Help from the Enemy...(OPEN!)

[hank]

Again they looked at each other as she spoke. She was like a living breathing computer, and even knew their names. She continued telling of Isis-as the 's name came to be-and her trip from Alaska to here. Ian's own cheeks reddened a bit when she said she could tell him what he was doing. He didn't know why he was blushing a bit, but maybe it was because of Rose. He had taken a great liking to her and he wasn't sure if she liked him either.

"That's quite alright, Crystal, we won't take much of your time." Hank said, giving a kind smile, "but you mentioned the suit. Is there anything you can tell us that can help us work on tending to him? I'm afraid my knowledge of being a doctor only extends to human and some mutant anatomy."

[crystal]

Crystal slowly blinked, a slightly annoyed expression touching her face. Still, her emotions were extremely weak, even for someone her age. "You act like he doesn't have the same anatomy as the rest of us. He's not different anatomy wise. Just... bigger." She sighed softly gazing at the suit. "You sure you want to see..? Okay then." She didn't even wait for an answer. With out another moments hesitation, she reached out to touch the suit. What ever she did, she made sure to hide her actions from them. "Ready. Off it goes." Something like a hiss could be heard.

[hank]

Ian and Hank watched her work along the suit, noticing that she was hiding the technique for opening it from them. When the hissing happened and the suit began to open, a foul stench of burning flesh came out as well. It filled up the room to the point where Ian excused himself, and Hank turned on the vents to let the fumes out before it filled up the whole basement. He put on a small breathing mask that would allow him to work without smelling things.

"Thank you, Crystal." his muffled voice spoke, "Since my assistant seemed to have taken a break, would you mind assisting me with attaching En to the recovery machine. I have much studying and work to do before I begin."

He turned and began working the machine into operation and fixing Apocalypse into place. Hank started checking his vital signs, writing them down on a small notepad. He then walked over to Isis and began doing the same with her.

[crystal]

The smell didn't bother Crystal. Actually, she didn't even seem to notice it at all. That or something in her head didn't register the smell as foul.
"I guess I could. Not like I have anything better to do. Besides... I owe him..." She spoke of Apocalypse. He'd helped her get over her information overloads and suffocating when giving answers. He'd let her study on his computer, and explained anything to her that she didn't understand. He'd only ever been 'kind' to her, never hurting her or lying to her. She wanted him back to normal.

Crystal stepped around to help him as he worked, doing anything he told her to do, or doing something before he even did tell her to do it.

[hank]

He gave her a curious look when she said she owed Apocalypse. He then looked to the burnt body of the Brotherhood leader. Did he truly do something worth owing? Surely not for the sake of someone else. He shook his head as he continued working, deciding that there's somethings that he just couldn't understand. After the smell had cleared, he removed his mask and did a few more work around the infirmary. Apocalypse needed two beds connected together, while Isis only needed one.

He had an I.V. in both of his patients arms, but his main problem was keeping Apocalypse here without someone knowing his suit could be opened. When Ian came back, he decided that the only people who would know about the suit would be Ian, himself, and Crystal.

"Do you two understand?" He asked, Ian nodding in response, "Nobody is to know the suit can be opened, otherwise he will be vulnerable. Crystal, what you did stays between the three of us, understand?"

"But wouldn't we benefit from knowing it could be opened?" Ian asked curiously, "I mean, haven't we've been needing a way to bring him down?"

"As a mutant and fellow X-Man I would say yes." Hank said with a small smile, "But as a doctor, I must respect the old doctor/patient confidentiality rule. Crystal, I've managed to find small openings in the armor the equipment can fit through. I'll need you to close the armor so nobody will know. We'll have to open it up every now and then to check on the devices. So if you could..."

[crystal]

Crystal didn't say anything as she helped, or when Ian returned, or when Hank started to speak. That is, until Ian said that they would benefit from knowing the suit could open. She smirked softly. "It doesn't matter if you know if it can or not. It wont do anything unless you know how it opens. That's why I didn't let either of you see how I did it." She paused, glaring at Ian and Hank. "Why would you want to 'bring him down'? Don't you people preach about 'forgiveness', and 'second chances'?" She paused, her look growing a little darker. "You try telling anyone, and you'll regret it. You really think you want to try it? Especially when I can tell anyone, anything." She paused for a moment, acting as if deep in thought. "I wonder... What would happen if someone... accidentally told Rose where Cain was?" Ian would know. Rose would go, and hunt him down. She would do everything in her power to get her revenge, even if it did mean her life.

She sighed, shaking her head and closing the suit, once again hiding the motions so they wouldn't figure out how it was done. "There."

[ian]

"We understand that Crystal, which is why we're respecting both yours and Isis's wishes to do nothing but help." Hank said in his usual calming voice.

Ian listened to Crystal rant about helping others and second chances, and he had to admit she was right. He would've left it alone at that if she hadn't have mentioned Cain. It was then he looked to her with more fury in his eyes then should've been there. Every time he thought about Cain, all he could picture was Rose lieing on the bed at Aaron's house, barely clinging to life.

"Where? Where is he?" he demanded.

"Ian!" Hank shouted.

"What?" Ian shouted back, turning angrily to Hank, "He attacked Rose! Gave her to the Nightmares! She would've died if we didn't save her!"

"I understand that, believe me." Hank said, walking over and placing a hand on Ian's shoulder, "But going after someone you know nothing about just for revenge won't help Rose."

Ian's pulsed in his brain, gritting his teeth to the point of ing, and balling his hands into fists to the point of almost breaking skin. He wanted to find Cain, and kill him for what he did to Rose.

[crystal]

Crystal near slammed her hands into her ears as she tried to ignore the question. She couldn't. The answer, having been held back for so long was given so fast it didn't even count as English. Shaking her head, a part of her was about ready to repeat it because it wasn't a long answer, it just wasn't understandable.
"I need a new question... Someone ask me another quest..."

Even though Apocalypse had made a device to stop overloads, neither of them had taken into consideration what might happen if she tried to disobey a question. It was like an overload, only she wasn't fainting, her head so confused it was going in every single direction at once.

[ian]

Ian turned and saw Crystal holding her head, begging for a new question. He then realised that his anger was causing her to be hurt, and that made him calm down more. He walked over and sat her down in the chair he had isis in moments before, then knelt down and gently took ahold of her wrists.

"Crystal, forget the question. I don't want to know where Cain is." He said, hoping that would work.

[crystal]

Crystal just shook her head violently. "I need a new question." She almost flinched. This was why she always fainted when having information overloads. The pain in her head was unmatchable to anything that had happened to her before now. "Any question... It doesn't matter. I just need a question.." Not only would it distract her, but it'd give her the time she needed to regain order to her thoughts. It could be anything. He could ask what color someone's shirt was! Anything to distract her.

[ian]

Now he was getting nervous. He wasn't sure what he could do to calm her down, but when she asked for a new question, he started to think. What could he ask? Something small? Something big? think, Ian, think, he scolded himself. He continued to think as hard as he could until finally the image of Rose appeared in his head. He brightened as a lightbulb seemed to go click inside his head.

"Crystal, what can I give Rose for her birthday?"

[crystal]

If Crystal had stronger emotions, she would have laughed, but she did sigh in relief. "I don't know. She hasn't said anything." She paused for a moment. "I can't read thoughts, so I can't tell you anything in people's heads." Another pause as order finally returned. She hated that the one question he asked she couldn't answer, but it worked.

A few moments passed before she spoke. "Knowing what I know isn't always good... I have to answer questions. It's like something inside me won't let me ignore them..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I used to have overloads if someone asked to big of a question... That or I'd suffocate cause I can't breath when I answer." Crystal suddenly looked up to stare at Apocalypse's still form. "I know he only made it so it wouldn't happen for his own use... But he didn't have to do the rest... He didn't have to let me study, just so I could understand what I answered. Or tell me how something worked just because I was curious. Or just be nice to me..."

She suddenly looked at Ian, then Hank, her look extremely serious. "He's not the monster you think he is. So you can't hurt him-" Crystal froze, her face going blank. "Sentinels are online again..."

[logan]

Ian stood up, a little shaken that he had almost caused her to have a breakdown. He knew the question was rediculous, but it was the only thing he could think to ask. Though it did make him a little down to know she couldn't help him out, he'd have to get to know Rose more, or maybe ask her brother. When she spoke of how Apocalypse helped her, both Hank and him followed her gaze to the burned body lieing on the bed.

"Could it be that he has shown a different side?" Hank asked, Ian just shrugged.

When she mentioned the sentinels had been reactivated, both Ian and Hank looked to her. It was at that same point other footsteps could be heard coming around the corner. Logan had caught what Crystal had said at the very end, so he was sure the news wouldn't be too much of a shock. He stood in the doorway, his hands bracing both sides.

"It's worse then that, kid, Tokyo's been completely destroyed."

"My God..." Hank said, the color draining from Ian's face.

"Yeah," Logan said, looking towards Apocalypse, "Looks like he's got some problems to. I smelled him all the way up to the frontroom."

[crystal]

"Not all of it..." Crystal seemed to be in a daze, not even looking at Logan when he entered the room. "Most of it though..." Not all of it... She could see a factory still standing. Sentinels being built inside it... Cain directing the orders... And a locked room with a woman inside.

Finally she looked at Logan, slowly blinking. So she finally got to meet Wolverine in the flesh. Of course she knew plenty about him, even the things he didn't know himself. With his amnesia and all. Crystal finally frowned. "So? Are you X-men going to go help? There are still some survivors... But if Cain finds a way to use his prisoner's power to his advantage... You won't be able to stop him." Wait, she'd just said Cain. Oh, oops. Totally gave away who was controlling the Sentinels.

[ian]

Ian and the others listened to her explain about Tokyo. She didn't have to question them being X-Men and helping the survivors, that's the thought that Hank and Logan were thinking. When she mentioned Cain being in control, and holding a girl hostage that he could use and become unbeatable, it was Ian that stepped up to say something.

"Guys, I'm going with you."

"Ian that's madness, you'll get yourself killed." Hank said.

"Hanks right, Ian, you come with us you'll die." Logan added.

"Look I know you guys are looking out for me and I'm thankful. But you need someone with speed if you want to get the girl away from Cain, and I'm the fastest guy you have."

Logan and Hank looked at eachother, then back to Ian. Both of them knew that Cain had injured Rose, and Ian's feelings for her are making him want revenge on the man that hurt her. Logan couldn't blame him, if it were Jean or Storm it'd be the same way with him, which is why he was against it.

"Look guys, I can't promise I'll try and take on Cain, but I can promise that my priority is getting who ever he has captured out." Ian said.

After a short pause, Logan and Hank smiled and nodded, then turned to Ian.

"Get as many of the X-Men as you can and meet us at the jet, you have five minutes." Logan said.

"I'll get it done in two." Ian said, and he was gone in a flash.

"Crystal, stay here and keep an eye on the two of them. If either of them awake, make sure
they are treated fairly and don't try anything destructive." Hank requested.