Issue 1 Downtime

Miranda leaned back in her bed in the med center, taking in her new surroundings. She wasn't thrilled about being in a medical setting again. They'd explained that due to her treatment at the Black Air facility she needed to spend at least a day or two there for her safety and everyone else's, she'd grudgingly agreed. They'd changed her out of the scrubs she'd been wearing and someone had replaced her "blindfold" with a binding of gauze after she'd asked that they cover it up with something. She thumbed idly through the channels on the TV, not really watching it, mostly looking for something to cover up the sounds of medical equipment.

((Open))

"Hey there," Will said, knocking on the door. "You hanging in there?"

"I'm working on hanging in there," she said, looking at him. "How're things on the outside?"

"A bit chilly, but not too bad.

They want you to stay here, huh?"

"Something about unknown operations and uncertain health status," she said, waving her hand in the air. "They said it's just a couple of days."

"Hey, they just want to make sure you're alright, after what must have been a hard time.

...Want to talk about it?"

"How do you talk about pain and being in the dark almost constantly?" She asked, shutting off the TV. "But yeah, I kind of do..."

"You start at one point, and let it keep spilling until there's nothing left.

That's what the shrink told ME anyway, and while I'm not sure I buy it, it's as good as anything else."

"I don't even really remember anything but the facility," she said. "Just bits and pieces. I was blind until my power showed up... or maybe that's just what they told me. It all runs together."

"You can't remember anything before the facility?"

"I remember bits and pieces, but they're like half-puzzle pieces and hard to put together."

Will was silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I wish we could have gotten their sooner.

I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"I appreciate that," she said, smiling at him. "No one's really wanted to help me before... well no one that I can remember anyways. So you stretch?"

"Sometimes. I'm a shapeshifter.

I shift shapes."

"That... makes sense," she said after a moment's contemplation. "One of the people here who came in to interview me said I was a clairvoyant... whatever that means."

"Ironically, it means 'clear sighted.' I would assume it's how you can see, despite..." he trailed off.

"Despite not having eyes," she finished for him. "It's okay to say it. I've had some time to get used to it."

"Sorry. I just didn't want to poke a soft spot."

"I appreciate it," she said, "but if I let it bother me, I might not leave this room."

"And that's the last thing we want.

Have they talked to you about sticking around?"

"I think it's sort of assumed. It's not like I have anywhere else to go. But nothing specific."

"Well, there's a lot of people here in similar..well, sort of similar situations. This is a good place. A safe place."

"Maybe I'll even get a last name out of the deal," she said with a half smirk.

"Yeah...I think right now they're using "Miranda Doe", but that's kinda generic and blah. You could use one with a bit more pizzazz."

"Where was that place they were holding me?"

"The base was located in something called the 'Savage Land'. Think of it as a place that time forgot."

"Maybe I'll have them put 'Miranda Savage' on the forms. At least it sounds a little better than 'Miranda Doe'."

"Works for now, at least. I should get you to talk to Brigid Plunder, and you can be awesome last name buddies."

"What sort of stuff will I be doing here?"

"Well, we're a school, so we have the normal kind of curriculum you would expect in a private school--all your basic maths and sciences and literature and all that.

We also have a mandatory power control class--to help you better understand and manage your gifts in everyday life. That's actually taught by Stephanie--the wolf shifter you met at the base--and a veteran X-Man named Ryan Gabriel."

"That sounds interesting," she said. "It would probably be good to know more about this." She gestured to her face. "I may need some refresher courses on some things."

"And you can do it at your OWN pace. On your OWN prerogative."

"I can't remember if I said it, things are kind of a blur, but thanks for getting me out of there."

"Hey, that's what we do here. That's why we're here.

I'm just glad we found you. We had no idea they were keeping others hostage."

"They kept poking at me. I think they were trying to figure out how I see."

"That sounds about right, though the "why" escapes me."

"I don't know either. They didn't exactly discuss 'why' with me. Not every day a blind person can see though."

"This is true, although it brings up several questions about the definition of words.

They CAN see, presumably, so I wonder what the use is."

She thought for a moment. "Turn out the light," she said.

"How do you know the light is on?" Will joked, but went over to do so.