Iris sat on the windowsill of the room, waiting for Charles to come in. He had been helping Alex control his plasma rings that he produced, and had promised to come in as soon as he had finished extinguishing the fire throughout the room. Iris couldn't help but think of her parents following the other day, and she gulped as her eyes stung slightly.

The door opened, and Iris broke away from her thoughts, standing up and smiling at Charles in an attempt to pretend that she hadn't been willing herself not to cry.

He's a telepath, Iris thought to herself in embarrassment, No point trying to hide anything.

"Actually," Charles shut the door behind him, walking towards her with a smirk, "I try not to read people's minds unless it is necessary, Iris. You don't need to worry about me trying to read your thoughts, unless you project them like you just did."

Her cheeks flushed red and she sat down on the floor where they had been the day before, "What are we going to do today?"

He sat beside her, tucking his legs underneath each other, "How about trying to get past the moment when Emma blocked your mind?"

Iris nodded silently, and Charles added, "This may hurt, Iris. More than the last time. But if you really want to unlock it, then we're going to have to pull through it. It strains my mind as well."

Slowly, he brushed his fingers against her left temple, holding his other hand out for her to hold. After a moment of hesitation, she took it. They would need to help each other.

She cried out immediately.

A man stepped forwards with a smile on his face, "Do it all, Emma. Block the power and the memories of ever having them. If she won't work for us, she won't work for anyone."

"Stop!" Iris sobbed, but Emma was already too far in the process, and as she began to shout again, she stopped halfway through her sentence as everything went black.

"Further," Iris muttered, and Charles gulped, preparing himself to unlock the memories. At first, there was nothing, and then Iris suddenly felt as though thousands of image had flooded into her mind all at once. She gasped loudly, trying to catch her breath as Charles flicked back to the very beginning of it all.

Iris had been playing on the grass with her friends when she had begun to scream for her parents.

"What's the matter?" Her mother asked her gently, running towards her with her dark hair flowing out behind her. The other children had moved away from Iris, whimpering in fear as if she had done something to all of them.

Iris looked up at her mother, who suddenly swore as she approached her daughter. The garden that she had been running through had changed suddenly to the image of a dark forest. Iris watched as her mother tried to suppress a scream, glancing around in horror.

She turned to the children, "Go and ask Mr. Miracle to call your parents to come and take you home. Iris isn't very well."

They all ran away, leaving a sobbing Iris and her shaking mother.

"Mummy," Iris whispered, "I didn't mean to make it happen. Please make it stop."

"Look at me," Her mother whispered, reaching out for her daughter's hand, "Look at me and remember where you are. You're in our back garden."

Suddenly the image of the dark forest fell away, and they were surrounded by green grass and blue sky once again.

Now Iris was sitting with her parents in the kitchen, both of them holding her hands.

"Iris, honey," Her father smiled gently, "You've got a very special power there. But you don't need to be afraid. It's a beautiful power."

Iris nodded, trying to create the picture of an orchard around the three of them. When it flickered into view, her parents laughed in amazement, looking around at the trees.

As it faded away, Iris' mother tightened her grip on her daughter's hand, "Iris, please never use this power for something bad. You're a good girl- don't let the wrong people convince you otherwise. Promise?"

"I promise," Iris smiled at her parents, letting the image fade away.

Iris was playing in the garden once again now, surrounded by adults celebrating her parents' anniversary. A young blonde woman crouched down opposite her with a smile on her face.

"Hey, honey. Do you want me to show you something?"

Iris frowned in confusion, "Show me what?"

"It's out back."

Iris began to protest, but it was suddenly as though she had no control over her body anymore as she began to follow the young blonde woman out of the garden. She could hear the sound of her parents calling her name, asking where she was, but she kept walking away. She couldn't stop.

As she got into a dark car, she glanced out of the window and saw her mother and father's terrified faces as they ran out into the street and saw their daughter being driven away.

The room was dark at first, and then the lights flickered on. Iris tugged at the ropes tying her wrists together.

"Emma will sort that out for you," A voice sounded from behind. Iris turned and caught sight of Sebastian Shaw walking in with a smirk on his face.

"How have you been, Miracle?" Shaw asked gently, "I admit, it's been a couple of days wince we last saw you, but we had some... people that needed to be taken care of."

Iris shrugged wordlessly, waiting for Emma to undo the ropes on her wrists.

"Can you believe that when you first came here, we couldn't get you to stop talking? You screamed and protested all the time!" Shaw laughed, "But look at you now. It's interesting what a year of training can do to you."

Iris felt the rope loosen, and dropped her arms down by her side wordlessly. In her mind, she was trying to distinguish foggy memories of when she had first arrived, but she couldn't seem to locate them. She felt like she had been in this room forever, experimented on and trained by Shaw.

"We have some visitors for you today."

The door at the end of the room slid open, and two figures walked in, both with their wrists tied together. Iris squinted slightly- it was a woman and a man that she faintly recognised. The woman called out her name desperately, but a guard kicked her in the back of the legs.

As they got closer, something registered in Iris' mind. Something distant at first, and then shockingly clear.

They were her parents.

Iris seemed to snap out of her confusion, and she rushed forwards. Emma pulled her back harshly, "Stay where you are, Miracle."

"Well," Shaw clapped his hands together in delight, "Isn't this nice? A family reunion! Can you all believe it's been a year since you were last all together? How time flies!"

He stepped forwards, glancing back at Iris, "I understand that you're angry that we kept your daughter for so long, but we made some amendments to her."

"Amendments?" Iris' father asked, his face turning pale, "What the hell does that mean?"

Shaw smirked, "Well. We weaponised her. She can do all sorts now- her power has advanced incredibly since you last saw her. Why don't you show them, Miracle?"

Iris stared at him in shock, unsure of what to do. For the past year, the experimentation and training had caused her to forget about those that she had loved. But suddenly, it had come back in a flash. She didn't want to be his weapon any more.

"If you don't," Shaw muttered simply, "I'll kill them."

"Don't do it," Iris' mother shouted, "Iris- you're not the weapon that he has made you. Remember who you used to be! Don't become a killer like he is."

"She already has," Shaw narrowed his eyes, "Now she just needs to show you."

Iris closed her eyes, preparing to use the power to save her parents. She was faintly aware somewhere in the back of her mind that when the power took control, she would be likely to lose control of her own mind again. She was likely to forget her parents again.

"Please!" Her father called out, and Iris' eyes flew open. Shaw sighed and clicked his fingers.

"Miracle, this isn't how I wanted today to go, but this is how we're going to play."

The two security guards held up guns, one pointed at each parent. Iris felt her heart stop, and she closed her eyes again.

"Iris," Her mother called out, "I would rather die than know that you are to become a murderer. Please."

Iris' eyes flew open, and she turned to face Shaw with a hardened expression. He clicked his fingers, and the first gunshot sounded. Iris screamed as her father fell to the floor. She had believed that perhaps it had been a false threat.

"I'm sorry!" She shouted, her eyes stinging with tears.

"Your last chance," Shaw hissed, and Iris' mother shook her head fiercely at her daughter.

There was the sound of the second gunshot, and her mother's body crumpled to the floor.

Iris fell to her knees with a shriek, images bursting from her mind all around her in a flash before the dark, grey room returned around them.

Shaw walked towards her, his footsteps slow, "See, Miracle- this is what happens when you don't obey me. Those that you care for will be lost."

"My parents did not want me to be a weapon. I made a promise to them when I first discovered my gift that I would not use it for people like you. I will not break that promise," Iris whispered, her face buried in her hands.

"You can still change that. You can work with us and become what you were destined to be."

Iris jumped up, turning around and straightening up, "I am not your weapon, Shaw. I will use my gifts for good, and if that means fighting you, then I will do so."

She ran forwards kicking him in the legs and flipping backwards to punch him in the face- all new skills that Shaw himself had trained her to use.

"Emma!" Shaw shouted as his nose crunched and began to bleed.

The telepath stepped forwards, taking control of Iris' mind and causing her to drop to the floor. She was still for a moment before she began to squirm, kicking the floor and trying to fight the telepathic presence in her mind.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Weapon." She panted out before collapsing again.

Shaw picked her up and planted her feet firmly on the ground, turning to face Emma.

"It looks like our youngest fighter doesn't want to use her power any more. If it can't be used for us, it can't be used at all."

Emma smirked, reaching out for Iris as she sobbed and screamed in desperation.

Shaw stepped forwards with a smile on his face, "Do it all, Emma. Block the power and the memories of ever having them. If she won't work for us, she won't work for anyone."

"Stop!" Iris sobbed, but Emma was already too far in the process, and as she began to shout again, she stopped halfway through her sentence as everything went black.

Charles let go, and Iris crumpled to the floor with a gasp.

"Oh my god. What did I do? Oh my-"

Charles stared at her, his own eyes shining with tears. He appeared to be lost for words, unsure of what to say to her.

Slowly, he reached out and tilted her head up, holding onto her shoulders, "Iris- I am so sorry. I am so sorry for what Shaw did to you. He should not have tried to use an innocent child like that."

Iris sobbed, "My parents-"

"You did the right thing, Iris- it was what your parents wanted you to do."

She kept her eyes closed, burying her head in Charles' shoulders and clutching onto his shirt desperately. He stroked her hair gently, but glanced up when the room around them changed to a house that he recognised from Iris' memories. It was empty for just a moment before Iris' parents appeared by the door, smiling down at their little girl who was laying on the floor playing with an old toy.

The image faded out, leaving Charles and Iris holding onto each other in the dimly lit, empty room.