Power -- Continued, The Next Morning
Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 3:31 am
She woke up the next morning in intense pain. Her whole body ached. Her throat hurt, her eyes burned, she was dizzy, and her head felt like it was flying away from her neck. She had been having the weirdest dreams, about a normal-looking Toad who sang her to sleep.
The room she woke up in was sparsely furnished. It was paneled in golden oak with a basic brown carpet on the floor. The bed fit her narrow body pretty well. She was lying under a green bedspread with a pretty pattern of darker green leaves on top. There were two small paintings on the wall, one of an Irish setter jumping, the other of a forest with a small creek bubbling through it.
A rocking chair sat, empty, by the room's only door. In the gray light from the large window, the single lamp on the mission style end table looked old and worn. A small bookshelf set into the wall across from the bed, half-full of books, completed the room's contents.
Lockheed had sneaked under her covers sometime during the night. She looked under them and blushed. She wore a pink nightgown and nothing else. "Lockheed?" she asked, nervous.
The dragon yawned and crawled out, scratching himself. He carefully placed his tail across her forehead and yipped, pulling it back as if it had been scorched. She plucked at her nightgown, still concerned. He cuddled into her neck. "It's okay Kitty Kitty," he said in a light, flat, unaccented voice.
"So. You're awake." The voice didn't sound happy as it blasted into the room from above her head. "Suppose you'll be wanting your breakfast. I'll be up with it in a bit, then we'll discuss the rules." His voice cut off. She frowned. One of the panels above her head must conceal a speaker for an intercom system.
"Lockheed? I'm in Toad's house, right?" Lockheed puffed out a spark and nodded.
She clutched him to her pink ruffled chest. "It's not going to be easy to pick up a phone and call the Professor, then."
The door opened and the man himself entered, carrying a tray. His hair was clean and neat, his khaki pants had fresh creases, and his light green sweater covered his shirt to just below its brown collar. The tray had a mound of yellow scrambled eggs and a tall glass of orange juice on it.
His dark eyes flickered over her and her friend. "Sit up." He waited as she struggled into a sitting position. Lockheed pushed a pillow behind her head to prop her up. She clutched the covers to her neck and stared up at Toad.
His mouth twisted in cynical amusement. "Oh, please, give it up. Who do you think put that gown on you, Jehovah?" He settled the tray across her lap as she fidgeted at the idea of him seeing her, uncomfortable under his regard. She sniffed, but couldn't smell the food through her stuffed up nose.
There were two round white pills on her tray, as well as two pieces of buttered toast. He tapped the tray to get her attention. "Now. Pay attention, honored guest." His sarcasm was apparent. She looked up as he began pacing, glancing at her between steps. "To continue enjoying the hospitality of Toad Hall, you need to follow a few simple rules. They tell me you're a clever girl, so it should be easy to understand, even through this nasty flu you've got. Do not attempt to contact anyone outside my humble abode for any reason. No one will contact you." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her disbelieving expression. He turned and looked at her with arrogant confidence. "All that time I spent with Magneto was not solely spent bootlicking and cringing, you know. I have some talent."
Kitty's face cleared and she began thinking. He sounded defiant, but there was an undertone of something … what was it?
"So." He walked away from her again. "I disabled your communicator and all communication devices on your craft, with the help of your little scaly friend, of course."
Her mouth fell open. "Lockheed!" Her cry of surprise caused him to raise his nose from the toast he had been licking on her plate.
He cleared his throat. "Kitty Kitty needed help." He cocked his head at her and opened his eyes wide, batting his eyelids.
"Yes. Your animal agreed to these terms already, on your behalf." He towered over her again. "Right. You don't try to raise your friends. I care for you and let you leave when you are well. You come up with a story, any story at all, to explain where you've been and what you've been doing. But you never mention my home or me to anyone else. I don't care who asks or for what reason. Not for Xavier, not for Wolverine, not even your God should he show his face again. Got it?"
She nodded. "I won't tell anyone." It settled over her in a flash and she gave a sudden smile. Hurt. Toad had sounded like many of the new mutants did when they first came in to Xavier's, desperate to prove his worth, though he doubted anyone else would believe him.
"Good." He backed up. "Eat and drink all of it. Take the pain medicine." He turned away, heading to the door.
"Thank you." She took a forkful of eggs. "What should I call you? What's your real name, I mean?"
He laughed, stopping but not turning to face her. "It's so bad that being called Toad's an improvement, believe it or not."
She nodded as he opened the door. "I liked the song. It was beautiful."
He pirouetted gracefully and mock-bowed to her in the doorway. "Just call me Andy."
The door closed and she put the eggs in her mouth. They didn't hurt her throat. In fact, they felt kind of good.
She looked at Lockheed with her achy, burning eyes. "At least you're here with me."
Lockheed ate the last of her toast. "Gleep."
The room she woke up in was sparsely furnished. It was paneled in golden oak with a basic brown carpet on the floor. The bed fit her narrow body pretty well. She was lying under a green bedspread with a pretty pattern of darker green leaves on top. There were two small paintings on the wall, one of an Irish setter jumping, the other of a forest with a small creek bubbling through it.
A rocking chair sat, empty, by the room's only door. In the gray light from the large window, the single lamp on the mission style end table looked old and worn. A small bookshelf set into the wall across from the bed, half-full of books, completed the room's contents.
Lockheed had sneaked under her covers sometime during the night. She looked under them and blushed. She wore a pink nightgown and nothing else. "Lockheed?" she asked, nervous.
The dragon yawned and crawled out, scratching himself. He carefully placed his tail across her forehead and yipped, pulling it back as if it had been scorched. She plucked at her nightgown, still concerned. He cuddled into her neck. "It's okay Kitty Kitty," he said in a light, flat, unaccented voice.
"So. You're awake." The voice didn't sound happy as it blasted into the room from above her head. "Suppose you'll be wanting your breakfast. I'll be up with it in a bit, then we'll discuss the rules." His voice cut off. She frowned. One of the panels above her head must conceal a speaker for an intercom system.
"Lockheed? I'm in Toad's house, right?" Lockheed puffed out a spark and nodded.
She clutched him to her pink ruffled chest. "It's not going to be easy to pick up a phone and call the Professor, then."
The door opened and the man himself entered, carrying a tray. His hair was clean and neat, his khaki pants had fresh creases, and his light green sweater covered his shirt to just below its brown collar. The tray had a mound of yellow scrambled eggs and a tall glass of orange juice on it.
His dark eyes flickered over her and her friend. "Sit up." He waited as she struggled into a sitting position. Lockheed pushed a pillow behind her head to prop her up. She clutched the covers to her neck and stared up at Toad.
His mouth twisted in cynical amusement. "Oh, please, give it up. Who do you think put that gown on you, Jehovah?" He settled the tray across her lap as she fidgeted at the idea of him seeing her, uncomfortable under his regard. She sniffed, but couldn't smell the food through her stuffed up nose.
There were two round white pills on her tray, as well as two pieces of buttered toast. He tapped the tray to get her attention. "Now. Pay attention, honored guest." His sarcasm was apparent. She looked up as he began pacing, glancing at her between steps. "To continue enjoying the hospitality of Toad Hall, you need to follow a few simple rules. They tell me you're a clever girl, so it should be easy to understand, even through this nasty flu you've got. Do not attempt to contact anyone outside my humble abode for any reason. No one will contact you." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her disbelieving expression. He turned and looked at her with arrogant confidence. "All that time I spent with Magneto was not solely spent bootlicking and cringing, you know. I have some talent."
Kitty's face cleared and she began thinking. He sounded defiant, but there was an undertone of something … what was it?
"So." He walked away from her again. "I disabled your communicator and all communication devices on your craft, with the help of your little scaly friend, of course."
Her mouth fell open. "Lockheed!" Her cry of surprise caused him to raise his nose from the toast he had been licking on her plate.
He cleared his throat. "Kitty Kitty needed help." He cocked his head at her and opened his eyes wide, batting his eyelids.
"Yes. Your animal agreed to these terms already, on your behalf." He towered over her again. "Right. You don't try to raise your friends. I care for you and let you leave when you are well. You come up with a story, any story at all, to explain where you've been and what you've been doing. But you never mention my home or me to anyone else. I don't care who asks or for what reason. Not for Xavier, not for Wolverine, not even your God should he show his face again. Got it?"
She nodded. "I won't tell anyone." It settled over her in a flash and she gave a sudden smile. Hurt. Toad had sounded like many of the new mutants did when they first came in to Xavier's, desperate to prove his worth, though he doubted anyone else would believe him.
"Good." He backed up. "Eat and drink all of it. Take the pain medicine." He turned away, heading to the door.
"Thank you." She took a forkful of eggs. "What should I call you? What's your real name, I mean?"
He laughed, stopping but not turning to face her. "It's so bad that being called Toad's an improvement, believe it or not."
She nodded as he opened the door. "I liked the song. It was beautiful."
He pirouetted gracefully and mock-bowed to her in the doorway. "Just call me Andy."
The door closed and she put the eggs in her mouth. They didn't hurt her throat. In fact, they felt kind of good.
She looked at Lockheed with her achy, burning eyes. "At least you're here with me."
Lockheed ate the last of her toast. "Gleep."