowly crossed the room from the door to just beside my bed. It leaned toward me, its hand stretched out. “No!” I gasped, sitting up in bed.
My hands tingled with a familiar sensation but I was too disoriented to realize what it was. Someone reached toward me, folding the fingers of my right hand in on my palm. I relaxed as I realized that it was only Zeff. I hated not being able to sense him when he was near. “I thought…” I frowned and leaned back on the bed. My mind was spinning with the images I had seen. “I thought you were someone else… someone… from Clowe.”
Suddenly Zeff swore. “Shit!” He muttered, racing to the window and looking out.
“Zeff?” I called, sitting up again. “What is it?”
I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what it was. Instinctively I reached for the card on my bedside table. It wasn’t there. Instead, there was a small round Restriction badge with my name on it. “My card!” I gasped, snatching up the badge and looking it over. My hands started to shake. This was really not good. “My Ident card!”
Zeff came over and looked at the badge. His face drained of colour as he saw the badge. It was similar to the ones he had worn for over half his life. It had my name embossed on it and a computer chip sewn into the back. “But… how… the defence system hasn’t been activated…” My head was swimming with everything that had happened the past few days. It was a snowball effect of trouble and it was overwhelming.
“Onin.” Zeff said.
I looked up at him. By the look on his face he was positive who had been here and he wasn’t happy. “How do you know?”
“Best in our unit at this sort of thing.” he replied. “And I can smell her.”
I groaned as I remembered why I had gone to bed early. “The President is coming tomorrow. The Professor wants to introduce us to him…”
Just then there was a knock at the door. “Polgara?” the Professor’s voice called.
“In here Professor.” I replied. I have to admit, I was glad he had come.
The door opened and Charles Xavier rolled into the room. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Clowe’s people have been here.” Zeff replied as I shakily showed him the badge.
“They took my identification card.” I told him. “They planned this. I can’t go in front of the President now. I’m not supposed to be here… according to this.”
“Do you still have your tags?” he asked.
I reached instinctively to my neck. They weren’t there! I started to panic. I checked my pockets and looked frantically around the room. “Pol?” I looked at Zeff, hoping he knew where they were. He was smiling slightly. “Under the bed.” He said gently.
Suddenly I remembered hiding them when Carol was over. Anything military made her nervous these days. I dove to the bed and lifted the floorboard. I reached under and relaxed slightly as my hand closed around the cool metal chain. I pulled out the dog-tags and looked them over. They were still registered to Xavier. “They didn’t find them.” I said in relief. Then another thought crossed my mind. I looked up at the Professor. “The others?”
When the Professor couldn’t answer I took off out the door. I ran to Dee’s room which was the closest. I burst into the room and she sat up groggily. “Pol?” she asked in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“Your card.” I said quickly. “Your identification card. Where is it?”
She climbed sleepily out of bed and went to her dresser. “What happened?” she asked, opening a drawer. Then she froze, her hand still on the drawer, and gasped. “My card! It’s gone!”
She reached in and pulled out an MRA badge. “What about your tags?” I pressed. I needed to check on the others and I was starting to feel funny. “Did they get them?”
She reached around her neck and checked her tags. “No.” she said with a sigh of relief. “They’re ok.”
Just then Zeff ran into the room. He saw me standing there and seemed to relax slightly. “We have to go.” He said grabbing my arm.
“Where?” I asked as he pulled me to the door.
“Tell you in a sec.” he said, turning back to Dee. “Dee, check on the others, make sure they have their tags. And make sure Mary-Ann’s ok.”
Dee nodded and took off down the hall, not even bothering to throw a house coat over her PJs. Zeff led me toward the lower levels. He dragged me over to the transportation machine that led to Magic’s. “Why are we going to see Magic?” I asked confused. “Is now really a good time?”
“We have to get you out of here before you level the place.” He told me.
My stomach was churning and I was starting to feel light-headed. “What?”
“Your powers are coming back.” He told me, looking me over with a worried expression on his face. “When that happens, it will cause a lot of damage. You won’t be able to control it.”
Shakily I punched in the combo for Magic’s place. As the ground gave out beneath me I felt myself sag. Zeff caught me and supported both our weight as we crashed into being at Magic’s place. She came running out of her home to meet us. “Charles just told me.” She said as she reached us. “This way.”
She led us deep into the forest and then she and Zeff left. Just as they disappeared I collapsed. I felt weaker than I ever had before. I could feel the power rising up in me but I couldn’t push it back. It coursed through my body, running through my veins like acid and burning through my skin like I was on fire. I screamed in pain as it burst out of me, spreading outward forever.
The next thing I knew I was sitting on the ground, cradled tightly in Zeff’s arms. I looked around and saw that the forest had been burned down for miles around me. I shuddered as the realization hit. It had been uncontrolled power, my uncontrolled power that had done this. What if we hadn’t gotten here in time? I could have taken out half of Westchester County!
Magic was already at work restoring the trees to their original state. “It’s alright Pol.” Zeff said and I realized I was crying. “You’re better now. Once you figure out those weapons you won’t have to worry about this happening ever again.”
“How did this happen?” Magic asked, coming to kneel next to me.
“It was Clowe.” Zeff said bitterly.
“Oh god…” I groaned weakly. My stomach heaved and I had to suppress the urge to vomit. My head was pounding so much that I felt like I might pass out.
“She’s sparking.” Zeff said, gently holding me out at arms length and looking me over. “You don’t look so good.”
“I don’t feel so good.” I replied.
“Her power’s not completely settled.” Magic said as she and Zeff helped me to my feet. “Let’s get her back to my place.”
Between the two of them they got me into Magic’s house and lying down on her bed. Magic spent a few minutes going over me to help my power to settle. When I was resting without fear of losing consciousness Magic turned to Zeff. “Now tell me again.” She said slowly. “How exactly did this happen?”
“Timothy Clowe has been developing weapons, from the mutant genome suppressant the MRA acquired from Worthington labs.” Zeff told her.
I could tell he was mentally exhausted. He had switched to the automatic response mode established at Manticore. The scary thing was that he didn’t even notice. “The suppressant wouldn’t have any effect on elemental powers.” Magic said. “Why didn’t they contact me when this happened?”
Zeff hesitated so I tried to answer. All I could spit out was “Been hell.” Magic glanced at me and frowned. “You, don’t talk.” She told me. Then she turned to Zeff. “You, talk.”
“The government has been coming down on us pretty hard.” He replied. “They’ve cut off all resources and are calling every mutant in the place a civil threat. The Professor has had his hands full between the White House and distraught parents. An apparent permanent curing wasn’t high on his priorities. Jean looked into it briefly but was unable to find anything conclusive.
“Apparently the genome suppressant was only half the plan. Last time we were at the MRA Timothy Clowe hooked us all up to some sort of extraction tanks.”
“Wait a minute.” Magic said. “Us? You mean you… you’re the missing elemental.”
Zeff looked down for a moment and breathed deeply to get a better grip on his nerves. “Life is precious right?” he grinned, a feeble grin that slipped off his face almost as soon as it appeared. “I never told anyone what I could do. Not even Pol, until I used it to save her life.”
“Why?” Magic asked. “It links you to the others.”
“I won’t be used.” Zeff said. His voice turned steely. “Not by anyone… not anymore. Besides,” his voice turned gentle, “I already had a link to our little circle through Pol.”
“But you could be more.” She argued.
“I don’t want to be more.” Zeff replied. “All my life I’ve been different. Set apart in some way. This way the spot light isn’t on me anymore.”
I could feel myself slipping away from the conversation. My head was spinning and my whole body was tingling. I looked up at Zeff. He seemed to be steeling himself for an argument. :Zeff.: I said silently. :She is just worried. She loves her elements. I don’t… Zeff…:
Zeff looked down at me. :Zeff, she makes me look like an idiot child. Don’t cross her.:
Magic said something but I didn’t hear her. My world was fading into blackness.
Chapter 26
As we drove I regained some of my self-control. I had to learn just how far my ‘human’ senses extended. When we got to the border the security guard asked for our identification. I watched in shock as Zeff handed over his mutant ID. Surely he had a driver’s licence and maybe even a fake birth certificate by now. Zeff turned to me. “I need your ID card Pol.” He told me.
“But why?”
“Just do it.” He said, “I’ll explain later.”
I handed it to him and he passed it to the guard. The guard took the cards and checked them on his computer and gave them back. “Safe driving.” He said as we pulled away, but it seemed forced.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“With the new ‘cure’ they’re now able to detect the mutant gene in people from infancy.” Zeff told me. “Everybody gets tested and given a card now, not just mutants. It is the latest way to get at the mutants. Now anybody can ask to see your card… store clerks, bus drivers, cabbies. If you are a mutant they also have the right to refuse to serve you. It’s one of those ‘if you feel threatened’ things.
“More and more mutants are seeking out places like Xavier’s just to be able to have some food. The school is packed. Furthermore, our new cards say where we are registered to but not where we were born. And to get registered to two places is near impossible. That means most mutants are confined to one area, such as Xavier’s school. They can’t go home.”
“New cards?” I asked.
Zeff nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “They give you an identifying number and now not only say what power level you are but also what your powers are and what weapons you know how to use. And for those of us that are ex-Manticore our number is our barcode. It says right on our card that we were once Manticore. It’s a new way for Clowe to keep track of us.”
This was all news to me. By the time we reached home I had worked out all the positive and negative aspects of the new cards and was not looking forward to getting mine. Before we had even entered the mansion the Professor had found out about the incident and warned the others that would have direct communication with me. It would not be good for Psycho to try to play a trick on me thinking that I still had my speed, strength or telekinesis.
Some things had changed since I had left the school. It was now so packed that it was almost impossible to find an empty room to shut yourself in if you needed to think uninterrupted. There was now a curfew and new measures were being taken to assure the students’ safety. There was even an evacuation routine established in case some idiot decided to try to attack the school.
The middle students, the ones who were old enough that they knew the institute like the back of their hands and had some control over their powers, were each given a room of younger or newer children to watch out for. It was their job to get these students to designated points in the underground passages of the school and wait for further orders. It was the older students’ jobs to defend the school and the people in it long enough for the others to escape.
Another major change was that Beast was missing. He had gone out over a month ago to talk to Warren Worthington about the ‘cure’ at Worthington labs and he never came back. The fact that the Professor didn’t even know where he was wasn’t reassuring. Warren himself had escaped to come to the institute but he said Beast never spoke to him.
Things were going down hill fast. There wasn’t much I could do with my lack of powers. I found myself doing odd things around the school like self-defence classes or hanging out with the others when they weren’t in class or even retreating to the lab to look over Beast’s notes. Somebody had to pick up where he left off and I was the best one for the job.
Besides a lack of powers I also had to fight physical exhaustion. My body wasn’t used to sleeping at all so if I fell asleep for even a short time I would wake up in a panic. I tried meditating instead but with all that was on my mind I found it nearly impossible. One day after going for my morning run with Dee I felt particularly worn out. I sat down on the couch on my way back to my room. Dee paused and looked at me. “I’m just going to sit down for a moment.” I told her. “You go on, I’ll be fine.”
She nodded and left. The couch was very comfortable. I pulled my legs up and rested my head on the arm and was asleep in moments. When I woke up a few hours later someone had laid a coat over my shoulders. I sat up and looked around, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Zeff was sitting at the other end of the couch reading a text book. He looked up at me and smiled. “Have a good nap?” he asked.
“You let me sleep?” I couldn’t believe him. To my surprise he just nodded.
“You needed it.” He said.
I gave him a look. He knew I couldn’t sleep. He returned my look with one of his own. “Your inability to sleep was part of your mutation.” He reminded me. “You’re not a mutant any more. You should be able to sleep. In fact you have to sleep. You’re only injuring yourself if you don’t.”
I wanted to believe him. But part of me couldn’t. Part of me was scared that without my Element there to wake me up I might not wake up at all. He seemed to understand my unspoken thoughts. He smiled and held his arm out to me. “Hey.” He said. “Come here.”
I leaned against him, breathing in his scent and with it, a sense of security. “How about if I stay nearby while you sleep? I can keep an eye on you and wake you up if you need me too.”
“I’d like that.” I admitted. “But don’t you need to sleep?”
“Not as much as you. I can use the time while you sleep to study and catch my sleep some other time.”
So we cleared it with the Professor and settled into a routine. I felt a heck of a lot better. In fact, by that weekend I felt well enough to go out with the others. They all decided to go to the bar. Being two years younger than the others I wasn’t legal drinking age yet but as long as I didn’t buy any alcohol I was fine. Dee just grinned and tossed me the keys to my dad’s convertible. “You’re DD Pol.” She said as the four other girls hoped into the car.
As I hoped into the driver’s seat the guys came into the garage. To my surprise Chimaero tossed Zeff the keys. It was odd. Chimaero usually wanted to be driver. “Ready to be DD again?” Chimaero asked with a sly grin.
“Always.” Zeff replied.
“Hey Pol.” Psycho said. “You can stare at your boy after I am at Bosun’s with a cold beer in my hand.”
I grinned and started the car. It was only an eight minute drive to Bosun’s Tavern. I gunned it out of the garage and we got there before it started to get busy. We didn’t even make it through the door however before we were stopped by six and a half feet of solid muscle. “IDs?” The bouncer asked, holding out his hand.
“Come on Chad!” Kitty said. “It’s us.”
“We ain’t never had to show IDs at the door before.” Psycho said.
“Sorry Ondraya, new policy.” Chad said. “Everyone get’s ID-ed. Specially if they are from that school of yours.”
“Oh, that ID.” Psycho said. “Why didn’t you say so?”
We dug out our ID cards and he put red plastic bracelets on our wrists. “Anybody else feel like we’ve been branded?” I asked. My red bracelet had been marked with a black mark to label me as under age.
“Relax Pol.” Dee said. “It’ll be fine. This place is pretty chill. Let’s just find a table ok?”
We scored a table near the back of the bar as well as a pool table. Just as we were sitting down the guys walked in. Judging by the look on Zeff’s face he wasn’t happy with the ID situation either. The others didn’t seem to care. Dark, Kitty, Psycho, Chimaero, Corbin and Jacob commandeered the pool table and Dee and Hunter went to get drinks. I sat next to Zeff. “So, you don’t seem impressed.” I said.
“I don’t like being so obviously marked.” He said. “And we aren’t in a good position to make a clean exit if things get dicey.”
“Do you ever stop being a soldier Zeff?” Hunter asked as he and Dee came back to the table. Hunter had a pitcher of beer and Dee had two glasses of water which she handed to me and Zeff. “Seriously man. You need to chill. Relax a bit. Who knows? You might actually enjoy yourself.”
“Somebody needs to keep an eye on these things.” Zeff said. “They aren’t going to just back down. They’ll wait until we are not paying attention and then they’ll strike. I do not want to wind up back there.”
“Fair enough.” Hunter replied as they sat down.
“So.” I said, trying to change the topic I turned to Zeff. “You don’t drink?”
To my surprise Hunter and Dee burst out laughing. “More like can’t.” Dee told me.
“What?”
“It’s my physiology.” Zeff said. “Alcohol doesn’t mix well with my system.”
“Yeah.” Dee laughed leaning forward. “He has half a cup of beer and it’s as if he’s had like five.”
“I trust you found this out the hard way?” I asked.
“It was pretty wild.” Hunter replied.
I laughed and let it go at that. We relaxed into an evening of playing pool and chatting. Basically, we just pretended that we were like any other young adults in New York State. I was coming back from the washroom when suddenly I found myself pinned against someone with a knife at my throat. “Whoa! What?” I held my hands up to show I was unarmed.
The entire bar fell quiet. I could see the bouncers moving slowly toward us but everybody was basically holding their breath, waiting to see what the muties would do. I froze as the man holding me forced us further from the advancing bouncers. “Hey man, let her go.” Zeff said. “You don’t want to hurt her.”
“Don’t tell me what I want.” He said. “All you muties? You come into our towns and into our schools using our resources and hurting our kids. You all deserve to die.”
“Maybe.” Zeff said, not wanting to aggravate him more. “But she isn’t really a mutant… not anymore.”
I could feel the man hesitate. “What do you mean?” he said. “Her card said she was, or she wouldn’t be red.”
“She was cured earlier this week.” He replied. “Her new card hasn’t come in yet.”
“Cured?” my captive asked. “Why should I believe you?”
“Why hasn’t she attacked you?” Zeff countered. “If she were still a mutant she would have had you disarmed in a heartbeat.”
I felt his grip loosen and I acted. I elbowed hum in the gut, wrenched the knife out of his hand and flipped him onto the floor in one deft movement. He stared at me in shock and disbelief. “But you’re cured!”
“And you’re drunk.” I told him. Then I leaned closer to him so only he would hear me. “Be glad I didn’t kill you.”
I walked back to the group, his knife still in my hand. I looked up at Zeff as the bouncers led the man away and the people turned back to their own business. “Thanks.” I said. “Next time, do me a favour and keep the ‘cure’ out of it.”
“I was just trying to help.” He said. “He would have killed you.”
“Not likely.” I said, showing him the knife. It was high end military issue.
“Manticore.” He said.
“Or some other branch of the MRA.” I agreed. “I doubt Manticore soldiers would get drunk while on assignment. He wasn’t completely tanked, but he was definitely not thinking clearly either.”
A shadow entered my vision and a big meaty hand was thrust in front of my face. “I’m gonna need to take that.” The bouncer, Chad, said.
I glanced at Zeff who nodded. “Of course.” I said, handing it over to him.
He lumbered off and I turned to the others. “Suddenly, I don’t feel like hanging out anymore.”
“You’ll be fine.” Zeff assured me.
I stuck it out and he was right. I actually relaxed and had fun. And we went out many times after without incident. I was just getting used to my new strange life when the Channel 10 News came to visit.
They asked to speak to some students and the Professor about the school and the mutants in it. The Professor had them join him in his office. Shortly later I found myself joining him along with a handful of others. Both my parents were there as well as Ororo, Kathryn and Warren. The students who were called were Zeff, Hunter, Dee, Jacob and me.
No one wondered how they had found out about the school. Clowe was hitting us in every way possible without instigating an all out attack. The news crew looked a bit nervous and I was sure we weren’t going to get the positive publicity we needed. Barb Parker, the reporter, sat on a chair beside the Professor. He motioned us to sit on the couches and the adults came and stood behind us.
It felt like ages before the cameras were set up. Finally, the tech man in charge gave the signal to start. “Hello and welcome to The Here and Now on the Channel 10 News Network. I’m Barb Parker. We’re here with eighty-five-year-old Professor Charles Xavier from Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Hello Professor.”
“Hello.” The Professor answered in his calm, steady voice he reserved for public speaking and nervous youngsters.
I found myself smiling in spite of myself. “Professor, what do you say to the rumours that this facility is a training ground for the mutants of the USA?”
“Though I can not deny that this is a school for mutants, I feel obliged to tell you that this ‘safe haven’ as you call them is a place to protect both the mutant and the general public. This is a school – a place where mutants can learn the skills needed to survive in this world, and at the same time, learn to control their abilities so that they don’t accidentally harm others.”
“You mean to say that these students are dangerous?”
“Not once they are here. The only danger they pose here is the danger of causing excessive property damage.” There was a slight chuckle in the room. “Were they left on their own, true, some of them may become a danger to themselves and those around them. However, no student who has completed the program here has harmed anyone upon leaving. One of the things we stress here is the peaceful coexistence between mutant and human.”
“That is an impressive claim. How long have you run the program here?”
“I have been teaching mutants for decades. Scott, Ororo and Jean were some of my first students.” The Professor indicated three of the adults and the cameras turned over to them. “Now they are teaching others. They have children, some of whom you see here.”
I felt my dad’s hand grasp my shoulder and I looked down uncomfortably, knowing the camera was on me. “Mr. Timothy Clowe, head of the MRA, has accused you of stealing his agents. If I am not mistaken, this young man is one of them.” Barb motioned to Zeff. “How do you reply to that?”
“We do not hold people here against their will.” The Professor replied. “All the students here came of their own accord. In that light, I wouldn’t say that I stole his agents. Only that his agents left the agency to come here. But if you want to hear it from them, ask young Zeff here.”
Barb and the camera turned to Zeff. “Zeff, what made you decide to leave the MRA for Xavier’s school?”
Zeff smiled his disarming smile he did so well. “I didn’t like the management in the MRA or how things were done there. It is an Agency and is run as such. I’m young. I don’t want such a strict life. Things are more relaxed here. You get to mingle with others your own age.” He looked at me and grabbed my hand. “You can form close friendships. The grounds here are beautiful and relaxing. It is an entirely different atmosphere.”
“Do you mind if I ask about the scar on your neck?” Barb asked. “It doesn’t look pleasant.”
Zeff rubbed his scar thoughtfully, his eyes gaining a hint of the darkness they always got when he was thinking of Manticore. “Remnants of my life at the MRA.” He replied quietly. “I’d rather not get into details. The most I’ll say is that it happened when I was much younger. And it happened while I was inside, not on a mission.”
Barb nodded and turned to me. “Polgara, why did you decide to come to this school?”
“Please, it’s Pol.” I replied. “The Institute is the safest place for me. I have had my share of accidents in the past. I have had trouble with school bullies and scared school officials. There were gangs as well as scientists who wanted me for their own gain. I came here because I knew I’d be safe here. And my biological parents are here.”
“Biological. You mean they didn’t raise you?”
I shook my head. “The Institute is no place for small children. There were many things that led to their decision to give me up. I don’t begrudge them at all. For a while I had a nice, normal life with my mother.”
“Do you ever get to see her?”
“Perhaps once all this craziness has passed.” I saw the frown on her face and hastened to explain. “There are special circumstances there. With so many people wanting to get at me it is just safer to cut all ties with her until this blows over. I could bring her here…” I looked up at my parents and then grinned at Barb. “But that would be… awkward.”
Again a chuckle echoed softly around the room. Barb smiled and turned towards Hunter. “And why are you here Mr. ─”
“Reid.” He supplied. “Hunter Reid. My story is closer to that of the rest of the students. I have never had what you can call a real family. I was raised in foster care since I was around four years old. I never thought I was anything special. I was just a kid who had to work extra hard to prove I was worth anything. When my powers started to develop I felt the usual emotions. I was confused and scared. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”
He looked at the Professor and smiled. “Professor Xavier found me and sent Scott and Ororo to talk to me and my foster parents. They told us they were from a finishing school in Westchester for people who were gifted. They had seen my record and wanted to offer me a place there. I didn’t know at the time what this place was. I just thought it had the most interesting program.”
Hunter grinned. “Imagine my surprise when I found out. This place is amazing. It is a safe place where I don’t have to feel afraid or different. I can be me in a way that was never possible before.”
Barb shifted her gaze to Jacob. “I can guess why you came here. It must have been hard, growing up so different.”
Jacob grinned. “Za village I grew up in vas more understanding zan most. It helped zat mine fazer had lived zere for years before me. I get my good looks from him you see. He had many good memories of zis school. Once I vas old enough I vas sent here.”
Barb smiled and looked from Warren to Dee. “I don’t have to ask why you are here.” She said. “It is well known that your father went here. It is only fitting that you would too. Though I must say Mr. Worthington, I don’t remember the wings in any of your photographs.”
Warren smiled. “Digital imaging can do wonders.”
She talked to each of the parents a little more then they packed up and left. I hung back when the others left. Soon it was just the Professor, me and Zeff. The Professor smiled. “You’re wondering why we did that.”
“You said anonymity was important.” I said. “Isn’t this counter productive? We won’t even be able to leave the premises now.”
“They were going to do that broadcast with or without our interview.” The Professor replied. “This way they have our side of the story – not just the opposition. I chose the people who would come across as good people. We shall see how it affects your ability to come and go. But I figured you wouldn’t care as much as some people.”
I thought of Psycho being confined to the grounds and grinned. However, the next day my fears were confirmed. Me and Zeff went out to the mall to get some computer parts and other supplies for the students and to send off and pick up all the mail for the school as no postal workers would come near the premises now.
It started with people staring at us as we walked through the mall. But then we found that we were turned away from stores before we could even enter them. Mall security watched us like hawks. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not welcome here?” I muttered to Zeff.
“It’s ok.” He replied. “Just keep cool. Make like nothing is wrong and we’ll be alright.”
But when we got back to the car the wheels had been slashed and the lights and hood were smashed up all to hell. Anti-mutant slogans had been spray painted over every surface. “My dad is gonna kill us.” I said.
“We have to get back first.” Zeff said under his breath.
I looked up at him but he was looking back toward the mall entrance. I followed his eyes and saw a mob of Ordinary vigilantes. They were walking towards us with an assortment of weapons in their hands. “Mutant scum.” One of them said.
“Why don’t you run back to your school?” Another one asked. “We don’t want your kind here.”
Zeff and I backed up against the car. “Chill dude.” Zeff said, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “We don’t want any trouble. We just want to go home.”
“You hear that?” the first one scoffed to the mob. “They don’t want trouble. Man, you are trouble. You and every other mutant freak. You’re all the same.”
“Zeff, we can’t hurt them.” I reminded him.
“I know.” He replied. “But my first concern is getting you out of here safely.”
I looked up at the angry crowd and fear struck me. I was still powerless. How could I fend off an angry mob without my powers? I looked up at Zeff. “Maybe we should run?”
“Run where? Nobody will help.”
“The police will. Last thing they want is vigilantes attacking every citizen they think is a mutant. Someday they will hurt someone who’s not… or someone…”
“Like you?” he supplied, telling me he hadn’t forgotten my lack of power’s either. “Fine. Let’s go.”
We took off, the mob hard on our trail. We had barely broken out of the parking garage when the fastest of them caught up with us. Zeff dropped back, fending them off as he ran. He was stronger than they were and fighting didn’t slow him much. People on the street stopped and stared as we passed. I pressed the combo on my watch to dial the Professor. “Professor,” I said when he answered. “It’s Pol. We’re going to need a pick up.”
“Destiny is already on her way.” He replied. “They weren’t the only ones watching you.”
I never felt so glad that the Professor was psychic in all my life. Tires screeched and a car pulled between us and the mob. I looked up to see Hunter, kneeling on his seat with a gun in his hand, pointing it at the leader. The mob froze. “Get in! Quick!” Dee called from the driver’s seat.
Without wasting any more time we jumped into the car and took off. “Oh, man!” Hunter said, laughing. “You guys are always in trouble aren’t you.”
“That’s us.” Zeff agreed, pushing his hair out of his eyes in a gesture I grew to recognise as relief.
I looked up at Dee. “Thanks.” I said.
“Any time.” She grinned. “Not that you’re going to be allowed outside the mansion any time soon.”
I agreed. So did the Professor. Not that I found being confined to the grounds as annoying as I would have a year ago. I found little things to entertain myself. One night I was hanging out in the kitchen with Kitty, Zeff and Psycho. I had a book in front of me and Kitty was eating ice cream right from the tub. We were all just trying to forget the heat of the afternoon. Suddenly, for no reason at all, Psycho leaned toward Zeff. “Smirf Kick!” she shouted, flicking him in the forehead.
He lashed out with his fist, punching her in the stomach. “What was that for?” she asked, wheezing slightly.
“You flicked me.” He replied.
“I did not!” she protested. “I smirf kicked you. A smirf kick is not a flick.” She ran her hand under the tap. “This is a flick.” She flicked the water in his face.
She laughed and did it again. Zeff wiped the water from his face and grinned. “Oh shit!” she yelped, taking off running.
Zeff chased her out of the room. Me and Kitty looked at each other. I rolled my eyes and we burst out laughing. “She’s just asking to be killed.” I said when I could catch my breath.
Another thing that happened was that I introduced the others to the Ultimate Old Maid card game. That’s Old Maid where the loser has to do a dare… something they probably don’t want to do. It became an instant favourite. One game in particular stands out in my mind. It was an evening game and we were already pretty into it.
I was covered in marker, Corbin was wearing the frilly dress they had put on Psycho, Kitty had drank a shot of the hottest stuff we could find in the school… which just happened to be a bottle of The Source Hot Sauce, and the boys had done Dee’s make-up for her. This round the loser had to go steal Logan’s poetry book from his room. It came down to a toss up between Psycho and Chimaero… and Chimaero lost.
Obviously we couldn’t all follow and watch. It would give away the game. So we chose two to go with him. One to videotape him and one to make sure he didn’t cheat. Zeff got to go because he was Chimaero’s best friend and Psycho got to go because it was her idea to steal the book in the first place. Zeff manned the video camera as he was naturally quieter than Psycho.
That established they took off. Ten minutes later Logan’s angry roar filled the institute. We broke into laughter. And then, when the three of them returned, Psycho laughing hysterically and Chimaero white as a sheet we laughed even harder. Logan followed close behind but when he saw our group he froze. He looked at Dee and Corbin and shook his head. “I don’t even want to know.” He said as we left.
“Please tell me you got all that.” I said to Zeff when I had stopped laughing.
“Every word.” He grinned, pressing a button on the camera. “Right to the point that he walked away.”
“Let’s see!” Kitty said excitedly.
Zeff plugged the camera into the projector so we could all see it and pressed play. The image was projected on the wall so that it was larger than life. There was Chimaero, routing through Logan’s drawers. “Got it!” he said in a loud whisper.
“Read something from it!” Psycho replied.
“What! No way!” Chimaero protested.
“You’ve got the book now.” Zeff told him. “You’ve gotta.”
Chimaero grinned. He slouched on the edge of Logan’s bed in an amazingly realistic Logan impression. He opened the book on his lap and adopted a look of longing that made us keel over laughing. “A gentle word like a spark of light, illuminates my soul,” he said in a deep grunting voice that sounded remarkably like Logan’s. “And as each sound goes deeper, it’s you that makes me whole.
“There is no corner, no dark place, your love cannot fill. And if the world starts causing waves, it’s your devotion that makes them still.”
The sound of footsteps could be heard in the background and we knew what that meant. Chimaero ignored them. He cleared his throat in a Logan-like manner. “And yes you always speak to me, in sweet honesty and truth. Your caring heart keeps out the rain, your love, the ultimate roof.”
“What the hell is going on?” Logan yelled from behind Zeff.
Zeff pulled back to show an enraged Logan staring at Chimaero. Chimaero was just getting warmed up. He stood up on the bed and went into a dramatic pose. “So thank you my Love for being there, for supporting me, my life.”
Logan lunged at him. “I’m gonna kill you, you little punk!” he shouted, bearing his claws.
“I’ll do the same for you, you know,” Chimaero went on, jumping away from Logan. He finished while dodging Logan’s wild swings. “My Beautiful… Darling… Wife!”
That said he dropped the book and fled. Zeff and Psycho followed, laughing hysterically. Zeff alternated between filming Chimaero and filming Logan chasing them. It was actually pretty good camera work. We watched the whole thing, laughing until we couldn’t breathe. It was one of the best nights I ever had at the institute… but it was followed by one of the worse.
Chapter 25
Christmas came and went too quickly and soon it was time fore me to say goodbye again. The holidays had been fun. There were lots of laughter and plenty of thrills. I was sad to leave but also excited to return to school. I held those mixed feelings all the way back to Sudbury. Before long, however, I fell back into the routine of school again and home became second in my mind to what I was learning.
It wasn’t too long after the break when Sara asked the question I had been dreading since the start of the year. It was late at night and we were both laying in bed in the dark. I was waiting for her to fall asleep so I could get in some light meditation. I really needed it by this point. Suddenly, Sara rolled to face me. “Pol?” she asked, a little hesitantly. “Are you a mutant?”
“Why? Do I look like one?” I asked, a bit more abruptly than I meant too. “I guess you have a right to ask. You have a right to know if I’m a deadly mutie.”
“No! That’s not what I meant!” she said quickly. “I was just… never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
She rolled again over to face the wall. An awkward silence slowly filled the room. I sighed. What was with me? Why was I suddenly acting like Psycho? She asked a perfectly legitimate question. “Yes.” I said.
“What?”
“I am.” I told her.
I braced myself for her reaction. It was not what I expected. “Cool.” She said, sounding surprisingly interested. “What can you do? Oh! I bet you can read minds.”
I groaned inwardly. She thinks I cheated to get myself where I was today. Reading a teacher’s mind would certainly help on tests. “Yes I can.” I replied. “But I don’t cheat.”
“You mean you’ve never just peaked into someone’s mind during a test?” she asked me. “I know I would.”
“I never had to.” I told her. “I always had to dumb myself down.”
She made a soft noise of disbelief. “Picture a seven-year-old, in third grade, doing astrophysics.” I told her. “What do you think the general reaction would be?”
She turned over to look at me again. “No way! The media would be all over that!”
I nodded. “I didn’t want that. So I purposely answered questions wrong on all my tests. I didn’t want to become a plaything of the media and science. And all my friends were in my grade.”
“What else can you do?” she asked.
I pulled one of her text books off the shelf over her bed and let it drop toward her head. She yelped and covered her face with her arms. I grinned and made the book tap her arms as if trying to get her attention. She peered out through her hands. “What page were you reading today? 133?” I asked, making the book fly open to that page.
She giggled nervously. “That’s a cool one.” She said as I put the book back.
I called a glimmer of light to my index finger on my right hand. She watched it as if mesmerized. I let it grow until it turned into a palm-sized moon-like orb that lit up the room with a silvery glow. Then I sent it up to the ceiling. I sat up and looked at her. “Would it freak you out if I was floating some night?” I asked.
“You mean like levitating?” she asked.
I nodded. “It happens sometimes when I meditate.” I told her. She looked at me in confusion. “I don’t sleep. It makes me ill. So instead I meditate. If I go into a deep meditation I start to float.”
“I’ve never seen you.” She said.
“That’s because I have never let myself fall into deep meditation here.” I replied. “I didn’t want you finding out I was a mutant by rolling over some night and seeing a glowing, floating roommate.”
“Yeah that would have surprised me.” She said. “But I’m fine with it. I don’t know if I ever mentioned it but my best friend from home is also a mutant.”
This time it was my turn to be shocked. “No, you haven’t. Why didn’t you tell me that last semester?”
She laughed. “You have hardly ever said more than two words to me. Why would I tell you such a big secret?”
“I guess that makes sense.” I replied. “So what can your friend do?”
“She can go invisible.” She told me. “I remember when she first discovered she could it was a real nuisance. But now she has pretty good control over it.”
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Laura.” Sara replied.
“Well give her my number in case she needs advice or anything.” I told her, grinning. This semester was going to be a whole lot easier.
About three weeks or so into the semester something happened to through me out of ‘normal student’ mode yet again. I was returning from one of my late classes. As I was passing the common room I heard a chillingly familiar voice coming from inside. I peeked in to see Ansem’s face on the TV screen.
He was standing outside a building in New York. “For years the mutant gene has divided and destroyed.” He was saying. “These so-called mutants are people just like us. Their affliction is nothing more than a disease… a corruption of healthy cellular activity. It has caused death, pain and blame between people and torn families apart. My own sister and niece have tried to kill me.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. He smiled at the screen. His creepy smile still made me shiver. “This has got to stop.” He went on. “And it will stop. I stand here today to tell you there’s hope. Thanks to our friends at Worthington Labs we have found a solution. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present the answer to mutation. Finally, we have a cure!”
“What a load of bull shit.” I said, louder than I meant to.
The students in the common room turned to look at me. I bolted to my room, threw my bag on the desk and grabbed the phone. I dialled the Institute just as my roommate ran into the room. The phone rang and rang. It felt like hours before the voicemail came on. I drew in a deep breath. “Hey Professor, it’s me. Did you see the news? What the hell is going on? Call me.”
I hung up the phone and turned to face her. I was shaking from head to foot. This didn’t make any sense. Why would Clowe be turning mutants into normal people? They wanted them for their army. They were mutants. “Pol?” Sara asked. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?”
I tried to smile. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“No you’re not.” She insisted. “Something about that news broadcast bothered you. Do you really think the cure is a fake?”
“I don’t know.” I admitted, sitting down on my bed. “But I’m pretty sure the man behind it is.”
She scrutinized my face for a moment. “You know him. Don’t you?”
“Yes.” I said quietly, the memory of the pain he put me through was still fresh in my mind.
“Who is he?” she asked, sitting down beside me.
“He’s evil. He’s no good. And he’s a mutant.” I told her. “I don’t know what his game is but it does not involve curing mutants.”
She frowned at me. “Evil? Pol isn’t that a bit strong?”
I shook my head. “Evil doesn’t even begin to describe him.” I insisted. “Think of all the dirtiest and worst words you could possibly use to describe someone and I pretty much guarantee that they pertain to him.”
“That’s a bit unfair.” She said quietly.
“No it’s not.” Why couldn’t she understand? “Anyone who experiments on their family, even so far as to kill them, is worse than evil. Anyone who can stand there and smile at you as they cut into you and then run experiments on your body and mind with as much enthusiasm as Ansem Gill deserves all the names you can call them and worse.”
She looked at me in horror. I tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I don’t mean to scare you but I wanted you to know where I was coming from. When I call someone evil you can bet I have good reason.”
“So… you mean that scar on your stomach…?”
I nodded. “From him.”
“My god.” Her voice was layered with disgust and something else. Looking at her face I could see what it was. Her eyes held pity.
“Don’t.” I said.
“Don’t what?”
“I don’t want your pity.” I told her. “I can take care of myself. If I wanted to keep myself safe I never would have left the Institute.”
“Then why did you?”
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own safety to help others.”
She looked at me incredulously. “But why would he do that?”
“To get at Zeff.” I told her.
“Your boyfriend?”
I nodded. “Zeff and I are linked psychically. He responds when I am in pain. He comes to help me.” She still looked confused so I went on. “He used to work for them.”
Her eyes widened in sudden comprehension. “An ex-U.S. soldier.” She said, recalling what I had told her about Psycho and Zeff. “Man, you’re life sounds complicated.”
“You have no idea.” I said, glancing hopefully toward the phone.
It was no use. Whatever the Professor was doing he was obviously too busy to talk to me. I sighed and fell back against my pillows. She got up and moved to her desk. She opened her email and started typing something. My bet was that she was warning her friend away from the cure. “So you think your old professor knows something?” she asked when she was done.
I nodded again. “My friends and family are… I’m going to say opponents for lack of a better word… of Ansem’s. The Professor is the head of our little movement. He believes in a peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans. Ansem is all for mutant domination. It has been a battle that the Professor has fought in secret all his life.”
I looked up. She was staring at me in awe. “What?” I asked.
“Wow.” She muttered. “The many sides of Pol… Summers?”
I sat bolt upright. “How did you… your friend?”
Sara grinned. “I went north for school. She went south. To the states.”
I laughed in relief as I realized where she was going with this. “She went to the Institute.”
“Imagine my surprise to hear that my roommate was one of the most powerful mutants on the planet.”
“Sara shh!” I gasped.
Sara laughed and turned back to her computer. I lay back down on my bed and picked up a book. Silence ensued for a few minutes before it was punctured by Sara’s shout of surprise. I sat up again. She was in a video call with her friend at the Institute. There was some sort of scuffle going on in the background. It was hard to make out exactly but I saw claws and a tail and a flash of blonde hair. I jumped up and went over to the computer. “Let me in.” I said, crouching in front of the camera. “Hey you guys!” I said loudly. “Some people are trying to talk here!”
The commotion stopped and Zeff and Psycho appeared at the screen. “Pol?” Psycho asked. “How the hell?”
“Didn’t know I had a girl on the inside did you?” I asked. “It’s nice to meet you Laura. Sara’s told me all about you.”
The girl on the screen started in surprise. “Thank you.” She said. “Nice to meet you too. Honestly I don’t know how you put up with these guys.”
I grinned at the screen. “It takes practice… and patience.” I looked at Zeff. “Hey you.” I said softly.
“Hey.” He said just as softly.
“I’m outta here.” Psycho said. “This isn’t over elf-boy.”
She disappeared. Zeff looked back over his shoulder. “Not so fast. Sorry Pol I’ve got to go before she steals anything else.”
He was gone before I could say anything. I looked at Laura. “What’d she steal?”
Laura laughed. “Rumour is she took some sort of gem from his room. He really freaked. It’s nice to get to meet you. I’ve seen you around but you are always with someone else or you have a distracted look on your face.”
I smiled. “Yeah that sounds like me. Well I’ll leave you and Sara to talk.”
“Bye!” she called as I went back to my reading.
Since then school got more interesting. It was both a blessing and a curse, knowing that my roommate had access to people at the Institute. It was a blessing because there were times when we could time the calls so I could talk to the others as well. But it was a curse because I knew I couldn’t use it myself without attracting unwarranted attention from Clowe. The hardest was talking to Zeff. Both of us were acutely aware of the distance between us every time we talked.
It was about a month later when, as I was coming home from one of my late classes, I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I waited until the last possible second and then ducked so that the person’s arm flew over my head and he stumbled, just managing to catch his balance before he fell flat on his face. “No fair, you cheated!” Simon exclaimed.
“What do you mean I cheated?” I asked.
“Come on Pol!” he said. “We both know you’re a m–”
“Not here Simon.” I cut him off.
“But w–”
“Not here!”
Simon pouted a bit and punched my shoulder playfully. I grinned at him. I looked up to see a dark shape approaching us slowly. I tensed, loosening one of my wrist-knives, before I realized it was Zeff. “What the heck are you wearing?”
I looked him over. He had on a pair of Chad’s black pants that were way too big for him and were barely held up at the waist with a belt with a silver skull for a buckle. To go with that he had on a black sleeveless shirt and silver and black jewellery. He had pulled his hair back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. “What’s wrong with it?” Zeff asked grinning. “I borrowed some of Chad’s clothes for the trip. I’m supposed to be incognito.”
I shook my head and grinned. He certainly knew how to make an entrance. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to get you.” He told me, suddenly serious. “Things are heating up with the White House. The Professor wants you home.”
“Now?” Simon asked. “But the semester’s barely started! When would she be coming back?”
“Who’s the Ordinary?” Zeff asked.
I knew the situation was bad when Zeff slipped back into Manticore lingo and manners. It meant he was seriously stressed out. “Sorry. Zeff this is Simon. Simon, this is Zeff. He’s my… I guess you could say he’s my partner.”
“Partner?” Simon asked, glancing from him to me. “In what sense of the word?”
His eyes caught on Zeff’s Protector symbol. “You guys have matching tattoos?”
Before I could say anything he bolted. I exchanged a glance with Zeff. “He knows about your symbol?” Zeff asked.
“It was an accident.” I told him. “I better go catch him. Otherwise who knows where he’ll end up? Tell the Professor I’ll be back as soon as I smooth things over here.”
“Pol,” Zeff warned. “We’re running out of time…”
“I’ll be there.” I promised. Then I took off after Simon.
When I found him he was sitting on a rock by the tepee in front of the Classroom Building. He looked up as I approached and then turned away. “Come on Simon.” I said, sitting down beside him. “You knew about Zeff.”
“You never explained your partnership, or should I say relationship, to him.” Simon said. “I should have known.”
I groaned inwardly. Simon had a crush on me! This was just what I needed right now. “Should have known what?” I asked, playing stupid.
“That a girl like you wouldn’t be single.” He muttered.
“A girl… like me?”
“You know.” He said. “Not only are you hot, but you’re smart too. I mean, you are one of the only ones in the class who can keep up with Dr. Gershwin. And you’re also one of the youngest… how old are you anyway?”
I would have liked to lie and tell him I was over twenty. It would have made him feel a bit better. He was in his mid to late twenties. But I couldn’t. I told myself I’d always be honest with him. “I’m nineteen.” I told him.
“No way!” he exclaimed, his eyes bulging out of his head. “That’s impossible!”
“I’m smart for my age.” I told him. “Always have been.”
“But this is Advanced Quantum Mechanics! It’s one of the hardest courses at this school!”
I smiled sadly. “As you were so willing to blurt out: I’m a mutant. I used to purposely answer questions wrong on tests just so I’d stay in the same grade as my friends. I was doing calculus in grade three.” He just stared at me. “I’m going to be in a tight spot when I go home Simon. The new President wants us all dead… and he doesn’t know it but he has some powerful mutants on his side. I’m gonna need friends on the outside. I’m gonna need you Simon.”
“I thought I was just an ‘Ordinary,’ whatever that is.” He said venomously.
“Even Ordinary’s have a role to play in the events of this world.” I told him. “And you are my friend. You aren’t ‘just’ anything.”
He smiled at me and I gave him a hug. “I’m gonna miss you.” I told him. “I hope everything goes well and I can come back soon.”
I pulled away, ignoring his blush, and went to grab my things. As I reached the turn-about in front of the Parker Building I heard him whisper, “Goodbye Pol. And good luck.”
I all but ran up to my room. I burst through the door, scaring my roommate and her friend who were having a chat and talking on her msn at the same time. I went to my bed and pulled my duffle off the shelf overhead. Then I started throwing in my essentials. I threw in all my communication devices (like my cell phone, com-link, watch and laptop), then I threw in a few sets of clothing and my hair brush and tooth brush. As a second thought I threw in my Quantum Mechanics textbook.
Sara looked up at me in amusement. “You going somewhere?” she asked.
“Um… yeah…” I looked from her to her friend. “Family emergency. I have to go now. Don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” I turned to her friend. “Feel free to use my bed while I’m out. It beats sleeping on the floor.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
I took off out the door. I had barely taken five steps when my roommate came running up behind me. “Pol!” I turned as she got up closer. “This ‘family emergency’… it doesn’t have any thing to you with you being a…”
I nodded. “Things are heating up between the Whitehouse and the mutants. I need to be there. I need to help.”
“The Whitehouse?” she gasped. “That sounds serious. You take care of yourself ok?” she gave me a hug, a first for her, “Try to stay off the news.”
I grinned and turned away. “Stay alive!” she called after me.
I waved as I rounded the corner and went down the stairs. There was a bonus to living on the second floor. If I had been on the eleventh floor it would take me fifteen minutes just to catch the elevator. This way I might be able to catch up to Zeff.
I ran out of the residence and was halfway down UC hill when something made me stop. I could see Zeff waiting in a car a few feet away but something was wrong. I looked around, calling some lightning to my hand. “Now!” someone whispered by the corner of the building. I whirled around but before I could see who it was I felt a sharp prick in my neck. I barely registered two figures running away up the street out of Zeff’s line of site before the sharp burning pain of electricity jolted up my arm and I fell to the ground.
“Pol!” Suddenly Zeff was at my side. “Are you alright? What happened?”
I stared down at my stinging palms and tried to call lightning into them again but nothing happened. “My lightning burned me.” I said wistfully, looking up at him. “And now I can’t use it.”
“What?” he asked in confusion.
I tried to reach out with my mind to him but it was as if my telepathic sense was dead. I couldn’t even feel my elemental ties anymore. “I… I’m ordinary.” I muttered. “I can’t use my powers. It’s as if they never existed.”
“Are you serious?” Zeff asked, kneeling down beside me.
I nodded, feeling myself shake slightly as my super-strength left me. I felt weak and feverish and I didn’t like it. “How do people live like this?” I asked Zeff. It had been so long since the eighth grade that I had forgotten what it felt like to be ordinary. “How can they walk around deaf and blind to so much about them?”
“I don’t know Pol.” He said, helping me to my feet. “But we’re getting you out of here.”
“But if I’m ordinary I’m no threat.” I argued. “Why can’t I stay and continue my studies? It’s good to learn things for a change.”
Zeff smiled sadly and shook his head. “You’re in shock. You’re not thinking clearly.” He looked me in the eye and picked something up off the ground. “You were shot…” he glanced at the dart and threw it away in disgust. “…By Clowe’s people.”
Suddenly I couldn’t get away quick enough.
Chapter 24
All too soon Christmas exams came and went and I was able to go home. I took a plane to New York and Zeff picked me up and took me home. I was greeted warmly by everyone. Jean cooked a good dinner and we all had a feast. As we ate I just enjoyed the noises of the school. I enjoyed both the laughter and the arguments.
After supper I helped clean up. As I worked I tried to think of gifts to give the others. “What do you want for Christmas?” I asked Zeff as we stood doing the dishes.
“For what?” he asked.
“Christmas.” I repeated. I looked up and saw the puzzled look on his face. “Don’t you know about Christmas?”
He smiled sadly at me as if I was missing something obvious. “I grew up at Clowe’s remember?” he reminded me. “He wasn’t big on festivities.”
“I know that.” I replied. “I just thought… when you were out before…”
He grinned at me. “Nah. Miss Smith was a crazy old cat lady. I don’t think she even knew what year it was let alone what day.”
“You lived with a crazy cat lady?” Psycho asked from the doorway.
Zeff turned and his grin widened. “Yup. Ask Chimaero about Nono.”
“Yeah.” Chimaero came to stand next to her. “And maybe they should ask you about Bird.”
Zeff laughed. “That cat was insane. They all were. But Bird was most. What kind of cat thinks it can fly?”
“The cat thought it could fly?” Psycho asked as she and Chimaero sat down at the island.
“Yeah,” Chimaero replied. “You should have heard Zeff yell in the morning when it landed on him.”
“Did you scream like a little school girl?” Psycho grinned.
“Who got clothes-lined by a clothesline?” Zeff said. Psycho glared at him.
I smiled and shook my head. “It’s good to be home.”
Zeff leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’ll say.”
I laughed and splashed him with suds from the dishwater. Psycho shook her head and she and Chimaero left. As we finished doing the dishes I told Zeff all about the Christmas season. Jean came in and leaned against the doorway, listening as I talked. When I was done she smiled. “Well you surely covered all sides of the holiday.” She said. “The Professor wants a word with you when you have a minute.”
I nodded and left her and Zeff to put the dishes away. I went straight to the Professor’s office. He smiled as I sat down. “How are you enjoying school?” he asked.
“Well enough.” I replied. “It’s not like here. But then, nothing would be.”
I grinned at him and he smiled in return then he turned serious. “You’re keeping something from me.” He said half amused.
I shrugged uncomfortably. “There were a couple incidents.” I told him, “Nobody got hurt.”
“But now students there know you are a mutant.” He said nodding. “I had heard such.”
“You’ve been spying on me.” I was half amused and half annoyed.
“Not really.” He replied. “The president of the university wanted a guarantee that you were safe to have around. She’s been spying on you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It really is good to be back, Professor.” I told him. “Somehow coming back here feels like coming home.”
He nodded and turned to some papers on his desk. “Have you been keeping track of the candidates for the upcoming election?”
“Not really.” I replied. “When you’re away at school you tend to lose track of the goings on back home. Why?”
“The popular candidate has some very strict views on the way people should ‘handle’ us.” The Professor told me. “If he takes office we may end up with a crisis on our hands. I’m not sure how easy it will be for you to get back to us.”
I looked at him in surprise. “I thought things were getting better with the White House.” I said.
“The white house is only half the argument.” The Professor reminded me. “It is the general public who decides. And I do not like the direction they are heading.”
I rubbed my hand over my eyes wearily. Why couldn’t life be simple? “Polgara? Are you alright?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m sorry Professor. I haven’t had a good solid meditation session since I left for school. The last thing I needed was my roommate freaking out.”
He nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry. We can talk later. Go get some rest.”
I smiled thankfully and left. I passed Dee in the hall and she fell into step beside me. “So, did he tell you about the upcoming election?” she asked.
I nodded. “He seems pretty worried.”
“He should be.” Dee replied. “If he takes office it’s going to spell trouble for us mutants. There will be stricter rules in Mutant Registration. The cards will say who is able to become a public threat. Mutants will be confined to their designated states if not their designated cities. Mutant run facilities like this school will be shut down. We will have to show our cards in public before entering stores or boarding public transportation. Even then the people in charge have a right to refuse us. And the worst thing is he is close friends with Timothy Clowe and is a strong supporter of the MRA.”
I looked at her in shock. I hadn’t heard all this. Then again I had shown weakness before we got to that point in the conversation. I groaned. “I need to go lie down.” I muttered.
“You ok?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I assured her. “Just tired. It’s been a while since I was able to meditate.”
We had reached the door to my room. She paused just outside. “Would you like me to look in on you once in a while?”
I smiled. “Thanks. The last thing I need is to slip into actual sleep.”
She nodded and left. I got changed and went to my bed for some much needed rest.
When I got up the next day everyone had already been up for hours. I went down to the kitchen and grabbed a bite to eat. Then I went to look for the others. I walked past the classrooms and I heard a voice coming from the music room. I paused. Whoever was singing was really good. I listened closer and smiled. It wasn’t in English, and there was only one person I knew who new that language well enough to sing in it.
I poked my head in the door. Sure enough, Zeff was sitting at the far end of the room with an acoustic guitar on his lap and singing to himself. I listened to the gentle tune and smiled. From what I could understand he was singing a lullaby. I stood there, leaning against the door, listening, until he sang the last note. “Wow.” I said, making him jump. “I didn’t know you could sing. That was beautiful.”
He set the guitar down and stood up. He looked more than a little embarrassed. “It was just something my mom used to sing.” He said. “Hard to believe that I still remember it.”
I grinned. “Music never really leaves us I think.” I said. “It’s the one thing that links the whole universe together.”
He grinned. “Do you sing?” he asked.
“No.” I said. “I mean… I used to… before… but I haven’t sung in years.”
“‘Music never leaves you’” he said, throwing my words back at me. “What do you like to sing?”
He went over to the piano and sat down. “Jazz? Pop? Opera?” he started playing a tune that I recognized.
Before long I found myself singing The Prayer with him. My voice was really rough, and it lacked the technique I had before. But it was still fairly good. When we finished he looked up at me. “See? You can still sing.” He said.
I laughed. “Me? Look at you! Singing in Italian.”
He grinned. “Manticore. I’m fluent in many different languages.” He said. “Let me teach you some of the songs of my people.”
We sat there for the rest of the day, pausing briefly for lunch. He taught me all sorts of songs and even helped me brush up on my vocal skills. By supper time we were both exhausted. After supper I headed up the stairs with Dee. We were both chatting about school and the current situation with the government. “Hey Pol?” Zeff’s voice stopped me as I was heading up the stairs. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Me and Dee exchanged confused glances. “Sure.” I replied.
As Dee continued up the stairs he came up to stand next to me. He waited a few minutes to make sure she was out of earshot before he talked. “So there’s a dance happening at Town Hall next weekend.” He said, rhyming it off as if it were a memorised speech. “I was wondering if you wanted to go. It might be our last chance to go out in public for a while…”
I smiled at him. “I’d love to.” I said, kissing his cheek and following Dee up the stairs.
She was waiting for me a few flights up. “So. He ask you out?” she asked.
I looked at her in shock. “How’d you know he was going to ask me out?”
She grinned. “He’s been stewing about it for weeks.”
Dee and I went out the next day to find something for me to wear. We checked through lots of stores but couldn’t find anything I liked. “What type of dress are you looking for?” Dee asked.
“It’s the dance at Town Hall so its formal attire.” I said as we entered yet another store.
We looked for hours before we found the perfect dress. It was a long silver dress with spaghetti straps and a shimmering shawl that folded around the arms like sleeves. It hung down loosely to just below my ankles and had slits halfway up the sides of it. “Pol that’s beautiful!” Dee gasped. “It really brings out your eyes.”
I grinned at her. “I should wear combat boots with it.” I teased. “Really throw him off guard.”
She laughed and we went and looked for shoes and a necklace or something to go with it. Our purchases bought we went back to the Institute. The next day was spent building myself a new watch that went with the dress. I didn’t want to go out unprepared. I had already checked and I had leg sheaths that were near invisible beneath my dress. But coms would be an added bonus.
The next weekend took forever to get here. Saturday finally rolled around. I spent the late afternoon getting ready. I decided to let my hair go into its natural ringlets. In order to do that however, I had to undo my thousands of braids. That took way to long. Between me and Dee we got me ready in time. The look on Zeff’s face when he saw me was well worth the time.
When we got to the dance I was a little nervous. I had never really been to a dance before and never one this fancy. The music, the clothes, even the food was very proper. I got the surprise of my life when I discovered that though the dances were all ballroom dances Zeff knew all the steps. When I asked him about it he grinned. “I needed something to do while you were away so your mom decided to teach me to dance.” He said. “She seemed to think I would be good at it.”
He guided me through the steps as though we had been doing this sort of thing all our lives. I may have cheated a little, using our link to find out how I was supposed to move. It was exhilarating and I lost myself in the movements and music for a while. I was having the time of my life.
Then, about two hours into the dance the lights went out. I grabbed Zeff’s arm as my eyes adapted to the darkness. Soldiers started streaming through the doors, guns drawn. “I don’t believe this.” I muttered. “Not now.”
“Let’s go.” Zeff said, pulling me towards the rear exit.
We took of as quickly and quietly as we could. Once we were out of the main hall we took off running. Well… Zeff did anyway. I ran as best I could but I was in heels and I wasn’t used to them. “Pol, come on!” he called.
“I’d like to see you run in these things.” I replied.
“Then take them off!” he sounded annoyed.
“I’m working on it!” It was true. As we ran I used my telekinesis to undo the ties on my heels. As soon as I was able I kicked them off. I never paused, I just continued on barefoot. We laced our way through the halls. Any soldiers we came across were taken out quickly and efficiently.
We ran through a side door only to find ourselves surrounded by MRA soldiers. We stopped short and would have gone back through the door but the soldiers in the building had come in behind. “Well, well. Fancy this.” Clowe said as he and Ansem came into view in front of us. “Two Elements, out here all on their own. Not very smart…”
We moved closer together. Zeff reached into his tux jacket pocket and pulled out his laser-sword and I pulled out my knives. Clowe just grinned and stepped closer. “Well, what do you know? She actually combed out her braids for you.” He said to Zeff. “You must be special.”
The soldiers attacked. We defended ourselves as best we could but in no time we found ourselves pinned to the ground. It was freezing against my bare skin but they wouldn’t let me up. Zeff struggled and managed to free himself once but between the four soldiers, who were quite obviously Manticore material, he was soon overwhelmed.
His face contorted in pain as a soldier grabbed him by one arm and threw him bodily to the ground but he wouldn’t give up. One of the soldiers held him down as the others returned to the truck. It was when they went back to their truck I knew we were in trouble. One of the soldiers turned around holding a rather familiar looking metal collar. I groaned.
Clowe looked down at me and grinned. “Oh this isn’t for you.” He said, looking toward Zeff.
Zeff paled visibly. One of the soldiers holding him down laughed. “He’s shaking like a leaf!”
I looked over at Zeff. Sure enough, he was trembling. With a nod from Clowe the soldier went over and fastened it around Zeff’s neck. The change was instantaneous. He started writhing and clawing at the collar. His breath was coming in short gasps as if he was having trouble breathing. “Zeff?” I called to him but he didn’t seem to hear me. “Zeff!”
I felt sick. “Stop it!” I screamed at Clowe.
Clowe smiled at Ansem. Ansem, however, was watching Zeff intently as if monitoring how much damage he was sustaining. “Amazing.” Clowe said, causing Ansem to glance at him. “After all these years he can still be taken down by a little thing like a collar.”
“Stop please!” I begged. Zeff was clawing at his neck leaving cuts and scrapes around the collar. Clowe just smiled at me and signalled to his soldiers. One of them stuck me in the neck and I faded into blackness.
When I came back around the first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t at Clowe’s. I looked around as my eyes regained their ability to focus. Dee, Scott, Jean and the Professor were all gathered around my bed. Dee grinned. “She’s awake.”
“Zeff?” I asked, my voice coming out in a croak.
“I’m here.” He said from the next bed over.
I relaxed back against the pillows. Dee gave me a small drink of water. “What happened?” I asked.
“I got the sudden feeling that something was wrong.” Dee said. “So when Scott and Jean left to pick up your uncle Alex from the airport I tagged along. I suggested taking a detour by the dance hall.”
“I thought something was up when she asked to tag along.” Jean said, picking up the story. “But when she suggested that I knew. When we passed the hall all we could see were sirens and lights. When we drove closer we could see two shapes lying on the ground, surrounded by soldiers.”
“Us.” I muttered.
Jean nodded. “Scott gunned it and drove right into the middle of them.”
“Your dad is scary when he gets behind the wheel.” Dee joked.
I laughed. Scott took up the tale. “When I got the car close enough the girls jumped out and grabbed you. By then the soldiers had opened fire. Jean put up a psychic barrier so that they couldn’t hit us as they dragged you into the car. We high-tailed it back here as fast as we could.
“Our first priority was getting that damn metal thing off of Zeff. We thought it was torturing him but when we took it off it was just a thin circle of metal. Then we got you down here and worked on waking you up.”
I looked over at Zeff. He was lying back against his pillows watching me, apparently oblivious to the fact that no one was crowded around his bed. I could tell it bothered him a little. Then I noticed his bandaged shoulder. “What happened to you?”
He looked confused for a second then he glanced at the bandage. “Oh. Wrenched my arm trying to get away from the soldiers.” He said quietly. “You’re pretty banged up yourself.”
When I looked confused Dee laughed. “You’re covered in scratches and bruises.”
“What about Alex?” I asked.
“Beast is getting him. We didn’t forget him.” Jean assured me.
So that was how I met my uncle. I was laying in an infirmary bed covered in scratches and bruises and my dress ruined from the wet ground I had been pinned to. He just took it all in stride. He came over to my bedside smiling as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Pol.” He said. “Look at you. Last time I saw you, you were just a day into this world. You’ve grown.”
“Uncle Alex.” I smiled, clasping his hand and returning the hug he gave me.
He reached across my bed and clasped Zeff’s hand. “And you are Zeff. I’ve been home, looking after my parents. But I’ve heard all about you kids. Scott likes to keep me up to date on things.”
I saw Zeff stiffen slightly. He and my dad still weren’t on the best of terms. Alex noticed too and laughed. “Don’t worry too much about him. Some people just take longer to get on his good side. I mean, look at Logan.”
“That’s not very reassuring.” Zeff muttered.
Alex laughed. “Don’t dwell on it. He’s a hard one to please. He sometimes forgets that not everyone is as perfect as he is.”
We stared at him in shock. Alex just laughed and waved as he left us alone.
Having Alex home sure made things easier on me and Zeff. Scott was a totally different person when Alex was around. He laughed more and seemed more like a normal human being rather than Mr. Suspicious-and-ultra-careful. Jean explained to me why that was.
Apparently the “crash” that had lost me my grandparents and caused Scott’s inability to control his power had separated the two brothers. Scott was hospitalized and Alex was sent to an orphanage. By the time Scott left the hospital his brother had been adopted. They didn’t see each other for over ten years. Now when they were together they became almost like little kids again. It was a nice change.
Zeff was kept in the infirmary longer than I was. His shoulder had been dislocated and his self-mutilation didn’t go unnoticed. I spent as much time as I could down there, keeping him company. I was curious as to what had happened to him. I had never seen him freak out like that.
He told me that his people were imprinted by the things that happen in the first five years of their lives. He had almost been strangled to death in that time period and it had scarred him permanently in a mental capacity. His physical scar had come from Clowe, trying to cure his weakness.
My hatred for the man grew. Was there nothing this man wouldn’t do? Zeff was probably viewed as valuable government property. For Clowe to injure him despite that was madness. I was beginning to wonder how sane the man we were fighting was…
Chapter 23
My classes weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. It was nice to be with people that were closer to my level of thinking. I actually had to work and study. It was a nice change from pretending I didn’t know anything. There were some dangers however.
I had to be in constant watch for any MRA people. I had to keep up on my meditation to be sure that my powers did not flare out of my control. Even that had its dangers. I could only go into deep meditation when Sara was either asleep or away for hours. Any levitation would expose the fact that I was a mutant.
In class I sat slightly apart from the others so I could use my psychic powers to take note of everything the Professors would say. It was the only way I could take notes fast enough to get everything down. This worked for a couple months. Then I found a young man sitting beside me in all my quantum mechanics classes. I would have to remember to hold on to my pencil now when I took notes.
One day, after class, he actually got up the nerve to talk to me. I grabbed my bag and threw my books in it. Then I turned and left the class. I didn’t need any guys hanging around. Nothing against the male species but I didn’t think Zeff would take it well if he found out another guy had more of my attention than he did.
I had barely gotten out the door when a voice stopped me. “Wait up!” I turned to see the young man who had been sitting beside me. “Where are you going?” he asked, coming up beside me.
“Back to my Res.” I replied.
“Not by yourself I hope!” he said.
“Why not?” I replied, a bit indignant.
“It’s dangerous this time of night.” He said. “Please, let me walk you back.”
I smiled at his ignorance. “If you want to. But I’m quite capable of looking after myself.”
He grinned and fell in step beside me. “I’m sure you are. I’m Simon by the way.”
“Pol.” I offered, hoisting my bag back up on my shoulder.
“You’re from the states right?” he asked.
He was a perceptive little bugger. “New York.” I replied.
“No way. Your accent is definitely not from New York.” He said. “Let me guess… New Jersey?”
I smiled. Very perceptive. “Millville. But I moved to New York a little over a year ago.”
It became a bit of a routine. Simon was a real nice guy. He was funny, in his own way. Despite my earlier misgivings I found I was enjoying myself. It felt good to have a friend at the school. Samantha had left me alone after our first meeting. She was afraid of me. And she had good reason. No mutant with my power level had ever been able to harness their powers themselves. None of them were able to control their abilities. In fact, I had never heard of another mutant with my level except the other Elements. Though the Professor told me there was one other. One he had to suppress indefinitely.
For a long time nothing happened. I went to classes and studied. My life got very monotonous. Then a few months into the semester, just when I thought I could get used to the quiet, I ran into trouble.
Simon and I were walking outside since the weather was still fairly warm and we were just passing the library when a sound from the shadows made me stop. “Well, well, well.” A voice said. “What have we got here? A Nerd and a Chick. Come here Baby and we’ll have some fun.”
Simon stood in front of me and clenched his fists. “Back off.” He said as threateningly as a tall stick-thin guy with nerd-glasses could sound.
It was a very chivalrous gesture, but to no avail. A fist flew out in the dark and caught him in the side of the head. He fell to the pavement hard. He wasn’t moving. “See, now, you shouldn’t have done that.” I told them. “Cause as long as he was conscious I couldn’t do anything to you.”
I let my mind reach out so I could see where they were. It was the same three Jocks from my first day here. Didn’t they learn their lesson the first time? The leader reached for me and I grabbed his arm. Twisting it around, I sent him flying. There was a tear of fabric as his hold on my wrist broke but I ignored it.
The other two looked at me and backed away slightly. They suddenly recognised me. I sensed movement behind me and ducked. The leader’s fist flew over my head and he fell, sprawled out on the ground in front of me.
I lashed out with my foot. He dodged and got back to his feet. Before he could punch me I got him. He flew back another few feet. This time, when he managed to struggle to his feet he decided he had enough. He and his friends ran from there as fast as they could. I heard them shouting curses at me and all mutants as they went. Simon groaned and struggled to get up. I knelt down and helped him to his feet. “How’re you doing?” I asked.
He groaned slightly and reached his hand to his head. “Besides a massive headache and a split lip?” he asked. “Surprisingly good. What about you? Did they hurt you? Did they―?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I told him. “And they’re gone.”
I helped him over to a picnic table to sit until he was steady again. “How’d you do that?” he asked.
“Do what?” I groaned inwardly. This could be very bad.
“Throw him like that?” Simon asked.
“I think you hit your head harder than you think.” I chided him.
He shook his head. “I know what I saw. There’s no way they would have just left you.” He told me. “Are you a mutant? You must be.”
I sighed. He seemed trustworthy enough. “Yes.” I replied. I called some lightning into my palm and watched it dance over my hands. It always had a calming effect on me. “I am a mutant. But I don’t want people to know.”
“I guess not.” He said, glancing sidelong at my hands. “I’m sorry Pol. I’m not used to seeing lightning so close.”
“Oh, sorry.” I said, closing my palm and extinguishing the lightning. I looked at him nervously. “Does it matter? If I’m a mutant?”
He grinned. “Nah. Actually it explains more than it doesn’t.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I didn’t realize how much I wanted him for a friend. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, honestly confused.
I shook my head. I didn’t feel like explaining how scared I was. It’s hard for a mutant to make friends these days. “Nothing. You sure you’re alright? I should take you to the hospital. They hit you kinda hard.”
He stood shakily, leaning on my arm for support. “I’m fine.”
We worked our way slowly toward the residences. “Where do you live?” I asked.
“MSR.” He replied.
“We should get you home.”
“What’s that?” he asked, looking at my wrist.
I looked down. The bandages had ripped with my sleeve when I threw that jerk off me. My symbol was in plain sight. I shook my head and said nothing. I couldn’t explain it to him right now. I took him back to the Mature Student Residence. We got to his room and his roommate answered the door. “Hey. Who’re ― oh my God Simon! What happened to you?”
“We ran into some trouble on the way back from class.” I told him. “Simon may have a concussion. Can you keep an eye on him? Take him to the hospital if he needs it.”
Simon’s roommate just looked at me. “Uh… sure. Who’re you?”
“Pol.” I said over my shoulder as I left.
I went back to my res. I didn’t want any more surprises tonight. When I got to my room I threw my coat on my bed and went to my medicine cabinet where I kept spare bandages. I always tried to have supplies close by. I didn’t want a “tattoo” to give away who I was. “How was class?” Sara asked.
“Not bad.” I said as I re-wrapped my wrist.
“What happened?” by the time she got to my side I had my symbol covered and was doing an extra layer as a precaution.
“Nothing.” I said. “I ran into some trouble coming back from class. Some vigilantes decided I might be fun to play with. They learned differently.”
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“Fine.” I told her, going over and turning on my laptop.
Thankfully she decided not to push it any further. I logged onto my email. Zeff’s daily message waited for me. I opened it and read about what trouble the others had gotten into today. What wild and crazy things I missed out on.
Hiya Pol,
I was studying the databases today. Did you know that Dark and Jacob are technically cousins? Mystique is Jacob’s biological grandmother and Rogue’s adopted mother. Talk about dysfunctional families. I also included some interesting family background for you. Psycho and I had a duel today in the Danger Room. Venting anger. You understand. It was a western style. She should know better by now than to fight me with guns. Tasers. But enough to feel it when you’re hit. I beat her. Of course. I’ve attached a picture of the result. It was hilarious. I hope everything is going well. We all miss you. We all look forward to the Christmas break.
Remember, I’m always here if you need me.
Zeff
I smiled and opened the pictures. There was a picture of Zeff in a cowboy outfit, complete with hat and trench coat and a gun in his hand. Then there were a few of Psycho. The first one she stood with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She was wearing a frilly floral dress. In one of the pictures Zeff stood just behind her, a triumphant smile on his face, his gun hanging limply from his hand. I laughed out loud.
Sara turned in her chair and looked at me. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh.” She said, looking at the screen. “What’s so funny? Isn’t that you’re boyfriend?”
I grinned at her. “Yup, that’s my Zeff. And the girl is Psy ― uh… Ondraya.” I told her. “They are both ex-U.S. soldiers, in a sense. Ondraya would never be caught dead in a dress. Especially not one so frilly. What you see is the result of a bet she lost to Zeff.”
Sara grinned. “Must be one of those things you need to know the people for.”
I nodded. She went back to her computer and I opened the other attached file. I read it and re-read it. Apparently I had more family then I realized. It was mind-boggling. On my mom’s side there was my Grandfather, John Grey; my Grandmother, Elaine Grey; a dead aunt I never knew named Sara Grey-Bailey and two cousins I would also never know, Gailyn and Joey Bailey.
On my Dad’s side there was Philip Summers, my great-grandfather; Deborah Summers, my great-grandmother; Christopher Summers, my grandfather; Katherine Anne Summers, a grandmother I would never know; and two uncles, Alexander and Gabriel Summers.
My family was just as messed up as Dark’s. Kinda. Though it’s true they weren’t mutant haters. My grandparents on my dad’s side had been taken by aliens when my dad was a boy. Christopher survived to become Corsair, a space vigilante in a sense. Katherine had not been so lucky.
My uncle Gabriel was from my grandfather’s space travels. He was not the most friendly of people. That was probably why I had never met him. I was surprised I hadn’t met Alex yet. According to the file he was still with the X-men. That meant he should have been at the Institute. Unless he had been on a job the whole time I was there. Then again the Institute was a fairly big place. There was a chance that I may have just never ran into him. A slim chance, but a chance just the same. “Ah man.” I groaned.
Talk about a mental overload. It had been a long day. I went over to my bed and collapsed, slipping into a light meditation. I had to keep it light so that I didn’t start levitating. I didn’t rouse until Sara had gone to bed. Then I sat up and unwrapped my wrist. I stared at the symbol thoughtfully.
What would I tell Simon if he asked about it again? How much was it safe to tell him? I didn’t think he would willingly tell anyone. But if he drank to much alcohol or if Clowe got a hold of him? There’s no telling what might happen. With any luck the topic wouldn’t come up again.
I spent all night thinking about it but I got no closer to an answer. Simon wasn’t in class the next week and I was worried about him. But it turned out just to be a mild concussion and he had taken the week off. Thankfully, when he got back he decided to act like nothing had happened, like nothing had changed.
He had no curious questions about my powers or my family. For that I was glad. He did comment on my symbol a couple of times. However, when I didn’t answer his questions or just gave vague answers he let it drop. He really was fun to be with and he made the months pass by quicker than they would have.
Chapter 22
I was woken in the morning when someone flung my door open. “Pol!” they called.
I felt myself falling and with a resounding CRACK! I hit my head off the wooden headboard of my bed. “Cool! She does fall!” I was able to place the voice now. It was Psycho.
I cursed and leapt at her. She laughed and dodged out of the way. “Come on sleepyhead.” She said, grabbing my clothes off the chair where I had set them and flinging them at me. “Breakfast is ready.”
She left and I quickly changed and followed her. The smell of pancakes greeted me as I entered the dinning hall. The few students that remained at the school for the summer were already eating. I went and grabbed my food and sat with the others. “So. You ready to go to the cold white north?” Kitty asked.
“I guess.” I replied. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“How long of a drive is it?” Dee asked.
“Around thirteen hours.” I replied. “It’ll be night time when I move in.”
We fell quiet for a few minutes. “Why the hell are you leaving us?” Psycho asked.
“Psycho!” Dee said. “That’s not gonna help.”
“Well, I’m curious.” Psycho insisted.
I looked down at my plate and then up at her. “I’m going away to learn things that will help us when Clowe decides he’s done playing games. I’m not gonna be away forever and at the first sign of trouble for the school I’ll be back.”
“Oh.” She said. “Ok then…”
Pretty soon I was sitting in the back of one of the Institutes older cars, which was still pretty nice, waiting for Jean and Scott to climb in. They seemed to be arguing about something. To my surprise Zeff threw an overnight bag into the trunk and climbed in beside me. “What?” He asked at my stunned expression. “Did you honestly think I’d let you go away to Canada without coming along to see you off?”
I smiled and snuggled against him as Scott and Jean climbed into the front. We drove in silence for a long time. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Jean leaned over and turned on the CD player. Now at least there was music to cover the uncomfortable silence in the car. It wasn’t till we got to the border that we ran into problems.
The border guard stopped us and peered into the car. “Y’all goin on vacation?” he asked conversationally.
“Just taking my daughter up to school.” Scott replied just as conversationally.
“Can I see some ID please.” He asked.
Scott handed over his and Jean’s drivers licenses. The guard checked them over and handed them back. “The boy yers too?”
Scott shook his head. “My daughter’s guy. He’s just coming along to see her off.”
“Ya got ID son?” The guard asked Zeff.
Zeff and I exchanged glances. All he had was his mutant ID card. That would not win us any point with this guy. He reached into his pocket and passed the card to Jean. She glanced at it and her lips tightened as she braced herself for the guard’s reaction. She passed it to Scott who passed it to the guard.
The guard glanced at it and passed it back quickly. “Do you have any other identification?” he asked us.
“If he did he wouldn’t have passed that one to you.” I muttered.
“I’m afraid not.” Scott replied as Jean threw me a warning glare.
He frowned. “If I let you into the country I could lose my job.” He told us.
“We don’t want any trouble.” Jean told him. “We just want to get Pol to school and get back home.”
Just then another customs officer came over. “Trouble?” he asked.
Zeff and I traded glances again. This could only lead to trouble. But to my surprise the first officer pasted a pleasant smile on his face and turned around. “No.” he said. “Just giving these folks some advice.”
He waved us by. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I turned to Zeff. His face held a look of shock. Then I looked at Jean. She had a satisfied smile on her face. “Mom you didn’t!” I gasped.
She grinned a little sheepishly. “I wasn’t in the mood for arguing with customs officials.” She said.
“There is no way you can get mad at me now.” I told her, exchanging grins with Zeff. “You’ve stooped to my level.”
She shot me a warning look but couldn’t help but laugh. “I might not be able to say anything… but your father will.” She reminded me.
The rest of the ride to Sudbury went smoothly and relatively comfortably. It seemed like no time at all before we were at the University with my stuffed all moved in and put away. Scott and Jean had returned to the car leaving Zeff to say goodbye when a tall girl of eighteen or so entered the room. “You’re here!” she said excitedly. “Hi, I’m Sara.”
“I’m Pol.” I told her. She looked from me to Zeff. “Sorry. This is Zeff.”
“Hi.” She said, shaking our hands.
“I should go.” Zeff said.
He gave me a hug and a brief kiss on my forehead. “I’ll call you.” He said as he went to the door. “Take care of yourself.”
“Don’t I always?” I grinned. “I’ll miss you. Say hi to the others.”
As he disappeared I collapsed on my bed. Sara had sat down at her desk and was typing on msn. “So.” She said. “Was that your boyfriend?”
I smiled. “I guess you could say that.” I told her. “He’s never actually asked me out on a date. It’s complicated.”
She nodded, accepting my answer. “So what program are you in.”
I grinned slightly. “That’s also complicated.” I told her. “I’m taking a mixture of science courses but not actually specializing in an area.”
“So are you an exchange student or something?” she asked.
“Something like that.” I told her.
She laughed. “So what courses you taking?”
“Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Distributed Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Digital System Implementation, Recombinant DNA Technology, and Computer Networks.” I told her.
“Holy crap!” she said. “Those aren’t first year courses. They’re letting you take that many? You’re gonna be busy.”
I shrugged. “I can handle it.”
“So what are you doing tomorrow?” she asked.
“I need to get my student card and books and things.” I replied. “Then I have a meeting with the President of the University to discuss some things.”
“Whoa, wait. The President? You sure you don’t mean the head of your department?”
I smiled. “Quite sure. I don’t make mistakes often. Besides, it’s not really about my courses… that I know of.”
“Sounds like a busy day.” She said. “You must be exhausted. You must have been travelling all day. Where are you from anyway?”
“I grew up in New Jersey. Diamond Beach and Millville. But the past year and a bit I lived in Westchester County in New York.”
“Wow. That is a long way. How long did it take you to get here?”
“Around thirteen hours.” I replied. “How about you?”
“Oh I’m from Brampton Ontario.” She answered.
I spent the rest of the night lying on the bed, facing the wall, and pretending to sleep. The others felt so far away, even with our elemental ties, and I felt a little lonely. I reached out and found Zeff and my parents fast asleep at a nearby hotel. Finally my roommate fell asleep and I allowed myself to slip into meditation.
The next day I went up to the library where they snapped my picture and issued me my student card. From there I went to the bookstore and bought my books. The lady behind the counter looked at the books in surprise. “You buying for your friends too?” she asked me.
“No.” I answered. “These are all for me.”
“You can only buy books for the courses you are taking.” She told me.
“I am taking those courses.” I replied, showing her my timetable.
She arched an eyebrow at me but didn’t say anything. Once outside the bookstore I threw my books into my backpack and went in search of the president’s office. I walked down the underground hallway between the Classroom Building and the Fraser Building, trying to figure out where I was going.
Suddenly I heard a disturbance nearby. Three athletic looking young men had pushed a small girl into some lockers. She was young, no older than me, and very petite. She looked like she should only be in grade nine. Her books fell from her arms and scattered all over the floor. “Get out of here freak.” The biggest one sneered. “No one wants you Muties here.”
The girl ignored them. She knelt down and started picking up her books. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” the boy snapped, swinging at her with his fist.
He never connected. About half a foot away from her head his fist hit an invisible barrier. The girl stood up and started walking away. The group stood there and watched her in shocked silence for a moment. Then the leader pulled a knife out of his coat and chucked it at the back of her head. Without thinking I grabbed the knife with my mind and sent it hurtling back. The boys ducked just in time.
Wandering over to them I pulled out one of my own knives. I walked up to the leader and pointed it at his chest. He backed up a step so that he was backed against the lockers himself. He and his buddies looked nervously at the blade in my hand. “Leave her alone.” I told him. “She’s not dangerous. But I am.”
He nodded quickly. As soon as I lowered my knife he bolted. He and his buddies ran down the hall to their next class. “You did me no favours by doing that.” I heard a soft voice say from behind me.
I whirled around to see the girl standing there. I smiled and shoot my head. “I have no patience with small-town bullies like them.” I told her. “My name’s Pol.” I offered my hand in greeting.
“Samantha.” She replied, glancing at my outstretched hand but not accepting it.
“Sam?” a voice rang out from down the hall. Dr. Woodsworth, the President of the university, stood there. “We need to talk.”
Her gaze took in Sam’s ruffled hair and messy books and the knife that was now imbedded into one of the lockers. Sam’s shoulders dropped despairingly and she followed Dr. Woodsworth down the hall. I didn’t even hesitate before falling into step beside her. “This doesn’t concern you Miss –?” she paused and glanced back.
“Lee.” I supplied the alias I was to go by up here. “And with all due respect Ma’am, I think it does.”
She studied my face for a moment. I wouldn’t budge. Finally she turned and started down the hall to the Classroom building. We followed in silence. An awkward silence that wasn’t broken until we were safely shut inside Dr. Woodsworth’s office. “Sam.” She sighed. “This is happening way too often. I think you should leave.”
“What!” Sam’s head shot up and she stared at Dr. Woodsworth horror-struck. “This is my home! I’m finally doing something with my life! Please, Judith, don’t send me away!”
“Excuse me Ma’am.” I said calmly. “But I’m afraid it was I who acted violently today. Sam just ignored her attackers. I took action.”
Dr. Woodsworth looked at me and shook her head sadly. “Even if that were true Miss Lee, she is dangerous. She has the highest power level this school has ever seen.”
I actually laughed at her. Me, Pol, laughed at a teacher. “Please!” I said when I had finally calmed down enough to talk. “What class are you? One? Two?”
“Three.” Sam mumbled.
“I’m afraid you’re not up to date with your data.” I told her, handing her my ID card.
Her eyes bulged for a moment. “F-five!” She gasped, looking at me. “But all Class Five mutants look like – you look normal!”
I grinned. “It just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Even Sam looked frightened. I smiled warmly and produced my other card. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.” I told them. “I have been spoken for by Professor Charles Xavier of Westchester County in New York.”
Dr. Woodsworth glanced at me. “You’re that mutant? I thought he said you were safe! How―”
“I’m safe because I have a massive amount of self control.” I explained. “I haven’t lost control of my powers since I first discovered them. I also have a head on my shoulders which is more than you could say for most mutants. I haven’t been scarred by anti-mutant prejudices. I’m here because I don’t want to be found by certain mutants. As such I will not do anything to draw more attention to myself than possible.”
She frowned at me. “And you think this little display you showed today will go unnoticed?” she asked.
“Chances are they’ll think the rebounding knife was from Sam here.” I replied. “They’ll probably think I’m just an idiot who doesn’t know when to mind her own business.”
Dr. Woodsworth frowned at me. “Very well. Sam you have one more chance. Any more disturbances and you’re gone you hear?”
Sam nodded and left with a quiet word of thanks. “Now, Miss Lee, what are these mutants you are hiding from?”
I hesitated. How much should I tell her? “Have you ever heard of the Mutant Restriction Agency?” I asked.
“Sure.” She said. “They are a group in the States and Canada that find mutants, teach them to control their powers and then rehabilitate them.”
I sighed. “The MRA is a front. It is a mutant run organization that kidnaps mutants and indoctrinates them into their forces. They are literally building an army.”
She looked at me. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they want to take control of the world. They want to eliminate all the homosapiens from the Earth.” I explained. “And my friends and I are on their most wanted list.”
“Why’s that? Because of your class?” she asked.
I nodded. She took a deep breath and looked me over. “Well as long as there are no disturbances you can stay here. I’ll look over the one today.”
I smiled thankfully at her. “I appreciate it. Thanks.”
Chapter 21
They attacked fast and hard. It was near impossible to keep track of everyone. I tried my hardest to keep an eye on Carol. She wasn’t a fighter and never will be. But Scott was covering her so I didn’t need to worry that much. It got very confusing very quickly. I barely had time to think about where to block next. The X-series soldiers seemed to be everywhere at once. Clowe and Ansem retreated inside, leaving the fighting to the trained professionals.
I heard Carol say something to my right just as a beam from my dads visor shone to my left. I frowned. They’d gotten separated. I turned to see a soldier taking aim at Carol’s head. “No!” I ran and tackled Carol, knocking her out of the line of fire just as Zeff attacked the shooter.
The Soldier’s shot went wild and instead of catching me in the head or side like it probably would have done, it caught me in the lower leg. I fell to the ground and rolled quickly, moving against the wall and out of the main fighting area. I took off my belt and used it as a bandage to staunch the blood flow and then got right back into the fight. If we were going to escape I couldn’t let one little bullet hole stop me.
I grabbed Carol’s arm, pulling her once again out of the line of fire. I pretty much threw her into an alcove in the wall behind me. “Stay here.” I said, putting a psychic barrier around her for protection.
“What about you?” She asked as I ran back into the fray. “Pol!”
I ignored her and ran at a soldier, pulling out two of my knives as I went. They blocked my attack and launched one of their own. Once again I was forced to think of nothing but defending myself. Just as I thought we were going to lose I heard someone shouting to my left. “Alright, that’s it. Everybody duck.” Psycho called. “This place is going down.”
“No Psych!” I called from where I fought. “It’s too soon!”
“Then help me!” she replied.
Almost as one we turned our thoughts and energy toward her, allowing our elements and strength to flow into hers. “What do you kids think you’re doing?” Logan asked.
“Distracting them.” Zeff replied.
The ground began to shake and I was thrown to my knees, but all I cared about was helping Psycho. There was a large crash as the building came down around us and then I fell gratefully into the blackness of the elemental backlash.
When I woke again I was lying in a bed in the Institute’s infirmary. I looked around to see the others in the beds nearby. Dee was still asleep and Kitty was lying back staring at the ceiling, but both Psycho and Dark were sitting up, ready to go. The door whisked open and the Professor rolled in. “Did we get him?” Psycho asked. “When the building came down. Is Clowe gone?”
Kitty looked up in interest. “No.” the Professor replied with a faintly amused look on his face. “He got away. He’s relocated again to one of his other facilities. I just pray he didn’t have time do download any information he may have extracted from you.”
“Figures.” Dark said. “That would be too easy.”
The Professor shook his head sadly. “If you two are feeling better you might want to go up to class. Ororo is expecting you.”
They left, grumbling silently to themselves, as Jean came in. She walked over to Kitty and gave her some water. She checked her over and grinned. “Nice try Missy.” She said. “You’re well enough for class too. Out you go.”
Kitty grinned and hoped off the bed. “But I feel so dizzy Mrs. Summers.” She said, feigning falling over.
“Out!” Jean laughed as Kitty ran from the room.
Then Jean went over to Dee. She checked her temperature and breathing and smiled. “She’s fine.” She said to the Professor. “Just sleeping. She must have been going longer than the others.”
“She was.” I told her as she came over to examine me. “She was made to use her powers shortly before they hooked us up to those… things.”
Jean took my temperature, checked my eyes and my breathing, and then looked at my leg. She changed the bandage on it and gave me some water. “How’s Carol doing?” I asked.
“Aside from wanting to go home and being mentally shaken she’s doing remarkably well.” The Professor replied. “I was worried about how well she would fit in here with us. But she seems to be taking it well, all things considered.”
“She was down here earlier to see you but you were still out of it.” Jean told me.
“How long have I…”
“Almost a full day.” Jean replied. “Zeff has been down here twice to replenish your strength but felt it was best to let you sleep. Apparently he was right. How do you feel?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Great.” I replied. “Aside from the leg I feel well rested and I don’t even have a slight headache.”
It wasn’t long before Dee too was given a clean bill of health and told to go up to class. I was left by my self in the infirmary because of my injured leg. It annoyed me to be stuck in here while the others were all out and walking around. Zeff came down to visit me around suppertime bearing a tray of food. He picked up on my mood right away, like he always did. “What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting in the chair beside my bed.
“I feel so useless.” I confessed. “I feel like the weak link of the group. I always seem to have to be carried out of whatever scrap we get into.”
Zeff took my hand in his and smiled. “You are not the weak link. You are the one that holds your little group together. If it wasn’t for you Dee would not be hanging with the group. And true the other three would stick together but I’d hate to see how much trouble they could get into. Without you there they would have been captured and converted long ago. You are the voice of reason, the intellect of the group. For some unknown reason Psycho listens to you and you are able to break through the emotional wall around Dark.”
“But I’m always carried out of the fights.” I insisted.
“That’s not your fault.” Zeff replied. “You don’t have the combat training the others do so you have to rely on your element more. And as for this last fight? A gunshot wound would take down anyone. And you all got carried out of this one.”
“I guess…” I muttered.
“Don’t dwell on it.” He told me, placing my tray of food on a bed-table and wheeling it over to me. “Eat something. You need to replenish your strength.”
I smiled sadly and picked at the roast beef dinner on my plate. Zeff stayed for a couple hours, talking and playing cards. All too soon he had to go. He was on the evening watch that night.
I was kept locked up in that darn infirmary for two whole days before I was allowed to leave. Zeff came down and stayed with me, keeping me company. However, it didn’t take me long to figure out something was bothering him. He was a lot quieter than was usual. “Zeff? What’s wrong?” I asked.
He shifted his gaze away. “Nothing.” He said. “Just dreams.”
“It’s not just dreams.” I argued. “You never have bad dreams.”
“It was when we were in those tanks.” He said. “I saw my family. But they were different than I remembered them. Older, you know? Anyway I was happy to see them, but they didn’t seem happy to see me.” He hesitated. “They all blamed me for something. My father blamed me for our people’s lack of faith. He said that I made him appear weak and unable to lead. I think he probably blames me for his brother’s death too. My mother blames me for my father’s failing health. My baby brother… I’ve ruined his life. My parents can barely stand to look at him. I’m sure Zoë tries to get along with him, but he reminds her too much of me… too much of the twin she lost. She thinks I could have come back. I probably could have if it wasn’t for Clowe and the MRA. My disappearance made her heir. All her dreams are in vain. She has to lead our people. She has no choice. And our bond is broken.”
As I listened I felt his loss and confusion. The one that had hurt him the most was his twin sister. “It was a dream.” I tried to reassure him. “I seriously doubt that after thirteen years or so the first thing your sister says to you is an accusation.”
He looked at me and smiled sadly. “I’m not so sure.” He said. “It didn’t feel like a dream. It was too real.”
I thought about it. “You said you had a bond with your sister. It’s possible that when you were in the tank your elemental and protector bonds may have been extinguished. That would leave you free to travel mentally along the bond with your sister.” I looked at him but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I could help you reach her again. If you could just talk to her…”
“No.” he said quietly. “You couldn’t.”
“Yes I could.” I said. “My mind is strong enough. If we worked together it might boost your mind enough to get you within talking range.”
“No.” he said firmly.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because!” he looked up at me and I could feel his hurt and his anger. “Because I couldn’t do that to her.” He took a calming breath. “Pol, twins on my home planet? They don’t marry. They don’t date. They don’t even think about another person in that way. The depth of their bond is such that they can’t love another. If you helped me she would feel our bond… I can’t do that to her.”
I flinched slightly. I had no idea how much of an issue our bond was for him. He could leave at any time… and he would, if he didn’t want to answer my questions. I was still infirmary-bound. But he didn’t leave, so I continued to ask questions. “You said twins don’t marry. How would that work with you being the heir and all?”
“That’s why Calichial was born.” He replied. “I had till Cal reached manhood to decide whether I would take over for my father, or whether I would live with my twin.” He locked his gaze into mine. The look in his eyes told me how important his next sentence was. “The way me and Zoë were before I left… we would have stayed together.”
“Zeff…” I didn’t know what to say. It almost felt as if he was blaming me for his family issues.
He saw the look on my face and rose to his feet. “I’m sorry.” He said as he left.
He came down to see me a couple more times. We just pretended nothing had happened. By the time I was let out we had pretty much forgotten what had been said. We could never stay mad at each other. I was so happy to be out that I would have been quite happy to go to class.
Instead of being sent to class, however, I was told to go to see the Professor. When I arrived in his office he was teaching a literature course to some students. They all turned to look at me as I closed the door. “Ah, Polgara, I’ll be right with you.” he said before turning back to his lesson.
They were talking about the book ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. I sat by the door and amused myself by reading one of the books on biochemistry he had in his bookshelf. When the students left I put the book back and went to his desk. “You wanted to see me Professor?” I asked.
“Yes.” He said, putting his books away. “I have a slight dilemma I need your help with. You see, I am unable to teach you anymore.”
I must have looked shocked because he hastily explained. “You have learned all I have to teach here. Now you have three choices. You can go to a university to study harder courses or you may stay here and either teach or help Hank in the lab.”
I thought about it. I wanted to learn… to actually learn. But was I ready to leave my friends? Did I want to leave the safe little community I lived in? “You don’t have to answer now.” The Professor said. “You may have a few months to think about it. But you need to decide before the cut off dates for the universities.”
“Thank you.” I said, attempting to smile.
I limped out of the office and out into the garden. Already the sun and wind made me feel better. I had forgotten how drained I got when I was stuck indoors. I sat under a tree and watched as students ran from class to class. I fell into meditation and was woken up an hour or so later by someone poking me. “They finally let you out huh?” I opened my eyes to see Psycho and Chimaero. Psycho poked me again with the stick she held in her hand. “I thought she’d never release you.”
“Pol!” I heard someone call from the school.
I got to my feet just to be knocked over again as Carol ran into me. “No wonder you like it here. This place has everything!”
I smiled, standing up again and helping her to her feet. Psycho and Chimaero exchanges glances that were a mixture of amusement and annoyance and then left. Carol was still chattering on animatedly. “And guess what? My parents are gonna come here. He said he’d bring them here till he can arrange for us to go somewhere safe.”
“That’s great Carrie.” I said with a smile.
“Oh shoot! I gotta go!” She said, taking off down the yard. “My next class is in ten minutes!”
I watched her run off and couldn’t help but smile. She was so animated. Psycho and Chimaero shook their heads and followed at their own pace. I heard someone come up behind me. I turned around as Zeff picked me up as if I was just a child and twirled me around. “Zeff!” I laughed. “Put me own!”
He laughed and did as I asked. “You look better.” He said.
“I feel better.” I replied. “How were your classes?”
“Boring as usual.” He replied. “Not everyone is as interested in learning as you.”
I smiled sadly and pulled away from him. “Pol? What is it?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I said, attempting a smile. “I just… I’ve got a lot on my mind is all.”
It was a mark for how much he cared that he didn’t read my mind. “Is it anything I can help you with?” he asked.
This time I had to smile. “I don’t think so.” I said, sitting back down against the tree and pulling my knees up to my chest. “This is something I’m supposed to figure out myself.”
“Oh.” He crouched down beside me. “Well I’m sure you’ll make the right choice.”
I shrugged. “I hope so.” I said quietly.
Zeff kissed me and then stood up. “You will.” He said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. Then he turned and left for his class.
I sat under the tree for a long time, thinking about what to do. I thought about what was better for me and what was better for us as a group. It would be safer for me to find some small university out of the country. If I could leave under the radar who knew how long I could stay there before Clowe found me.
By suppertime I had decided. I was going to give this university thing a shot. I mean, if it didn’t work I could always come home. After supper I told the Professor of my plan and between the two of us we settled on a school called Laurentian in a mining town in northern Ontario and he let me pick my courses.
They had some pretty interesting ones. I decided to take Recombinant DNA Technology, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Computer Networks, Digital System Implementation, Distributed Systems, and just for fun I threw in the course on Artificial Intelligence. I went over it with the Professor and he was able to pull some strings to get me into the classes without having to specialize in one area or have the pre-required courses.
The summer went by, uneventful and way too quickly. All too soon it was time for me to leave and I hadn’t told the others yet. In fact, it was two days before I left that I mentioned it. I spent the whole day packing and by suppertime I was feeling anxious and afraid.
I knew I should have mentioned it before, at least to Zeff. But I didn’t want to ruin my summer. We had been together ever since we had found out about our elements, ever since Clowe’s, and now I was leaving. When I went down to supper it was with a heavy heart and no appetite. It wasn’t long before someone noticed. “What’s the matter Pol?” Dee asked. “You ok?”
Zeff’s head shot up and he looked me over, concern on his face. “I’m fine. I–” I stopped and took a calming breath. “I’m leaving.”
Zeff narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what I meant. I closed my mind. I didn’t need any premature outbursts to set the others off. His eyes widened as he realized what I did. “What? You mean like, on a mission?” Psycho asked. “It’s about time. If you’ve got a mission then we will soon too.”
“No. I don’t mean on a mission.” I replied. “I’m leaving the Institute. I’m going to school in Canada.”
The others stared at me in shocked silence. I took my tray and left the table. I threw the tray on the rack and left the dining hall. I heard a chair scrape and someone followed me. I knew exactly who that someone was. I waited until we were in a secluded hallway before I confronted him. “I’m sorry…” I started.
“For what?” He asked, coming up beside me. “For leaving me here, or for not telling me what you were planning to do? Come on Pol! I knew you would leave sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before you surpassed the Professor’s ability to teach. But why did you keep it from me? And why now?”
“I don’t know!” I replied. “I just… I guess I thought it would be easier to just tell all of you at once. That it wouldn’t hurt so much. And it was the Professor’s idea, not mine.”
“How long?” He asked.
“I don’t know.” I replied. “At least a year. Maybe more. But I’ll be home for holidays. I just need to learn. This stuff I’m taking is interesting. And it may be of use when the time comes.”
“When the time comes?”
“To fight Clowe.” I said, the fear and anticipation that had built up inside me threatened to overflow. “I’m the only one that can do this, but still… Zeff? Am I doing the right thing?”
I felt the tears I had been holding back start to flow down my cheeks. Zeff reached out and folded me into his arms. “I don’t know.” He said honestly. He stroked my hair, trying to calm me down. “I don’t know. You must do what you think is right. When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I hugged him tight, burrowing my head into his chest, taking comfort in his strength. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” He replied as we started waking again. “Just remember, it’s not forever.”
“Come and get me as soon as things start to heat up.” I told him.
“That’s a promise.” He agreed, walking me back to my room.
We stood for a minute in awkward silence, neither one wanting to leave but neither knowing what to say. Suddenly he stepped forward and kissed me. That just broke me down again and I started to cry. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “I love you.” I said quietly.
He stiffened for a moment then relaxed. “I love you too.” He replied.
Footsteps on the stairs broke us up and we turned to see Scott approaching. I pulled away from Zeff, drying my tears on my sleeve. Scott looked up at us and smiled warmly. “I was just coming up to make sure you were alright.” He said. “Ororo told me you were a little emotional today.”
“I’m alright.” I replied.
“You sure?” he asked, looking from me to Zeff.
“I should go.” Zeff said, looking at me. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He took off past Scott and down the stairs. Scott waited a few minutes before coming up beside me. “Pol. I don’t think…” he seemed struggling for the right way to say what he wanted to. “You need to be careful with him.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I did not need this right now.
“It’s not that he was one of Clowe’s.” Scott insisted. “It’s him… Pol, he’s not even human. You don’t know for sure how he would act…”
“I don’t believe this!” I exclaimed. “He’s more honourable than half the guys at this school! Some of us can look past differences you know. Besides, we’re linked!” I pointed to my wrist. “Remember?”
“You are linked Elementally.” Scott argued. “That doesn’t have to mean sexually.”
“He would never lay a hand on me if he thought I didn’t want him to.” I said. “He’s stiffer, more conscious I guess, than I am. He never even said ‘I love you’ till tonight!”
Scott froze. “He said he loves you?”
“Yes.” I said, going into my room. “And you know what Dad? I love him too!” I slammed my door shut and went over to my bed.
Scott stood outside the door for a minute. “Your mother asked me to tell you she wants to talk to you.”
“If it’s important she can come up here and talk to me.” I said angrily.
I lay there staring up at the ceiling for a long time. I didn’t care what Scott thought about it. He wasn’t much of a father anyway. He always seemed stiff and separate, never actually trying to connect with me the way Jean did. I never really had a father figure and I didn’t need one.
A little while later I heard footsteps on the stairs and a soft knocking on the door. I rolled over and stared at the door. “Pol?” Jean’s voice came from the other side. “Can I come in?”
“Yes.” I said quietly, trying to calm my anger. Besides, Jean wasn’t Scott.
She came in and sat on the end of the bed, much the same way Cynthia used to. I felt tears rise up in my eyes but I fought them back. “Your father told me you two had a fight.” Jean said quietly. “About Zeff?”
I nodded and she sighed. “I told him not to say anything.”
“He doesn’t know anything about it.” I said at the same time.
Jean smiled. “He can be a bit of an idiot sometimes. He’s just worried.”
“Worried that the alien will hurt me.” I said bitterly.
Jean reached out and rubbed my arm. “I’ll talk to him. Zeff really isn’t that far off from human mentally or physically. Any innocence he had when he arrived on the planet was wiped away quickly by Ansem. But the underlying standards of his people are still there. I think it’s great that he found you. He deserves a little happiness in his life.”
She got up and went to the door. “Get some rest. We’ve got a long way to go tomorrow.”
I lay there for hours thinking about what she had said. She was the doctor. She would know. When I finally slipped into a solid meditation I was out for the duration of the night.
Chapter 20
When we reached the cell we were shoved through the door and left alone. Zeff collapsed on the floor just inside the door. I fell to my knees next to him. “Are you ok?” I asked, helping him up.
“I’m fine.” He replied, yet he leaned heavily against me while I helped him to the bunk. “Why didn’t you tell me what a pain the Elemental backlash was?”
“I never thought you’d actually experience it.” I told him as he lay back on the bunk and closed his eyes. “You are such a mystery you know that? You know everything there is to know about me. But every time I think I’m beginning to understand you, you throw something else at me.”
Zeff gave me a weak smile but did not open his eyes. I sat down on the bunk and let him rest his head on my knee. “You are an idiot you know that?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. I felt him relax, slipping into unconsciousness. “Now that freak of a scientist is going to turn on Dee.”
I have to warn her. I reached out through my elemental ties and found Dee. :Please Dee.: I begged. :Listen. Ansem is coming for you.:
:What does he want me for?: she seemed frustrated about something.
:He wants to use you to find the other elementals.:
:The other… what? We’re all here! They already have us all.:
Ok. She was either just woken up or had divided attention for some reason. :News flash.: I told her. :There are more than five elementals. Zeff let it slip and now Ansem is on the war path. He wants us all.:
:And Zeff would know… how?:
Her frustration was catching. She was obviously not paying full mind to what I was saying and I was getting impatient. She was usually good at putting two and two together, I shouldn’t have to break it down for her. :Why do you think Dee?:
She suddenly shut me out. I could only guess that Ansem had shown up. I sighed and pulled myself back to the real world. I leaned back and looked down at Zeff. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Our lives were so full of trouble that I was beginning to think he had permanent stress lines on his face. He looked like a normal teenager when he was asleep. Not at all like the alien turned super-soldier he was.
It was hours before he finally came back around. The first thing he did when he woke up was frown at me. “Have you been sitting here the whole time?” he asked, sitting up.
I shrugged. “I had a nice chat with Dee.” I said.
“Oh shit.” Zeff swore. “Dee. Is she alright? I tried to warn him away from using her but he cut me off. I didn’t have enough time to talk him out of it.”
“I know Zeff.” I tried to keep my voice calm and quiet. I knew the kinds of headaches the elemental backlash could leave behind even after rest. “I managed to warn her before Ansem came for her but I haven’t been able to reach her since.”
Just then the door slid open and a group of X5’s entered the room. “Sorry to interrupt your little chat.” The leader said sarcastically. “Your presence is required in the lab… both of you.”
We traded worried glances. This could only mean something bad. The soldiers marched us, not to the lab I had been kept in, but a different lab. This one was much larger and had many tanks and machines in it. But the thing that caught me off guard was that the others were here too… all but Carol. “What’s going on?” I asked no one in particular.
I looked at the others. Kitty looked as confused as Zeff and me. Dark and Psycho had their usual sarcastic smirk, as if planning on challenging Ansem on whatever he had planned. Only one person seemed to know what was going on and that was Dee. Her face was pale and fear was written all over her features. She seemed unable or unwilling to voice what was happening. At least she was alright… for now.
Just then Ansem entered, followed by a handful of scientists. Among them was Isaiah, no surprise there, and Clowe himself. It was odd to see him in anything but one of his hundred-dollar suits. Now he had on a lab coat over his suit. He obviously didn’t want to ruin it. Ansem turned to us, looking us each over. “Any of you want to venture a guess as to what these are?” he asked, gesturing to the tanks.
None of us came forward with the answer so Chimaero took a guess. “Extraction tanks sir.” He said.
Shit! No wonder Dee was so pale. They were planning to try to extract the elements from us! I felt myself start to shake. “What the hell are they for?” Psycho snapped.
Ansem smiled his evil smile at her. “Why don’t you ask Polgara, or maybe Destiny?” He asked, looking at us. Neither of us spoke. “No? Well then. Zefferan, care to enlighten your peers?”
Zeff started in surprise. “I – uh…”
“What is it elf-boy?” Dark snapped.
Clowe hid a grin behind his hand. Zeff looked like he either wanted to shrink away or smack her. “I… they… they’re gonna try to extract our elements from us.”
“Oh no… not try… we are going to extract your elements from you.” Ansem assured us.
“But… that’ll kill us.” Chimaero argued.
“What?” Clowe asked, turning to look at Ansem. “You neglected to mention that little detail.”
“What’s the matter Tim?” Isaiah asked. “Getting cold feet?”
“Neither of you will lose kids out of this.” Clowe said in defence.
“I will lose a niece, and Isaiah an adopted daughter.” Ansem pointed out.
“Some father he turned out to be.” I muttered.
The others turned to look at me, not sure which man I meant. The men exchanged glances and Clowe shook his head. “I am losing two sons out of this deal.”
“Two?” Isaiah asked.
“Hannibal is Chimaero’s protector.” Clowe remarked.
“Harsh.” Psycho grinned.
Ansem looked closely at Clowe. “Are you backing out of this operation?”
Clowe glared at him. “You know I can’t.”
Chimaero glared at his father but kept his mouth shut. One of the soldiers behind us shifted nervously. “Sir?” he asked, gaining the attention of all three men. “What should we do about the Ordinary?”
Clowe looked up at him in annoyance. “She has served her purpose. Get rid of her.”
“No!” I pulled away from the soldiers holding me.
There was no way I was letting them kill Carol. I got free of their hold and bolted for the door. I vaguely registered the guards raising their guns toward me. “Pol!” I heard Zeff shout from somewhere behind me.
“No!” Clowe shouted, “Not until we get her element!”
The next thing I knew, Ansem was in front of me, blocking the door. My guards caught up with me and grabbed my arms. It took five of them to drag me back into line. I tried my hardest to get away but they were too strong. “No…” I pleaded as Clowe came to stand in front of me. “Please. She has done nothing to you. She is just an innocent girl!”
Clowe looked me in the face and smiled. “She knows too much. She has become a liability and a threat to this organization. She must be eliminated. Your friends have it easy you know. They will be put under for the procedure.” He nodded and one-by-one the scientists in the room injected the others with something, knocking them out cold. “But you… no, you can’t be knocked out.”
The soldiers tightened their grip on me as a scientist came over with a needle filled with a different serum. Clowe’s smile widened as the scientist injected the fluid into my arm. “I’m afraid, my dear, this… is going to hurt.”
Pain spread through my body from where I was pricked with the needle. My every cell felt as if it was on fire. My body shook in silent agony, my voice temporarily out of my control. The soldiers released me and I fell to the floor. I was then taken to one of the nearby tanks. They hooked me up with some crazy tubing and pressed some buttons on the control board. Then the pain overtook me and I was lost in a world of agony.
It seemed to last forever. Just when I thought I could bear it no more I found myself on the floor of the lab surrounded by broken glass and whatever liquid had been in the tanks. My vision was blurred and my head pounded from the endless hours of torture I had endured.
I felt arms wrap around me and I struggled to get away. I flung the person off of me as if they were just a child. Then I was grabbed again. This time a voice accompanied the grip. “It’s alright Pol.” Scott’s voice filled me with relief. “You’re safe now.”
My vision cleared and I noticed that the person I had thrown off of me was Carol. I felt my eyes fill with tears of relief and threw my arms around her. “Oh Carrie.” I said as she returned my hug. “I thought they had killed you.”
“Me?” She asked as Scott put a blanket around me and picked me up. “You were worse off than I was by the look of it.”
I looked around to see the others getting similar treatment. They, at least, had the clothes they had worn into the lab to put on. I had been in a surgical outfit and it offered little cover and protection to begin with but now it was non-existent. Zeff was just tugging on his t-shirt. “But – we’re alive.” He said, brushing his hair away from his face. “Our Elements?”
Jean gave him a curious look and replied. “They will be unreliable and maybe even unusable for a while but they are still there.”
He frowned and glanced down at his hands and then up at me. He took a step forward and nearly collapsed. Jean grabbed his arm and steadied him. “Well. We’re gonna have our hands full gettin outta this place.” Rogue said from where she was helping Chimaero. “These kids can’t hardly walk.”
“Lucky we brought the boys along.” Kitty’s mom replied.
That was when I noticed Hunter, Corbin, and Jacob. “Who brought who?” Corbin asked from Dark’s side.
“Shut up and let’s move.” Logan insisted.
“I can walk Dad.” I said, trying to free myself from Scott’s grip.
He chuckled softly. “No you can’t. You can hardly stand.”
I smiled weakly and allowed him to carry me. I seemed to be spending a lot less time on my own two feet these days. I was almost getting used to it. Logan took the lead as we moved out. I could tell that it annoyed Scott. He was usually the leader of the X-men on the field and now, because of me, he had to surrender control to his least favourite team mate. “I’m sorry.” I muttered.
“For what?” Scott asked, forcing a smile.
“For always getting into trouble.” I said. “For making you have to come after me.”
Scott shook his head. “Don’t be stupid. It’s not as if you could help it.”
We followed Logan through the halls, around many corners and past many closed doors. Finally he called a halt. “It’s too quiet. I don’t like it.” He said. “We need to scout it out.”
“What? And leave the kids?” Scott asked shock. “Look at them Logan. They’re in no shape to run.”
“Better to find out what we’re running into without them slowing us down then huh?” Logan asked.
“We’ll be fine.” Zeff said, pulling out of Jean’s grip so that he leaned on the wall not her. “Give us weapons of some sort and we’ll protect ourselves here. We are in a small turn in the hall with both ends easily defendable.”
“And where are we going to get weapons?” Scott asked.
“Knew I brought these for a reason.” Kitty’s mom said as she pulled some guns out of the bag she was carrying.
She tossed one to each of us. Zeff glanced at me sideways as I caught mine. I looked it over. I had never even seen one up close before. “Just don’t stand behind me when you shoot that ok?” he asked as the parents moved off down the hall.
“Why?” Psycho asked.
“Cause she’s never used a gun before.” Zeff replied.
“Ok. Note to self, don’t stand near Pol.” Chimaero smirked.
“Ha, ha very funny.” I said. “Don’t worry. Chances are I won’t even use it.”
We waited for almost fifteen minutes before we heard someone approaching from both sides. “The parents?” Carol asked.
“No.” Chimaero replied. “The stride is too heavy and too similar to be the parents.”
“Combat boots.” Zeff said with a nod. “We have company.”
“I’m beginning to really hate this place.” Psycho muttered.
“Beginning to?” Dark asked.
“You’re right.” Psycho grinned. “I’ve always hated this place. I’m just feeling it right now.”
We ducked behind walls and in doorways to keep out of the line of fire. We had just gotten to our positions when the first soldier came into view. Chimaero took aim and fired and from then on it was chaos.
Bullets flew back and forth and it was all I could do to keep Carol calm and away from the shooting. Zeff’s gun got hit by a stray bullet. “Goddamn piece of shit!” Zeff muttered as he tossed it, sparking, at the soldiers. “Pol?”
I tossed him my gun since I wasn’t using it then I ducked behind the wall as bullets ricocheted off the walls around us. They were aiming to injure, not to kill and that was to our advantage. I sat there uselessly as the others traded bullets with Clowe’s soldiers. Because of our position the others weren’t able to see where they were aiming and not many of their shots found their targets.
Finally I got fed up with doing nothing. I used my mind to create a mental picture of where the enemy was. Taking a deep breath I turned to Zeff. “Give me that.” I said, indicating his gun.
“What are you thinking?” he asked in surprise as he handed it over. “You’ve never used one of these before.”
I ignored him and, using my brain to aim, I let loose five shots in rapid succession. I hit and killed four of my marks but my fifth shot went wild, just grazing a soldier. The others looked at me in shock for a moment before the return fire made them duck for cover again. “What the hell was that?” Psycho asked.
I looked at her, as much surprised at my actions as the others were. “I – uh…” then it hit me. I had just killed four men. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Not on me you’re not.” Carol gasped, pulling away from me.
I shook my head. I had a sour taste in my mouth but I didn’t throw up. I felt myself shaking and I nearly dropped the gun out of my hand before Zeff grabbed it from me. I backed against the wall and let my legs collapse underneath me. “We’re running out of ammo here.” Dark called from the left end of our hiding place.
“Gone here.” Hunter called from the right.
Zeff and I traded worried glances and Carol grabbed my arm. “We’re in a hell of a lot of trouble.” Corbin muttered.
Just then a blast of red light could be seen from the right hallway and the enemy guns fell quiet. “Dad!” I cried in relief.
The parents came running back, Scott and Logan continuing on to take out the soldiers on the other side. I tried to stand but I was too shaky. Zeff came over and helped me up. He was just moving to pick me up when Scott came back. “Uh… Zeff! I can… I can take her.”
“It’s alright sir. I’ve got it.” He replied, his grip tightening on my arm.
I glanced at the others to see Kitty, Dark and Psycho trying not to laugh. Scott was not going to let Zeff take me no matter how much he wanted to. “I really don’t think that it’s appropriate.”
“With all do respect sir–”
“Dude!” Psycho grinned as the other two burst out laughing. “She’s only wearing a towel!”
Zeff blushed slightly and Scott clenched his jaw as if trying not to respond to her comment. I just grinned. Kitty and Carol stepped in, one on each arm supporting me. “You boys can talk this out later.” Kitty grinned.
“God Pol! You’re heavy!” Carol groaned.
“I’m sorry.” I grinned. “I’d make it easier on you if I wasn’t so exhausted.”
“If you weren’t so exhausted we wouldn’t have to carry you at all.” Kitty pointed out.
Just then, Rogue came running toward us, a bundle in her hands. “Here sugar.” She said tossing it to me. “We’ll let the men folk wander up ahead for a minute.”
I grabbed the bundle and unfolded it. It was a lab coat that buttoned down the front and belted at the waist. I grinned and while the men scouted ahead and the others made sure no one wandered back I slipped into it. It was a little better. At least now I didn’t have one hand occupied trying to hold up a blanket.
As we walked past the dead guards I reached down and grabbed any knives they had on their person until the pockets of the lab coat were full. I caught Psycho looking at me in amusement. “What?” I asked. “I might as well have weapons I can use don’t you think?”
She grinned back. “From what I saw you can use almost anything.” She said. “But seriously? I was just thinking about how you grabbed the best knives off them. You really know your knives.”
“It’s the only weapons training I’ve ever had.” I told her. “Unless you count meditative staff work. Besides,” I pulled one of the knives out of my pocket. “Who would pass up a CRKT Hissatsu? They are mainly military… expensive, and hard to come by these days.”
Carol looked nervously at the curved blade in my hand. “You scare me sometimes Pol.” She said, watching as I stowed the knife away again. “Those things look evil.”
“They are evil Carrie.” I replied as we met up with the guys. “They’re military.”
“Who’s evil military?” Chimaero asked.
“You are.” Kitty told him with a grin.
He punched her playfully on the arm. I grinned and shook my head. I looked up to see both Scott and Zeff looking at me with identical looks of worry. I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing. Zeff looked at Scott and grinned. Scott frowned slightly and then shook his head sadly. Just then we caught the sound of boots behind us. “Come on.” Scott said, picking up the pace a bit. “Up ahead is clear for now.”
We took off running down the hall. Every step took us closer to the doors and freedom. Mom mentioned that the jet was hidden close by and I felt a swell of relief. If only we could get out without attracting more attention. I cringed as the alarm started wailing. So much for that!
We were running full out now but when we burst out the doors to the outer compound we were confronted by Clowe, Ansem, and Hannibal’s X-4 unit. I gulped and moved closer to Carol. “Well, well, well.” Clowe said, raising an eyebrow. “What have we got here?”
The parents moved in front of us, figuring that they had more strength than us. “Do you really intend to fight us?” Ansem asked. “Come on Ororo. I always thought you were smarter than that.”
“Do you honestly think that we are insensitive enough to let you continue experimenting on our children?” she replied, her eyes going white as she prepared for battle.
Ansem just smiled. More X-4’s and a few X-5’s filtered out of the base. “This is just insane.” Clowe said. “Do you honestly think you can win?”
“Well we sure gonna try.” Remy replied, pulling some cards out of his coat pocket.
Clowe just laughed and gave a signal to attack.
Chapter 19
When I came to, I was once again strapped to a surgical table in Isaiah’s lab. I had once again been put into surgical clothing. I looked myself over. They had used a lot more restraints this time. There were straps over my ankles, knees, hips, waist, chest, arms, and wrists. They really didn’t want me getting away again. The door whisked open and Isaiah came in. “Well, they really did a number on you this time didn’t they?” he asked, grinning.
“Yeah well, tangling with the X4’s wasn’t enough for me so I decided to pick a fight with some X5’s as well.” I said sarcastically. “Thought maybe if I was too beaten up you might not want me.”
“Not a chance my dear.” He told me. “There is much about you still to discover… starting with the odd MRI scan results of your respiratory system.”
He put the scan results up on a display board. I looked at it in confusion. He was right. There seemed to be an extra membrane in my respiratory system. I was surprised. I had seen similar results before in Archangel’s scans. “I have never seen anything quite like this.” Isaiah said.
“I have…” I muttered. I couldn’t understand why no one had discovered this before.
“I beg your pardon?” Isaiah asked, turning towards me extremely quickly.
“I have.” I said again. “But I never expected me to have it.”
“And what is it Polgara?” A voice asked from the doorway. “What is it this membrane does?”
I looked over to see both Ansem and Clowe standing in the doorway. Ansem went over to look closer at the scans while Clowe came over to me. “Well?” he asked.
“It’s a special membrane that allows me to extract oxygen from the air at extreme velocities and altitudes.” I told him. “I expect that my eyes are also specially developed to withstand high-speed winds. Part of my air element or something.”
“Interesting.” Clowe grinned. “That might be something else to test out.”
I felt a lump forming in my throat and my heart was starting to race. I couldn’t help but ask. “And what’s the first thing you are going to do to me?”
Clowe just smiled his evil smile and didn’t answer. It was Isaiah who shed light on the situation. “We are going to see what happens to you when you have been unconscious for various time intervals. We want to know all there is to know about you my dear. There is much that we are curious about.”
I started to hyperventilate. This was not going to be good at all. “What’s the matter Polgara?” Ansem asked grinning. “Not quite what you would like?” He turned to face Clowe. “The thing I’m curious about is her element. It seems almost like another entity in itself. If this is true there must be a way to extract it.”
“That would kill us.” I told him, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Are you sure?” Ansem asked me. “Have you ever tried it?”
“No. But I have it on good authority that it would.” I said.
“Really? Whose?” Clowe asked.
I clamped my mouth shut. No way was I exposing Magic to these whack-jobs. They were the last ones she would want to know about her. “You would be wasting your time worrying about the elements.” I told them, remembering Magic’s explanation. “They are beyond complete analysis. They must be experienced to be understood.”
“We shall see.” Clowe said. “We are very good at experimenting and studying.”
“You start experimenting with the elements and you are going to find you’ve got a force to strong for even you to handle.” I warned.
“Is that so?” Ansem asked. “If one teenaged girl can handle it I’m sure three grown men shouldn’t have a problem.”
I just glared at him. “Well as touching as this is,” Clowe said, moving to the door, “I am going to leave you three to it. Have fun.”
“I’m so sure.” I muttered.
As Isaiah came toward me with the needle, that I knew contained some sort of knock-out liquid, I raised the barrier around my mind. The last thing I needed was to call Zeff to me again. They might kill him this time. Ansem looked up at me and narrowed his eyes. “Was there a point to that Polgara?”
Isaiah looked confused. “What did she do?”
“Psychic block.” Ansem answered.
“The only benefit I can see to that is if it affects her ties to that boy. We’re not doing anything psychological.” Isaiah said.
Ansem studied me critically. He seemed very interested in what my actions could mean. In fact I felt him mentally attacking my block. He wasn’t strong enough to break through it. He barely made any impact. His frown deepened as he realised he couldn’t penetrate my defences. I glared at him. “It’s strong enough for that.” He concluded, nodding for Isaiah to continue.
I felt a prick in my arm and I blacked out. When I regained consciousness the only symptom I had was a slight twinge in my head. I must not have been out long. The men checked my vital signs and my eyes. When they couldn’t find anything wrong they frowned. “How do you feel Polgara?” Ansem asked.
I glared at him and didn’t answer. I felt him probe at my barrier again but it held firm. “If you aren’t honest with us Polgara we will have to force you to drop your psychic block. You will not like it. I can assure you.” He told me.
“My head hurts.” I told him. “What was that? Five minutes?”
“Well at least we know that she knows her symptoms.” Isaiah said, filling the needle again.
They knocked me out a few more times, increasing the timeframe with each dose and attacking my psychic barrier as soon as I woke. Eventually they hit the hour mark. I was weak enough for Ansem to break through my barrier easily and I could barely lift my head. “She has a fever.” Isaiah said, checking my signs. “Weak too from the look of it.”
“Yes. She is very weak.” Ansem confirmed. “I think that’s enough for today. We’ll try again in the morning.”
They left without another word, leaving me strapped to the table. I felt Zeff’s presence in my mind. :Are you alright?: he asked.
:Fine.: I told him. :They are just testing my sleep allergy. Nothing to worry about yet.:
:Just don’t shut me out again Pol, please. What would you do if you shut me out and then they knocked you out long enough for your element to try to take control? It’s happened before.:
:I hadn’t thought of that.: I admitted. :I was just worried…:
:You don’t have to worry about me. It’s what I’m here for.:
:I would never be able to live with myself if I got you killed.:
:You won’t. I promise to be careful.:
With that he was gone. I closed my eyes and fell into meditation. The next day passed much like the first. They knocked me out again, once again increasing the time that they left me asleep. This time they had to increase the time interval between each dose. They wanted me well again before they gave me another dose. By the end of the day they had increased the time of unconsciousness to two hours. I could feel my spirit weakening. I didn’t see how I could stop them from doing what they wanted to do.
To my surprise, this time they undid my restraints and all but dragged me to a cell nearby. To my relief I discovered that they were putting me in a cell with Zeff. As soon as he saw me lying on the bench he ran over to me. “Are you ok?” he asked, feeling my forehead and helping me to sit up.
Once I was sitting he enveloped me in a big hug. I smiled and hugged him back. It felt good to be back with him. He was my rock. Someone I didn’t have to watch my feelings and actions around. Someone who I knew was with me no matter what. “I’ve been so worried about you.” He muttered.
I shuttered slightly. “I’m reaching my breaking point Zeff.” I told him. “I don’t know how much more I can take of this. Every day I grow weaker. Every day I can feel the element inside grow more restless. It will take me Zeff. I can’t hold it back much longer.”
I heard my voice crack as I burst into silent tears. I felt so weak, so vulnerable. All I wanted was to get away from this place. “Shh.” He said, holding me close. “You don’t have to worry about that right now. Just relax, rebuild your strength. I’m here now.”
We sat like that for a long while, both of us hanging on to each other, neither of us wanting to move. We had no idea what tomorrow would bring, only that we wouldn’t like it whatever it was. I drifted into a deep meditation, still snuggled against Zeff, drawing on his strength.
When I regained consciousness he had moved over to the second bunk. It looked as if he had drifted off while watching over me. He was sitting up, leaning against the wall, but his head had dropped to his chest. Some of his hair had come out of his braid and hung over his face. I grinned and rolled over, letting him sleep. He had obviously had a very long day. He needed sleep more than I did.
A couple hours later he jerked awake and moved over to me. I could tell from the protective look on his face that someone was coming. I scrambled upright and Zeff positioned himself between me and the door. Not two seconds later the door whisked open and Ansem walked in, followed by about a dozen X-series soldiers. Zeff backed up a pace, forcing me to move backward as well. “As touching as this is Zefferan I am very short on time today.” Ansem said as he moved into the cell.
I reached out without thinking about what I was doing and grabbed the back of Zeff’s shirt near his shoulders. “I can’t go… not today.” I whispered. “The element is restless today. It will take me. I’m not strong enough.”
Zeff stared at the soldiers and Ansem and then turned to face me, forcing me to release my hold on him. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Don’t.” He said. “Don’t discourage yourself like that. You are strong.”
I glanced worriedly over his shoulder at Ansem. The mere sight of him made me feel helpless. Zeff shook my shoulders slightly to gain my attention. “Look at me.” He said firmly. “You are not weak. Do you think you would have an element if you were? Come on! Where’s the Pol I know? Just get a tighter grip on your fear. You’re usually so good at that.”
Half of the soldiers circled us, their guns trained on Zeff. I felt moisture on my cheeks and realized that I was crying. I had never been so terrified in all my life. “Just don’t shut me out again alright?” Zeff asked.
I nodded slightly and felt someone grab my arms. Zeff leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I will protect you.” He whispered in my ear. “I will come if you need me.”
Half of the soldiers accompanied me and Ansem while the other half stayed in the cell, their weapons fixed on Zeff. I looked over my shoulder and caught Zeff’s eye just as the door closed between us. I followed Ansem back to the lab. The two soldiers who had grabbed my arms held on to me until I was safely bound to the table. “Now…” Ansem said, turning to look down at me. “You want to tell us what that was about?”
“Not really.” I told him, my sudden anger taking precedence over my fear.
“Are you sure?” He asked. When I said nothing, he scowled. “What is all this talk of your element taking control? You mean to say you don’t have complete command over it?” I glared at him but said nothing. “No matter, we shall see soon enough. Isaiah?”
Isaiah came over and before I had time to prepare myself I was thrown into a sea of unconsciousness. The nightmares started almost immediately. My mind put me through scenario after scenario, making me relive my worst fears. Suddenly, just as one of my dreams changed, I saw a flash of blue fire. I knew immediately what that meant. My element was fighting for control. I tried to suppress it but it was too strong.
Just when I was beginning to think that it would win I felt a wave of strength flow through me. I lashed out with new fervour and quickly got the element under control. I then realized that the new strength I had was not mine. It was being fed into me from somewhere. I used it as a lifeline, following it back into consciousness.
When I came too I looked up to see Zeff standing over me. His eyes were closed in concentration and he had a hold of my wrists. Suddenly he opened his eyes and stepped back. He sagged and would have fallen to the floor if two soldiers hadn’t have caught his arms. I shook my head in confusion. Other than a slight buzzing in my ears I felt perfectly fine. My strength was back and I didn’t even have a headache.
Isaiah glanced briefly at the computer and back at Zeff. Then his head shot back to the computer. “Vitals are reading normal.” He said in shock.
“Did it work?” Zeff asked as the soldiers lowered him into a chair.
“Zeff, what did you do?” I asked him.
“Yes Zefferan.” Ansem said. “What did you do?”
Zeff closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair as if thinking. One of the soldiers nudged him with the butt of his riffle. He opened his eyes and glared at Ansem. “You almost killed her.” His voice shook with cold fury yet he spoke quietly.
“How were you able to touch her?” Ansem asked.
I glanced down at his hands. They were burnt badly. When I looked at Zeff’s hands they were fine. I looked up and caught his eyes. He gave me a reassuring smile before turning back to Ansem. “I’m her protector aren’t I?” he snapped. “What good is it being a protector when you can’t touch them when they are in element form? I needed to help her regain consciousness.”
Ansem frowned at him. “You did more than just bring her back to consciousness. I know you did. Now I want to know exactly what it was you did.”
Zeff hesitated, glancing to me then back to Ansem. Ansem saw the hesitation and grabbed a surgical knife from the table and held it to my throat. I tried to pull back but of course, being strapped to the table, I had no where to go. Zeff made as if to stand but the soldiers on either side of him held him down. “I do not like it when things happen that I don’t understand Zefferan.” Ansem said, holding the knife a shade closer to me so that it just nicked the skin. “I am not a patient man. Care to test me?”
Zeff glanced at me briefly and closed his eyes as if calling his strength. “I was feeding my life-force into hers.” His voice was heavy with resignation. “I have the ability to rejuvenate people. I feed life into them reviving dead or dying cells and giving them the strength they need to pursue life again.”
“A living fountain of youth.” Isaiah said, his mouth hanging open in awe.
“Can all your people do this?” Ansem asked.
“No.” Zeff replied. “In this I am unique. You see? Your problem is you think the Elementals are a group of five.”
“There are more of you?” Ansem asked, glancing from me to Zeff.
I looked at Zeff in confusion. More? But wouldn’t we know? “Yes. There are more.” Zeff replied. “But who or how many I can’t say.”
“No. You can’t.” Ansem said thoughtfully. “But I bet Destiny can.”
“I doubt it.” Zeff said. “If any of us was in danger of losing ourselves to our element it is Dee. Time is infinite. That leaves an infinite space for her mind to wander to find clues to the answers you seek. She may delve into time and never come back.”
“That is a risk I am willing to take.” Ansem said. “I believe we have done enough for today. Take them back to their cell.”
Chapter 18
I was in major trouble when we got back to the school. The Professor was extremely disappointed with me for leaving when I was told to stay. He was so disappointed in fact that he had someone appointed to watch me at all times. I told him what Carol had told me and then backed off. I wanted to win his trust back and I felt the best way was to back off entirely. But when I found out that Zeff was being sent on the mission to rescue him and I was not I felt a small pang. It wasn’t right. I was the one who had talked to the boy, befriended him, and the last to have seen him. I should be included in the rescue.
I couldn’t really say that I disagreed with the Professor’s choice of people to go. I just wished I was one of them. I knew that my recklessness had gotten me captured. I knew that I was too involved to do the mission. But I wanted to go all the same. Psycho, Dark, and Dee were going, as well as Chimaero and Zeff. He was sending in the people that had the most Restriction experience… and he made sure to have one person who wouldn’t scare the boy.
I pushed my feelings aside. If I wanted to regain his trust I couldn’t go against his orders now. I decided to go back and visit Carol. It would be a friendly visit this time, not one out of need. We had lots to catch up on and I hadn’t exactly been myself when I talked to her. I had been in business mode. To my surprise the Professor agreed. He said I could go visit her as long as Kitty came with me. So with that thought in mind I went with Kitty to see the others off. Then we hopped in Kitty’s car and went to see Carol.
Carol answered the door. She looked much better than the last time I saw her. She had cleaned herself up and was regaining some colour in her complexion. She seemed surprised to see me and hesitant to let us in. “Pol?” her hand rested on the door handle as if she was debating closing it in our faces. “To what do I owe this little visit?”
“Strictly pleasure this time Carrie.” I told her. “I believe we have some catching up to do. Can I come in?”
“Sure…” she said hesitantly, glancing from me to Kitty.
She let us in and showed us to the couch. There was a tense feeling in the air as she moved to a chair near us. She sat down and waited expectantly. “Carol… this is my friend Kitty.” I said by way of introduction. “She’s my appointed watchdog while I’m here. It’s my punishment for sneaking out before. Now there’s someone watching my butt twenty-four seven.”
Carol grinned. “Can’t get away with as much in your new place huh?” she chided, “You used to sneak out to my place at least once a week.”
“That’s what you get for having a Professor who’s psychic.” I grinned back.
Carol turned to Kitty. “So what’s your power? I mean, if you live at that school and you were able to keep up with this girl you must have something going for you.”
Kitty smiled. “I have lots of things going for me.”
“Well what’s the one you like the most and which one do you hate?”
“Being able to heal my self is pretty good but flying is the coolest.” Kitty replied. “What I hate is the way I look. I have to wear a stupid image inducer so people don’t freak on me.”
“Can I see?” Carol asked, curiosity overcoming any misgivings she may have had.
Kitty glanced at me. She was unsure just how Carol would react. I gave her a small nod and she powered down the inducer. Carol’s folks were out so there was no one else to worry about. Carol glanced at her tail and pointed ears, taking in the blue skin. “Cool.” She said, grinning. “Though I can see why people would freak. If I had a seen you two years ago I probably would have freaked too.”
Just then there was a crash as a blurred shape smashed through the living room window. Kitty reactivated her inducer as the man turned toward us. Though he had light brown hair and a beard his face looked remarkably like Clowe’s. “Is someone having a party and I wasn’t invited?” He asked sarcastically.
The cocky grin on his face was identical to Chimaero’s. There was no doubt in my mind that they were related. The fact that he was wearing the standard MRA uniform didn’t help. “Why can’t you people ever use the front door like civilised people?” I asked him, pushing Carol behind me and releasing one of my wrist knives.
“Where’d the fun be in that?” He asked.
More shapes came through the window after him. There were five people in total, not a lot considering that they’d probably run into trouble. They too wore MRA uniforms and were battle ready the moment they entered the house. “Let me guess. You guys are the older batch of X-series soldiers.” I said coldly, moving back to protect Carol more. “Clowe never would save his sons from that treatment. He’s too cold hearted for that. And you’re obviously older than Chimaero.”
Kitty ditched the whole “normal human” act and extended her claws. “Two of you huh?” the man asked. “Well you’re obviously Polgara so I assume you’re one of the other four and your wearing an image inducer. Which one? Not Ondraya, her image was pretty much burned into our heads. Don’t think you’re Kyra… Destiny maybe? I’m betting on Holly.” Kitty didn’t say anything, just glared at him. “No matter.” He grinned, making a series of hand motions.
The movements were so fast I couldn’t make them all out but I caught the basic drift of them. He was going to go for Carol. The other four were split, two of them on each of us. “Pol…” Carol sounded scared. I couldn’t blame her. These guys weren’t exactly the girl scouts selling cookies.
“Here,” I slipped her one of my knives. “I might be a bit busy here so you’re gonna have to defend your self.”
“Pol!”
I grimaced. She had never been in this sort of situation before. This was not going to be good. The two that went after Kitty were so coordinated they must have been twinned. I had a big, muscular black man and a girl with hauntingly familiar amber eyes. I groaned. “Great. Clowe’s not the only one who experiments on his kids.” I muttered.
She grinned at me. “I had heard that you had met my father. He so wants to see you again.”
“I bet he does.” I muttered.
Then they struck and there was no more time for talk. They were fast, and strong, but I had my mutation on my side. I could match them for those facts but my dismal martial training was nothing on their years of military combat. They struck simultaneously from all sides. I tried to fend them off and protect Carol. I used my arms and legs in an attempt to block their attacks and my knives in an attempt to hit them back. Not only did they block my every move but within a minute they had me disarmed. The leader quickly slipped by me and got to Carol. She didn’t even manage to get one hit in before he had her in restraints.
I was too busy fending off my attackers to help her. They attacked relentlessly. My every move was thwarted. For every one of my unsuccessful hits they had two successful ones. One of them punched me right in the side of my head. At the same time the other one caught me full in the chest. I lost my balance and fell.
They were on me fast, assailing me with kicks and punches. “That’s enough!” the leader commanded. “Kya! Joe! We can’t have her lose consciousness. Just put her in restraints and let’s go!”
They hauled me to my feet and shackled my hands behind my back with a set of intricate hand cuffs. They looked specially designed for something. I looked over at the others. Carol was already in handcuffs though hers looked normal. The two women who had gone after Kitty were still trying to catch her. She was teleporting around the room, staying just out of reach. Kya frowned at them and snuck up behind her. I opened my mouth to call her but Joe slugged me hard in the jaw.
Kya knocked Kitty out long enough for them to put cuffs on her. As soon as they let go of her she shot up and tried to generate a bomb. She stopped very quickly, with a yelp of pain. “Like them?” the leader asked. “Specially designed to inhibit your pathetic mutant powers. You can’t do any tricks now.” He glanced at one of the women. “Do we have any neural inhibitors in the trunk?”
That was informative. These new restraints did nothing to psychic powers. I glared at him and looked toward one of the shelves beside the television. There were many objects there that would hurt if I threw them. Before I could even think of which item to grab I was boxed in the ear by Joe. “Do you enjoy hitting unarmed prisoners?” I asked him venomously.
“Lillian!” the leader snapped. “Do we have any inhibitors?”
“I don’t know!” she snapped back. “Why?”
“Because I think they’re pretty.” He said sarcastically. “Why do you think? She’s a psychic you idiot! Go check!” She left quickly. “Shalimar, you grab the teleporter. Joe, you get the psychic. Kya, the ordinary. Let’s go.”
Joe went to grab my shoulders and steer me out. I reached out with my mind, feeling his consciousness and made him want to stop. This time it was the leader that punched me. Lillian came running back in with the inhibitor. “Han,” she gasped as she handed him the inhibitor. “We’ve got company!”
“Kitty?” Jacob’s voice could be heard in the hall.
“Out the window.” Han ordered. “Now!”
They pushed us out the window, using ropes to get us down to ground level, and steered us toward a van. Just as they opened the door Carol called out, “Mom! Dad! Help!”
“Shut up.” Han ordered, pushing her in the vehicle.
“Carol?” Mandy’s voice could be heard outside.
Han raised his gun in the air and let off a couple shots. Carol gasped and buried her head in my shoulder. He jumped into the van, closing the door behind him. “Drive!” he ordered.
One of the twins climbed into the driver’s seat and we took off. Carol was shaking like a leaf. “It’s alright.” I told her in a whisper. “He was just scaring them. He didn’t actually shoot them.”
“What’s gonna happen to us?” she asked.
“I don’t know Carrie.” I told her truthfully. “I wish I did.”
Han turned to us. “No whispering!” he snapped. Then he seemed to realize that he still had the inhibitor in his hand. He grinned. “Now little Miss Psychic. Let’s even the playing field a bit shall we?”
“You call this an even field?” I asked.
He just smiled and placed the inhibitor on my head. It felt like I had just lost one of my senses. The whole world seemed deader. It didn’t hurt but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. I glared up at him and Carol shifted nervously beside me. “I never realized how dangerous you really were Pol.” She muttered. “But you have more precautions on then me or your friend.”
“I’m only dangerous to people in the MRA or Manticore.” I assured her. “Anyone else is under my protection.”
“MRA?” she asked.
“Mutant Restriction Agency.” I told her. “Clowe’s people.”
“Where’s your body guard?” Han asked me. “Miss Pretty-in-blue had her knight in shining armour show up. What happened? Finally ditch the elf-boy?”
I glared up at him but said nothing. I didn’t want to let them know I’d shut off my mind. That was a fact that wanted to keep to myself. “So what’s with the name?” I asked him. “Han? As in what? Han Solo?”
“It’s more of a short-form.” He told me. “Hannibal.”
“As in the cannibal?” Kitty asked sarcastically.
“No probably after the Monkey Warrior from Indian legend.” I told her.
Hannibal scowled at us. “Shut up.” He told us. “We’ll be at Dad’s soon enough.”
“‘Dad’s’?” Carol asked, shocked. “You’re his son? I didn’t realize he was capable of having offspring. The things I’ve heard about him…”
“The things you’ve heard were biased.” Hannibal told her. “Our father loves us in his own way.”
“Yeah… a sick, twisted, kind of way.” I scoffed.
“He just wants us to be the best we can be.” Hannibal told me. “He’s helped us be that. We’re smarter, faster, and stronger than anyone. We, his sons, are the perfect being. If he hadn’t done this we would be like Mary-Anne… a soft, pathetic, weak little child who needs to be taken care of.”
I glared up at him. There was nothing wrong with who Mary-Anne was. She was a sweet little thing… naïve, despite her lineage and probable upbringing. His whole world was to be the best soldier. I shook my head in disbelief. He had no idea how twisted his views were. “Don’t get me wrong.” He went on. “I love my sister. But she’s too needy for her own good. And he’d do anything to make her happy. My father is not a monster.”
I let it drop. The pain from my beating was finally getting to me. My arms, which had gone red from the blows, were now starting to bruise. I could feel my eye swell slightly and knew that I had a black eye. My lower lip was split and my jaw hurt like no other from when Joe was trying to keep me quiet. The one side of my face, where Hannibal had struck me felt tender and I figured it was probably bruised too.
Hannibal watched us for a few minutes but we were exhausted from the fight. The others both fell asleep and I slipped into a light meditation. I knew I had to get out of there soon. I had to find Zeff and the others. I had to let them know that the situation had changed. About forty-five minutes later, Hannibal stood up and went to the front of the van. “We close?” he asked.
“Just another twenty clicks or so.” Lillian replied.
I closed my eyes and called up the element inside me. I felt electricity grow as it tried to gain control. I concentrated hard, trying to suppress it. I couldn’t let it take over. I would burn out too quickly. Not to mention the elemental fire that would cover my body if I lost control. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done. The element was not meant to just be tapped into. If you used it you let it take control.
I could feel sweat forming on my brow. I let a small bolt of electricity flow from my finger and up into my restraints. “What are you doing?” Carol asked her voice barely above a whisper.
“Getting out of here.” I replied. “We have people in the base already. I’ve gotta find them so we can escape.”
Hannibal turned back toward us and I let the element slip back inside me. He glanced suspiciously at my face. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked. Nudging me with his boot. “You don’t look so well.”
“Well what do you expect with all the beating I’ve gotten.” I snapped back, letting out a weak cough. “Not to mention this stupid thing on my head.”
“Aw, it’s nothing Han.” Joe insisted. “She just tried to use her powers or something.”
Hannibal frowned and sat back, watching me suspiciously. I shifted my weight and pulled on the restraints as if trying to get out. Finally he grinned and leaned back, resting his eyes. I tried phasing one of my arms through the restraint; gritting my teeth for any pain I might receive. Amazingly, it worked! I phased my hand back into the restraint. I must have fried the circuitry when I zapped it with the lightning. Now I just had to wait for the right moment.
The van slowed at the gate. Lillian rolled down the window and showed an id pass of some sort. “X4-373, Retrieval, transporting prisoners.”
The van passed through the gate and started to move again. A few minutes later Kya glanced back at Hannibal. “We’re entering the main complex. Might want to prepare them for departure.”
Hannibal and Joe reached down and hauled us upright one bye one. They hauled me up first, then Carol. When they were getting Kitty to her feet I slipped out of my restraints and phased through the truck wall. “What the –” I heard Joe curse as I slipped away.
The van jerked to a stop. I tucked myself into a ball as I landed and rolled until I was on my feet again. Then I jumped behind some crates that were nearby and took stock of my situation. The first thing I did was yank off the neural inhibitor. It was if my world was suddenly in colour. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. There were workers staring at the truck and Joe and Shalimar were hopping out. “What happened?” Shalimar asked.
“The little bitch fried the circuits in her restraints.” Joe replied.
I glanced around me. There was an air vent just a few feet away. It was my only way out. Shalimar sniffed the air and glanced about. “How’d she manage that?”
“Be damned if I know!” Joe snapped. “Hey! I’m getting a signal from the inhibitor.”
I cursed and glanced around some more. I had to get the inhibitor away from me. A truck started up nearby. It gave me an idea. I used my telekinesis to move the inhibitor and secure it to the bottom of the truck just as the truck pulled away. “It’s moving.” Joe said, looking toward the truck. “That truck!”
“She’s just gonna leave her friends here to die?” Shalimar scoffed disdainfully. “I don’t think so. She secured the inhibitor to it some how. She’s still here somewhere.”
I wasted no more time. I used my mind to unscrew the cover to the air vent and to close it behind me once I was through. It was a big vent so I had no fear of getting stuck in it somewhere. I needed to find the others. The easiest way to do that was to call to Zeff. So I let down my mental barriers and reached out to him. :Zeff?: I called. :Can you hear me?:
:Pol?: his voice sounded loud in my head. That usually meant we were close. :Pol, what are you doing here?:
:Long story.: I told him. :Where are you?:
:Close.: he replied. :We’re hiding in a storage room. Where are you?:
I looked through one of the vents and I could see them. “Above you.” I said out loud.
The others jumped and turned to look at me. “Pol?” Dee asked.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Dark asked.
I lifted the cover off the vent and jumped down, landing neatly beside Psycho. “My god Pol!” She exclaimed. “What happened to you?”
“Had a little run in with some X4’s.” I told her. “Remind me I want to start doing combat training when we get home. They have Kit and Carol.”
“Shit.” Chimaero swore. “This makes it a little harder.”
“And it doesn’t stop there.” I told him. “They had me but I got away.”
“How’s that harder?” Dee asked.
“Cause if I got away…” I turned and looked at them each in turn. “… That means their going to sound the –” Suddenly we were assailed by a loud blaring noise. “Alarm.” I finished lamely.
“Ok. This may not be that bad.” Zeff said reasonably. “Who’d they have guarding you?”
“X4’s called Kya, Joe, Lillian, Shalimar…”
“Damn. That’s Hannibal’s unit.” Chimaero cursed.
“And Hannibal… You know, you should really let me finish before you but in.” I chided him.
“Well one thing’s for sure.” Dee muttered, glancing out the door. “We gotta get out of here fast.”
“Where to first?” I asked as we moved out into the hall and took a left.
“Well Kit and your friend will probably be the easiest to get.” Psycho reasoned. “So let’s go find the fire starter.”
“Josh.” I reminded her. “His name’s Josh.”
“Whatever.” She replied.
We took off down the hall, avoiding cameras and guards the best we could. Psycho and Chimaero took the lead with Dark bringing up the rear. Zeff moved close to me. “How come I didn’t know?” He asked me, touching my arm gingerly. It was almost one solid bruise now. “Why didn’t I feel it?”
“I had you closed off remember?” I asked.
“I didn’t realize that it went as far as our connection.” He told me.
“Neither did I.” I admitted. “But it was better that you didn’t. If you had you wouldn’t be here to help now.”
Psycho signalled us to stop. She listened intently and pointed at the door to her left side. We split to either side of the door. “Why are we stopping here?” I asked. “These aren’t the cells.”
“He’s not being kept in the cells.” Dee told me. “He’s being held for questioning and some sort of behaviour revision or something.”
I frowned. This could only lead to trouble. Chimaero glanced at us. He held up two fingers and pointed to Zeff and me. Then he pointed to the floor at his feet. He wanted us to stand guard. I shook my head. I wanted to go in for Josh. I felt it was my responsibility. He frowned and turned to Zeff. Zeff shrugged and pointed to Dee.
Chimaero looked at her questioningly. Dee nodded. Then he pointed to Dark and me and pointed left. We’d go left through the door. I nodded and pulled out a couple of my throwing knives. He pointed to himself and Psycho and motioned right. Then he looked around at all of us. With a nod he kicked the door open.
We went in as quickly as we could. The only people who were inside were Joshua and some sort of technician. Chimaero and Psycho brought the technician down quickly and efficiently. Dark cut the restraints that secured Joshua to the chair and I shook him awake. “Joshua! Joshua, get up! We gotta go.” I urged.
He groaned and ran a hand sleepily over the back of his head. “What the fuck is that?” Dark asked, staring at the back of his neck.
I turned to look. There, implanted into his neck was something black, circular and about the size of a quarter. “I don’t know.” I said. “But it’s imbedded into his spinal column.”
Chimaero ran over to take a look, leaving Psycho to watch the unconscious technician. I moved in front of Joshua. “Joshua? It’s me. Come on. You gotta wake up.”
He groaned again and opened his eyes. “Miss Summers?” he asked groggily, “Is it really you? What happened to your face?”
“Never mind that.” I told him. “Do you know what they implanted into your neck?”
“It’s called a subdermal governor. All I know is that it keeps me from using my powers. They made me human again. They gave me what I wanted… in return for one thing.”
“What is that?” I asked him, suddenly suspicious.
“That he turns you in.” A very familiar voice said from the doorway.
We all turned fast to see Clowe pushing Zeff and Dee into the room. Zeff came over to stand beside me. Around Clowe there were at least a dozen Restriction Workers all with guns trained on us. Clowe glanced us over, his gaze lingering slightly on Chimaero before moving to me. “What happened to you?” he asked amused.
“Why don’t you ask your son and his batch of X4’s?” I snapped back.
Clowe just grinned. “No matter, you are here now. We can finish our little project. I know how much Ansem’s been wanting to see you.”
I reached out subconsciously and grabbed Zeff’s hand. I felt a slight stab of fear in my chest. Zeff pushed me behind him to protect me slightly. That little move was enough to tell Clowe we’d fight and die before we let him take me back to his lab. “Don’t worry Zefferan.” Clowe grinned. “We won’t kill her. You kids are way too valuable for that. But now I not only have you two,” He turned and grinned at the others, “But my little runaways as well. I believe with some re-indoctrination you’ll be powerful assets.”
Psycho, Chimaero and Dark all got similar determined frowns on their faces. I could tell they weren’t going to make this easy for him. Clowe just grinned at us all. “Get them.” He said, leaving the room.
We all braced ourselves for the onslaught of soldiers but they never came. Instead a group of X-series soldiers entered the room. “Oh shit…” Dark muttered.
“We’re screwed!” Psycho groaned.
The soldiers came into the room and they just kept coming! There were way too many of them. There was no way we could fight them. They swarmed us, skilfully subduing us. I felt my hand wrenched from Zeff’s. “No!” I shouted, punching and slicing with my knives, trying to get away. “I won’t go back! I won’t!”
I could see Zeff struggling to get back to my side but they were herding him toward the door. “Pol!” He called as he got to the door.
I looked up to see something flying towards me. It was his laser sword. I reached out and called it to my hand. As I felt the cool metal in my palm I felt a swell of hope. I ignited it and swung out creating a small space to move in. The soldiers new enough about Zeff to know how much damage his unique weapon could cause. They made as much of a circle as the small room could allow and changed tactics. I was no match for a squad of X5’s, even with Zeff’s sword. They were way to fast and too many.
Within seconds they had me disarmed and on the ground. The last thing I remembered, one of the X5’s grinned down at me. “Nighty night Polgara.” He said. Then he punched me right in the side of the head and I passed out.
Chapter 17
I woke up on a foggy daze. My mind struggled to recall where I was and why but it couldn’t seem to grasp it. I tried to think back to what I was doing before I got here and again it came up blank. The last thing I remembered was passing out on the math room floor in grade eight but I knew that years had passed since then. A faint voice could be heard from somewhere overhead. It sounded like the PA in a hospital.
My eyes cleared and the first thing I saw was an older man in a doctor’s coat, or some sort of lab coat. “You’re alright Polly.” He said reassuringly. “How do you feel? Cold? Dizzy? Tired?”
“Confused.” I admitted. “Where am I?”
“You are in my lab.” The man said. “When you passed out at school your body went through some major changes and you went into a coma. I came back for you when I heard. I got your mother’s permission to bring you here to monitor your condition.”
Something didn’t sound right in what he said but it was really Isaiah. An older version of the man I remembered but there was no mistake. It was him. I looked around. I was lying beside some sort of tank. Isaiah had wrapped a blanket around me and was holding me upright and close to his body. “D..Daddy?” I muttered, grasping his arm.
“Oh my baby girl.” He muttered, enveloping me in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re awake. It’s been six years. We were beginning to think you would never wake up.”
“Daddy.” I threw my arms around his neck. “Where’s Mommy?”
“She’s… she’s dead Pol.” He told me, holding me tighter. “She died three years ago.”
No! My shoulders tensed. Something was telling me that something was wrong, that this wasn’t true. “I’m sorry my dear. I know how close you two were.” He crooned softly, mistaking my reaction as sorrow. “But now that you’re awake everything is going to be fine.”
He arose to his feet, helping me stand on shaky legs. I looked around the room to the various scientists and doctors. Some were busy working away at various projects but a few were watching me with pleased interest. One man, with white hair and amber eyes walked over to us. “Well Isaiah. How is she?” he asked with a small smile for me. “Nothing shut down on us during the coma?”
“Not that we have noticed.” Isaiah told him. “She’s just a little weak. But that is to be expected. Pol, this is my… my partner, Ansem. He has been helping me monitor your condition.”
I smiled hesitantly at Ansem and leaned harder against my father. “She doesn’t seem too sure of herself.” Ansem muttered. “You sure she’s alright?”
“Just a little disoriented is all.” Isaiah told him with a frown. “You would be too.”
He walked me over to a chair by the wall and let me sit down. “Pol…” He began but my mind wandered as I looked around the room again. “Pol!” He grabbed my face in his hands and turned me toward him. “I have something I need you to sign for me now that you’re awake. I’m just going to get it alright? Don’t be afraid, and don’t move from this chair.”
I smiled at him and let my eyes roam the room again. Ansem was watching me closely and it was unnerving. As Isaiah left I pulled the sheet tighter around my body and slumped back in the chair. Something about Ansem seemed familiar. His eyes watching my every move made me nervous. Isaiah came back with a clip board in his hand. He came over with it and held it in front of me. “I just need you to sign this.” He told me, handing me a pen.
I glanced up at him and placed the pen on the paper. Then my eyes caught on one abbreviation in the title. MRA. Something clicked in my mind and a series of words flashed through my mind. MRA. Restriction. Clowe. Zeff! Suddenly, my mind opened up and a torrent of memories flooded my brain. I wrote something on the paper in front of me that I probably wouldn’t have written if I was in my right mind. I wrote “fuck off” on big bold letters and in one fluent motion I threw the pen at Ansem and punched Isaiah in the face.
Without hesitating I took off toward the door. A couple of the scientists moved to intercept me but I dodged and punched my way to the door. Ansem ducked the pen and followed close behind me. Somehow I managed to get out the door in one piece and without losing the blanket wrapped around my naked body. I reached the hall and took off down the hall in the direction in which I hoped the exit lay.
I rounded the corner and ran right into Ansem. He caught my arms in a grip so tight that I couldn’t escape. Someone came up behind me and jabbed my neck with some sort of needle. I felt what little strength I had fading as I sank into Ansem’s arms and into a peaceful oblivion.
I awoke to the feeling of strong arms carrying me fast over rugged terrain. “Zeff?” I coughed slightly, my voice coming out in a croak.
We stopped moving and he set me down under the shadow of a tree. “Pol?” Zeff’s face came into focus in front of me. “Thank god. I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past hour. I don’t know how long you’ve been asleep.”
“Where are we?” I asked groggily.
“In the woods, just outside MRA headquarters.”
“For real? I mean, I’m not dreaming this?”
“No.” He assured me. “What did they do to you?”
“Tried to wipe all my memories of life after grade eight. They nearly succeeded too.”
He smiled and enveloped me in a hug. “I’m just thankful that I got you out of there before they could do anything else to you. I’ve been trying to reach the others but we’re to far away. I couldn’t find your watch either. Clowe must have it.”
My eyes finally cleared and I took in my surroundings. Zeff was dressed in standard Restriction attire of a light blue shirt and blue camouflage pants and combat boots. The boots were muddy and worn and his shirt had a couple rips were he had barely dodged bullets. I was still wrapped in a blanket and barefoot. Zeff reached into a small bag he was carrying and pulled out a smaller set of MRA clothing. “Are you strong enough to change or do you want to wait?”
I grinned. “I think I can manage now.”
“Well then I’m gonna go scout around to see if they’ve got people out looking for us.” He said, handing me the clothes and a small handgun.
“Be careful.” I told him as he slipped away.
I waited a few minutes before struggling into the clothes. The pants were a little big but thankfully he had thought to include a belt. I had just finished changing and had slipped into a light meditation when he came running back. “Are you strong enough to walk?” he asked quickly.
“Maybe.” I answered. “Depending on how fast and how far.”
“Then that’s a no.” He muttered, scooping me up in his arms as if I were a child. “I went to look and they’ve got full teams out looking for us. We have to get out of here now.”
“I’ll try to reach the others.” I told him.
I held a stronger link to them than he did. Reaching out along our Elemental ties I found Dee’s mind. :Pol? Thank god! Where are you?:
:In the woods outside Clowe’s Headquarters.:
“His British Columbia one.” Zeff muttered.
:Zeff says it’s his British Columbia base.: I told her.
:BC? Man Pol, he really didn’t want us to find you. I’ll tell the Professor. We’ll be there as soon as we can.:
:Thank you. And Dee? Please hurry. I’m not in the best shape for keeping ahead of them.:
“Incoming.” Zeff muttered, setting me down in a sheltered rocky outcropping.
I could hear the hum of machines as they approached on four wheelers and on foot through the underbrush. I pulled out the gun that Zeff had given me. “Have you ever used one of those?” Zeff asked quietly.
“No.” I admitted. “I prefer my knives. A lot quieter. I’m guessing I’ll have to buy more of those.”
Zeff shook his head slightly and took the gun out of my hands. Then he handed me his laser sword. “At least with that I know you won’t accidentally injure yourself or me.”
I grinned at him and took the sword. “I really gotta get me one of these.”
He grinned back. “Remind me later and I’ll show you how to make one.”
I struggled to my feet and leaned against the rock wall to keep upright. The four wheelers stopped just out of gun range and Clowe himself hopped down off. “If you really wanted to avoid that operation Polgara, this was not the way to do it.” He said, taking in the fact that I could barely stand. “And you, Zefferan, should know better. You know we’ve upped security since the last escape. You’ve been told enough times over the past few weeks.”
Zeff’s grip tightened on the gun in his hand. “I won’t let you take her back.” He told Clowe venomously. “I won’t let you hurt her again.”
“Is that so?” Clowe asked, taking a step closer and raising one hand. His other hand, I noticed, was clenched tightly around his gun. “Put the gun down Zeff. I don’t want to kill you.”
Zeff raised the gun defiantly and took aim at Clowe’s head. “Put the gun down Zeff.” Clowe repeated, taking another step forward. “Put it down and come quietly and we won’t hurt her.”
“Can you move back further?” Zeff muttered to me.
I looked behind me but the cave was too shallow there was nowhere to run. “I’d be backing into a corner.” I told him. “There’s only one way out.”
He swore and moved more in front of me. “Come now Zeff,” Clowe said calmly, still moving forward. “You won’t shoot me.”
“You want to bet?” Zeff replied. “Just wait until you are in range.”
“I won’t go back.” I whispered to his back. “Zeff, I can’t go back.”
“Come out now and I won’t release your siblings Zeff.” Clowe said, stepping within firing range. Zeff’s hand shook on his gun but he didn’t take the shot. “You won’t kill them. You were always too honourable for your own good.”
“I may not kill them but I can injure them enough.” Zeff said as he fired.
Clowe was fast. He dodged the bullet and rolled as his soldiers returned fire. Zeff and I ducked behind the rocky entrance of the cave as bullets whizzed by us. Zeff and the soldiers fired back and forth for hours. Zeff had thoughtfully packed all the extra clips he could carry.
Suddenly a voice shouted out from behind the vehicles. “Enough games!” Magneto said. Zeff’s weapon went flying out of his hands and into the forest beyond.
As the soldiers moved in I tossed the laser sword to Zeff. When the soldiers saw that in his hands they dropped back, staying just out of range of the blade. “Zeff this is pointless.” Clowe said, much closer now that the gun was gone. “Drop the blade. Now.”
The soldiers started firing again. All I could do was hide as Zeff deflected bullet after bullet with his blade. Then, one of the X4s got in a lucky shot on the handle of the sword and it petered out.
I looked at Zeff in fear. Now what will happen? “Come on Dee, where are you?” he muttered softly.
“I won’t go back.” I told Clowe. I stood up straighter, no longer leaning on the wall. “I won’t be your lab rat anymore.”
Clowe just grinned and moved towards us. The hum of jet engines could be heard approaching from the west. “He brought reinforcements.” Zeff muttered.
“No…” I told him, feeling a familiar presence in my mind. “That’s our ride.”
Clowe realized it just moments before I said it and the ‘workers stormed toward us in full force. Zeff stood between them and me, fending them off as best he could with just his hands. Just as they over powered him and were moving toward me time stopped. Zeff wrenched his arms out of the ‘workers’ holds and I leaned against the rock in relief. “About time.” Zeff muttered. “I thought we were done for.”
“I came as quick as I could!” Dee said defiantly. “It’s a long way from New York to BC and you didn’t exactly give me advanced warning. Now let’s get out of here before I get a nosebleed from holding time for too long.”
Zeff came over and scooped me up into his arms again. “I can walk!” I complained, trying to break from his grip.
“Not far,” Zeff argued, “And we’re not that close to a clearing that she could have landed in.”
“And I need to release my hold on them soon so we may have to run for it.” Dee told me, trying not to laugh.
“Oh, shut up and get moving.” I said, relaxing into Zeff’s hold.
Zeff grinned and took off after Dee. A few seconds later I heard shouts from behind us. Dee stumbled and almost fell. She quickly regained her footing and ran on. “I had to let them go.” She told Zeff. “It was draining me.”
“They seem to be more and more resistant to our elemental powers.” I said quietly.
“Well, they’ve already found a way to control mutant powers. His next challenge is elemental ones.” Zeff replied.
“Shit.” Dee muttered.
They caught up with us just as we broke through the clearing. We dodged bullets as we ran to the jet. “Dee, get us out of here!” Zeff shouted, setting me down in one of the seats and running to the weapons cabinet in the back.
Bullets ricocheted off the hull and the ramp. Zeff grabbed a gun and began to return fire, keeping them from getting on the jet. Dee sat in the pilot seat and powered up the jet, closing the ramp as soon as was possible. Zeff came up and sat in the co-pilot seat with a breath of relief. “You came alone?” He asked in surprise.
“I was the only one there.” She replied as the jet took off, leaving Clowe, swearing and yelling at his troupes, behind us. “There was a field trip today to the statue of liberty and Manhattan. I decided to remain and keep looking for you. You two picked a hell of a day to finally reach me.”
“I tried to reach you sooner but Clowe blocked my mind.” Zeff told her, leaning back in the chair and donning a headset. “I don’t share any elemental ties with you girls.”
“I was in no condition to talk to anybody.” I told her weakly as I shut my eyes and slipped into meditation, blocking out the rest of their conversation.
By the time we had gotten back to the institute my strength had somewhat recovered and a searing hunger came with it. I followed Zeff and Dee out of the lower levels and up into the cafeteria. I needed some food before I even thought of answering any questions. Zeff and I ate our way through a medium pizza and salad and were starting on desert when the others piled in. Apparently they were back from their field trip. They took one look at us and froze. They stood there for a minute, their mouths hanging open, and then they ran over.
They immediately started asking questions. I just leaned back and let Zeff answer them. It wasn’t till Chimaero asked Zeff how he got there that I started to listen. “I mean,” Chimaero was saying, “You sat up so suddenly and the look on your face… I thought you were having a nightmare or something. Except… you never have nightmares. Not even when we were kids. Then you just sorta disappeared. Nobody knew where you went.”
“I guess it’s that Protector thing.” Zeff said. “I suddenly knew that Pol was in trouble. Then I could suddenly see what was happening to her. Then I was suddenly there to help. Who knew that they would be ready for me?”
“I was wondering why you never answered us when we called you.” Chimaero said.
“Yah.” Jacob agreed. “It vas as if you coulds not hear us.”
“I couldn’t.” Zeff said. “All I was aware of is what was happening to Pol.”
“What did they do to you?” Hunter asked, he was one of the only ones without first-hand Clowe experience and didn’t know that he shouldn’t ask.
Dee grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “I’ll explain. Come on.” She said and the others followed her out.
I smiled thankfully at her retreating back and picked up my tray. “Well, I guess we should go talk to the Professor.”
I deposited my tray on the cart and Zeff and I went to find the Professor. We found him in the lower levels just exiting Cerebra. From the look on his face he was very glad we were back. He reached out and took my hand in his. His eyes roamed over my face, checking to see if I was well. I put a block around my mind. I didn’t want anyone prying through my head right now. Not the Professor, or Jean, or even Zeff. I needed time to sort through my thoughts and the memories that were still swimming around in there.
Judging from the way the Professor’s eyes widened slightly and how Zeff suddenly froze I could tell they noticed. Before either of them said anything I managed to ask a question. “What happened to Josh?” I asked. “Do we know where he is?”
“I was hoping you knew.” Xavier said. “I went to get him the day you disappeared but he was gone… as well as the Executive President and one of the volunteers. I tried to trace them but so far I’ve been unable to find them.”
“Carol?” I asked, and then I remembered my promise I had made and groaned. “Oh shit! Carol!”
“She was a friend of yours?” Xavier asked.
“From way back.” I told him. “I promised to call her. I better go talk to her.”
“No.” The Professor said, halting me as I was about to turn and leave. “I don’t want you involved in this Polgara. Not anymore. I’ll send Destiny and Hunter. They are the most personable.”
“But Professor…” I started.
“No Polgara—”
“It’s Pol.” I interrupted. “Professor, she’s my friend! I have to make sure she’s alright. I don’t want to lose her again.”
“That is precisely the reason you must stay here.” Xavier said. “You are more inclined to act rashly. Stay here. Rest, relax, think things over, but stay inside. Zeff, make sure she does not leave the mansion.”
I felt my spine bristle in indignation. I didn’t need a sitter. I turned abruptly and strode quickly to the elevator and up to the main level. I wasted no time in putting on my shoes and my coat and was just opening the door when Zeff caught up with me. He pushed the door closed with one hand and I found myself pinned between him and the solid oak wood. A couple passing students stopped and looked at us. Zeff stared back at them until they left. When he finally spoke his voice was deliberately soft so as not to attract unwanted attention. “What do you think your doing Pol?” he asked. “You were told to stay here.”
“I can’t.” I told him. “Not when one of my friends might need my help. The way I see it you have three choices. Back off and tell Xavier that I gave you the slip. Stay the way you are and force me to make you get out of my way. Or follow me to make sure I don’t do anything stupid. But I am going.”
He hesitated a bit too long for my liking so I shoved him out of my way with my mind. If he had any doubts about whether I meant what I said I had just clarified it. He stood there looking at me with hurt and shock. I took my chance and slipped out the door. I was in the garage and climbing into a car when he caught up with me again. He didn’t say anything to me, just climbed in next to me. During the whole drive from Westchester to Newark he just sat looking out the window. It wasn’t until we reached Newark that he actually said something. “Do you even know where you’re going?” he asked.
“Not a clue.” I replied. “But I’ll find it.”
“How?”
Instead of answering him directly I just pulled over next to phone booth and hopped out. I went into the phone booth and picked up the phonebook. By looking up “Mitchell, Paul” I was able to get her address. I climbed back in the car and drove to the address. It was one of those big apartment buildings in the city. Zeff and I went into the building and looked up the number of their apartment. We reached the floor and Zeff knocked on the door. “I’m sorry.” Mr. Mitchell’s voice rang from within, “We’re not receiving people today. We’re too busy.”
“Mr. Mitchell?” I called softly through the door. “It’s me. Pol. Can you let me in? I need to talk to Carrie.”
“Pol?” the door opened to reveal Mrs. Mitchell. “Thank goodness. Maybe you can get her to talk to us. She hasn’t said a word in weeks. Hasn’t even left her room except to eat and use the washroom.”
“I’ll do my best Mandy.” I told her.
I left Zeff to talk to the Mitchells and went to talk to Carol. I knocked on her door and opened it slowly. “Carol?” I called softly.
“Pol?” she whirled around to face me. She looked horrible. She had dark circles under her eyes, her clothes looked like she had slept in them more than once, her hair was tangled and she was thin and pale. “Pol! Oh my God! I can’t believe it’s you! You’re ok!”
She ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. The next thing I knew she was sobbing into my neck. “Carrie?” I asked, holding her out at arms length. “Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I was so worried.” She said quietly, whipping tears from her eyes. “I don’t know why I was worried. I mean, you didn’t even come for him. It was that professor of yours that came… the one in the wheelchair. I just thought maybe he…”
“About Josh…” I said, sitting her down on her bed. “Do you know who came for him? Do you know where they took him?”
Her eyes widened in fear and she just stared at me. “I’m sorry I can’t be more tactful about this.” I told her. “But I’m short on time here. The Professor has people on the way and if they find me here I’m in big trouble. I was told to stay in the school.”
“What like house arrest or detention or something?”
“Of a sorts.” I told her.
She looked away from me, her eyes focussing on her clenched hands. “I wish I could help you Pol. But I can’t.”
“Carrie…”
“I can’t Pol!” she repeated, fear and frustration making her voice shake. “You have no idea what they’d do to me if they found out… if he found out. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“Oh, don’t I?” I asked. An amused smile crept onto my lips before I could stop it.
“How could you? You’ve been tucked away safe at that school.” Her voice started to get a venomous edge to it. “Safe with the muties. I bet you even have little mutie friends now don’t you? All you have to worry about is how to control your powers. I doubt your mother would send you somewhere where you would be in danger.”
“There are a few things you don’t know about me Carrie.” I told her gently. “For starters, Mrs. McQueen is not my biological mother. My bio-folks are Scott and Jean Summers. They’re employed at the school. I can’t get into it now but trust me… I know all about Timothy Clowe.”
She gave a small snort of disbelief. My patience was wearing thin. I reached down and pulled up my shirt enough for her to get a good look at my healing scar. She gasped in horror. “Oh my God! He did that?”
“With me conscious. Then he stood there and smiled at me.” I didn’t want to scare her but I was running out of time. “I can’t let him hurt Josh. I don’t want that poor boy to go through what we… what I had to go through. No one at the school does.”
Carol stared at me in horror. “If you know about Clowe then you know that I can’t tell you.” She insisted. “He’ll kill me Pol!”
“I would rather we could solve this without the use of powers.” I told her, looking into her eyes. “I’m running out of time.” There was a knock on the apartment door. “Ok Carrie. Time’s up. You wanna tell me?”
She looked from the door to me and back. “He said something about a place near Seattle.” She said quickly. “That’s all I know! Honest!”
I gave her a hug. “Thanks Carrie. I think it will be enough.”
I left her there and went to the door. Before Mr. Mitchell even got to the door to see who was there I was at the door and flinging it open. Dee stepped back, a shocked look on her face. “Pol?” she stuttered, “Why are… what are you… weren’t you supposed to be at the school?”
“As if!” I scoffed. “You really think I’d stay there when one of my friends needed me? I know where they’ve taken him. Now let’s get out of here.”
Zeff stepped out behind me. Dee looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, as if asking why he didn’t stop me. Zeff shrugged slightly. “She can be very determined.”
I grinned at him and we all went back to the school.
Chapter 16
There seemed to be a big change in Scott and Jean’s behaviour towards Zeff after that day. I knew that Jean trusted him before but Scott and Zeff must have talked while I was out. He was more relaxed around them and they seemed to trust that he wouldn’t hurt me or take me back to Clowe. They gave up watching our Danger Room sessions and they didn’t even fuss when the Professor sent us out on simple missions together.
Despite this sudden acceptance I found myself missing my home. Not Cobourg, though I did miss Cynthia, but Millville. I missed Carol. That is why, when Zeff and I were sent to investigate a possible situation at the Covenant House in Newark, I received the surprise of my life. I had no sooner walked through the door when a familiar voice called my name. “Pol? Oh my God! I can’t believe it’s you!”
I turned around fast and was almost knocked off my feet when Carol threw her arms around me in a hug. “What’re you doing here? I tried to cal your new home but your mom said you hadn’t been there in weeks! That was years ago! Where have you been? Why did you never call?”
I laughed in surprise and relief. “One question at a time Carrie!” I told her, “Easy one first. I’m here on official business for Professor Charles Xavier, from Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters.”
“No way!” she said in amazement. “That school you mailed way back when?”
“The same.” I laughed. “My turn. What are you doing here?”
“My parents work here now. We moved to Newark last year.” Carol said. “Why are you here exactly?”
“I need to talk to Mr. James White.” I told her. “Could you show me where to go?”
Zeff laughed suddenly, causing Carol to finally acknowledge his presence. “You two take the question-answer thing seriously don’t you?”
I grinned. “Sorry, my bad. Carol this is Zeff. He’s… he’s a friend of mine.”
“Zeff? That’s an unusual name isn’t it?” Carol asked as she shook his hand. “Sorry, Mr. White’s office is this way.”
We followed Carol through the building, past the gym where a bunch of kids were playing basketball, to an office marked “James White, Executive President”. Carol knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “James?” she called, “You have visitors.”
She showed us in and was about to leave when I stopped her. “Don’t go far Carrie. I might need you.”
“You may stay Carol.” Mr. White told her. “I know why they’re here. I shall just go get Josh.”
“Oh that’s what this is about?” Carol looked at me curiously. “I’ll go get him. You do whatever talking needs to be done. I have my own questions to ask later.”
As she left we sat in the chairs opposite Mr. White’s desk. He was a jolly sort of man with black hair that was littered with grey and laughter lines creased around his pleasant brown eyes. We exchanged greetings and showed him our id cards. When he saw my power level his eyes rose slightly and a small smile formed on his lips. “I guess I should try not to anger you then.” He joked. “You might just bring down the house.”
I laughed slightly. “I try not to damage other people’s property.” I said with a mischievous grin. “I save that for the school. But honestly, I’ve been told I have amazing control for somebody of my age and level. It must be genetic.”
He seemed a little comforted by this and was just about to sit down when the door opened and Carol came in, leading Josh. He was a tall boy of about sixteen. His dark hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. He had been one of the people in the gym that we had passed. “Ah, Josh.” Mr. White greeted him, “This is Miss Summers and Mr. Sellora. They go to the school I was telling you about. Why don’t you tell them your story? I promise they will not flinch away from you.”
“What makes you so sure?” he asked, looking us over.
“Trust me.” I told him. “I’ve witnessed things that would make your skin crawl.”
There must have been something in my eyes that convinced him because soon he was telling us his tale. It was a typical fire-starter story. The boy had gotten mad and burned down the house. Only with Josh he had burned it down with his family trapped inside. Now he viewed his mutation as a curse, and he was afraid he’d be tried for murdering his family. I explained how there was a loophole for mutants who are just developing their powers. Accidents happen that they can not control.
I went on to explain how there were a few fire starters at the school… and there was the added bonus of everything having a mutant-proof finish on it. At the school he would be taught how to control his powers and by the time he graduated he’d have such a good grasp that he’d be able to control the strength of his power as well as just turning it on and off. He would be able to rejoin the world as an educated young man. No one would be the wiser.
Josh sat there eating up every word I said. The school must have sounded like heaven to him. Carol just sat there with her mouth hanging open. Last time I saw her I was in denial about being a mutant, and here I was promoting a mutant’s school. We gave Josh a few days to think about it but I was pretty sure what his answer would be. When we left Carol followed us. She stopped us at the door. “I have a lot of questions Pol.” She told me, looking me in the eye.
“And I will gladly answer them.” I told her. “But now is not a good time. I’ll have to call you or something. We have to get together.”
She nodded and gave me a hug. “Just don’t disappear again ok?” she asked. “Don’t leave me wondering again.”
“I promise.” I told her as Zeff led me away.
When we got back to the institute we made our report to the Professor and went to get some supper. That night as I meditated I could here Josh’s voice in my head. “I could hear them screaming, but I couldn’t stop it.” I sat up and went to the washroom to splash water on my face. I glanced down at my hands. They were shaking slightly. I couldn’t figure out why. I wasn’t usually one to succumb to nerves. “I was so angry. He wasn’t gonna let me play basketball, I wasn’t allowed to join the team. Basketball meant everything to me… or so I thought.”
I shook my head, trying to clear it. Then I rested my forehead against the washroom mirror. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I just didn’t know what. :Polgara.: a voice rang in my head. I stood up straight, listening. :We have the boy, Polgara.:
“Who are you?” I asked out loud. I knew that whoever it was would be able to hear me, but I didn’t expect an answer.
:We have the fire starter boy.: the voice told me. :If you want to see him unharmed come to the mall. Come alone, and tell no one.:
I hesitated. I knew I’d be walking into a trap. But what could I do? I couldn’t just leave him. I grabbed my coat and threw on my shoes. I figured I could always send an SOS through my elemental ties if I was in trouble. I paused at the door, my hand resting on the handle, and glanced around the foyer. The professor was gonna kill me if he found out. I took a deep breath and slipped out into the night.
I walked quickly and silently out past the gate and down the road. As I neared the mall I slowed, my ears alert for any unusual sounds. I could hear a muffled voice talking. I couldn’t make out the words. I rounded a corner and saw Josh, tied and gagged and sitting in a shadowed corner of an alley. I abandoned all caution and ran to him. “Josh! Are you alright?” I asked as I pulled the gag from his mouth.
“Miss Summers! Behind you!” He cried as a hand holding a wet cloth was held against my face.
I breathed in a familiar smell and new right away that I was in trouble. I jabbed behind me with one of my knives, struggling to break out of my captor’s hold. They were ready for me. They wrenched the blade out of my hand and tightened the cloth so that it covered both my mouth and my nose. The last thing I saw was Josh’s look of shocked horror. Then, all went black.
When I awoke my head was pounding and my eyes were hazy. I looked around, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. There were test tubes, charts, and surgical equipment lined the walls. I was strapped to a surgery table in some sort of lab. My eyes finally focused and I looked harder at the charts and file folders. There, written across the front of one of the folders, were the words “MRA Classified” in bold black letters.
I groaned and tugged at my restraints but I was too weak and the bonds were mutant proof. The door whisked open to reveal a man in his late forties or early fifties in a white lab coat. As he walked closer he smiled and something clicked in my mind. “Hello again Pol.” He said calmly.
There was no mistaking that voice. It was Isaiah. The no good scum of a man who married Cynthia and then left her to fend for herself and me. He wore glasses now and his face had the beginnings of a beard, but it was still him. How could he be here? He was no genius… at least, not that I remembered. I frowned slightly. His smile widened. “I see you still remember me… or should I say… my old persona.” He told me, taking out a needle and a vial of some fluid. “I couldn’t have people knowing what I did. Not you. Not your mother.”
“What’re you going to do to me?” I asked.
“Oh nothing much.” He replied, looking over the label on the vial. “We are told you hold the key to returning one of our AWOL soldiers to us. They want to use that to their advantage. I was just wondering whether to give you anything to numb the pain or not as we obviously can’t knock you out.”
I felt a stab of fear in my chest. “Numb me from what?” I asked nervously.
“The surgery of course.” He replied. “We want to see what makes a non-Manticore elemental tick.”
The fear spread through my body. “What’s to decide?” I asked. “You don’t have a conscience. I mean, you left us with nothing. Mom is still trying to pick up the pieces of the broken existence you left us in.”
He looked at me sharply. “So she is still ‘Mom’ is she? I would have thought they would have gotten you to call that Doctor of theirs ‘Mom.’”
“Jean is my biological mother but Cynthia is the mother of my heart.” I replied, my fear changing to panic as he put the vial back without using it. “I call them both Mom. Not that you care. You left.”
“Is that what she told you?” he asked, his eyes softened slightly. “I’m afraid you’ve got it wrong my dear. I didn’t leave. She kicked me out. I made the mistake of showing my eagerness to give you to Clowe. Unfortunately, she loved you as if you were her own. She knew that I had given him another child, and that the child was never returned to her parents. She had to choose between you or me. She chose you.” His eyes grew hard and he reached for a surgical knife. “I never stopped loving her. Now, feel free to scream.”
My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt the coolness of the blade against my stomach. I screamed at the pain that erupted as I felt the blade cut into my flesh, starting at my chest and moving toward my abdomen. Suddenly, the blade was wrenched out of his hand and away from my prone body. He gasped and we both looked behind him. Zeff stood there with the bloody knife in his hand and hatred in his eyes. “He always knows.” Isaiah smiled.
Before anyone had time to think or act there were soldiers streaming into the room with tasers drawn. Zeff looked at them and let the knife slip grudgingly from his fingers. Clowe walked in with another man. This other man had white hair, copper skin and bright amber eyes. “Well, I thought we might actually get to go through with this for a moment.” He smiled coldly at Zeff before turning to me. “Polgara.” Clowe smiled, all but ignoring the shock and hatred on Zeff’s face. “This is Ansem Gill. I guess you could call him Ondraya’s adoptive father and uncle.”
“I’ve heard of him.” I muttered, glaring up at him and wincing slightly from the pain of the wound. “Doesn’t take to kindly to you does she? Can I please get off this table now? I’ve served your purpose.”
“Not quite.” Clowe sneered. “You need an attitude adjustment. Ansem is going to oversee the procedure.”
“You can’t be serious!” I gasped.
Clowe grinned widely. “Oh but I am. At least, I will be if your boyfriend here doesn’t do exactly as I say.”
Zeff’s eyes widened and he glance at me, unable to keep his eyes from straying to the incision. :Why us?:
Ansem smiled. “Because you are the easiest to catch and manipulate.”
“That makes me feel so much better.” I winced.
Clowe’s mouth twitched as if he was trying not to smile. I glared at him. How could he smile when a young girl was laying cut open in front of him? It was sick. “You have nothing to be concerned about.” He assured me. “I have great confidence that Zeff won’t let anything happen. But if he screws up once, I turn you over to Ansem.”
“And then we’ll have some fun.” Isaiah added.
Me and Zeff exchanged worried glances and then they led him away, leaving me alone with Isaiah. Isaiah didn’t do anything about my wound. Just looked me over, as if gauging just how much I had changed. His gaze gave me the creeps. “How did Mom know you wanted to give me to Clowe?” I asked.
“I never could keep secrets from Cynthia.” Isaiah told me. “She knew my profession shortly after we married. At least, she knew I was a scientist that studied genetics. It wasn’t until I had Ansem come in to have a look at you that she realized what was going on.”
“What made you call Ansem in?” I asked. “You must have known she wouldn’t settle for it.”
“It started when you were a little girl. Five maybe?” he said. “You were playing close to the wall, near an electric outlet. You reached toward the wall for a toy and a string of blue electricity jumped from the socket to you. You yelped in surprise and pulled your hand away. It was your yelp that made me look up. Then you reached forward and the electricity jumped to you again. Instead of crying, you started to laugh. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Then electricity started to spark through your hair and between your fingers. If I didn’t work with mutants I would have been afraid. It wasn’t until Ansem mentioned the elemental talents of his niece that I had him come and look at you.”
He glanced over me again. I shuddered slightly. “You say you gave Clowe another child.” I said softly, drawing the conversation away from me. “You seem proud of the fact. Who did you give him? Someone powerful? Important?”
“I gave him the two month old Kyra Dallas.” Isaiah grabbed a chair and a file and sat down to read. I groaned inwardly. Not only was this man out to get me but apparently he and Dark had a history. My day was getting worse and worse. They left a guard that hated my guts and would just as soon cut me open as look at me, and when Isaiah finally left Ansem came in. They alternated back and forth like this. I was always guarded by one of my would-be surgeons.
I glanced down at my stomach to where Isaiah had cut me with the knife. It was stinging profusely and I could see a thin line of blood running down my stomach to pool in my navel. Amazingly, the cut itself seemed to be healed slightly. It was not as deep as it had felt when he did it. I lay my head back and groaned slightly. I never did like the sight of blood. Especially not my own.
My guards just ignored me unless they were making witty remarks. Neither of them seemed to think it would be very long before Zeff messed up somehow. After all, he had been AWOL for quite some time. He was “out of practise”. Every time this thought crossed their mind they would glance at me with disturbing expressions of interest and longing as if I was some interesting specimen they couldn’t wait to dissect.
They even took the watch together some times and chatted about what they would do if given the opportunity. After about two days of lying there, strapped to the table, they mentioned that Clowe had actually devised a plan to make Zeff screw up. Clowe wanted to try some sort of mind thing on me. Wanted to try to modify my memories.
I felt some relief in knowing that they wouldn’t cut me open but a touch of anxiety in knowing that they were still going to use me for an experiment. Undoubtedly to try and make me join them. I felt a sharp twinge of guilt lance through my chest. :Oh god Pol!: I heard Zeff’s voice in my head. :I’m sorry!:
:You couldn’t help it.: I told him. :They planned it. They want to –:
I was cut off from him as sharp as any knife. I glanced over to my captors. Ansem was grinning broadly. “Now Polgara. We don’t want you to ruin our plan.”
He went over to a large tank and started clicking controls. Isaiah took out a laser and set it up nearby. Ansem came over and pressed some buttons by my head. The table I was strapped to started to fold and reposition until it had become a chair. They set the laser up in line with my left eye. Isaiah went over to the cupboard and pulled out a different vial than the one he pulled out before. “This devise is generally used to see memories in a person’s mind.” Ansem told me. “We are going to try to use it now to modify your memories.”
Isaiah injected something into my arm and Ansem turned on the laser. Pain seared through my body as I relived my memories from waking up on my math room floor to this second. When they finally turned off the laser I felt drained and confused. It seemed almost a dream as someone stripped off my clothes, attached tubes to various parts of my body, and slipped me into the tank. Finally, darkness overtook me and I slipped into a dreamless state of semi-consciousness.
Chapter 15
An hour later exactly I was woken by the smell of food. The others were all sitting around a fire outside eating hotdogs they had roasted. The sun was just starting to go down. I stretched and sat up. Standing up I walked a little shakily out to the fireside. “Smells good.” I told them. “Any for me?”
Dee handed me a hotdog and I sat down to eat. “Did you know you levitated when you meditate?” Kitty asked looking up at me.
“What?” I asked. “No way. Stop joking around.”
“She’s not.” Hunter said. “You were floating at least a foot above the seats.”
“We had to stop Psycho from waking you up.” Corbin grinned. “She wanted to see if you’d float back down or just fall.”
“And you guys, being the nice people that you are, told her that was a bad idea?” I asked, faintly amused.
Chimaero shrugged. “We figured it would slow down your healing process.” He said. “We want to leave as soon as possible.”
“Well, I’m ready to go when you are.” I told him.
We packed up our stuff and made sure the jet was secure. Then we headed off, following the river that flowed into the lake. We knew they had left in boats and there was only one way they could have gone. As we walked we discussed possible ways of entering the base. Each suggestion was squashed almost as soon as it was made. Underground tunnel? We should be so lucky. Scale the walls? To high, well watched, and there’s searchlights. Show ourselves? Get thrown in separate mutant proof cells.
In the end we decided that the four ex-soldiers would play captors and the rest of us would play the captives. We decided to leave Hunter, Corbin, and Jacob outside as a backup plan. If we really got caught it would be up to them to save us. Of course they grumbled about this but common sense won out. Four captors couldn’t bring in six captives. It just wouldn’t work.
We had to back track a couple times when we came across a road. We didn’t want to be seen until we got to the base. As we neared the gates the three protectors hung back while Kitty, Dee, and I put our hands in the shackles that Zeff pulled from his endless stash of Restriction equipment. As we neared the gate Zeff grabbed my arms. I pretended to struggle. It wasn’t hard. Fear had gripped me. Suddenly, I didn’t want to be here.
As we passed through the gates we were intercepted by a group of soldiers. They looked at us curiously. “Who are these?” One of the soldiers asked.
“We found them snooping around the lake.” Chimaero answered. “We think they came to save the adults that are here.”
“Way to go man.” Another of the soldiers said, obviously impressed.
“You seem vaguely familiar.” The first one said.
“I am X4-493.” Chimaero told him.
“The ‘twin’ to Clowe’s son? Wow.” He said sympathetically. “You must have it hard. And who are these?”
“X5-453 and X5-209.” Dark answered, giving Dee a slight push.
Dee glared at her but didn’t comment. The soldier turned to Zeff. “And you? What is your designation?”
Zeff had kept his hood up to hide his face. “I’m not one of you Manticore replicas. I am an original MRA agent. My name’s Kyle.” His grip tightened on my arms.
For a moment I was reminded of the time he had taken me to see Clowe and Magneto. I shuddered slightly. If he noticed he gave no sign of it. “Chill dude.” The soldier said, raising his hand in defence. “I meant no offence. You agents always take things the wrong way.”
“Maybe if you just let us do our job we wouldn’t.” Zeff snapped, bitterness seeping into his voice. “You Manticore lab rats think you can just waltz in here and take the jobs of us original soldiers.”
I was getting impatient. Were they just gonna sit there talking all day? I yanked my arms out of Zeff’s hold and took off for the gate. I had barely taken three steps when he caught me again. He spun me around to face the base. “If you don’t mind.” He told the soldier. “I would like to take this scum to a cell where she belongs.”
“Sure thing.” The soldier said, looking me over. “But personally I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to be rid of her. Don’t you Agents like to have fun with your captives? I had heard that somewhere.”
Zeff’s grip tightened on my arms again. “She’s not my type.”
“Whatever you say man.” The soldier agreed. He turned to the others. “We’re just getting off duty. Come join us in the mess hall when you get rid of these girls.”
“Sure thing.” Psycho agreed, pulling Kitty toward the base. “I’m starved.”
They pushed and pulled us into the base. We halted just inside the doorway. “Now what?” Psycho asked. “Which way to the cells?”
Dee closed her eyes slightly. “Left.” She said after a moment.
We went left, the three of us still pretending to struggle, until Dee guided us to a set of winding stairs. We went down the stairs and found ourselves in the cell area. The guards looked up as we approached but as soon as they saw us “prisoners” they paid us no more mind then they would anyone else. “Dee?” I muttered. “Could you freeze them? And the cameras?”
“I’ll try.” She answered. A few seconds later she nodded. “Done.”
We shed our shackles and started checking each cell for our parents. Dee stood very still in the center of the hallway. She seemed to be glowing slightly. I checked the first few cells. No dice. They were empty. “Pol!” Psycho called from a few cells away.
I ran to her and looked in. Scott was chained in the center of the room. A weird device surrounded his eyes. I was sure it was a mutant proof blindfold. They must not have bothered to look for his visor when they caught him. “Dad?” I called softly, kneeling down in front of him.
“Pol?” He asked in bewilderment. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I asked, slightly amused that he had to ask. “I have your visor. Close your eyes.”
I reached out and removed the blindfold. When his visor was securely on his face he looked up. “I can’t believe he let you come.” He said softly as I undid the chains holding him up.
“It’s not as if we gave him a choice.” I said as I helped him to his feet.
Scott chuckled. “I can see that.”
We walked out into the hall where Dee was still standing perfectly still. “Is she ok?” Scott asked.
“Yah, fine.” I told him, gesturing at the guards. “Just keeping our friends here occupied.”
Scott shook his head slowly. “I always forget that you five have those additional talents.”
He stayed with Dee and Storm who had just come from her cell. Psycho was already on to the next cell. I caught up to her. “Seen Jean yet?” I asked.
“Not yet.” She answered.
I started checking the cells. Finally, after about five empty cells I heard a familiar voice. “About time. You kids sure know how to make a guy wait.”
I grinned in at Logan. “Psycho, this ones yours.” I called as I moved off.
“Yer Mom is down at zee end.” Remy told me as he, Dark, and Marie walked by.
I nodded at him and ran to the end. Kitty and her mom walked by. I barely even acknowledged them. I reached the last cell and opened it. Jean was chained to the wall, a weird device on her head. I took it off and she looked up at me. “Pol?” she seemed to relax slightly. “Thank god.”
“What is this thing?” I asked as Zeff freed her from her chains.
“A Neural Inhibitor,” She replied, “To hold psychic powers. Thank you.” She said to Zeff as he steadied her. She hadn’t put weight on her feet for days. “That’s why I was cut off so suddenly from Charles.”
I nodded in understanding and we headed back toward the others. When we reached them Scott enveloped Jean in a grateful and loving hug. I just smiled and hung back with Zeff. “Ok,” Chimaero said softly. “Our next challenge is getting Dee out without breaking her concentration. We need these guys to stay frozen.”
We went back and shut all the cell doors, and everyone moved to the stairs except for me. I tapped Dee on her shoulder. As soon as her concentration broke I cast an image into the minds of the guards so that in their minds the corridor was still empty. Dee and I backed silently out of the room. Once we had all moved further up the stairs I released them from the illusion. There was no need for it anymore.
We were almost to the top of the stairs when we heard a set of feet approaching us from in front. “Dee?” I asked.
“I can’t Pol. I haven’t got the strength.”
Jean reached out with her hand and froze the soldier just as he appeared in front of us. His mouth opened in shock as he looked at us. Chimaero, Psycho, Dark, and Zeff moved to the front. He looked at each of them in turn, his eyes pausing at Zeff before locating me in the group. “I can’t believe I was so easily duped.” He muttered, turning to Chimaero. “You’re not John at all. You’re Chimaero.”
“Smart boy.” Scott muttered.
I grinned. The soldier looked at me again and then turned to Zeff. “And that would mean you’re not Kyle, whoever that is.” Zeff shook down his hood, glaring at him. “I should a known. Zefferan.”
Jean extended her grip so that he couldn’t talk anymore. We all moved passed the now completely immobilized soldier. I glared at him as I passed. Zeff looked like he wanted to punch him but he withheld the urge. Psycho, however, did not. She kicked him in the stomach. When Jean turned to look at her she just shrugged and spit on the unfortunate soldier. “That is for looking at my friend the wrong way.” She growled and left.
We moved as quietly as we could through the base. However, they noticed before long that the prisoners were missing. Alarms sounded and soon the pounding of many booted feet could be heard coming toward us. I looked at my mom. I knew we wouldn’t be able to stop them all. I glanced at Dee. She glanced back, a look of determination crossing her face. “Can you?” I asked.
“Well I’m sure gonna try.” She replied. “Just hang on to my hand. You’re gonna have to guide me out of here.”
I didn’t bother to ask. I just did as she asked. When she reached into her element I felt my element rise up inside, loaning strength to her and keeping her from becoming immobilized again. As it had that day with Psycho, my world lost all colour. Only this time there was no swirls of colour because I wasn’t generating and wind. “Let’s go.” Dee muttered.
“Now!” I agreed.
We all ran toward the door. Every single person we passed, every single camera, was frozen. They would have no clue how we got out. As we passed through the gate I could see a thin line of blood start to trickle from Dee’s nose. I threw some more of my own strength into her. “Come on Dee, hang in there.” I muttered as I pulled her into the woods.
We met Corbin, Hunter, and Jacob just inside the shelter of the woods. Hunter noticed me dragging Dee and was about to rush over when Zeff stopped him. He must have told him what was happening because he turned and started to run with us, leaving me and Dee to our mission. I could feel my strength starting to wane. She was drawing a lot out of me too quickly for my body to replenish it.
About ten minutes into our run Dee stumbled. Her hand was wrenched from my grasp and I felt my elemental self fail. Colour came back into my world as I fell to my knees. Before I was even aware of what was happening Zeff had scooped me up into his arms and was continuing the trek to the jet. I glanced wearily over at Dee to see her sleeping peacefully in Hunter’s arms as he ran. The sound of shouting could be heard behind us but it was growing fainter and fainter. They had yet to realise that we had escaped.
When we got to the jet Dee and I were set in seats near the back wall so that we could lean against it and rest. The parents took the seats in the cockpit while the rest of us sat in the back. Zeff came over and sat next to me. I lay my head on his shoulder. It was more comfortable than the wall. As he wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulders I looked up at him. “You got pretty protective back there.” I whispered quietly. I smiled when I felt him tense and continued my thought. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t like the look he was giving you.” Zeff replied. “And I knew of him. He has a reputation.”
“I didn’t like it either.” I told him, and then I grinned as I remembered. “Neither, apparently, did Psycho.”
“You got that right.” Psycho said from across the jet. “He’s a perverted creep. Don’t worry Pol, I got your back.”
I smiled, closing my eyes and relaxing. In no time at all I felt myself being lifted from the seat. I knew right away that it wasn’t Zeff who held me. “It’s alright.” Scott’s voice, Scott’s fatherly and protective grip. “I’ve got her.”
He carried me all the way up to my room. As he set me down I grabbed his arm, making him halt for a minute. “Zeff’s alright Dad.” I told him. “Really. There is a reason he changed sides. A good one. Talk to him.”
Then I closed my eyes and fell into a deep meditation. I felt sure that everything was going to be ok. Everything was going to work out.
Chapter 14
“I’ve really made a mess of it this time.” Zeff muttered as we stood in line to get our food. “Haven’t I?”
“I’d say you have.” Psycho snapped from behind him. “Now we’ll have to do it again!”
“Vell, look at it zis vey.” Jacob told her. “Now vee gets more practise.”
Psycho scowled at him and took her lunch tray to a table. Zeff and I exchanged glances. I shrugged and followed her. Zeff went and sat with Chimaero and the other guys across the room. I took a small bite of my tortilla wrap and looked at Psycho. She was looking at me curiously. “So…” she ventured, taking a bite of Pizza. “What’s your fear?”
“Apparently, it’s snakes.” I told her. “Who woulda guessed?”
“You mean to tell me that you can battle baddies like Clowe but a little snake will scare you?” Kitty asked, sitting down next to me.
“And you didn’t know?” Dark asked, grabbing the seat next to Psycho.
“No I didn’t.” I told them. “And little snakes I can live with. It’s the poisonous ones and the really big ones that get to me. What about you Kit?”
Kitty shrugged. “My biggest fear is seeing those I love die. I mean… you know…”
I nodded sympathetically. “What about you Dark?”
“Corpses.” She grunted into her food.
Psycho cocked an eyebrow at her. “A genetically engineered killing machine… afraid of corpses?”
“You know perfectly well why 452!” Dark growled.
“Eva.” Psycho nodded.
“452?” I asked.
Kitty grinned and tapped the back of her neck. “Her designation. She has a whole string of numbers.”
“332960073452” Psycho ran off the numbers quickly and efficiently as if they were programmed into her very brain. “Often shortened to X5-452 or just 452. Dark is 332340090210.”
“X5-210.” Dark muttered. “Eva was our sister.”
“Ansem shot her.” Psych growled.
“Who’s Ansem?” I asked.
“Psycho’s uncle.” Kitty answered. “Ororo’s brother. Fairly recognizable.”
“Though not in the least likeable.” Dee told me as she came over to join us. “He works for Clowe now though he was originally with the Manticore project.”
“How’d you know…?” Psycho started then remembered Dee’s powers. “Oh, right.”
“So Dee.” Kitty turned to her. “What’s your fear?”
“Arachnophobia.” Dee muttered.
“Spiders?” Psycho asked in disbelief. “You spent two years at Clowe’s and all you found to be afraid of was spiders?”
“About the same as snakes.” I told her. “Or small spaces.”
“Shut up.” She snapped at me. “I hate it when you’re right.”
I grinned. “I wonder what the guys are afraid of.”
We chatted amongst ourselves until the professor called us for our second trip into the Danger Room. We all went in rather hesitantly. No one really wanted to be found afraid of something in front of the others. When we went in we spread out in groups of two as would be likely to happen if we were scouting around. Then the Professors voice could be heard, booming around the room. “All right. You know what to do. The time limit has been changed to one hour or when all of you have faced your fears and overcome them. Begin.”
We were plummeted into sudden darkness. I felt a hand grasp mine. “We need light here Pol.” Zeff said softly.
“Right.” I called a small moonlike orb to glow over our heads.
It lit up a small area around us revealing a strange and old forest. The trees were like nothing I had ever seen. The bark was a deeper brown than anything I remembered, and it was harder than rock. “Does this have something to do with your fear?” I asked Zeff.
His grip tightened on my hand, confirming my suspicions. He reached out to touch one of the trees and shuddered. “These are Zerethi trees.” He muttered. “Native to my home planet.”
We looked up to see a figure coming towards us. It was an older man, maybe in his late forties, with blonde hair that fell to just above his shoulders. He was dressed in some sort of ceremonial robe. As he got closer he looked us over with bright green eyes. “Zeff?” I asked quietly. “Who is that?”
His grip on my hand tightened even more so that it was almost cutting off my circulation. “It’s my father.” He replied, almost under his breath. He was shaking slightly.
“Zefferan.” The robed man’s voice was low and melodious. “Habeth coumier di bareth.”
Zeff shook his head, staring intently at his father. “Ji mari habeth di hatai.” Zeff replied. “Habeth lieras mielier Pol.”
Zeff’s father looked from him to me and his gaze hardened, his voice taking on a sharp edge. “Nepha Zefferan. Ni tö mani Sellora!”
“Hatai–” Zeff began.
“Nepha!” His father cut him off, raising a hand and pointing to me.
I didn’t wait to see what would happen. I wrenched my hand from Zeff’s grip and threw myself behind a tree just as a bolt of energy flew right where I was. “What the heck’s he doing?!” I asked Zeff.
“Hatai!” Zeff yelled at his father, his face was drained of colour. “Hatai, dimeras!”
I reached out with my mind to his father. I felt nothing. There was no presence there at all. “Zeff! This isn’t real!” I told him, ducking another bolt of energy. “He’s not really there!”
“Doesn’t stop him from shooting at you does it?” He asked, anger making his voice sound almost as cold as it had been before he joined us.
“Maybe if your mind accepts that it isn’t real it will stop being real.” I suggested.
“Easier said than done.” He muttered in return. “Dimeras hatai!”
“Calm down!” I told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind a tree. “Just relax.”
I willed myself to calm down and sent some calm into him. When we peered around the tree again he was gone. “There, you see?” I asked. “It works.”
“Says the girl who failed last time.” He muttered.
“Funny how that works isn’t it?” I teased. “Let’s go find the others.”
We didn’t have to look far. Within a few minutes we came up to Psycho and Chimaero. Chimaero was just getting Psycho to calm down. “I hate this fucking test.” Psycho was saying softly. “I already know what my worst fear is. I’m never gonna be able to control myself. This is pointless.”
“You did just fine.” Chimaero told her.
“Yah cause you were there.”
Chimaero looked up and saw us approaching. He noted Zeff’s pale face and my calm expression and grinned. “She show you up Zeff?” he asked.
Zeff smiled feebly. “What about you? Face your fears yet?”
Chimaero’s grin disappeared. “No.”
“Then you can’t talk.” Zeff told him. “Mind you. They should get a real kick out of it.”
“Shut up.” Chimaero snapped.
Just then, a cold wind blew by. “Speaking of which.” Zeff rose and eyebrow in amusement.
Chimaero whirled around. Three figures could be seen through the misty woods. As they drew nearer their features became more apparent. Psycho actually burst out laughing, but I just stared. I recognised the middle figure. It was Clowe. I didn’t know the other two people but I could guess at one of them. The man on Clowe’s left was tall, easily over six feet, maybe even seven. His skin was a golden bronze and his eyes a bright amber colour, but it was his hair that identified him. His hair was pure white and hung to his waist. It was hair similar to Ororo’s. “You’re afraid of your parents and Ansem?” Psycho blurted. “Of all the things…”
“Well, Renfro and Clowe did give him to the Manticore project when he was just a baby.” Zeff told her. “And your uncle was the head scientist.”
“Like I needed a reminder.” Psycho shivered. “Come on. Let’s get away from here.”
Chimaero nodded and took off away from his fear as fast as his legs would take him. The rest of us looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. We didn’t stop until we came up to Destiny and Hunter. “You two been tested yet?” I asked.
“Hunter has.” Destiny shrugged.
Just then a soft hissing noise could be heard coming toward us. We all turned in the direction of the sound. I felt a shiver of anxiety run up my spine. There was a large crash as the largest spider I had ever seen fell from the treetops and landed in front of us. Destiny screamed and fell backward into me. We both landed in a heap on the ground. A huge shape reared up behind it. It was the same cobra from before. Ok, I told myself, you know this isn’t real. What’s the best way to get rid of it?
I reached out with my mind and located the mind that was generating these illusions. Knowing it was the Professor I lashed out with just enough force to make him lose his concentration, not enough to hurt him. The danger room abruptly changed back to its normal appearance. I glanced around to see the others not twenty feet from us.
We waited for the Professor’s judgment on how we did. Nothing happened. “That’s odd.” Zeff said. “I wonder why he’s not saying anything.”
“I didn’t hit him hard.” An honest declaration, but said by me, Dee, and Dark.
“Shit.” Dark muttered.
Dee and I took off at the same time toward the control room. When we got there we found the Professor lying on the floor, dazed but otherwise alright. “Oh my god Professor I am so sorry!” Dee gasped as we helped him back into his chair.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“A little bruised, and fairly shaken but otherwise fine.” The Professor replied. “I never expected that strong of a reaction.”
“It was because three of us hit you at once.” Dee explained.
“I am aware of that Destiny, thank you.” He replied. “But frankly, I’m impressed that you all had that reaction. None of you did before.”
I grinned at him. “So we pass?”
“With honours.”
We followed him back down to where the others were waiting. “Well,” he said, addressing the group. “Now that that little shock is over I do not feel as apprehensive about sending you out. I am going to study the information we have received to see if I can get more exact coordinates. You should all relax and get some rest. You will be leaving within the next few days.”
We left him feeling exhausted but satisfied. All in all it had been a good training session. Zeff and I took a table to ourselves that night. We both didn’t feel like joining the loud conversations that would be happening in the cafeteria so we went out for dinner. We found a nice peaceful restaurant where we could chat without interruptions. “So that man was your father?” I asked.
“Well… a rendition of him anyway.” Zeff replied, picking at the salad on his plate.
“He looked important.” I remarked, taking a bite of my own salad.
“He is… the leader of my people.” Zeff admitted softly. “Losing me, his first born, would be hard for him.”
I glanced at him. He was staring at his plate, a thoughtful frown on his face. “That language you were speaking.” I said, trying to bring his attention away from his father slightly. “It was beautiful. Hatai, it means ‘father’ doesn’t it.”
“Yes.”
“How have you managed to remember it after being away from your people for so long?” I asked.
Zeff smiled grimly. “Clowe made me teach him so I couldn’t say things about him behind his back. He used it often when speaking to me. Just to prove that he could.” He looked at me and grinned. “His accent was horrible.”
I grinned back. “Does anybody else know it?” I asked.
“Just Chimaero and a few other high ranking soldiers.” Zeff replied. “Clowe would give orders in it when he didn’t want the foot soldiers to know what was said.” His grin widened. “Why all the questions? You want to learn it?”
“Only if you want to teach me.” I replied. “It is a very pretty language.”
So we spent the rest of our dinner working on the language. Zeff seemed to enjoy speaking it more than he did English. Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, I sat reading the book he had kept on it. It was a pleasant change from the things I usually read. It made the night pass by more quickly. By morning I had a fairly good grasp of it. I was usually pretty quick at picking up new languages and this one was no exception. In fact, I had the book completely read and was practicing the flowing script that went with it when the Professor called on us again.
“I have narrowed the search down to a small area around where we lost contact with them.” He told us, showing us an island off the coast of Washington. The Island zoomed in on a forest area with a lake. “I finally lost contact with Jean right around that lake. I will send you to a point near the lake. You must locate your parents and the Blackbird and get back safely.”
“How are we getting there, Professor?” I asked. “I mean, our parents have the jet and we won’t all fit in the helicopter.”
The professor smiled. “I’m calling in a favour that an old friend owes me. You don’t need to worry about that. And do not worry about taking down Clowe. Just get your parents and get out of there. Understand?”
“Yes Professor.” We all agreed quietly.
Outside we could hear the sound of jet engines. “That would be your ride.” The professor grinned. “Good luck.”
We went out into the yard to see a military jet, the kind used to transport troupes, waiting for us. Psycho froze. “Military?” she muttered, “The military owes him?”
“Are you the kids what I’m supposed to pick up?” the pilot called. We nodded, Dark pulling Psycho’s arm to get her to move. “Kinda young aint ya?”
“We’re older than we look.” I replied.
He looked me over. He could tell I was the youngest… and that I was lying. “Ya, ok. It’s not my place to say I guess. He’s just getting more reckless is all.”
“It’s not like we gave him a choice.” Dee muttered.
I grinned. The pilot shrugged and we were off. It took us a few hours but finally the island came into view. “I dunno why you kids are going to this old place. It’s an abandoned military base. Nuthin there now but plants and animals.” The pilot told us as we swooped down lower over the trees. “Ok. This is as far as I go. I’m gonna make another pass. You kids be ready to jump.”
As we swooped by the trees again we jumped out of the plane. Some of us just jumped but the ones who couldn’t fly grabbed parachutes first. The jet roared off, leaving us to our mission. We landed in an open clearing near the lake. Most of us landed fine, but Hunter’s parachute got caught on something… something large and invisible.
As he struggled to free himself amidst his laughing friends I reached out with my mind, feeling a familiar metal hull and familiar controls. I grinned. “I think we found the Blackbird.” I said.
I pressed the button that lowered the ramp and walked on. I did a full systems check and Zeff checked to see if the parents had sent any messages before they disappeared. “No. nothing.” He muttered. “Of course, that would be too easy.”
“Well the jet seems fine.” I told the others. “They weren’t shot down.”
“Well now that we know how we’re getting out of here, let’s go find them.” Dark said, heading for the ramp.
We followed her, shutting the ramp behind us. Then we all spread out, looking for signs to help us. I hadn’t been looking long when Chimaero ran by. Zeff and I were looking around the jet. “Ondraya’s at the lake.” Chimaero called to us. “There’s signs of a struggle and she found her dad’s tags.
As he took off to find the others we went over to where Psycho was scouring the shoreline. She looked up when I approached and threw something at me. I reached out instinctively and caught it. It was Scott’s visor. I gulped. This could not be good. I turned to help her try to figure out what happened. She pointed out the spots where people had fallen and been dragged toward the lake. “They must have gone by boat.” She said.
“We’ll have to go by land.” Zeff muttered. “A lot slower than by boat.”
We turned as we heard the others approaching. Suddenly I heard a yelp and a splash behind me. Turning back to where psycho had been just a moment before I found only Logan’s dog tags. Wasting no time, I tossed Scott’s visor to Zeff and dove in after her, drawing my knives as I went. I was not expecting what I saw under the surface of the water. Psycho was caught in the tentacles of some sort of giant creature.
I felt Dark and Kitty dive in after me. :Get me out a here!: Psycho yelled at us through our elemental connections.
I hacked at one of the tentacles but all I succeeded in doing was angering the creature. It walloped me in the stomach, causing me to swallow a mouthful of lake water. I called a small air bubble around my mouth so I could refill my lungs. Dark swam passed me. :Get out a here Pol.: she called as she passed. :You’re no use down here. Kitty and I can handle it.:
I wasted no time arguing. I could feel my strength starting to seep out of me for some reason. I swam as fast as I could toward the surface, but my energy level was dieing and I knew I wouldn’t make it. A pair of strong arms grabbed me and propelled me to the surface. I collapsed on the shoreline, coughing and sputtering and looked to my saviour. Dark stood over me, frowning slightly. “Thanks.” I managed to say between coughs.
She looked down at me in concern. “You ok?” she asked.
I felt water drip on my face as Psycho came to stand beside her. “I’m fine.” I muttered, raising myself to my elbows and looking about. “How’d you get away?”
“It was a squid.” Kitty replied from the shoreline. “A water creature. I just asked it real nice and it let her go.”
I shook my head. “I never thought of that.”
A sudden wave of dizziness made me lay back on the wet grass. “Pol?” Zeff appeared at my side. He reached out and felt my forehead, a frown on his face. “She’s burning up.”
“What happened?” Kitty asked.
I tried to reply but I was concentrating on just staying conscious. “She swallowed some water…” Dee mused.
“So did I.” Psycho pointed out. “I feel fine. In fact I feel like I’ve had an extra four hours…” she petered out, looking at me in horror.
The others looked at her in confusion. She turned to face them. “The water made me feel like I had an extra four hours sleep.” She told them.
I felt darkness closing in around me and found myself accepting it. My strength was gone, all I wanted to do was rest. I had just drifted off when someone shook my shoulders hard. “Pol!” Zeff’s voice was loud, and right next to my ear. “Pol, listen to me. You have to stay awake.”
His voice faded out as I felt myself falling back into the blackness. He shook me again. “Pol! We have to get her out of here.”
That woke me up. “No!” I gasped, grabbing his arm. “No. I won’t go back. I need to see this through. I just need to rest for a minute. Not sleep, just rest.”
I glanced around. We were already inside the jet. Zeff had wrapped me in a blanket and laid me across the seats. It was then that I noticed that I was shivering. “Pol, be reasonable.” Zeff said softly. “You are in no shape to go anywhere.”
“You won’t be able to get me out of here and still get back to save the others.” I argued. “As soon as this jet takes off he’ll send people out after it. If we leave without rescuing the others first he will be ready for you when you return.”
“Then we’ll wait here for the others.” Zeff insisted.
“No.” I argued. “I need to find my dad myself. I must see this through.”
“Pol– ”
“Give it up Zeff.” Chimaero said from behind him. “You won’t win. We can wait a few hours. If she’s not better we’ll head out without her.”
I nodded. “I’m fine with that. Give me an hour and I’ll be fine.”
I slipped into meditation without waiting for his reply.
Chapter 13
I couldn’t settle down that night. I sat on the couch taking in my surroundings. I hadn’t lived in this house long enough for it to feel like home. A sense of foreboding fell on me as if something was about to happen. Subconsciously I checked to see if my ID card and tags were still where they were supposed to be.
When the Professor gave them to us he told us to keep them on us at all times. If we were found in an MRA building by the police who did frequent checks of the place and we had our ID’s on us we had proof that we didn’t belong there. Without them we were as good as theirs.
Assured that they were still there I willed myself to calm down. I had just reached normal calm level when my watch went off. I glanced down at the screen and saw the name “Prof. X.” flashing across it. I pressed a button and the Professor’s image appeared above my watch. “Ah, Polgara.” He seemed relieved to see me.
“Is something wrong Professor?” I asked.
“You need to come back to the school immediately.” He said in way of answer. “I will arrange another time for you to visit your mother.”
“I’m on my way Professor.” I assured him.
With that the Professor’s image disappeared. I wrote a letter of apology to my mother and went upstairs to wake up Zeff. He had ended up in my old room after all. I had no sooner walked through the threshold of the room when he sat up with his laser sword drawn and ignited. I was thankful that he slept in his pants. :A little edgy are we?: I grinned.
:I trust you didn’t wake me up to tease me.: He returned grumpily, turning off his sword.
My grin faded as quickly as it had come. :The Professor wants us back right away.:
Zeff was up and throwing on his shirt almost before I was finished talking. :What happened?: he asked.
:He didn’t say.: I told him. :But he sounded worried.:
We grabbed our bags and the disk and left without making a sound. I felt bad leaving so soon after I had arrived but there was nothing for it. When the professor asked you to do something you did it, with very few, if any, questions asked.
By the time we got back to the mansion everyone was in bed. Zeff went up to his room and I took the disc downstairs. I had set it down in the briefing room when I heard the soft hum of running machinery coming from down the hall, the Professor’s super-computer Cerebra. I wandered down the hall toward the room that held Cerebra. Just as I approached the door the humming stopped and the door whisked open.
Inside, the Professor was setting down the headpiece used to control it. “Ah, Polgara. Good. You are back. And Zeff too I trust.”
“Yes Professor.” I smiled. “But you should be asleep. It’s four in the morning.”
Xavier smiled. “I was just making another futile attempt at locating the others. We know where they disappeared but that is all we know.”
“I brought back something that may help.” I told him. “Information from a possible Restriction worker gone rogue. Says he wants to help us. Give us info on Clowe.”
“You don’t trust him.” Xavier commented.
“Not as far as I can throw him.” I admitted. “But that doesn’t say much. He could be sincere or Clowe could be playing a new card in the field. The fact that he’s dating my mother doesn’t help.”
“Well we shall treat this information with caution.” Xavier assured me. “But now I must get some rest. An old man needs his sleep.”
“Of course Professor. I shall see you in the morning.”
When I went down to the briefing room the next day the Professor was already awake and reading the file. “Do you every take a break?” I asked him, walking into the room.
He jumped slightly and looked at me over his shoulder. “Not when I’m worried about my team.” He told me. “My best people go out into the field and disappear and I’m about to send ten children out to bring them back.”
“We’re not really children Professor.” I argued. “I’m the youngest and I’m already eighteen. And we have three super-soldiers and an alien in our group of ‘children’.”
“And of course all their training will keep a cool head on their shoulders.” He said with a slight grin.
“I never said that.” I told him seriously, and then I grinned. “But then again. That’s what I’m there for.”
“And it comforts me to know that you are there.” He told me. “For some unknown reason she will listen to you more than anyone.”
A knock on the door announced the arrival of the others. We all gathered around the Professor as he explained our current situation. “You’re sending us?” Corbin asked in surprise.
“Well I know I won’t be able to stop these five young women from going, short of locking them up.” The Professor told him. “And I’m pretty sure you young men won’t let them go off into danger without you.” There were quite a few nods at this. “However,” He continued. “There is one more training session I want you to do before I give you the details of the mission. Meet at the danger room in one hour. It is very important.”
A chorus of “yes Professor” could be heard as we went to change into our practise uniforms. As promised we were all standing outside the Danger Room and waiting anxiously when the Professor rolled down the hall. He looked at each of us in turn, his expression impossible to read. “You will each have to do this individually. The rules are simple. You must keep your powers under control and stay in the room for the allotted amount of time.” He said turning to Psycho. “No matter what you see in there… you must stay calm.”
He rolled away to the control room. A few minutes later his voice ran out in the hallway. “Alright Miss Worthington,” he called, “You’re first. Go on in.”
Destiny walked, pale faced and trembling, into the danger room. I couldn’t blame her for being afraid. When the Professor gives only a few rules you know that you won’t like what is going to happen. Yet true to the rules she stuck it out for the full twenty minutes. When she re-emerged her face looked even paler and she walked away without saying anything.
“Mr. Clowe.” The Professor called.
Chimaero exchanged a knowing glance with Zeff and entered the danger room. He too lasted for the full twenty minutes before coming back. He passed us by with a shrug of his shoulders and a slight nod at Zeff and left without talking.
“Miss Howlett.”
Psycho didn’t seem to hear him. Dark turned to her and motioned to the door. She glanced at us all briefly and entered the room. Not five minutes later there came the sound of something exploding and the door whisked open in a cloud of smoke. Psycho stumbled out and collapsed, trying to catch her breath. “Th… the walls…” she muttered. “Th… close… can’t escape…”
She shuddered and glanced back at the danger room. She groaned and got up and bolted from the room. The Professor’s voice rang through the hall once more. “Due to Miss Howlett’s performance I must ask you to wait for a couple hours so we may repair any damage done. Just sit tight and relax. Don’t leave this area.”
We all glanced at each other nervously. “I wish he’d just tell us what we’d be fighting.” Hunter grumbled. “By Psycho’s reaction, I’d say I won’t like it.”
“Psycho reacts that way to everything.” Zeff smirked slightly. “But I won’t tell you not to be afraid.”
He came over and sat down beside me, taking my hand in his. I looked up at him and he smiled softly. “You were clenching and unclenching your fists.” He muttered. “It was driving me nuts.”
“I was?” I looked down at my palms in surprise.
Sure enough, there were tiny indents where my nails had dug into my flesh. I looked back up at him. “I didn’t notice.”
“I know.” He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
I studied him for a moment. “You know what’s in there.” I said pointedly. “You know what we’re up against, don’t you?”
He hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. “It was possibly the hardest training for most soldiers at Clowe’s.” he said as every head turned toward him in interest. “It never affected me much…”
“But now you think it will.” I pressed, eager to find out what was in the room.
“I had no fear at Clowe’s.” He told me. “It was almost as if I wasn’t alive. I had nothing else to lose. I didn’t even value my own life.” He looked up at my face. When he spoke again it was barely above a whisper. “Now I do. Now I have a lot to lose.”
“So,” Kitty piped up. “We’re going to have to face our fears?”
“Your utmost worst fear.” He replied, once again addressing the whole group.
It didn’t have as much of an effect on me as I thought it would. The problem was that I didn’t know what my worst fear was. All I had gained from this knowledge was the assurance that I wouldn’t like what I found in there. Finally, after what felt like ages, the Professors voice could be heard again. “Miss LeBeau, we are ready for you now.”
Darks wings quivered slightly as she entered the room but other than that she showed no outward sign of fear. Around the twenty minute mark she burst out the door and ran down the hall to the bathroom, looking like she was going to be sick. Corbin went next, followed by Kitty, then Hunter, and then Zeff. Finally, it was my turn. I walked past Jacob, giving him a reassuring smile and a friendly pat on the shoulder.
When I entered the room I stepped into a circle of light on the floor. “Alright Polgara.” The Professor’s voice boomed and echoed all around me. “I trust you know the rules. This will be a modified form of ‘escape and evade’. That is the only hint I can give you. Your objective is to last twenty minutes without causing too much damage to the area around you. Begin.”
All of a sudden, ancient stone walls erupted from the ground around me. It was as if I was suddenly transported to an ancient Egyptian ruin. The Professor’s voice echoed in my mind. “Last twenty minutes. Minimal damage.”
I took a step back, trying to take in my surroundings, and was plunged into total darkness. I fought down the urge to panic and felt my way through the narrow hallway until I came to a large room lit dimly as if by moonlight. In the dark night I could vaguely make out the vine covered walls and crumbling pillars. The floor around me was also vine covered and made walking difficult. The air was humid and moist and seemed to be moving. “Is anyone there?” I called into the dark.
I called a ball of light into my hand and immediately regretted it. What I had taken for vines over the walls and floor were actually thousand of scaly snakes. With a soft yelp of surprise I stumbled backward, trying to escape this room of slithering demons. My light went out as I caught myself against the wall. All the snakes on the wall started to slither around my hands and arms, pinning me against the walls.
I thrashed out but more and more snakes just kept coming. The snakes on the floor wrapped themselves around my ankles, some even finding their way into my pant legs to wrap themselves against my skin. I froze. I didn’t know if any of these were poisonous but I didn’t want to find out. Relax Pol, I told myself, this isn’t real.
Oh yah? Part of me argued. Then how can they be holding you down? How can you feel them?
Before I could even think of anything to say to that there cam a large crash and something tore through the ceiling, leaving a gaping hole for moonlight to stream in. In the new light I could see the snakes more clearly. There was every type of poisonous snake known to man and some I didn’t recognize. But it was the shape in the middle that drew my eyes.
My throat went dry and I couldn’t have screamed if I wanted to. There, right in front of me was a King Cobra. But not just and king cobra, no, this one was at least sixteen feet around the body and when it reared up its neck flared out to block out all light. I felt panic rising through me and could feel electricity forming around my wrists. Calm yourself Pol! I thought. This isn’t real. Snakes can’t grow to be that size.
Tell that to Magic, that little doubting part of my brain argued, I bet she’d think it was cute.
I could feel the lightning building up inside me. With a yell I let loose a monstrous wind that tore the snakes from my body and blew them all away from me. The dust stirred up by the wind flew into the cobra’s face, blinding it. I had to do something with the lightning so I pointed it at the cobra and let it fly.
There was a loud popping sound and suddenly the room was flooded with light. I shielded my eyes and looked around. The Danger Room was back to normal. There were metal tentacle-like things lying on the ground but other than that there was nothing to show that I had just faced death and survived. “Has it been twenty minutes?” I asked, turning around.
Then the truth was out. It had not been twenty minutes but fifteen. The reason the room had changed was not that I passed the test but that the bolt of lightning I had fired had hit the central control box of the room and fried the circuits. My hand flew to my mouth. I had so not meant to break anything. Let alone something that important. “No Polgara.” The Professor said from the observation deck. “Not twenty minutes. You must keep your powers under control. Don’t flair out if the person or thing you are fighting might be just illusion. You never know what might happen. You may go. I will have to get Beast to fix this before young Jacob’s turn.”
I smiled sheepishly and left the room. When I got out I turned to Jacob. “Sorry man.” I said, “It might be a while.” With that I left to find Zeff.
When I found Zeff he was sitting by himself in the garden. He was leaning back against a tree staring at the sky, lost in thought. His complexion was still pale, though not as pale as when he had left the lower levels. I lowered myself down beside him without saying a word. After a moment he looked at me. “How’d you do?” he asked automatically.
“Five minutes short.” I replied, looking at his face. He seemed seriously distracted or something. “I blew up the central controls. Was it bad?”
He smiled absently. “If faced with an illusionist I’d survive.” He turned back to the sky. “If faced with the real thing I would not.”
I looked at his face for some clue but as usual I couldn’t see anything. His soldier training was good for something. He seemed distant yet very near. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “Is it your family?”
He looked at me and smiled sadly. “Calichial would just be passing into manhood amongst my people.” He told me quietly. “Zoe would have long ago taken my place as the first-born child.”
“Do you think they’ll come find you? Is that it?” I asked anxiously. “Would they want to take you home if they did? Would you go?”
He leaned in and before I knew what was happening he kissed me. Time seemed to stop for a moment and I felt my heart beating wildly in my chest. When he finally pulled away he smiled. “No.” He told me. “I belong here now. I would stay.”
I leaned against him and smiled. “I would hate to lose you.”
We sat there together, each thinking our own thoughts, until Destiny came to find us. “There you two are.” She grinned as we pulled away from each other and got to our feet. “I’ve been looking everywhere. The Professor wants us. Downstairs.”
We grinned and followed her downstairs. The others were all there and getting impatient when we arrived. “Finally!” Psycho burst.
I grinned at her apologetically. Xavier came out and looked at us each in turn. “I am seriously debating whether it is a good idea to send you out on your own.” He told us. “The only ones that passed that test were our ex-MRA agents.” He glanced at Zeff and Chimaero. “True, for the most part you were… successful. But two of you have failed horribly.” He glanced at Psycho and me.
Psycho returned his glance with a glare of her own but I just turned my eyes to the floor. “With all due respect sir.” Zeff interrupted. “True they failed on their own. But when we’re out on the field we won’t be alone. There’s safety in numbers sir. Chances are there will be at least two of us together at all times.”
“True.” Xavier admitted. “Very well then. I want you all to go have something to eat if you haven’t already. Be back here in an hour when you will all go in again.” There was a collective groan from the group. “Now don’t complain. You all know what you’ll be facing this time. After all…” he turned to look Zeff in the eyes and smiled. “‘There’s safety in numbers.’”
Chapter 12
Later came sooner than I thought it would and I found myself sitting beside Zeff on the couch, across from Cynthia and Richard. “What’s going on?” Cynthia asked, “Pol, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong as such.” I told her. “Richard just has something to tell you. I want to make sure he tells you everything.”
“If I must tell her everything so must you.” Richard said.
:That wasn’t part of the deal.: I said to Zeff.
:It’s only fair Pol.: He replied. :She has a right to know about your life. That is, if you still think of her as your mother.:
:Life’s not fair.: I told him. Then I turned to Richard. “Agreed.”
“Somehow I’ve got the feeling I’m not going to like this much.” Cynthia muttered.
Richard looked from me to Zeff and then at Cynthia. “Cynthia, Honey, I’m afraid I haven’t been completely truthful with you.”
“What?” Cynthia asked with that warning tone in her voice.
“When I met you I told you that I worked for the government… that much was true. But what I told you I did for a living is not.” He glanced up at me and I nodded for him to continue. “I belong to something called the Mutant Restriction Agency.”
“Wait,” Cynthia interrupted. “I’ve heard of them. They are the people that rescue dangerous mutants and rehabilitate them right.”
“Not quite.” I muttered.
“Nothing so glorious.” Zeff muttered at the same time.
Cynthia looked at us in confusion. It was Richard who clarified. “The MRA is just a front. It is run by a man named Timothy Clowe. He’s a mutant who is bent on mutant superiority. The mutants he ‘liberates’ get enlisted into his growing army. The only ones who stand any chance at defeating him at his game are five teenagers called the Elementals and their protectors. That is the reason I came to this town. I was to look out for one of the elements.”
I was amazed. He said this without his eyes flicking to us even once. I thought for sure that that would be how the conversation switched to us. However, his eyes never left her face. “What makes you think they’d be here?” she asked.
“Our intelligence shows that they have family in the area.” He told her.
“Are we in any danger?” she asked. “I mean. They’d have to be pretty powerful wouldn’t they?”
“Um… Mom?” I looked to Zeff and he nodded, giving my hand a slight squeeze. “I have something I should have told you long ago.”
Cynthia’s attention shifted to me quicker then I would have thought humanly possible. “What?”
I pulled up my sleeve and unbound my wrist. I showed her the elemental symbol. “I am an Elemental.”
The look of shock on her face was so evident it actually hurt. “What? How could I not have known?”
“I never told anyone. Not you, not Carrie. It wasn’t until I met others like me that I said anything about it.” I told her. “I know you knew I was a mutant. I just never told you how powerful I really was.”
“How powerful are you?” She asked.
I hesitated, glancing at Richard. I still wasn’t completely convinced he wasn’t planning to turn us over to Clowe. “Very.” I told her.
“I’d say at least a level 4.” Richard guessed.
“Out of how many levels?”
“Five.” Zeff said, speaking up for the first time in the past few minutes. “Level five mutants are usually pretty obvious. They usually look somewhat inhuman in some way. I speak from experience.”
“Are you level five?” Cynthia asked him.
“No.” Zeff replied. “I’m something else entirely.”
There was an awkward silence and we all just sort of looked around at each other and waited for someone to say something. “So, let me get this straight. Rick was sent by this MRA thing to track down and capture one of these elemental kids and my daughter just happens to be one of these elemental kids. Did you know this when you met me?” she asked Richard.
“Yes.” He admitted. “At first I was just going to befriend you to get Pol. But I fell in love. I can’t turn her in now. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to destroy this family any more than it has been already.”
Cynthia didn’t know what to think about this. I looked from her to Richard and back again. “It’s alright Mom. Really! Richard loves you, that much is obvious, and there have been Restriction Workers in the past that have turned against Clowe. It’s not unheard of.” I told her.
“Is that so?” She asked, slightly surprised. “And who do you know that has done this?”
“Me.” Zeff said matter-of-factly.
Cynthia turned to him very quickly. The look she gave him would have weakened a lesser man but Zeff didn’t even flinch. “I was a top MRA agent when I left. You couldn’t get much higher without taking over for Clowe. It was Pol that opened my eyes and made me see what I was doing.”
“And you changed sides just like that?” she asked dubiously.
“Well no.” He admitted, “There was a little more to it than that. I took a good look at how I was working and living and I realized he was using me. After meeting Pol I felt he’d try to use me more. I was sick of being used at the expense of others.”
“Why would he try to use you more?” Richard asked, reminding us that there was a ‘worker there.
“Yes. Why?” Cynthia asked.
Zeff glanced from them to me and back again. He rolled up his left sleeve, revealing my elemental symbol on his upper arm. “I’m her protector.” He told us. “Clowe took down each of their elemental symbols in their files. Identifying marks, you understand. I knew that if he thought to check my file he’d realize there was some sort of connection between us.”
I looked at him in shock. “You never told me this.” I said.
“It never came up.” He said evasively. “Besides, I knew that if I told you that you were the reason I left Clowe’s you would have been less likely to accept me as part of your team.”
I grinned. “Well that’s for sure.” I teased, “I would never trust somebody who loves me.”
He grinned back, “Of course not, why would you trust them of all people?”
Cynthia looked at us in confusion and raised her hand tenderly to her temple. “This is a lot for me to take in at once. It’s giving me a headache.”
“You don’t have to accept it all now.” Richard told her gently, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you go sleep on it? Maybe something will settle during the night.”
I glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was well after twelve. Cynthia was sure to be exhausted. She smiled gratefully at him. “One last thing before we call it a night. Where is this young man going to sleep?”
“There is another bed in the guest room.” Richard said.
Zeff shot him a look. “I’ll just camp out on the couch.” He told him.
“You could always sleep in Pol’s room.” Richard suggested. “She doesn’t need it.”
:She doesn’t know about that.: I told him.
“We’re telling everything.” He replied.
“What now?” Cynthia asked.
“We have in our files that your daughter is allergic to sleep.” Richard told her.
“That is the most pathetic lie I have ever heard.” Cynthia said.
“It’s true mom.” I assured her, “Remember how, shortly after I changed, I fell sick?” She nodded slowly, “And you took me to the hospital and they put me under?”
“And your condition worsened.” She muttered. “They could find nothing wrong with you… besides a strange cell in your blood stream. One they had never seen before.”
“One that sped up my body’s natural healing rate and enhanced my immune system.” I told her. “Yet despite that I fell sick at least once a week.”
“Until you started those meditation classes at Serena’s.” Cynthia concluded. “I never thought that sleep was what made you sick.”
“It’s not something that is humanly possible.” I told her. “Only mutants may develop it. There are maybe ten of us with it at school.”
Cynthia yawned. “Well, unlike you I need my sleep. I’m going to bed. You can figure out the sleeping arrangements.”
As she got up the rest of us stood up as well. I gave her a hug and she and Richard left. I sat back down on the couch. When Zeff sat down beside me I turned to him. “Why did you never tell me?” I asked, indicating the symbol on his arm.
“I didn’t want you to think that was the only reason I changed.” He looked up into my eyes. “Elemental ties or not, you are the first person besides Chimaero who has treated me like a human being and an equal. The more I got to know you the stronger I felt that I might like you.”
I smiled and nestled against him. “I know just what you mean.” I muttered.
We sat there for several minutes before a creaking on the stair made us jump. It was Richard coming back down the stairs. I pulled away from Zeff and we both sat up straighter. He came and sat across from us and looked from me to Zeff and back. “I just want you to know that I will not tell Clowe anything.” He assured us. “Everything said tonight is just between the four of us.”
“Thank you.” I said unsurely. “We appreciate it.”
“I want to help. I can give you information about upcoming projects and missions, you know, keep you on the heads up.” He offered.
“A spy?” Zeff asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt. “That is a dangerous job.”
“How else are you going to get your information?” He asked, “And from such a ready source? If I can’t just quit I want to do my best to bring him down.”
“Our first Restriction spy.” I muttered. “Of course we’ll have to run it by the Professor.”
“I’m sure he’d love to have help.” Richard said. “I mean, it’s a lot to expect of an old man to have him collect the information himself.”
“He’s always gotten the information before.” I told him.
“Yes well,” Richard argued. “He’s not getting any younger is he?”
I frowned at him. There was truth in what he was saying, and it scared me. I didn’t want to think of the Professor as an old man but he was much older than my parents. He taught both of them how to control their powers to the best of their ability. That meant he had to have had control of his own abilities for years before. “I’ll have to ask the Professor.” I said again.
“I understand.” He said. “I’m going to bed. I just wanted to give you this.” He pulled a disk out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Edited MRA files. I’m sure you’ll find a use for them.”
With that he rose and left the room.
Chapter 11
When we reached my home I felt like I was walking up to a stranger’s house. I walked up and knocked on the door. No answer. I looked at the driveway. Mom’s car was there, as well as someone else’s. I knocked again and again there was no answer. I tried the handle. It was unlocked so I opened the door. “Mom?” I called softly.
The house was dark and quiet. Straining my ears I could hear muffled voices from the back yard. “Mom?” I called louder, moving into the kitchen as Zeff closed the front door.
The voices hushed. I could see my mom’s shape through the curtains of the sliding door. She was crouched down in the garden weeding. The spade she was using dropped from her hand. “Pol?” she cried running into the house and enfolding me in her arms. “Pol honey I’m so glad your ok.”
“I’m alright mom.” I assured her. “Really!”
“Well you surely look like they’ve been taking care of you.” She held me out at arms length. “You never write or anything! The only news I’ve had of you is report cards from that school you go to and assurances from your Professor. Oh, and those news articles in the paper. You totalled a mall? Why? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I’m afraid that was my fault.” Zeff said, coming into the kitchen.
Mom started and glanced from me to him and back again. “You must be Zeff.” She said cautiously. “I’ve heard all about you. The teachers all seemed a bit wary of you. Why would that be?”
“I’m afraid I didn’t make a good first impression is all.” He shrugged. “The Professor trusts me. I don’t see why they shouldn’t”
“Cynthia?” a voice called from the garden. “Who’s there?”
Mom released her hold on my arms and turned to the door. “It’s Pol, Richard. She’s finally come home.”
The door slid open and a man stepped in. He was tall, with brown eyes and his brown hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. He had a hammer in his hand and his shirtless back gleamed with sweat. He wiped a hand on his jeans and stretched it out to me in greeting. “I’m pleased to finally meet you. Your mom has told me all about you.” He smiled and shook my hand.
:You weren’t supposed to come back so soon!:
The words weren’t said out loud and hit me like a rock. I glanced up and noticed the Restriction symbol branded on his right shoulder. “And who is this?” he asked quickly, turning to Zeff and ignoring my suddenly steeled expression.
“This is Pol’s friend Zefferan.” Mom replied as they shook hands.
Something passed between them silently but Mom didn’t seem to notice. She turned to me and frowned slightly. “Pol? Is something wrong?”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Ya, no, I’m alright.” I smiled. “I just need a little rest is all. We just finished our midterms and I’m bushed. I’m just gonna show Zeff around a bit alright?”
Without waiting for a reply I grabbed Zeff’s hand and led him toward the stairs. As we reached my room I heard Mom apologise, “I’m sorry Rick. I don’t know what’s happened to her. She used to be more sociable. Now she seems–”
I closed the door and sank down against it. “Pol?” Zeff crouched next to me. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
I sucked in a deep breath and tried to relax. I could feel myself shaking. “No, not here.” I muttered. “How could there be one here? That fucking son of a–”
I bashed the back of my head against the door in frustration. I felt tears come to my eyes and I hid my face in my arms. Zeff put his arm around my shoulders and gave my shoulders a slight squeeze. “It’s ok Pol.” He said gently.
“No it’s not ok!” I glared at him. “How can you say it’s ok? A Restriction worker is dating my mother Zeff! That is not ok!”
“Just calm down Pol. Let’s have a talk with this ‘Worker. He obviously didn’t want you to come back. Maybe there is something we don’t know. Maybe he-”
“Don’t you dare say that he actually loves her. No ‘Worker can possibly love my mother. She’s his assignment and that’s all.”
“You never know. Maybe he’ll pretend we aren’t here.”
“And what if he doesn’t Zeff?” I asked, willing myself to calm down. “What if he won’t?”
“Then we’ll fight.” Zeff insisted, his eyes going hard. “I won’t let them get you again.”
“I won’t go back.” I insisted, half-under my breath.
“I know.” He assured me, kissing my forehead.
I smiled sadly and leaned against him. “Why won’t they just give up? I’m dead tired of it Zeff. I don’t want to run anymore. I don’t enjoy hiding like a two-year-old afraid of the bogie man. It’s stupid and inhumane. All I ever wanted was to live a normal life and be like other kids. The powers aren’t so bad anymore but I just can’t take all this running and hiding.”
He squeezed my shoulder gently. “I know Pol, I know. Maybe someday soon you’ll be able to stop running, but that day isn’t today.” He stood up and pulled me gently to my feet. “Today, we need to confront this new problem.”
A knock on the door startled us both. “Mind if I come in?” Richard asked from the other side of the door. “I believe there is something we need to discuss.”
Zeff and I looked at each other. “Come in.” I replied, steeling myself for the worst.
The door opened slowly and Richard stepped into the room. He had put his shirt back on and was now smiling as if nothing was wrong. He took one look at my face and his smile fled. “You probably want to know what I’m doing here…”
“No actually. I think I’ve pretty much figured that out.” I said scornfully.
“Just hear me out Pol.” He insisted with his hands raised in a peaceful gesture. “I don’t want to hurt you or your mother. Especially not your mother.”
“Leave my mother alone.” I muttered. I actually had to clench my fists tight to keep from lunging at him. “Anything you do will inevitably end up hurting her.”
Zeff reached down and grabbed my hand, calming and comforting me with one little gesture. Richard sighed and sat in my computer chair. He leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair. “Just let me explain.”
I could feel my anger rising and my grip tightened on Zeff’s hand. :Pol, remember your strength.: Zeff reminded me silently. :You’re crushing my hand.:
I lessened my grip slightly as Richard continued. “I was approached by Mr. Clowe personally to take on this assignment, and you know how Mr. Clowe is, you can’t say no to that man.” He looked up at us.
“No, you can’t.” Zeff agreed, his voice sounded distant.
I glanced over at him. His eyes had gone distant and hard. He was remembering the time he spent at Clowe’s. I remembered how hard he worked and how cold he acted and I wondered how I grew to trust him. I liked to think it was more than the way he looked that made me want to change him, or believe him changed. If Zeff could change than maybe Richard could too.
I turned my attention back to Richard who was still talking. “– was to find your mother and befriend her. You were bound to show up sooner or later. When you did I was ordered to bring you in. I would never see your mother again.”
“Yet you ended up dating her.” I retorted. “You must have known that it wouldn’t work. She doesn’t know anything of my other life yet and I want to keep it that way.”
“I know this is hard for you to hear Pol but…” he looked up at my face anxiously wanting me to understand. “I love her. I would do anything for her. I don’t want to see her get hurt again.”
“Your just being here hurts her! What do you think Clowe’s gonna do when he finds out you’ve gone AWOL? And he will find out you know. He’s not going to just forget about you. He’s Clowe for heaven’s sake!”
My voice had been getting steadily louder. Zeff reached over and clasped his hand over my mouth, put a finger to his lips and pointed down. I could hear my mom below us in the kitchen, getting things out for supper. “He doesn’t need to know that you’re here. I could cover for you.” Richard suggested.
I pushed Zeff’s hand away from my mouth. “Trust me. He knows.”
“Mr. Clowe is far too busy right now to pay attention to anything that happens in a small town in Canada. I’m supposed to report to him.” Richard insisted.
“He’ll have had you watched.” I persisted.
“You don’t think I haven’t thought of that?” He asked. “I’ve been very careful with my actions. He suspects nothing.”
“You have to at least tell Mom what’s going on.” I told him. “She deserves that much.”
“Pol–”
“If you won’t then I will.”
“Let’s make a family meeting of it.” Zeff suggested.
“Fine.” Richard agreed. “Though if I may ask one question of you Zefferan?”
Zeff nodded slightly and Richard continued. “Why would you, someone who is more than just a number and second only to Clowe himself, throw away your career overnight? I have worked for years to gain the position you held and haven’t achieved more than a nod from Clowe before this assignment. You could have been great!”
“There are things more important than power Richard.” Zeff said seriously, his voice barely above a whisper. “Human life, be it homo-sapient or homo-superior, is more precious then anything else on this earth. It took a wilful prisoner to show me that. There were people dieing Richard. Children were being taken from their homes and families to be trained as killing machines, as soldiers to some maniac bent on mutant superiority. At first I thought they were joining up willingly. It was the escape of ’05 that first got me questioning what I was doing. I had nowhere to go when Clowe found me; I just thought it was the same with everyone. Ask no questions right?”
Richard just shook his head. “You have stronger morals than I ever did. The Restriction changed my life for the best. At the rate I was going I would have been in jail long ago.” He stood up with a smile. “Well, I guess I should go help your mother with supper. I love her dearly, but she is the worst cook in the world. We’ll have our chat later.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” I told him. “We are going to talk about this tonight. I don’t want another day to go by before you tell mom what’s actually happening.”
“Not another day.” He assured me, closing the door behind him.
I turned to Zeff. “Well, what do you think?” I asked. “Has he had a change of heart?”
Zeff was staring at the door thoughtfully. “He seemed sincere.” Zeff said, looking at me, “He spoke from his heart.”
“I thought so.” I muttered half to myself.
“Are you alright?” He asked, giving my hand a slight squeeze.
“I think so… I mean, you changed right? Who’s to say he’s any different?”
“Who’s to say their not using our situation to their advantage?” Zeff asked, voicing something that had been playing through my mind for awhile.
“I don’t know,” I muttered, “How do we play this out?”
“See what’s said tonight and work with it.” Zeff said matter-of-factly. “Think on your feet and it’ll work out fine. If we have too we’ll bring your mother back to the school.”
“Right and there will be no tension there. Birth mother and adoptive mother in the same house.” I scoffed.
“We’ll worry about it later.” He told me, opening the door. “Now, are you going to give me the tour or do I show myself around?”
Chapter 10
I don’t know for how long I drifted in blackness before the nightmares hit. Nightmares are my bodies remedy for sleep… its way of waking me. I ran through dark hallways, voices surrounding me, taunting me. I could feel Clowe’s hand clasp my shoulder as I stood facing a crowd of Workers. He was complimenting me on what an accomplished student I was. I saw my friends and family being tortured but I made no move to stop the torture. I faced many perils alone and with little hope of succeeding.
Then, all of a sudden, Jean was at my side. “What are you doing here?” I asked in surprise.
“You are still covered in flame and we can’t rouse you.” She reached out and grabbed my hand, “Lets find some happy memories, something to calm your nerves.”
I soon found myself reliving many of my happiest childhood memories: My first trip to the coast to visit some relatives; Carol’s and my trips to visit her Aunt Veronica who was really only five years older than us; our grade eight graduation; school trips; family reunions.
Soon I felt my body relax and Jean brought us both back into consciousness. I looked around me to see Jean, Scott, Psycho and even Beast looking down at me and smiling. “How long was I out?” I asked.
“Almost twelve hours.” Psycho exclaimed.
I looked at her quizzically. Then up at Scott. “Jean was feeding her life-force into yours. Keeping you alive and warding out the elemental powers fighting to consume you. You had us all worried there for a long time.”
“Sorry.” I said weakly as I felt what little strength I had left start to fail.
“We should let you rest.” Scott said softly.
“But no falling asleep again ok?” Psycho grinned as she left the room.
“Ok.” I replied as I settled back on the bed. “And Mom? Thanks.”
“Anytime.” She replied as the door slid shut behind her.
I was in bed for a couple days before I felt strong enough to stand. Over those few days I found my mind wandering back to my nightmares. Could Clowe really have had me as a prosperous student? If not, then why did I not try to help my friends when they were being tortured? Hadn’t Zeff already started my Restriction Education in the cell when he was teaching me how to use a laser-sword? I tried to push these thoughts out of my mind but they kept on coming back.
When I was finally well enough to leave the med wing I found that people were keeping a close eye on me. Anything strenuous or tiring was done by others and Scott and Jean sent me to bed by 8:30pm to rest. I got quite annoyed with people doing things for me and treating me like I couldn’t help myself. Finally, after a week of such behaviour, I was told I was good to go and everyone left me alone.
That night I sat curled up with a book in front of the fire. Around two in the morning I heard the front door open and close. It was weird that the alarms or weapons guarding the school didn’t go off. I crept silently toward the door listening to the muffled sound of male voices. Finally I was able to distinguish what they were saying. “Where is Polgara?” came the voice of Professor Xavier. “She’s always on night watch.”
“Professor?” I called in surprise, running down the hall.
As I reached the front foyer I pulled up short. There, carrying the Professor in his arms was Zeff. “Ah, Polgara there you are.” He muttered, ignoring the surprise on my face. “Would you care to run to my room and grab my spare chair for me? I fear I may pull this young man’s arms off yet.”
“Of course.” I muttered, casting a curious glance at Zeff.
Turning around I bolted up the stairs and into the left wing of the first floor. This was where the Professor and the various teachers lived. Running into the Professor’s room I grabbed the wheelchair from under his bed and ran back to the front door. I set up the chair and Zeff helped him into it. “Pol, would you show our guests to their rooms?” he asked after he was settled. “I have some calls to make.”
“Yes sir.” I wondered who he could have been calling at two in the morning.
As I turned back to the door Chimaero stepped in with a small girl, maybe five years old at the latest, held in his arms. “This is Mary-Ann.” Chimaero muttered. “I had to get her away from Dad before he corrupted her too. She’s my baby sister.”
I led them up to the second floor and to the right wing. Leading them down the hall I stopped at a room three doors in. Opening the door I grabbed a flashlight and led Chimaero inside, passed the sleeping forms of little girls. He tucked his sister into one of the spare beds and stowed her suitcase underneath her.
Then I led them up to the next level and to the left. About six doors in I stopped and shone the light around. It illuminated the forms of Hunter, who had the bed at the far end of the room; Jacob, hanging upside-down by his tail; and Corbin who was a curtain of wings in the corner. Chimaero barely glanced at the others before walking into the room.
I turned to go but Zeff’s voice stopped me. “Where’s you room?”
“In the attic.” I replied. “But I’m almost always downstairs. Welcome to my world.” I grinned and left him standing there staring after me.
Around fifteen minutes later I heard Zeff come down the stairs. I was sitting with my knees drawn up to my chest and staring at the fire lost in thought. He entered the room and sat in a chair opposite mine. “Why did you come here?” I asked after a minute.
He was silent for a moment, as if thinking of what to say. “Tim just went too far I guess. Ever since he teamed up with the Brotherhood his schemes have been getting more and more… I don’t know, evil or wrong. But I mean, kidnapping your Professor? Where is his reason for that? It’s this Magneto person’s doing.”
“Understandable.” I muttered, half to myself, “Magneto and the Professor are old colleagues. There is a rivalry between them that has never really been stopped. But why he would even bother to get Clowe involved is beyond me.”
Zeff didn’t stay up too much longer. He had had a taxing day and was near exhaustion. The next day Logan took one look at Chimaero and lunged, intent on taking his life. Only the Professor’s firm voice halted him. The Professor told the teachers of the new students and the circumstances of their arrival. Both Psycho’s parents and Jean and Scott kept a close eye on the boys. Their status in Clowe’s force was known and they didn’t want to take any chances.
Naturally, our friendship with the boys grew. I caught Psycho and Chimaero talking in hushed tones before Logan entered the room. Now, instead of Psycho taking the brunt of Logan’s verbal attacks it was Chimaero. The teachers all made sure that the boys sat at the other end of the room from us during lessons, if they were in our classes at all, and the always tried to make sure that we weren’t left in a room without one of them there. Scott kept an annoyingly close eye on Zeff. I could even feel his eyes watching our training sessions from the control room.
Yet despite this, Zeff seemed to be relaxing. His laughter, once hidden deep in his eyes, now played on his lips and through his features. His voice and grip became less firm and more easy-going. Both he and Chimaero had gelled with their roommates and they felt welcome here, even if it was a tentative welcome. Even Zeff’s stance, once ready and on alert, was now relaxed and at ease.
The guard of the parents only lessened about two months after the boys’ arrival when they were called away on a mission. The students got a holiday, time to relax and visit family and so forth. I was sitting in the garden, enjoying the evening air when Zeff found me. He sat down next to me. “I can see why you like it here.” He said softly, the early evening breezes tugging at his hair. “It’s so relaxed and peaceful, much different than I was used to. Clowe’s is run like an army training camp. This place is like, I don’t know, a school or a family or something.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
Zeff turned to look at me. “The others are going to visit their other families. Aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I leave tomorrow.” I told him.
I saw his shoulders fall slightly. Glancing up at his face I noticed he was staring up at the sky, watching the first stars appear. “Why don’t you come with me?” I asked. “No need for you to stay here alone. Kitty is taking Jacob to meet her grandparents, Destiny and Hunter are going to Toronto to meet Dee’s family, and every one else is returning to Cobourg.”
“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family.” He replied.
“You wont.” I said kindly. “Zeff. I haven’t seen my mother for almost two years now. I haven’t even talked to her in that period of time. It would feel easier on me if I had someone there to talk to.”
He still seemed a little uneasy so I said, “Besides, Chimaero is going to Psycho’s and that is just down the street from my place. I’m sure he’ll feel just as uncomfortable as you will.”
Zeff agreed and the next day we were both headed home.
Chapter 9
“The friends of my enemies are my enemies!” – Sabertooth
Clowe sat me down in front of him, looking very stern. “I give you one more chance Polgara. Join me and end this pointless imprisonment.”
“I’d die before I betray my friends and family.” I returned hotly.
Clowe frowned. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. You see… you don’t have to worry about upsetting your Professor. He’d never know.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked quizzically.
A light came on behind Clowe and I looked to see the Professor. He was floating in a tank of some sort with a breathing tube running from his mouth to the roof of the tank. I yelled in rage and jumped to my feet but was forced back down by Magneto who emerged from the shadows next to the tank. “Charles just decided to join us for tea.” He said smirking. “It is a pleasure having his company.”
I was shaking with rage and glaring back at them. I never felt so angry. “Come, come Polgara.” Clowe said with a grin. “It will do us no good if you don’t calm down. He’s alright.”
I couldn’t get over my disgust and dismay at seeing the Professor, one of the most brilliant minds in the galaxy fall to Clowe’s tricks and it pained me to see him floating there in front of me with me powerless to help. “You’re a monster.” I muttered hotly. “What’re you trying to pull?”
Clowe tried again to turn me to one of his pupils but I didn’t even acknowledge him and he had enough of reasoning with me so he sent me back to my cell. Zeff couldn’t understand what could have happened. I was always very put together and in control of my emotions and actions. He tried to calm me down enough to learn what had happened. I was so worked up it took nearly half an hour for me to finally calm down enough to make any sense. When I told him he was horrified. “He’s gone too far this time.” He said.
A few months passed and Clowe didn’t call on me again. The only company I had was Zeff when he wasn’t out on assignment. Zeff started to teach me some laser-sword skills. He himself owned a glimmering blue laser-sword and he was extremely skilled with it. “You hold it in your hands like this and up slightly. This is both a defensive and an offensive position.” He put his arms around me, folding his hands over mine and positioning the laser-sword.
He looked down at me and grinned. “Relax,” he told me, “You’ll never learn properly if you’re tense like this.”
It’s hard to relax when you’re in the arms of your enemy, I thought grimly.
Zeff smiled, reading my mind. “But am I really the enemy or is Clowe?”
“You work for Clowe don’t you?” I returned hotly.
“Depending on how you look at it.” He replied.
He taught me both offensive and defensive moves. As we practiced I relaxed in spite of myself. I found myself moving with him in the fluid movement of the sword techniques. It was relaxing and meditative in a way. When we finished practising he let go of me as quickly as he could. “Am I teaching you to fight for Clowe or against him?” He asked as he left. “Think about it.”
Over the course of the next week Zeff had managed to scrounge up a second sword and we practiced man-to-man combat. He caught me off guard when he knew everything I was going to do even if I didn’t… until I felt his mind searching my own. Not much later a mad pounding on the door woke me up in the middle of the night. Zeff answered the door to reveal Scott. Looking very much irate and very worried. “Where is she?” he snapped.
Zeff looked at him in surprise. “Who?”
“Dad!” I yelped, running to the door.
He swept me into his arms, looking very relieved. “Thank God you’re alright.” He muttered.
“You’re her dad?” Zeff stuttered. Clowe obviously wasn’t that up to date with his files.
“Come with us Zeff.” I said, ignoring the look of surprise on Scott’s face.
Zeff took one look at Scott and backed slowly into the room. “I- I couldn’t.”
“Then please… don’t say anything?” I pleaded.
“All right.” He muttered.
Scott led me into the hall. “What were you thinking?” he snapped at me. “He’s one of Clowe’s. You can’t just invite him along as if this was a trip to the movies.”
I frowned. “Zeff’s not all that bad. Really!”
But Scott didn’t believe me. He ran down the hall and I followed. I really wanted to get home. As we rounded the corner I noticed Jean and Ororo standing by a cell door. As we got closer I could see Chimaero, cornered by Logan. “Come on Logan,” Ororo sighed. “He’s just a boy.”
Ororo and Jean led the way with Logan and Scott taking up the rear. Psycho and I ran along, not exactly sure how they knew where to go. We rounded a corner to see Rogue, guarding a doorway. “Let’s go!” she urged.
On the other side of the door was a long hall. We were halfway through to the other side when the door ahead of us opened to reveal all of Magneto’s henchmen and Magneto himself. Scott placed himself between the oncoming threat and me. His hand went to the visor that kept his optic blasts at bay. “Not so fast.” Magneto ordered.
His hand shot up and I felt the metal bonds around my limbs and neck tightening. I gasped, trying to get some air into my lungs but the metal kept on tightening. I glanced over at where Psycho was screaming in agony as her bones were stretched in every direction. Logan growled something under his breath but didn’t move, I doubted he would have been able to if he tried. Jean screamed at Magneto to let us go but he just grinned at her. “Let the children of the X-men slip out of my hands? I think not.”
I glared at him and struggled against my bonds. A great wind came out of nowhere, swirling around me, I could feel electricity swirl through my very being. Then, quite suddenly, my world lost all colour. I felt incredibly warm. The only colour I could see was the rainbow swirls of colour that was the wind and the green flames that had suddenly surrounded Psycho. Magneto’s eyes widened slightly as I threw my wind and electric heat at them. Something flew from Psycho’s flames and they intertwined making an electric vine rope that flew wherever my wind sent it.
:Let’s fry these suckers.: Psycho’s voice echoed in my head.
I jumped in surprise and the vine caught Magneto about the neck. He gasped and released his hold on us. I fell to my knees and the power of the Air left me. “Pol!” Jean knelt by my side.
“I’m ok.” I gasped, pulling at the collar about my neck.
I glanced over at Psycho and saw Logan kneeling beside her, muttering something for only her to hear. Suddenly, as my eyes met Psycho’s, my head started to spin and I blacked out.
Chapter 8
“What do they call you? Wheels?” – Wolverine
We soon arrived at Professor Xavier’s Institute. It was much more than I thought it was. The jet was parked underneath the basketball court. Jean and Scott took me on a tour of the whole place. Starting with the front door and ending up in the attic where my room was located. The Institute was actually a school for mutants where they could get an education and learn to refine their powers in company with other mutants their own age.
The whole school was made of a golden tinted wood and it had a pleasant feeling of home. The huge chandelier in the front foyer was brightly lit and the red-carpeted stairs leading up to the second floor gave it a sort of ballroom appearance. It had a very spacious yard and included everything you’d want to do. What’s more, everything had a mutant proof finish on it so it couldn’t be damaged by incontrollable powers.
We were to spend the rest of the school year at the institute. But we were going to do much more than just study school subjects. The Professor let us get settled in and then he showed us the lower levels. There was a big round room the Professor called Cerebra and a med centre that was more refined than the school infirmary upstairs. There was also the hangar where the Professor kept the jet, a hummer, and a helicopter made entirely of plastic. That was interesting enough but then he showed us the Danger Room.
He paused at the door and waited for us to gather around him. “Now.” He said, looking us each in the eye with a very serious look. “None of you are to enter this room without an adult either with you or on the observation deck. This room is very dangerous and could be lethal if you set it on the wrong level for you.”
He opened the door and led us inside. This room was huge and circular with what must have been the observation deck hanging down into it. The floor had a weird pattern to the tiles and for some reason it made me a little nervous. “Danger Room?” Psycho scoffed. “What’s so dangerous about a big empty room?”
“It is empty now.” The Professor replied. “But once activated it has guns that come out of those wall panels and the floor moves to create walls and boxes and apparatuses that could crush you. The computer is also a simulator that will generate realistic scenarios that you must be able to beat.”
Psycho gulped and we all followed him back to his office. There was a young Asian girl waiting for him. When we entered her eyes went wide in fear and she screamed and ran. “Kshama!” The Professor called after her. Then he turned to us. “Well that answers one of my questions. Kshama has the ability to sense other mutants’ powers and what class of mutant they are, how powerful. Much like the mutant you five are running from.”
“But… we’re not running from a mutant.” Psycho argued. “We’re running from a human named Clowe.”
“I assure you, Timothy Clowe is a mutant.” The Professor replied. “He has many talents but all are easily hidden. He has superhuman speed, strength, stealth and agility. Not only can he sense if you are a mutant but he can also tell what your powers are and how powerful you are.”
“Wait a minute.” Dark said. “You’re telling us that Clowe is a mutant? But that’s not possible.”
“That means… the Restriction Agency is a fraud.” I said, thinking it over. “What is he actually doing with the mutants he ‘saves’?”
“He indoctrinates them into his growing army.” Xavier said. “A portion of which you saw at the rendezvous point.”
Close to Christmastime I went to see “Beast.” Beast was the head of Science at the institute (the same man who mailed me back answering my letter from before.) He was a muscular man who enjoyed hanging upside-down when he read and he was covered in blue fur. I took with me the plans for some knew watches.
They were about four centimetres long and formed to your skin. The only person who could take them off was the wearer. They had the ability to physically alter your appearance and could communicate with the other watches from over half the world away.
Beast readily took me on as a pupil and we worked together on the watches for weeks. If something went wrong we would start from scratch and he kept me on track when my patience wore thin. Which, I admit, happened a lot. We finished the watches on Christmas Eve and I took them to my room to wrap. He also gave me little parcels for my friends and me from a friend of his.
Christmas Day we were all fairly excited. Psycho and Logan managed to damage every chandelier in the place as he chased her about (she had stolen something from his room). Beast’s gifts turned out to be beaded bracelets of different colours. Mine was purple and was a symbol of wisdom, Psycho’s was all black and was a symbol of courage, Kitty’s was blue and described her as a smart-alec, Dark’s was black with a purple string that symbolized power and Dee’s was red and symbolized love.
The rest of the school year went by in a blur. Kitty started going out with Jacob (the blue boy from the jet), Dark met a boy named Corbin who looked remarkably like her. He had purple skin, wings and his hair was blond and spiky. Destiny also met a boy named Hunter who took a lot of the same classes as her. He was a tall boy with brown semi-spiky hair that had blond highlights in it.
Finally, summer came and we had a break from classes. Our parents decided to take us to someone who could explain our elemental powers to us. We had to get deep into a large wooded area that was invisible to both the naked eye and radar unless you were wanted there. We travelled for many days until we came upon a huge open area. Looking harder I noticed it was a garden. The plants that grew in it were like nothing I had ever seen before.
Deep in the centre of the garden was a girl that looked around our age. She looked up as we approached and smiled. “Hello again!” she called to our parents.
As she got closer I noticed that she was dressed in a Chinese style dress and had a pair of fairy-like wings were protruding out of her back. “Hello Magic.” Mom smiled. “How are you?”
“Good, good.” She grinned. “And how nice to see you five girls again.”
I looked at her questionably. “Again?”
She laughed a sweet pure laugh. “Of course you wouldn’t remember. I’ve known you all since you were very young. You Pol look and awful lot like your mother but you have your father’s sense of self-control. Ondraya, you have your father’s temper and your mom’s Claustrophobia. Dark? You have the solitude ness of your mother and your father’s attitude. Destiny (yes you my dear) you have your mothers personality and Holly, well, you’re just like your mother.” Smiling she motioned us forward. “I’m Magic, and you all look exhausted. Been travelling all day?”
She led us through the garden. At one point I felt a vine wrap itself tightly around my ankle. Magic looked at it and scolded it as if it were a child. Amazingly, the plant listened to her. And if I didn’t know any better I’d swear the plants were rising up to greet Psycho. At the end of the garden there was a hill with a hole in the side. “Welcome to The Hole. Come on in!” Magic grinned, leading us through the hole in the ground and through a big wooden door just inside.
The inside of the hole was large and well furnished. There were papers strewn all over the floor. Some in piles and some just lying there gathering dust. There was a large comfy chair sitting in front of the fireplace with piles of books all around it. The kitchen area doubled as a science lab and was covered with experiments, bubbling and brewing themselves. Another wooden door led into the bedroom but we never went in there.
Magic told us all to have a seat and suddenly there were many comfy chairs located around the fire. Our parents all sat in one group of chairs off to one side and the five of us sat around the fire with Magic. I sat on the floor with my knees drawn up to my chest as Magic told us of her adventures over the centuries.
Magic was Mother Nature in a sense. She was able to change her shape to meet each individuals expectations but it was much more comfortable in this young and original form. It was she herself that gave us the powers of the elements. She told us she needed a break and that we were a trial run for what she hoped would be an ongoing tradition. Being in charge of everything about the earth was draining, she said, it made her tired and never able to get a break. And now with all the mutants messing with the earth with their powers it was even harder.
She grinned and with a wave of her hand the elemental symbols appeared over our heads. “Each Elemental will be marked with a distinctive mark and they will have it for their entire lives. Makeup will not cover it and tattoo ink will not take hold. You are stuck with it for the rest of your lives.”
Through the entire summer she spent time with each of us explaining our elements in full. She gave us an overview on Elements in general and then explained each of our individual elements to us separately.
The Elements are more than just material substances. They are spiritual entities that reside in us. They can manifest themselves in many ways in the material and spiritual worlds. They are structures in the collective unconscious, universal, and beyond complete analysis. Ultimately they must be experienced to be understood.
This sounded reasonable to me. How can you understand something if you have never experienced it? But the thought that my element was an entity inside of me was not one I liked. It meant it was not like my mutant powers, to be used when I want it. Magic explained that it was not meant to be tapped but only used in the utmost of need, because as soon as we used it the entity would take control for a time until our personal energy was drained.
Using the elements, she explained, would likely leave us unconscious afterwards and it would likely cause damage to a wide area. The only way to use it without such dramatic effects would be to use outside influences: the wind in my case, or a stream in Kitty’s, or a lighter for Dark’s… that sort of thing. It was only when we were drawing our power from inside that the element would fight to consume us.
In our sessions together Magic explained Air is the element of transformation, for it is flexible and differentiating. It is important as a mediating Element so it stood to reason that the only reason our little group hadn’t torn itself apart yet was because of me. Air’s power as a mediator means that it has an essential role as the Spirit, which unites the Mind with the body. In general, as mediator, Air transmits powers and influences, and therefore Air is the vehicle of coordination and communication. Air is also the most spiritual element, for it unites the mind and body. Spirit is considered the point of balance in the soul.
I was shocked. The things she described about my element described my personality as well. I was the mediator of our group. No question about that. I was also usually very influential and coordinated. I was also the most emotionally balanced one in the group. Kitty never knew when to stop joking, Dark was always ready to kill someone, and Psycho had a short fuse. Dee was the only other balanced person.
Magic explained that too. She told me that Time was a mixture and balance of all four of the other elements. Dee had the hardest time with her element. She had to carefully monitor and maintain a balanced emotional state as well as be extremely careful not to use her element the wrong way.
Magic also showed us how to combine different aspects of our elements to create new ways to lash out at others. And she helped us strengthen our elemental powers and our control over them. Even so, it was the most peaceful and relaxing summer I had had in a while. All too soon it was time to go back to school.
The next school year was much like it would be at any school with the exception that we were encouraged to use our powers and had training sessions in the Danger Room to hone in on our skills. We all went our own ways and spent little time together except on free days where we could go into town and have some fun.
In fact it was one of those free days that we decided to go to the mall. We all knew we needed to disguise ourselves so I went gothic. Using my watch I cropped my hair up to my ears and turned it black, I turned my eyes brown and turned my already pale skin to a pasty white. I grabbed a pair of black cut-offs and a black three quarter sleeved belly shirt and black fingerless gloves that laced up my arm with a thin black rope.
When I entered the hall I noticed the others were all Goth-like too. Even Dark, though that wasn’t too big a change. We had spent no more than five minutes at the mall, however, when things started to go wrong. We were passing the security centre in the mall when Psycho pointed out the Wanted posters. I couldn’t believe my eyes! They were offering one thousand dollars each. They had us labelled as escapees from the mutant rehab centre, highly dangerous.
“Cool! We’re wanted!” Psycho exclaimed.
No sooner had she said that then her spikes ripped through her shirt and her tail started to unwind from behind her. “Uh, Psycho…” Kitty muttered as Psycho’s tail blade tapped her on the shoulder.
“Ah!” Psycho yelped. “That’s not mine!”
A group of passing security guards stopped and gaped. “That’s Miss Howlett! Get her!”
“Ok. It’s mine.” Psycho yelped as we took off running.
As we ran we were all mysteriously back to our original forms. We raced down the mall and through the crowds, security hot on our trail. I reached out with my mind as we passed a bookstore and flung books at our pursuers setting off the security alarms. Destiny reached out and did the same too a stack of DVD players creating even more racket. Psycho did her part when she looked over her shoulder and ran full tilt into a marble stand spilling marbles all over the place. Kitty created a flood behind us; slowing the pursuit a considerable amount as Dark spread her wings wide and plunged ahead of us, creating a path for our escape.
My senses were on high alert as we burst through the doors to freedom. We slowed to a walk as we headed back to the institute. Suddenly, a black cloaked figure shot out of the shadows of a nearby ally and nabbed Psycho by the arm and tail and started to pull her away. “Help!” she screamed as she disappeared.
“Psycho!” Destiny yelped as we all ran toward where they disappeared.
A pair of cold, hard hands suddenly reached out and pulled me into another ally while the others were distracted, one clamping over my mouth and the other wrapped around my waist and holding on to my wrist, pinning me to my captor. As the hand closed around my wrist it hit the buttons on my watch setting off an alarm and making my bracelet fall to the ground. “Wait! Where’s Pol!” Dark exclaimed looking around.
I heard the others calling out to me and I tried to answer but was roughly cut off as my captor said, “Don’t you dare make a sound.”
He sounded young, probably only a few years older than me. He fumbled around in his cloak and pressed a wet rag to my mouth and nose. I smelt a weird smell and blacked out.
When I awoke, maybe an hour and a half later, Psycho was still giving her captor trouble. I yelped and tried to push myself away from my captor but I was too weak. I watched in a daze, as Psycho was led, kicking and struggling to the back of a delivery truck. Our captors assured any passers by that we were highly dangerous and that they were taking us to the rehab centre. My captor climbed into the back of the truck with us as Psychos captor climbed up front. “I’m going to kill you.” Psycho muttered, glaring at him.
“I wouldn’t try it if I were you.” He said sternly, showing us a long rod he had hidden in his cloak. “This is a Tasor. It sends out a large electric shock and will put your muscles out of commission for hours.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Who are you?” I asked him quietly.
“Don’t worry,” he grinned. “You’ll be home soon.”
It was then that I noticed the camouflaged Restriction symbol on the left shoulder of his cloak. I groaned inwardly and Psycho huddled up in a corner, determined to get away before we arrived at Clowe’s. She was still there however when we were shown to Clowe’s main chamber. I stood shakily beside Psycho as our captors moved slightly between Clowe and us. “Girls.” He nodded to us. “Allow me to introduce my son Chimaero (Psycho’s captor nodded and lowered his hood) and his friend Zeff (My captor did the same.)”
Chimaero had black hair and blue eyes and had a cocky grin on his face. As he threw back his cloak the tip of a tail could just be seen out the bottom of it. Zeff had long blond hair to just below his shoulder blades, deep blue eyes that looked hard and emotionless, and a thin scar that ran around the base of his neck. He looked like the ideal soldier and his hand never strayed from where his Tasor was hung from his belt.
The door across the room opened and in strode Magneto, the arch nemesis of Professor Xavier. “Ah, Magneto.” Clowe grinned, “Allow me to present Ondraya Howlett and Polgara Summers.”
Magneto looked toward me. “Summers. Scott and Jean’s daughter correct?”
I nodded slowly my mouth went dry. This was the man who almost destroyed the human race countless times. And now he was teamed with Clowe.
Clowe turned to Zeff and Chimaero. “Take them to a holding cell, we will deal with them later.” Then he turned to Magneto. “You wanted to speak to me Erik?”
Zeff put his hand on my shoulder and lead me out of the room with Chimaero and Psycho in tow. We were lead to a jail-like cell to wait for our fate. Psycho was going crazy and attacked the walls over and over again.
No more than two hours later Zeff and Chimaero came back to the cell, accompanied by four other ‘Workers. “The boss would like a word with you.” Zeff said as we were led out of the cell.
I struggled this time. Something about having so many guards made me terribly uneasy. Also, I had the feeling it wasn’t just Clowe he was talking about. When we went into the chamber I noticed there were now two chairs facing Clowe’s chair. “Leave us.” He ordered. All the guards except Chimaero and Zeff left. Then he turned to Psycho and I. “Sit, both of you.” He ordered, motioning to the chairs. “Boy’s? Remove the restraints if you will.”
Chimaero and Zeff hastened to obey his command. Psycho immediately jumped out of her chair. Magneto lifted his hand and seemingly made her sit back down. Then I remembered, Magneto could control metal and poor Psycho’s entire skeleton was encased in an adamantium alloy. “So like your father you are.” Magneto smiled.
Clowe grinned evilly down on us. “We are in a bit of a dilemma as to decide where to put you two. All the girls have already been paired up in pairs that work well. You see, unlike you two, they all want to stay here.”
“And you weren’t about to pair us up with those who don’t were you?” I snapped.
Clowe’s eyes strayed to me. “You’re a bright one.” He said, “You would have done well here.”
I glared back. “I’d die first.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Clowe sneered evilly.
“Tim – ” Magneto started but Clowe continued on.
“Unfortunately, Magneto has another use for you.” He turned to the others. “Zeff? Chimaero? I am placing you in charge of these two. You will each be given a room with an adjoining cell. They must stay in their cells and you are to watch them. Understood?”
The boys nodded curtly but made no sound. Magneto looked at both of us and cleared his throat. “Chimaero? Take young Miss Howlett and go.”
After they had left Clowe motioned me forward. “Magneto has requested that we fit you with these.” He muttered, handing Zeff some metal bindings. “For his benefit.”
Zeff clasped the bindings around each of my ankles next to the skin, one around my neck and one around my right wrist. Then he came to my watch. Magneto lifted his hand and grabbed control over the metal in my watch. “That will do Zefferan.” He said, looking curiously at my watch.
Zeff handed the spare bindings back to Clowe and led me out and to my new cell. I was amazed at the style of the “room.” It was little more than a bare room with a cell at the back, a washroom on the right and a cot to the left. Zeff led me to the cell and shut me inside. I noticed however that he didn’t lock the door. He went and lay down on the cot and ignored me. A few seconds later I heard the door to the room automatically lock from the outside. It was the night time lockdown.
I rolled over and went into deep meditation. When I regained consciousness the next morning Zeff was gone. My cell door was still unlocked so I ventured out into the main room. I took the time that he was gone to freshen up and had just returned to my cell and shut the door when he returned. “You don’t have to stay in there you know.” He told me calmly.
I ventured out into his room again and he handed me some food. I took it readily and backed up against the wall, my eyes monitoring his every movement. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He laughed. His laugh sounded with genuine humour but hoarse and unused.
He caught my gaze and held it for a moment; searching me for something I just don’t know what. I felt a sharp tug in my heart and something urged me to go over to him. I shoved the feeling to the back of my mind and backed further away.
When I gave no indication of any intent to move he shrugged, sat on the cot and ruffled through some paperwork. Curiosity overcame my caution. Besides, I could help a lot if I knew what Clowe was planning. I moved tentatively closer and peered over his shoulder. The documents seemed to be information on the Institute and some of its inhabitants. A face looked up at me from one of the pages. Brown tousled hair falling carelessly over red quartz glasses. I looked from the documents to him and back again, all the while working my way back to my cell. His mouth turned upward in a half smile. “You’re a lot quieter when you’re cooped up with an actual employee than with a student.”
I entered my cell, collapsed onto the bench that served me as a bed and folded my legs up under me. We were silent for the rest of the morning. He left for a brief moment and returned with my lunch and I took my food to the sanctity of my cell. I glanced at him from over top of my soup bowl. “You look familiar.” I muttered. “Have I seen you before?” He smiled an amused smile but didn’t answer. “I’m sure I’ve seen you… wait a minute!” a sudden burst of realization dawned on me. “You caught me last time didn’t you? You used the same sleeping herbs then that you did this time!”
He smiled. “Yes. I caught you last time. But Mr. Clowe let you escape while I was out.”
I looked at him quizzically. “Me and Mr. Clowe don’t exactly see eye to eye.” He explained. His voice grew quiet and his eyes distant. He was absent mindedly fingering a scar that ran around his neck. “His methods are… well… old. And he goes all the wrong way with his students. Many a student wouldn’t object to him dieing. Even though they wouldn’t kill him themselves.”
“Why don’t they just leave?” I asked.
“They can’t. Even if they wanted to.” He turned to face me. His hand dropped and he seemed to come back to reality. “Besides. Where would we go? Nobody wants us around. They’d think we were spies… or worse. Clowe doesn’t exactly keep quiet when he captures a student. Most of the general public would know we’re mutants.”
“You could come to the institute.” I insisted. “You’d be welcome there.”
He shook his head sadly. “We’d be watched very closely and we don’t like that kind of attention.”
With that Zeff left, making sure that the door was locked behind him. I didn’t see him for the rest of the day.
Over the course of my stay I got to know Zeff really well. His full name was Zefferan Hethroth Sellora and he was actually from another galaxy where everyone looked like elves. He crash-landed on Earth around twelve years ago when he had stowed upon his uncle’s spacecraft. Clowe found him and trained him to be an advanced soldier and assassin. He left behind his parents, a baby brother and a twin sister when he left his home and he now has no way of getting back. I felt sorry for him in spite of myself and found myself drawn to him somehow.
Soon, however, I was called before Clowe again.
Chapter 7
“I know what you’re thinkin’, punk: ‘Question is, can I get Wolverine before he turns me into shish kabob with those claws?’ Well, bub, seein’ as how these claws are adamantium, the strongest metal known, and can slice through vanadium steel like a hot knife through butter, buddy, you gotta ask yourself: ‘Do I feel lucky?’” – Wolverine
We travelled for days on end. I had started marking our trail so we wouldn’t wind up back in that chamber. But after a few days the markings started to appear on the walls and I knew that we hadn’t been there yet. I was on alert and since my powers had returned to me I kept my mind on alert. I felt a presence off to the left of us and Psycho mentioned that she though she saw a shape off that way.
Then, as we rounded the corner I heard someone cry out, “Logan wait!” and a shape leapt out at us, straight at Psycho with metal claws bared.
I brought up my hand, stopping him just inches from Psycho’s face. Logan turned his head and glared at me. Suddenly, his glare turned to a look of shock and shock turned into a knowing smile. A smile I hate. “You’re Jean’s kid aren’t you.” He asked bluntly, in a rough voice.
“Um… who’s Jean?” I asked.
Just then a woman with fiery red hair and a woman with hair whiter than snow stepped from around the corner. The white haired lady turned to Psycho. “Is your name Ondraya?” she asked.
“Yah,” Psycho answered in a rude tone. “What of it?”
The lady turned to Logan. Ignoring Psycho’s question she said quite bluntly, her blue eyes dancing with laughter, “Logan, you almost killed our daughter.”
Psycho freaked. She backed up against the wall, saying in crazed tones, “No! No! No! No! No! You aren’t my parents! I don’t even know you! Get away from me! Stay back! Back!”
She was so freaked out she was ready to run back into the room with the giant beetle! “Psycho? Calm down!” I ordered, putting my hand on her shoulder to steady her mad race.
In doing so I lost my hold on Logan and he fell flat on his face. He got up with a growl and glared at me. “Um… oops. Sorry.” I apologized, hoping with all my might that he couldn’t see the laughter in my eyes. He didn’t seem like some one who lets people laugh at him.
“Logan? Ororo? Jean?” some one called from around the corner.
“We’re over here Scott.” Answered Jean, “Pol’s here too.”
Her statement took a minute to strike home. How did she know me? I mean, only so many girls go by Pol and there is only so many chances there was one in this group. I had little time to think before a man with glasses containing red glass and a brown mop of hair stepped around the corner. “She looks like you.” He said smiling at me.
I looked at him quizzically. I didn’t look like her. For one thing my hair was an orangey colour, hers was more reddish brown, I was much paler and my eyes were grey not blue. I shouldn’t look like her anyway should I? Just then another voice called out for him to wait up and four more adults joined us.
A lady with brown hair with white bangs like Dark’s walked up to Dark and said softly, “Kyra? Is it really you?” in a southern accent looking over her purple skin and wings.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Dark asked, backing warily away.
“Don’ you recognize us?” said a man with brown hair, eyes that were all red not including his pupils and a strong French accent. “We your parents.”
Dark looked at the man as if he was crazy. The man and woman (Remy and Marie as we later learned was their names) looked at each other sadly. “We left you in Australia and when we returned around five years ago you were gone. We thought you were dead, or worse.” Marie said.
“We all thought we’d lost you.” Scott said, turning to me. “We terribly regretted leaving you at Mrs. McQueen’s but we had no choice.”
I looked at him with disbelief so Jean tried talking to me. “We left you in Diamond Beach hoping that you’d be safe in a small town like that. We even equipped you with a disc that altered your appearance to look like her daughter and hid it under the birthmark on your wrist. Unfortunately we lost track of you when you moved away.”
I looked down at my wrist thoughtfully and back up at Jean. Her eyes held nothing but truth and pleading for me to understand. “I believe you.” I muttered.
Jean’s face broke out into a relieved smile but the others couldn’t believe their ears. I was probably the most cautious out of all of us. “Are you crazy?” Kitty cried in disbelief.
“I don’t know.” I admitted, “I just feel that they’re telling the truth.”
Destiny closed her eyes and breathed heavily. “They are.” She murmured, her voice sounding far away, “They are our parents. And I think you should all believe them.”
Dark looked at her and realization dawned on her face. She nodded slowly, looking to Marie and Remy. Psycho and Kitty looked at her in shock. “What’re you nuts?” Psycho asked her.
Dark sighed wearily, “Destiny holds the element of time. She can see the past, present and future.”
Psycho looked from Dark to Destiny and back again. She looked at Logan and Ororo and shrugged in defeat. Kitty sighed. “Ok. I guess.”
That said we all turned and followed the marked walls down many long halls. Scott and Logan took the lead, arguing extensively about something or other. “What’s up with them?” I asked Jean.
“Who?” she asked, looking up ahead, “Oh, them? Who knows? They’re always fighting. For the longest time it was over me.”
“Yah,” said Logan from the front of the line. “Those were the good old days.”
Up ahead the corridor suddenly grew brighter and we could see the sky. “What? No guards?” Dee asked shocked.
“I don’t trust it.” Dark muttered. “This is too easy.”
We walked cautiously out into the open air and I breathed in my first breath of the outdoor air I’d had in a long time. Looking around I found we were standing on a ledge overlooking a large area of pavement. It was as big as a football field and filled to the gates with Restriction Workers. Each dressed in a flexible uniform that put no limits on their movements and were practicing hand-to-hand combat. “Whoa.” Dark muttered.
“He’s building an army!” Kitty gasped.
I nodded in shocked agreement. “I hope this is all he has.”
Logan shook his head. “This is only one of sixty training compounds, he’s been training troupes since before you were born.”
I looked over the compound in awe. One of sixty? I couldn’t believe it. There had to be more than two hundred people in this compound alone! I only looked away when Jean tapped me on the shoulder. Looking up I noticed the others were already climbing a rope that was hanging from a jet.
When I got to the top of the rope I was helped to my feet by a boy who was not much older than me and blue. I thanked him and turned around to see an old man in a wheelchair sitting and smiling at me. “Hello Pol.” He said, holding out his hand. “I’m Professor Charles Xavier. Welcome to the Blackbird.”
I shook his hand in surprise. Charles Xavier? The same Charles Xavier I had tried to write to only a month or so earlier? I grinned and said. “I’m ready to go home.”
Chapter 6
“Here’s a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls. Now what’s to stop her from walking into a bank vault, or the White House, or into their houses?” – Senator Kelly
I awoke around an hour later to a wet cloth on my head and a girl around my age looking down at me with concern. “Oh good, you’re awake.” She smiled, her deep brown eyes portraying her relief. “I was afraid they’d killed you Pol.”
“I’m sorry.” I said, shaking my head to clear it. “Do I know you?”
She laughed. “Sorry, I do that a lot. No you don’t know me yet. The name’s Destiny.”
I frowned, trying to raise myself up onto my elbows. She gently pushed me back into a laying position. “None of that!”
She took the cloth and rang it out in a nearby sink, her knee-length orange and purple hair swinging around as she turned. “I’m sorry,” I said, resting a hand on my aching forehead. “How do you know me?”
“I have seen it.” She said, helping me to a sitting position. “I am the keeper of the element of Time. I can use it anyway I choose. You and your friends also hold elements inside you.” She pointed to my bandaged wrist where the weird sign had appeared after the disc came out. “You hold the element of Air. Your friend Holly holds control over the Water and Kyra the element of Fire, your friend Ondraya is Earth.”
I could place most of the names. I assumed Kyra was Dark. I mean, who in their right mind would name their kid “Dark”? Kyra was a more normal name. I smiled softly and looked up at her. “Where are you from?”
“Toronto.” She replied, “But I’ve been here a little over a year.”
The next day I introduced Destiny to the others. They were more than a little surprised that she knew them already. She warned Kitty to eat a big breakfast before class because she wouldn’t be getting any lunch. Kitty just grinned. During class Kitty mouthed off Clowe, angering him greatly and causing her to be sent back to her cell for the day with no food until supper. Dark and Destiny sat next to each other in class and at lunch, conversing in low tones about all sorts of things. Dark always appeared perplexed, thoughtful or irritated after one such talk.
Nothing much happened for a few weeks following our capture. We were given school uniforms that labelled us as troublemakers and were transferred to a normal classroom where the teacher patently ignored us any time we raised our hands in class. In fact, we spent most of our time in class planning our escape. Destiny and I and sometimes-even Dark knew the answers to all the day’s questions and usually had them done the night before. Kitty and Psycho either copied our notes or just ignored the work.
Psycho and Dark became increasingly irritated as the weeks wore on and could sometimes be heard muttering things like “It’s too familiar” or “This is made the exact same…” and took to themselves more often. Even Kitty was caught off guard by their sudden change in behaviour. I once caught Dark massaging the back of her neck the way I used to massage my wrist… deep in thought and looking perplexed or worried.
One day, as we were running laps in gym I let my mind wander. To my surprise I found three openings with my mind. “Dee?” I asked, turning to Destiny. “Where are the exits to the yard located?”
Destiny frowned, “The front and back walls? Why?”
I grinned suddenly, “And the right wall?”
“No.” Destiny looked at me curiously. “What did you find Pol?”
“Our way out.” I told her.
That day at break we went to the wall to scout it out. Sure enough, hidden behind a wall of plants was a hole, just big enough for someone to crawl through. Just then a man in a black cloak with the hood pulled so far as to hide his face walked up. “Can I help you?” he asked severely.
“Um, no thanks.” Destiny said. “We’re fine.”
“Then I suggest you don’t loiter around here. Mr. Clowe doesn’t put up with that kind of nonsense.” He said. I could feel his eyes on me.
Psycho went to open her mouth but I cut her off. “We’ll just be going.” I turned to the others and muttered, “Now.”
I noticed the man smirking softly as we strode away. His smile made me uneasy. After he was out of sight I turned to the others. “Psycho?” I asked. “We need a bag full of food. Can you and Dark manage that?”
Psycho nodded in quiet agreement and Kitty told us she would find out how to bypass the security system and I told them I could get us lots of things from the tech lab but we would have to leave that night. It was decided. We would meet that night after supper and make for the hole in the wall.
As everyone headed back to their rooms that night we all broke off in separate directions. Psycho and Dark followed Destiny to the kitchens, Kitty returned to her room to keep an eye on how the security worked and I went to the Tech lab. I picked up the plans I had been working on for new watches for us all and a bunch of gadgets from the tables, though not all of them were complete, and headed back to the dinning hall.
I was the last person to arrive and the others looked extremely nervous. We all looked around briefly before heading toward the Yard. We passed many guards, narrowly missing being caught by one of our teachers and took a couple wrong turns making our nerves pretty tight. We were in sight of the door to the yard; in fact we were almost through that door when an all to familiar voice came from the shadows behind us. “Going somewhere girls?”
We whirled around fast to see Timothy Clowe staring back at us. We were at a loss for words. I was sure we were caught but Destiny said quite calmly. “We are going out for a little run before bed sir. If that’s all right I mean.”
Clowe raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh? And why would you need your bags then hmm? Not stealing a snack I hope. Right after supper?”
“We didn’t eat much.” I said softly. “I know I’m always starving after a workout and thought we might have a snack after our run. If that’s not allowed sir we can take the food back.”
Clowe smiled, amused. “It’s allowed. However I want to see you back to your rooms by nine.”
“Yes sir.” Kitty replied.
We all but ran into the yard and pretended to run laps. When Clowe thought he had seen enough and left we retreated to the vine covered hole. Kitty crawled into the hole and disappeared. We waited and waited but she didn’t return. Finally, after twenty minutes she poked her head back out through the vines. “This hole is actually a tunnel. It leads to a maze of some sort.”
Destiny’s mouth moved inaudibly and her eyes widened in recognition and wonder. We turned to face her. “Destiny, what do you know about this?” Dark asked.
Destiny’s face fell as she struggled to remember what she had been told. “This is the Maze of Freedom. Mr. Clowe set it up as a way to escape. Then he filled it with traps and all sorts of creatures that will kill you if you come across it. It’s a kind of gambling thing. They set a prisoner in there and then make bets on how long they will last. The exit is on the other end but no one has ever made it out alive.”
I gulped down a lump in my throat. “Then we’ll be the first.”
Kitty looked at me in surprise and turned to Psycho. “You need to keep a tight reign on your emotions ok?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked her.
“Psycho is… um… well… that is to say…” she stuttered
“I’m claustrophobic.” Psycho stated plainly.
“Oh.” I turned to follow Kitty through the tunnel. Next came Destiny, then Psycho, and finally Dark. The tunnel stretched on for ages. It took us ten minutes just to reach the other end of it. When we finally got out we found ourselves in a long corridor. We took our time and Kitty scouted ahead, warning us of any danger.
We travelled for days straight. Psycho and Dark don’t need to sleep and I can’t sleep so we didn’t bother stopping for the night. We didn’t even stop to eat; we just ate as we walked. I had the feeling that Destiny stopped time for every one except her and Kitty so they could catch up on their sleep. One minute they’d be sluggish and slow and the next they’d be full of energy.
Soon we knew we’d have to stop to rest our feet. We were looking for a spot to stop when a log came down quite suddenly and bashed Dark on the head. She slumped to the ground and lost consciousness. “I guess we’re stopping here.” Psycho said with a grin.
“Ondraya!” I warned with a slight laugh.
She laughed and got some food out of her backpack as Dee and I pulled Dark to the side. She came around with a groan a few hours later. “Dark?” I held up two fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Two.” She growled, extending her claws. “Want me to make it one?”
“Yep. She’s ok.” Kitty laughed, offering Dark some beef jerky.
It wasn’t long before Dark was well enough to walk and we went on our way. The lights grew further and further apart as we went creating dark shadowy patches on the pathway. As the shadows grew more and more frequent I felt my mind close off. “Um… guys?” I muttered. “I can’t use my powers.”
Dee suddenly flew backward onto her back as if she had just run full tilt into a brick wall. “What happened?” Kitty asked her in bewilderment.
“A psychic block.” I told her.
“What?” Psycho asked.
“A psychic block.” Dee replied. “When normal people try to use telepathy they hit a mental block… like something in their way.”
“Right.” I went on to explain. “But when a telepathic person is prevented from using their abilities the block is greater.”
“Like running into a wall.” Dee muttered, getting up and brushing herself off. “How did you know that?” she asked me.
“I read about it.” I shrugged. “I don’t sleep at night so what else can I do?”
Dark nodded. “Right, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Why don’t you sleep?”
I shrugged again. “It started when I was ten or eleven. If I sleep for fifteen minutes I get dizzy, if I sleep for three hours I get gravely ill and if I sleep for more than six hours I’ll die.”
The others stared at me in surprise; we all listened around for any listening ears. The only sound that reached our ears was the soft thumping of our feet, which quite suddenly turned into a soft crunching sound. Psycho reached down and picked something up off the ground. “Psycho wait…” muttered Dark.
“Don’t!” gasped Dee.
It was too late. Psycho dropped the small beetle she was holding and the whole path started to move. The pathway was alive with teeny tiny black beetles! I cursed inwardly; we had walked straight into one of Clowe’s traps. We tripped and slid as the beetles carried us down the long corridor further and further into the dark centre of the maze. The beetles spread, separating us and we struggled to stay together. We were in one big room and all that could be heard was the clacking of what we hoped were just beetles being tossed around in their haste to get to the centre of the room.
Suddenly Dee hit something rather large and rather hairy. She screamed and tried to move outwards but giant pinchers closed tightly around her waist, lifting her up in the air. I cried out in surprise. Psycho appeared at my side. “It’s a giant beetle.” She said in awe.
“Can you get her down?” I asked.
“On it!” she said, jumping into the blackness.
I felt Kitty leap up and narrowly missed getting stabbed in the face by her claws as she extended them out. I heard the sounds of battle before me but I concentrated all my efforts on staying close to the walls. I heard Psycho snarl at Kitty. “Attack the beetle not me!”
Dark came up beside me, grabbed onto my arm and started shouting instructions to Kitty. I struggled to keep both of us up at the wall. Dark lost her footing at one point and caught my shoulder with the end of her wing. “Sorry.” She muttered, gaining her footing.
“No problem.” I answered, ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder.
It took almost an hour but we finally got Dee free and ran for it. When we had gotten far enough away to feel somewhat safe we stopped for a rest. Dee had rips all through her clothing but she seemed fine. My shoulder was burning and upon inspection I found it was covered in blood. “Dee come here.” I gasped.
She looked up and nodded, holding out her arm. I grabbed hold of it and concentrated on her healing powers that somehow I knew she had. I could feel the tissues in my shoulder knitting back together. As soon as I felt that my shoulder was healed enough I let go of her arm. She fell back against the wall with a gasp. “Are you ok?” Kitty asked, rushing to her side.
I reached through my bag until I found a bandage and Dark helped me wrap up the remainder of the wound on my shoulder. Dee was soon up and looking as though nothing happened. “Thanks.” I muttered as we started on our way.
“Any time.” She smiled. “Now let’s just get out of this maze.”
Chapter 5
“When an individual acquires great power, the use or misuse of that power is everything, will it be used for the greater good or will it be used for personal or destructive ends? Now this is a question we must all ask ourselves. Why? Because we are mutants.” – Professor X.
The next day, around seven o’clock, I put the book I was reading by the pale light of sunrise and my mp3 player aside and got up, pulling on many layers of clothes. I didn’t want to make the same mistake here as I made at home so I always wore layers that covered as much skin as I could. I all but ran down the stairs and bolted down a quick breakfast before running out the door.
I met Kitty outside our houses but she looked different. Her skin was a light blue and she had a tail with a deep blue blade on the end, her hair was the same as before. She had pulled it back off her face revealing two bright yellow eyes that seemed to glow. She smiled at me before pressing a button on her watch. Immediately she turned into the Kitty I had met yesterday afternoon. I looked at her quizzically. “Sorry ‘bout that.” She smiled. “Image inducer malfunctioned. I look weird huh?”
“Just a bit.” I replied.
I was bound and determined not to judge her on her appearance. She had been so nice so what did it matter what she looked like? All this meant was that I wasn’t the only mutant in the area. Then I met the others. Ondraya had brown wavy hair with one green streak under the right ear, which she hid under a black baseball cap worn backward on her head. Her eyes were multi-coloured (one brown and one grey) and though her skin was a normal colour she also had a blue tail, a couple shades darker than Kitty’s and with a blade that changed colour with her mood. She smiled as she too pressed a button on her watch and hid her tail.
Dark Angel was a deep purple with yellow eyes and black and purple dragon wings and black hair with white bangs. She glared at me, as she too turned normal. “What?” I asked her. “Got a problem?”
“Yah. You.” She snapped.
“At least I’m not purple!” I snapped back.
“Yah, you’re normal.” She sneered with a grin.
“Yah, well you’re a freak.” I grinned back.
“Well you’re a freak of a freak.” She shot back.
Kitty laughed at us. “See?” she gasped. “You’re friends already!”
C. D. C. I. East was puny compared to Millville Senior High back home. I had a feeling that that was why Cynthia enrolled me there. It was still nice to have Kitty and the others there to guide me though. When we finally got to class and sat down the teacher came in. Mr. Crabb introduced me to the class and then started droning on and on in his monotonic voice about the beauties of the English language (Which I couldn’t see at the moment) until, at long last, the bell rang.
I was left on my own from there to find my classes. The only other class I had with the others was art. So I tried to find my way through the school during the day.
We went to the park after school, every one turned natural, and fell into a huge discussion on mutants. “So Pol,” Kitty turned to me. “What are your talents?”
I tried to tell them that I had none but they didn’t buy it. So I told them what I could do. Even about the incident that had me exiled from my home. Kitty suddenly looked very serious. “You can’t allow any slip-ups here.” She told me. “If you do they’ll put your name down and you’ll be taken away when the Restriction comes back.”
Kitty explained that the Restriction was a mutant control group led by a man called Timothy Clowe (pronounced cl-oh). Clowe was a hard man who cared about no one and regularly took mutants away from here. She then went on to explain that she could climb walls, teleport, heal herself, drain other peoples memories and powers, could create bombs, had superhuman strength and bones and claws laced with adamantium, had limited invisibility and could fly.
Ondraya frowned slightly as she explained that she had enhanced speed, strength and agility, telescopic and night vision, hyper sensitive hearing, superb mental processing skills, catlike reflexes and could hold her breath for over four minutes. Then she grinned and explained that she could also raise her body temperature and make her entire body light up in flames, had a slight healing factor, limited invisibility, telekinesis and adamantium laced bones and claws.
Dark grudgingly explained that, like Ondraya, she had enhanced speed, strength and agility, telescopic and night vision, hyper sensitive hearing, superb mental processing skills, catlike reflexes and could hold her breath for over four minutes. Then explained that she could phase through walls, heal herself, had telepathic and telekinetic abilities with constant premonitions and was a metamorph (could change her shape at will).
I grinned; maybe I could fit in here after all. We went out to the mall and Kitty and Psycho helped me pick out a pair of gloves that covered over half my arms to limit the chances of me slipping up again and I bought a pair of black gloves with knuckle guards and cut off fingers that laced up to my elbow. I had so much fun that, for a while, I forgot all about my homesickness. That is, until I received a letter from Xavier’s.
Dear Ms. McQueen,
I admit that this discovery of yours is quite incredible. Never before have we been able to alter DNA with one microscopic computer disc. We have however, come close to this. We can project a fake image around a being to fool an opponent. We are sorry we could not help you in your quest for meaning and I wish you the best of luck in solving this puzzle.
Dr. Hank McCoy,
Head of Science and Technology,
Xavier’s Institute for the Gifted
This made me quite sad but I didn’t have time to dwell on it for long. The next day Kitty informed me that the Restriction was making a sweep of the school. I pulled on my long gloves and followed the others to school.
The day went by quite well until art class. We had all sat down and opened our books but instead of our regular teacher, there was a man there, dressed in a black trench coat with a stern look on his face. His hair was a dark brown, almost black with just a hint of grey around the ears. One of his eyes was a normal brown but the other was a deep red mechanical thing that scanned the class, coming to a rest on my friends and I more than once. His face held an evilly set grin and his gaze held many secrets locked up inside. His very presence sent a chill up my spine.
Kitty tapped me on my back. I leaned back casually in my chair. “Try not to look alarmed,” she whispered. “Just our luck to be inspected by Clowe himself.”
“No talking.” He looked in our direction with a poisonous glare. “Now, I will be taking over your class today. As most of you know, my name is Mr. Clowe. I expect complete silence and dedicated work from you all. So start working. The notes are on the board.”
I glanced at Dark. Her eyes were glazed slightly and she was muttering under her breath. Kitty groaned, “Not now!”
Dark suddenly snapped back into the real world and glanced alarmingly at Ondraya’s back. I followed her gaze and nearly fell off my chair. Ondraya’s tail was unravelling behind her back. “You!” snapped Clowe. “Up here.”
The boy next to Kitty took advantage of her lack of attention and fiddled with her watch, making it malfunction and her true for emerge. Kitty yelped as loud as the rest of the class as Clowe’s red eye fell to her. “Psycho, run!” Kitty said as she and Ondraya ran from the classroom.
The class immediately broke into people talking but Clowe’s eye never left Dark and me. I turned to Dark and saw a determined look on her face. I groaned. “We’re gonna follow them aren’t we?”
Dark nodded and we shot out of our seats, following our friends out of the school. We took to the air as soon as we exited the building. Cloaked figures dressed in black shot out after us causing many heads to turn. Clowe stormed out of the school, flanked by more of the cloaked figures. He nodded to the two at his side and they charged after us.
One sped off quickly, grabbing hold of Psycho and pinning her down easily. I felt him send a telepathic message to the other who closed in on me. I swung with my bag, narrowly missing his face. He struck while the weight of the bag had my attention, catching hold of my arm he clasped a foul smelling rag to my face and I fell into darkness.
Chapter 4
“They haven’t learned how to live at ease with their mutant powers, so they’re frustrated. Some lash out, while some have turned inward, letting their bitterness consume them. But, they all feel dissatisfied with themselves, and alone.” – Professor X.
For a while life went on as it used to, even the Hounds had decided to leave me alone for a few days. Carol and I went about our days as we usually did. Laughing and embarrassing random students in the hall by suddenly acting (really loudly and exaggeratedly) like they were our best friend. We’d sit at lunch time singing favourite or annoying songs and teasing each other about our recent crushes on students and staff. I felt like a normal kid again.
Until one day, about a week after my overnight at Carol’s, I ran into some problems. Nick, a Hound hacker also known as Splicer, decided to usurp me in the hall. He grabbed my bag as I passed, holding it up above my head. Nick wasn’t a small boy. Had he been the least bit athletic he would have been on the basketball team. He was easily over six feet tall. “Give me that.” I said, grabbing for my bag.
“Why would I want to do that?” he taunted, backing slowly away, still holding my bag above his head, he glanced at the name on the bag (we all had to have our stuff labelled here). “Paul? What kind of a name is that? That’s a guy’s name.”
“It’s P-o-l nitwit.” I snarled at him. “As in a short form of Polly.”
“Polly?” he snickered. “Kinda girly ain’t it?”
“Hence the ‘Pol’. What do you want?” I asked, grabbing for my bag again.
“Just you.” He replied with a grin. “The boss wants a word with you Fox and this time he won’t take no for an answer.”
I snatched my bag from his grasp and turned to walk away from him. I fully intended to do as my mom asked of me and stay away from the gangs. Suddenly I felt his hand close around my arm; his fingers were digging into my flesh. “Let go!” I growled, trying to pull away from him but he was surprisingly strong.
I wanted to him to leave me alone or somehow mess up so I could get out of there. I was late for class and there was no one else in the hall but us so there was no one to help me. Besides which, I was in my school uniform and had foolishly decided to wear my kilt that day. This made it very hard to fight back without embarrassing myself.
His grip suddenly tightened and I heard him starting to gasp in pain. Turning fast I saw that his face was white and drawn in pain. You could see his veins starting to pop out of the arm that was holding me. I didn’t know what was going on but his grip was cutting off my circulation. I wrenched my arm out of his grasp and he collapsed on the floor. “What’s going on here?” our principal Mr. Thompson had come up behind me.
I turned to face him. “It wasn’t my fault!” I gasped. “He wouldn’t let go of me.”
He looked over my shoulder. “Christ!” he gasped. “What happened?” He turned to one of the teachers who had come out of a nearby classroom. “Get Patricia Birnsteil; tell her to call an ambulance.”
The teacher ran off to find the nurse and Mr. Thompson turned on me. “You. My office. Now!”
I turned, fully intending to run, not to the office but away from the school entirely, not looking back. I had no plan but to get out of there. Unfortunately, Mr. Thompson seemed to sense this because he sent another teacher to accompany me there. The teacher seemed confused and a little afraid of me. This is why I don’t want people to know about me. I thought. I don’t like being looked at in fear.
As I sat in the office waiting for him to get there I had to listen to Mrs. Kittle, the secretary, lecture me on the qualities of good behaviour. It was as if she really wanted to be some sort of social worker or something but got stuck as a secretary instead. I tried to tell her that I wasn’t in trouble but she shrugged it off as nothing saying. “Of course you are my dear, else why would you be here?”
I sat slumped down in the chair with my arms crossed firmly in front of me, ignoring her constant nattering and thinking of the rotten luck I was having these days, until Mr. Thompson entered the office. “Now,” he said turning to me. “Do you want to tell me what happened out there?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I muttered, staring at the floor.
Mr. Thompson knelt down until his face was level with mine. “Try me.” He said.
I found myself explaining about the gang and its peculiar interest in me and how I had managed to keep out of their reach. Then I told him how Nick had just sort of lapsed into a seizure when he had grabbed my arm. I even found myself telling him about my recently acquired talents. I couldn’t believe I told him.
I expected him to laugh at me, tell me I must be clinically insane, or flinch away from me in fear. He did no such thing. He gave me a sympathetic look. Then he rose and strode over to the phone. He had me dial my home number and asked my mother to come into the school for a meeting. When she arrived she saw me sitting in the chair and her face fell.
She went into his office and they closed the door. It didn’t help. I could hear everything they were saying anyway. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a mutant?” Mr. Thompson asked her.
I waited, expecting her to say she didn’t know. To my shock and surprise she said no such thing. In fact, she didn’t answer him at all. “Did you think I would care? That I would tell you she couldn’t come here?” Mr. Thompson asked. Again he got no answer. “I have nothing against mutants. In fact, you might say I know what she is going through.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. The man had actually just confessed he was a mutant… or as close to confessing as he dared. “Have you had her registered?” He asked.
“No, not yet.” My mom confessed. “Things were really busy at work after we found out. Then I forgot. She doesn’t make it obvious.”
“May I make a suggestion Mrs. McQueen?” He asked. There was a brief pause before he continued. “Don’t. If we can cover up this mishap and you move away you might get away with it.”
“You are asking me to do something illegal?” she asked in surprise. “Are you not afraid I will cause you to lose your job?”
“I am in danger of losing my job just for talking to you about this.” Mr. Thompson replied. “I am telling you this to protect both you and Paullina. She is a promising student Mrs. McQueen. But the moment you register her she will be taken from you and put into one of their so-called ‘rehab’ facilities and you will never see her again.”
I sat listening in disbelief. Would my mom listen to him? I had no clue. Mr. Thompson mentioned that I should probably take the rest of the day off. I had caused enough excitement for one day and would probably distract the other students from their lessons. By now the whole school would have found out what happened.
Mom took me home and led me to my room. She sat with her arm around my shoulders, comforting me as I cried about the unfairness of the situation. Everything seemed to happen to me. If I was an outcast before, I was bound to be labelled a freak, if not a public threat now. If mutants were such a problem why was I the only one these things were happening to? When I had cried myself out I stretched out on my bed and meditated and she left me to myself for the rest of the day.
Carol came by after school, carrying all my school stuff with her. She had obviously emptied my locker. Mom led her to my room and showed her inside. “Your principal and I thought it would be best if we transferred schools.” Mom said. “He said he might have thought differently if he had known before this incident. He actually thinks he could have prevented it.” She laughed dryly, “Until then I have been given permission to let you teach yourself at home through the school.”
“I thought you had forgotten. I thought you would have forgotten what I was.” I told her.
She laughed. “Honey, I’ve known long before you ever had a hint.” She told me. “It’s not something I’m gonna forget too easily.”
She then left Carol and me alone. Carol looked at me expectantly. She had heard the schools version of the story and now she wanted to know what really happened. I explained it to her and she listened gravely. When I had finished she gulped and asked, “You don’t think you –”
I nodded slowly. “It’s the only explanation. I’ve been thinking lately, and I reckon I am a mutant.”
“No Pol –” she started but I cut her off.
“Think about it. How many kids do you know that can do what I can do?” I asked her. “I’ve been researching mutants and a lot of the registered mutants have talents similar to mine! You can’t tell me its just coincidence.”
There was a long uncomfortable silence and finally Carol shifted awkwardly. “Maybe you’re right Pol.” She muttered. “But if so… what’ll you do about it?”
“Nothing.” I told her. “Nothing, except hide what I can do.”
“You can’t hide forever Pol.” Carol insisted, “Humans need freedom in all things.”
I shrugged hopelessly. “You remember Samara?”
Carol nodded gravely. Samara was one of the quietest kids in our grade. She was tall and gangly but always quick to smile. She turned out to be a fire mutant, nearly burned down the school. Then, one day, she just disappeared. Her mother sent out a missing persons but she was never found. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to me. I’d hate to hurt Cynthia again.
My dad already left us… took of with some hot chick on a motorbike. I was only six at the time but I remembered. Cynthia was devastated. He had always cooked for us, and he took most of our money with him. We used to live in a big old country house. Now we had to live in a cramped little apartment with pealing paint and failing appliances. It wasn’t that bad, just different. It took a while to get used to it but now it felt like home.
“Wait a minute.” Carol looked up at me. “Mr. Thompson? He’s one too?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly show ID cards and say ‘your daughters a mutant? I’m one too. Well what do you know?’” I said sarcastically.
“I’m serious Pol.” She said, frowning at me. “I mean, he is in charge of a whole school. What if he loses control? It’s happened before.”
I shivered, remembering. “I don’t think his power is obvious.” I told her. “I think it is more mental. He made me confess didn’t he? I’m not the confessing type.”
Carol thought about it. “Well, I guess mental powers would help if you were a principal. As long as he can’t hurt us…”
We both shrugged and changed the conversation. It was just depressing talking about mutants and mutations. Soon my mom came up and told Carol it was time for her to go home. She left rather reluctantly. Neither of us wanted her to leave. We didn’t know if we’d ever see each other again. This whole thing felt like some sort of exposure of something. I felt like a convict found somewhere they weren’t supposed to be. I felt like someone could come and take me away at any time.
When Carol had left Cynthia explained to me that she had accepted a job transfer and we were moving to a town in Ontario, Canada called Cobourg. I felt my heart sink. The last thing I wanted to do right now was move. She explained that it was already settled and that we could buy a house now instead of living in an apartment. If she thought that would cheer me up she was wrong.
The only reason I didn’t argue with her decision was the look in her eyes. She was afraid, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. She had also heard of Samara. She worked with her mother. She didn’t want to lose me too.
I spent the next few days packing up my stuff and with in a week we were on the road to Canada. I stayed at Carol’s the night before we left and she had her mom take a picture of us in her room. She promised to send it to me once it was developed. It was possibly the saddest day of my life. I remember sitting up late with Carol laughing and crying as we remembered everything we had been through together. I was losing the one person in the world I had thought I could tell anything to without getting laughed at. When we parted it was with bitter tears. “Never forget me Pol.” She muttered.
“Never.” I promised. “Friends to the end right? But you have to come visit me some time.”
“That’d be great.” She agreed.
It took over 12 hours to get to Cobourg, with stops, but once we got there we had no problem finding our house. Cynthia had bought a small house near the edge of town with a long driveway and beautiful gardens out front. I took my stuff up to my new room. The room was big, bare and lonely. It was about double the size of my old room and the walls were a boring white colour. Cynthia had promised me that we would paint it soon but for now I had to live with what I had. I looked out the window at the sky. I was a long way from home and in a strange neighbourhood… I was not happy.
I looked to the house next door and nearly jumped out of my skin. There, staring back at me was a girl around my age. She had long black hair with different coloured blue streaks all through it. Her skin was a deep tan and she was waving at me. She reached behind her window and threw something at me. I caught it instinctively and looked down at it. She had thrown me a walky-talky. “Hey!” her voice came over the speaker. It sounded Hawaiian. “My names Holly, what’s yours?”
“Paullina.” I answered with a small smile. “Call me Pol.”
“Call me Kitty. Everyone else does.” She laughed.
Her voice was nice and had that joker’s edge to it and she had a mischievous glint in her eye. In a way she reminded me of Carol, though she looked more like a prankster with little to no regard for the rules. I suddenly felt as if I belonged here, as if I might just fit in. I had no idea why I felt it so strongly or suddenly. “Hey guys. Pipe up!” Kitty grinned.
“Stuff it Kitty.” Came a new voice.
I jumped at the unexpected sound and chided myself softly. It was a toy, one of those walky-talkies you could use to keep track of many people at once. She obviously had it there for a reason, not just waiting for me to move in. The new voice sounded annoyed and rude. Like someone who wanted to be left alone and that you didn’t want to bother. But just as I made that assessment Kitty grinned and winked at me.
“You stuff it.” Kitty answered. “You should introduce yourself D.A.”
“Dark Angel.” She said hotly.
“D.A. D.A. D.A.!” Kitty taunted.
“Damn it Kitty! Don’t you close that fly trap for five seconds?” snapped a new voice angrily.
Kitty frowned playfully into the walky-talky. She was obviously enjoying this. “I never asked you did I Ondraya?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at them. They sounded like a bunch of children arguing about something unimportant. “Do you guys always fight?” I asked them.
“Yep!” they answered with a laugh.
We talked long into the evening. I found out that I was starting school at their school. We were all going to the Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East, one of the three high schools in town. In fact, I was in their first period class. At around ten o’clock my mom yelled at me to turn out my light. I sighed and turned off my walky-talky after being told to meet Kitty outside our houses the next day to go to school.
I rolled over on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. This move might not be such a bad thing after all. I was starting in a new school, in a new area, where nobody knew what I was and what I could do. I could act as if I was normal. I could fit in. my life would go back to the way it should be. I didn’t know just how wrong I was.
Chapter 3
“Mutants and humans. They have long struggled to co-exist. While some try to unite them, others try to dominate. Life and strategy has prevailed. But when conflicts reach an impasse inevitably something happens to shift the balance forever.” – Professor X
“Catch her! Don’t let her get away!” Laughter and shouts rang around me as I ran, once again the victim of the Hounds’ attention. I dodged trees and shrubs and pulled my bag higher on my shoulder. Their laughter and sneering remarks burned in my ears. This wasn’t the first time they’d hunted me. Nor, I thought, would it be the last. In fact, it was getting kind of like a routine. Every day I’d come out of the school and one or more of them were waiting for me. “Catch the Fox!” rang out the voice of Slug, the leader of this particular branch of Hounds.
Fox. That’s what they labelled me… all on account of my hair. My orange-red hair with it’s thousands of tiny braids had been the cause of all my problems since eighth grade. I ran on, glancing back only to make sure they were still way behind me. They must have grown tired of losing me. There were maybe fifteen of them today, fifteen angry people armed to the teeth and trying to bring me down.
Panting a little I pulled a braid that had come loose of my ponytail away from my smoke-grey eyes. I had thought to lose them in the small wooded lot behind the school but I was fast running out of time. I sighed in tired exasperation. Why do they keep following me? Why me? The answer was simple if I cared to think about it. I am not normal. I can do things that other kids can’t, things that make me not only a target on the gang’s list but on the list of mutant hunters across the globe. I’m a great scout and thief in their eyes… a treasure that they wouldn’t let slip through their fingers.
“Got you this time Foxy.” Slug said from behind me.
We had left the wooded area and were in an abandoned lot behind a one of the harbour warehouses. The Hounds snuck by me, moving into a full circle around me, and cut off my escape. They laughed at me, patting guns, knives and what ever else they were using as weapons at the time. I cursed and whirled to face Slug drawing out one of the knives I carried for protection. I thanked my mother for the many self defence courses she let me sign up for. I may not have the forest to protect me but even in an open area I was not helpless. I was never helpless. “My name’s not Fox, its Paullina McQueen. You’d do good to learn that.”
“Sure thing girly.” He sneered, “If you say your name is Paul-something I believe you. But to the hounds will always know you as Fox. The fox and the hounds.”
He laughed at his lame attempt at a joke. A few of the others snickered but most couldn’t even pretend that it was funny. I groaned. “Don’t you guys ever give up?”
“Nope.” Slug grinned evilly. “Not on your life. Get used to it sister because you’re gonna be seein’ a lot more of us from now on.”
“I don’t think so.” I muttered quietly. “And I’m not your sister.”
I lashed out with my foot, catching Slug’s shin with the steel toe of my boot and neatly sliced his arm just above the elbow. He let out a yelp of surprise. He didn’t actually expect me to retaliate. He snarled and jumped at me, just missing my arm with his knife. I ducked his arm and swung low with my leg, tripping another Hound while repositioning my bag on my shoulder. Somehow, all the Hounds who lunged at me couldn’t seem to get a good hold and I broke free of their circle. Without even a glance over my shoulder I took off, ducking and dodging and somehow missing all the bullets they shot at me.
“Grab her!” Slug shouted, grasping his bleeding arm.
I sped up, running with all that I had, and managed to reach town in one piece. I dodged around startled people on the busy streets, leaving a wave of curses in my wake as I bumped into people or caused them to jump out of my way. The Hounds raced after me, their runners right on my heels. I found myself wishing once again that I had never moved to this god-forsaken city. “Sorry.” I muttered as I bumped into a young man standing by a computer store.
I felt a brief electric jolt down my arm as it brushed against his coat. I jumped slightly, my arm was tingling slightly and something made me want to turn back and get a better look at him. I shook my head, forcing the thought from my head. :Idiot, does now seem like the time for that?: a voice asked in my head.
I stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Regaining my balance I glanced back over my shoulder. The man was gone but the Hounds were catching up. I didn’t have time to think about it. That would come later, much later. For now I had to worry about the people chasing me. I sped up, racing across the road. As I ran on I could feel a set of eyes following me but I couldn’t see who it was watching me.
I kept running, dodging people and buildings as I made my way home. I reached out with my mind and found the presence of Cynthia in our apartment up on the seventh floor. At least she was home. Running through the wall like a ghost I ran into the elevator. I projected my own image into the minds of my pursuers. To them I was running further into the inner city. They still hadn’t managed to find out where I lived. When they got deeper into the city the projection would disappear, leaving them confused and infuriated.
I leaned against the elevator catching my breath before I entered my apartment and had to explain to my mother where I was. She was upset enough lately and I didn’t want to upset her more. I took the time to brush some of the dirt off my clothes, retie my hair, and straighten my clothes. Surprisingly, when I entered our apartment she didn’t even seem to notice me. Thankfully, I went to my room and shut the door.
I collapsed on my bed and closed my eyes, becoming lost in memories. Life was so simpler before. I was just a normal kid in a normal neighbourhood. Then that stupid thing with the disc happened, and now look at me… a genius living in her own private freak show.
A phone ringing brought me back from my reverie. I reached for it and found myself talking to Carol. Carol Mitchell was the only person I trusted with my secrets… she was present for most of the things that happened anyway. We had been friends since I moved here, a fellow outcast in a big city. She was the first person there when I opened my eyes on the math room floor. I let out a calming breath and composed myself. “Hello?” I asked.
“Pol?” she sounded worried. “Are you ok? You split so fast after school. I was worried something was wrong at home or something. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah.” I assured her. “I was just playing tag again.”
“Pol!” she disagreed with me having anything to do with the Hounds, as did most people I knew… including myself.
“If I could rid myself of them I would.” I insisted, reaching down beside me and pulling my books out of my bag. “It’s not like I enjoy running for my life every day. True its exercise but really. I get enough of that in gym class.”
“It’s not funny Pol.” Carol said sternly, “You could get seriously hurt. It confuses me why they want you so much. What is it about you that draws their attention? I mean… it’s not like you make it public what you can…” she tapered off, realizing that she had approached a touchy subject. “What are you reading now?” she asked, changing the subject to a popular topic… books.
We were both avid readers though the types of books we read were as different as we were. She liked romance and mystery novels where I was into science-fiction and fantasy, the adventurous stuff. Yet lately I had taken to reading up on psychology, anatomy, technology, the paranormal… anything that might help me find out what was happening to me. It scared me and I didn’t know who I could talk to. My mom had enough on her mind without adding my problems into it.
“I’m still trying to find out about that chip I found in my wrist.” I explained. “By all accounts it doesn’t make sense. All the books I have read make it obvious that it is impossible for a computer chip to alter your DNA structure. I mean, technology and biology are just not that interchangeable. Not that people haven’t tried… I haven’t been able just yet to find out how it was made.”
“What I want to know,” Carol said, “Is how it managed to hide your talents. You aren’t what people classify as normal.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. I didn’t trust myself to speak. “If I didn’t know better,” she went on, her voice taking on a hesitant tone as if not sure she wanted to say anything. “I’d say you were one of them mutants you hear about on TV.”
“But I’m not.” I insisted, a sinking feeling erupting in my stomach. Even my best friend thought I was dangerous and a freak… that might be one of the things that attracted her to me.
“Of course not.” Carol replied a little too quickly for my taste, confirming my suspicions. “A mutant wouldn’t save people, and you saved my life.”
I remembered that day, when I first had to really use my telekinetic abilities. It was a day neither of us were likely to forget. Carol and I had been crossing the school parking lot when Carol had stopped to tie her shoe. A car soared around the corner, way above the speed limit for school zones. I had cried out, reaching out with my mind to pull her to me, and suddenly we were both lying in a heap on the sidewalk.
“Pol?” Carol’s voice sounded frustrated. “I said would you like to come over tonight?”
“Uh sure.” I said gratefully.
“‘K. I better go finish my homework then.” She replied. “Oh and Pol? Forget I said anything.”
“‘K.” I answered absent-mindedly. “See ya tonight.”
After I hung up the phone I collapsed on my bed, staring at the pictures covering my front wall. All of them had Carol and me in them starting from grade six, when I had moved to Millville, up until recently. I stared at my grade-eight school picture, the first picture I had of me with red hair. I remembered the day I had been experimenting with my enhanced strength.
I was in the back yard of an old abandoned house, picking up things of various weights and throwing them about. I threw a dumpster in the direction of the house a little too hard and it hit the unsteady building and the whole thing collapsed. It was just my luck that a police cruiser was passing by at the time. The policemen grew angry when I wouldn’t tell them what I was doing there or what caused the building to collapse or what a dumpster was doing in the living room.
They took me home so that they could speak to my mom but when they got there she was upstairs. I was sent up to get her and passed her in the upstairs hallway. I told her that there were some men in the kitchen that wanted to talk to her and retreated to my room. That was the first time mom grew suspicious. Needless to say I was grounded for weeks.
“Pol?” my mom called from downstairs. “Supper.”
I smiled. Cynthia was hard to fool. She always knew when I was or wasn’t home. I forced myself up out of bed and went down to the kitchen. I sat across from her at the table looking down at the green mush on my plate. “So. How was school?” she asked, talking a bite of the mush and wincing.
“It was ok.” I replied, taking both our plates and scraping them into the garbage. I reached into the fridge and pulled out some left over lasagne I had made the night before and stuck it in the microwave. “The weirdest thing happened in science class.”
“Oh?” she asked, pouring us some milk.
I looked at the milk. It had lumps in it. I picked up our glasses and dumped them into the sink and got us new glasses filled with water. “Are you ok?” I asked her. She is a bad cook but she can usually tell when the milk is bad, and I knew how stressed she’d been lately.
“Fine.” She answered looking at me expectantly.
I shrugged, if she didn’t want to tell me that was alright. We had a pretty honest relationship and both of us respected when the other wished to leave something alone. “The teacher was talking about DNA and stuff like that and mentioned that there was no such thing as mutants or psychics. That it was physically impossible.” I took out the lasagne and dished us up some. “Then the chalk flew out of his hand and wrote on the board by its self.” I looked at her to see her reaction.
I often talked about my abilities as if they were someone else’s. I usually don’t show off, it would be too dangerous for everyone, but for some reason I had just gotten this urge to prove Mr. Ferzetti wrong today. When he said that it just tugged at my sense of reason and made me do something I normally wouldn’t have thought of doing. “What did you write?” she asked.
I winced, she had that tone that said she strongly disapproved. “Mutants are real.” I muttered. She frowned. “Mom, I’m sorry. I’m just sick of his higher-than-thou attitude. He thinks he’s so smart… I won’t do it again.”
My mom clearly didn’t believe me. She knew I would do it again in an instant. They couldn’t pin it on me in any case. I looked to my plate, I really couldn’t stand when she looked at me like that. A few minutes passed but she didn’t say anything. “Really, what’s wrong?” I asked again looking up, something was bothering her and it was going to hang between us until she said something.
“Nothing.” She repeated, “Just tired, I’ve had a hard day at work and when I come home you aren’t here. No note or anything to say you had left, no call from school to say you were staying late for something” (“What would I stay late for?” I muttered.) “No call to say you went to Carol’s with the flu or anything. I worry about you Pol. You’ve been later and later coming home lately and what with these gangs moving into the area.”
She looked up but I couldn’t hold her gaze. She knows. I thought. She’s just trying to make me feel guilty. Out loud I said, “Seriously Mom, what could happen? I’m not a child anymore. I can take care of myself. I just needed some time alone in the park. You know? Clear my head a little.”
“Still, I’d feel better if you called and left a message or something.” She said sternly. “Pol, promise me you won’t have anything to do with those gangs. Please?”
“I’ll try not to.” I muttered. “But really Mom… what’s wrong? I mean, I know it’s not all about me. Is something up at work?”
“They’re having some problems.” She admitted. “They’re growing too fast with not enough senior employees. There are too many new offices opening in other areas. They’re transferring people to other cities.”
“They want you to transfer?” I asked shocked.
“Well they haven’t asked me yet but they’ve hinted at it.” She replied. “But don’t you worry. I know how much you like it here. You have friends here that like you.”
“Speaking of friends… I’m heading to Carol’s for the night.” I told her. “I promise to be home by this time tomorrow.”
“Pol –”
“I promise.”
She looked at me and nodded, she knew when she was defeated. “Alright. At least I know that if you’re with Carol you’ll be safe.”
“Thanks Mom.” I gave her a hug. “You’re the best.”
I ran to my room and threw together an overnight bag, including my sketchbook and book on electronics I was reading. Then I returned to the kitchen, threw my dishes in the dishwasher, gave my mom a quick kiss and ran out the door.
Carol’s apartment was only two blocks away from mine so it didn’t take me long to get there. I was just about to knock when the door swung open. Carol’s little sister Whitney stood there, her curly brown locks hanging in her mischievous little face. “Carrie’s not here right now can I take a message?”
“Out of the way Wit!” Carol scolded, pushing the young girl away from the door.
In contrast to Whitney’s dark brown curls, Carol’s hair was light brown, straight with dyed neon green bangs. She liked to be outrageous and different. You’d swear that “crazy” was her middle name. If something was a fashion don’t you could bet she’d wear it in a second. She was famous around school for her eccentricity but that’s why I liked her so much. She was loud and fun. Not to mention a great writer, we liked to bounce ideas off each other. “Come in Pol!” she grabbed my bag and tried to lift it, shoving it right back onto my shoulder. “How can you carry that thing?”
I shrugged, “It’s not that heavy.”
Carol looked at me as if to say “It is too.” Out loud she said, “Come in, I want to show you something I found.”
I followed her to her room. She logged onto the computer as I dropped my bag on her bed. I turned to look at the screen; there on her computer was a picture of a huge mansion with lots of property surrounding it. In captions under the picture there was a small paragraph. Professor Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters, it read, long thought to be just a building funded by professor Charles Xavier to home the exchange students attending nearby schools the building may be more than what it seems. Recent studies show that the school is technologically advanced and well hidden by shrubs. Several people have voiced concerns that the building is actually a home for the identified mutants of the U.S.A. and are asking the government to investigate. The government has excused these as hopeless superstitions. But promise they will send someone in to look around at an appropriate time.
I stared at the screen in disbelief. “A school for mutants?” I asked no one in particular. It was an interesting notion. A school where people didn’t have to hide their abilities? Where you would feel like you belong? It sounded too good to be true.
“Crazy isn’t it?” Carol asked, staring in puzzlement at my face. “Are you ok?”
“Technologically advanced?” I frowned, my mind wandering back to the DNA altering device in my wrist. I turned to her, “Do you think they could explain that disc in my wrist?”
“You could try.” She said, scrolling down to the bottom of the screen. “Here’s an address. I have paper and a pen here.”
“Thanks.” I muttered, taking down the address and writing a brief letter explaining about myself and my reason for writing. My heart was pounding in my chest as I folded up the paper. We sealed it in an envelope and sent it on its way.
“Now… we wait.” Carol said solemnly, totally out of character for her.
We looked at each other and burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh, as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. It felt like old times, when we didn’t care about anything and mutants were just a fairy tale. I followed Carol back to her room and collapsed onto the bed, fiddling with one of the stuffed animals that crowded her pillow. “So, find anything good on your tele-mind things recently? Your crazy mind powers?” Carol asked, fluttering her fingers, turning a touchy subject into something amusing, and shutting the door.
“Nah, I read a book that said the only way to keep psychic powers under wraps is to use them regularly. It said that you must teach yourself to use them to your up-most ability, teach yourself to develop them. Like I want to use them!” I scoffed, flinging a bear in the air and catching it again. “I want to be rid of them, to be able to act as if they never existed… to be able to walk down a hallway without hearing everybody’s every thought.”
Suddenly, I rolled over and chucked the bear at her. “Hey!” she laughed, flinging it back with all her might.
I used my mind to fling four more at her. She shrieked in surprise and ducked, covering her head with her arms. I made her stuffed animals poke at her and hit her playfully then let them drop to the floor. That did it. “WAR!” we shouted, flinging stuffed toys at each other and laughing, forgetting all about the troubles of the day in our childish game.
We talked long into the night, but never again did the topic of mutants or psychics pop up. It was as if we were both trying to act as if nothing had changed since the eighth grade. Carol let me use her computer that night while she slept. I spent the whole night researching mutants and mutant rehab facilities and community homes, but I could find no more on Xavier’s Institute.
Chapter 2
“Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet debate rages, are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world? Either way it is a historical fact… sharing the world has never been humanity’s defining attribute.” – Professor X
There was no more acting normal for me. Now my challenge was not giving them more to talk about. I was the talk of the school for months. Teachers and students were all afraid of me. Even Carol seemed to be avoiding me. I could hear the other students whispering as I passed in the hall. None of them wanted anything to do with me. By the next week I couldn’t stand it anymore.
My dreams had been getting worse. They had gotten so bad that I was barely sleeping. I felt sick most mornings and my head was always pounding. One morning, a little over a week after the incident, my mom woke me up for school. I felt so sick and depressed that I refused to go to school. “I’m not going.” I told her. “I don’t need to be there and no one wants me there.”
“That’s not true.” Cynthia replied. “What about Carol?”
“Carol’s been a little odd since…” since she found out I was a mutant, I wanted to say but I couldn’t. Not to her… not to anyone. I shook my head. “She’s better off without me.”
Cynthia came and sat on my bed. “Don’t be silly. She’s your best friend. She’s just a little freaked out right now. Everyone is… even you. Just give her time. She’ll come around.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t so sure. “I just can’t do it Mom. I can’t go back there. I won’t.”
She sighed and rose to her feet. “I’m afraid you have too.” She replied. “It’s the law. And I’m in no position to home-school you.”
I glared at her. “I don’t care!” I was starting to get angry. “I can’t bear to spend another day in a building full of scared and suspicious people. Even the teachers hate me now. They’re afraid I’m going to hurt someone or destroy the place. They don’t seem to understand that I’m the victim here.”
I was yelling now. “If they can’t understand that then I don’t want anything to do with them. I’m sick of people staring and whispering and talking about me when they think I can’t hear. I’m sick of being feared. I’m sick of being avoided. And above all, I’m sick of the security following me as if I was a criminal!”
I was so angry I was shaking. I just wanted to throw something. All of a sudden one of the ornaments from on top of my dresser crashed against the far wall of my room. My mom stared at me in shock. “Now you’re doing it!” I screamed. “What’s wrong with me? Why is this happening?”
There was a loud crash as all the glass in the house shattered. Cynthia went pale and moved to the door, glancing down the hall. “Just leave me alone!” I cried. She turned to come back. “Go away!” I screamed and the door slammed shut.
I collapsed back on my bed and cried until I was too exhausted to move. Then I lay there and thought about what had just happened. Everything that had just broken in the house broke because I was angry. And I had wanted to slam the door in my mom’s face but I hadn’t touched it. And yet, it had slammed. It was almost as if I had telekinesis or something.
I tried to shake the thought from my mind. I was a freak enough already. I didn’t need anything else. And yet… if I kept it a secret, telekinesis could be useful. I rolled over and stared at my bookshelf. I concentrated hard on my copy of Mystical Rose, willing it to come over to me. Suddenly I felt something in my mind awaken and I could almost feel the book. It’s hard to explain. I focused on this feeling and tugged.
The book moved toward me slightly and fell off the shelf. It landed in a heap on the floor. I frowned and tried again, reaching out to my copy of Wolf Captured. This one also flew of the shelf, landing next to the other book on the floor. I tried over and over again until I was mentally and physically exhausted. Books lay in a pile that trailed from my bookshelf to my bed and I lay against my pillows with The Horse and His Boy lying on my lap. I had managed to get it from the bookshelf to my bed without dropping it.
I relaxed for the next hour, lost in the world of Narnia, until Cynthia came in to check on me. She took one look at the books on the floor and knew that I was upset. I never mistreated books. In fact, I was a little anal about them. Bent pages and broken spines drove me up the wall. The fact that all my books were on the floor was a good indicator of how stressed I was.
She came over to the bed, took the book from my lap and set it carefully back on the shelf. Then she came over and enveloped me in her arms. I was feeling so sick that I was shivering and I was so tired that my eyes were closing on their own accord. “Honey, are you alright?” Cynthia asked, pulling back to stare me in the eye. “You’re all clammy!”
“I don’t feel so good.” I admitted.
She felt my forehead with the back of her hand. “My god!” she gasped, running to get the thermometer.
She took my temperature and without another word she had me in the car and on the way to the Emergency Room. Needless to say, I didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes I had seen a doctor and they had started running tests to see what was wrong with me. It almost felt like a blessing when they gave me the sedative. That is… until the nightmares set in.
I ran through a dark hallway. Figures in black with guns were chasing me. I didn’t do anything, I thought. Closer now I could see they wore combat boots and camouflage pants but they had no faces. I screamed and ran faster. Evading them I hid in a closet. Then a familiar voice started to say something.
“Cynthia?” Isaiah said quietly. “I’ve been thinking about Polly. I reckon she’s one of the kids my boss has been looking for.”
Suddenly I’m no longer in a closet but sitting in my room surrounded by my old dolls. Yet I’m still eleven this time. “What are you talking about?” Cynthia asks.
“The electricity.” Isaiah replied. “My boss has been researching a group of kids called the Elementals. He knows about how powerful they can be and how to help them. I want to take Polly to him.”
“No.”
“But Cynthia.” Isaiah argued. “He knows all about them. He can help!”
“I don’t care what he thinks he knows. You are not taking her.” My mom yells.
“Why not?” he sounded genuinely confused. “Cynthia! It’s not natural. A child who plays with electricity and laughs? He can help! It’s not the first unusual case we’ve seen.”
“Why not? Why not?! Because, Isaiah, she’s our daughter. Not some science experiment for you and the boys at your lab to tinker with. She is a human being! Just a little girl! Our little girl.”
“She ain’t mine. The little devil-spawn was never mine. She’s special Cynthia and my boss wants her.”
“Get out of my house. Now!”
My daddy leaves the living room, but instead of leaving the house he comes up to my room. Just as he reaches the door I run to the window. I will not be an experiment for him. I jump out the window but instead of falling I start flying. I fly way up to the first layer of clouds. Then I suddenly started falling. I couldn’t fly anymore. I fell and fell until…
WHOMP! I hit the floor. I looked around dazed. This wasn’t my room. Where was my bed? Then I remembered. I was at the hospital. But where were the doctors? Where was my mom? I looked around, taking in the surgical table and the long row of metal doors, vaults of some sort. My breath caught in my throat as I realized where I was. I was in the morgue… an autopsy room.
Suddenly the door opened and two security guards and a doctor ran in. The doctor ran over and began checking me out. “We found her.” One of the guards said into his walky-talky.
The doctor had me sitting against one wall when my mom ran in a few minutes later. “Pol!” she cried. “Thank goodness you’re alright.”
“I don’t see how she could be.” The doctor replied. “Unless she…” He turned to the security guards. “You two can go.” He said.
The guards looked uneasily at each other. “Are you sure?” The first one asked.
“Positively.” The doctor replied. When the guards were gone he turned to my mother. “Is your daughter a mutant?” he asked bluntly.
“I don’t know.” My mom replied. Then a thought crossed her mind. “They took her blood for testing. If she is a mutant they’ll have her taken away from me!”
The doctor looked at her thoughtfully. “I may be able to help.” He said.
“You’d do that?” she asked.
“Why?” I asked quietly.
He looked at me and smiled. “Many of my best patients are mutants. They require that I pull a few strings sometimes.”
“Would you get her tests back before they get recorded into the computers?” Cynthia asked.
“I’ll do more than that.” He replied. “I’ll take her on as one of my patients. Any problems and you can come to me.”
“Thank you so much.” My mom said, smiling thankfully. “My name’s Cynthia McQueen. This is Pol… Paullina.”
“Hello.” He said, smiling back. “I am Dr. Herbert Ling. Now. Let us get this girl back to her room.”
The two of them struggled to get me back to my room. Once they got me back in bed the doctor left. Cynthia followed him to the door. “Please…” she said quietly, trying to keep her voice quiet enough that I wouldn’t be able to hear. “When you find anything…”
“I’ll let you know.” Dr. Ling promised. “And I’ll talk to some of my more knowledgeable patients. Maybe they can suggest some things to help your daughter deal with what’s happening to her.”
“What is happening to her?” she asked worried.
“I can’t say for sure.” he replied. “It varies from person to person. Just know that whatever does happen… she’ll get through it. I haven’t ever lost a patient. No matter what the symptoms are. And I’ve had some weird ones.”
The door opened and closed and Cynthia was back at my side. She looked down at me and forced a smile. “Hey baby.” She said softly. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired.” I admitted. “Mom, what’s happening to me?”
“I don’t know baby.” She replied, resting her hand on my head. It felt cool and relaxing. “Why don’t you close your eyes and rest?”
I didn’t want to but my eyes were closing of their own accord. I lay there with my eyes closed listening to the sounds of the hospital. There was the whir of the air conditioning, the odd P.A. announcement, the soft murmur of nurses as they passed my door. Then there was also a quiet whispering, indistinct at first but quite obviously not my mom. “That girl is a mutant? She looks so normal.”
“Another busy night.” Another voice said quietly, seemingly unconnected to the first one. “Why can’t they ever be quiet?”
Suddenly there were more voices. “My boy, my darling son.”
“That went well.”
“I can’t bear to watch him suffer like this.”
“I’m pregnant?!”
“I’m dying.”
“Third floor fifth room is contagious again. Why can’t they get him under control?”
“I don’t want to lose her.”
The voices grew louder and I couldn’t shut them out. I heard a loud beeping noise and I opened my eyes. “Pol?” I focussed on Cynthia’s voice and all the other voices died away. “Is something wrong?”
I looked up at her to see a nurse beside her. The nurse checked my vitals and shook her head. “Monitor’s on the frits again.” She said as she turned to leave. “I’ll have the tech team check it out.”
Just as she left Dr. Ling came back. “Did you find anything?” Cynthia asked.
“Actually, yes.” Dr. Ling replied. “How much do you really know about your daughter’s… I hate to call it a condition but…?
“At the moment Doctor, you know more than we do.” Cynthia replied.
“I see.” He said looking at his chart and then up at me.
I just stared back at him. :How much should I tell them?: I heard his voice but his mouth never moved.
“Everything.” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“You should tell us everything.” I said. “I have a right to know.”
“Well!” he said, writing something on his clipboard. “I think we can add Telepathy to your daughter’s list of talents.”
“What?” I asked.
“I never said anything out loud.” He said gently. “You read my mind. Literally.”
“Oh.” Well what else could I say? This was all new to me.
“Well I think it is safe to say that you are a mutant.” He told me. “You have the gene. You also have an odd cell in your blood stream. Something… something I’ve never seen before.” He must have seen the look of shock on Cynthia’s face so he hastened to explain. “It’s not… it’s not viral. In fact it’s helping your white blood cells to do their job better. Your Immune System is incredible. I don’t know if you’d be able to get sick. And your rate of healing is accelerated. Not as fast as some I have seen, but faster than normal.”
Well that’s a bonus. I looked over at Cynthia and saw the relief in her eyes. “So there’s nothing wrong?” she asked.
“Not as far as I can see.” Dr. Ling replied. “I give her a clean slate of health. I do recommend signing her up for some meditation classes though. It will help her control her new psychic talents and just may help her physically.”
“Thank you.” Cynthia said as I climbed off the bed. “Thank you for everything.”
I signed up for meditation classes at Serena’s. Serena was a colleague of my mom’s who ran meditation classes on the side to help cope with stress. The classes were calming and I soon found that an hour of good solid meditation did as much for my body as a full nights sleep used to. I was able to use meditation instead of sleeping and I never got sick after. My life soon turned back to normal… or as normal as it could be.
The main difference was that I could now participate in gym class. Not only could I play the sports, but I was actually good at them. Though I did make mistakes now and then I had to talk my way out of. There was a baseball game where I caught the ball only to learn that it had been eleven feet or so in the air when I had. I managed to smooth it over by saying I had cheated, jumping off a bench behind the bushes to reach the ball. The only person not fooled was Carol. “You never cheat.” She insisted, looking at me curiously.
Another time was in a soccer game when I kicked at the ball but never connected, and yet the ball soared into the net as if I had. I managed to convince the only girl paying close enough attention to see it that she blinked just as I kicked it. It took some fancy talking and a little bit of mental manipulation but she was soon convinced.
The ‘talent’ I had the most trouble adapting to was the telepathy. I was never sure when people said things aloud or when I was reading their mind. There were quite a few times when I commented on things that people hadn’t said aloud. If they noticed I usually acted as if I wasn’t really talking to them or I just walked away.
But my real trouble started when a street gang moved into the area. At first the High-water Hounds paid no attention to me. But then there came the day when I accidentally singled myself out. One of their toughest guys was picking on Carol, threatening her and following her around. It really bothered me. So one day, when he started up on her I hauled off and punched him right in the face.
He went down hard. And this guy was huge! He was easily three times my weight, but with one punch he was thrown to the ground. “Leave her alone.” I growled at him, flexing my fists.
“You’re gonna regret that girlie.” He said getting to his feet. “We know all about you and your freakish-ness. We’ll get you soon.”
“I’m so scared.” I said sarcastically. “Remind me to run.”
He swore and left. Carol stood there staring at me. “What’d you do that for?” she asked.
“It was only a matter of time till things got out of hand.” I told her. “I didn’t wanna see you get hurt.”
“Why not?” she asked. “I mean… I haven’t exactly been the best of friends lately. I just didn’t know if you had changed.”
I smiled at her and grabbed my bag off the floor where it had fallen. “I may have changed physically but I’m still me.” I assured her. “Now… how bout a pizza?”
“Sure!” she grinned. “Then you can tell me all I’ve missed.”
I signed up for self-defence classes, knowing that the Hounds would be back. I started taking knife and staff-fighting lessons from someone in the less reputable parts of town and even managed to snag a few knives that I kept hidden on my person at all times. I wasn’t going down without a fight.
A year would pass before I had a serious encounter with them. During that time I would practice my growing abilities and hone up on my fighting skills and at school I would act as if my life hadn’t changed at all. Yet good things can never last. Especially in my life…
Chapter 1
“Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single celled organism to the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia evolution leaps forward.” – Professor X
Dreams. Mine are nightmares. Voices from the past that I can’t forget. They won’t leave me alone. I’m sure they mean something. I just don’t know what. Get out of my head! Get out…
“I don’t care what he thinks he knows. You are not taking her.” My mom yells.
I am cowering in my room upstairs, surrounded by dolls. A five-year-old kid with a twelve-year-old mentality at least. My parents’ voices reach my terrified ears. My mother’s, furious and cold; and my father’s majorly on the defensive. “Why not?” he sounded genuinely confused. “Cynthia! It’s not natural. A child who plays with electricity and laughs? He can help! It’s not the first unusual case we’ve seen.”
“Why not? Why not?! Because, Isaiah, she’s our daughter. Not some science experiment for you and the boys at your lab to tinker with. She is a human being! Just a little girl! Our little girl.”
“She ain’t mine. The little devil-spawn was never mine. She’s special Cynthia and my boss wants her.”
“Get out of my house. Now!”
My daddy leaves, slamming the door behind him. That is the last I see or hear of him for many years.
“Pol?” A voice wrenched me awake. “Pol! Get up! You’re going to be late for school!”
I groaned and rolled out of bed. “I’m up! I’m up!”
I went to my dresser and looked in the mirror at my tired reflection, taking in every boring detail. I wasn’t anything remarkable. I had dark curly hair, almost black, and brown eyes like my mom. I was only about five feet tall and I wasn’t growing any taller. I was never a very athletic child and I was probably considered slightly overweight. I was a singer and amateur artist.
I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to teach. I loved school. I loved learning. I wanted to pass that love of learning on to others and do something that used my talents. Man, when I think back on it now I see that I am using my talents… just not the ones I thought I’d use.
I grumbled as I threw on some random clothes from my drawers and went to the kitchen. My mom was cooking something for breakfast. I looked over her shoulder at the mass of what might have been pancakes but could also have been any random mass of muck. It smelt a little like pancakes but a lot like something burning. I grabbed a glass of orange juice and my bag.
I downed the juice and grabbed my coat. “You know what mom? Thanks for cooking me breakfast and all but… uh… I’m in a hurry. I’m meeting Carrie before school to study for our math test. I’ll grab something on the way.”
“But I made pancakes!” she called. “And since when have you had to study for anything?”
“It’s not me who’s worried, it’s Carrie.” I replied. Then, before she could insist on me eating breakfast, I bolted out the door. “Bye mom! Sorry, can’t be late!”
I went to a nearby bakery and bought a muffin then I went to wait at Carol’s apartment for her. We weren’t actually meeting early but I would say almost anything to skip out on one of my mom’s meals. She’s a great mom and all but she has the worst cooking in the world.
When Carol came out she saw me waiting and a huge grin spread across her face. “Your mom cook you breakfast again?”
I grinned back as we headed to the school. “Yeah. She just doesn’t get it. So… you ready for the test?”
Carol made a face. “Am I ever? I hate math. You still able to study with me at lunch?”
I sighed and smiled. “Of course.” Carol may have thought I was smart, but no one but my mom knew how smart I really was. Not even my dad knew. If he did he may not have split so suddenly. He would have wanted to study me or something. My dad was some sort of geneticist. I knew he worked with people but I didn’t know exactly what it was he did.
I shrugged. It was no use worrying about my messed up life right now. Now, it was school time. And school was one of the only places I felt like I belonged. It was easy for me to blend in and become part of the scenery. Just another student trying to make it to post-secondary education.
Suddenly I got an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. My body felt strangely heavy. I shook my head, trying to shake it off. “You ok?” Carol asked. “You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine.” I replied, forcing a smile. “I’m just… I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“The nightmares again?” she asked, looking at me in concern.
I nodded. “They just won’t leave me alone. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. I just don’t get it. I never have bad dreams. Heck, I don’t usually even remember my dreams!”
“Maybe it’s this test.” Carol suggested. “Or the fact that we’re going into high-school in a few months… that’s enough to give anyone nightmares.”
I just shrugged and felt the feeling subside slightly. I didn’t want to get into this now. Besides… we were at the school already. As soon as we stepped through the door I relaxed. It was almost like a game to me… pretending to be normal. And it was fun! I still felt a little odd but it was all good. I was in my element.
I managed to forget my discomfort until lunch. By that time it had grown to a nauseous feeling that gnawed at my stomach. I couldn’t eat anything. In fact, I spent the whole Lunch Hour staring at my math text, pretending to study. It didn’t fool Carol. She knew something was up. “You sure you’re ok?” she asked.
“Yeah. Why?” I asked distractedly.
“Because there’s no way you’re actually studying that hard.” She replied.
“What?” I asked, looking up at her. Her words were having trouble sinking in.
“Come on Pol!” she said exasperatedly. “You’ve had that whole book memorized since the first week of school!”
“Yeah. So?” I asked. I knew I wasn’t making sense, but my head was starting to swim so I really didn’t care.
She arched an eyebrow at me but thankfully the bell rang to signal the end of lunch so she didn’t press the matter. The test was next and we didn’t want to be late. We sat down at our desks and the Mrs. Green set the tests face down. It seemed like ages before she finally said “Begin.”
I was about halfway through the test when I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. I tried to ignore it but it got steadily worse. It felt like somebody was cutting my wrist with a knife. Looking down I saw something silver and covered in blood glinting out of my skin. I pulled at it and the sharp pain shot up my arm. I gritted my teeth and dug it out. It was a small disk no more than half an inch in diameter. I stared at it in puzzlement for a couple seconds. Then the room started to spin and I passed out.
The first thing I remember after that is the voices. They sounded like they were deliberately hushed yet they were as loud as someone speaking normally right beside your ear. “Wh – what happened?” I groaned as I opened my eyes.
The first thing I noticed was that I was on the floor. The students and Mrs. Green were staring down at me. Carol’s expression was extremely worried. They all seemed incredibly sharpened. They were standing back from me and yet I could see every pimple, freckle, and hair on their faces! I looked across the room at one of the books on the shelf and I could make out every letter. Even the fine print!
I tried to sit up and my head swam. Some of my hair swung in front of my eyes. I jumped slightly in surprise. It was red! Why was my hair red?! I had dark hair, almost blackish! Not fiery red! “What’s happening to me?!” I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. Something was definitely not right.
“Pol. It’s alright.” Carol said, struggling to shove her fear aside and hugging me tightly. I could tell she was frightened. She was shaking like a leaf.
“Everything’s gonna be ok.” Mrs. Green told me, while trying to shoo the other students back to their seats. “You’re body just went through some changes but it’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
I could hear the panic in her voice and I could almost smell her fear. “Mirror.” I managed as Carol helped me to sit up on the chair.
Mrs. Green frowned. “I’m not sure—”
“Get me a mirror!” I snapped as I struggled to stand. “Or I’ll find one myself!”
“Does anyone have a mirror in their locker?” she asked the class.
One of the girls ran out of the class to get one. I could feel myself shaking and my body ached. It was the dull ache you sometimes get when you grow really quickly in a short amount of time. Growing pains.
The girl came back with a mirror and handed it to Carol. Carol glanced hesitantly at me so I snatched it from her. What I saw shocked me so much that I dropped the mirror to the floor where it smashed. My reflection was that of a complete stranger. My facial features were completely different. I was skinnier with extremely fare skin, almost white, and red-orange hair that fell in soft waves down my back, not the Miss Frizzle mane I was used to. What struck me most were my eyes. They were a startling silver colour with a black rim around them.
My next thought was one that terrified me to the bone. How could I go home looking like this? My mother wouldn’t recognize me! She would think I was some sort of creep. I was hyperventilating so much that I started to cough. “We need to get you to the office.” Mrs. Green said. “Lucky for you these classrooms are video-monitored. Don’t you worry my dear. Mr. Johnson will explain everything to your mother.”
She was surprisingly calm for somebody who just witnessed the impossible. She helped me to my feet and I realized that my pants were now too short in the legs and too wide in the waist. “Um… anyone got a belt?” I asked weakly.
Carol took off her belt and handed it to me. It was then that I noticed that I was taller. I was now as tall as (or taller than) Carol! After I had belted my pants up, she and Mrs. Green helped me to the office. The secretary looked up as we entered and jumped to her feet. “Oh my goodness! Did something happen?” she asked.
Mrs. Green ignored her. “Is Mr. Johnson in his office?” she asked.
The secretary nodded and she went to the office and knocked on the door. When Mr. Johnson opened it she said quietly, “Al? I need to talk to you and Steve… now. And we’ll need the surveillance tapes from my room from the past half hour.”
“Is something wrong?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“Obviously!” she replied crisply, and then her tone softened. “Sorry. I’m a bit uneasy. In a minute you’ll see why.”
They paged for Mr. Platt, the Vice-principal, and then shut the door while they waited. Surprisingly, I could still hear every word they said. “Do you want to tell me what has you so on edge?” Mr. Johnson asked. “You’re usually a pretty laid back person.”
“What if I told you that the red-head sitting there in your office is Paullina McQueen?” Mrs. Green replied.
“What are you talking about?” Mr. Johnson asked in disbelief. Pretty much all the staff at the school knew me by name.
“You’ll see.” she replied.
I stared down at my wrist where I had found the disk. Surprisingly enough, there was no cut there now. In fact, the only mark there was a wispy blue symbol that oddly reminded me of clouds and the sky, though it didn’t really look like either.
Just then, Mr. Platt walked in and entered the office, a videotape in his hands. He slammed the tape down on the desk. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked.
“Watch.” Mrs. Green replied.
There was a brief pause and then the sound of students’ voices could be heard and I realized they were watching the tape. Silence fell and Mrs. Green’s videoed voice told us to begin. “Watch Paullina.” Mrs. Green said. A few more minutes of silence. “There. She seems to be in pain and she’s pulling something out of her arm.”
“What is it?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“I’m not sure. A disc of some sort. But whatever it is self-destructs.”
There was a thud, followed by a soft explosion and the collective gasps of the students in the video. “Oh my god!” Carols voice could be heard. “Pol!”
“Ok. Everyone move away.” The recorded Mrs. Green said. “Give her some breathing room.”
The real Mrs. Green cleared her throat. “This is where it gets interesting.”
There were collective gasps from the people in the office and sounds of shock and fear from the video. My chest tightened and my eyes welled up with tears. So much for being normal. “Oh my god!” Mr. Johnson gasped.
“We have a problem.” Mr. Platt said. He was still very calm.
“What’ll we tell her mother?” Mrs. Green asked.
“Her mother? What are we going to tell the authorities?” Mr. Platt asked.
“What are you talking about?” Mr. Johnson asked incredulously.
“I think what we’re dealing with here is a New Mutant.” Mr. Platt insisted. “If so than the authorities need to be notified. She could be dangerous.”
My heart skipped a beat. A mutant? But mutants were monsters! Dangerous and wild creatures. “I’m not so sure.” Mr. Johnson said. “Her change seems to be tied to that disc in her arm. Her father was a geneticist. I’m guessing he’s behind this. She has showed no other signs of the mutant gene than this.”
“Why did she pass out?” Mr. Platt wondered aloud.
“I’m not sure.” Mrs. Green said. “We know she’s not squeamish.”
“Maybe it was some sort of mercy thing.” Mr. Johnson said. “It must have been really painful to have her bones stretch like that.”
There was an awkward silence in the room and then the door opened and Mrs. Green poked her head out. “Joann?” she called. “Can you get Cynthia McQueen on the phone and ask her to come in to the school? Tell her it’s urgent.”
She glanced toward where Carol and I were sitting and caught my eyes. She must have seen the panic in my eyes because she came over to me and gave me a big hug. “Oh honey!” she said, trying to comfort me. “It’s alright. We’re gonna get your mother in here and we’re gonna explain everything. Everything is gonna be fine.”
I tensed automatically and tried to brush away my tears but I just couldn’t stop. “It is not gonna be fine!” I cried. “Look at me! I’m – I’m not me anymore! What’s happening to me?” Her eyes softened with pity. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “I’m not a freak. Not a mutie freak show. I know this had something to do with that disc. It had to…”
Just when I had managed to calm myself my mom walked in. She looked over at Carol, glanced at me, and then turned to Mr. Johnson. “What is it? Is it Pol?” she asked anxiously.
“Mrs. McQueen… Cynthia… I think you’d better come into my office.” Mr. Johnson said gently.
“Where is my daughter?” Cynthia asked as she went into the office. “Is she alright?”
I felt a hand grasp mine and turned to see Carol smiling shakily at me. I smiled gratefully back and squeezed her hand slightly. Just then the teachers came out of the office. Mr. Johnson turned to Mr. Platt. “I was going to talk to the mother and let you talk to the girl but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea any more.” He said in hushed tones.
“Let me talk to her.” Mrs. Green said. “I’ll take Miss Mitchell back to the class and check on my students. Then I’ll come back and talk to Pol. I may do a better job of comforting her than Steve would.”
“I agree.” Mr. Johnson said. “Steve can lend you his office. Go quickly Amy.”
As soon as Mrs. Green and Carol left and Mr. Johnson locked himself in his office with my mom, Mr. Platt opened the door to his office. “Paullina.” He called, just soft enough that the principal couldn’t hear him. “Come in and let’s talk.”
Every part of my body screamed for me not to go but I didn’t want to cause more of a fuss than I already had. I stood up and followed him into the office. “Have a seat.” He said, motioning to one of the chairs opposite his desk.
I sat without a word. He went to his desk and opened a drawer. “We only have a few minutes alone and I don’t want to take any chances.” He said, pulling something out of the drawer.
As he reached into the drawer for something else I got a good look at what was in his hand. It was a hypodermic needle filled with something. “What is that?” I asked, shrinking back in my chair.
“This is just a dose of truth serum I got from an Agent friend of mine.” He replied, pulling an alcohol swab from the drawer. “He gave it to me for just such a time as this. I don’t know how he knew… government surveillance or something. I need you to tell me the whole truth about the things I am going to ask and I can’t risk you lying to me. Now, be a good girl and just sit there quietly for me. This will only take a second.”
This was crazy! Shape-altering discs? Video-monitored classrooms? Truth serum from some Agent? What kind of world was I living in? He walked toward me with the needle and I shrank further back in the chair. “Keep away from me!” I said, my voice betraying how scared I was.
He just smiled and kept walking. “Don’t touch me!” I screamed as he came to stand right in front of the chair.
Just then, the door burst open to reveal Mrs. Green. “What the hell?” she gasped. “Steve! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Mr. Platt froze, the needle still in his hand, and glanced from her to me and back again. I heard movement in the main office and Mr. Johnson and my mom came to the doorway. “Drop the needle and come away from the girl.” Mr. Johnson said; his voice full of authority.
Mr. Platt let the needle drop and my mom ran over and threw her arms around me. I hugged her back, drawing a sense of security out of her embrace as new tears fell down my cheeks. “Oh Pol!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. Hush. I’m here now.”
Mr. Johnson called Mr. Bell from security and had him escort Mr. Platt out of the building. Cynthia and Mr. Johnson talked for a bit longer then she took me home. I had had a long day. I had thought my life was messed up before, but it was nothing compared to what was coming next…
Prologue
Seventeen years ago, a young man stood at the end of a long gravel drive, looking at an old home in Diamond Beach, New Jersey. The house was small, with a small shed that looked likely to topple at any minute. The car in the drive was old but in fairly good condition, the garden was well tended and the front porch nicely swept. He turned back to a woman cradling a small bundle. “Jean?” he called in a loud whisper, “Jean? Come on, we haven’t much time.”
Jean, for that was the woman’s name, hurried to his side. “I know Scott, but I just can’t do it. She’s just so small… are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”
“I don’t know Jean… I-” started Scott, choking off the last sentence as he glanced down at the small baby girl dreaming away in Jeans arms, she groaned and twitched lightly in her sleep, “The others are doing the same thing. It’s the only way to keep him away. God only knows he’s creating an army of his own. By the time she is sixteen he will have an army big enough to crush the institute. Besides, if they were ever all together he would have a hay-day, he can sense power like theirs, especially if it is all in one place.”
“But are you sure Mrs. McQueen is the right person for her?” asked Jean debatably.
“I’m positive,” Scott lied, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. “Now come on.”
Scott carefully took the little girl from Jean and set her softly down on the front step. He turned around and led Jean back up the drive, his eyes, hidden behind dark shades, were full of tears.
If you had been walking past that fateful day in a New Jersey town, you would have seen a small pebble float shakily up and ring the doorbell…
