"Are you mad? No, really, are you mad? There is a likelihood that by getting in contact with Erik, he'll bring company; and really, as much as one person in particular would be nice to see, the others? Not so much. And plus, do you really want them around the children here?" Hank asked while following behind the brunette with a fast pace. Charles, having lost contact and the connection with Valeryia had wasted very little time in leaving the study. His reasoning for the sudden frantic actions of leaving were lost on Hank. Charles was muttering half-sentences which made very little sense to him. Hank was smart enough to surmise the general gist though: Valeryia was in danger, possibly needed Erik's help - not that Hank imagined it to be any decent help - and she got in touch with Charles for the go between, or something. Sure, details actually seemed rather hazy there, but Hank was guessing away here.

"She's been taken, Hank!" Charles exclaimed exasperated. He even stopped in his chair and looked up with a frown. "What would you have me do? Ignore the call for help? She's hurt, and she's been taken. Is it not enough we've let others succumb to her fate? How can we leave her, Hank? How?" Charles asked while looking upsettingly up at him now. His moment of anger had dissipated and now all that remained was a lingering sadness. Charles had seen the reports of missing people, so many in such a short amount of time was suspicious, until realising that after a fair bit of snooping on both Charles and Hank's behalf, it was found out those missing people had all one thing in common: they were mutants.

Hank looked downwards at the floor, the carpet a little worn looking now from all the pairs of feet which walked it. "How do you even know he'll listen?" Hank asked obviously, the last time they were face to face, or rather remotely near each other it wasn't exactly the best of times, regardless of the many months which had passed by now.

Charles sighed, "I have to try." He sounded resolute, quiet but determined on the matter. He wasn't going to sit back and resign to the fact that Valeryia was going to have a horrible end.

"If you manage to get in touch with him, there's only a fifty-fifty chance of him believing you."

Charles had started to make himself motion downwards to the lower levels of the house. He paused though, hearing Hank's words. Turning, or at least managing to get the chair to half-turn, Charles looked at him sadly. "He'll be returning back to chaos. I'm not sure there's anyway for him not to believe me, Hank." And with that, Charles turned back around and continued down to where the new and improved Cerebro was now housed. Charles knew full well that this was going to be hard, even more so considering he not only had a way to shield himself, but he also had Emma who'd do the job too. There must be a time where he was out of synch with both, Erik couldn't be shielded from view forever, or at least all the time. It was just trying to find this narrow window of opportunity which stood before Charles, and for the sake of a mutual friend, even if Erik and her were a little more than that by now, Charles would try anything and everything.

----

Having distant sounds of agonising screams wasn't exactly the wake up call Valeryia was expecting, but it's what she got. Even before she opened her eyes she was aware to being strapped down, she couldn't help but let out a sigh at that. It wasn't the first time she'd been restrained, she spent most of her time back in that building tied down thanks to her father. People tend to fear others which seem so easily to flip and turn destructive in moments.

It was cold too, clinical and cold, other than the sounds of torment there was nothing else she could hear. No voices, no talking, just the screaming. Slowly she opened her eyes. Ochre eyes looked slowly upwards, she was staring at a grey coloured wall. There was a bright strip light on the ceiling which made her squint, she swore she was getting more of a hatred for bright lights with each day which passed. Looking down, she eyed the restraints against her wrists, and across her chest, legs and ankles and all. They really had no intentions of letting her move. Valeryia couldn't help but frown, at least on her free will.

Looking slowly upwards she stared at something in the corner of the room. She was being watched, looking at the clunky looking camera she couldn't help but sneer. She was getting serious deja vu, and she didn't like it at all. She didn't do being shut away, likewise she didn't do being tied down. Surely these restraints weren't that strong, right?

She had zero qualms about hurting herself if it meant getting free. With her hands how they were, she could try cutting the piece across her hips, well aware to the fact that she'd end up cutting into her skin. She would say: 'and her clothes', but it seems they had been replaced by simple hospital looking garb. White t-shirt, white trousers, no shoes. She couldn't help but scoff, institutions.

Scoffing perhaps wasn't the smartest thing to do, but what else was there for her to do? She was stuck, in a place filled with the screams and shouts of hundreds of tortured souls wanting freedom. Her eyes slid shut, she was one mutant of many here which now found themselves on the waiting list for curious humans to prod and poke at. She wasn't an idiot, it took her mind mere moments to figure out everything, or there about.

Being a science experiment was something she didn't exactly want to relive, but then who would? Hearing the door open, her eyes remained shut for a few more moments before opening and staring at the tall, dark haired man who now stood by her bedside, if this slab could be called a bed.

"You have been having quite an adventure, haven't you?" The accented voice sounded out rather coldly in the small room. Considering the amount of people they probably crammed into this building, and Valeryia guessed there were many, they couldn't exactly afford to give those they held hostage large rooms, could they? It wasn't like they were all here for a holiday break. "Quite tricksy, I wonder where you get that from?" He didn't sound all too thoughtful really as Valeryia stared up at him quietly. He clearly had a lot to say, so why not just let him talk? "You know, you would've been here a lot sooner if it were possible. But it seems someone wanted to keep you secreted away, hm? Is someone perhaps wanting to back out of a deal?"

Valeryia licked her bottom lip. "You're Volkov Strauss."

He smiled at that, it wasn't a pleasant thing to look at at all. The crude, but shard like blue eyes just stared lifelessly down at her. "You have heard of me."

"Through the grapevine. It seems any memory I actually should have of you I've blanked entirely, which says a lot about you, I guess."

Strauss laughed at that, much like his smile it was a harsh thing. Not comical at all. "A sense of humour! Don't you have it all? I do not think you will be joking for much longer. See, we had a use for you, when you were ready. Only, as I mentioned, you were hidden from us." Strauss leaned against the slab and lowered his face close, Valeryia tried to edge away, not that she could. He smiled, "So, shall we begin?"

"I don't suppose I can decline?"

"Afraid not." Strauss said with a smirk, staying close and clearly enjoying her moment of being uncomfortable. Blinking slowly, he eventually moved. If only to stand and walk to the door. "She's a talker, but calm. It's safe." He said, clearly talking to someone else. Valeryia tilted her head to try and look around the door which he had opened.

Hearing footsteps she slowly looked towards the short, brown haired man walking towards her. He seemed rather out of place, his pristine looking beige suit looked too clean and perfect for such a surrounding. He looked like he should be in some sort of meeting, a boardroom, not here in whatever this place was. Valeryia lurched when Strauss walked around and stood by the other side of the slab and pressed on a peddle of some sort which lowered it down. She shot him a look, Strauss just smiled and tucked his hands behind his back as he looked forwards. Valeryia turned her face and frowned, this man adjusted his glasses and was looking her over with a very strange expression on his face.

"It never not becomes surprising," he said quietly, his voice sounding quite low yet not harsh and scratchy like Strauss'. "You all look and act so differently. Tell me, what can you do?"

Valeryia raised an eyebrow, not really what she expected. This was a very odd experience, that she could easily admit. "Energy stuff. I think I have the ability to go super nova in a matter of minutes if pushed enough..." This seemed of interest as his eyes widened and he fidgeted on the spot. "You're not the first person to cage me up and want to play scientist on me." Her eyes flicked to Strauss at this before looking back again. "It usually always ends the same way."

"And that is?" The man asked, seemed Strauss was silent still to one side.

Valeryia looked around the blank room before looking back with a smile. "I escape, and bring the building down as I go."

She was being serious with a smile to boot, and it got laughed at. Her smile dropped, her bravado in general seemed to slip. "Many have tried, those who try usually don't have happy endings."

"I can't imagine happy endings from such a place anyway..."

He nodded his head slowly, "I do not hate your kind, I find you all fascinating. I am trying to understand you, but to understand sometimes one must get their hands dirty."

Valeryia frowned, "You're going to experiment on me, to find answers to some stupid question, when all you could do is ask me."

"But what if even you don't have the answer? It's much easier just having a look." He looked across her to Strauss, "Prep her for surgery in five." He said it so frankly Valeryia found herself stuttering words out of shock to try and persuade him otherwise.

"Of course," Strauss watched him walk away before leaning back down. Valeryia looked lost, and confused before looking upwards. "Not got anything to say now? Such a pity, I quite liked the sound of your voice." She gritted her teeth as he creepily twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. "It sounds so much like your mothers." Valeryia's eyes widened and she actually found herself thrashing about on the slab shouting all sorts of obscenities at him as he sighed and shook his head. "This won't do," he disappeared from sight only to appear at the head of the slab, Valeryia felt a pinch in her neck before something flooded her system and she was starting to feel airy. Light-headed and unwell, heavy and distant. Strauss had sedated her, again.

"Does that man...does he know that you've already gone all mad scientist with me before?" Her voice was heavy sounding, quiet and it sounded alien to her. She didn't recognise it as her own voice as she felt her breathing slow down.

Through blurry vision she could see Strauss leaning close again. "No, but what he doesn't know, won't effectively hurt him. We both have different goals. I see his for what it is, yet he does not know mine. You see, to him, I am just another scientist on the payroll. But, well, we are everywhere. And we've been looking for you for so long, no thanks to your father. I think it's time you went to sleep now, when you wake it'll all be over with." Strauss said, enigmatic as ever as Valeryia's eyes were starting to truly lose focus as she felt her breathing pick up a little in panic.

"I don't want to..."

"They never do."

"Did...did you do the same with my mother?" She turned her face, even if she could barely see now as her eyes slid to a shut.

"Your mother was different," Strauss said as he realised she was gone, he looked over the brightly orange haired girl before sighing and standing up. Walking to the end of the bed, he grabbed the metal frame and started to pull while whistling quietly to himself. His pace was slow and leisurely as he tugged the bed, and the patient out of the room.