Rebirth

There are a lot of ways to force someone into submission. The most common way is through fear, and through fear they learn not to rebel. The way that Anni and I learned submission was through the tank. The tank is something out of the worst nightmares. It was, as obvious, a tank of water. But you didn't bathe, nor drink from this. After you did something the Coats didn't like, you were forced into this.. abomination, where you had no air nor escape.

Anni and I were lucky enough to not be put in the tank very much, but it was enough to make us pass out from fear when they mentioned it. A lot of experiments before us had died from just being put in the tank too much. Apparently, they liked to put acid in the water, so your engineered healing factor had to kick in before you died. Sometimes, my skin would just disappear and the water would turn red, and I'd inhale my own blood. After that my skin would grow back, but you could never really recover mentally from that.

That's where I was; in the tank. There wasn't anyway out, and I knew by reading the men's mind that I was going to be stuck in that thing for a while. This was the fourth time this week, and it wasn't even needed. I knew better not to rebel against them; that's pretty much sealing your death on paper. The men had long, hot metal rods that they would poke you with when you didn't do anything, but no matter; I wouldn't scream. Blood was already running out of my mouth, and from my wounds, when they finally decided to kick it up a notch. The acid was added without delay, and I couldn't keep back the blood-filled scream of pain. I could hear Anni in the other room, screaming for me and her own pain.

The skin began to deteriorate, leaving muscle that barely held through. Even though no one could see them, I knew tears were running down my cheeks. I couldn't explain to you how badly it hurt. The men in front of me smiled, before draining the water. Acid remained in my wounds, eating to the bone, before my healing factor kicked in. I passed out when they threw me in the room, and hit the floor at Anni's feet.

"No!" I screamed as I bolted awake from my dream, unable to hold back. I could feel my flesh rotting, being destroyed. Anni was at my side in an instant, trying to talk me into calmness, but I couldn't hear her. The sound of men's laughter; writing on a clipboard; acid eating flesh; Anni screaming. The images were flooding my brain, attacking me from each side. I vaguely heard the door open, and many worried faces, but I couldn't speak. Or I was, but I couldn't tell. I couldn't feel, smell, or barely hear. I saw images from the past running through my brain.

When Logan entered, I could feel myself go through his operations all over again. He was in the tank, also. His hands were tied; mouth gagged; pain radiating from his body as metal was crafted to his bones. I couldn't handle his pain, my pain, and I could only collapse into the blackness as my mind turned to mush.

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"You know, Wolverine, it wouldn't be this bad if you would just calm down." A man circled in front of the tank and Logan floated. His eyes were blank with pain; unresponsive, unmoving. His body was slack as he floated, and I knew immediately that he had been given a sedative. He barely registered the man tapping on the front of the glass with a stick of metal. "This adamantium will make you able to be the perfect killing machine. Not to mention you'll actually survive this procedure with your healing factor. And after that, we'll be able to copy that and transfer it to other specimens. You will be the backbone for mutant experimentation, Wolverine."

Logan tried to struggle, but before I could see more, I was thrown into another memory from the man.

"Sir," a young man, barely over the age of twenty, approached Colonel Stryker with shaking limbs. Stryker looked at him without emotion as the Private gave the report. "The specimen took to the gene, sir. The girls, Anneliese Raye Dawn and Jasey Rae Dawn now contain the healing factor specimen Wolverine contained." Stryker laughed cruelly, and smiled.

"Mutants. They think they're so great, but we can control their every move." His eyes were cold as he looked back into the experimentation room, where two fifteen-year-old girls were on breathing machines. "Time for the fun." His cold whisper echoed throughout the steel hallway.

I gasped in pain as I shot up out of bed, but I couldn't remember where. Things were quiet, minus the beeping from the machine on my left, and my heavy breathing. White walls greeted my eyes, and I groaned before turning in the bed and throwing my feet to the floor. I was a lot paler then I remembered.

I could hear Anni before I saw her. "Scott, Jasey has always had visions like these. She gets them much worse then I do because when she goes into one, she can hear the thoughts of all the other people, and see what's happening. She told me it's really bad, because all the people are amused, and she can see everything through them."

"Anni?" I whispered, knowing that she would be able to hear me, somehow.

"Jasey!" She nearly screamed, jumping on the bed and grabbing onto me. I hissed in pain, and she pulled back before sighing and hugging me without so much pain. After my flashback visions, I always hurt. When the door opened again, I nearly fell backwards in surprise. Standing before me was Logan. The man that had indirectly given us our healing factor that would ensure we would never die.

"Logan, do you remember anything from the experiments?" My voice wasn't any higher then a whisper, and it startled the people in the room. I guess they had never seen me so weak.

"Uh, no. No, not really. Why, Jasey?" His voice was full of.. I think it was concern? I couldn't think straight.

"Because you're where our healing factor came from. They stole it from you, and put it into us."