fateandfortune | Transporter Beam Accidents Do Happen

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Transporter Beam Accidents Do Happen

An anomaly.

Space was full of them, but all of the points of instability no matter how small in the Sol system had been exhaustively catalogued. Grade school children took field trips to collect redundant data on them to analyse over apple juice and animal crackers. Or kelp wafers, or whatever they fed people now. Khan had encountered a few undocumented anomalies in his longer-range scans and tended to avoid them whenever possible in his transporter experiments, but he hadn't even bothered scanning first this time. Why would he? The coordinates he was using were in the path of Earth's orbit, no region of space had been better studied than that one.

There were several distant anomalies in the known galaxy which could warp local space-time into crumpled aluminum foil, but this one didn't have the right energy signature. It wasn't a false reading, even though by all rational standards it should have been. These subspace energy patterns never occurred naturally, not in the vacuum of space. It looked almost like a life-form signature that had been abandoned mid-transport, no stabilizing beam either from point of origin or destination, and somehow hadn't disintegrated in the process.

Well, no sense in ignoring the interesting finding. Ultimately, Khan intended to use transwarp teleportation with living subjects anyway. While he wasn't prepared to start sacrificing lives at this stage, this wasn't his doing. Whatever this creature was, or had been, it essentially didn't exist right now. Its matter was no longer part of any known or theorized parallel universe. It wasn't alive, so rematerializing it in his test chamber wasn't going to kill it no matter what went wrong. He might as well bring the thing in and have a look at it before blasting it back out into the vacuum of space.

After recalibrating his instruments to lock onto life signs, Khan locked onto the signal with far more precision than the instruments currently in wide use could have done. Khan was alone in his workshop with no weapons and he really should have considered calling in a xenobiologist first, but he had no interest whatsoever in expanding the frontiers of shared knowledge for the rabid warhounds of Starfleet. A few more buttons punched and the golden swirls began forming on the platform inside the spherical force field. Khan would have to shut the field off in order for sound waves to cross the distance between them, but right now he should be able to see what was inside well enough to determine if it should be jettisoned immediately. That would definitely be necessary if it turned out to be too large for the containment field, no sense in triggering an explosion of guts all over the sensitive instruments.

Of course, if the life form reassembled correctly and actually possessed senses corresponding the the human visible light range, it would also be able to see him. It would appear at roughly his chest-height on a warm white disc three metres in diameter, the force field bubble completely transparent but hard as glass to the touch. The room was a small deserted hangar built of dark metal, well-lit but almost empty, with nothing else in it but a large desk sized console, a chair, and a dark-haired man with a quiet curiosity. Khan stood up from his console and took a step closer, watching the form take shape out of the whirling photon-emitting spirals.

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Khan stood near the door, clearly waiting for her but also appearing to be as patient as stone as he did. As they neared the three minute mark, the patterns of lights on the console began switching around with no direct influence. The binary code appeared again, and small sections were highlighted in turn. The platform behind them began to hum as well, and system messages started scrolling quickly.

"There's no one to hear us, but it will be best to avoid unnecessary conversation. You'll have a motion-sensitive light source in my quarters but everything else will be shut off. You'll be there alone for a few hours. When the door opens I assure you that it will be me and no one else."

When she seemed finished suiting up as well as she was able, he turned sideways and offered her his hand, palm down, oriented so that she would have the best freedom of movement after giving him her more shielded wrist.

Rogue glanced up while she worked, noting the way he was standing there waiting and the changing lights and display. Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be working.

Standing, she moved forward to put her wrist into his waiting grip, any deadly flesh covered by a grey sock, just in case. He seemed to genuinely be helping her, the last thing he probably needed was for her to repay that gesture by sucking the life out of him like some kind of vampire.

"Thank you," she said quietly. For the reassurance that she wouldn't have to spend those hours on edge waiting for someone else to find her there. For going to the trouble of helping her at all. For a lot of things.

She had just thanked him? For the first time since she had arrived, Khan seemed genuinely at a loss. Nobody ever thanked him, for anything, and he never expected it to happen. After wasting a good three seconds giving her a flummoxed look, Khan decided to stop thinking about it and get back to business. "Fifteen seconds."

He tightened his grip experimentally, getting a feel for the physical resilience of her body, and made small adjustments to the angle of his hold. Yes, practical matters were much better to think about. "We won't run into anyone and we have more than enough time. Our only obstacle will be the walls themselves."

Rogue knew that look. How many times had she seen it on others, worn by those who worked tirelessly with no gratitude for their efforts, or those who had been taken advantage of for so long that gratitude was simply incomprehensible? Too many times, for all of them. If he was the type to wear that expression, then she would say her thanks at every opportunity that presented itself from then on, to make sure he knew that she truly meant it. Not everyone would go to this much trouble for a total stranger.

She didn't move her hand as he adjusted his hold, letting him work it out because he was the one who would be leading them. It was important that he be able to move easily and not lost track of where they were, if the darkness was going to be so thoroughly pressing. "Just don't let go of me," she pleaded with him quietly. "Please."

Rogue didn't think she was afraid of the dark, but it had been so long since she'd really been in it. What if she was wrong?

His answer was completely matter-of-fact. "I'd sooner break your arm."

That might mean something different to her than what he had intended. In this day and age, mending even the most badly crushed wrist was the work of minutes with basic medical facilities. Even if they couldn't get access to the sorts of instruments that were just lying out in the open in different rooms around the facility, giving her a small sample of his blood would repair the damage at no cost to himself. It was very possible that some glancing physical contact would provide her with enough regenerative powers as well, not that either of them wanted to perform that particular experiment. On the other hand, even if they had no options except for crude splinting and weeks of immobilization, he would still break her arm rather than let go.

The room lights went out, though the console and the area of the transporter platform both remained lit up and active. In the faint glow, Khan pulled open a panel and yanked a lever that opened the door, not with a swoosh as it had for his unexpected caller but with a grinding pull. Manual controls, the power to this entire section had been shut down completely. Khan glanced back at his hapless companion one final time before stepping out into the jet black void, pulling her along.

It did mean something rather different to her than it did to him, but there was an intention there that softened the words themselves. He would do what it took to get her through this, even if it meant going that far. In a way, it was oddly comforting knowing that he wouldn't back down even in the face of such an extreme measure. And really, something told her that this far into the future, a broken bone wasn't likely to slow anyone down for very long. Either way, she'd been through a hell of a lot worse.

She hadn't understood what he had been doing at the console, but the pieces were starting to come together. Turning off the power in the area, having to use what appeared to be a manual way of opening the door - he'd been rather thorough.

When they entered the black, Rogue couldn't stop the panic that rose in her chest. Memories clung to her like fog, recollections of waiting in the dark, seeing the lights of the sentinels coming out of nowhere, watching them tear about homes and take away the people who meant the most to her. It didn't matter that most of them weren't her own, she still had to concentrate on keeping her breathing steady while taking one step after another, matching his speed and following carefully as he led the way.

Completely disregarding what he had said just a few minutes ago, Khan started talking as they went.

"I'm supposedly doing some particularly sensitive experiments right now. Central command has issued the orders that this entire section be evacuated for the duration. Every living thing has been cleared out, anything that could emit an electronic signature has been deactivated. No motion sensors, no microphones, even the air circulation has been suspended. This section has been sealed off from the rest of the facility, and it will stay that way until I give the all clear."

He slowed as they rounded a corner. "With my research, small miscalculations could cause large scale disintegration. I doubt anyone would breech my containment parameters even with direct orders.

The explanation was unexpected, both in content and the fact that he'd given it after having instructed she keep talking to a minimum. She'd been set on following that instruction, determined not to make a peep as they walked, but now that he'd taken that plunge, she couldn't not say anything herself.

Scientific research and the need for precautions was something she'd understood from working with Hank and Forge and a number of others over the years. It was a different kind of science that what she'd been subjected to, and the specific precautions this command had put into motion were telling of the importance placed on the work he was doing.

Still, there was something bothering her. She kept her voice quiet, her words careful as she said, "Why do I get the feeling that you're not doing all this research out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Never trust in the goodness of people's hearts. I assure you, I'm motivated entirely by self-interest and it was never my intent to mislead you into thinking otherwise." As bitter as Khan's voice had become, he kept careful control of both his grip and his pace. There was no reason for him to take his frustrations out on her, even unconsciously. Better to focus on the practicalities again. It was always better to concentrate on the concrete, the here and now. Anything else was dangerously distracting.

The next passages were much more narrow. "If you hold your free hand out you should be able to touch the wall. This is where the path gets a bit complex."

He sounded so much like Erik, it was almost a little eerie. For a decade now, she'd had the mutant in her head, his strong need to protect their people coloring nearly every aspect of his personality. Were there more shared traits between her new acquaintance and her old friend, things that perhaps hadn't made themselves known yet?

"You didn't mislead me," she assured him, reaching out to touch the wall as he'd described. It helped to have that extra guide in the darkness, something else to touch and anchor herself with as she kept her fear in check. Talking with him was helping that pursuit as well. "But the impressions you did give, of yourself and this place... I might be incredibly off-base, but are you here of your own free will?"

Her current question revealed that she was far more perceptive than Khan had assumed, based on her naive accusations regarding the charitable nature of his actions. His estimation of her intelligence rebounded sharply back up, to the highest levels he had yet considered. Only someone who was truly sharp could make such judicious use of simple ideas to convey a complex understanding. She was even skillful in a way he was not: This reality-traveling mutant managed to soften the impact of harsh topics without compromising the meaning of her words.

She was very dangerous indeed. Khan would have to keep his guard up around her, but she did deserve some kind of honest answer.

"The short answer is 'no.' We're moving into a large open area and will be staying away from the walls until we get through it." An honest answer, along with an abrupt subject change. Focus on the task at hand, but leave the option open for some kind of deeper discussion on the matter later. It wasn't entirely pleasant for Khan to realize that his evasiveness was motivated in part by his own emotional vulnerability. She had already found an effective means of manipulating him, whether that was her primary goal or not. If it wasn't, it should be. That's what Khan would be trying to do in her place.

Once upon a time, Rogue would never have come to the conclusions she'd drawn about this man. In her early life as a mutant, she'd been innocent and naïve, not fully understanding the stakes at play and the truth about humanity. It hadn't taken long for the war to change that, though. Everything about her had changed during those long years, everything except the compassion she still felt for people.

The wall dropped away from her fingertips as she let her arm fall, and she took a few moments to think over what he'd said. He was being held against his will, probably forced to do his work to the gain of some powerful entity. But was the self-interest he spoke of layered? Was he not only doing this because of whatever they had to hold him there, but also to something of his own gain? Was his helping her involved in that as well?

She took a slow breath and quietly asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Get some sleep if you can." He slowed again as they approached the far end of the hangar, listening carefully to the echoes so he didn't somehow pull her into the edge of the door instead of through it. "Try to recall significant dates and times you've encountered in your travels, particularly ones which diverge noticeably when you switched continuities." Yes, Khan's interpretation of being offered help was restricted entirely to what useable data could be had from her. His unconscious desire for the solace of companionship, hope for the future, a sympathetic confidant, Khan refused to acknowledge any of them, not to himself and definitely not to anyone else. "I'll be able to show you how to synthesize food and useful equipment when I return. The replicators won't work if I'm not physically present."

In Khan's own time, much of humanity had considered all the work that the Augments had done on their behalf to be an unconscionable threat. Even ending hunger worldwide had sparked enough panic to threaten the economies of the most highly developed nations even as it brought unprecedented peace and stability to areas of war-torn poverty. Khan's kind had been aggressive in establishing uncompromising global human rights policies as well as creating, and enforcing, a gradual but effective transition to sustainable energy production. The poor nations and the wealthy resented the sudden disappearance of slave labor and limitless consumption. Even when the rebellion against their new leaders had become so bloodthirsty that humans went berserk, killing over a billion of each other despite no longer having to compete for resources to survive, even when humanity tried to burn down everything Khan's people had built for them, even when they joined together in efforts to exterminate their own creations, Khan's compassion for others hadn't faltered.

It took the twenty-third century less than one week to destroy it. Now, all he had were seventy two objects of sentimental value and a vast sea of enemies and obstacles between himself and what he still cared for.

That hadn't been at all what she'd meant, but they could get to that later. When he showed her how things worked in a few hours, she could bring it up again. When she understood things a little better, perhaps.

In the meantime. "How sound-proofed are your quarters?" she asked him, wishing she didn't have to bring it up but not at all willing to take chances. "I don't sleep well. Sometimes I- Sometimes I wake up screaming. If there's a chance someone might hear, I'll gag myself before I try to rest."

It wasn't an experience she relished, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd had to do it. The war had pushed them all to their limits, demanded rather extreme measures be taken to ensure their safety. When it had still been the soldiers they'd been hiding from, she'd done it willingly, but she didn't know how things might have changed later when Sentinels were the main force - she'd been captured around that time.

"Very soundproof." He enunciated the words clearly and deliberately, the conviction in his voice related to the fact that she could light off several sticks of dynamite inside and no one on the other side of the door would suspect a thing. And that was all. In Khan's mind, leaving it at that was the most respect he could offer. There was no greater demonstration of understanding, of acceptance of her vulnerabilities and the heroic measures she was clearly accustomed to taking in order to compensate for them. "A left turn next. We're nearly there."

Rogue understood his meaning and was incredibly grateful for it. He didn't protest her suggest or scoff at the idea that she could actually do it. He didn't offer sympathies for her mental state or dull platitudes about how she'd overcome all of this. What he gave her was respect and acceptance, and her opinion of him grew by leaps and bounds with that simple gesture.

She followed as he turned, the movement almost effortless now as she grew accustomed to his pace and way of walking. If they were almost there, then there wasn't much time left, and she still had something she needed to say. Her voice was soft as she told him, "I really do thank you for helping me. I need you to know that, whatever happens, I'm grateful."

This displaced mutant would have to deal with Khan's own... challenging personal eccentricities, soon enough. The least he could do right now was withold that sort troublesome information until it was actually relevant, she had enough work ahead of her just trying to orient to the new environment.

Khan's pace did falter, however, after she spoke. He had turned his head to look at someone he could not see, trying to make sense of a sentiment he could not understand, in a context where he could not think of a practical use for the information. Oh he understood perfectly well the social conventions of politeness, acknowledging the value of someone else's contribution to one's own welfare, all that sort of thing. What didn't make sense was how sincere she seemed to be when speaking words so often unrelated to sincerity.

No, the interruption in smooth walking progression threatened her balance and put her at needless risk of stumbling. He quickly compensated for the erratic movement and resumed his previous pace, making the left turn as he did so. "When we get to my door I'm going to remove a wall panel to activate the manual controls. It won't be a gentle process, but you'll be shielded from any shrapnel."

For Rogue, it wasn't a matter of simply being polite, or of trying to get something out of making a show of gratitude. Circumstances could change in the blink of an eye, going completely south despite everything he had said and calculated - that was why she felt such a pressing need to make sure he understood how she felt while she had the chance. She couldn't count the number of times people had helped her during the war and she hadn't taken the time to properly thank them; so many lives had been lost because of that help that she couldn't bear to risk leaving things unsaid anymore.

He hadn't been expecting it, though, that was clear as day. She felt his pace change slightly, movement to his body that wasn't consistent with his previous stance, but his quick correction and change of subject sent a strong message.

But shrapnel? "Will you be alright?" There was alarm and concern in her tone, neither of which she bothered trying to hide. If he could see her face, they both would have been written all over her expression anyway. She didn't want him getting hurt in the process of helping her.

"I won't be hurt." Quite strange, meeting someone who didn't already know about his physical capabilities. Everyone around him knew what Khan was, from as far back as he could remember. Even the twenty third century scientists had been able to identify him, and knew much of his physical capabilities, before making any attempt to revive him. In an odd way, that damage resistance had proven to be the saving grace for his kind. The scientists who created them had found it exceedingly difficult to obtain blood samples. It was only when the Augments conducted experiments on themselves that the biochemical healing properties of their blood had been discovered. They all understood that they must guard this secret with their lives, lest humanity find some way to capture and enslave them to tap their bodies for mass production of magical healing potions.

"Nothing short of a bullet can pierce my skin, and if I actually do suffer physical damage it will heal almost instantly."

There was no need to mention that he was also strong enough to rip the metal plate clean off. It was only because the fastening bolts might shatter in the process that there was any need to take precautions in the first place. "Wall to your right. It's uneven, we'll go past seven recessed doors on that side. Mine will be the eighth."

Ah. Well, that explained a few things, answered questions she'd intended to ask much further down the line. She'd wondered about his abilities, what made him different from normal humans, because that's certainly how he looked to her. Perhaps their mutations were more uniform than the random chaos of mutation in Rogue's universe.

Reaching out a hand to balance herself, she let her fingers brush against the wall, feeling how solid matter dropped away for a span before returning - one of the doors. "I've known a lot of people with healing factors like that. One of my best friends was over a century old but still appeared to only be middle-aged because of how advanced his healing was. Any time I was injured, he always insisted I borrow his power to heal myself." And Logan had always beaten himself up whenever she'd gotten hurt and he hadn't been there to stop it or help her afterward.

That was intriguing on many levels, all of which Khan would eventually address. If he had kept his mind on the present instead of turning over the wide ranging implications in his head, he would have decided to keep his mouth shut. The question of Augment longevity had never been answered, and knowing more details about how this man's ability worked could provide relevant clues. There was also the problem that she was referring to him in the past tense. Not only was this an incorrect perspective as time could not progress in her continuity unless she was there to experience it, but it also indicated false despair. Instead of realizing that it might have even deeper implications, he replied, "It's a sound approach. I would do the same thing."

Three more doors. The slowing in pace should be gradual, Khan decided. She would be able to adapt on an unconscious level, avoiding the natural startle reflex that an abrupt stop would set off.

Until that very day, Rogue hadn't known whether Logan was still alive or not. Very little could kill her friend, it was true, but with the way the Sentinels had adapted, no one had been safe. But more than that now, she felt that she couldn't refer to the living, breathing Logan as her friend in the present tense because there was no guarantee that he still would be when she returned to her world. The new timeline might have made it so they never met, or that their meeting hadn't been as powerful a factor in their relationship. Perhaps they were only teacher and student, or little more than teammates. Or maybe they were still close, but... what if there already a Rogue in his life, someone who hadn't been broken by a war that no one else would remember? Depending on when she entered the new timeline, Logan might not even remember the war yet.

There were too many variables at play for her to safely assume that she knew what she was getting into. Until she did, it was easier to keep using the phrasing she'd adopted back in that lab. "He's the one who was sent back to change the timeline, because he'd be able to heal from any physical damage sustained. And because of the way he was sent back... he was the only viable option."

She felt them beginning to slow, which made sense as she counted up the doors they had already passed. The change was gradual and only really noticeable since she was depending upon him entirely as her guide.

"I hope it's not a difficult story for you to tell. It's very possible that the success of my attempt to resolve the paradox will depend quite heavily on the details of that event." Good, she hadn't reacted to Khan's inappropriate little confession that he was inclined, even now, to consider risking his life in an attempt to save hers.

He finally slowed to a stop, tracing his own fingers over the surface in front of him to locate the edge of the panel. Khan had paid significant attention to it in the past as a possible help for an escape plan, and had already altered one of the edges so he could jam his fingertips under it. It shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish the task one-handed. After placing his hand in position, Khan extended both arms and tugged at Rogue's wrist to position her directly opposite the wall. "Brace yourself."

The difficult part would be piecing together the scientific side of things, since she'd only absorbed more recent memories from Bobby and Kitty and nothing from Erik or Charles. The fact that talking about any of it period might be horrendously painful for her wasn't even a consideration - if he needed to know details, then she would have to give them to him, and that was that. She'd just have to pull herself together and deal with it.

She went where he moved her and tensed, raising her free arm to shield herself just in case, even though she couldn't see what might be coming.

Edited 2016-04-08 00:07 (UTC)

Planting a foot on the wall next to the panel provided Khan some extra leverage. He snapped clean through the fastening screws with a sharp yank. The deep thudding sound was brief with no splintering crackle. No shrapnel, and now he had both feet on the ground. "Done."

With only one hand free to operate the manual controls, he simply dropped the metal plate. It clattered against the floor and the soft creak of a seldom activated lever followed, along with an obedient opening whoosh of the door in front of them. Carefully, Khan tugged her forward so she could reach it. "The door frame is at your ten o'clock. Find it and you can follow it to the inside wall. There's a desk two feet from the edge of the door at hip height. You should have plenty of room to stand in that space while I close the door." The next challenge would be retrieving the portable light source but they would face that obstacle after getting inside.

I love it too! <3 I will continue this thing forever.

theycalledmeacurse - 2016-04-08 15:21 (UTC) - Expand

Khan-muse randomly wakes up!

iamthedarkness - 2016-06-16 14:16 (UTC) - Expand

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Transporter Beam Accidents Do Happen

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Sorry I vanished! I love this thread and I'm glad you're still interested. :3

I love it too! <3 I will continue this thing forever.

Khan-muse randomly wakes up!