X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Witness ❯ Adapt or Perish ( Chapter 8 )

Authors Note/Disclaimer:

 

I do not own XMen Evolution, its characters, or the universe they live in. I intend no disrespect or copyright infringement. This is a work of adult fan fiction and is intended only for entertainment purposes. I make no money from this work.

 

This chapter focuses on Marissa -- I will get back to Todd later -- and I definitely have plans for more sex. Just not in this chapter.

 

Warnings: Some profanity, a little humor -- at least I think it's kind of funny in an uncomfortable way. But, I'm a little twisted. Read on gentle readers!

 

Please see the first chapter for complete warnings for this piece.

 

<b>Chapter Eight: Adapt or Perish </b>

 

Marissa stifled her panic as Sabertooth's claws dug into her shoulder, pushing her more than guiding her to the waiting limo. He stopped her at the rear door and opened it, shoving her inside. She scrambled inside and sat down on the gray leather seat. Sabertooth leaned inside to follow her.

 

“Sabertooth!” Magneto spoke sharply. “You will drive.”

 

Sabretooth bared his teeth and growled, but he withdrew. The others climbed inside and she found herself flanked by Gambit and Colossus. Pyro and Magneto shared the opposite seat and Sabertooth clambered into the driver's seat, slamming his door shut with more force than was necessary.

 

As the car began to move, Magneto pulled out a lap top and began to type, ignoring his companions. Pyro rested his chin on his elbow and stared out the window. Gambit pulled out a deck of cards again and shuffled them idly. Colossus simply sat with his hands in his lap.

 

Marissa tried to make herself small, so as not to brush against either man. She glanced up and caught Sabertooth looking at her in the rearview mirror. She quickly looked down again at her hands, not wanting to meet his gaze.

 

It had worked. Maybe too well. Sabertooth looked ready to drag her off somewhere.

 

She swallowed hard as she felt the curious glances from Magneto's men. She'd pushed the right buttons…at least she hoped so. Magneto saw her as possibly useful rather than as an obstacle. Good. Maybe even as someone in need of protection, he was a father right?

 

And his Acolytes…they were looking at her. Deciding if they wanted her…or at least what she represented. Wondering what kind of girl would hook up with one of the Brotherhood. Wondering whether Magneto was serious about giving her to someone - she hadn't counted on that.

 

She'd played this game before, that's how she'd survived with Salvador's gang for so long. But, these weren't the rough street thugs Salvador ran with. These were grown men - and Magneto had already pegged her as a manipulator.

 

Look scared and vulnerable. That wouldn't be hard. She was scared shitless and pulling the knife in her boot would be laughable against these guys. But not like a kid - that was the hard part. She certainly felt like one.

 

Tears began to drip down her face and she kept her head bowed. She tried to wipe them away without being seen. Poor Todd. She hadn't talked to him about the plans she made with Lance. Knew he wouldn't agree. Lance would talk to him later, keep him from charging after her and getting himself killed. Please God, don't let him get himself killed.

 

As she dropped her hand to her lap, Gambit pressed a small linen handkerchief into her damp palm. She clutched it tightly and stifled a sob. She used it to dab at her eyes.

 

“You're not crying are you?” Pyro was staring at her now. “Bloody hell.”

 

Marissa just turned her head away from him without answering. She tried to swallow back the tears as she stared out the window past Colossus' broad chest.

 

“Damn sheilas -- always blubbering.” Pyro muttered.

 

“It is you who complains, Pyro.” The large man beside her spoke. It was the first time she had heard his voice, deep and heavily accented. Wanda had said he was Russian.

 

“Humph!” Pyro returned to staring out his window.

 

Magneto looked up from his laptop and studied Marissa's face.

 

“Piotr, perhaps you should give her something to help her relax.”

 

Colossus opened a small compartment beside him and took out a bottle of water and a vial of pills. He shook out two of the pills and offered them to her. Marissa hesitated.

 

“Do I have to?”

 

“It will be easier for you. They will make you sleep. Nothing more.” The Russian's voice was low and calm. Marissa reached for the pills reluctantly. She didn't like the idea of being drugged, but it would be worse if they forced them on her. She accepted the bottle of water and swallowed the pills quickly.

 

She continued to sip the water silently, wondering where they were going. Wherever it was, they didn't want her to know the location. It wasn't long before she was feeling groggy and she couldn't seem to remember why she was crying. Then she was leaning up against the warm bulk of the man beside her and she felt someone take the bottle of water from her. Then there was nothing.

 

 

When she awoke she was alone. The limo and its occupants were gone and she was lying in a bed in a sparsely furnished room. It held a desk, two chairs, the bed she was lying in, and a tall cupboard against the wall. There were two doors, one closed and the other opened onto a bathroom. She was covered with a blanket and when she sat up she discovered she wore nothing but a hospital gown.

 

“Shit. Where am I?” As she moved her arms, she discovered a bandage in the crook of one elbow and a growing bruise that told her someone had drawn blood. On her opposite wrist, there was an itchy spot and a patch of adhesive that told her there'd been an IV too.

 

“What did they do?” She slipped out of the bed and padded to the closed door and tried it. Of course it was locked. A frightening suspicion loomed in her mind and she ducked into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself. She pulled up the hospital gown and used some tissue to check herself. Surgical jelly and a little blood. Shit!

 

Cursing she lifted a foot onto the toilet to reach inside to check - thank God! The string was still there. She blessed Wanda again for having the brilliant idea to get an IUD. Somebody had done a fucking pelvic on her! That meant Magneto was taking her idea seriously…maybe too seriously.

 

She sat down on the toilet seat and wrapped her arms around herself. It was too late to back out now - she had no way to call for help. Lance was supposed to organize a rescue attempt if she was out of contact for more than a month - but a lot could happen in a month. She shivered.

 

“Snap out of it.” She stood up and pulled open the shower door. “Shower first, nervous breakdown later.” The bathroom appeared to be stocked with a teenage girl in mind - she recognized Wanda's favorite brands and decided they must be leftover from sometime when Wanda had stayed with her father. Fine with her. She let the hot water relax her as she scrubbed away the evidence of her exam.

 

She was sitting wrapped in a towel trying to comb the snarls out of her wet hair when the door opened. She looked up to see Colossus's large frame fill the doorway.

 

“Excuse me.” He looked a little uncomfortable. He wasn't shy was he?

 

“Hi.” Marissa paused in her efforts, hair dripping across her bare shoulders.

 

“How are you feeling?” He closed the door behind himself and moved to stand beside the desk.

 

“Better now that I've had a shower.”

 

“Good.” He stood looking down at her for a moment.

 

“How long was I out?”

 

“Two days.” He watched her face, looking for a reaction, but Marissa just continued to comb her hair slowly. “You will get dressed for dinner. I will return in half an hour.” He turned to leave.

 

“Wait…um…Colossus?”

 

“Yes?” He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

 

“Dressed for dinner? What does that mean?” She put the comb down on the desk and stood up, one hand clutching the towel to make sure it didn't come loose. The man turned to look at her. “I just don't want to look like an idiot.”

 

“Ah…” The Russian considered her question, seemed to be searching for words. “It is easier to show you.” He walked over to the cupboard and opened it. Inside hung a small collection of clothes, probably Wanda's too. He flipped quickly through them and selected one. It was a simple tank dress in a deep chocolate brown - Wanda had probably never worn it, it was a little too conservative for her taste. He laid the dress over the bed.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You are welcome.” He nodded then left her alone again, locking the door behind him.

 

Marissa looked again at the dress thoughtfully. Looked like something a father would want to see his daughter in didn't it? Hmm…Interesting. Had Colossus chosen to suit himself, or Magneto?

 

She rummaged around in the cupboard until she found sandals and some under things, again in Wanda's size rather than hers. She found no trace of her clothes, but she did find her switchblade with her scrunchie wrapped around it in the desk drawer. She tucked it away again.

 

By the time Colossus returned, she was waiting, damp hair slicked back and pinned with a heavy barrette she had found in the bathroom. She'd found a gold chain with a crucifix on it too, but had taken it off and just wore the chain looped around her neck.

 

Colossus's eyes widened a little as he took in her changed appearance. Marissa shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't worn a dress since her foster family had made her go to church when she was twelve.

 

“This OK?”

 

“Yes.” He gestured for her to walk through the door. “Come with me.”

 

Their steps echoed through windowless corridors. The lights were bright and harsh and Colossus was silent as he guided her to their destination. Finally, they entered into a large room occupied by a large polished steel table surrounded by matching chairs. Magneto and the other Acolytes were already seated before empty plates.

 

Colossus took her by the elbow and guided her to an empty seat next to Magneto and took his the seat on her other side.

 

“Good Evening, Marissa.” Magneto spoke as she took her seat.

 

“Hi.”

 

Magneto nodded to her and then metal platters of food began to rise from the table and move slowly from one person to another. Marissa wondered if he did that every day or if he was just showing off. If he was like Pietro, he was probably showing off. She filled her plate quietly and watched the others from the corners of her eyes.

 

The men made little conversation as they ate. Marissa hardly tasted what was on her plate, even though she was starving. When they were nearly finished, Magneto spoke again.

 

“Well, Marissa. I would like to hear more about this `legacy' idea of yours.” Marissa swallowed a lump of mashed potatoes that had suddenly become like a lump of paste and reached for a sip of water to wash it down.

 

“I…um…have thought a lot about the normal versus mutant thing. That mutants are supposed to be the `next step.'”

 

“And?”

 

“I think that's probably right. Mutants have been popping up all over the world, different places, different ethnic backgrounds. It's a world-wide thing. Most of them are first-generation. That means that lots of us normals are carriers - some of us are probably even latents that just haven't hit their environmental trigger.”

 

“And how does someone like you know about carriers and environmental triggers?” Magneto scowled at her.

 

“I did a paper on it for school once. The bi…teacher gave me a B minus. I don't know if she didn't like mutants or if it was just me. But I should have gotten an A. I worked hard on it!” She set her glass down a little harder than she meant to and it splashed over her hand. She fumbled with her napkin to clean it up. So much for not looking like a kid.

 

“I agree. I've read it.” Magneto pulled a battered sheaf of paper from a folder that had been sitting next to his plate. He flipped through it idly.

 

“How did you get that?” Marissa was shocked. It wasn't just a copy, it was the original she had turned in, complete with a smear of jelly on the title page where her foster father had carelessly set a piece of toast.

 

“Your last foster family was willing to part with some of your personal effects. For a price.” He closed the report and set it down on the table, folding his hands in front of himself. “I was ready to dismiss your idea as simply an attempt to curry favor…but this was written before you encountered the Brotherhood.”

 

“Yeah. Not long after the Sentinel thing. Bad timing I guess.”

 

“Possibly.” Magneto continued. “Please continue.”

 

“O.K. I um…am trying to organize my thoughts. This is a world-wide thing - this process of becoming something new, right? This is kind of a chancy stage right now. There's enough of us…” Marissa laid a palm across her chest. “To possibly wipe all of you out - or at least cause enough damage to delay things. Really it's a numbers game now.”

 

“I am aware of the danger.”

 

“Anyway if it's a numbers game…then you play your numbers. Have as many people as possible who carry the `x-factor' pass it on as possible. Not just mutants - there's too few of them to make a real difference in this generation, numbers wise.”

 

“Quantity over quality?” Magneto's lips twitched in a small smile. “I hardly think a breeding program will be popular with the masses.”

 

“I'm not talking about making people do anything they don't want to do.”

 

“I do not follow your reasoning.”

 

“Hmm…I have a lot of different ideas…some may work and some may not.”

 

“Indulge me. Share a few.”

 

“Well. Right now, supposedly `scientific' matchmaking services are all over the TV and internet. Why not make one specifically for mutants and `mutant-friendly' singles? Mutants like you…” She waved her hands at the men assembled “Probably don't have too much trouble getting girls. But, there's lots more like Todd and Fred who may never find anyone without a little help.” Pyro burst out laughing and Sabertooth snorted.

 

“Go on.” Magneto ignored them.

 

“Well…There is the groupie thing…actors, athletes, musicians and such. Girls…and sometimes guys throw themselves at these people. Throw a little good PR on mutants and maybe get the same reaction. Get some articles published in popular magazines and start an Internet campaign. You know…like how mutants make better lovers, be a part of the future and stuff like that.” Even Colossus was trying to hide a smile behind his glass now. Pyro was laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

 

“A propaganda campaign?” Magneto tapped on the table with his fingers as he considered. “Amusing if nothing else…continue.”

 

“Why not have things like sperm banks and adoption agencies that specialize in babies that will carry the `x-factor?' Before you laugh at me, look at how popular it is for celebrities to adopt third-world orphans. Imagine Angelina and Brad adopting a mutant-baby. More good PR there and a mutant who would have lots of bank when he or she grows up.”

 

“I could name a number of problems, but nothing that could not be overcome. Hmm…” Magneto looked thoughtful. “You are still talking in terms of generations.”

 

“Yeah. But that is how evolution is supposed to work. Generations. The flip side is, mutants are spread so thin in this generation it is possible that not enough of them will be able to find compatible mates to continue the mutant legacy. In a few generations they might just…vanish.”

 

“That would solve your problem if not ours.”

 

“I don't want to see that happen. Seriously.” Marissa glared at Pyro who was still chuckling.

 

“How serious are you, Marissa?”

 

“Pretty darn serious.”

 

“Then I have a proposal for you. As it is, you are a liability to the Brotherhood.”

 

“I try to pull my own weight.”

 

“You have already put my son in danger once.” Magneto scowled at her.

 

“He put himself there. I never asked him for help.”

 

“All the same, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Magnet opened the folder again and pulled out a battered notebook. He flipped it open and showed her the inside cover. It was covered in scrawling doodles. In the center was one large statement in Marissa's own handwriting. “What does this say?”

 

“Adapt or Perish.” Marissa shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “That was my Biology notebook.”

 

“I want to see how well you can adapt, Marissa.”

 

“How so?” Marissa replied suspiciously.

 

“I will provide with an *opportunity* to better yourself. You will learn self-defense among other subjects. If you do well, I will consider letting you return to the Brotherhood.”

 

“What's the catch?”

 

“You will begin your `legacy' as soon as your training is completed to my satisfaction. You are young and quite healthy. It shouldn't take long to produce a child.”

 

“You're kidding.”

 

“I am quite serious.”

 

“What if I can't `adapt'?”

 

“Then you will not be returning to the Brotherhood.”

 

The rest of the meal was a blur to Marissa and she moved woodenly as they all rose. A hand at her elbow guided her to follow them as they filed into another room to sit before a large video monitor. She absently identified the hand as belonging to Gambit as he sat beside her.

 

Her thoughts were spinning - Magneto had taken her vague idea and run with it. She should have run, hid with the X-Geeks. Begged that Professor guy to hide her and Todd. What an idiot to think she could pull her tricks on these guys! Now she was really stuck. He hadn't even promised to let her go home if she succeeded - whatever that meant.

 

Get Lance to call in the cavalry if she ever got the chance? Would they really be able to find her? No. The whole point was to avoid open conflict, right? The Brotherhood weren't kids anymore. Things would get ugly. People might get killed. A street rat like her wasn't worth getting killed over.

 

As images began to play across the screen, they slowly trickled into her awareness. She gasped as she recognized herself pacing back and forth beside Pietro's motorcycle. Then Angie's lure. The camera followed her desperate struggle and flight. Whoever took this footage must have been traveling from rooftop to rooftop.

 

“What is this? Who took this?” Marissa looked around, finally seeing the men around her. Magneto stood beside the monitor watching closely and she was flanked by Pyro and Gambit. Colossus sat on the other side of Pyro and Sabertooth lounged against the wall. As her gaze fell on him he gave a toothy smile.

 

“Watch…” Magneto watched the attack intently. “This is your foster brother?”

 

“That's…that's him. Salvador.” Marissa flinched as she watched the images. She saw herself stripped and tossed around; when she palmed the switchblade she heard a grunt from Gambit's direction. When she sliced Salvador, Pyro whistled. Magneto paused the video as Salvador pulled his gun.

 

“Why are you showing this to me? I…I know all this. I lived it.”

 

“Making a point. Sabertooth was unable to get audio, however, he reports that this Salvador scolded you for associating with mutants…among other things.”

 

“He's mostly pissed at my narcing on him.”

 

“The point is, you were poorly prepared for this attack. And if you think Salvador is the only one who might wish to punish you for associating with our kind, you are fool.”

 

“Look like she put up a good fight to me.” Gambit shifted in his seat. “Long enough for help to come, no?”

 

Magneto continued the video, showing Pietro's entrance, followed by Rahne. He slowed down the video to make Pietro's movements visible. After Pietro knocked Salvador down and turned to check on Rahne. Salvador was reaching for the gun, turning in slow motion to train it on Pietro's unprotected back. Then something small came from high in the frame and struck Salvador's gun hand. He fumbled with the gun, obviously in pain. Then he scrambled quickly down a side alley. Magneto paused the video.

 

“Pietro believes he repelled this attack on his own.” Magneto turned to stare at Marissa. “But he might have been killed if Sabertooth had not intervened.” The video began again. Magneto paused it when a fully human Rahne was centered in the field of view.

 

“This is one of the Institute's students is it not?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Her name is Rahne Sinclair, code named Wolfsbane. What is her connection to Pietro and the Brotherhood?”

 

“You'd have to ask Pietro. I never saw her before that day.” If Pietro didn't want to tell his father, Marissa wasn't going to either. She owed Pietro her life.

 

“Have you seen her since that day?” He allowed the video to continue to play. It cut short as Rahne's friends began to arrive.

 

“I saw her at the Institute where they patched me up. I haven't seen her since.”

 

“Is Pietro seeing this girl?”

 

“You'd have to ask him. Pietro's pretty private. He doesn't talk to me about that stuff.” Magneto narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he stared at her for a moment.

 

“Perhaps I will.” He turned off the monitor. “Take her back to her quarters.”

 

“Wait! Can I call home, please? Let them know I'm all right?”

 

“Of course. We wouldn't want them to worry…” Magneto pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number, then handed the phone to her. “Now would we?”