Siren Song
Part Five
“Final
By
I walked
the halls of the school once more. I hadn’t been able to stay near the body, so
I’d gone to Charles. I was in shock, he said, sending a team to get the body
and deactivate the explosives. He’d stared at me as he contacted the hospital
to ensure that
“I
will take care of it,” he’d said.
Fine. You do that. I’ll just make myself
scarce.
I’d
been avoiding everyone. I couldn’t bear the thought of trying to explain what
had happened. My body cried out for rest, but I ignored it and eventually went
outside. The pond looked lovely in the moonlight, a part of me knew, as I
walked around it for the fourth time.
“Why…why?”
I hissed. “Why has any of this happened? Why…?”
“Talking
to yourself is a sign of real problems.”
I
sighed, turning to
He
pressed his lips together, looking rather upset himself, with his hands crammed
into the pockets of his jeans.
“Annie,”
he said softly. “It wasn’t your fault.”
I
snorted, looking away. “This whole thing is my fault. I just don’t know what I
did to start it all…”
He was
silent and I needed to keep walking. I heard him following me a pace behind. We
circled the pond twice without talking. It was a pleasant night, though my
sleeveless arms prickled in the cool breeze. I rubbed each arm, absently
enjoying the feeling of the soft fur.
“I’m
sorry,”
I
jumped, realizing that we’d stopped walking. Looking over my shoulder at him, I
frowned.
“For
what?”
He
sighed heavily. “For…a lot of things. For killing that guy, for causing trouble
with you and One-Eye…for being a jerk.”
I
faced him, staring up at him in uncertainty. “You…you cannot apologize for
protecting me…for being a friend…or for…well, I guess you could apologize for
being a jerk.” I laughed, seeing his lips tilt in a smirk. “But Logan, all of
those things are part of you. If you suddenly started acting super nice and
genteel, I think I would have an aneurysm!” Grinning, I added, “Besides, it’s
what makes you so cute.”
He
stepped closer, staring down at me. His hand met mine briefly, then slid up to
move across the soft fur of my arm until it reached my shoulder. I shivered,
and not because of the cold this time. I knew I should move away, say
something, make him stop…
He
kissed me. I let him. He was sweet and tender…and it was over. It was a type of
kiss that Scott could have given me as a friend, but it meant more.
“How
come you can enjoy every aspect of someone else, including their faults,” he
breathed. “But you can’t allow yourself to be just you…?”
Pressing
his lips to my forehead, he stepped back and walked away. I started to move
after him, but found my feet wouldn’t move.
What the hell just happened? I asked
myself.
“Heeeeeeey…there you are. I wondered when you
were going to show up. It’s not nice to keep people waiting.”
I
looked around, finding myself immobile once more with the Grinning
Thug
is dead, I announced. And the motorcycle guy is in the hospital.
“Yes,
I know,” he replied, still grinning. “They were fools, and best left to fall by
the wayside.”
What
do you want with me? Just tell me and I’ll do it…please. I just want to be left
alone…
“Alone?
Not with your beloved?”
Darkness
moved (or did he move me?) and there he was: Brad.
“Annie,”
he whispered. “Run…get out of here!”
“Tsk
tsk, Mr. Lankin,” Grinning Man said. “She can’t leave yet. She’ll miss the
show!”
Suddenly
there was an image projected—like a movie without a screen. On it I saw Logan
and I asleep in the apartment. His arms were around my waist and his face was
buried in my hair. Beyond the image, I could see Brad’s face and the shock on
it.
“Oh,
and don’t forget the sequel!”
The
moon shone brightly as
No…you’re
showing him things out of context…
“Do
you deny that you are attracted to this…mutant?” His voice was full of disdain.
I
hesitated and Brad sensed it.
“Annie…?”
“Come
now, don’t blame her, Mr. Lankin…after all, she thought you were dead…” He paused
dramatically. “Although, she believed you were alive during that kiss…hmmm,
perhaps she was being unfaithful after all.”
Brad!
I tried to scream. He’s been such a good friend!
“Ah,
friends…what about this one?”
There
was Scott, taken from my memories all those years ago.
“And
this one?”
Kurt
appeared, his grin emphasized by the blue of his skin.
“Quite
a collection of…friends…you have there.”
The
anger began to boil inside.
Do
what you will, You Evil Man…Say what you want, show him what you want…The truth
is stronger.
He
laughed. “You still believe I am only after you!”
I
shoved back, sending my own scene to them. In it, Thug admitted that this was
all just to get to me.
Grinning
Man’s grin faded into anger. “Insolent fool!” he thundered. “How dare he
interfere with my revenge?!”
Revenge?
This is your vengeance? You made me believe that Brad was dead…
“And
he thought you were dead,” he agreed. “I played the same scene to you both, switching
the roles. But while you disappeared, he wandered the streets in a stupor until
we picked him up.”
You
had no idea what would happen, did you? That I would simply disappear? It seems
you don’t know everything about me, after all.
“Silence!”
Grinning Man declared. “Or I shall make you believe you are moth and throw you
into the flames!”
The
drama of what he said struck me. There had been a student…
“Yes,”
Grinning Man hissed. “A student…”
Oh
my God…Emmanuel?
He
actually paused. “I have not been called that in years. I am known as Seeker
now.”
You’re
a mutant. I didn’t know!
“I
knew you were a mutant the minute I saw you,” Seeker said quietly, dangerously.
“It took me all year to work up the nerve to approach you. I tried to touch
your mind, but it was locked away. So I went to you in person…”
I
could see the scene, and I was sure he was showing it to me from his own
memories.
“Miss
Cirsei?”
“Oh,
Emmanuel…can you give me a minute? I’m almost done with these papers.”
“I’ll
wait.”
I/she
looked up at him/me finally. “What can I do for you?”
He/I
twitched nervously. “I…noticed you are different, Miss Cirsei…I wanted you to
know that I am different too…”
My/her
eyes widened. “Um, Emmanuel…I think you’re a great kid, but…It would be
inappropriate for me to interact with you on a personal level…”
His/my
eyes flashed in sudden anger. “I only wanted to…”
“Go
home, Emmanuel.”
“You
know not what we could have shared, you and I!”
Oh
God…I thought you had a crush on me…
“You
were a fool then, and now,” he agreed.
But,
Emmanuel…this can’t be the only reason for all of this…
“No,”
he agreed. “There was more. I did my research, Miss Cirsei. Never doubt that.”
“NO!”
I
awoke in a cold sweat. Charles was beside me, holding my hand.
“I
sensed him, Annie,” he said quietly. “I knew he was after you again, but I
could not break into the dream. I could only interrupt it long enough for you
to wake up.”
Shaking,
I sat up. Scott stood in the doorway, looking concerned, as always. I half-expected
Logan and Ororo to have crammed into my small room, too.
“I
have sent them to the city,” Charles replied. “I believe I was able to find an
area that has been blocked out, telepathically.” He shook his head ruefully. “I
was able to sense that there were two people in the building, but when I
pressed for more information, I was…stopped.”
I
cleared my throat. “He’s that strong? What chance do we have…?”
“No,
Annie,” he replied, smiling slightly. “I believe the reason I cannot find the
actual person is that he is not a whole person.”
Rubbing
the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “Charles…”
He
showed me. Broken images and half-scenes of a beaten down warehouse and
shipping company…in the center, a large complex machine and two indistinct
individuals…
I
gasped. “He’s…not human anymore…what has he done?!”
“I
don’t know,” he sighed. “Annie, anything you can remember about this student
would be helpful.”
Leaning
back against the headboard, I took a slow breath. The memories were there,
easier to reach than before…I’d healed more than I’d realized.
“Emmanuel
was one of those students that seemed to know too much for his own good,” I
began. “He was a genius, sure, but he was also very charismatic. The class
clown and valedictorian all in one, really…He was amazing at research and put
that to good use. Instead of just mocking people, he would quote obscure poetry
that described what he thought of them…”
I
paused, thinking over what I had known and thought about him before, and what
he’d said recently.
“Seeker,”
I mused. “Mr. Research was what he was called in school. He could find out
anything about anyone…it was almost scary. I had no idea he was actually using
his telepathy to help himself to people’s innermost secrets.”
“Was
there ever a time that he used this talent against you?” Charles prodded.
I
thought. “There was once, just before graduation, and long after that other
incident…at the time, I just shrugged it off, but now…” I shuddered. “He came
to me, telling me about his plans for school. He said that maybe he’d become a
teacher too. He asked me why I became one, and he was so pressing about
knowing…I remember feeling trapped and claustrophobic. I said something generic
about molding the promising minds of the future…” I trailed off. “Oh, GOD!”
“Promising
New Future,” Charles murmured.
“How
much you wanna bet that he started that program?” Scott said, speaking for the
first time.
“Emmanuel
Clawson,” I blurted, remembering his full name.
I
wasn’t about to go back to sleep, so the three of us went down to the X-men
labs. I set myself up on the computer, declaring that I would use the Internet.
Within minutes, I found the main webpage for Promising New Future.
“Become
a part of the new wave for the future,” I read aloud. “Click here to learn more
about yourself.”
We
were directed to a personality test. Charles frowned and shook his head.
“Something
isn’t right,” he said softly. “There was…a change in the page when you
clicked.”
Scott
gave him an odd look. “Well…yeah.”
Goosebumps
broke out all over my skin. “No, he’s right. There’s something more going on
with this page…”
“It’s
reading the user…not just the answers, but how the person is reacting
and…Annie! Get off of the page!”
I
closed the browser and gasped at the sudden pain in my head. Sliding to the
floor, I felt Scott catch one arm. I’d gone limp and unable to control my body.
“Annie,”
Charles said slowly and clearly. “It’s okay, I was able to divert his attention
from you. You will recover in a moment.”
“That’s
it,” I grumbled, demanding that my limbs obey me. “He’s going down…”
“Annie,”
Charles warned. “I don’t like the thoughts you’re having…”
“It’s
time, Charles.”
I
growled and gathered into myself. With a groan, I thrust my mind against the remained
psi-locks, forcing them away and opening my mind completely once more. Roaring,
I opened my eyes and saw that I was floating a good foot off of the ground.
Charles and Scott were against the farthest wall, arms up to protect
themselves. The laptop I had been using was on the floor.
The
full strength of my powers shocked and awed me. It had been so long since I’d
used them. I found that all of my memories were there, and so was complete
control over my powers.
“Annie!”
Charles cried.
I sunk
to the floor, gazing at my hands and body as if seeing them for the first time.
The fur seemed thicker along the skin, and my claws were sharper. With a simple
thought, the fur disappeared and I was human again. I felt reborn.
“I…it
was never like this before,” I said, looking at Charles in surprise. “What
happened?”
He
moved closer to me. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Usually powers can atrophy
like muscles in the body when left unused. Yours seem to have been
strengthened.”
“Good,”
I growled. “I’ve got some unfinished business in town.”
“Annie?”
Scott said, peering at me. “You can’t do this on your own.”
“Logan
and Ororo are already there,” I pointed out. “But I would be glad to have you
with me. With your blessing,” I said to Charles.
He
tilted his head, and I knew he was listening to something, or someone, far
away. “Go. Quickly, both of you. The others are in trouble.”
“The
jet?” Scott suggested.
“Let’s
go!”
Any
weariness I had felt before was long gone. The impeding battle only served to
make me feel stronger. Scott seemed extremely nervous alongside me as he
piloted. I busied myself with fidgeting in my newly acquired X-men suit. At
least this one had a hole for my tail.
“There,”
he said, looking ahead.
“Yes,”
I replied.
The
warehouse wasn’t that old, really. It looked like it had only been abandoned
the year before. Scott decided that the structural integrity of the roof was
good enough to hold the jet’s weight. I didn’t argue. I didn’t really care, as
long as I got to Seeker before the ceiling caved in.
“Annie,”
Scott said, as we walked down the ramp. “Remember that we aren’t here to kill
him….we just want to stop him.”
“What’s
the difference?” I grunted.
“Oh
God,” he groaned. “You sound like
I
grinned as we stalked to the nearby large skylight. It was too far down, and
too dark, to see anything. Continuing on, we found the roof accessway and
headed inside. My eyes adjusted quickly and I paused to peer down. It was
silent up there…then we heard a distant crash.
“Aw,
they started without us…” I muttered.
We
continued to slink closer to the battle below. I spotted some silver hair on a
crumpled body. I gestured at Scott and he nodded. Using my ability to be
invisible, I went to Ororo’s prone figure. I checked her pulse, sighing silently
in relief that she was merely unconscious.
“Gaah!”
Wolverine’s voice yelled.
I
turned to see Scott slipping behind a pillar. He jerked his chin toward the
battle and I nodded, grinning again.
“Cover
me,” he breathed as I joined him.
Projecting
the invisibility over him, I watched as he faded. I could still see him, but
only because I was focused on him. He moved further into the building and I
followed slowly.
Wolverine
slashed at the outside of a large machine.
“I can
repair faster than you can damage,” a voice taunted.
My
eyes narrowed. Seeker.
“We’ll
see about that,” Wolverine declared, launching himself at another part of the
machine.
Laughter
rang out. “You will wear yourself out, and when you do, I shall take great
pleasure in filleting the skin from your bones…”
“No
chance, Geek,” Wolverine growled back.
Then
the entire machine shifted. Scott stepped back, gazing up at the monstrosity.
It turned until it felt as if eyes were upon us. There, in the darkness of the
shadows, I saw him: The Grinning Man.
“Good
God, you’re ugly!” Wolverine exclaimed, slashing and stabbing at the metal.
I
watched in awe as the wires seem to reconnect and fuse themselves inside the
gaping hole. Where the smile seemed to be plastered, I saw a faint outline of a
body. It looked as if Emmanuel was somehow a part of the machine.
Whoa…I feel like I’m on some sci-fi show…
Seeker
laughed again, evidently enjoying this game. Cyclops raised a hand, placing it
on the side of his special visor. I watched his other hand, waiting for the
signal. He twitched and I dropped the cover as a flash of red power ripped a
corner off of the machine.
“Aaaaah!”
Seeker cried out in anger and pain.
“About
damn time you showed up!” Wolverine called.
“We
took our time,” Cyclops retorted.
“You!”
Seeker screamed, recovering from the surprise. He turned his attention towards
Cyclops. “How did you…?!” He stopped and lights flashed along the machinery. “Ah…so
you have come, too, Annie.”
I
didn’t release the shield around me—hiding in plain sight was my specialty,
after all. I walked out and approached from another angle. Seeing that the
metal was twisted and burned where Cyclops had hit him, I smirked. Raising a
hand, I gestured and pulled the metal…an entire sheet popped off, exposing more
circuitry. Cyclops fired into it. Seeker screamed again.
“You
destroy what you’re after!!!” Seeker shrieked, panting. “Know you not what is
hidden in the depths of thy enemies?”
“Hold
your fire!” I exclaimed, projecting my voice to echo and bounce along the
rafters, disguising my position. I stepped closer, afraid of what I thought I
saw.
“Yes,”
Seeker sighed. “You must not hurt the innocent one…”
In one
movement, I pulled two more sheets of metal away. Ignoring the cries of
protest, I kept yanking. An arm was exposed. I knew that arm…
“He’s
got Brad inside!” I announced.
Cyclops
and Wolverine stood nearby, shifting uncertainly. The wires and mechanics
inside squeezed closer, covering the arm once more. To my surprise, it seemed
that Seeker wasn’t fighting back much. He seemed more intent on defense…my gaze
went to Storm, wondering just how powerful he was.
“How
do you know he’s even alive?” Wolverine pointed out.
An
evil chuckle replied. “She cannot take the chance…”
“What
do you want, Seeker…you say you want revenge…well, here I am!” I dropped the
cloak and held my arms out to the sides. “Get your damn juvenile vengeance over
with!”
“Juvenile?”
Seeker groused. “This has taken meticulous planning…”
“Yeah,
yeah,” I muttered, unimpressed.
I saw
the wires snaking their way towards me and did nothing to stop them. I was
tired of the games. It was my turn.
“Annie,
no!” Scott—in a moment of panic—yelled.
The wires
grasped my ankles, then my knees, thighs, and back. I was pulled towards the
machine.
“Think
fondly of me!” I replied calmly. “And don’t do anything sudden.”
Seeker
chuckled…and I was swallowed into the unit.
An
exposed wire touched my skin and I winced at the shock. The warning was hardly
subtle. I didn’t care. I allowed him to pull me closer. I found Brad.
“Brad,
Brad,” I said earnestly.
He
lifted his head, staring at me blankly. I looked down, seeing wires that held
him tightly in place. Some seemed to go into the skin. I lifted my hand, trying
to tug the cords. I was shocked again, this time with more force. My limbs
jerked spasmodically.
“Ah
ah, Annie,” Seeker berated me. “Don’t touch the battery.”
Then
the realization of what he’d done hit me. He’d created a fortress for himself,
where he could do his computations and research unabated…and if someone dared
to attack him, the unit would rebuild within minutes. But he needed some kind
of organic power…
How do I know this?
But I
knew that answer too: he was telling me.
“Bastard,”
I growled. There was only one reason to give up this kind of information—when
you don’t expect that person to survive.
“Ah,
your time shall come,” he replied. “This battery is nearly used up. When it
dies, and he will, you shall become my new one. With your mutant powers, you
shall surely last longer…”
“And
then what?” I prodded. “You kidnap random people to use? Haven’t you ever heard
of D-cells?”
“You
have yet to know the full potential,” he said. “I can do so many things from
here.”
“A
stupid crush,” I grumbled. “All of this because I thought you had a stupid
crush.”
“I
came to you for help, for understanding,” he said slowly, as if I were the
child. “No one listened to me. Not my parents, not the other kids, not the
teachers…not you.”
“I
couldn’t listen, Emmanuel,” I began.
“I am
SEEKER!” he thundered.
I
ignored that. “I didn’t want to be exposed, so my powers were locked down
tight. I couldn’t use them!”
I felt
a burning on my arm and spotted a lose wire trying to dig into the fur. The
smell of burnt hair surrounded me. I realized he was trying to integrate me
into the machinery too. Taking a breath, I formed a forcefield around my body.
“That’s
cheating,” he almost whined.
“And
you using a giant machine to fight your battles isn’t?” I wondered how far he’d
let me go. “In real hand to hand combat, I would still kick your sorry ass.”
Everything
began to tremble around me. I looked up, even though I couldn’t see past the
wires.
“Shut
up! Shut up!” he demanded. “You aren’t listening again!”
I
waited, realizing that the trembling wasn’t from him. Only one person could
whip up a wind strong enough to do that. Thanking Storm silently, I sighed.
“I
could find out anything,” he rambled. “Want to know what your name would have
been in Egyptian hieroglyphics? I could find out easily. Anything. You name it,
I could answer it…until you.”
“I
already explained—”
“SHUT
UP!” he growled. Wires and tubes attacked my shield, causing sparks to fly. Brad
groaned and raised an arm weakly; then dropped it again.
“I was
sure I was the only one who could break you,” he went on. “I took it as a
challenge to my powers. I set out to find out who you were, where you came
from…what you were. And I knew.”
He paused,
but I dared not interrupt again. Brad’s face was drawn and pale. I was afraid
he was going to die before I could get him out.
“A
late-bloomer, they called you. These mutants. Ha! Bunch of panty-waists, the
lot of them. If you had been trained to do anything with your power, you would
not have been that eager to give it up! Do you have any idea what you could
have done? Sneak into anywhere, do anything, all without being seen! Such
potential…wasted.”
Carefully,
slowly, I extended my forcefield until I touched Brad. He jerked, and I allowed
the field to slowly envelope his leg…
“In
battle, you could attack and be gone before anyone knew you were there!”
I
allowed the tubes to remain, spreading the field around them as I encircled the
other leg.
“Even
a telepath couldn’t sense you, if you learned how to project a null-field!”
The
machine shuddered around us. I used the distraction to remove several wires
from Brad’s legs, making sure the field covered the holes left behind.
“Instead,
what did you do? You became a teacher. Of normals. In a school where you went
unnoticed even if you were amazing.”
I had
the entire bottom half of Brad’s body covered. I felt/heard a blast strike and
knew how it must have pained Cyclops to fire on me. But it was another
distraction to use, and I got several more connections out and away.
“Do
you know what I would have given, just to be noticed for who I was?”
It
seemed that he expected an answer. “You were the class clown, Emmanuel…everyone
noticed you.”
“Not
the way I wanted to be noticed…”
I
considered that. “You didn’t want to be noticed, not really. You wanted to be
worshipped.”
He
scoffed. “And why not? We are more than they are.”
“We’re
all humans, trying to live on the same earth.”
“It’s
that kind of thinking that led to this day, Annie.”
More
shuddering and banging. I heard some yells and imagined that Emmanuel was
finally retaliating. The field around Brad encircled his chest. The slow pace
was taking a toll on my strength, and the enclosed area was stifling hot…sweat
poured from me.
“What
do you plan to do with me? Use me and toss me to the side? How many batteries
have you been through before?”
He
didn’t answer as we shuddered and I heard the scream of tearing metal. The
others were giving him a fierce fight. I switched tactics and began to project
an image of Brad as he had been before I’d touched him. Watching for a reaction
from Seeker, I removed the rest of the wires and caught Brad as he collapsed.
“Why
did you start Promising New Future?”
He sounded
distracted and surprised. “It was a way to meet new helpers, and a source of
power.”
I
ignored the clenching of my stomach. Tentatively, I took a step back. The wires
parted slightly. As I took a second step, they tightened and pushed me back
towards the center.
“Going
somewhere, Annie?”
I
shrugged with one shoulder. “Such a nice night out, I thought I’d go for a
walk.”
The
shuddering stopped suddenly.
“Your
weathergirl friend is out of commission again,” he announced. “Thought you
might like to know.”
Ororo.
Swallowing,
I modified the image I was projecting to include myself. Then I hid my
movements as I backed up again. There was no resistance until the third step.
“It’s nearly
time, Annie,” Seeker said in a soft hiss. “My power level is dropping…”
“Should
have gotten a rechargeable battery,” I muttered, taking two more steps. I could
feel cooler air across my neck.
“…now…this
won’t hurt a bit…”
Knowing
he was about to try and attach his powerfeeds into the illusion of me, I
quickened my pace.
“NO!!!”
Seeker shrieked.
The
cords and things began to move blindly, looking for me. I shoved backwards,
willing the metal to bend away and let me through. My arms were growing weaker
as I pulled Brad after me. I tugged him, feeling him catch on something.
“You
cannot escape me that easily!!!”
“Wanna
bet?” a gruff voice replied.
Strong
arms grabbed me and yanked. Brad and I landed on the concrete in front of the
large machine. Cyclops grabbed Brad and dragged him to a safer area. Wolverine
helped me up and away. I saw Storm sitting up and holding her head.
“I can
see you, Annie!” Seeker squealed.
I
turned to face him. The machine’s casing was nearly gone, exposing the innards of
computer parts, power cable…
“So,
you will not come to me as easily as you implied,” Seeker groaned.
I
winced. His voice emitter was obviously damaged, scraping and screeching
through words.
“Very
well…I shall face you on your terms. But I will not lose.”
The
machine darkened suddenly. Wolverine stepped in front of me. Then I saw him.
Emmanuel, the former student and current enemy. His thin figure stepped away
from the machine and entered the dim light.
“Oh
God,” Storm whispered.
I had
to agree. Emmanuel’s head was bald, but covered in a metal dome. His left arm
was thick and appeared to be covered in steel plates. His right was flesh, but
mottled in purples.
“Here
I am, Annie,” he said. His voice was quieter, but no less painful to hear. I
spotted a metal box on his throat. “Do you really think you can defeat me?”
“What
have you done to yourself, Emmanuel?”
“Seeker,
Seeker, Seeker!!!” he cried.
I
waited until the echoes faded, shaking my head in shock.
“I am
better,” he declared. “Better than I was, better than you could be.”
“It’s
pronounced bitter,” I retorted.
He
roared and lunged awkwardly. Wolverine deflected the blow and tossed him away
easily.
“You
would hide behind a bodyguard?” Seeker—for there was nothing left of
Emmanuel—demanded.
I
touched Wolverine’s arm. “This is my fight.”
“Wrong,”
Wolverine argued, looking at me from the corner of his eye, even as he watched
Seeker. “We’re all in this together.”
“Right!”
Cyclops added. He had Storm and Brad away from the area we stood in.
Seeker
faced me, his left arm making clicking noises. A blade appeared at the end and
he waved it menacingly. Wolverine’s claws shot out in reply.
“Wimp,”
Seeker snarled. “So afraid of losing, you won’t fight me fairly. Isn’t that
what you thought of me when I was one with my machine?”
“He
has a point,” Storm said suddenly. “Besides, Annie will kick his ass.”
Cyclops
snorted in laughter. Wolverine sheathed his claws and stepped behind me.
“Don’t
let him in,” he warned.
I
nodded in silence, feeling him moving off. I was comforted to know that they
were all there, just in case. Seeker creaked and clicked as he moved.
“Finally!”
he stated.
“What
can I say, there are people who care about me…no matter how hard you tried to
take that away from me.”
We
began to circle. I drew in on myself, letting my true form show, tail lashing.
Seeker hesitated in surprise.
“What’s
the matter,” I needled. “All this time and you didn’t know what I really looked
like?”
He
snarled. “You just got uglier, Annie.”
Wolverine
growled and the sound filled the air. I merely smiled, baring my sharp teeth.
“Call
me Siren.”
Using
the energy I’d collected, I pushed outward. The shield grew bright around me,
glowing silver, until it pulsed and shimmered. Seeker clicked and whirred and
suddenly small arrows flew at me. They shattered upon impact, turning into
toothpicks. He changed tactics, firing actual bullets. They disintegrated in a
cloud of sparkles.
“I’m
stronger than you, Seeker,” I said slowly. “You forget that I’m the teacher
here. No matter how smart the student is, the teacher is the one who has the
power…”
“I
didn’t need you to teach me anything!” he cried. “I can find out anything!
ANYTHING!”
An
energy beam hit me and I stumbled back. The field was fizzling and I felt the
shock to my system. Bracing myself again, I began to collect myself again.
“You,”
I began, then coughed, surprised that the wind had been knocked out of me. “You
are still depending on your devices…this should be power against power…”
He
must not have had another burst of energy in him, since he resorted to shooting
things at me again. I was still on the defensive, hoping to wear him out
without having to hurt him. But it was quickly becoming apparent that he would
only go back to his machine when he needed to.
“My
power is research!” he retorted.
“No!”
I argued. “Your power is telepathy!”
Something
occurred to me. All the times he’d used his telepathy against me, he hadn’t
actually done anything to me. Messages, images, showing me things and
interacting somehow…but he had never tried to hurt me.
“Emmanuel,”
I said, steadying the shield for the inevitable blast he sent me. I stood still
until he stopped. “Tell me the truth. If you were really after me, why would
you try to kill Detective Shelton’s family?”
“To
get you to expose yourself,” he said slowly, grinning again. “To scare him off,
if nothing else. And look, he’s not here!”
I
narrowed my gaze at him. “Unfortunately for you, we were able to save them
without exposing what we were.”
He
frowned and the transition made him almost human again. “That was…unexpected. I
admit; you surprised me.”
“Get
used to it,” I grunted.
Using the
strength I’d collected, I prepared for the ultimate test to my powers. Keeping
the image of myself where I’d been, I caused the real me to disappear. I began
to circle, hoping to get close enough to disable him.
“I’ve
answered your questions, now answer one of mine,” he said. “Why would you give
up an extraordinary life as a mutant, and choose to hide?”
I made
sure my voice came from the image of myself. “I wanted to teach, but the kids
at Mutant High were intimidating to a brand new teacher. Okay, so I was afraid
of some of them.”
He
laughed. I was now just behind his left shoulder, eyeing the gadgetry there. I
was hoping to spot some kind of shut-off button…
“As
surely as I live and breathe, you were never worthy of the powers bestowed upon
thee!”
I
paused. He resorted to grandiose language when he was bluffing. I wondered if
he was just a scared kid at heart, still searching for someone to look up to.
My eyes fell on a knot of wires. It looked incongruous enough…maybe it was the
power connection.
“Maybe
not,” I agreed. “But what do you know of my powers?”
He
scoffed. “We spoke of this earlier. Your projecting skills are immense…”
There
was a small opening, far too small for my fingers. I concentrated on bolstering
the mirage before him, and then separated a part of my mind. I focused on the
wires, willing them to fall apart as if cut by a blade. Seeing it clearly in my
mind, I pushed and demanded that it happen.
“AAAAAAAAAH!”
Seeker screamed.
I
jumped back and lost the mirage. I tried to gather myself again, but found I
was too weak telepathically. Stumbling back, I watched him turn, still
shrieking.
“You!”
he wailed, sounding as if he was in real pain. “What have you done?!”
His
right hand scrambled over the surface of his shoulder, unable to reach the
disconnected wires. His eyes were wide and shocked. The light there was fading;
he was dying.
“No!”
I gasped.
“You…ah…my…I
can’t…” He was panting in a daze.
With
sudden clarity, I realized that the unit over his arm was one large battery, and
somehow was the only thing keeping him alive. The wires I’d cut were
maintaining his vital signs.
“No!”
I cried again.
He
fell to his knees. I pictured the wires again, seeing them sliced so neatly. In
my mind, I reconnected them, welding the ends together to form a solid wire
once more.
He
gasped once, twice…an alarm was ringing on his arm.
“Warning,”
it buzzed indistinctly. “Power failure to organic structure…”
“No…”
I hissed, shoving the image of the reconnecting wires at him. “Come on…work,
damn you!”
It
wasn’t working. I wasn’t strong enough. I’d wasted my energy on before.
“I…I’m
sorry, Emmanuel!”
He
fell to his side, staring at me. “Didn’t…know you had…kinesis…”
I
nodded, feeling a tear fall down my cheek.
“My…research
didn’t…show that…”
His
breathing was slowing and becoming shallower.
“Let
me…touch your mind…” he begged. “Show you…”
“No!”
Cyclops yelled.
“Don’t
do it, Annie!” Wolverine added.
Charles…Make me strong enough…
I
opened my mind.
Ten years
ago, I was a freshman in high school. No one seemed interested in talking to
me. So I started telling jokes, and making fun of the teachers and staff. Soon,
there were kids following me, asking me to quote another funny line. I was
pleased.
No one
knew about my terrible secret. Not even my parents knew. I’d kept it from them,
even as I discovered it at an early age. One day, they’d been watching the news
as some mutant caused havoc in the inner city. I’d been four, playing with
building blocks when I heard them curse the dirty mutants. I’d felt that hate
within me for the un-naturals, as they called them.
Until
I became one, too. I was ten and riding my bicycle around the block. Some kid
had a lemonade stand set up and I was hot and thirsty. But I had no money. I
asked him for a freebie, saying I’d pay him back. He laughed and refused. I
began to grouse internally, staring at him intently, willing him to give me a
drink.
I
drank the entire pitcher at his behest. Refreshed, I continued on, wondering what
had just happened. I decided to experiment with my parents. I wanted spaghetti
for dinner, I got it. I wanted blue skates, I got them. It was easy, too easy.
I went to the library and discovered that what I had was called telepathy.
I was
a mutant.
I’d
felt my parent’s thoughts about that matter many times since I’d learned to
open my mind. They were bigots, I knew. What would they do if they knew what I
was? How would they react?
I
tried to manipulate their thought processes, to break this deep-seated hatred.
But to no avail. And so, I knew I had to remain hidden. But that didn’t mean I
couldn’t use my abilities to get what I wanted in my life. It was a subtle and
quiet technique.
Until
her. She was my honors literature teacher, sophomore year. A pretty blonde,
with legs that reached to the heavens. I wanted her, oh how I longed for her.
But to her, I was invisible. No matter how many jokes I told, or witty comments
I made as we discussed books and plays…she just saw me as a student.
Until
I went to her house. She was in the shower when I let myself in. She was
married, but her husband wasn’t there that Saturday morning. I snuck into her
bedroom and waited. When she came in and saw me, she began to scream. I reached
out with my mind and shut down the part of her brain that allowed speech. Now
silent, she tried to run. I grabbed her and held her down. Something within me
shattered into her mind.
When I
was done, the power was incredible. I felt renewed somehow, as if I’d absorbed
some strange new energy. I looked down to find that she was dead. Confused and
scared, I ran. It was on the news: a young teacher had a stroke, cause unknown.
Eventually,
I found that when I concentrated hard enough, I could drain another person’s
very mind for power. I was stronger, mentally and physically. Wanting to know
more, I studied every book on telepathy and mental control that I could find.
By my
junior year, I was fully versed in my own powers. I knew how far I could go
without killing someone—though there were a few more deaths to deal with before
I found that line. If I was bored in class, I could make the teacher very
tired, or give them a headache until they allowed us to just talk quietly as
they sat at their desk, dazed.
It was
inevitable, I suppose. There had to be others out there. And there she was.
Another teacher, too. She taught American history, one of my favorite subjects,
and so I was always highly fascinated in her class. But when I hesitated on a
test, unsure of the answer, I could not get the solution from her mind.
It
took a week for me to know she was a mutant for sure. If I really concentrated,
I could see some kind of aura around her—like she was behind a protective field
of some sort. She intrigued me. I put my researching abilities to work and
learned all I could about her.
When
she’d rejected me, I burned inside. Without listening, without caring, she’d
spurned me.
I
needed to do something, anything to hurt her. But I didn’t have the resources.
So I made my father lose control of his car and crash. He died instantly,
leaving a very large sum of insurance money to us. Then, using my finely honed
techniques, I made my mother feel as if she’d gone crazy. It made her easier to
manipulate. Making sure she was never a danger to anyone, I kept her locked up
at home. The state believed she was a decent guardian, and never checked up on
us.
Using
the money I now had at my disposal, I set out to design a power-absorbing
machine. If my mind alone could kill, what could a machine that boosted my
power do? I would use it to find Miss Cirsei and slowly, achingly, I would
strip her of her powers. I would make sure she knew who was doing it, too. And
then…I’d kill her.
“Annie…Annie. Release the memories. You are
Annie Cirsei. You are not Emmanuel, also known as Seeker. Annie…Annie…”
I
groaned, unable to open my eyes. I blinked, realizing that my eyes were already
open. Logan and Scott gazed down at me in concern. I saw the warehouse ceiling
far above.
“I’m
alive,” I stated, surprised.
“Yeah,”
“So’s
he,” Ororo added, stepping into view. “Whatever you did, Annie, you gave him
enough strength to hold on.”
Trying
to sit up, I moved until I could see Emmanuel laying nearby. His chest rose and
fell in a regular pattern. The unit on his arm was silent, the alarm off.
“What did you do?”
I
allowed Scott to help me to my feet, where I wobbled unsteadily. My eyes were
still locked on the prone figure. I shuffled towards him, feeling sincere pity
for his life.
“I
just…listened,” I replied finally.
A week
later, I stared into the ICU. Emmanuel was dying. The doctors said that
whatever he’d done to himself—to create this machine of his—had weakened his
own body to the point of collapse. That was why he needed the human-batteries
to maintain himself. His body was reliant on other sources for fuel.
Keeping
my arms crossed, I watched the pump that breathed for him. Up, exhale…down,
inhale…
“No
change?” a voice said softly.
“Nothing,”
I said just as quietly.
I
turned to face him. “Yes.”
His
eyes bore into mine and I felt that spark again. It was just as intense as
before, and I knew he wanted me to stay, to pursue it.
“Where
are you going?”
I
shrugged with one shoulder. “Wherever the wind may blow…”
“For
how long?”
I
winced, not hiding it. He saw and sighed.
“You
have to come back, Annie…” he beseeched. “Who else will keep me from killing
Scott?”
I
laughed, then peered at him closely. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you call
him by his actual name!”
He
grinned. “It was a slip of the tongue.” He leaned closer. “Speaking of…”
I let
him kiss me, wrapping my arms around his neck. I held him close, letting my
mind touch his.
I could have loved you…
He
pulled away, staring at me. “Me too…”
Moving
back, I bent to grab my bag. Knowing his eyes were on me, I went to the next
room, going inside.
“Hey,
there’s my girl,” Brad said weakly. “What’s new, Pussycat?”
I
smirked at the new nickname I’d acquired. “Hiya handsome…” I kissed him on the
forehead, mindful of the bandages and tubes that seemed to cover his body.
“You’re
here to say goodbye,” he announced.
I
smiled sadly down at him, taking his hand in mine. “Brad…I…”
“I know,”
he said, smiling slightly. “That Xavier guy came by. He and I…had an
interesting talk. He said that you were afraid of your own powers…of what
happened…of hurting me again.”
The
tears fell, wetting our hands. I nodded, unable to speak.
“Annie…I
love you,” he continued. “After everything…I understand.”
I
startled, looking up at him. The smile was gone, replaced with a look full of
concern and sympathy.
“He’s
a part of me now,” I whispered. “I understand what Rogue said before…how the
people she touches remain with her. I can’t help but feel like I need to
exorcise this demon.”
“That…German
guy…ask him if he knows a good priest,” Brad said, his voice growing sleepier.
I
sighed and watched him slip into a drugged sleep. His body was covered in a variety
of burns and cuts from all of the electrical components he’d been forced to
run. The doctors said it was amazing that he was alive at all.
Kissing
him on the forehead again, I stood. Reaching into my bag, I slipped the diary
under his pillow. There was one last entry in it, a long one—telling what I had
been through from the day he “died”, until the day I stopped Seeker.
With
one last look at his sleeping face, I hefted my bag and went out the door.
"No seaman ever sailed his black
ship past this place without listening to the sweet voice that flow from our
lips, and none that listened has not been delighted and gone on a wiser
man." Homer, The Odyssey (referring to the Sirens)
The End…maybe