Panther - A Nightcrawler Fanfiction

29) The Physicist's Daughter

[Author's Note:

{5.20.2013} Edited through looking for errors

X-men Characters in this Chapter: Nightcrawler (Kurt), Storm (Ororo), Professor X (Charles),  and Rogue (Marie)

OCs: Panther (Emery) and the Shadow (Marcus)]

Emery was obliterated. There was simply no other word to describe the utter exhaustion and the pulsing pain protruding from every nerve point in her pathetic physical body. Marcus was right. She had no physical means to fight if it came down to that. She'd spent all of her time trying to control her mentality that she hadn't even considered what would happen if she lost the ability to use it. Hell, she hadn't even considered it possible for her to lose it.

He'd instructed her for hours. How to stand. Where to hit. How to hit. Not to leave herself open. That last one was the worst. Every time she left herself open, he would land a roundhouse or a backhand to that spot. He gave her no opportunity for error, and her errors cost her. He'd let her take a bath afterwards, and by time she'd finished scrubbing off the sweat he had food cooked and set out on the table. It was fish.

Where was he getting all of this food? Was there a store nearby? Or did he just stockpile? Either way, she was thankful for this small blessing.

"There are four different kinds of tea on the counter. The water in the teapot is already hot, so help yourself. You're just going to feel worse tomorrow, but we have to work through your body's resistance to motion."

Emery made herself mint tea. She didn't understand why, but for some reason, she was comfortable around Marcus. Okay, so maybe comfortable wasn't the right word, but she knew he wasn't going to kill her, and he treated her decently. If you didn't count the collar, which was probably for his own protection, and him forcing her to fight, nor the kidnapping her.

"So, if I agree to continue training until you think I am capable of fighting, will you tell me your story?"

Marcus looked up from his plate.

"I don't have a story."

"Sure you do," Emery said taking a seat across from him. "Everyone does."

"You mean talk about my life, and why it's so fucked up? No thanks. I'm good keeping it to myself."

"Let's start with your age. How old are you?"

"It doesn't matter."                                                  

"Look, you've already pried into my brain. You apparently have gathered every little piece of me that you wanted to know about. The least you can do is answer some of my questions."

"You're not ready for some of the answers to the questions you want to ask."

"You're playing Yoda again."

"Would you rather I lie to you?"

"Who says you haven't lied to me right from the start?"

"Now who's playing Yoda?"

Emery glared at him.

"Don't you understand? I'm the bad guy."

"Well you're a sucky bad guy then."

Marcus scoffed and returned to eating his food. Emery let it slide and focused on her own plate.

A few minutes later Marcus spoke up.