FicWad

Between Life and Death
Chapter 5: Erasing The Past

************************************************

The experiment was over and Mr. Sinister now stood in triumph at what he accomplished. With an eager look on his face, his eyes ran over the entire body of the specimen he had created. The body of Scott Summers was now the model of physical and genetic perfection. Looking at the monitors, his DNA structure had been completely altered and the computers were still trying to make sense out of them. The machine that had been created after over a lifetime of work and struggle had pushed the boundaries of science and was now in unknown territory. Sinister may have had technology 50 years ahead of its time, but this was by far his most advanced creation.

"So this is it?" said Emma as she looked over the changed man along with the rest of the Nasty Boys, "This is the great being you've been working your whole life to create?"

As annoying as Emma Frost's cynicism was, even that couldn't taint this moment for the mad scientist as he looked over his creation.

"Make no mistake about it...This young man is the culmination of everything both I and the rest of you have worked for this past year. His body is now enhanced more than Magneto ever could have done with his feeble machines. His DNA is now on a whole new level. And best of all...His powers are now more advanced than any other mutant on the face of this Earth. The power of the cosmic forces that give the universe such majesty...Are now all in the palm of his hand."

"Yeesh, quite a flare for the dramatics, don't you think so luv?" muttered Betsy under her breath to Emma, who simply nodded in agreement.

The rest of the Nasty Boys stood back as Sinister walked back over to the console and punched in the final commands to end the programs and shut down the machine.

"So what now?" asked Ruckus as Sinister brought up displays of vast amounts of new data on the computer screens.

"Now that we know that my machine works, I must make a few adjustments so that it will be ready for all mutants...Myself included," he grinned, "As soon as it's ready, some of you may even be able to partake in going through this most glorious transformation."

"I think I'll pass," said Betsy, not wanting to do any more for Sinister than she had to, "What about what you promised us? The experiment is a success."

"Indeed it was," replied Sinister with a somewhat mischievous tone, "But I still require some of your services before I cut you both loose of your obligations."

Both Emma and Betsy let out a frustrated sigh upon hearing that, for they both just wanted to get on with their lives.

"What more do you need from us?" groaned Betsy, "Isn't that new super mutant powerful enough to protect you and your precious experiments from Magneto and his Acolytes."

"Don't patronize me Psylocke!" shot Sinister in response, "I do not fear that cumbersome bucket brained fool! After the incident with Apocalypse, both he and that shape shifting bitch he's been hanging around with have gone too soft and have forgotten the goals we once helped each other work with."

"So then why did you need us in the first place?" quipped Emma with a snide grin, "If you're not afraid of him, then why did you need us to cover your ass all those times this past year?"

"Assurance Emma..." answered Sinister, "My Nasty Boys are strong, but I couldn't allow Magneto to slow down that which I worked so hard to attain. And this experiment shows how he and his band of misfits have failed. Now all that's left is to confirm that this machine did everything I wanted it to do. And then...Your obligations will have been met and you will both get what you so greatly desire."

As much as Betsy Braddock and Emma Frost hated listening to and working with this man and his mindless mutant drones, the lingering desire that they had overshadowed that frustration at the moment. With a disgruntled look that brought great amusement to Vertigo, Ruckus, and Gorgeous George, the two young women knew they had no other choice other than to yield.

"Okay...So what do you want us to do?" said Betsy, obviously disgruntled.

With a humored laugh, Sinister began running his diagnostic programs from the experiment and walked back over to the tank were the body of Scott Summers was still standing motionless.

"Gorgeous...Take him to sector 8," he ordered as his loyal henchmen quickly complied and he turned back towards Betsy and Emma, "You two now must deal with the task of altering his appearance. Do what you have to with the tools I have provided...Just make him look different so that when he wakes up he'll have no clue as to who he was in the past."

"You mean just give the guy a makeover?" said Emma with an unbelieving look, "Is this a sexist thing or something?"

"Don't toy with me Emma..." said Sinister sternly, "It is unwise to overestimate your worth with me...Otherwise I may change my mind about our agreement."

That got both women to keep their mouths shut, not wanting to deviate their chances when they were so close to getting what they had worked so hard for.

"Now go...Do as you're told," he reiterated, "Change his appearance...Do what you have to. Just don't keep questioning my actions before my very generous patience begins to wane."

Upon issuing his final warning, Sinister turned back to his machines and left Betsy and Emma to follow Gorgeous George to sector 8 while Ruckus and Vertigo proceeded to help their boss with whatever he was doing on the computers.

"Come on Emma...Let's just get this over with," said Betsy as she saw the disgruntled look on her friend.

************************************************

While Sinister was going over the result of his momentous experiment and Betsy and Emma were busy altering Scott's physical appearance so that nobody he knew would ever recognize him...Outside, the quiet of the night that had permeated for hours was suddenly shattered by the appearance of six metal orbs that descended from the heavens and landed a rather long distance away from the seemingly uninhabited mansion. The landing was silent and the only the sound of the wind rustling the trees under the darkness of a cloud covered sky could be heard. No moon was visible and the light conditions were very poor...Perfect for what the inhabitance of the metal orbs had in mind.

As they opened, six ominous figures proceeded to step out into the dark night as they eyed the mansion with intent. Out of one sphere...Sabretooth, a big, growling, animalistic man with big muscles and a fierce gaze stepped out. Out of another...St. John Allerdyce, aka Pyro, a red haired man with a heavy tank full of fuel and two flame throwers on each wrist quickly followed his feral friend. Out of another...Remy Lebeau, aka Gambit, a strong, skilled, Cajun thief from New Orleans stepped out into the night with a bow staff in hand and many decks of cards safely tucked away in his pockets ready for battle. Out of another...Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus, a Russian born mutant with a tall stature and even bigger muscles joined his comrades in full metal skin, ready to fight. Out of another...Raven Darkholm, better known as Mystique, a blue skinned woman with the ability to shift and change into anyone she desired emerged from one of the metal spheres with a look of intent prevalent in her eyes. And finally...Eric Magnus Lensherr, known better to others as Magneto, stepped out and joined his team of mutant acolytes, prepared to lead them in this fight.

"Are you sure he's in there Eric?" asked Mystique as she and the others looked at the darkened building before them.

"Positive Raven..." answered Magneto with confidence, "Sinister may be cunning in his hiding skills, but he is far from perfect at it. I know he's in there. I don't know what he's doing or if he's got everything he needs to complete his machine...But he's in there."

"Den I think we better see if de good doctor makes house calls," grinned Gambit, "He'll need one of his own after I get through wit' him."

"Don't get cocky Gambit," said Magneto, "Remember the plan...We have to find out the progress of his machine and destroy it if necessary. And in doing so, we may have to use different tactics than before. Understood?"

"Da..." said Colossus as he looked at the darkened house in anger, knowing in his gut that Sinister was in there.

"Good...Then you had best get into position Colossus," said the master of magnetism, "You too Raven...We have to be careful with this one. We have no idea how far Sinister has gone in his insanity."

"Well speaking from personal experience..." said Mystique as she prepared to follow Colossus to their designated points, "I'd say he's too far as it is."

"I wouldn't be surprised..." muttered Magneto as both Mystique and Colossus disappeared from view and began working their way around up to the side of the mansion, careful not to trip any alarms that Sinister may have planted for them.

The master of magnetism continued to scope out the target area. With his magnetic powers, he could sense an unusual amount of electromagnetism in the area...Hinting that a great deal of electricity was being used for a building that looked uninhabited from the outside. Sabretooth, Gambit, and Pyro waited impatiently for the final order to advance on the structure. For over a year now, they had been fighting against Mr. Sinister and his Nasty Boys alongside Magneto. Even after what he had them do in the past...They were willing to put such things behind them in spite of what he had offered them this time around. For others...Like Magneto himself...There was a personal stake in this fight. He had his reasons for wanting to stop Mr. Sinister...A man he had once worked with in the past and so did many of his henchmen.

Apocalypse had greatly changed both him and Mystique on that fateful day over nearly a year ago. Many things were different now and the experience that they faced had forever altered their perceptions on their lives and the world. Now they were fighting to rectify some of the things in their lives that they had been meaning to do for quite some time now. And standing before them...Was just one of them.

"So when do we attack?" said Pyro eagerly as he prepped his flame throwers for battle.

The master of magnetism let out a deep sigh as he contemplated the task at hand. Fighting Sinister this past year had been a challenge to say the least...One that he never would have anticipated being so difficult. But he was not about to let this man do what he intended...Not after everything that had transpired in his long, illustrious life. This past year, Magneto had been fighting battles he never thought he would be fighting...Yet here he was. He had many reasons for doing this that he knew and there were far more that he was still trying to make sense out of...But he pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being, knowing he would have to stay focused on the battle at hand.

"Soon Pyro..." answered Magneto in a deep voice, "But we must wait for our window. Sinister may be a madman, but he's no idiot. He's cocky, manipulative, and thinks he's got the upper hand right now. But like all arrogant fools...He's greatly underestimated his enemies. Right now...He's not expecting us. So we must maintain the element of surprise. Otherwise, we may not get another chance like this."

Looking back at his eager comrades, the master of magnetism couldn't help but feel their eagerness. But at the same time, he knew that this was a delicate undertaking. Not use to being the underdog, the old holocaust survivor simply hoped that nobody slipped up this time around.

'Hiding in the shadows waiting to stop a madman...' thought Magneto as the time to attack drew near, 'Now I know how Charles must feel.'

************************************************

Back in Sinister mansion, Betsy and Emma were now hard at work on carrying out the task that they had been given. But unlike previous assignments, this one didn't involve stealing or infiltrating. Instead, they were now supposed to make Sinister's latest creation look as different as possible. Given the advanced tools that Sinister had that were many years ahead of their time, this wasn't too hard. But with every step made, it brought them closer to getting back what they both had sought for so long now.

The still lifeless body was now flat on a metal table as Betsy and Emma continued their work. Gorgeous had changed the young man out of the torn pants he had on during his arrival and was now simply in a pair of baggy, camouflage pants. The task of giving the man a makeover wasn't at all something that either of them would have found too annoying, given their knowledge of changing and maintaining looks in their past. It was an opportunity to use their imagination and shape this new creature into something special.

Following on Sinister's request, Betsy had taken on the task of changing the young man's hair with the advanced chemicals Sinister had to make it permanent so that nobody would suspect it wasn't his natural hair color. She also used another rare chemical Sinister gave them to make his hair grow longer so she could braid it into blonde dread locks. For Emma, she started off by injecting a chemical into his throat that would thicken his vocal chords so his voice would be slightly deeper. After that, she used some of Sinister's other 'toys' to her own advantage and decided to give the young man a new array of tattoos using the advanced machinery at her disposal to make them detailed and permanent. Emma, having other skills that ranged outside of business, chose designs she had seen on rock stars as a teenage girl. She used dragons, waves, and anything else that would add to the design that ran along his lower torso, which she would supplement with classic bare wire looks on the his arms for a more 'dangerous' feel.

As Betsy watched her blond friend go crazy with the tattoo designs, she couldn't help but grin.

"What?" said Emma, looking up from her work to see the humored expression on the purple haired mutant's face, "Why do you look so smug?"

"Oh nothing..." smiled Betsy as she continued braiding the young man's hair into dread locks, "It's just that...I can understand the voice thing...But tattoos?"

"Simple dynamics..." answered Emma as she continued working on the design, "Hair and voice are simply substance, and in this world you need style as well. And what better way than good old fashioned body art?"

"You know...I think you're having too much fun with this Emma," said Betsy with a smirk.

"Well you have to admit, this is one of the less annoying tasks that Sinister has given us in all the time we've been here," responded the young woman.

"True...But I don't think tattoos are what he had in mind when he said he wanted his appearance changed," she answered.

"Well he never said anything about not adding them," reasoned Emma, "Besides...Don't you think they make him look more dangerous and symbolic of the new power Sinister claims he wields?"

"Are you sure you're just not doing this as an excuse to make a man the way you want him?" said Betsy, still teasing her blond friend much to her dismay.

"Oh come on Bets...You can't say you're not just a little bit intrigued with this project," said Emma as she put down the tattoo needle and began to run her hands along the strong, powerful new muscles of the young man before her, "I mean it's not everyday you get a chance to work on molding a man into the way you want him."

"I know, but it's not like building him from scratch," said Betsy in response, "Sinister made this guy and we're just handling the aesthetics."

"Oh details, details..." scoffed Emma as she continued to trace her fingers along the ripped body before her, caressing the biceps that felt as hard as rocks, "It's still a chance to take a man and make him look any way we want. You can't tell me that you haven't dreamed about something like that before."

Betsy didn't answer to that, but as she continued work on the hair she noticed a small grin form upon Emma's face as she continued to trace patterns all long the unmoving body that lay before them. The presence of a muscular, bare-chested man that now bore a new hairstyle and an array of new tattoos was definitely an arousing feeling. Neither of them knew who this young man was before he came here, but that only added to his mysterious and lure.

"Say..." mused Emma as her tone shifted into a more sultry voice, "Sinister said that EVERY function of his body has been enhanced by the experiment..."

"Emma..." said Betsy, knowing where she was going with this.

"Do you really think he means...EVERY function?" she mused as she traced her hands down his ripped abs, the smile on her face getting bigger by the moment.

"Emma..." repeated Betsy, not succeeding in breaking the young woman's sexy train of though.

"If he really is an advanced mutant with more power and strength than any mutant before them...Do you think that would extend to 'other' areas?" she grinned as her hands seemed tempted to go lower.

"Emma, don't think I don't know where you're going with this..." said Betsy, although such words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"I didn't intend for you not to..." replied the blond telepath, the sultry tone in her voice not changing, "I'm just saying...If Sinister says that every part of his being has been enhanced...Then can you imagine what he must be like during sex?"

"Oh I'm sure you can fantasize," quipped Betsy with a grin as she saw Emma continue to trace patterns around the hard, strong muscles of the unconscious man before her.

"Oh I can do more than that..." said Emma, "I'll bet he has stamina like no other. His mind could be so focused that he could easily hit every possible pleasure nerve in a woman's body. And with such an advanced form...I bet he can stay at it and keep a girl aroused and satisfied for hours on end."

Betsy didn't respond and simply shook her head with a humored grin on her face as she finished up some of the last parts of the hair. Since she had known Emma, she had made no qualms about her sensual side. But showing it at a time like this was just plain strange...Even if she did admit that the blond telepath might have a point in her observations.

"Hey...I wonder if Sinister will let us both give him a 'test drive.' You know...Just to make sure that every one of his natural functions is in working order," said Emma as her hands drifted back down to his abs.

"Fat chance...You know Sinister," said Betsy in response, "He'll never let us do anything even remotely fun. As smart as the man is...I don't think 'fun' is even in his vocabulary. Add to that...I don't think he would want to risk tainting his precious creation."

"Gee...Thanks for breaking a girl's fantasy," scorned Emma as she looked back at her smug friend, who remained focused on the man's hair.

"Sorry luv...But it's the truth," said Betsy.

"But still...Say we did get the chance," questioned Emma with a grin, "Would you want to take a ride?"

Betsy hesitated briefly, but that didn't surprise Emma. The young woman seemed too focused on the guy's hair to even take in the nice sight before them. And knowing Betsy was certainly no prude, she knew that there had to be a reason.

"Well...I can't say I wouldn't," admitted Betsy finally.

"Took you long enough to answer," said Emma as she finally resumed her tattoo work, "I don't see what there is to think about. Me personally...I haven't had a man since I left the Hellfire Club over a year ago. And I haven't had a DECENT man in even longer. It's not healthy for young women of our age."

"Well once this is over I'm sure you'll have plenty of catching up to do," joked Betsy.

"But still...That doesn't answer my question on why you actually hesitated before answering," replied Emma, not allowing the purple haired mutant to turn this around on her, "I know you have a lustful side just like me and being telepathic, I can safely say that given the chance...You probably would."

Betsy wanted to respond, but also didn't want to give her anything else to work with. Despite this...Emma continued.

"But unlike me...You brush the possibility aside as if it weren't relevant. Now I don't see how a gal like you would want to pass up simply fantasizing about a fine specimen like this...Unless there's someone else out there."

The look on Betsy's face immediately shifted, knowing where Emma was probably going with this. In seeing her change, the blond telepath knew she struck a chord, as uncomfortable as it made Betsy.

"Not this again..." she groaned as she stopped what she was doing briefly.

"And that someone else wouldn't happen to be a striking young man with blonde hair and wings now would it?"

"Emma...You know I don't want to talk about this," said Betsy, not at all in the mood for this topic.

"You say that every time I imply something related to Mr. Warren Worthington III," said Emma as she pushed further, "You always seem to mention him, but you never go into detail in all the free time we've had at this little gig here."

"Well I have my reasons..." said Betsy as she shot her another menacing glare.

"Come on...We may not get another chance to talk about it," reasoned Emma, "Why is it that every time this subject arises you turn into a poster girl for PMS?"

"Hey, I don't pester you about your 'flings' at the Hellfire Club..." replied Betsy quickly, but was soon cut off before she could finish.

"Oh bullshit Betsy, you know as well as I do that you're just making excuses now," said Emma, knowing she was winning out.

Betsy tried to think of a response, but she just couldn't...And she hated admitting when Emma was right.

"So unless you want to drag this out anymore, just tell me what the hell happened that got you so hung up about this guy," said Emma, "You said you two were together and happy...So what happened? Did you catch him cheating or something?"

"What?! No!" said Betsy quickly in response, "Warren's not that kind of man! He would never do that!"

"Was it drugs? Did he take something from you? Was the sex not good enough?" said Emma, just throwing ideas out at this point.

"No, no, and definitely no!" said Betsy sternly, tired of being pestered about this, "Sex was never a problem at all and neither was love. I'm telepathic just like you...I know we had a lot of love between us."

"Then what? Unless you want me to take more guesses," said Emma with a grin, hoping that threat would be enough.

Betsy just let out a deep sigh as she recalled the man she had been so happy with before she got involved with Sinister's plots. Not wanting to hear Emma's guesses, she decided that she might as well come clean since their terms of service were so close to being over.

"We had a fight, okay!?" she finally answered.

"A fight?" said Emma skeptically, "That's it? No infidelity, no problems with love...Just a fight? What happened? Did he hit you or something?"

"What?! Of course not!" shot Betsy, appalled by Emma even thinking that a man like Warren would strike her or anybody else for that matter, "Warren's not that kind of man!"

"Well excuse me for being kept in the dark!" justified Emma, not knowing anything about the situation and having only speculation to go on, "Just what was the fight about then? Was it really so bad that it caused you to run off and join Mr. Sinister?"

Betsy didn't know how to reply, for she had always struggled with words when it came to relationships...Especially the one she shared with Warren. Her hesitation only further fueled Emma's curiosity, for she had known Betsy to be hung up about this since they met.

"It's complicated..." she finally answered, not having better words to go on.

"Well, how so?" asked Emma, "If there was love and plenty of good times to go around then what was there to fight about?"

Betsy fell silent again, this time the expression on her face becoming quite different. Emma, knowing her capacity to read expressions, saw a hint of confusion and sadness fall over her...Something she would never expect from somebody like Betsy. At first it took a minute...But it soon quickly dawned on her.

"Do you even remember what the fight was about?" asked Emma, a look of near bewilderment growing on her face.

Betsy still didn't respond, but her hesitation was enough for Emma.

"You don't...Do you," said Emma.

"Like I said...It's complicated," said Betsy, finally breaking her silence, "We got into a fight about...Something. We started yelling...Words were exchanged...And I stormed out. Haven't seen him since..."

"Did you start the fight?" asked Emma.

She hesitated again, but that had already proven to be a dead giveaway to Emma the more she listened.

"No!" replied Betsy.

"You hesitated...You did start it," said Emma with a grin, "You started a fight with your man...And you stormed out the door because you didn't get your way. And on top of that...It was your fault!"

"It wasn't MY fault!" shot Betsy in response, "Warren's a very complicated man!"

"And you're a very complicated woman last time I checked," quipped Emma in response, "No wonder you two hooked up."

"Hey...My relationships are none of your business Emma," said Betsy, trying to stay calm, "Why in the hell are you pestering me about it anyways?"

"Curiosity I guess...But now that I know, I just want to ask you one last thing and I'll drop it..."

"Okay...What?" said the purple haired mutant with an exasperated sigh.

"If you love him, you miss him, and you know that you started the fight...Then why don't you call him?" she asked.

Elizabeth Braddock didn't like being asked that question any more than she liked trying to find the answer. She had been asking herself the same thing for God knows how long. As much as she hated being weak in the face of conflict, this was something she knew she had brought upon herself. And being the stubborn woman she was...She just couldn't bring herself to admit when she was wrong.

"I don't know..." she answered simply.

"You don't know?" said Emma, now looking quite humored but this situation, "So am I to understand that you threw away a man who was kind, caring, rich, good looking, good in bed, and a gentlemen...All because of your stupid pride? All because you were just too scared to pick up the phone and admit that you were wrong?!"

Then, much to Betsy's dismay, Emma started laughing. But it was hard to fight it...For it was kind of humorous for the young blond to think about since she had always known her friend to be stubborn. But for something like this...It was just too much.

"STOP LAUGHING!" yelled Betsy angrily.

But Emma didn't stop...She couldn't if she wanted to. The more she laughed, the more frustrated Betsy became, but Emma wasn't done yet.

"And is that part of the reason why you want your old body back?" she asked, still laughing as she talked, "Not just because you miss it...But because it would give you an excuse to start fresh with him and not have to face the scrutiny of being the one who started it?!"

"Shut up!" she demanded, "You know why I'm here! It's because I want my old body back! Warren has NOTHING to do with it!"

"Yeah, sure...Nothing," said Emma, still laughing.

Betsy let out a frustrated grunt as she simply stopped talking and resumed working on the unconscious man's hair. Emma took some time to catch her breath before finally regaining her composure. She had to admit, she hadn't laughed like that in some time...But in hearing Betsy, someone who she always thought of as being independent and a lot more in tuned with right and wrong than her, talk about the reason why she stormed out on her man, it was just too much. She gave away a perfectly decent man just because she didn't want to admit that she was wrong...Even Emma knew she personally wasn't that stubborn. But it did finally explain a few things that had always troubled her about Betsy.

When the laughter finally died down, Emma returned to making the finishing touches on the tattoos on the young man's body.

"You should call him you know..." said Emma, breaking the silence.

"Shut up..." replied Betsy, still bitter with anger.

"Hey, I'm just telling you as a friend that if you don't swallow your pride and call him...I know that there are probably many more women out there that would love to get their hands on that angel's wings."

To Emma's surprise, Betsy didn't respond angrily to that. If anything, it helped change her expression from one of anger...To one of sorrow and longing.

"Now I know you think of me as a stereotypical blonde," continued Emma, "But if there's one thing I know, it's is that a good man is a very hard thing to find...And once you have someone you know is worth keeping, you had best not throw him away because there's a good chance you may never meet anybody else like him for as long as you live. So take my advice...Call him."

As much as Betsy hated to admit it...Emma was right in many ways. She may not have been the most knowledgeable person on love...But she wasn't stupid. Betsy had come to know Emma's many sides over the many months since they had become friends and as stubborn a woman as Betsy knew herself to be, she knew Emma Frost was right no matter how she tried to interpret it.

"I'll...Consider that," said Betsy in deeper, calmer voice, "Let's just finish up the task at hand, okay?"

This time, Emma simply nodded and didn't say another word. She had found out what she wanted and had offered her opinion and advice on it. If after all this, their term of service was over and they were able to return to their normal lives...She would certainly like to find out if Betsy would heed her words. But as the purple haired telepath finished up her work in silence...She made a vow that she would call Warren when all this was over. Times had been tough for both Emma Frost and Betsy Braddock...But in the end, they just wanted their lives back. And unfortunately, the only one that seemed to be able to give them this was Mr. Sinister.

************************************************

While Betsy and Emma were finishing up the changes to the body, Mr. Sinister and the rest of his Nasty Boys stood before one of the many computers that the laboratory had. This particular terminal was a networked nerve center for information gathering that Sinister often used to get information about machinery and people. And since much of the computing technology he had was well ahead of it's time, pretty much any information was within his grasp. But this time...He wasn't simply trying to find information...He was trying to create it.

"It won't be long now..." mused Sinister as he began typing the final commands on the keyboard, "Soon, my creation will be ready for combat...And Magneto will be as good as done for."

"But I thought you said that the results of the experiment were different than you had expected," said Vertigo as a nearby printer began printing out a slew of documents.

"They were," replied Sinister, "But as with every experiment, there were some things that could not be foreseen. However, the machine accomplished what it was supposed to. The specimen is now a delta class mutant."

"Then what was different?" said Ruckus, not understanding a bit of the dizzying array of data that Sinister was absorbing on the computer screens.

Sinister looked back at the unusual strand of DNA that was shown on the computer. While his henchmen struggled to fully grasp what had just happened, Sinister was enthralled to be looking at this work of art that his genius had created.

"The only part that was different was the effect on the brain," answered Sinister, "The enhancement process gave his brain a complex new structure with even greater communication between cells. But in looking at his enhanced brain waves, it appears that the human side of his mind was not at all erased or changed...From the looks of it, that part was only enhanced in some aspects and not all."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" asked Vertigo.

"Neither...It really doesn't matter anyhow," grinned Sinister as he finished his task on the computer., "Once I erase his memories and restructure his mind, such enhancements will not make a difference. As soon as I mold his mind to my will, his human side will become as irrelevant as the rest of the unevolved masses that he is destined to replace."

As the final sheet printed out near the computer, Sinister quickly organized the stack and placed it into a regular looking folder. Then as he looked through it, a feeling of triumph soon took over.

"Excellent, it's done...The paper trail of the man he once was has officially frozen and I have created a new persona for the young specimen. Now all that's left is his mind..."

As soon as he finished those words, Betsy and Emma entered the room, rolling the motionless body along on a gurney. They had finished their task and hoped that now they could finally get what they had worked for after months of service to this madman. Both women just wanted to go home and get on with their lives. However, after having gotten to know Sinister they were still prepared to expect the unexpected.

"It's done Essex..." said Betsy as she and Emma wheeled the body into the center of the room not far from the now empty bio tank.

As the gurney was adjusted so the body stood more upright, Sinister took in the new appearance of the young man and grinned in approval.

"Blonde, dread lock hair...Tattoos...Nice job ladies," said the mad scientist as he looked over the now completely changed Scott Summers, "I hardly recognized him now from how he looked when he first arrived."

"We altered his voice too," added Emma, "He'll sound different as well."

"Perfect...Now all that remains is the final task," grinned Sinister as he began punching in commands on the computer once more.

"And then you'll give us what you promised?" said Betsy, eager to get the hell away from this man as soon as possible.

"Of course..." said Sinister with an insidious grin, "I am a man of my word. But until that time come...Sit back and enjoy the show!"

As Sinister hit a series of other buttons, a strange looking helmet with numerous wires and electrodes coming out of it descended from the ceiling. Gorgeous George then proceeded to attach it to his head as Sinister prepared the final program for his ultimate creation.

"So how long is this going to take?" asked Emma, looking noticeably eager for everything to be over with this seemingly unending experiment.

"Not long..." said Sinister as the mechanical helmet began to hum with activity as it started to go through the mind of Scott Summers, erasing the memories of his past, "Thanks to his enhanced body, he will gradually come out of his deep coma within a day or so...But when he does, he won't have any memories of the man he was. I have already used my technology to erase his predecessor's paper trail and start a new one that is indistinguishable from the real thing. Now...He has a new name and a new life...With me. And once his memories and emotions are erased...The man he was will be truly dead, and only a new man will remain...Blake Hellstrom, codename: Blaze."

************************************************

AN: Well, I'll leave it there for now. So now Sinister is trying to erase Scott Summers and create somebody new...Blake Hellstrom. A new name and a new identity...Do you think there's any hope for him now? And what about Magneto and his acolytes? What angle do you think they play in all this? And how did you like my way of bringing Betsy and Emma in? I felt that those two would make an interesting duo in this fic and rest assured that they will play a large part in future chapters! I know there are a lot of questions remaining, but there are plenty of answers to come! So what do you think so far? Do you like my story and do you want to read more? Please tell me! Send me reviews via email or post them on the fanfiction website! I appreciate all feedback! Thanks for reading and I wish you all the best!

REVIEWS...SLICKY NEEDY REVIEWS!!!