CHAPTER NINE...

Sebastian Shaw felt like a failure. And he never felt like a failure.

The plan was to infiltrate the facilty, kill the puny humans, then walk out of there with new recruits and a curly haired child.

He'd gotten one person, and she was already getting on his nerves. He was mad at every single one of them. At Azazel for dropping Leena when the blonde boy shot his rings of energy at them. Mad at Riptide for doing absolutely nothing. Mad at Emma, for getting herself captured. They had disappointed him, even he was disappointed in himself.

So caught up in the exhilaration of killing thse guards, absorbing the energy of their useless guns, he had become sloppy, and the new mutants had slipped through his fingers.

Shaw righted himself and tugged on his large overcoat, pulling up the collar. This Russian cold was biting, and Shaw watched the Soviet diplomat oversee the troops and battalions walking out in the courtyard. Since Emma had failed him, Shaw had to come all the way from America to Russia itself in hopes of salvaging his plan.

The glass door opened and the foolish old man stepped into the atrium, nodding in greeting to Shaw. He shook his hand, and they turned into the war room. The Soviet put his hand on Shaw's back, and he kept himself from shrugging it off. He needed this man in his good graces.

Shaw cleared his throat and spoke in Russian. "Once again, my sympathies for your treatment at the hands of the CIA." They walked in front of the large circular table laden with glasses, and stood in front of the wall sized map that displayed their world. Tiny magnets that looked like missiles were stationed over in Russia.

"These Americans are ruthless." Shaw continued, stepping up onto the raised platform. "Now they have missiles placed in Turkey. I expect you'll be planning new missile sights of your own." he took up the large pointing stick and positioned it over Turkey. "Somewhere you know the American early-warning system won't help."

The diplomat rubbed his hands together, his face skeptical. Shaw didn't understand these people. They learnt of nothing but war, yet when the time came to act, they scattered like scared little mice.

Shaw took a small magnet and walked over to the American side of the map. "I hear Cuba is lovely this time of year." he placed the magnet over the tiny country. "And so close to Florida."

The diplomat looked at him like he was crazy. "Missiles in Cuba? You're serious?" the man began to laugh, and his giggles made Shaw want to break something. "We may as well declare war." The Soviet walked up and took the missile off the map.

Shaw sighed. These humans were so much work. They never listened to what he had to say. Selfish and prude, always thinking they were right. The world wasn't big enough for both humans and mutants, and it was always a game of predator and prey.

Mutants were evolution, humans were simply a sinkhole in the road.

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough." Shaw switched to English. "You will make this happen." his voice grew dangerously low, and his eyes never left the Soviet's. The old man stared at Shaw, then slowly began to nod.

"Ok." he said, speaking in Shaw's own language. "Let's see what KGB think about this." The man stepped down and walked over to the telephone on the desk. He rang up the number and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said. "General Armivolkoff?" Shaw pursed his lips.

They should have been arriving any second. He had to admit, even though the mutants got on his nerves sometimes, his loyal followers did have their strengths.

A pop sounded in front of them. Azazel, Angel, and Riptide appeared in front of the Soviet. His stance faltered, and he whispered into the phone, then put it back where it had previously been.

Shaw let his postured air of confidence relax. He knew that the old man would follow his every word now, and it was only a matter of time before Russia and the United States of America declared war on eachother. It was what came after that worried Shaw.

Once humanity had blown itself to pieces, mutants would rise up to rule, Shaw at the lead. He would build a new, better world than the one the humans had created. As long as humans were still around, mutants would never be able to live freely. They would never be seen as the superior race. They would be seen as monsters. It was ironic, Shaw thought, that the real demons called men like him beasts, when all they did was fight with one another, making poised threats against until one eventually surrendered. Humans were the monsters.

Once Shaw was leading them, he knew there would be threats that would arise. He knew that the mutants wth special abilities would challenge his command. He couldn't trust Emma anymore, so he needed Leena.

Her empathic abilities were the key to his future.

Emotion was such a powerful thing. It resided in everyone, every being on the earth, and it was one of the few things that prevailed throughout every situation. Anger, fear, love. They all dwelled beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed.

With Leena at his side, Shaw would be able to control his followers, lowering their anger, making them blind in their bodies, manipulating them to see him as their one true leader. The dark energy would let him command her, taking it away when something went wrong.

Shaw held out his hands to the Soviet as the man turned to him in shock. He showed the man what he was up against, what could be done.

All he needed were those missiles planted in Cuba and the young girl he rescued all those years ago.

Then his plan would be complete.

✶✶✶ 

When I wake up, the soft presence of a blanket keeps me still. My eyes feel like they've been plastered shut, and it takes me a few tries before I can fully open them. The space is dim, with several lamps lining the soft grey walls. I lie on a white sofa, a soft cotton blanket placed over my still form.

My body aches, and it takes me a moment before I can feel my hands and feet once more. It is as if my head has been bashed in with a hammer, and my movements are slow as I sit up on the couch, a curtain of sweat slick hair falling into my face.

The room I've been sleeping in looks exactly like the ones before, a lounge area with a mini bar and leather couches. The curtains along the windows are drawn, but sunlight peaks in through the sides, casting a yellow glow against my tired face.

Memories of the night come back to me in flashes, and every time his face appears, I wince. I can't believe I made it out. I can't believe I'm still free. It feels like a dream, with the way everything is quiet and soft, like running your hands along a feather.

For a moment, I think I might cry. After everything, I know I'm not safe. Not here, not anywhere. Charles told me I would never have to face him again. Erik told me I was safe. He told me I wasn't alone.

Now, as I sit here, my hands wrapped around my burning scar, I don't think I've ever felt so determined. Determined to keep my powers at bay. Determined to prove myself. I sit up straighter, my limbs protesting as I swing my legs over the side of the couch, my bare feet hitting the ice cold floor.

It's foreign, this new found resolution. For so long I've been trapped between the longing to fall apart and the will to keep going. I've been stuck in a state of disarray. Caught between the sunshine and the rain.

And now I want to see them pay. I want to show them I'm in control.

I walk over to the door, my legs shaking, and put my ear against the wood. Soft murmurs of voices sound from behind it, and I can tell they're trying to whisper.

I take a deep breath, letting the air fill up my lungs. A weight has been lifted off my heart. Whoever is on the other side must be waiting for something, probably me. I steady myself, willing my legs to not give way below me, and open the door.

Harsh white lights burn the back of my eyes as I step out into the corridor.

The sight that awaits me twists my stomach. Rubble surrounds the once beautiful and pristine halls of the facility. It's as if the plaster have been slashed with a sword, cutting through the veins of the building, killing the heart of the once lively place.

The air is dusty and filled with particles that itch the back of my throat. Uniform clad soldiers line the walls, holding black, gleaming rifles close to their chests. Officers converse quietly with eachother, and down the hall I see two men carrying a stretcher between them. A human form is covered up by a white sheets, but I can see their porcelain, glass-like hand peek out from beneath it.

I stagger back against the broken wall, bracing myself against the stucco.

How many men died that night? How many soldiers perished before they could even defend themselves? They may have feared me, hated me even, but they were still honorable. They still tried to protect me.

"Leena," I hear a female voice call from beside me. I turn to see Raven, Hank, Alex, and Sean lining the other hall a couple feet away from me. Sean gets up the moment he sees me, and Raven, who had been standing next to Hank, rushes over to where I'm leaning.

Alex is sitting on a bench, his head in his hands, perfectly still.

Then I remember why. Darwin is gone, and Alex won't know his friend is still alive. I want to go over to him right now and wrap my arms around him. I want to tell him everything.

But Darwin didn't want me to, and how would I explain it to them? No, this is my secret to bear. I've been keeping things to myself my whole life. I should at least keep this.

Raven pulls me into a tight embrace, then quickly retracts when I wince.

"Are you all right?" she asks me worriedly, looking me over as if to find what kind of injury she came upon. I smile weakly.

"Yes, I am," I say. "You're just very worried." Concern bounces around me, and a shadowy form is created in the back of my mind, crying. I shake my head slightly, taking back control, and the shadow form disappears instantly.

I let out a breath. I have control, I actually have control!

Sean comes up beside Raven, his smile like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? We thought maybe you'd been injured by Shaw, you seemed so out of it. Do you need to sit down?"

I grin at his fear for my well being. No one ever cared how I was back when I lived with Shaw. They never cared how weak or frail I became after the pointless experiments. To Shaw I was a weapon, unable to feel a thing.

That's the problem. I feel everything.

"I'm ok." I assure Sean , then take up his offer and sit on the bench opposite Alex. "Just... what happened? How long was I out?"

"Only a couple of hours." Hank replies.

Raven says. "You passed out right in Sean's arms, after Shaw left." She gulps. "After Darwin died." Guilt gnaws at my heart.

"The guards swarmed in and took us all into the separate lounge." Sean says. "We wanted to help, but they locked the door. We asked for a medic to come and check up on you, but they were too busy assessing the damage and grabbing their salvaged files to come."

"Were there any survivors?" I ask, not even sure I want to hear the answer.

Sean frowns, his eyes downcast. "Just us." The words feel like a punch to the gut.

Everyone seems to feel it as well, and we sit in silence. I should be crying. I should be mourning for our fallen agents. For Darwin. For Angel, who doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. But all I feel is an empty nothingness. Weightless and floating through an infinite galaxy, cold and numb to my surroundings.

For a girl with so many emotions, I wonder if something is wrong. Could something have happened when I gained control last night that changed my ability? Have I lost my power? I've been living with everyone's feelings inside my head for so long that feeling nothing is foreign to me. Alien, and as I reach deeper, unwelcome.

But it's impossible. I can't have lost my power. I had Raven's emotions just moments ago.

The numbness isn't a loss. It's control. I've blocked out their emotions, built up the mental walls higher. I'm keeping my power at bay, waiting to use it.

I'm in control.

I push a strand of hair behind my ear, wondering how much of a mess I must look. Frizzy hair, red cheeks, with dark circles under my eyes. A body of all bones and right angles, with moon-pale skin that looks stretched over a thin framework. I know for a fact that pimples dot my hairline and cheeks.

I look nothing like Raven, whose smooth pale skin glows, her body hugged perfectly by a black dress and leather overcoat. I'm still wearing my clothes from last night, though they're dirty and wrinkled. I look like a mess. I am a mess.

But I'm free. Again. I slipped out of Shaw's clutches, and I don't cower at my own ability, that's a lot more than I could say a few hours ago.

"What do we do now?" Hank asks, breaking the silence that binded us together. I look up into his fearful gaze, and the feeling tugs at my mind, but I push it down.

"I don't know." Raven says. Conflict rages in her hazel eyes, it radiates off her like a beacon.

"We're free to do as we please, I guess." I say, but I know I'm speaking for them, not me.

Because I'm not leaving. I'm not going down without a fight. And besides, where would I go? I have no home. No relatives that I know of. The only people I count as family are Erik, Charles, as well as the people in front of me.

"I'm not leaving." Alex says from beside me. His voice is hoarse, and he doesn't look up from his shaking hands.

"What?" Hank asks.

"They killed Darwin." Alex replies. "I'm not leaving until they pay. And I'm not going back to prison."

"I thought you liked it there." Sean says. This time Alex does look up, and his eyes are rimmed in red.

"Not anymore." he answers. "I'm not going back."

"Neither am I." Sean says, determination showing plainly on his face. "Not until we show those bastards what we can do."

Raven fidgets and looks at Hank. He stares at her with such ferocity it's as if they're the only two people in the entire world. They seem to be having a silent conversation, an argument I don't want to get in the middle of.

After a beat, Raven turns back to us. "Then it's settled." she doesn't smile, but I can sense she won the quarrel. "We stay."

We're plunged into silence again, the quiet settling over us. Now that we've decided what we'll do, I fidget in my seat, wrapping my hands around my waist, lost in my own thoughts.

Never have I felt so calm. Never have I found the silence in my mind so deafening. The world has tilted on it's axis, and I've fallen into a different world. A world where shadows live in the corners where they're supposed to, instead of weaving through my body, drowning out all sense of normal. In this world, I'm not so helpless. In this world, I can smile.

Footsteps approach us, and I look up to see a young guard in an army green uniform. He looks between the downcast recruits, his face unreadable. He holds a clipboard in his hands, and he seems to be contemplating what he's about to say.

The guard straightens and says. "You have to move outside. Your leaders will be here soon." We nod, not daring to talk back to him. I wrap my sweater closer around me, then follow the others out of the building. We enter what once was the main foyer, and I stop dead in my tracks. The entire front hall is dessimated. The metal structure is reduced to it's very bones, a broken corpse of molten steel and timber. The floor is cluttered with rubble, and several white sheets lie about the hall, human forms shaped beneath them.

This was where the explosion came from. This was where Shaw used his powers. Even if the rest of the facility is still mostly intact, they will never be able to restore this section without a complete rebuild.

There's too much damage done. Too many lives lost. I follow the back of Sean out into the cement yard. The once strange and oddly mesmerizing statues are reduced to cinders, blocking our path.

A dozen armed guards march out in the drive, and several Military vehicles are parked a little farther down. A yellow car is completely leveled by a cement block, and the only place we're able to sit is by one of the planters, where a built-in bench is still whole. We take a seat, the guard conversing with another Agent a little ways away from us. They keep glancing over to where we sprawl out along the bench. I'm set between Sean and Alex, who doesn't look up, Raven and Hank on his other side.

I wonder what they must think of us. A bunch of outcasts with extraordinary abilities, the reason for the destruction of the building. They must hate us. They must blame us for their fallen brothers, their colleagues, and their friends. We were the reason Shaw attacked the facility, nothing more, nothing less.

"How are you feeling?" Sean asks from beside me.

I turn to look at him, a thin smile creeping onto my face. "Like a million bucks. You?"

"I don't know." he admits. "Back home, I was always trying to prove myself, and last night, I have never felt so unprepared." I peer at his face. Though most of it is covered by a pair of round sunglasses he just put on, his face is tight, filled with regret.

I remember the first time we shook hands, and all I could feel over and over again was pain and relief. A vicious cycle. The emotions haunted me, and now I pluck up the courage to ask why.

"Why do you feel relief, and then pain?" I ask him. "When we shook hands, when I first met you, it was all I could feel." Sean looks away, resting his elbows on his knees.

"When I use my ability, my throat kinda restricts, and it's sometimes painful." he turns to me. "I guess I used it so often to impress girls that it permanently damaged my neck. Now it constricts without warning."

My face must be shocked, because he lets out a laugh. "And in case you were wondering, the showing off never worked out. I never took a single girl home." I laugh, a genuine, heartfelt laugh that makes me want to jump and squeal in delight.

I know what it feels like to have an underlying pain in my ability. He's not alone, and I make sure I tell him this by placing my hand over his. When our fingers meet, I hold in a breath, but the darkness never creeps out. Sean smiles, and he takes my hand in his own, then entwines our fingers together. Every place our flesh meets, my skin burns, and my cheeks grow red at the thought.

Sean's faultless curls drop over his sunglasses, and his freckled cheeks sparkle in the sunlight. I feel an urge to tuck a strand behind his ear, but quickly push away the thought. What is going on with me?

A loud, revving engine pulls me out of my thoughts, and I trun to see a car pulling up into the drive quickly. Before the car has even stopped, the doors open, and three figures jump out. The sight of the two men has me jumping to my feet, my hand still in Sean's. We both stand as Charles and Erik rush over to us.

"Raven!" Charles calls at the same time Erik calls. "Leena!" Charles wraps Raven in a hug, and Erik comes up to me. He stops short when he sees me next to Sean, then lowers his eyes to where our hands are still wrapped within eachother's.

I take my hand out of his, and the release of our fingers is like torture. Sean gazes into my eyes for a moment, then nods and turns to Charles. I go over to the tall man who rescued me and wrap my arms around his middle. Erik's own arms wrap around me moments later.

"Are you alright?" he murmurs. "Did he hurt you?" I smile and pull away, shaking my head, not having the courage to tell him how Shaw almost took me once again, or how I passed out in the middle of the courtyard. But by the way he's looking at me, I wonder if the older man already knows.

"I gained control, Erik." I whisper to him. "Over the shadows." Erik stares at me.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately." Charles says, his arm wrapped around Raven's waist.

"We're not going home." Sean says from where he's sat back down. I nod in agreement.

"What?" Charles answers incredulously.

"We're not going home." I reiterate, determination running through my veins like it's my own blood.

Sean turns to Alex. "He's not going back to prison."

Alex finally looks up from his hands. "They killed Darwin!" His voice is so full of anguish my stomach lurches. Now I know how much Alex grew to care for Darwin in the few nights we knew him, and the guilt in my soul is almost unbearable.

"All the more reason for you to leave." Charles replies, his face grave. "This is over." I shift on one foot to the other. We're not going down without a fight. I'm not going to be sent away to god knows where without trying to bring Shaw and the Hellfire Club down.

"Darwin's dead Charles." Raven's soft voice says from beside her brother. "And we can't even bury him."

Everyone stays silent. I stand next to Erik, my head bowed low so they don't see my face. The grief is too much, and painless shadows creep into the corners of my vision. So much agony, so much distress coming from the people in front of me.

I realize how much I know about Shaw, how I had become attuned to his ways, used to the chaos of his manner. But these people haven't. They hadn't known his destructive nature until last night, where they think he killed one of their closest friends.

I feel someone's eyes on me, and look up to see Erik practically burning holes into the side of my face. He doesn't speak, but I see a question in his eyes. Worry and intrigue radiate off him in bursts and fits. I allow them into my head, and they burrow down into my bones. What do you want to do? He asks. What happens now?

I stare back at him, my face hardening into an unyielding frown. I want to fight. Erik nods slowly, as if to himself, and turns back to the group.

"We can avenge him." he says, his hands resting on his hips, eyebrows knitted together. I smile to myself. Everyone whips their head around to look at the tall man. Erik doesn't back down.

Charles clears his throat. "Erik, a word please." Erik sighs and follows Charles a little way's away from the group. Since I'm closest, I can barely make out their heated discussion.

"They're just kids." Charles says, his eyes flitting back to where I stand. "Literally."

"No, they were kids." Erik replies, taking off his sunglasses, peering into Charles' brilliant blue eyes. "Shaw has his army, we need ours." Charles looks down at his shoes, his hands in his pockets. Conflict wages war upon his porcelain face. He turns back to us, and we all stand straighter, waiting for his answer.

"We'll have to train." he finally says. "All of us." his eyes go to me, and images of our failed lesson in the courtyard come back. I stand up tall and hold my head up high. It's different now. I'm stronger. More in control.

"Yes?" Charles asks. I smile, and Alex looks up, his face melting into somewhere between surprise and anger.

"Yeah!" he replies. Hank sits up, worry lining his soft features.

"Well, we can't stay here," he says. "I mean, even if they reopen the department, it's not safe." He purses his lips. "We've got nowhere to go." My face falls, because he's right. Anywhere we turn, Shaw might be waiting in the corner, ready to strike again. Just like he did before. If we take two steps further, he's always four ahead.

My whole life, when the cards were dealt, Shaw got the Royal Flush, and I was left with a pair of twos. Who's to say that will change now. I scorn myself. Something has changed, I'm just being too negative. Too hard on myself.

The tide has turned. I need to see that. But still, I think, we've got nowhere to go.

"Yes we do." Charles' voice says, his face transforming. An idea has planted itself in his mind, and it is taking hold.

A lightheaded feeling overtakes my senses, as if I am floating on thin air, feeling as light and weightless as a feather. I know this feeling. It encompassed me back on Shaw's boat, when Erik appeared. It sparked within me the day I tried to escape. It resides in me now, an embodiment of every single person in front of me.

Hope.

I smile. We're going to do this. We're going to take down Shaw.

We're going to stop a war. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE...

Hi! I'm back! Kind of a short chapter but whatever...

I'm just popping by to say Leena has my heart, she is just too pure for this world. I know I said earlier that there wasn't going to be a lot of romance in this book, but Sean and Leena just kinda popped out of nowhere and now they're happening! I don't know why, but Caleb Landry Jones just doesn't get enough love for playing Banshee. I mean, the man is so striking and gorgeous and I love his character with all my heart. I feel like we don't get a lot of banshee x oc's (AND WE TOTALLY SHOULD), so yes, there is now a romance in this story, and yes, many cute moments are to come... 

Alright, that's it. I hope you enjoy! 

Love, Mal