They led her through a brightly lit corridor. Many doors were lined along the walls, all closed and unmarked. A stranger wouldn’t know which door could lead to a certain room. They, her captors didn’t talk, even between themselves. Silently they just led her. No weapons drawn and they didn’t push and show her forward. No need for it as her powers didn’t work. They hadn’t even bothered to bind her.
When she had woken up. Hurting and bleeding in the van a soulless woman had told her to follow them, and if she resisted they would shoot. Her powers didn’t work because of the woman. The soulless was a lecher, and able to suppress mutant’s powers if they were close enough. Ororo had pondered fighting. They were five of them, but being so close to the police station would be foolish. She was hurting too much from the fall, and she suspected she had landed badly on her right hand, because it hurt like hell when she moved it. Her father often told her that a good warrior knew when to fight, and when to wait. This was a time to wait. She wouldn’t yet admit that she had been defeated. Momentarily yes, but as long as she was alive there was a chance to fight later. So limping gingerly and holding her sprained wrists she followed the soulless into the tall building.
Subtly, while they led her from one corridor to the next, through doors, down the lifts and taking turns, she observed the place. Memorizing details, security cameras, guards. Just like she had been trained to do in a situation like this. Panther had been adamant to train her how to survive, barren deserts, wild forests, mountains or cities.
It had always been like that as far back as she could remember. He could wake her up in the middle of the night, order her to follow him. Sometimes they walked for several miles to a place he wanted to teach or test her, or they took his private jet. She had loved those moments with him, with just the two of them in some wilderness. But he scared her too, disappearing and she had to survive for days without him, or hiding for her to find him. A few times he had made deals with some locals in the area they were in to capture her, just to test how she would get out of the situation. When she was older, he brought new tutors. Charles and Magnus that helped her with her newfound powers, and later Steven. She liked Steven, but the possibility that she could do magic scared her, and she was reluctant to take that step. Dr. Strange didn’t force her. He told her she had magic in her blood, and she had a strong affinity for it, but you couldn’t pour water in a closed vessel. Whatever that had meant. Instead he had thought her about a wide variety of more interesting things. Like how to calm her mind and body, falling into a trancelike state and still be able to observe the world around you with eagle sharp eyes. She had loved that, it felt like flying even if she had freaked out seeing her own body sitting in a lotus position far down. He taught her about herbs, plants, and more, and she had been eager to soak it all in. Next to her father Steven had been her favorite teacher. Charles was good too, but Magnus awful. She hated him, the way he embarrassed her when she failed his tests. The only relief she had during the torture he called lessons, was that she shared it with Forge, his son. Magnus didn’t treat him better. You would think he would treat his only child, after Wanda and Pietro had been killed with love, respect and kindness. But no, he was a monster to the boy. She liked Forge and he was a close friend that often got dragged into whatever mischief she planned. But he was changing, and sadly not for the better. Before she had left for this mission they had a big fight. He had swallowed his fathers bullshit that mutant’s, or homo superiors was far better than the humans, and they should be the one in control. The rightful rulers. And he had the gall to suggest that she, as a future queen of Wakanda should choose a homo superior as her husband. It was perfectly clear whom he pictured as the future prince of Wakanda. She had slapped his smug face and stormed out of the conversation. Not saying another word to him, not even a goodbye when she had left for the mission.
Now as she was led to a door at the end of the brightly lit corridor, her mind briefly touched on Forge. She wasn’t angry at him, but disappointed. He had never shown any romantic interest in her, that she had noticed, but she had feelings for him. But the way he suggested they should marry, and have strong x-gene children, was so cold and calculated it chilled her. If he had loved her, the “propose” wouldn’t have been so appalling, and she might had accepted. He had truly become his father’s son.
One of the guards pressed the digits on a pad at the door. She couldn’t see what code he entered, but the door slid aside to let them in. Her cerulean gaze took in the huge chamber they entered, and her heart almost stopped when she realized where she was. Had they brought her to the headquarters? The room was circular. With high domed ceiling that showed a grey sky up ahead. Had dawn come already? She must have been passed out for longer than she thought. A hand on her back made her stumble forward and she gasped as the sudden step pained her leg and hand. There were a handful people, and robots in here. At the center of the chamber, a small, black and wrinkled old man sat cross legged right on the floor. He held a boomerang resting on his thigh. His white hair stood around him like if a wind had blown through it and left it stiff. He sat motionless with his eyes closed. Her captors turned her, and her eyes widened now noticing a woman sitting on a throne of wires. Naked, with wires and cords plugged to her brain. It almost looked like hair made of thick wires. Her green eyes were open, forced open and she couldn’t blink because of the needles holding up her eyelids. Ororo knew her face, and she felt horror grip her that anyone could do such a thing to a living creature. It was Rachel Grey Summers.
“Ororo Munroe. Citizen of Wakanda, heiress to the throne” Rachel spoke, her tone was soft, yet emotionless and carried across the chamber. Ororo closed her eyes and tried to show her from her mind, but it was pointless. Everything that Charles thought her about blocking out a telepath seemed to have vanished. Tears sprung up in her eyes. She had failed. Goddess she had failed.
“Sent on a mission. Charles Xavier, Magnus Lehnsherr, Forge Lehnsherr, Dr. Steven Strange…” she continued listing the names
“All of which were ordered to surrender to the law, abiding in Wakanda. Granted amnesty by King T’Challa.”
“Wolf…bird of fire” Rachel continued mercilessly to tear through Ororo’s mind her voice carrying the information she effortlessly gained from Ororo.
“What mission did they send her on?” Ororo noticed another woman, dressed in the soulless uniform, took the steps up to Rachel.
“To find rogue mutants”
“Which?”
“Wolf..Wolverine, Phoenix, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Sabretooth …” Rachel listed all the mutants. Ororo felt confused. How did Rachel know the codenames of the rogues? She herself didn’t know. Just got the mental image of them, and the names Charles had given her.
The uniformed woman frowned as Rachel ended the list.
“All those are captured and detained. Are you certain that is all?”
“This was her mission”
“Charles and Magnus must be out of loop. We took the last of the rogues a year ago. Very well. Ororo Munroe. “ The woman turned to regard Ororo.
“You are not citizen of the United States, but you have trespassed our borders to commit a crime, fully aware of our laws. By breaking the law in the States, you are subjected to our Laws. You are sentenced to banishment, until the time we will have use for you.”
Ororo was too confused to hear what the woman told her. Her mind was trying to understand one little thing. The Rogues had been captured? For over? That couldn’t be possible! Charles had told her he had contact with them…had he been set up? She could understand it, and in her confused state, she didn’t hear the woman give Rachel the final order.
“Shut her down”
Blackness overwhelmed her. She was unconscious when the soulless stripped her naked, dressed her in a white dress and carried her to the old black man. His eyes opened, shining in white, and he started to whip the boomerang above his head. The sound was like approaching thunder and slowly the air next to him started to shimmer and crack with energy. A gate spawned, high and wide enough for a man to walk straight into it. Ororo was carried to the gate. Her captors were careful not to touch the edges of the gate, but pushed her limp body through it. They stepped back when she disappeared. And as suddenly as the old man had opened the gate, he closed it. He resumed his motionless position, with the now still boomerang back on his thin thigh.
She woke up, with no memories hurting everywhere as a merciless sun hammered on her body where she laid on the hard ground. With a grunt, she opened her eyes and shut them briefly again at the brightness. The sky was red with two suns at high noon. No clouds marked the sky and no wind was blowing. It was hot, and the ground beneath her was dry and cracked. There was little vegetation. A few strands of dried grass that barely reached her knee when she finally managed to stand up. Her leg hurt, and her wrist. Looking at it, she saw it had swollen. Out of some instinct, she lifted the hem of her thin dress and tore out a piece to wrap it tight around her wrist. It still hurt, but she knew that the wrap would help the swelling down. Confused she looked around the strange scenery. Mountains rose in the distance. Oddly shaped trees were scattered here and there. She wouldn’t know the name of them, and it didn’t look familiar at all. Not that anything would be familiar. She pulled some dry leaves out of her short cropped white hair and tried to figure out what direction she should go. She was thirsty and hungry. Looking up at the sky again, she couldn’t mark any birds that would suggest a water source. At first the land seemed devoid of life, but looking closer, she could see insects, beetles scurrying over the dry grass and disappearing in the cracks. Limping gingerly she set her sight to one of the gnarled trees that was closest she needed something to support on, or soon she would be too tired to walk. When she reached the tree with a thick gray trunk, and low branches, she was lucky to find a branch low enough for her to try and break. It was as thick as her lower arm. Breaking it wasn’t easy, as she couldn’t use her injured arm or support herself on both legs. But being stubborn, she finally managed, and nearly fell over when the branch snapped. She would need something sharp to form it, but seeing no sharp rocks around her, it would have to do. Testing the branch that was as tall as her, and gnarled she was pleased to notice that it was strong enough to support her. With that thing solved, she once again pondered on where she should go. She looked around her, more carefully and tried to listen if she could her anything. The twin suns where high up in the sky, which means they would be descending in hour’s time. She tensed when she though she heard something in the distance. Turning to the sound, she strained her eyes to try and see something. Wasn’t there a cloud of dust? Yes. Gripping her staff, she stood still as the sound, and the dust came closer. It was the sound of running, and soon enough she saw it was animals. A small herd of four legged beautiful antelope’s running from possible pursuers. And she saw them too. Four of them, riding on steeds, calling and shouting and laughing as they hunted their prey. She pressed herself to the tree when the herd thundered past her. Not knowing the strangers she didn’t want to reveal herself, and hoped they wouldn’t notice her. But just as they were about to pass the tree, the last of the riders reigned in the odd animal he used as a steed. It had antlers, four long legs and pale reddish short furred coat. The elongated face reminded of a horse. The rider, a tall man with long brown hair, dressed in tattered breeches made of some animals hide, looked down at her in surprise, then laughing he shouted at his companions that turned their steeds and came back.
“Oh lookie what Shinobi found. Fresh pussy!” One of the men hollered and the rest joined in the laughter, looking at her with hungry eyes.
