Taylor
It was only a few hours into the morning when one of Taylor's left fingers suddenly twitched.
His eyes slowly slid closed for a moment, as his breathing began to increase.
His facial expression slowly changed to one of determination, before his hands suddenly clutched the sheets of the hospital bed.
His eyes shot open and he bolted into a sitting position before starting to hyperventilate.
Nurse
"Calm down, sir, everything;s going to be fine," an older woman soothed as she put an oxygen mask over Taylor's face.
"Can I get a 10cc of mild sedative here now, please!"
Taylor
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut as he continued the struggle for breath, wrapping his left arm around his stomach.
After what seemed like forever, his breathing started to slow and he tried to get control back.
Nurse
"See, isn't that better?"
The nurse looked at the clipboard on the bed.
"You were found on the side of the road with a head injury, Mr Doe. Well, we've been calling you John Doe since you didn't have any ID on you, but I'm guessing you can give us your name now?"
Taylor
Taylor put his left hand up to the oxygen mask and closed his eyes again as he held it in place.
He barely registered what the nurse had said, but his power made sure he did.
Well she'd have to wait until he got used to breathing again.
He managed to get his breathing to some kind of steady routine, and made sure he could breath without the mask before dropping it into his lap.
He took a deep breath and held his forehead in his left hand, reduced to panting.
"Where am I?" he croaked.
Nurse
"Prince Edward Island hospital," the nurse said promptly.
"You were raving when they brought you in...but you didn't say your name."
Taylor
"I thought you said I was found with a head injury?" Taylor frowned, before coughing.
He got himself together again and continued to pant.
"I want to talk to my brother. I need a phone," his voice rasped.
Nurse
"Please, sir, keep calm," the nurse urged.
"You're in no condition to be alarming yourself."
Taylor
"Please," he shook his head without looking up.
He swallowed for a second, then continued to pant.
"I just need to talk to him. Please just bring me a phone..."
Nurse
"That would depend on the doctor, sir," the nurse said.
"He said you were to be kept nice and quiet."
Taylor
"I just want a phone," Taylor shook his head.
He cringed slightly as he tried to push himself up.
"Why won't you give me one?" he looked up at her.
Nurse
The woman smiled at him in that patronizing, pitying manner most senior nurses seem to know.
"Doctor's orders, sir. Would you like something to drink?"
Taylor
"I need a phone," Taylor persisted.
"I can't stay here. I need to get home. Just let me call him and he'll come get me. Fill out any paperwork or whatever needs to be done."
He winced again slightly, before noticing the drip in his arm.
He hesitated.
"What day is it today?" he frowned.
Nurse
"It is September...September...Marie, what day is it today?" the woman called out, turning.
"12th!" A voice called back.
"There you are. September 12th."
Taylor
Taylor frowned as he read her body language.
"Why are you lying to me?" he asked suddenly in a soft voice.
"Has it been longer?"
His eyes darted around the room for a moment, before he attempted to get up.
"What... what happened to me?" he asked, more to himself.
Nurse
"Lie down, you'll tear your stitches," the woman said firmly, pressing him back down onto the bed.
"Please, sir."
Taylor
"But why were you lying?" Taylor looked confused, stopping for a second.
"I can't* I don't* what's going on?"
Nurse
"No body's lying to you," the nurse soothed.
"I think it's time you took another nap, don't you? You're too upset."
Taylor
"No," Taylor frowned.
"I just want to talk to my brother and go home. I can't stay here. He'll find me."
He closed his eyes tiredly for a moment before trying to hold them open.
Nurse
"Who will find you?" the woman inquired.
She bent to pick up Taylor's wrist, measuring his heartbeat.
Taylor
Taylor hesitated, realizing what he'd said.
"No one," he amended softly, "just please, let me go."
Nurse
"Until the docotr says that you can, you must remain here," the nurse said.
"We have a duty of care towards you to consider."
Taylor
"Yeah well I don't want it. I'm not a minor. And I don't appreciate being lied to."
He squinted as he looked around the room for a moment, trying to find any connection to the outside world, and failed.
N341
A tall, regally elegant woman walked into the room. Her hair was white and twisted into an elegant French knot, eyes crystaline blue with green depths.
"What seems to be the problem?" she said crisply, studying the papers of the file in her hand.
"No problem, doctor," the nurse said.
"Mr Doe would like a phone to contact his brother."
"Perhaps when we know *who* Mr Doe is, that will be permissiable."
A moment's silence before N341 glared at the nurse.
"Don't you have work to do? Elsewhere?"
"Certainly, doctor..."
The nurse left without further arguement, back stiff with indignation. N341 sat down by Taylor's bed, clicking a pen open.
"Now, Mr Doe...let's not beat about the bush further, shall we? You are suspected of being a mutant, and a hostile one at that. Several items recovered from where you were found led us to believe this..."
Taylor
"Please," Taylor shook his head, "I just want to talk to my brother. He can tell you anything you want to know. And I don't know how you found me or what the heck is going on because I know that nurse was lying to me. And as far as I know there's no need for that. I want to know what's going on, and I want to go home."
N341
The woman crossed her legs, tastefully manicured nails tapping at the paper.
"First of all, we would have to know your name."
Taylor
"For the record, Jordan Taylor Hanson. Are you going to be a help or just a hindrance?" Taylor frowned, looking up at her.
She certainly didn't look like a doctor to him. And she kind of looked like Nina.
Nurse
"Please stay there, sir."
The woman turned and left, exiting through a door.
"Moira, we're having an emergency down the hall...one of the children burst their stitches. The doctor in charge of the case is out."
"Coming."
She closed the door.
Taylor
Taylor groaned and rolled his eyes, before looking around again.
Looking himself over, he considered his options. Stay here and take their crap, or do something about it.
He threw his sheets off and edged toward the side of the bed. He hesitated when his feet hit the cold floor, then attempted to stand. Finding his legs too weak, he had to sit down again.
He took a deep breath and counted to ten.
N341
"Nice to meet you, Jordan. My name is Doctor Phillips."
N341 crossed out 'John Doe' on the paper and wrote 'Jordan Taylor Hanson' across the top.
"The question is, are you going to be helpful? Or merely irritatingly silent?"
Taylor
"How about you do something for me and I'll do something for you?" Taylor glared.
"Let's start with giving me a f**king phone."
N341
N341 smiled.
"Someone has been watching 'Silence of the Lambs'. So, I would be Clarisse?"
Taylor
"I don't have to take this s**t," Taylor shook his head.
He threw the covers off his legs and slowly stood up on the opposite side of the bed.
N341
"Yes, you do."
N341 stood and pushed him back down onto the bed.
"The nurse wasn't exactly truthful with you before. Yes, this is Prince Edward Island's hospital. What she failed to mention, was that it was the psychiatric ward."
A pager attached to her belt shrilled and she picked it up, turning to leave.
Taylor
"What?!" Taylor exclaimed, frowning in confusion.
"You find me on the side of the road and just immediately assume I'm some kind of loony?!"
He stood up again and attempted to pull the drip out of his arm.
"I am not staying here."
N341
"No, it was the whining and barking like a dog, alongside other animal noises and the fact that you went after the deputy police officer who found you with a knife."
N341 opened the door and closed it behind her.
"When you are feeling more civil, I will return. And perhaps we can talk."
Taylor
Taylor froze, then sat down heavily on the bed and grabbed at his chest.
"Not again," his voice almost whined, too soft to really be heard.
He hung his head and took a deep breath.
"God help me*"
Inmates
"Shut up, Piepie! They'll hear you."
"Ohc'monyouslowpokes! NurseRatchettisdownthehallnotaproblem! We'regonnasayhiandthenwe'llgobacktoourcellslikenicecrazies."
"We're not crazies. Or I'm not. You're another matter."
"WhyIoutta..."
"Pietro, unlock the door. Now," a different voice to the previous two said coolly.
"Ohgeez, Wanda..."
"Before I hex you myself."
"Alrightalright, geez...thethingsyoudoforfamily."
The doorknob rattled before it opened. A whitehaired teen zipped in, putting his hands on his hips as a girl with clipped black hair and a sullen disposition followed him. Another teen followed them, lank hair falling across his sallow face, amber eyes shining dully.
"Myohmy, lookitthis."
Pietro snatched up the clipboard at the end of Taylor's bed and flipped through it. The pages fluttered.
"He'sdislikedbythedoctorsmorethenyou, Wanda! Andthat'ssayingsomething!"
"Talk slower, Pie Pie."
"What, whyshouldIslowmyselfdownforyoutwolosers? Bitemeonmycutebehind!"
Pietro ducked and yelped as Wanda's hands glowed, blue energy crackling between them.
"Behave, Pietro."
The other youth snickered.
"So, should we introduce ourselves?"
"Welcometohell."
Pietro zipped to the door and closed it. The three ducked down as a nurse walked past the doorway.
"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here," Wanda intoned.
Taylor
"I never left the labs, did I?" Taylor sniffed slightly, without looking up.
"I'm just waking up from one nightmare into another."
Inmates
"Look what I have to work with! These two uncultured philistines. I hope you have more class then they do. HeyWandawatchit!"
Pietro was standing at one side of the room, then he was at the other. Wanda bared her teeth in a snarl as Pietro shook a finger at her reprovingly.
"Don'tyouknowyoushouldplaynicewiththeotherchildren, Wanda? They might let you out earlier then."
"We're not in any labs," Wanda said.
"Mostly we're here because they don't know what else to do with us."
"Hahaha! Flatscans!" Pietro jeered.
"Yet who is in whose mental institution?" Wanda said.
"Allamisunderstanding."
"Of course it is, Pie Pie."
"Don'tcallmethat!"
"Anyway, my name is Wanda, that's my twin brother Pietro and this is Todd."
"Yo."
The other youth waved slightly, muddy amber eyes watching Taylor with interest.
"Duck!"
The three ducked below eyelevel again while a nurse went past.
"So, dawg," Todd drawled.
"Whatcher in for? Wanda hexed someone, Pietro is in here for what was it, Petey? Nymphomania."
"CanIhelpitI'msogorgeous? Uh, yeah, watchmeworkitbaby!"
Pietro put his hands on the back of his head in a model pose.
"Likeyoucantalk, klepto."
Taylor
"I'm here because some asshole put me here," Taylor's right hand clenched the sheets on the bed.
He faced the wall for a moment, before standing up again.
"I need to get out of here. Can you help me?"
Inmates
The three shared a glance.
"If we could get out of here, do you think we would still be here?" Wanda said.
"Getting injected with mindnumbing drugs may be your idea of fun, but it's not mine..."
"Wanda'swhattheycallatroubledcase. Whichmeansdrugs, sedatives,straightjackets, theworks," Pietro explained.
"Also, she blows shit up when she gets angry," Todd said.
"Or us."
"Not lately!" Wanda protested.
Taylor
"Well you seem to be able to unlock doors, and not care about any security cameras that might have seen you come in here in the first place," Taylor raised his eyebrows.
He rubbed his arm for a second, before lifting his right hand to his throat.
No collar.
He hesitated for a moment with his eye on the door, then made his way over to it.
Inmates
Pietro zoomed to stand between Taylor and the door.
"BelievemewhenIsayyoudon'twanttodothat."
"Don't make me hex you," Wanda warned.
"I don't like doing it. The drugs make it so hard to concentrate..."
"Calm down, yo," Todd said.
"He just doesn't understand yet, dawgs."
Taylor
"And why wouldn't I?" Taylor demanded.
"I am not staying here if I have a chance to leave. Get out of my way."
Inmates
"Yo, chill."
Todd opened his mouth and a long tongue darted out to trip Taylor by the ankle and dump him back on the bed. Wanda made a face.
"Aw, cuddlebumps, I do it all for you."
"Don't call me that, you disgusting creature."
"But, Wanda..."
"Don'thitonmysisterTolensky! Anywaydudeyoucan'tjustwalkoutofhere."
Pietro leaned against the door, studying his nails.
"Ifyouwanttogetsopumpedfullofdrugsyoucan'tseestraight,goahead. Butwaituntilwe'reclear, ok? Idon'tlikebeingslowerthenIhaveto. Hateithateithateit! They'realreadysetuptodealwithmutants, whichiswhatyoumustbeifyou'rehere."
Taylor
"They don't know for sure," Taylor glared, his second persona beginning to take over again.
"Touch me again and I'll f**king fry you."
He stood up from the bed and backed off a little, eyeing the door again.
Inmates
"Chill, yo," Todd said.
"Man, I think you need to be in here..."
"Yeah, stressmuch? A makeover could help with that."
Pietro zoomed over to Taylor, and stood behind him, playing wuth his hair before it was up in two pigtails.
"Afabulouslookforyou, darling! But no!"
His hands flew again before the superfast mutant was leaning against the door again. Taylor's hair was back the way it was before Pietro had messed with it.
"Seriouslyyoushouldgetsomehighlights."
Taylor
Taylor snarled softly before giving him a small atomic shock.
"They'll get worse if you keep working to piss me off. Either help me or get the f**k out of here."
Inmates
"Yeow!"
Pietro zoomed out the door.
"Thatwasn'tverynice! Iwasgivingyoufashiontipsandeverything!"
"Don't touch my brother."
Wanda's hand glowed before she threw a hex bolt at Taylor.
"Got it, trailer trash?"
She left, back up imperiously.
"No hard feelings, yo," Todd said before he left and closed the door behind him, shutting it.
OOC:
Taylor
Taylor ducked from the hex bolt, only able to through his
change. When they left, he threw the door the bird, then went over to it
and opened it. Seeing the corridor empty, he slipped out and started looking
around.
Pietro
"Wow, youreallydon'tlisten, do you?"
The speedster leaned against a wall, watching Taylor.
"Iseeit'sjacketsanddrugsforyouprettysoon."
Taylor
"I told you to piss off," Taylor glared, walking on. "And if Blakesley has anything to do with it, that won't be
happening. He won't want to f**k up my mind much more."
Pietro
"Blakesley? NoBlakesleyshere. Just Nurse Ratchett and her
cronies."
Pietro kept pace with Taylor easily.
Taylor
"Then whoever's in charge. I don't care. If anything else
major happens my mind is going to be seriously f**ked and I
won't have any control," Taylor murmured. He came to a stairwell and began up.
Pietro
"If you're here, you're already mind f*cked," Pietro said.
He zoomed past Taylor, then leant on the railing and looked down.
"Don'tsupposeyouknowanythingaboutinterdimensionaltravel, do you?"
Taylor
"No," Taylor replied firmly. He came to a door, hesitated, and kept going up.
Pietro
"That'sapity," Pietro mused.
He flipped onto the railing and ran up it, looking blurred before
he stopped and sat on it, in front of Taylor again.
"I watched them bring you in, you know. You looked like shit."
Taylor
"Thanks a lot," Taylor murmured. "They said I was `raving', but they were lying. I just wish
someone would tell me the f**king truth for once."
Pietro
"What is truth?" Pietro asked flippantly.
"Seriouslydude, theylietoeveryonehere. Justgetusedtoit. You're
going to be here for a while."
Taylor
"Well f**k that option." Taylor finally came to the last door and hesitated with his
hand on the doorknob. Gulping slightly, he turned it and went
through.
Nurse
"You see, Joy...when kids do that, they're doing it to get
attention, no other reason," a woman said comfortingly to another
nurse.
"I know, Esme, but it's really disconcerting..."
"Well, you can thank god she doesn't need to go here," the first
chuckled, taking a tray of pills and turning towards the door.
"Seeyaman, I'mouttahere!"
Pietro disappeared back down the stairs, footsteps sounding in
staccato beats.
"My, what are you doing up, dear?" the woman said to Taylor.
Taylor
Taylor froze like a deer in headlights for a moment, before
his eyes darted around the area they were in. "A Dr. Blakesley brought me in, right? Or someone under his
command?" he asked, looking them in the eyes.
Nurse
"Blakesley..."
The woman turned to the nurse at her desk.
"Do you know a Blakesley?"
"Oh, didn't you know? Trish is all gaga over the man she's trying
to convince to look at her twice. I think she said his name was
Blakesley...I think he's gay, myself."
"Does it say who brought this young man in? On his documents?"
"I'll look..."
Taylor
Taylor just kind of stood there for a moment, not game
enough to relax even a little in case he had to bolt. These women
obviously had no idea of what was going on. He watched them worriedly, slipping his hands into his
pockets.
Nurse
"Here we are. Josh Edwards. Nice boy," the nurse said, looking up.
"Is he still working in the electrical store?"
"I think so..."
The other nurse shrugged.
"I best be on with my duties. Now, sir, if you would just return
to your room..."
Taylor
"No, no*" Taylor stepped back, shaking his head. "I'm* claustrophobic. But I need to see Blakesley, if that's
possible*"
Nurse
"Please don't make our job harder, dear," one of the nurses said.
"Please go back to your room."
Taylor
"Please just let me see him," Taylor practically begged,
backing toward the door a little. "Or at least* at least let me call my brother."
Nurse
"Unfortunately, I think our phonelines are down," the nurse said.
"That's what comes of living in a country where it snows so
much..."
Taylor
Taylor froze for a moment. "You mean it's December?!" he suddenly looked
worried. That was before he finally hesitated long enough to see that
she was lying* again. He held himself back from saying anything.
Nurse
"They're down for some reason or other...rats, maybe."
The woman shrugged in disinterest.
"They'll be back up tomorrow."
Taylor
Taylor hesitated again, grinding his teeth for a moment. "Is there any way I can possibly get a clearance to leave
within 24 hours?" he asked hopefully, "I mean* there's nothing
wrong with me."
Nurse
"Well, that wouldn't be up to you to decide," the nurse said.
"That would be up to Dr Fields. He handles outpatients."
Taylor
"Then can I see him?" Taylor persisted. "As soon as possible? Please?"
Nurse
"He'll be in tomorrow," the nurse soothed.
"Will you go back to your room now please?"
Taylor
Taylor bit his bottom lip and ran his fingers through his hair,
before going back to the door. Without turning his back until the
last second, he went through it and began down the stairs
again. He wasn't going back to that room * it reminded him too
much of the labs. Maybe he could just sit in the corridor for a
while or something.
Inmate
"Make them be quiet...please, it's too loud..." a small girl
whispered brokenly, hands held to her head.
"I dun wanna know, I dun wanna know..."
Taylor
Taylor hesitated in the corridor, listening for a moment. Looking up toward the door to his left, he moved slightly to
put his hand against it. Finding it locked, he did some tweaking
with his atom manipulation, and finally opened it. Gulping slightly, he stuck his head through. "Are you ok?"
Inmate
"Loud..."
The girl dressed in a hospital gown scurried away from him,
sobbing.
"Quiet, please...because the fairies are in the garden and they
like the quiet."
Taylor
Taylor bit his lip again, worried for her, before slowly closing
the door again. He wasn't going to get involved in something he really knew
nothing about. Taking a deep breath he continued down the corridor to a
white bench close to his room and sat down, putting his head in
his hands.
Wanda's hexbolts work somewhat like Null, but with an explosive
addition. Also known as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximof, daughter
of Magneto...comic canon.