Persistence of Memory
folder
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
57
Views:
7,466
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
57
Views:
7,466
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.
44
Persistence of Memory Chapter Forty Four (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta…Novampire is killing
my computer! Arrrrrgh! InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are
wonderful and spiffy for archiving. J ProPhile, you’ll get your smut soon, I
promise. *eg * Readers/Reviewers: First,*glomp * again to Cygnavamp for the Rogue/Todd pic. Second: thank you, danke shoen, mille
grazie, merci beaucoup, muchos gracias…you get the idea. Thanks lots for
reading and reviewing! ;)
Tarot, thankfully,
had been sent back to the Boardinghouse, though after much protesting. “I need someone therekeepkeep an eye on the
new recruit,” Magneto finally said in what passed for a kindly father tone.
This seemed
to satisfy Tarot, who shot Pietro an imperious glance. “Of course.
I’ll see to his orientation.
Will Mystique be there?”
Magneto,
bemused, replied, “Well, yes. But I’m
sure she’d be…happy…to have your help.”
Pietro bit
his cheeks to keep from laughing aloud.
“Mystique would love to have you around, Tarot,” he said after a moment
in which Magneto favored him with an almost amused look. “You can tell her that plan you had for more
efficient training.” Tarot nodded in
satisfaction as Firestar led her off.
“Father,” Pietro said urgently after the women were gone, “I thought
Firestar was one of Emma’s…”
“Firestar,”
Magneto said blandly, “was looking for a cause. I gave her one.” He
turned his back on his son and strode down the hall several paces before
realizing Pietro lingered. “Well?”
“You want
me to…oh…okay…” He hurried to his
father’s side and followed him into the sublevel of the mansion where the
Cerebro was housed. “Psylocke said…”
“Whatever
she said, ignore it. She was a stop gap
measure and sadly, a mistake. One I
intend to remedy soon.” Even as he
spoke, the tall woman was being led into the room by Scatterbrain and
Mesmero. “Where is Saint Anna?”
“She’s
awaiting your presence in your rooms, sir,” Scatterbrain fairly simpered. “She said the healing can begin at your leisure.”
“Good.” He slid a sideways glance at Pietro. “Saint Anna is a most useful girl. She’s a very gifted healer…one of the few
I’ve found on this earth. Her enormous
guilt over the circumstances of her birth[1]
make her very…amenable…to using her gift to help others rather than view it as
a curse.” He clucked his tongue
sadly. “Some mutants just don’t
understand how sad those without our gifts are. So scared…so pathetic. We
are the future, Pietro. Never forget
that.”
Pietro
frowned. “When we’re…made public…what’s
going to become of those of us who’d rather remain hidden?”
“If they
cannot be persuaded,” Magneto replied somewhat tiredly, stepping side to let
Psylocke into the big round room, “then they can join the Homo sapiens
in subjugation. Their kind will die out
soon enough, leaving the strong. Didn’t
you ever read that book on Darwinism I gave you for your birthday that year?”
“I was
eight.”
“Is that a
no?”
“I think
Wanda has it now.”
“Wanda…she
is dead to me now.”
Pietro felt
his eyes widen. “She’s your daughter!”
“She chose
a path away from us, son. She is no
longer our concern.” Magneto belied his
words with the pained expression on his face.
“Now, if you’re done with your questions, it’s time for our second
test.”
Pietro followed
Magneto and Mesmero to a bank of monitors on the opposite wall. Scatterbrain stayed by the opening mechanism
for the device, looking supremely bored.
With an affectation of awe-struck adoration, he asked, “When this test
is complete, will we begin our campaign?”
Magneto’s
expression could best be described as irritated. “I’ll let you know.” His
tone brooked no further discussion as he flipped several switches. Unlike the version of the machine at the
Institute, this one could only be controlled from the outside, following an
older design that had been much improved upon since Eric and Charles had last
spoken in friendship.
Pietro
waited, holding his breath subconsciously, for the feeling of rushing panic to
start again. He felt the hum of energy
beneath his feet, but his powers seemed to remain under control. As the hum of energy died down, he let out
his breath silently. “Well?”
“Let her
out,” Magneto ordered. Scatterbrain opened the sliding door and Pietro could
see Psylocke slumped over before the heart of Cerebro, seemingly
unconscious.
“She’s
out,” Scatterbrain reported. “Cold.”
“Take her
to her room and make sure Firestar brings her some painkillers.” Magneto’s smile was feral and
proprietary. “Now we wait.”
“For what?”
Mesmero complained. “That seemed
successful! We didn’t…”
“We wait,”
Magneto said harshly, “for her to wake up.
I doubt you’re psychic enough to tell what she experienced.”
Pietro saw
the hate flare in Mesmero’s eyes, quickly replaced by servitude. The teenager shifted uncomfortably. “Do you need me to stay here?”
Magneto’s
brow crept up exponentially. “Yes. Until things are put into action, you will
t myt my side. School work missed will
be made up to my satisfaction. Even if
she is still head of the school, Mystique will not make exceptions for you.”
Pietro did
not know which he felt worse about—the amount of school work now waiting for
him or the fact he was so scared he was seriously considering wetting
himself. Mesmero gave him an odd glance
and swept from the room after Magneto, leaving him alone. But what if I like being secret?
Kitty did
her best thinking when she was asleep.
Or at least that’s wshe she told Jean when she caught her napping
instead of doing homework. As it was, as she lay on the cot in the med lab, not
quite entirely asleep but not quite awake, she was aware and dreaming at
once. She could feel the dull ache in
her belly where Beast had replaced her missing staples and fixed the loose
shunt, she could feel the warm and heavy pressure of Kurt’s hand and most of
all, she could feel her body. She was
corporeal again. Antibiotics. I heard Beast say they were pumping me full
of them. Ick. They always make me feel bad afterwards.[2] Why would antibiotics make me solid
again? He didn’t give me more of that
stuff from Magneto…I remember hearing him say that he didn’t know how it’d
interact with the medicine…
Antibiotics…do people get antibiotics for a virus? No, virus wouldn’t
respond to it…Why am I thinking of viruses?
That letter the Professor saved that was from Magneto mentioned a virus,
according to Kurt. Virus virus
virus. Oh. What if it’s a virus interfering with my powers? But how would that work? The mutations on our genes, the virus could
be a retrovirus, fitting into that part of our DNA. Huh. That’s…not
right. How would that work. Oh, my stomach hurts…
“Katzchen?”
“Mmmm?”
“Kitty,
you’re talking in your sleep.”
“What was I
saying?”
“I couldn’t
tell,” Kurt whispered, sounding very close to her ear. “But I think that you said something about
the Professor.”
“Oh.” She let herself drift off for another few
moments, the strange lethargy of painkiller and tired body making her feel
thick and light all at once. “Kurt,”
she said slowly, “how long were your powers wonky?”
“Uh…a few
hours.” He rubbed the back of her hand
with his thumb. “You need rest,
Liebes. Don’t talk.”
“I’m thinking…” She frowned and opened one eye. “ How much
faster is your metabolism than mine?”
“I…have no
idea…” She could see him making a face
next to her. “Why?”
“I have an
idea.”
“That idea
should be to sleep another few hours,” he replied tartly. “Everyone is back now. We’re all in trouble, except for you. The Professor ordered another interview,
this time he’s going to talk to the reporter.
We’re all ordered to stay out of sight.
Apparently, Jamie and Rahne did something to the last guy.”
Kitty
smiled wryly, the expression weak.
“Could you get me some water?”
“Anything,
Schatz,” he promised before disappearing in a sulfurous cloud.
“Beast,”
she called weakly. “Beast?”
“Kitty! You’re awake!” He knuckled out of his office and began taking her vitals before
she could form another sentence.
“How many
milligrams of antibiotics am I getting?”
“You’re
just full of questions today,” he said mildly.
“Your fever is down but not gone and your color is good. Where did Kurt go?”
“Water.”
“Ah, and
you’re thirsty. That’s good. Later, you can have something light like
broth or Jello.”
“No
Jello. It’s made with hooves and
bones.”[3] She stuck out her tongue and shuddered
delicately.
Beast
chuckled. “Okay, no Jello. As for the antibiotics, you’re on a very
high dose to make sure that whatever nasties you picked up while hiding around
town aren’t going to set in. Why did
you run, Kitty?”
“People saw
me. I panicked.” She sighed and closed her eyes again. “Beast, I think I have a virus.”
“Well, it’s
possible that what triggered the appendicitis is a virus…”
“No, I
mean…” She stopped, Kurt’s reappearance
silencing that train of thought. “Thank
you, Fuzzy,” she murmured, taking the water from him and craning her neck to
reach the straw.
“How long
is she going to be down here, Beast?”
The large
man shrugged. “It all depends. If her fever keeps going down and she stops
draining fluid and otherwise shows no signs of infection, maybe forty eight
hours.”
“And if
not?” Kurt asked anxiously.
“We’ll
cross that bridge when we come to it.
Now, Kitty,” the doctor said, turning his attention back to his patient,
“you need to get some sleep. Is there
anything you’d like Kurt to bring you from your room? Books, magazines…”
“I have
Lockheed,” Kurt said helpfully, producing the purple dragon from where it had
been stowed under her bed.
“Thanks,
sweetie,” she smiled wanly, tucking the beloved stuffed animal under one
arm. “Could you also get me that big
red book off the bottom shelf of the bookcase nearest my desk, that box of
magazines under my bed and that skinny green book with the scuffed edges from
my computer desk?”
“No names?”
Kurt teased.
“Trust me…it’s
easier to describe them.” She closed
her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nose, an idea forming even in her
half-sleep. “And can I talk to the Professor
later?”
“I don’t
see why not,” Beast assured her, patting the hand that was not grasped by
Kurt. “As soon as he’s done with that
second interview…”
A/N And just where are Scott and Jean? And Forge?
And how mad is Logan? And will
Storm finally blow a gasket? What will
Velma say about Shaggy’s…Oh. Wrong
show. Okay. *ahem *
[1] Her father was
a priest, iat gat gives you an idea. Like Thorn Birds without all the
drama or people being gored by wild pigs.
[2] Because
antibiotics destroy good AND bad stuff, they can make you sick, especially with
intestinal problems and women tend to get yeast infections from taking them due
to the destruction of helpful organisms in the body. That’s why you should take probiotics when you take antibiotics,
to counteract the negative aspects.
[3] Gelatin is
usually made by boiling hooves, bones, horns and sometimes skin from animals
like pigs and cows and sometimes horses.
Unless marked vegan or Kosher, don’t trust Jello or marshmallows,
either. That moment of vegetarianism
brought to you by Nemain and PETA.
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta…Novampire is killing
my computer! Arrrrrgh! InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are
wonderful and spiffy for archiving. J ProPhile, you’ll get your smut soon, I
promise. *eg * Readers/Reviewers: First,*glomp * again to Cygnavamp for the Rogue/Todd pic. Second: thank you, danke shoen, mille
grazie, merci beaucoup, muchos gracias…you get the idea. Thanks lots for
reading and reviewing! ;)
Tarot, thankfully,
had been sent back to the Boardinghouse, though after much protesting. “I need someone therekeepkeep an eye on the
new recruit,” Magneto finally said in what passed for a kindly father tone.
This seemed
to satisfy Tarot, who shot Pietro an imperious glance. “Of course.
I’ll see to his orientation.
Will Mystique be there?”
Magneto,
bemused, replied, “Well, yes. But I’m
sure she’d be…happy…to have your help.”
Pietro bit
his cheeks to keep from laughing aloud.
“Mystique would love to have you around, Tarot,” he said after a moment
in which Magneto favored him with an almost amused look. “You can tell her that plan you had for more
efficient training.” Tarot nodded in
satisfaction as Firestar led her off.
“Father,” Pietro said urgently after the women were gone, “I thought
Firestar was one of Emma’s…”
“Firestar,”
Magneto said blandly, “was looking for a cause. I gave her one.” He
turned his back on his son and strode down the hall several paces before
realizing Pietro lingered. “Well?”
“You want
me to…oh…okay…” He hurried to his
father’s side and followed him into the sublevel of the mansion where the
Cerebro was housed. “Psylocke said…”
“Whatever
she said, ignore it. She was a stop gap
measure and sadly, a mistake. One I
intend to remedy soon.” Even as he
spoke, the tall woman was being led into the room by Scatterbrain and
Mesmero. “Where is Saint Anna?”
“She’s
awaiting your presence in your rooms, sir,” Scatterbrain fairly simpered. “She said the healing can begin at your leisure.”
“Good.” He slid a sideways glance at Pietro. “Saint Anna is a most useful girl. She’s a very gifted healer…one of the few
I’ve found on this earth. Her enormous
guilt over the circumstances of her birth[1]
make her very…amenable…to using her gift to help others rather than view it as
a curse.” He clucked his tongue
sadly. “Some mutants just don’t
understand how sad those without our gifts are. So scared…so pathetic. We
are the future, Pietro. Never forget
that.”
Pietro
frowned. “When we’re…made public…what’s
going to become of those of us who’d rather remain hidden?”
“If they
cannot be persuaded,” Magneto replied somewhat tiredly, stepping side to let
Psylocke into the big round room, “then they can join the Homo sapiens
in subjugation. Their kind will die out
soon enough, leaving the strong. Didn’t
you ever read that book on Darwinism I gave you for your birthday that year?”
“I was
eight.”
“Is that a
no?”
“I think
Wanda has it now.”
“Wanda…she
is dead to me now.”
Pietro felt
his eyes widen. “She’s your daughter!”
“She chose
a path away from us, son. She is no
longer our concern.” Magneto belied his
words with the pained expression on his face.
“Now, if you’re done with your questions, it’s time for our second
test.”
Pietro followed
Magneto and Mesmero to a bank of monitors on the opposite wall. Scatterbrain stayed by the opening mechanism
for the device, looking supremely bored.
With an affectation of awe-struck adoration, he asked, “When this test
is complete, will we begin our campaign?”
Magneto’s
expression could best be described as irritated. “I’ll let you know.” His
tone brooked no further discussion as he flipped several switches. Unlike the version of the machine at the
Institute, this one could only be controlled from the outside, following an
older design that had been much improved upon since Eric and Charles had last
spoken in friendship.
Pietro
waited, holding his breath subconsciously, for the feeling of rushing panic to
start again. He felt the hum of energy
beneath his feet, but his powers seemed to remain under control. As the hum of energy died down, he let out
his breath silently. “Well?”
“Let her
out,” Magneto ordered. Scatterbrain opened the sliding door and Pietro could
see Psylocke slumped over before the heart of Cerebro, seemingly
unconscious.
“She’s
out,” Scatterbrain reported. “Cold.”
“Take her
to her room and make sure Firestar brings her some painkillers.” Magneto’s smile was feral and
proprietary. “Now we wait.”
“For what?”
Mesmero complained. “That seemed
successful! We didn’t…”
“We wait,”
Magneto said harshly, “for her to wake up.
I doubt you’re psychic enough to tell what she experienced.”
Pietro saw
the hate flare in Mesmero’s eyes, quickly replaced by servitude. The teenager shifted uncomfortably. “Do you need me to stay here?”
Magneto’s
brow crept up exponentially. “Yes. Until things are put into action, you will
t myt my side. School work missed will
be made up to my satisfaction. Even if
she is still head of the school, Mystique will not make exceptions for you.”
Pietro did
not know which he felt worse about—the amount of school work now waiting for
him or the fact he was so scared he was seriously considering wetting
himself. Mesmero gave him an odd glance
and swept from the room after Magneto, leaving him alone. But what if I like being secret?
Kitty did
her best thinking when she was asleep.
Or at least that’s wshe she told Jean when she caught her napping
instead of doing homework. As it was, as she lay on the cot in the med lab, not
quite entirely asleep but not quite awake, she was aware and dreaming at
once. She could feel the dull ache in
her belly where Beast had replaced her missing staples and fixed the loose
shunt, she could feel the warm and heavy pressure of Kurt’s hand and most of
all, she could feel her body. She was
corporeal again. Antibiotics. I heard Beast say they were pumping me full
of them. Ick. They always make me feel bad afterwards.[2] Why would antibiotics make me solid
again? He didn’t give me more of that
stuff from Magneto…I remember hearing him say that he didn’t know how it’d
interact with the medicine…
Antibiotics…do people get antibiotics for a virus? No, virus wouldn’t
respond to it…Why am I thinking of viruses?
That letter the Professor saved that was from Magneto mentioned a virus,
according to Kurt. Virus virus
virus. Oh. What if it’s a virus interfering with my powers? But how would that work? The mutations on our genes, the virus could
be a retrovirus, fitting into that part of our DNA. Huh. That’s…not
right. How would that work. Oh, my stomach hurts…
“Katzchen?”
“Mmmm?”
“Kitty,
you’re talking in your sleep.”
“What was I
saying?”
“I couldn’t
tell,” Kurt whispered, sounding very close to her ear. “But I think that you said something about
the Professor.”
“Oh.” She let herself drift off for another few
moments, the strange lethargy of painkiller and tired body making her feel
thick and light all at once. “Kurt,”
she said slowly, “how long were your powers wonky?”
“Uh…a few
hours.” He rubbed the back of her hand
with his thumb. “You need rest,
Liebes. Don’t talk.”
“I’m thinking…” She frowned and opened one eye. “ How much
faster is your metabolism than mine?”
“I…have no
idea…” She could see him making a face
next to her. “Why?”
“I have an
idea.”
“That idea
should be to sleep another few hours,” he replied tartly. “Everyone is back now. We’re all in trouble, except for you. The Professor ordered another interview,
this time he’s going to talk to the reporter.
We’re all ordered to stay out of sight.
Apparently, Jamie and Rahne did something to the last guy.”
Kitty
smiled wryly, the expression weak.
“Could you get me some water?”
“Anything,
Schatz,” he promised before disappearing in a sulfurous cloud.
“Beast,”
she called weakly. “Beast?”
“Kitty! You’re awake!” He knuckled out of his office and began taking her vitals before
she could form another sentence.
“How many
milligrams of antibiotics am I getting?”
“You’re
just full of questions today,” he said mildly.
“Your fever is down but not gone and your color is good. Where did Kurt go?”
“Water.”
“Ah, and
you’re thirsty. That’s good. Later, you can have something light like
broth or Jello.”
“No
Jello. It’s made with hooves and
bones.”[3] She stuck out her tongue and shuddered
delicately.
Beast
chuckled. “Okay, no Jello. As for the antibiotics, you’re on a very
high dose to make sure that whatever nasties you picked up while hiding around
town aren’t going to set in. Why did
you run, Kitty?”
“People saw
me. I panicked.” She sighed and closed her eyes again. “Beast, I think I have a virus.”
“Well, it’s
possible that what triggered the appendicitis is a virus…”
“No, I
mean…” She stopped, Kurt’s reappearance
silencing that train of thought. “Thank
you, Fuzzy,” she murmured, taking the water from him and craning her neck to
reach the straw.
“How long
is she going to be down here, Beast?”
The large
man shrugged. “It all depends. If her fever keeps going down and she stops
draining fluid and otherwise shows no signs of infection, maybe forty eight
hours.”
“And if
not?” Kurt asked anxiously.
“We’ll
cross that bridge when we come to it.
Now, Kitty,” the doctor said, turning his attention back to his patient,
“you need to get some sleep. Is there
anything you’d like Kurt to bring you from your room? Books, magazines…”
“I have
Lockheed,” Kurt said helpfully, producing the purple dragon from where it had
been stowed under her bed.
“Thanks,
sweetie,” she smiled wanly, tucking the beloved stuffed animal under one
arm. “Could you also get me that big
red book off the bottom shelf of the bookcase nearest my desk, that box of
magazines under my bed and that skinny green book with the scuffed edges from
my computer desk?”
“No names?”
Kurt teased.
“Trust me…it’s
easier to describe them.” She closed
her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nose, an idea forming even in her
half-sleep. “And can I talk to the Professor
later?”
“I don’t
see why not,” Beast assured her, patting the hand that was not grasped by
Kurt. “As soon as he’s done with that
second interview…”
A/N And just where are Scott and Jean? And Forge?
And how mad is Logan? And will
Storm finally blow a gasket? What will
Velma say about Shaggy’s…Oh. Wrong
show. Okay. *ahem *
[1] Her father was
a priest, iat gat gives you an idea. Like Thorn Birds without all the
drama or people being gored by wild pigs.
[2] Because
antibiotics destroy good AND bad stuff, they can make you sick, especially with
intestinal problems and women tend to get yeast infections from taking them due
to the destruction of helpful organisms in the body. That’s why you should take probiotics when you take antibiotics,
to counteract the negative aspects.
[3] Gelatin is
usually made by boiling hooves, bones, horns and sometimes skin from animals
like pigs and cows and sometimes horses.
Unless marked vegan or Kosher, don’t trust Jello or marshmallows,
either. That moment of vegetarianism
brought to you by Nemain and PETA.