A Soul Divided: Part Six

by Kerri

Charlotte found herself in a part of town she didn't recognize. She readily admitted to herself now she'd been stupid to run off like that, not that it helped. She'd just had to get away from him and from them. It seemed that coming to this reality lowered her IQ about 50 points. She would've never done this in her own world.

Yeah, she would, but there she would've had somewhere to run.

Now she was out here without transportation, money, or even good sense. She couldn't even call the mansion without the phone number, even if she'd want to risk someone answering who'd just hang up on her.

Faint sounds from a nearby alley drew her attention, her self pity fading to the background. Nothing like someone's troubles to get her mind off how hopeless this life had become. She slipped into the darker shadows to see what the problem was.

Three figures hunched over a fourth, fists swinging, nothing but grunts from the assailants audible. Now this was hardly fair. Time to even up the sides. She moved silently up behind them.

Two she took out by smashing their heads together, dropping them like rocks at her feet. The third caught sight of glowing golden eyes, hearing only an angry growl.

"Mutie!" he screamed before the sound was cut off to a choking garble, her hand crushing his windpipe. He lost consciousness. She let him fall next to his cohorts.

'Didn't even break a sweat,' she thought in disgust. They sure didn't breed 'em smart here.

A low moan from the victim had her kneeling next to the figure on the ground. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," she said as soothingly as she could. She rolled him over gently, wincing at his groans that he tried to stifle. He shook with the effort it took to not let himself go with the pain.

A headlight turned the corner, briefly lighting up the alley. She got a good look at him. Damn, the poor kid was a bloody mess. His eyes opened and she sucked in a breath.

"Everett? Synch?"

Voices coming their way forced her out of her surprise. "Come on, we got to get out of here." She helped him up, the larger teenager leaning heavily on her. He limped along, slowing them down. They got about a hundred feet away. The voices came closer, friends of the three on the ground.

"Can you synch to me?" she whispered urgently, "I can hide us if you can."

He nodded slightly, unable to speak yet, then linked into her.

They crouched against a doorway, Charlotte propping him up against the recessed door with her body. It was taking all he had left to help cover their tracks, he couldn't have remained upright on his own. She cloaked them in a combination of psi and magic, using his own power as sparingly as possible.

The others came, seven of them, carrying various types of makeshift weapons.

"Damn, the mutie got 'em." One kicked at a fallen comrade in disgust. "Can't the three of 'em handle one freak?"

The others looked around for Everett. "He's gone! What are we gonna tell the rest?"

"Tell 'em we got jumped by a whole group of freaks. Can't tell 'em one got away from us."

With more mutant bashing, they picked up their buddies and left.

Charlotte held the shield for a few more minutes, making sure no one was doubling back. When she was satisfied they were alone, she released the cover and eased Everett back down.

He was panting hard with the effort. With gentle hands she tried to find his injuries. The tenderness over his ribs and chest told her he most likely had a few cracked ribs, if not broken. The bruising and swelling on his face and neck would be all right in a few days. The ribs were important. One wrong move and he could have one through a lung.

"Is there somewhere I can take, maybe where you can get help?" she asked him. "Hospital?"

At the mention of a hospital his eyes widened in alarm and he shook his head. "No," he choked out.

"I'm a 'path. Will you let me scan you?"

After a long minute he nodded.

"Don't synch to me while I'm doing this, it'll hurt."

<Who are you? You're a mutant?>

<Yeah. My name's Charlie. Just happening by when I saw you playing with the boys' club. Didn't think you'd mind me joining the party.>

<Not at all. Thanks.>

<Where can I take you?>

<Secret.>

<Your death will be secret too if I don't get you some medical help. I'm not going to tell anyone, I'm not even from around here.> He had no idea how far from home she was.

He really had no choice. It was either suffer here and wait till they came back to look for him or tell her where the others were. They could probably handle her if she was a plant. He decided to chance it and gave her directions to the underground headquarters of the local chapter of the Mutant Support League.

The entrance he directed her to was heavily guarded. If she hadn't been so intent of making the trip as easy for the boy as possible she would have noticed they were surrounded before it happened. Six young mutants circled them. She halted, Everett wavering on her shoulder. It was all she could do to keep him from collapsing at her feet, as big as he was. No one said anything.

Charlotte wasn't going to stand around all night getting bled on and stared at. She could have done that at the mansion and still had a place to sleep. "You ready to watch him die on me?" she asked irritably.

Two came forward to take him from her. She had to make herself give him up, as possessive as she felt with the only familiar face here. It left her with four hostile people. Didn't anyone like Blade in this reality? Anyone beside the jerk in the bar.

Of course, it couldn't help she was covered in blood, Everett's blood, and he'd brought her to a place that was strictly off limits. Couldn't help the situation one little bit. They couldn't be blamed for thinking maybe she did that to their friend.

She waited quietly, holding her tongue which threatened to run away from her. These kids were dangerous, she could feel the menace pour off them. They were babies, babies with lethal powers.

Another familiar face came out of the dark, his green skin pale in the moonlight.

"Leech?" Charlotte whispered.

One of her guards produced a pair of handcuffs and locked her to the mutant child, effectively negating any help her own power might have been. They were a cautious bunch, she'd give them that.

The boy didn't look at her, keeping his head down and eyes adverted.

"Leech," she said audibly.

He glanced up at her, then back down.

"This way," a guard spoke, gesturing her to enter first. They all stepped back to stay out of the power dampener's range.

"If you're gonna die, do it with style," she muttered to herself. She reached down and took Leech's hand in hers and stepped through the door.

She moved through the dark, Leech leading the way down into a cold tunnel to a second door. Pushing that one open, she entered a large underground warehouse.

She estimated she was a least two stories below the surface. Too far to dig her way out, too many people to fight her way through without killing anyone, though it might be therapeutic to try. These kids obviously believed no power equaled weakness. She'd had too many centuries of combat and survival experience to be helpless without power and Leech would have no effect on her manipulation of her magic.

Leech led her to a corner, where a group of kids where gathered around a table. They were a bit older than the welcome wagon, but not by much. Jean did say the Mutant Support League attracted the younger mutants. Not one of them could be more than 20 years old. There had to be at least 2 dozen of them here milling around, smack dab in the midst of stockpiled crated weapons, if the stenciling was anything to judge by.

One stood up, a huge, unsmiling young man. He wore black, a biker's headscarf and a faded denim shirt. Wide stainless steel cuffs encircled both thick wrists. His face already bore scars of aggression along with pock marks of adolescent acne, his eyes were ancient. All of them were aged beyond their years. She could feel her maternal instincts kick in. What were they doing? Why did this world have to be so screwed up?

"Ev said you saved him," the kid said, his voice sounding like the rough idle from a Harley.

It wasn't a question. She didn't say anything.

"What's your name?"

"Charlie."

"Why were you out on the street? Breaking curfew could've got you killed."

"There's a curfew for adults?"

"Mutants."

"And you're so sure I'm a mutant."

"Ev says you are."

"So that's why I got the escort." She gently squeezed Leech's hand she still held.

"Doesn't pay to take chances. You can call me Lakato. I head up the MSL in this area."

"How about unlocking these things and letting me wash the blood off? It's drying and getting itchy."

He considered it, then nodded to one of the guards, who stepped up and unlocked the cuffs. She rubbed her wrist, then reached for Leech's to check for damage, rubbing his smaller hand lightly. He gave her a shy smile and scampered off.

"'Cause any trouble, and we'll get rid of you." Lakato told her.

"Is that a secret code for 'nice to meecha' around here? Don't think you're the only who's ever said that to me, buddy," Charlotte shot back at him. "There's a long list of people ahead of you on this world."

"There's blood here, lots of it, but it ain' hers," Wolverine looked around the alley. "She was here, tho."

He, Gambit and Magneto were following Charlotte's trail, the others refusing to help, Beast unable to help. Damn woman had been nearly all over town, even backtracked a few times. It was clear she'd been disturbed during her night stroll. Now the blood.

"There was a group of people through here recently," he continued. He circled the area, trying to pick up her scent again. He was about to make another suggestion when he found it out on the edge of the alley, the blood scent almost overwhelming it. "This way." Follow the blood now. Made things easier all around.

"What are you kids doing with all this firepower?" Charlotte looked at some of the boxes. Explosives, guns, ammo. Enough to start a small war. She blinked. Or a large riot.

"We're not playing games here," Lakatos told her tightly. "Where you been? You don't know about the mutant laws?"

"Why don't you enlighten me."

He did, sparing no detail. Charlotte listened with growing horror. Not only did mutants have to register, but so did their families. Mutants were completely restricted, from where they lived to where they shopped, the places they could get medical treatment, even the kinds of jobs they could hold or the level of education they could receive. Segregation at its worst couldn't have been this bad. Any outbreak of mutant activity was dealt with lethal force. The law turned a blind eye to violence committed against known mutants.

Her shock must have shone on her face.

"You didn't know?" a girl questioned her, growing suspicious at the new arrival.

"I've been...sequestered," Charlotte answered. "I didn't realize it had gone so far." The team didn't tell her. No wonder Beast wouldn't leave the mansion. She didn't blame him one bit. This was horrible. "Is it like this everywhere?"

"Only in the last few years and pretty much in this country. The government still uses mutants in security work, but that's a sell out. They're not trying to help the rest of us."

"So you're going to make your point with an explosion?"

"Gotta grab people's attention, make 'em understand." Lakatos said.

"This isn't going to do it. All it's going to do is kill people and inflame the population." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. These kids made her feel old, tired, and so very homesick.

Lakatos turned his very cold and very dead eyes to her. "Then people will die."

[next part]

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