Veronica LeBeau

The Rebirth of Project X Ch.4

After being laid on my back and pushed into a tube like machine with blinding white lights that flashed individually left to right, I was told to sit on the cold metal examining table. I tried not to hyperventilate when they were all surrounding a woman with bright red hair that was poking my skin with needles and drawing blood. While doing so I felt the same slight pressure inside my head as I did earlier when the professor was reading my mind. I put up barriers and blocked him out. I couldn't have him in my head after what had happened earlier. After that he just looked at me with slightly widened eyes for the rest of the time before they all had left me alone to analyze the results. This included a man with sunglasses that had red lenses, a woman with long white hair and darker caramel skin, the red headed woman, and of course the professor.

This is when I lost it my chest felt like it was being compressed by a car, my head was spinning, my breathing quickened and burned with every lung full, and my body shook uncontrollably. I knew that I was safe here but the thought of Striker bursting through that door with his team of scientists kept my body on edge.

I pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and resting my chin on my knees. This was my defense strategy when I was on the island. After they played with their scalpels and were done with me, they would toss me in a dirty cell and I would assume this position until the next procedure.

I was ready to release all my powers at will. Although deep down I knew Striker wouldn't find me, at least not yet, I was ready all the same.

Just then the door handle turned slowly, causing me to jump up and onto the floor. My fists flamed up and my knees bent, ready to lung at Striker's throat when he came in.

The door cracked open and I heard Logan's voice, "Hey kid, we're coming in, so don't light us on fire alright."

I still didn't lower my guard. Striker was tricky. It wouldn't be the first time he has used the voices of people I knew to influence me.

Logan walked in first followed by a person that I though I'd never have the privilege to cross paths with again.

Looking down at a deck of playing cards that he was shuffling back and forth in his hands was my brother. Remy loves cards, 'Its like havin fifty two little explosives in your pocket' as he put it. I could hear him say it every time someone would ask him why he threw cards in the same Cajun accent that we both share.

He hadn't looked up at me yet until Logan elbowed him to catch his attention. I straitened out when Remy's eyes lazily looked up and back down.

Realizing what he'd just seen he dropped his deck of cards and his eyes darted back up, "What the hell kind of sick joke is this?" Remy backed up a step.

My heart broke into a million pieces. He probably was glad to have gotten rid of me. He didn't want me back. With me gone he had a life. Oh no! What did I do. I was ruining his life coming here.

"Gambit, what do mean. It's your sister, right?" Logan looked at me suspiciously.

Remy shook his head, "You died," he pointed at me, "I saw you get shot through the chest. You can't be here!" Remy began to panic.

I slowly walked forward trying not to spook him anymore, "He brought me back. Remy, you know he can do that, but I got out. It's me," I remembered the way Remy and I could prove to each other that we weren't a copy by made by a shapeshifting mutant or a projection, "Look!"

I held out my left wrist for him to see. He cautiously looked, seeing three vertical lines with one horizontal line going through them burned into the soft skin on my arm. He slowly pulled up his left sleeve showing a similar mark.

Remy let his sleeve fall and pulled me into a hug, "I thought he had killed you," his eyes turned red and threatened him with tears, "If I had known you were alive then I would have came after you. I'm so sorry. Im..."

"Stop," I cut him off, "There was no way you could have known."

I didn't say anything, and neither did he. There was nothing to say. We just enjoyed each other's embrace again.

I vaguely recall the red headed girl coming in and getting Logan. After that Remy led me to a main room with kids running around. He talked about things at the school, the X-Men and how he was one, and a woman named Rogue who he thought quite fondly of but 'wasn't' in relations with.

We stayed talking until it grew dark and far after the last person had left the room.

********third person when Remy and Rony were talking***********

Logan had followed Jean into a room with his X-rays on a lit up wall. The professor, Storm, and Cyclops were studying and discussing the images.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked generally, not directing his question towards a specific person.

"Veronica." the professor spoke like Logan should understand what he meant.

"Care to elaborate?"

"We X-rayed her."

"And where are they?" Logan felt as if they were trying to hide something from him and his assumption was correct.

"On the wall," Jean whispered afraid of what Logan's next actions would be.

Logan turned back toward the X-rays on the wall. They looked exactly like his. Adamantium covered the skeleton and three claws hid throughout each of the wrist and forearm.

Logan's face burned with anger. Memories of William Striker flooded his thoughts. All he could see was red before as he lost it. He let his claws abruptly shoot out. He then released a loud raspy yell and stabbed through the X-ray printings on the wall with all six of his claws.

He then turned and walked out making his way to the garage before he stole Cyclops's motor cycle and took off in attempt to clear his head. Or not clear his head. Whichever it was he needed air, and fast before he let his anger consume him more than it already had. God help whoever got in his way when it did.