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X-Calibre Trilogy: Dead Run	By : jwieda Category: X-men Comics > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1147 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men comics, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Suzanne
- 2-Peter
- 3-Suzanne
- 4-Peter
- 5-Suzanne
- 6-Peter
- 3
- 4
- 5
Hell, I�d decided, was kind of cushy.

That decision had to do mainly with the exquisitely
mind-numbing feeling washing over me, combined with the very soft bed that was
cradling me. The pretty girl next to me was a nice touch as well. At least, I
think it was a pretty girl. It was more than a little hard to see clearly at
that moment.

�Hey,� the pretty girl said soothingly. �How are you
feeling?�

�I dead?� I tried to b; I�; I�m not
sure I succeeded.

�Not today. You took quite a beating though. Are you in
pain?�

�No . . .� I tried to take a look around. Ah, bugger, it
c wai wait. I closed my eyes and concentrated on how nice that pillow felt.

�That�s good,� she answered. �If you start to feel anything
though, you let me know. I�ll give you some more morphine.�

So this is what it feels like to be on that stuff. I could
see why people got addicted to it.

There was a crash, something that sounded like guns going
off, and a startled shriek next to me. I slowly opened my eyes, for all the
good that did me. �Wot�s wrong?�

�They�re still fighting,� her voice trembled. �The castle
isn�t secured yet��

Now someone was pounding at the door. Blurry figures near it
seemed to brace against it, trying to keep someone out. I had a vague suspicion
that if I weren�t doped up, I�d care a lot more about that fact. �Castle?� I mumbled instead.

�Yes. You�re in Erich Heidelmann�s castle in the Alps
. . .�

Her words trailed off around that general point in the
conversation ormindmind wandered away from her. I let it and slid into an easy
sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------

It didn�t make any sense, but Suzanne was sitting Shiva over
me when I woke up the next time. She looked terrible, like someone had hit her
repeatedly in the face with a bag oenniennigs; she was slumped over in her
chair and trying valiantly to stay awake.

�Since when do the dead hold wakes?� I asked and instantly
regretted it. Blimey, what a thing to say! That was rude as Hell.

�Ah, you�re awake now,� she smiled tiredly, seemingly amused
at my unintended comment. �And already on the road to
recovery, if that was any indication.�

�Oi, sorry girl . . .� I moaned. �I didn�t mean��

�Don�t fret about it,� she waved my apology away. �You�re
not too far off, really.�

�What�s going on?� I blinked slowly. Someone mentioned
morphine before, hadn�t they? �Where are we?�

�We are currently in the Swiss Alps, in the fortress of the
late Erich Heidelmann,� she replied in her usual subdued tone. �We are using
the taxpayers� money to help you be well again.�

I couldn�t help but smile a little at the irony of that.
�What about the soldiers? And that woman . . .� Hatred bubbled beneath my skin
as I pictured her face.

�Most of the soldiers are dead. Elizabeth Richthoffen
escaped, however.� She seemed very distressed about that.

�Who?� I swallowed at the roughness
in my throat. �Ye got any water?�

�Oh! Of course . . .� Suzanne poured a glass for me and
helped me drink it. �Richthoffen. She�s Heidelmann�s
sister. She was in charge of what happened here.�

I filed that away. It would help later, when I was on my
feet again and had my knives. �How�s Miriam doing?�

�We haven�t found her yet,� she sighed and slumped back into
her chair. �Do you know e she she�s being held?�

�No,� I closed my eyes. �They showed me some surveillance of
her, though. Looked like she was underground somewhere. Girl�s gone off her
rocker, she has.�

�Oh dear,� Suzanne�s voice came again. �She�s gone mad?�

�Looks that way,� I yawned. �Was huddled into a corner and
sounded like a wild animal. Looked like her reaper was
standing over her, too. She might be dead by now.�

She didn�t have a reply for that.

�Find Nightcrawler�s body yet?� I asked quietly a few
minutes later.

Suzanne�s voice broke a little when she answered. �Yes, we
did. He�s a��

The door opened then, and a man�s voice interrupted her. �Is
he awake? Oh, good, good!�

�Yes, and lucid now as well, Mathias,� Suzanne answered.

�I�ll tend to him now. You go get some sleep.�

�I�m fine,� she began to protest and I opened my eyes again
to watch them debate the point.

Mathias was frowning at her with crossed arms. �You are not
fine, and I want you to get some sleep.�

�But��

�But nothing. We just got you back
from the dead this morning. We�re not ready to give you yet yet. Now get
going.� He offered her his hand and she took it; she stumbled a bit and he
tsked before picking her up. It wasn�t until then that I realized how thin
she�d gotten. She almost looked emaciated on top of whatever beating she�d
suffered recently.

�It�s alright, girl,� I offered as encouragement. �I�m not
ready to go back either. I�ll be here when ye wake up.�

�You�d better be,� she smiled fleetingly before letting her
head drop against her mentor�s chest.

�I�ll be back in a few minutes, Peter,� Mathias smiled
minimally and left to get Suzanne settled.

I watched them leave then lay there to listen to the sounds
around me. Things were quiet; when he returned he examined me and catalogued
all of my injuries as he began to treat them. He filled me in on what had
happened in the past week or so � had it only been a week? � and
I was left with an uneasy feeling. Now we had to deal with the Nazis and the
Sicarii as enemies?

Wonderful.

----------------------------------------------------------

�Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]! Der Vater h�t't die Schaf [Your father tends the sheep], die
Mutter sch�ttelt 's B�umelein [Your mother shakes the
branches small], da f�llt herab ein Tr�umelein [Lovely dreams in showers fall].
Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby, sleep]!�

I took a deep breath as the words echoed around me.

�Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]! Am Himmel ziehn die Schaf [Across the heavens move the sheep],
die Sternlein sind die L�mmelein [The little stars are
lambs], der Mond der ist das Sch�ferlein [And the moon, he is their shepherd]. Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby, sleep]!�

I recognized the song. It was in German. It was a man
singing . . . that seemed a slight bit unusual. Who would sing me a lullaby?

�Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]! So schenk ich dir ein Schaf [I�ll give to you a sheep], mit
einer goldnen Schelle fein [with a golden bell], das soll dein Spielgeselle
sein [who will be your playmate]. Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf
[Sleep, baby, sleep]!�

It was soothing and made me want to drop back off to sleep.
But I was starting to feel again, and what I felt wasn�t nice. The pain gave my
mind something to focus on, and it gradually allowed me to pry open my eyes � I
realized now that they were both swollen so badly that it was no wonder I
hadn�t been able to see before.

�Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]! Und bl�k nicht wie ein Schaf [Don�t bleat like the sheep], sonst
kommt des Sch�fers H�ndelein [Otherwise the shepherd�s dog will come] und bei�t
mein b�ses Kindelein [and bite my naughty little one]. Schlaf,
Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby, sleep]!�

At first all I could see was patches of light and dark. Then
I saw him, sitting at my bedside. I blinked slowly and painfully to get a
better look. It was very hard to make him out at first. There was a light
turned on, but it was dimmed and didn�t offer much help for me. He was a mere
silhouette at first; he could have been anyone. I tried to see, tried to make
my eyes work, and thought I saw something moving along the legs of the chair .
. . it seemed to undulate to the melody the soft tenor was singing.

�Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]! Geh fort und
h�t die Schaf [Go forth and watch the sheep], geh fort, du schwarzes H�ndelein
[go forth you black little dog], und weck mir nicht mein Kindelein [and don�t
wake my little one]! Schlaf, Kindlein schlaf [Sleep, baby,
sleep]!�

I slid an arm up under myself so I could get a better look.
That was a mistake � I bit back a yelp as pain raced through my body in time
with something giving way inside that arm. I collapsed back into the bedding,
blinding stars exploding behind my eyes even after they closed in a futile
effort to hold back the sudden burst of agonized tears. I gasped raggedly,
sucking in breath through clenched teeth as I tried to ride out the pain and be
strong in front of the stranger.

�Peter!� The man exclaimed once I gave myself away. �Peter!�
he called my name again, then followed in rapid
German, �Bist du gut? Was ist los [Are you alright? What�s wrong]??�

I whimpered like a small child when he touched my arm,
gently probing at the bones beneath my flesh. He hit a very painful spot and I
shouted despite myself, the stars coming closer to waltz together behind my eyelids.

�Fluch, der Knochen hat gerissen [Damn, the bone has
broken],� he muttered in a worried tone before switching to English. �Take a
deep breath, Peter. That�s it . . .� He brushed my hair off my forehead and
wiped away some of my sudden sweat. Then I heard him get up and rummage about
for something or other that caused a barely discernable stabbing sensation in
my arm. �This will help a little. Just keep breathing, Peter. I�ll be back in a
minute with the doctor, alright?�

I forced my eyes open in time to see his form turning away
from me. My mind was toying with me now, probably in response to the mixture of
drugs, pain, general delirium, and wishful thinking . . . it couldn�t be, but
for a second there it looked like the man had glowing yellow eyes.
- 3
- 4
- 5
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X-Calibre Trilogy: Dead Run