Torture Warning
Crimson's POV:
I had been with Stryker for I believe a couple of days now, I hadn't seen the outside world so I based time on Stryker's energy and the number of outfit changes. Each day he came in and asked the same question over and over again each day finding a new way to torture me. The third interrogation his method was burning the skin on my abdomen, the fourth day it was cutting lines lengthways across my forearms, today was the fifth day. The pain never stopped, nothing healed properly, my hand had made no sign of coming back. Someone will come for me soon, right?
The door opened and there came Stryker ready to ask the same damn question and receive the same fucking answer. This is textbook insanity; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I suppose that is why he never utilized the same form of torture twice, it gave him hope that something would break me.
Stryker walked over the table and picked up a hammer and a screwdriver, I could only begin to imagine how he would make use of the pair. Would he build me a house? Put together some furniture? It seemed he had a different idea, one less constructive.
He pulled up my shirt and felt around my abdomen. He then placed the screwdriver directly on top of one of my ribs. He lined the hammer up on top of it and stared me down with a sickening grin.
"I think you know by now what I am here to ask"
"I'm afraid I do not know the muffin man"
Stryker still unamused slammed the hammer down onto the screwdriver causing an audible cracking noise. I could feel the immense pain from several areas of my body and he continued on cracking and breaking rib after rib. He didn't even stop to question me this time. He merely went about his work with a smile on his face.
"Someone's just upset that he's less evolved"
"I will kill you"
"Is that supposed to be a threat because that's all I've ever wanted?"
"I will kill everyone you love"
"In that case, I love you"
A little while later
I awoke to loud alarms going off and a red siren lit up the room. Oh boy, this should be good. The door burst open and Stryker ran in looking a little beat up. He ran to me and held a gun against my head. Some after Erik walked calmly into the room, he looked at me and his eyes lit up, and then his face contorted with anger. Erik started to move towards me.
"Move any closer and I kill her" Stryker warned.
Erik merely chuckled and held up his hand. He turned Stryker's gun and pulled the trigger killing Stryker instantly with a bullet to the brain. Erik rushed towards me and undid the restraints. He pulled me off of the table and into his arms gently.
"What the fuck did he do?" Erik asked.
"He took away my powers, all of them, and then tortured me," I answered.
Erik pulled away a bit and took a look at me. He took in all the cuts, bruises, burns, and bloodstains before his eyes locked onto where my hand was. He looked me back in the eyes looking somehow furious and a bit teary-eyed at the same time.
"I'd kill him again if I got the chance!"
"Can we please go home?"
"Of course, the others should be home soon, they are searching the rest of the compound."
I wrapped my arm tightly around Erik's waist as he helped me to move through the now wrecked compound. We made our way to an exit and I saw blinded by the light outside. The sun felt nice and warm against my skin. Erik laid me down onto the backseat in a car before getting himself into the driver's seat.
We didn't say anything on the ride home, but classical music played quietly on the radio offering a sense of peace. The drive took longer than expected, or maybe it just felt extra long because of the searing pain I felt in several parts of my body. I had forgotten what pain was like and how long natural healing took.
I felt the ride become rather become on the gravel driveway of the school. The car pulled into the garage and Erik helped me get out. He assisted me all the way to a bed in the medbay. After Erik left I tried to sleep, but the overwhelming pain kept me awake. I laid there exhausted and tried to distract myself from it all. I wished for the peace and calm I had felt in the afterlife.
Eventually, I could hear someone enter the room. They came around the curtain and I saw it was Hank. His jaw dropped as he took in the wounds that littered my body. He froze at my stump and looked me in the eyes.
"He took my powers, Hank"
"Love, I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm supposed to keep you safe and I failed. This shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry Crim."
"You couldn't have stopped it, Hank. This isn't your fault, so don't you dare blame yourself."
"Can you stand? I need to clean your wounds and have a look at them all."
I stood up and grabbed onto a nearby table to support myself. I took my shirt off and Hank's expression dropped at seeing the burn marks that covered my abdomen and the bruises on my ribcage. I turned around to show him the engraving Stryker had made on my upper back. I could feel his hand lightly touch the word. I turned back around and Hank pulled me into a careful embrace. I wished I could stay there forever, but then my body did the favour of reminding me of the pain.
Hank took a large wrap and carefully wrapped up my abdomen and lower back. He grabbed some alcohol and began to clean and bandage the cuts on my forearms. He put a small brace onto my middle finger and examined the missing nails. He placed a huge bandage all across my upper back and then guided me back to the bed.
"What are gonna do about the hand? Does it need to be properly amputated higher up?" I asked cautiously.
"We can keep it where it is, but I'll need to clean the cut up a bit and property cauterize everything" Hank explained.
He grabbed some tools and grabbed onto my left forearm. He carefully unwrapped the old bandages and motioned for me to look away. I felt a needle go in and then the stump went numb. I started to smell some burning but still continued to look away. A few minutes later I felt him start to wrap it up and I looked back at it. The stump was cut a lot better now and there was no more blood. Hank got up and disappeared for a moment before coming back with several pill bottles.
"You'll have to rest for a bit while everything heals and I'll try to work on getting your powers back. These should help with the pain."
"Bones, you seemed a little too professional, is everything alright?"
"No, nothing seems to be okay. My girlfriend was taken and tortured for several days and I told myself you would be okay because of your powers, but it turns out they were stolen away. I messed up and now you're so hurt and I'm worried."
"Hank, you guys got me back and saved me. That is what matters right now. This will all heal in due time, it'll leave some scars but I'll live. I'm still here and I still love you."
Hank helped me up and pulled me into another very careful hug. He lightly kissed my forehead and buried my head into his chest. I was home now and that was what mattered.
I glanced at my ruined shirt and decided to just leave it there. Hank helped to out the living room where all my friends were hanging out as usual. I knocked against the wall and they all turned to us. Their faces lit up for a moment before falling as they took in all the bandages and the missing hand.
"Stryker took my powers the first day" I announced and they all looked saddened and angry. Peter sped over first and took my remaining hand in his.
"I'm sorry," he spoke looking like he might cry. The others soon came over and had similar statements. Everyone appeared a bit teary-eyed, but only Scott, Hank, and I actually began to cry. I let out the emotions I'd been hiding away and finally allowed myself to cry. Charles and Logan soon joined the group, and Erik followed after them.
A little bit later
I carefully made my way up to my door trying to avoid motions that moved my ribcage. I was rather unsuccessful but I did get to my room; eventually. I looked at my door and saw a new nameplate by the door this one read, "Room 308, Crimson Howlett". I smiled at the sight and walked inside. I pulled my jeans off and replaced them with them pajama pants. Soon after I climbed into my bed taking in the familiar feeling I had missed so much.
Not long after I had settled someone knocked on my door and slowly opened the door. Hank peered his head in and approached the bed.
"May I?" he asked.
"Please do," I replied before trying to pull the covers open and quickly remembering that my hand was gone. Hank pulled off his sweater and then unbuttoned and removed his shirt discarding the two onto my desk. He climbed into the bed and I curled into him in the way that caused the least amount of pain. My head rested on his chest and I fell asleep listening to the steady beat of his heart.