A/N: This is a fic that disregards nearly all-chronological events in the x men universe, both comic and movie alike. Cellular AU.

"Get your ass in there. Now."

The gun pointed at Marie's temple. He knew from past experience not to touch her skin. The man was a gruff, 40 something male with a towering build, overlooking Marie by nearly two feet.

Tears clouded her vision of the room he was forcing her in, but she could very well see the gleam of the tools spread out on the tables; forceps, retractors, injection needles, tubes and the like.

When she didn't take a step forward, the man shoved her inside, making her stumble in the process. Marie tried to stifle the sobs coming out as she crawled, using her arms to drag her body. The man pushed her to her side so she was lying on her back.

"Running away on your own, look how vulnerable you are," he spat, and then continued to kick her into the direction of an isolated corner. "This is only a fraction of what you get for killing my best mate you fucking piece of shit."

"It was an accident, he tried to touch me," she reasoned, backing away on the floor. "I had to-"

"You think your mutation can protect you?" The place had only so much room; Marie was already backed up against the wall, legs gathered up to her chest. "At the end of the day, you're gonna to end up just like the rest of 'em mutant fuckers we caught."

He grabbed the chains attached to the wall and pulled the metal shackles to her wrists and ankles, latching them according to her small size. He checked the durability of the chains by pulling them repeatedly; assuring himself that any form of struggle won't let the precious toy get away.

"What-" Marie tried to keep her voice from shaking. "…what do you want with me?"

He grinned, the kind that made Marie regret asking. "Doctor Bolivar Trask is a lovely man. He's going to be very interested in you."

Whoever he was, the mere mention of his medical title made the hair on her skin rise. Doctors treated mutants the same way scientists took care of lab rats. To them, they were nothing more than a contribution to an experiment. Every murdered life of her kind was considered nothing more than an innovative step towards science.

But right now, Marie had seen nothing scarier than this man who showed off a golden tooth on his lopsided grin. Now that he was this close, she was almost tempted to peel off her gloves, slam them on his godforsaken face and put an end to his life.

Back then; she had never tried to touch someone with the intention of hurting them. She had always kept a reserved behavior, always wary of the possibility that her poisonous skin could endanger someone's life.

The world will always isolate itself from her as long as they viewed her skin a deadly disease, an incurable curse. She had come to accept that as well. Anyone who came close had always ended up hurt. It wasn't enough that she ran away for her parent's convenience so they wouldn't have to deal with their untouchable freak for a daughter.

It was just that no one understood it was always worse on her part. Her power may have allowed her to absorb lives, but in truth, it drained from her the only life she had come to know, and by the looks of her situation, she knew she'd never live the same way again.

Everyone she touched would give her a fragment of their memories and dreams; mostly fleeting images that wake her up in the middle of the night with a scream not far from her lips. She refused to sleep most nights, too frightened to witness horrifying visions again and again.

It was an awful package deal. She knew that all too well.

The silence broke when something started ringing. Marie flicked her eyes over to inspect the room and caught sight of a telephone post hanging on the wall, not far from her.

The man stood up to answer the call. Before doing so, he raised a hand up as if to hit her, and Marie's head was quick to reel back from the threatening gesture, but his hand stopped mid air. Seeing how terrified she was of his slightest movements only made him laugh at how much power and control he had.

Snorting hysterically, he grabbed the handset and greeted the caller. "Hey, how's it going big guy? You found 'nother one?"

He gave Marie a side-glance. "Healing's an interesting mutation, but it ain't got nothin' on this soul sucking southern doll we got here."

There was a pause, but by the sour glare on his face, it didn't seem like the caller reported good news. "What the molly fuck do you mean you let him get away? What? No, stay there. I'll get us another truck and pick you up. We'll catch him ourselves."

He slammed the phone with an angry hiss of goddamn it.

He was about to leave the room when he stopped in his tracks. He took one glance at the telephone, and coursed around the room to dig the corners for tools.

"And just in case you get any ideas…" She watched him take out an axe and hover it just above the telephone. With a rough swing, the axe collided with the post and shattered it to bits, landing near her ankles. The handset was in two pieces and the cords were all haywire.

"Forget it."

He proceeded to leave, but called over his shoulder. "You can try screaming, shouting, calling for help. But there isn't anybody here who's going to hear and give a shit."

The door slammed with a thwack and Marie quickly tried to stand up with the little room the chains gave her, but it was no use.

Marie sat staring into a void of darkness. Oh god, what's going to happen to me? She buried her face in her hands, quietly murmuring words of false hope. She didn't know what they did to people like her, but she could almost hear the tortured screams of past captives who have been taken to this room before. Marie had always preferred being alone all her life, but now that the solitude had outstayed its welcome, she needed nothing more than to hear someone beside her telling her that everything was going to be alright.

Tears spilled down her cheek as she squeezed her eyes shut. The empty space amplified her deafening sobs and whimpers, and at the same time the silence felt so loud in her ears. It was an invisible force that kept screaming she was alone, and that there was absolutely no hope of getting help. Marie kept crying until-

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Followed by a slur of words and radio frequencies making soft electronic noises.

Marie looked on her right and saw the shattered bits of the telephone near her feet. The cords were still somehow working. The handset was still miraculously linked to the wires.

It had hit her with sudden clarity. There was a way out. She could still get herself out of here alive.

She pulled herself together this time. She took a long, deep breath, the throbbing in her head subsiding as her mind was soon preoccupied with critical thinking.

If she could manage a connection by clicking the tips of the broken wires together, maybe it could dial a random number and she could ask for help. Marie could only hope that out of a million combination sets, she would have the unbelievable luck to land on one right.

She wriggled her way to the telephone, the chains rattling as she picked up wires connected on the handset. She placed on her shoulder what was left of the receiver and tilted her neck to fit it beside her ear.

Marie straightened the ends of the cord, hoping to get an electrical circuit running smoothly. She started to work.

Click. Click. Click

The wires sparked a buzz. She heard a monotonous response.

The number you dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area. Please try again later.

Damn it.

Well at least she knew the wires were dialing numbers. Marie returned to work at the cords again.

Click. Click. Click.

The number you dialed-

She had been clicking forever.

Marie was about to give up when a momentary buzz interrupted the electronic drone on the receiver. When she realized it was ringing on the other end, she dropped both wires and desperately clung both hands on the receiver.

She knew she couldn't lose the connection this time, not when it had only been a miraculous fluke to finally reach someone, and her life would depend on whoever that 'someone' will be.

She couldn't help but squeak a sound of joy when she heard someone pick up. Her heart dropped when she heard a response.

"What the hell do you want?"