Shattered Dreams

Waldorf, Maryland

Eleanor Browne bent over and picked the last few toys up off of the floor and dumped them into the toy bin. She walked down the hallway and peeked through a door. A baby girl was sleeping peacefully in a crib. Eleanor let out a sigh and closed the door.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. The baby girl woke up crying. Eleanor ran back to her daughter's room and picked up the screaming infant. "Hush Cindy. Hush," she said as she walked down the stairs towards the front door. "I'm coming!"

Eleanor opened the door. Switchback stood there. "Can I help you?" Eleanor asked trying to quiet Cindy.

"Are you Eleanor Browne?"

Eleanor nodded. "I'm sorry," Switchback whispered.

"For what?" Eleanor looked at her as if she was crazy.

"This." Switchback pulled and object from her belt and pointed it at Eleanor. An orange beam hit Eleanor who collapsed to the ground.

Switchback caught the screaming infant and closed the door. She placed the baby girl into a playpen in the family room and then picked up Eleanor's limp body. She placed her on a bed in a bedroom and walked back to the family room. The baby was still screaming.

"Sir," Switchback said into the commlink. "What should I do with the baby?"

"Use the lazer on it," Sinister's voice said.

"But . . ."

"But what Haley?"

"Nothing sir," Switchback said and walked over to the baby girl.

She pointed the beam at the infant who stopped screaming. Haley blinked back tears and fell to the ground. She knew the little girl wouldn't be able to withstand the shock to her nervous system. She was dead. Another innocent Haley. How could you? she thought as the tears fell.

Sinister's Laboratory

The woman woke up and looked up. She was still in the cylinder. She'd been here for years. Longer than any of his other 'volunteers'. She should have given up hoping that she'd ever escape here long ago; but still every time she woke from sleeping she hoped it would all go away. That she could go back to the way things were before.

She looked out of the cylinder and towards the 'table'. The man was still on it. His stomach was cut open and tubes were inserted into it. She turned away in disgust. The baby! she thought frantically and turned towards the little boys cylinder. She opened her mouth to tell him to turn away.

There was no need to though. The little boy wasn't there. She looked around the laboratory as best she could. The little boy was no where to be found.

Xavier's Study

Rogue sat on the couch looking anywhere but at the Professor. "Ya want me ta tell ya 'bout mah past, when Ah was a lil' girl. The problem is Ah don't 'member most of it. Ah remember somethings but not everythin'. Then when Ah do 'member somethin' Ah . . . Ah have this feelin' that Ah should 'member somethin' else . . .somethin' important," Rogue said frowning.

"Why don't we start with what you remember about your parents," Xavier said.

Rogue nodded and Xavier watched as she unconsciously drew her knees close to her and wrapped her arms around them. "Mah momma, mah real momma, was a wonderful woman. Ah don't think Ah've evah met anyone nicer or sweeter than her," Rogue said smiling. "She was a real southern lady. Always dressin' up in fancy dresses and havin' people ovah for tea and lunches."

"And your father?"

Rogue's smile vanished. "Momma and daddy were different as night an' day. She was kind and soft-spoken. Daddy was mean an' loud. Momma always used soft words ta get ya ta do somethin'. Daddy used his fists," she sighed and looked out the window. "He always hit momma. He loved ta see her cry. Sometimes it was because the shirt he wanted wasn't ironed or cause she went ta church or cause he just felt like it. She tried not ta let me know he hit her. Ah knew though. Ah saw the bruises and black eyes everyday until . . . until . . . " Rogue closed her eyes.

"Until what Rogue?"

Tears flowed down her face. Xavier handed her a box of tissues. "Perhaps we should begin here next time."

Rogue nodded.

Jean walked into the kitchen. "Morning," she said taking a plate of pancakes from Beast. "What's all the whispering for?" She looked at the assembled group of X-men.

"Why did you let him stay?" Bobby asked her.

Jean sighed and sat down. She opened her mouth to speak but didn't have to. "Why not?" Logan asked from the other end of the table.

"He helped Sinister, Logan. One of our deadliest enemies," Warren Worthington III said.

"Uh huh," Wolverine said.

"Are you not at all afraid that he might betray us?" Warren said.

"Has Gambit ever hurt any of us intentionally?" Wolverine asked

"No but he did steal that information for Sinister."

"He did it to save Rogue. Wouldn't you do the same for Betsy?"

"Well yes . . . but . . ."

"What makes you think he won't betray us again?" Bobby asked Wolverine angrily. "He's a thief-"

"Last I heard he was an X-man," Wolverine said.

"I don't trust him," Bobby said and left the table.

Wolverine watched him go shaking his head. "Haven't you already eaten Logan?" Jean looked at the stack of pancakes in front of him.

Wolverine smiled. "Rogue was hungry."

The little boy woke up crying. He sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. His brown eyes grew wide as he looked at his surroundings. He wasn't in the lab anymore. He was in a room on a bed. The covers were soft and thick. Not like the thin blanket he had in the cylinder. Was the whole lab a dream, a nightmare? He pulled the blanket closer and saw a small object by him.

He looked at it puzzled. It was brown and had two eyes, a nose, two ears, two legs, and two arms. He reached his arm out to touch it. It was soft and furry. He pulled the object to him and laid back down. "It all dweam," he told himself. "Bad dweam."

He heard a noise and looked up. Sinister stood in a doorway. It wasn't a dream. He began to cry. "Hush Liam," Sinister said. "Do you want to go back to the cage?"

Liam bit his lip and stopped crying. "No."

"Do you like the Teddy Bear?"

Liam looked at the furry object. Was that what it was? He nodded.

"Good. Now rest."

Liam watched Sinister leave. He looked at the furry object, the Teddy Bear, and threw it. It wasn't his. It was Sinister's, the bad mans. He never wanted to see it again. Even if it was nice and soft.

Waldorf, MD

Thomas Browne ran towards his house as fast as he could. He looked behind him to see Timothy two houses away. He stopped at the front door and smiled triumphantly at his brother when he got there. The two always raced home from school. Usually Timothy won but not this time.

Timothy frowned and opened the door. "Mom!" he yelled as he walked in.

"Sh!!! You don't wanna wake Cindy," Thomas whispered.

Timothy made a face. The twins didn't like their baby sister. All she ever did was cry. Their friend Jack had a little sister. He said they were good because you could blame things on them. Cindy too young to even walk. All she ever did was sleep, eat, and cry.

"Maybe she's in the kitchen?" Timothy whispered.

The two dropped their backpacks and ran towards the kitchen. "I wouldn't bother," came from behind them.

The twins turned around. Switchback stood behind them with a small silver ball in her hands.

"Who are you?"

"Where's mom?"

"My boss, Mr. Sinister, asked me to get the two of you for him," Switchback said.

"We're not going with you!"

"I'm sorry," Switchback said as she threw the silver ball at them.

The ball shattered as it landed at their feet. A blue gas came from it making the twins fall to the ground coughing. "I want my Mom!"

Switchback watched them fall into unconsciousness. I hope your satisfied Sinister, she thought teleporting away.

Professor Xavier's Study

"I'll be over as soon as possible Professor."

"Thank you Forge," Xavier said hanging up the phone. He turned back towards the computer screen. "Computer bring up all reports on the night of Haley Carlton's disappearance."

"There are no entries currently in the Carlton, Haley folder."

Xavier dropped the coffee mug onto the floor. "Recheck findings."

"Processing . . . no entries under Carlton, Haley folder."

This is impossible. "When were the files deleted?"

"Processing . . . unknown."

Knock. Knock. "Come in," Xavier said.

The door opened and Gambit came in. "Sorry t'disturb you."

"Sit please. Rogue said you were coming."

Gambit walked towards a chair and saw the shattered mug. He looked at the Professor and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse the mess. The computer just told me I had all files in a folder deleted," Xavier said.

"Dat all. Let me."

Xavier hovered away from the desk to give Gambit room from the front of the computer. Gambit began to type on the keyboard. "What was it you came to see me about?" Xavier asked.

"One sec . . .dere. All deleted files in dat folder are restored." Gambit stepped away and sat down in a chair. "Answer t'your question, dis mornin' I had a nightmare. It be nothin' 'cept it wasn't exactly a nightmare. It was . . . a memory of somethin' dat happened t'me when I was a pup. Wit' m'real parents."

"I thought you didn't remember them." Xavier stopped scrolling down the screen and looked at him.

"Didn't till dis mornin'," Gambit said leaning back in the chair. "I was a mess. Promised Rogue I'd see you . . . If'n I tell y'somethin' can y'not tell Cyclops or de others?"

"Yes, if that's what you wish."

"It is. Rogue already know dem both . . . y'see I learnt two t'ings dis mornin'. One was from dat memory. My father did some kind of experiment on me. It didn't mean anythin' until I found out de second t'ing. Rogue told me it. It was one of dose t'ings she talked about last week wit' you, Stormy, Jean, and Cyclops." Gambit took a deep breath. "She told me Sinister be my father. I didn't believe her at first but den she described what he had looked like . . ."

"Excuse me," Xavier said his eyes wide in disbelief. "Did you just say Sinister was your father?"

"Oui."

"Which means you're in more trouble than you thought."

"Oui. It also mean he gonna be wantin' his grandchild. Dat means Rogue gonna be in trouble too."

Sinister's Laboratory

Switchback walked into the lab. I brought the twins here. Isn't that enough you monster? she thought angrily. She tried not to gasp as she saw the twins. Thomas lay on a table moaning but unconscious. Metal shackles strapped his legs and arms down. Tubes were stuck into various parts of his body pumping a blue liquid into him. Timothy was seated in a chair, hands shackled to the arm rests. Cords were attached to a helmet like object that was on his head.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

She hadn't expected him to hear her but he did. Sinister looked away from the computer and at her. "The twins mutant abilities wouldn't manifest for a couple more years. I need them now so I'm speeding up the process and deleting their memories. Perhaps if they have no memories they will not have a conscience. A conscience, my dear, is a horrible thing." He looked at her eye to eye. "Don't you agree?"

Haley looked away. "You called for me sir."

He smiled enjoying the effect he was having on her. "I need you to find Vivien."

"The shapeshifter?"

"Correct. You'll find information in the debriefing room that will help you."

Haley nodded and left. Sinister's smile faded. Haley was developing a conscience. Such a pity. I had so many plans for you. He turned back to the computer and looked at the results of Liam's tests again. Perhaps moving him was a good idea.

The results were good but still not as good as Remy's. They were far better the other children he had tried it on though. Perhaps environment also plays a role. Sinister turned his attention from computer screen to the twins. He typed a few codes into a panel by Timothy. Timothy began to scream in agony as his memories were deleted one by one.