The youngest member (X-Men Evolution)

Dark Horizons

-Years ago, the Facility-

"Number 25's powers are developing wonderfully." Julie said with a proud smirk as she stood behind bullet-proof glass. Watching the young girl inside the room fight against armed men. They were taking turns, shooting at the girl. It was training for Marigold to practice her reaction time with her shields. "Yes, it's gotten much better since we have separated it from the other test subjects. No more distractions for it." The doctor standing beside Julie said as he took notes on his computer of Marigold's progress. Julie frowned, remembering how sad Marigold had been when she had been forced to leave the other test subjects, including her friend X-23. How sad the girl had been when she saw that number 24 had killed himself inside his cell. If only she knew everything...if only she knew the truth. "Are we sure that was the best course of action? Wasn't isolation part of the reason number 24 killed himself?" Julie asked turning to the doctor. The room was silent, the only sound in the air was Marigold grunting in pain when a bullet grazed her arm. "There is no way to know for sure." The doctor finally said, "but make sure you don't forget. That thing inside the room...is not a child. Number 25 is a weapon. So we must treat them as such. If we treat it like a human, it will act like a human...if you treat if like a weapon, well-" The doctor said, before gesturing to the glass. Julie looked through it to see Marigold get shot in the shoulder. She cried out and fell to her knees. The shooting didn't stop, and the girl didn't stop putting her shields up either. Julie blinked, shocked as the girl kept deflecting bullets, even as blood started running down her arm. "Treat it like a weapon, and it's one of the most powerful weapons you will ever use." The doctor said with a smile. "The first Winter Solider was a failure, this one will not be."  The doctor said with a grin. Julie watched as the experiment continued. She felt something in her heart, it took a few moments for her to place it...but she came up with the word that described the pain in her chest perfectly. 'guilt.'

-Present time-

-Xavier Institute, Marigold's Pov-

It was night time, and everybody was supposed to be asleep in the Institute. As it turned out, someone was roaming around the corridors. This person entered the professor's room, and moments later; a slight groan in pain could be heard coming from his room. Next, the figure goes to Jean's room. She isn't aware there was somebody entering her room and another moan is heard from her room. Kitty get's awoken by another moan, coming from Scott's room. She jumps out of her bed, but as she goes towards her door, somebody opens it. She hides behind the door, and phases through the wall to avoid whoever is coming into her room late at night. She never realizes it's Rogue who enters the room. As she runs over to Scott's room to wake him, she notices he's out cold, and not just sleeping. "Like, what is happening?!" Before she can get help, she falls down to the ground, knocked out. Rogue had followed her, and had absorbed her powers.

Marigold was tucked away in the library while this was happening, her nightmares keeping her from getting much sleep since her return from being under Magneto's control. She had a book in her hands, but she isn't reading it. Marigold's nightmares are much more haunting then they had been before the Winter Soldier had been woken up in her mind. Most of the time Marigold is able to keep number 25 pushed down, and the Professor has been helping her. But she constantly feels the programming in her mind, fighting for control. And it's exhausting, the girl feels like she can't fall asleep, or she might wake up as 25. Marigold gets pulled from her thoughts when she hears walking behind her. She turns to see Rouge walking up to her. "Oh, hey. What are you doing he-" Marigold's words are cut off as Rogue reaches her hand out to try and touch Marigold's cheek. The girl forms a shield quickly around Rogue's hand and jumps up from the chair she had been sitting in. "Rogue?" Marigold asks, standing in front of the girl in a fighting stance. She looked at the teen in front of her. Rogue's face is blank, Marigold frowns. "What's going on-ah!" Marigold's question ends in a startled scream from the girl as Rogue used Jean's telepathic powers to lift the girl into the air. Marigold starts kicking the air, trying to find a way out of Rogue's hold. "Why are you using Jean's powers?! What is going on Rogue!" Marigold cries out as Rogue reaches her hands out towards Marigold again. Marigold puts a shield around herself for protection, but that proves useless as Rogue uses Kitty's powers to phase through the shield. "Awh, dang it." Marigold says as Rogue reaches her cheek with her hand. Marigold cries out in pain, before falling to the ground. Knocked out.