xp_logs | Laurie's second test

Holocaust isn't done with Laurie yet...

Several thick books covered the table on the desk when Laurie was bent over, scribbling notes all over her papers. A plate with half eaten food stood nearby and a cup of coffee was cooling slowly in one corner. Otherwise there was only quiet.

That changed when the key scratched in the lock and the door slowly opened.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Laurie had been studying organ transplantation - if they were going to ask her more questions about possible difficulties based around mutants, she wanted to have a good basis of understanding. She didn't want to think about what the practical applications of her knowledge might be going to, she just needed them to trust her enough to give her the space she needed.

Eventually she would need to get herself and Hope out of here, or at the very least get in contact with her fellow X-men.

"Forgive the intrusion, Ms. Collins." Unlike the rest of his people, the Archduke still used Laurie's name, rather than a codename, clearly delineating her outsider status, for now. "I have just finished your report on your work with neurotransmitters. Impressive."

"Nothing close to the work Hank McCoy or Jean Grey might have given you, but I did my best."

Laurie was not one to be uselessly modest, especially not when it came to medicine. While she considered herself quite excellent at what she set her mind and skills to, she recognized the knowledge and ability her seniors had, and was not above giving honor where it was due.

Besides, if the man thought her humble, and shy he might mistake her for weak. She supposed she could start putting on a stutter like she'd had when she was younger, it might help.

"You best is quite sufficient for my purposes, Ms. Collins, so no need for the self-effacement." The Archduke smiled thinly. "As it stands, you were able to solve our small problem with the rejection issues and so we - or more specifically, you can move onto the next stage."

"The next stage? I was assured that this would give myself and Hope freedom. Information, nothing more."

Laurie drew herself up and away from her chair, closing her books gently.

"I had thought you a man of your word"

"I said it was a beginning." His expression clouded slightly at the insult to his honour. "Merely the first stage of your overall project."

"And how many stages exactly do you suppose this will take?"

Laurie was not stupid, she knew she had to keep this man on side but that did not mean that she would be played.

"As many as are required until the aim has been achieved." The Archduke frowned. "You may think you are being brave and clever, Miss Collins, but you are merely being rude. Yes, you are useful to me - for now. But your usefulness does not make you irreplaceable. Continue this sass, to use the slang term, and our deal is over."

"Of course, Sir. Please forgive any offense I may have given, I have been overly tired the past few days."

Laurie had learnt from Marius that an overly complicated lexicon and the appearance of things could hide a multitude of emotion. It was what she fell back on now. Let him think she would cooperate, eventually they would slip up, and then she would use their trust to her advantage.

"Just remember, Miss Collins. It is not just your safety that is at stake here." The Archduke looked down at her, his expression stony. "You will be going with a small group to our medical center. There, you will be employing your solution in a practical sense, with the removal of the liver of a mutant with a healing factor."

"Will there be ample preservation facilities in place, or is this merely a test?"
She had not expected to have to use her skills in this way and if the horror she felt at the very idea slipped a little in the few moments before she could gain control again, well, it wasn't as if she weren't under a great deal of stress. She supposed she could forgive herself for the moment of burning anger that made her want to haul back and punch this bastard till he stopped moving.

"Everything you need will be provided," came the reply. His expression was implacable, that of a man used to giving orders and having them obeyed. "That is all you need to know."

***

Laurie is forced to complete the assignment against her will.

"You do realise that such primitive conditions will make the organ harvest even more difficult then it might be, yes?"

Liver harvesting was not usually performed on non-brain dead living patients, and tended to be part of multiple organ harvesting procedures. Having a mutant with a healing factor would make it both easier and more difficult. It was useless information - but talking to herself was better then concentrating on the realities of what she was actually doing. Treating this as any other educational moment - a sterile and clinical procedure, and not an attack on an unwilling patient.

You did the job in front of you, and her job currently was to gain the trust of the people her had Hope and herself within their power. She would not feel bad about making the hard decisions.

"Have you suppressed the healing factor for the initial harvesting procedure?"

"No, that had entirely slipped our minds," Azael shot back sarcastically as he leaned on the wall next to the doorway picking at his nails with a knife as he watched Laurie. This was entirely a waste of his time, he had better things to do than babysit this American girl, a point he'd made abundantly clear to Holocaust last time they'd talked, but he was hardly going to turn down his partner when he'd asked another favor from him. You never knew when favors would come in handy, and there were worse things he could be doing, like spending any-more time with that philistine Goose.

"You should leave sarcasm to your betters. They're much, much better at it," Laurie informed him, pulling on a set of sterile gloves. It wasn't ideal operation conditions and the environment was far from sterile but she would make do and hope that she didn't kill this poor kid. "Am I to have assistance? Or are you truly trying to recreate primitive battlefield conditions. I must say, you've all done a bang up job of it."

"If you can show me anyone who's my better I'd be glad to," Azazel peered around the room exaggeratedly, "Nope, all I see is a whiny little girl and a couple of terrified brats." the Red skinned mutant scoffed dismissively. "If you're as good at this as you claim then this should be more than enough for you, if you were lying and don't think you can do it..." Azazel shrugged, it was no skin of his back one way or the other, he'd just give her back to Goose and finally get out of this draughty room and find something more enjoyable to do. "If you need help so much that's what he's here for," he nodded indicating the youth huddled in the corner. "A willing pair of hands."

Laurie placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of the young mutant on the operating table before turning toward the tools they'd given her. Given that he had a healing factor, and she wasn't a trained anesthetist she was going to have to do this with him awake.

It wasn't what she would have chosen, but his healing factor should be able to deal with the shock. All she could do was work quickly, and try to cause as little pain as possible.

"I'm sorry."

She gestured for her 'assistant' to swab the area she'd be cutting with disinfectant before she injected some local anesthetic. It wouldn't last long, but he shouldn't squirm during the initial cuts.

"Close your eyes, please. It's better if you don't watch."

"Please... please..." He stared, trashing around as much as the restraints allowed him. "Please don't do this... It will hurt..."

"You need to be quiet now, or this will only hurt worse."

It would hurt whether he was quiet or not, and it wasn't like you could stop yourself from screaming when someone was cutting into you, but it was all she could think to say as she gestured for her assistant to hold the boy still.

"If you would let me have my powers back, this would be a much simpler operation."

"So would escaping or convincing me to let you go or stab myself so," Azazel shrugged, "I think we'll keep them switched off if it's all the same to you. Don't worry about it, you're doing great. A little slower than I'd do it but at least he'll be alive afterwards."

"Doing this any faster would make the possibility of damaging the part of the organ we wish to excise that much more greater, so your killing of an innocent boy would no doubt be for nothing. Something I doubt you care much about for all your concern for mutant welfare that you put on for the children's sake. Just how much longer do you suppose such lies will keep them on your side?"

She made the first cut, a crescent shaped incision across the abdomen in a long, steady pull, before following up with a straight line upwards from the perigee of the first incision.

The whole mutant welfare is really Rudolph's cause, I'm more than happy to help out a friend," Azazel shrugged, "If there is one thing I've realized, people are willing to believe if they feel comforted by it. I don't see any of the kids thinking about changing sides, even your little Hope was listening enraptured like the rest of Rupdolph's other little followers. I think he'll be just fine. Which is more than I can say for that kid if you keep getting distracted here talking to me."

"Don't fuss yourself, it would appear I have far more ability to concentrate on multiple things at once than you. Our young charge will be fine, if a little traumatized, and a little less trusting of anyone offering a mutant Utopia."

Laurie waved at her assistant and pointed toward the clamps, gesturing that they should be handed to her as she pulled back skin from the incisions she'd made before cutting into muscle underneath. She ignored the screaming of the young man, placing it away into the pocket of her mind where she kept all her nightmares. He would pass out soon from the pain, it was the only thing his mind could do for him now.

Pain flared, no burned, through his body and it was only the restraints around various parts of his body that kept him from writhing of the table. Suddenly the pain seemed to peak and everything became black for his eyes, the body relaxing back on the table.

Azazel looked on with mild interest, "See, that wasn't so bad now," he noted coldly, "And now he'll stop moving around, and won't be able to feel anything. That should make your job much easier."

"He'll wake up again soon, the unconsciousness never lasts for long."

Laurie placed the clamps and got ready to pull the liver out in order to excise the amount that would be needed to function as a new organ. She would need to pack it on ice quickly and send it on it's way once she had achieved the objective.

She had not been one of the surgeons at the camps in India but she'd seen what a lack of proper anesthesia, and too many people to treat could do. As blessed as the silence was after someone had succumbed to the pain, it was even worse when they woke up to it again, at least with a healing factor he wouldn't be in pain for long.

"Got it, now take it out of here and let me close."

Azazel's tail flicked out lifting the ice box up to let him peer down into it, examining the liver piece Laurie had extracted. The mutant shrugged before passing it over to the youth who'd been acting as the physician's assistant and nodding at the the door where the guards were waiting before taking his spot against the wall and gesturing to Laurie. "Take your time," the knife came out as Azazel turned his attention back to his nails, "I'm in no rush."

"Due to his mutation this will be a lot easier then on a normal human."

Laurie was used to talking during surgical procedures, at first with Jean and Amelia it was so they could know that she knew what she was doing, and then later with her instructors it was much the same. Mostly, however, it just made her feel better. It was a series of moves, not a violation of every principal she held dear.

"There, that should hold him together long enough for his healing factor to kick in. You can tell the Arch Duke I have completed his test as per agreed."