Childs play part 9

written by Soar
email ksg3@le.ac.uk

Remy was beginning to get used to waking up. It seemed he was doing a lot of it. He was still in the medical room that he'd found himself in ever since he'd awoken in this place. There was no one else in the room with him. He noticed that he was no longer hooked up to any monitors. Also his head felt clearer and his body didn't hurt so much. He began to wonder just how long he'd been here.

He cautiously pushed back the covers, his senses stretching to warn him of anyone who should approach. He slid off the bed onto the floor and almost yelped aloud in shock. The floor was freezing, and his feet were bare. He padded over to the door. It was shut, but not locked, so he opened it and peered outside. The long corridor was empty so he stepped out into it. He looked around and wondered which way he should go.

At one end of the corridor was a door; it looked big and was made of strong-looking metal. There was a pad with a lot of numbered buttons on it. At the other end of the corridor was what looked to be the door to an elevator. He decided that he would try that way first. He approached cautiously, ready to run at the first sign of anyone approaching, but everything was still. He pressed the button to call the elevator and waited for it to arrive. Once inside he looked at the panel of buttons he could choose. "Which floor?" he thought. "Ground floor of course, that's where the exits are." So he pressed the large button that said 'Ground.' The ride up was swift, and Remy felt as though his stomach had been left back in the basement. When the lift reached its destination, the doors opened with a quiet hiss and Remy stepped out. He was in another corridor, and, like the one he had come from, it appeared to be empty. He could smell something. His nostrils twitched and his stomach rumbled when he recognized the scent off something cooking. He followed the smell to a large, warm, and open kitchen. There was one occupant, the red-haired woman who had sat with him. He quietly padded into the room, but the red-haired woman turned as though she had sensed his approach.

"Hello Remy!" she said, "How are you feeling?"

Remy watched her suspiciously. Why was she being nice to him? What did these people want?

Jean was not fazed by the lack of response and was determined to get the boy to open up to her a little.

"We haven't actually been introduced. I'm Jean. Would you like to sit down? I can get you something to eat."

Remy was unsure of his next move. He was hungry, and this woman did look trustworthy. He slowly moved to the table without uttering a sound. He sat down on the chair closest to the door so that he could make a fast getaway if he had to.

Jean, unpertubed, carried on with her cooking. She hid a smile when she heard Remy's stomach rumble loudly, and then hid her surprise when he spoke for the first time.

"Where's Ororo?" he asked simply.

Jean did not turn around, "She's upstairs with the professor, they're playing in the gym. You can go up to watch if you want, but you can't take part until your wound has healed some more." Jean said this casually, as though she were talking to a friend instead of a nervous and unpredictable child.

Remy stayed silent while he digested this information. They didn't appear to be mistreating them so far, but they still hadn't revealed their purpose for bringing him and Ororo here. Remy knew that it was just a matter of time before they demanded payment; he just worried about what kind of payment it would be.

Jean felt Remy's worry. She tried to skim his surface thoughts but found herself blocked by psychic shields. She wondered how he could developed shields so strong at so young an age. She would have to tell the Professor about this.

When she had finished cooking, she placed a two plates on the table, one for Remy and one for herself. She was careful not to sit too close to him, just in case he decided to flee. She wanted Remy to feel safe. Jean was furious at the people who could have abandoned Remy to a life like this -- a life that lacked the laughter and spontaneity of childhood, instead forcing him to embrace mistrust and wariness in order to survive.

Remy picked up his fork awkwardly. Jean realised that Remy was probably unfamiliar in its use. Living on the streets meant that you did not use social etiquette in the same ways others did. After minutes spent trying to wield the knife, Jean decided to make things easier for him. She put down her own knife and fork, aware that Remy was watching, and began eating with her hands. Remy watched for a minute, then he too began to eat with his hands. Jean felt a little glow of warmth at her progress. When they had finished their mealm, Jean rose and slowly carried her plate to the sink. She turned to fetch Remy's plate only to find him standing a meter behind her holding his own plate. She stepped away to allow him to place his own plate there, and then casually moved towards the door.

She turned and said, "Would you like to see Ororo now?"

Remy followed at a safe distance and nodded. Jean hid yet another smile, and led him towards the lift.

When he saw where they were headed, Remy felt a momentary twinge of panic. She expected him to go in the lift with her. The thought of getting that close to someone without an available exit made Remy's nerves jump. He watched as she called the lift and waited, not saying anything. He examined her closely. He noticed everything, from the wedding band on her finger to the laughter lines around her eyes. Her eyes sparkled with warmth, and reluctantly Remy felt himself drawn towards trusting this woman. When the lift arrived Remy stepped into it with her. He was careful to still maintain some distance between them though.

Jean hadn't expected Remy to be so calm about getting into such a confined space with her. She had been prepared for him to refuse and would have taken him down the stairs instead, however now she was glad that she had chosen this route. She sent a mental warning to the professor to tell him of their arrival. She knew they were in the danger room; the Professor told her that they had set up the forest scene so that Ororo would find more challenge in her gymnastic skills. The X-men had discovered that ordinary gym equipment was nothing for Ororo, who had mastered them all instantly. So it had been decided that they would set up the danger room to offer more of a challenge to her skills.

They approached the large metallic doors of the danger room, and Jean keyed in her own personal code to allow her entry inside. The doors opened with a loud hiss that startled Remy. He followed Jean inside and found himself inside a forest. But how could that be? They had just been inside. The doors closed behind him and disappeared. Remy began to feel the first stirrings of panic. He realised he was trapped in here. He heard sounds all around him, the sounds of the forest brought alive by Shi'ar technology. He could hear someone shouting out. Out of the forest, he saw a man in a floating chair approach and almost unconsciously he began to edge closer to Jean.

Jean noticed Remy's movements towards her and felt his panic.

*Professor, be careful. He's beginning to panic.* she told the Professor telepathically.

*Do not worry, Jean. I have called Ororo to come here and greet her friend.*

Out of the trees, Remy watched Ororo run towards him. She was smiling, and Remy wondered how she could be so happy being trapped inside this place.

"Remy, this is the most wonderful thing. The Professor has been letting me play inside this forest. It is beautiful, full of animals and there is so much to do. You should try this, come with me.

"I'm afraid Remy can't swing about with you until he gets a bit better," Jean said with a warm smile.

"Oh!" Ororo said, looking disappointed.

"Never mind, Ororo. It is time to end our session now anyway. Any more playing in here, and we will never be able to get you to come out," the Professor said laughing.

Ororo sighed, "Very well. What shall we do now Professor?"

The Professor laughed again, "Do not worry, Ororo. I'm sure that we can find something for both you and Remy. End danger room sequence!" he called out.

Remy's jaw nearly fell off in shock as the forest disappeared, leaving him inside a large empty room.

His eyes narrowed. "How you do dat?" he asked suspiciously.

Both adults laughed in amusement and led Remy and Ororo out of the danger room.

end of part 9 So what do you think of this part?

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