xp_logs | Sound of Silence : Crystal and Maximus; Crystal and Forge

Wanting to get the truth from Maximus, Crystal has a telepath try to get the answers she seeks. As Crystal finds out afterwards, the attempt is completely unsuccessful.

Attilan Date: 13 December, 2009

If she couldn't get the answers herself, she'd get someone else who might be able to get the truth from Maximus. She had to be careful about remaining hidden; surely by now the royal family knew that she was missing. She trusted that they wouldn't have made a public fuss over it, but surely they'd be looking for any clues to her whereabouts. Her idea would have been almost impossible had she not finally played the "I'm the princess" card so she had used it with a telepath she hoped she thought she could trust. So it was that Crystal found herself waiting outside while a young telepath attempted to get inside Maximus's head. It was risky, and she wasn't quite sure how great of an idea this had been, but at this point she wasn't sure what else to do. Maximus refused to talk, and hopefully this would work. Even if it didn't, it should let him know how serious she was. Crystal rose from her chair as the telepath entered the next room. She was fairly positive that she already knew the answer, but she still had to ask the question anyway.

"Did you obtain any information?"

The young man shook his head - a hesitant motion as well as a regretful one. "I am afraid that the maze of information remains jumbled and incomprehensible... there is simply nothing new I can tell you. I am sorry." He bowed his head as if awaiting judgment; he knew this was not what Crystal wanted to hear.

"Thank you," Crystal replied with a brief nod. The response was not entirely unexpected, yet it was quite disappointing. The jumbled part, though... just how messed up was her cousin's mind? What had happened to make him this way? Maximus had let her in on his plans when he had been in control of her mind, but he had made her believe that he was right. In a crazy way, his plan had made sense at the time. He had wanted her to think these awful thoughts, though, even if they hadn't seemed awful at the time. Now, she could not even begin to guess at what he was currently thinking or what sort of sense he thought this all made. "I trust that you will keep your word and remain silent on this matter. I will continue to talk to him and see if he will be willing to speak with me in a few days. If not, perhaps we can try again when he is less resistant."

The telepath pressed his lips together, obviously debating whether or not to say something about the girl's decisions. "If I may... Of course I will keep this to myself... I have nothing to gain from spreading rumors or disseminating gossip. But I cannot help but wonder if waiting any longer will change your cousin's answer. He is obviously quite dedicated to obscuring the truth... will he truly be swayed in a few day's time?"

"I do not know," Crystal replied before looking away for a moment. When she looked back, her expression was one of determination. "I can only hope that he will decide to speak to me and do what must be done on his own. I do not wish to risk any more lives, but I am so close... I will do what I must do to get the truth from him."

In the face of such resolve there was little for the young man to do but nod once again; these were not his decisions to make. "I am sorry I cannot be of more help, but I will do what I can to assist you, my lady. Attilan is fortunate to have one such as yourself so dedicated to her well-being."

"Again, I thank you for your assistance," Crystal told him. "I will be in touch with you by the end of the week to let you know either way. Alert me immediately if there is any change in the boy's condition or if anyone attempts to visit him." Maximus had to have had outside help to remain hidden, but whether or not he had informed them about the boy, if that part was even true, Crystal did not know.

Crystal comes in to check on Maximus and see if two days of complete isolation have weakened his resolve to keep the truth from her.

Attilan Date: 15 December, 2009

She hadn't been in to talk to him in over two days. She'd shown him how serious she was, it was now up to Maximus to decide to talk to her before she found herself forced to take even more drastic measures. So now Crystal had left him alone, not leaving the house save to get a bit of fresh air, and even then she had remained right outside the house. She had wanted to check on the boy in the hospital, but she had the telepath watching him and she didn't want to risk the possibility of Maximus escaping while she was away. Only by staying at the house and guarding him personally could Crystal guarantee that she would know where Maximus was.

Crystal unlocked and opened the door to the room where she'd been keeping Maximus. She entered quietly, carrying a chair with her. Remaining silent for a few moments, Crystal glanced at her cousin. "Are you ready to speak with me?"

"I've always enjoyed speaking with you, Crystal," Maximus replied sunnily. "We used to tell each other everything, do you remember? Well. I suppose, in all fairness, it must be said that I didn't quite speak my whole mind on certain subjects." Above his open smile, his eyes were hooded. "A habit I see no reason not to continue."

"All right then," Crystal said, forcing a smile. She set the chair down on the floor and sat down in it, her gaze never leaving the other occupant of the room. "Talk to me. Do not play with my mind any longer. I would like to know that you are being honest with me. I can bring the other telepath back again but I want you to be truthful with both of us. Tell me what you know about Attilan's arrival here and how to return it to its proper location."

"Is that going to get me anything I want? My freedom, my throne, the affection you and I once shared? No, I don't think it will." Maximus's faintly regretful tone of voice was subsumed into a bitter, malicious smile. "And since we are no longer playing with one another . . . I think we are both perfectly aware that whatever I say, truth or fabrication, you will never be able to trust that I'm being honest with you."

"You will never have the throne, you know," Crystal informed him. "It is not yours, it never was, and it never will be. Any possible claim you might have had to it if something happened to your brother vanished the moment you decided to make it yours by killing him and your parents. Having a handful of misguided lunatics keep you hidden does not make you a king, or even a prince. You hid your gift from those who loved and cared about you, you abused your power and betrayed everyone who was close to you." There was a regretful, sad smile on her face as she continued, "At least you are right about one thing. I can no longer trust anything that you say to me."

"We'll see, won't we? Especially if you keep on underestimating my 'handful of misguided lunatics.'" Maximus leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Since we agree on that, if little else . . . why are you here? Not that I don't enjoy your company, but it hardly seems a productive use of your highness's time."

"Perhaps I thought that a few days on your own would change your mind," Crystal said, rising from her chair. "Perhaps I wanted to see what would happen. Or, perhaps there is no point to any of this and I am simply wasting my time on purpose." Crystal stood. "I will leave you in here as long as it takes and you will not last for very long without food or water, will you?"

"No, I won't." Maximus's lips twisted in an utterly humorless smile. "But I really don't think you want to do that, Crystal. You're not a killer by nature--I more than anyone know that--and besides, if you kill me, you kill your hope of returning to Earth. Now, I would rather Attilan remain stranded here than return under Blackagar's hand, especially if I'm going to be dead, but I didn't think you shared that opinion."

"You had your time to mess with my mind," Crystal said, picking up her chair. "Who knows what you left behind? Remember, I can never trust if you are being honest with me. You say that your death will result in us being stranded here. I suppose I will find out whether or not this is true soon enough." With that, she left the room, locking the door behind her.

Again, the telepath is brought in. Again, the attempt is a failure. Crystal has made good on her threats and time is running out.

Attilan Date: 18 December, 2009

Crystal watched from the door until the telepath was out of side. Another attempt without any good coming from it. All she knew now was what she had known before, except now it was confirmed. Lies. If anything Maximus had told her during his time in captivity had been true, he wouldn't be trying so hard to keep her from knowing that, would he? Doing her best to calm, Crystal walked towards the room that served as Maximus's prison.

Maximus had lied to her. Again. It wasn't that surprising, really, in fact it wasn't surprising at all. Maybe she should have just assumed that any words that came out of his mouth were lies and reacted accordingly. He said his death would strand Attilan permanently? Maybe his death would have helped return them; maybe it still would. Enough was enough already, and he still acted as if everything he did had been right. He had believed in what he was doing at the time, but did he still really believe in them now? Did he really not see all of the harm he had caused, all of the harm he was still causing?

Maximus was clearly exhausted now. Nearly a week without food and water did that to a person. He really hadn't thought she'd really make good on her threats, had he? Did he continue to believe that she was still the naive, trusting child he had known? If he did, he was wrong. Crystal knew that she had changed a lot during the past few years. She had changed during her stay at Xavier's, she'd changed when he took over her mind and body, she'd changed after Attilan had lost contact with the rest of the world, and she'd changed when she'd made the decision to pursue him. Life was all about changing. Everything that happened to you became a part of you, even if it was a horrible event. Crystal had done her best to keep certain thoughts out of her mind, but avoiding certain thoughts and discussions hadn't seemed to work. Even if she wasn't actively thinking about it, the thoughts were never far from her mind.

Crystal missed her parents. She missed knowing she had a place that was completely safe. She missed having a friend she knew she could trust completely. She was alone.

Crystal sat down on the floor next to Maximus. "Your time is almost up. This is your last chance to make the right choice. I have little reason to keep you alive. I think that everything you have told me was a lie. I believe that your death will bring about the return of Attilan to its rightful location. However, I do not believe that you wish to die, and I believe that you should now be aware of how serious I am. Undo whatever it is that you have done and I will spare your life."

It was almost funny, Maximus thought, how Crystal had taken his taunts about honesty and run them out to their absolute limit. The truth was, he didn't know what would happen if he died. Maybe the boy would wake up. Maybe he would stay trapped in the coma. Maybe he really would follow Maximus into death. That was the trouble with being completely self-taught. But Crystal had heard him say they would be trapped forever if he died, and with her usual zeal had convinced herself that the opposite was true, that when he died they would be transported back to Earth immediately. If his mouth weren't too dry for it, he could just laugh.

He agreed with the Inside Voices on one thing, though: Crystal had proven herself to be just as much a threat to him as Blackagar. He should have thought of that before using her in his plan, but it had always been easy to underestimate sweet little Crystal.

He worked his mouth, trying to dredge up enough moisture to speak. "How do you know," he whispered finally, "that I wouldn't rather die than see Blackagar on the throne of a restored Attilan? And if everything I say is a lie, how can you trust me if I did tell you I would undo what I've done?"

Crystal stared at him for a moment. "You... after all that you have done... do you not even feel the slightest remorse for the pain that you have brought to people? Do you not feel even a tinge of horror at the idea that you planned and brought about the deaths of your own parents? Do you not understand that what you did to me was a violation of the trust and friendship I thought we shared?"

"You're . . . one to talk," Maximus said bitterly. "Deprivation . . . as I am in an excellent position to tell you . . . is an unpleasant way to die. You condemn me as a torturer and a murderer . . . well, little Crystal, before very much longer, you'll wear those titles too." After all this, that she could still preach to him about horror, still look down at him from the height of her self-righteousness . . . Yes. I agree. He had, he hoped, the strength to knock her off her pedestal. The voices said he did. "Oh, and one more. Hypocrite."

He spasmed upward, snarling, to grip the front of her shirt with skeletal fngers and stare into her eyes. As their gazes locked, he unleashed everything left to him, all the hate and bile in one last psychic bolt.

As much as Maximus had underestimated Crystal's willingness to carry out her her promised threats, Crystal had apparently not taken into the account that Maximus, especially in his current condition, would make one last, desperate bid to lash out at her. Really, what did he have to lose at this point? She hadn't thought he'd been able to take over her mind again, but she had been entirely unprepared for an assult of this type. His body was in a weakened state, true, but it seemed that his mind was still fully capable of a psychic attack. Taken by surprise, Crystal's mind was bombarded with thoughts and images from her cousin's twisted mind.

There were certain things that Maximus knew and certain things he didn't and Crystal suddenly found herself aware of all of them. Two and a half years ago, she had been let in on his thoughts and emotions and made to feel the same way, but this was entirely different. During the days he had been in control of her mind, he had not been filled with this hate for her. He had truly felt that taking over the throne, complete with all of the details of acquiring it such as killing his parents and brother and using her to accomplish his goals, had been a good, positive course of action. Crystal had felt his hate toward Blackagar, but the focus of sending her out to the private airport had been to complete a worthwhile mission. This time around, the focus was pure venom.

Truth: Maximus did not feel any remorse or guilt for what he had done. Truth: He would do it again if he could, just this time he would make sure that Blackagar was on the plane. Truth: The boy Maximus had been visiting in the hospital was responsible for bringing them her. Truth: He hadn't known what he had done and he still didn't know. Truth: Maximus was keeping him in a comatose state and that hold needed to be released in order for the boy to wake up. Truth: Maximus didn't know what would happen to the boy if he died while he still had control over him.

However, there would be no need to find out what would happen as Maximus was no longer in any condition to retain the control he had over the boy's mind.

Maximus collapsed again, the darkness rolling him under.

After the royal family realizes why Crystal is missing, Forge decides to play hero and leads a rescue team after her.

Attilan Date: 18 December, 2009

The hold had been dropped. Perhaps even now, the boy was waking up. Perhaps not, he'd been kept comatose for so long it might be too late and he might remain that way. Crystal wouldn't know for sure until she went to see him. Leaving Maximus unconscious on the floor, Crystal headed outside, to sunlight and the future rather than the darkness of the house she'd been keeping him in for the past week.

Before she got to the door, however, it practically exploded inward in a shower of splinters and smoke. Pouring in from the front and through the windows came a motley assembly of Attilani Royal Guardsmen and unshaven fishermen and sailors wielding everything from marlinspikes to gaffers' hooks. In the middle of them, making his way to the front, Forge stepped into the center of the room, flanked by two armed guards.

"Maximus Boltagon!" he yelled into the dimly-lit house, "You're under arrest by order of His Majesty King Blackagar Boltagon, for crimes against the crown! Come along peacefully or..."

It was then that Forge noticed that Maximus was already quite peaceful, unconsciously so in fact, and sprawled on the floor. Blinking through the dust, he glanced up at the young girl standing above the outlaw Prince's body. Despite the dark hair, he could recognize --

"Crystal?" he blurted, "I mean, your Highness? You... but... whoa. Whoa." He looked over his shoulder. "Okay, cavalry, stand down. Good show, very good, but I think the Princess has it from here..."

Extremely taken aback by the unexpected arrival of the mass of people, Crystal came quite close to throwing the lot of them through the wall. As it was, only the two items of furniture in the room, a chair and a small table, took a short flight across the room. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Crystal continued staring at the gathered group of people. As surprising as it seemed, Forge appeared to be the leader of this motley group, so it was to him that Crystal spoke. "Forge," she said after walking closer to him. "What is going on? What are you doing?"

"Um... technically we're supposed to be rescuing you, but it looks like you don't really need to be rescued and..." He paused, tapping his foot silently before confessing. "Black Bolt figured out that you'd gone after Maximus. And I got the 'find the Princess or we will have words' look from him, so I got myself a posse and, well... here we are."

He looked sheepishly over his shoulder at where his makeshift rescue team was milling about outside, already passing around celebratory cigarettes and pats on the back. "To be honest, it wasn't easy to track you, searching for residual air pressure variations. This is actually the third location we tried but we were getting really good at that door thing!"

"Thank you for the thought," Crystal replied, looking anything but thankful, "but as you can see, I am not in need of assistance. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and handling things on my own." She looked at the group of celebrators. They were celebrating now, but what would they think and do later when they thought about what this meant? Luckily, they had not arrived earlier to see what had happened in the house. They did not know how long she had been here, or what she had done.

"I am going to speak with my sister," Crystal told Forge. "You may take Maximus into custody. I do not think he will be a problem right now, please see that he is in the proper facilities before he regains the ability to cause harm to anyone else. He has done enough already."

Forge nodded, reaching into his pocket to withdraw what looked like a hair net composed of hundreds of links of wires and transistors. He tucked it over Maximus' head, locking it under the Prince's chin with a key. "Synaptic scrambler," he explained, "a low-resonance subsonic field will trigger a pretty nasty attack of vertigo if he tries anything." He motioned and two guards came in to drag Maximus away. As they departed, Forge looked over at Crystal. Despite the disguise, she still carried herself with the same royal bearing, but there was something more - maybe a little harder, perhaps.

"Did you get what you came for?" he asked quietly, so that no one else could hear.

"I did," Crystal replied. "As I just said, I need to speak with Medusa, but there is also someone else I must visit. I believe I will know soon enough whether or not we can rejoin the rest of the world."

Forge's eyes practically lit up with the thought. "Then lead on, your Highness. And... good work."