‘Eyelids feel like lead.’ That was the first thing Ororo noticed as she forced herself to crack them open and silently take in her surroundings.
‘The floor is cold.’ That was the second thing that her sleep addled mind comprehended. Even though she seemed to be lying on some sort of covering, mattress, sheet, whatever, the weather witch could feel the cold seeping up into her back.
‘I am cold!’ The third realization came as a waking jolt. How could she feel cold? With her weather control and manipulation powers, Ororo was one among the very few people who were just as home on the African Sahara as they were in the Artic Tundra. Thanks to Mother Nature, not only could the Nubian beauty wield the power of the elements, she could also use them almost as a sort of a second skin, meaning in the warm, her body remained cool, while in the frigid cold, it retained the warmth. Then why was she feeling….
‘My powers,’ the fourth realization cut into the last thought from the previous realization, plunging her into the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep.
----
//Flashback//
It all started once the fleeing X-Men passed through the California border on their way to Canada. Instead of the eastern route, they chose the west. This was because as compared to the east, especially New York, Maryland and Michigan, the west was still conducive to mutant travel…but only just. It seemed that the government in their drive to control the mutant problem was moved from one coast to the other. Even though no where was it stated that mutants were being harmed, the telepaths, empaths and those able to manipulate ‘normal god’s children’ humans, were being outright shot. Also being handled were those whose mutation was overtly visual, for example those like Henry, or whose mutation precluded any touch, for example Rogue.
The X-Men, if captured, would have three of their group, the previous two and Remy, negated even before processing. The others wouldn’t be lucky. Experimentation, torture, medical study of their separate body parts, rape, prostitution; public displays of the ‘human spirit of perseverance,’ awaited the living ones….not to mention the tattoos on their right cheek, the number on their left hand and the tracker-cum-emergency control device that they would be awarded with.
----
Such was the horror that one would shudder at the mere mental visual.
Just their luck….no one from the group got into any kind of trouble with the general populous or the police. Even before, that could happen, something….someone else found them…..in the form of a young woman with visible lizard like mutation.
…or so they thought.
Calling herself Elaina, within twenty four hours of her rescue, the young woman repaid the Good Samaritans…with interest.
---
Having just woken up from his evening sleep for his night duty, Henry McCoy lumbered down towards the only available water source in the barn that was serving as the group’s refuge for the night.
Rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes, he quickly made a mental note of what his teammates seemed to be doing. While Kitty and Piotr were sitting in a comfortable silence, listening to the soothing music playing on the radio of the latest vehicle they had commandeered, Jubilee, Bobby and Kurt seemed to have retired for the night. As he neared the well, the soft whispers informed him of Remy and Rogue’s whereabouts.
Ever since her return, Rogue, thanks to Logan, not only retained Wolverine’s claws and memory, although not completely but somewhat losing out on the enhanced senses, she had also developed a new found confidence in herself and her ability to frankly converse with others. The same frankness allowed her to express the hurt and pain she felt at Remy’s words and actions.
Reaching a sort of truce, the couple had since then started to traverse the path to rebuild their love and trust for each other.
---
While the two of them seemed to have gained a small shard of happiness in all the sorrow, pain and danger, the person responsible for them was lonelier than ever before.
At least with Logan in control of Rogue’s body, she was able to converse with him in spirit, but with Rogue emerging again, it seemed that not only had the Logan inside her, given up the control of the girl’s body, but had altogether disappeared from her psyche. A side effect of this was that with the ‘freed’ space in her mind, Rogue was able to gain some control over her absorptions, not in the touching way, but in the recall of the people and more importantly their skills and powers she had absorbed. So far, apart from Logan’s powers, she had shown a slight control over metals, a smattering of empathy and an ability to manipulate the air around her body to control her body temperature. That meant, including Logan, she was able to channel three other mutants, Magneto, Gambit and Iceman….although not to the same extent.
----
While happy for them, Ororo missed Logan. From what the returned Rogue, Jubilee and Kitty told them, it seemed that just after the attacks, Logan, Ororo, the girls and two younger kids managed to escape in a unmarked van.
Not wanting to chance a border crossing so soon after the incident, the seven of them took shelter in an abandoned factory. There they stayed for almost two weeks, after which, on Ororo’s insistence, Logan left with the kids with a promise to return in a week….and return he did, in time too, only to find Ororo and the girls gone and a heavily armed welcome wagon surround him from all sides…including the air.
Already close friends, the couple were progressing towards a possible relationship before the attacks….and had they gotten out of the country; things would have turned out differently.
Even after all that went down between her and Logan….no, between her and a drugged Wolverine, Ororo still had no hard feelings towards her teammate and friend. Missing the father of her unborn child, the only piece that remained of his, the only thing that Rogue’s absorption gave Ororo was the chance for her to work at fear that had settled in her and dispel it from her system.
---
Any further thoughts that might have risen in the blue-furred mutant’s mind were lost as he caught sight of their newest companion.
“Out for a night stroll?” Asked Elaina stepping out of the shadows.
Usually trusting in nature, there was something about her that set Henry’s internal alarms blaring. ‘Maybe it is just nerves?’ He tried to convince himself. At least, he knew that if creating some problems, the x-men would be able to handle the mostly physically mutated woman.
“Not quite,” he answered, keeping his reply to a minimum. Seeing that he had just broken off his sleep and the current company, Beast hurried his steps to the well.
Not taking the hint, his companion fell into step with him, walking quietly until they reached their destination, which given its location provided an ideal hidden spot for what happened next…what Elaine did next.
“Dr. McCoy,” Henry balked at the sultriness in her voice.
“Y-Yes Ms. Elaine.” His nostrils flaring at the sudden proximity, Beast’s brain tried to and failed again to place the scent.
“I would like to thank you....” she was practically in his personal space now. “..for everything you’ve done….repay you…”
‘So that’s why she is here.’ Taking a step back, the gentle giant stopped as his back hit the round of the well. “I assure you…” he started, only to have the air knocked out of him as undergoing a sudden change, Elaine kneed him in the groin and as he doubled up from the pain, did the same with his face.
The blow not only sent Henry to the ground, it also stifled any warning roar that he might have let out.
Still lolling on the ground, he did not see his attacker bring out a strange looking gun from her back, nor did he see her fire it. All he felt was a prickling sensation in his back, as firing thrice, Elaine emptied the double-shot tranquilizer gun in the leonine mutant’s back.
As the last vestiges of consciousness left him, all Beast caught was the sound of Elaine’s voice…she seemed to be speaking to someone.
---
As for the rest of the X-Men, Kitty and Piotr were taken out by a long ranged sniper, while Jubilee, Kurt and Bobby were made easy work of, by Elaine and her mystery companions….so were Rogue and Remy. She shot the girl eight times, two times more than the one foot taller and hundred and eight pounds heavier beast….all thanks to Logan’s healing factor.
That left only one…and as per their orders, the most valuable target, Ororo.
“Ororo….Ms. Monroe,” Elaine’s dulcet voice reached the weather witch’s ears, causing her to sit up in her tent.
“Yes Elaine,” Ororo had to rely on using the newcomer’s first name…as that was the only one she revealed.
Elaine grinned inwardly as the zipper to the tent opened from the inside. This was just too easy.
Her eyes heavy with sleep, Ororo moved the flap aside and peered up at her guest “What happened? Did you require something?”
“No, I-I….” the innocent routine was for her own benefit. She knew what this mutant could do and hence was wise in staying on her guard. Just as with Beast, she needed the element of surprise to take her down…without actually harming her or the child growing inside her. “I hope I didn’t disturb you. I can lea….”
“Please, do come in.” Not able to get more than a fitful sleep herself, Ororo was thankful for the company. “I couldn’t sleep myself.”
“Oh,” a grateful smile flashed in response to her words. “In that case, its okay…”
Moving back to allow her guest entry, Ororo did the last thing she should have, her mistake being the remaining one on her memory as only seconds later, she slipped into a drug induced sleep. She did not see her green hued, scaly-skinned guest return to her true self, her form shifting until a redheaded, blue-skinned woman stood above her, her normally bright golden-yellow eyes glowing with an eerie dullness.
----
Pressing a button on her camouflaged wrist communicator, Elaine nee Mystique spoke into it. “We have the mutants.”
“Good.” A deep voice timbered from the other end. “Bring them in.”
“Yes sir,” Mystique was almost mechanical in her response.
“And remember,” her superior continued. “Do not harm them in any way…especially not the child.”
“Yes sir.”
The communication ended, not five minutes later, two government issue Helicopters landed near the ground, only to take off a couple of minutes later with a precious, unconscious cargo in tow…
….which brought them to the present.
//End Flashback//
----
Pushing herself into a seated position on the mattress she laid on, Storm turned her head to see if any of her other companions were near by. They were…all of them, just not in the way that Ororo would have wanted to see them.
Lying in the cell just opposite her was the still form of Beast, his neck, and his limbs chained to the concrete floor and walls of his cell. Next to him, on either side lay Piotr and Kurt, both of them tied up in the same way…so were Kitty and Jubilee, although unlike the men, they only their neck, one hand and the opposing leg tethered. Rogue, just like Ororo herself, lay bereft of any shackles, except for the metallic bonds on her hands, Admantium, Ororo mused, covering just her knuckles, with Remy and Bobby shackled in the same way as the other males of the group.
Calling on her powers to make an escape, the weather witch got a shock when she could not do so. Her hand immediately going to her neck, she could not feel the expected collar.
Just as she was about to call out to see if anyone else from her group was awake, the sound of a door sliding open caused her stop short and resume an unconscious position.
----
“Ah, dear Ms. Monroe,” a cultured English voice and the stopping of feet announced that whoever their captor was had come to a stop in front of her cell….and knew that she was awake. “Now, please, let us dispense with the theatrics and get to work.”
Giving up on the ruse, Ororo opened her eyes and sat up as regally as she could. Even though her body felt as if it were breaking into a million pieces, she would be damned if she let the smug, paled faced, six foot plus man standing on the other side of the bars.
“Who are you?” She demanded in her best Storm voice….or the best she could manage in the current conditions.
“Oh, where are my manners…allow me to introduce myself,” for a second the condescending demeanor seemed to drop, but only just, as the very next moment it was back….with a cold, hard edge. “My name is Dr. Nathaniel Essex….although I also go by Mr. Sinister.”
‘Mr. Sinister,’ Ororo’s eyes widened at the name. Although she hadn’t actually ever seen him, she had heard enough stories about Mr. Sinister and his mutant torture cells. His reputation was even worse than the likes of Stryker, Trask and Cornelius….not only because of the experiments he conducted on mutants, but because he was rumored to be a mutant himself.
----
“I take, from your expression,” Sinister continued with his sweet-poison tone, “that you have heard of my achievements in the field of mutant genetics.”
“If by experiments you mean your nefarious exploits and your utter lack of life,” Ororo shot back from her seated position. “Then yes, I have heard about you.” Not wanting to chance a fall in front of her captor, she did not try to push herself to stand.
“Come, come my dear,” Sinister lifted his hand towards a particularly shadowed part of the holding area. “Is that anyway to thank someone for this….”
As she watched, Ororo’s eyes widened in shock at the person stepping out of the shadows. How could….
“Before you say anything,” Sinister cut her words at the base. “This is not your deceased teammate, but a living, working clone of hers. I have loving named her Madelyne.”
‘Jean,’ the name echoed through Ororo’s mind as the exact twin of her redheaded friend came and stood next to Sinister. It was then that she noticed two more forms standing just at the periphery of her sight.
----
As if able to read her thoughts, Sinister stepped in again with the introductions.
“Along with genetics, I also dabble in various other fields….one of which I believe you will find personally gratifying.”
On cue the first of the two started out towards Ororo, her indigo-skinned form instantly making it cleat who she was.
“Now here is the vivacious Ms. Darkholme, or as you know her, Mystique. See, during your stay at your establishment, Mystique was working for me. I had assigned her one simple task…and she failed in that and even tried double-crossing me. However, being a man of science, I found an alternate very…both to assure her obedience and to make up for her failure…hence your and your child’s presence here.” Turning the red-haired shape shifter around, he displayed an implant on the back of her neck.
“What do you want with my child?” Ororo’s hand instinctively reached and covered her abdomen. There was no way in hell that she was letting this monster anywhere near her child. Not only was it the last thing she had of Logan’s, but it also was her own flesh and blood.
---
As if not hearing her question, Sinister carried on with his tirade.
“As an added incentive….for you, I also exercised my genius to provide you with….umm, lets say, a bargaining chip.”
“There is nothing….” Even as she spoke, the words fell away from Ororo’s lips as on Sinister’s signal the last person advanced from the shadows, his muscled silhouette instantly making it clear who he was. ’Oh Goddess…’
“Logan!”
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