Auld Lang Syne - Pink Hayes (Backdated)

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After the incident in Adrienne's office, Adrienne, Emma, and Wade discuss what happened and make a plan.



Molly's bed felt harder than normal. The sun was bright too. But....there was also people talking. She could hear them whispering. One of the voices sounded familiar...Wademan!

She slowly stirred, reaching her arms out to stretch. Maybe he was talking to Meggan about something.

Reaching out, she expected to feel her headboard but instead felt a wall.

She opened her eyes and saw the Medlab instead.

"Whoa...How did I get here?"

Wade looked toward Molly from where he'd been quietly talking with Adrienne and then walked over to her. "Hey, half-pint," he said, offering her a cheerful smile - probably only Emma would be able to tell it was entirely fake and she had a leg up on everybody else, what with the whole telepathy thing. "You had a bit of a spill - you remember having tea with the Miss Frosts over there?"

Blinking, Molly shook her head. "No? I went to bed cause the rally's tomorrow and I wanted to get up early so I could have some waffles," she said, then rubbed her head, frowning.

"Uh oh...do I have a concussion? My head hurts. I thought I couldn't get concussions...."

"Not really a concussion," replied Emma. "Just a headache." She smiled reassuringly at Molly, but didn't inject it with the familiarity and warmth she wished to, well aware that Molly didn't actually remember her. Not even their latest interaction, which had slipped out of Molly's mind early in the seizure. "Your head is a special kind of hard, but even that can't stop your brain banging around a little bit inside when you fall over. It's like if I fell over and banged my knee - your brain is just a little bit bruised right now. Nothing to worry about, though. I wouldn't think you'll have a headache for long."

"Oh..." Molly said, nodding slowly to the new woman. She must've been a new doctor. She had the same name as the other Ms. Frost. Maybe they were related?

"So...do I not get to go to the rally?"

"Uhh..." Adrienne sent a Look to Wade and a mental question to Emma. Both said #so, do we go through all of this 'it isn't May anymore' stuff again?#

Wade rubbed at the back of his neck, casting a look in Adrienne's direction before taking a breath and starting, "Okay, half-pint. Here's the deal. It's - "

“It’s okay,” Emma’s voice rode over Wade’s, “The rally’s been cancelled, Molly. There’s been a bit of a problem with it. It’s like when Ms Monroe likes to play with it sometimes and you end up with snow on the lawn in May. Now I need to talk a little bit with Ms Frost and Mr Wilson, because they just need to know a few things about your headache and your fall and how to look after you. Nothing too important, but you just need your rest more than you need to hear me use long medical words. Are you okay just to try and relax while we talk outside.” Emma reinforced the gentleness of her words with a reassuring wave of warmth that reached out to Molly, reassuring the girl on a subconscious level. It contrasted with the firm ~Don’t contradict me~ that she sent to Wade and Adrienne.

"Yes ma'am," Molly said, hunching her shoulders a little with a small frown. She had wanted to go so she could wear her hat and stuff but maybe they could go to another one. She was still kinda sleepy.

Emma ushered Wade and Adrienne out of the door and closed it firmly behind her, trusting it would keep their conversation from reaching Molly's ears. "You've all seen what's happening now," she said. "The looping back on herself to May. I've been sifting through what I managed to salvage out of her mind when she went into the seizure and cross-referencing it to what's still there. It's like she's re-setting whenever she meets a stressful situation. Going back to some time she's labelled as happy. Everything bad is erasing." Emma raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Which explains what happened to Genosha. Though I don't think it's that trauma only. I'm finding little holes all throughout Molly's memories." Emma frowned. "But I can't determine right now if it's something new that has gone back and reconfigured old memories or if this is something that's been going on and it's just become noticeable."

Wade wasn't sure what to think - on the one hand, not being able to remember Genosha was sort of a good thing. On the other, Molly couldn't remember anything since. "Is this something you can stop? Or fix? Can she get her memories from the last few months back?"

Emma didn’t answer immediately, frowning in thought. “I need more information,” she finally said. “I managed to catch some of what she was jettisoning in that last seizure, but the other holes... It would depend on whether the memories are genuinely gone or if it is more like they are being hidden away. Both are possible...” Emma shook her head slightly, realising that she was thinking out loud. “We need to know more about what is causing this. This other child you mentioned. Perhaps it might be an idea to follow that up. Even eliminating the possibility that it was him is useful.”

"I could use my powers on his clothes if we could find him," Adrienne suggested; "his room if we knew where he lived. 'See if he's projecting any clouds of neon lights or his eyes glow red when he steals memories or something like that. Can we get his whereabouts?" She figured Wade would be able to do that, or else she'd ask Bishop to put the X-Factor team on it.

"Let me make a phone call," Wade said, nodding. "I can get an address, no problem." Stepping back as he pulled out his phone, the mercenary hit speed dial number eight and let it ring twice, then hung up. A minute later and his other mobile rang. Picking it up, he said, "Wheezy - I need an address for a kid. Yeah, a minor. Probably 14 or so. Adam Stillman. New York. Yeah, thanks. Text me the address."

"I think you should go with Wade," Emma said to Adrienne. "You should be able to reduce the intimidation factor substantially. If the pair of you can see if this Adam is the cause of our problems, I'll try and keep Molly's mind from ripping itself to pieces. Happy, smiley thoughts. Sunny, shiny things. I can do that. For hours. I'm sure." Emma twitched an eyebrow. "And I can see your expression, Adrienne. I'm sure you don't have to say it."

Adrienne's expression had mostly come from Emma's comment about reducing the intimidation factor, since she was of the opinion that Wade was the more friendly one among the two of them and therefore she felt like she was more intimidating. But the prospect of Emma with happy, smiley thoughts was pretty funny too. "I'm not saying anything," she retorted, hands raised defensively. "Except that we should go now," she nodded to Wade. "Obviously the memory-wiping is contagious; Emma thinks she can think of sunny, shiny things for hours. She's clearly losing who she is," she teased. To Emma, she pointed a finger in a scolding manner. "You work on those sunny, shiny thoughts, Em. If you can keep them up for hours, I owe you a pair of shoes."