[Reviews - 8]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story |
Printer Chapter or Story |
ePub eBook Chapter or Story |

Has been viewed 514 times

- Text Size +




Inside

The basement, (if you wanna call it that) was nothing more than a house of horrors. Each room they entered was worse than the last. They were filled with all types of medical equipment and instruments that neither Gambit or Shadowcat had ever seen before. It was all the things that would keep a mutant lying awake at night.

It soon became apparent to them both that the mutants that were kept here were subject to what ever horrific experiments these scientist could dream up.

By the time they had reached the end of the first corridor, Shadowcat's feelings were all over the place. Being an empathy, Gambit felt a myriad of emotions coming from her. He could feel she was was getting tired, angry, and impatient. This was bad he thought. Strong emotions like that only led to one thing and that was trouble. Before he could shut her down she did the unthinkable.

Shadowcat was never a sideline kinda girl. She loved being in the forefront. It proved that she and the other teen X-men were more than what Wolverine would call “A bunch snot nosed brats who wouldn't know their ass from their elbows.” She thought she had proved that time and time again on missions that she wasn't afraid to be the first to go in. To her, this mission should have been no different.

She appreciated what Gambit was doing by entering each and every room first but now, it was becoming frustrating and insulting. She wasn't a little kid any more. She was an X-Men for gods sake. What little childhood she had was stolen away from her the moment she came face to face with the bigotry and hatred being a mutant came with.

That's it, she said to herself. I'm going to prove to Gambit that I can take it. I'm going first and that's all there is to it.

She figured they had seen the worst it. What could be worse than the other doors?

If she wasn't so quick to prove herself she would have seen the words on the door.

INFANT WARD

Before Gambit could protest she phased through him and entered the room. What she saw inside almost made her sick. The lab contained several small infant incubators.

“No.” she said softly. “How could they?”

Her mind was telling her to resist the urge to move further into the room. Her legs however didn't receive the message because she found herself moving forward.

The machines were all lined up against the wall like a baby assembly line. High above each one were large letters that ranged from A to E.

The machines marked A-D were empty and showed no signs that they had been used in some time. It wasn't until she reached the one incubator marked E did she learn of the fate of at least one.

She looked down at the card to see the name of the poor soul that occupied this small space.

Name:“E”
Sex: “Girl”
Weight:“7lbs 9onces”

There was nothing else on the card. Nothing that would remind them that this was a human being. That this child was defenseless. That she had rights and deserved to live and to be more then just E. No,there was nothing like that. All they saw was another thing for them to experiment on. Just a tiny mutant whose life meant little to nothing. Just a means to an end.

It was while standing there she noticed something. E's incubator looked like it had been used fairly recently. There were needles, wires, and surgical equipment on the table near the machine. They looked like they had been removed quickly. A small well of hope sprang up in her. Maybe she was alive some where. Maybe E was another level.

It's funny how hope could be snatched away so quickly before you have a chance to plant the seed.

Shadowcat was about to tell her news to Gambit when she saw something underneath all the surgical equipment. It was a manilla folder. She picked it up and started to read the contents.

“Bastards.”

The things she read should never have been attempted on a grown adult let alone a baby. As she read, she kept seeing the same name over and over again. Dr. Aaron McDevlin. He was E's doctor. Torturer was a better word for him.

The folder was to thick to go through each page and she didn't think her stomach or mind could take anymore of the images the words were conjuring. She skipped to the end of the file to find out little E's fate. It was found in the very last line. Seeing it almost made her knees give out. It showed that E died today.

There was no time of death. It looked like the entry was cut short before a time and cause of death were entered.

She placed a shaky hand on top of the machine. Inside the incubator she saw there was a large amount of blood on the small blanket inside. She stifled a cry by holding her hands over her mouth. She could only imagine what happened to poor E and the pain she had to endure at the hands of these monsters in her final hours.

Shadowcat couldn't take it anymore. She was about to run out of the room when she turned to find a somber looking Gambit staring at her. She ran to him and he put an understanding arm around her.

“Gambit...”she chocked out through tears.

“Gambit, know cher. He know.” He said looking around the room. “Dis place....der be a special kinda a hell for da people dat did dis. Look at me petite. No more fight'n Gambit 'bout who goes first. OK?”

“No, more. I promise” she said shaking her head.

“Good. Now lets find dis room and cut da power. The sooner we do dis, da sooner we can find da the people responsible for dis.”

“We're gonna blow this place to hell. Then we're gona get some payback.”

Before leaving she grabbed the folder and placed it in her uniform. This was something Beast and the Professor needed to see.

Outside
A tug. It was a tiny one but it was holding.

“Good Job, Nathan! Well done. Now I want you to hold on to that rope. It will be our link. Ready for the next step? This is one is easy. All you have to do is think of this place. Just concentrate. Take deep slow breaths and think you about walking in and sitting here with me.”

*Alright. I'll try. *

Jean waited in her seat and tried to remain calm and not project her anticipation to Nathan. She didn't want to scare him. Her patient was rewarded when she heard the tiny bell on the door ring as it opened.

Inside walked a boy who looked no more than five years old. He was tall and thin with light auburn hair. The same color as Scott's she thought. She saw Nathan was just standing at the door just peaking his head in.
Jeans stood up from her seat and waved to him.

“Hello, Nathan. Don't be afraid. Nothing will hurt you here. I promise.”

Nathan looked at the women standing inside the ice cream shop. She was so pretty. He suddenly felt very shy. He was about to leave when he heard her say to him don't be afraid and that nothing will hurt him because she promised. There was no reason to trust her. She was a stranger. It was strangers that brought him to the bad place. Strangers are bad. But, this stranger didn't look bad. She looked nice he thought. Something deep inside of him said to trust her. So, he mustered all the courage his little body had and stepped inside.

He walked towards slowly towards Jean who was still standing there waiting for him. She took in his appearance and felt for him.

Nathan was dressed in spider-man pajamas that were slightly tattered and covered in dirt. His tiny feet were bare and hardly made a sound on the marble titled floor. He was clutching what looked like small rabbit that was also covered in dirt against his chest.

This must be the clothes he was abducted in she thought.

A motherly instinct suddenly swelled up in Jean. It was like nothing she had felt before. Sure, she was close to all the children at the institute but there was something about Nathan that was different. Something that made her want to run over to him and pull him into her arms and tell him that everything will be OK. She was taken out of her thoughts when she felt a small hand in hers.

“Hello.” said the tiny voice.

“Hello, to you too. It's nice to put a face to the voice. Would you like to sit with me?”

Nathan nodded his head slightly. Then followed Jean to the booth she was in and scooted in on the opposite side of her.

Once they were seated Jean noticed that Nathan kept looking around. Like he was waiting for something or someone to pop out and grab him. She set his fears at ease.

“You don't have to worry. No one else is here. It's just you and me.”

“No bad men?” Nathan asked looking around more.

“No bad men.” Jean said taking his little hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Nathan breathed a small sigh of relief. No bed men were here. They wouldn't be taking him away from his favorite place or the pretty lady in front of him. He started looking around again.

“What's wrong?” Jean asked.

“I was looking for Jim. He owns this place. He has the best ice cream.”

“Ah, I see. Well, this is your memory. Everything you see in here is stuff you remember. So, if you want to see Jim all you have to do is think of him and he'll be here.”

“Really?” Nathan asked. His face was scrunched up in disbelief.

Jean laughed. Nathan made the same face Scott did when he didn't believe her. The resemblance was scary.

“Yes, really. Try it. Close your eyes and think of Jim.”

Nathan did as he was told. He closed his eyes and thought of Jim. A second later he heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, squirt! What can I getcha?”

Nathan looked over and behind the counter was Jim. He was dressed as he always was when Nathan came in the shop.

Jim was wearing a crisp white shirt that had his name stitched into it and black pants. He was also wearing the soda jerk hat on his head that Nathan loved.

“Jim!” Nathan yelled.

Jim looked up from the counter he was wiping at Nathan.

“That's me, kid. At least that's what the name says on my shirt.”

Nathan laughed. Jim always told that joke to him.“It's so good to see you, Jim.”

“What are you talk'n about kid? You saw me yesterday. Now, what can I get you and your pretty friend?”

“I didn't see him yesterday. I saw him a few months ago.” Nathan whispered to Jean.

“He doesn't know that. He thinks it's only been a day since you last saw him. It's a memory remember?” she whispered back.

“Oh.” Nathan said then turned back to Jim. “Can I have a scoop of Rocky Road on a cone?”

“And your friend?” Jim said point to Jean.

“She'll have..... mint chocolate chip.” Nathan said hoping he got it right.

“You remembered.” Jean said.

“Yup.”

“Two cones. Coming right up.”

A moment later Jim walked the cones over and gave them to Jean and Nathan.

“If you two need anything else. Just let me know.” he said then walked back behind the counter.

Jean watched Nathans face light up when he received the cone. He looked so happy. This is how he should always look she thought. She hated to take this moment away from him but if she was going to get him and the other hostages free she need to ask him some questions.

“Nathan, can I ask you something?”

“I guess.” he said still licking his ice cream.

“Nathan...do you know who took you?

Nathan stopped licking his ice cream. His face became slightly pale. He looked at Jean and nodded slowly.

“Who was it, honey?”

“The bad men.”

“The bad men?”

Nathan nodded again.

“Nathan, my friends and I are here to help you and to bring you home. In order for us to do that we need your help. Can you do that? Can you help me?”

“I'm scared. The bad men said they would hurt us if we tried anything.”

Jean reached over and grabbed Nathans hand.

“I will not let them hurt you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Nathan smiled and Jean's heart melted. She could feel the fear he had inside of him subside a bit.

“Ok, honey, tell me all about the bad men.”

“They... they...”

The memories of that frightful night started coming back to Nathan and it all became real for him again. His hands started to shake and his heart began to race. The courage he was feeling a moment ago was shrinking away. The fear he felt when the men grabbed him started to claw at his throat. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. He felt like he wanted to run again.

He was about to when he looked up at Jean who had a concerned look on her face for him and that's when he remembered the promises she made to him. She wouldn't let them hurt him. She was going to save him from the bad men. All she needed was his help. All she needed was for him to tell her what happened.

Nathan went to speak but no words came out. It was like the emotions he was feeling had cut his vocal cords. He tried to push them away so he could find his voice again. He opened his mouth again and still nothing came out.

Oh no, he said to himself. If I can't speak I can't help and the bad men will win.

Nathan began to think about what he could do. He thought about trying to talk to Jean in her head again but his fear was blocking her like it did before when she was first trying to contact him. He was about to give up when something in the room caught his eye and he knew how he could tell her.

Jean could see Nathan was having a hard time speaking. She felt him trying to get through to her in her mind but his emotions were all over the place. This was making it very hard to keep the connection they already had going. She was just about to make a suggestion of how to help him when she saw him turning his head to Jim who was now just standing there looking at Nathan. She watched as Jim smiled then nodded his head at Nathan.

“Sure, kid. I got this.” Jim said then looked at Jean. “The little guy is having some trouble talking so he asked if I would be his voice. So, ask away.”

“OK, Nathan. I need to know who the bed men are. Don't leave anything out.”

Up above

The bad feeling Storm was having about this mission was getting worse with every passing minute. Her intuition was saying this whole thing was wrong and that there was a missing piece to this puzzle. It was right in front of them but they were too close to it to actually see it.

While her winds were buoying her in the air she continued to worry for her friends still inside the building. Their long absence was only strengthening her resolve to want to go inside with the others when the power was cut.

She sighed. This mission was stretching her patience to a new kind of thin.

“Ya see anythin' up there Storm? Any movement at all?”

Wolverine's voice over the radio startled her. It had been so long since she heard any radio chatter that she actually flinched at his gruff voice.

“Nothing. And that is what worries me. We are missing something.”

He grunted in agreement. “I hear ya darlin'. Just keep ya eyes open.”

“I will you...” Storm attention was diverted when she saw a glint in the distance.

She thought it was her imagination. It was only for a second. Then she saw it again.

“Storm? Storm ya there?” Wolverine asked.

This mission already had his alarm bells going off and Storm's not answering him didn't help matters.He tried again to call out to her and only got back static.

She needed to be OK. She has to be OK, he kept saying to himself. His emotions got the better of him when he called out to her again.“Storm, god dammit! Ya better answer me or..”

“I have got something.” she said.

“What is it?”

“I don't know. I saw a glint of something in the distance. I thought it was my imagination, then I saw it again.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“No. But, I'm gonna find out.”

“Negative!” Cyclops said jumping in. “Gambit and Shadowcat are not back yet and Jean is still down. You going off on your own will leave us too thin.”

“I believe it is a risk we must take. There are too many unknown variables here. Whoever is out there might have the answers we need.” she countered.

Dammit. She's right Cyclops said to himself. They needed to know if there was another threat out there somewhere. He quickly went over every option in his mind and everyone had the same conclusion. Send her.

“Ok. Check it out.” he said reluctantly.

“I'm goin' with her.” Wolverine said.

“No you're not.” Cyclops said.

“The hell I'm not. She is not going out there ta face who or whatever is it out there on her own. So pardon my french when I say you and that idea can go take a flying fuck'n leap.”

“You are to stay with Rogue. That's an order. I told you we will need you inside when the power is cut.”

“Rogue can handle herself just fine. She's stronger than most of us put together.”

“I'm not staying it again, Wolverine. Stay there. That is an order!” Cyclops said almost yelling into the radio.

“Fuck you and ya order! I'm goin'.” Wolverine spat out.

“Enough!” Storm said. “We all have our parts to play here. This one is mine. Cyclops is right. With my leaving we will be spread way too thin. You need to stay. I need to go. Alone.”

Wolverine felt like he had been punched in the gut. She couldn't mean it. He didn't give a damn that what they were saying made sense. All that he cared about was that Storm was going off to face danger on her own and that was unacceptable in his book.

“Storm..”Wolverine said softly.

She could hear the concern in her friends voice and it touched her heart. To know that he was willing to disobey his orders to have her back and keep her safe only intensified her hidden feelings for him. She wished she could tell him this. Now was not the time. Lives were at stake and she had her own mission to see through.

“Do not fight me on this. It has to be done and you know it. Besides, I had a good defensive tactics teacher who showed me some moves to keep me alive.” she said trying to elevate some of his concern.

“Keep us posted on what you find. And be careful.” Cyclops said.

“I will.” she said.

“Storm, if I hear one wrong thunderclap... I'm comin' for ya.”

“I'll hold you to it.” she said. Then directed her winds to carry her towards the mysterious glint.

Rouge looked over to see Wolverine looking up to the sky. She watched as he followed Storm with his eyes heading towards the unknown danger with out him.

She placed a gloved hand on his shoulder.

“If ya gonna gimme the same advice I gave ya before, save it.” he growled out at her.

Rogue didn't flinch at his bark. She surprised him when she chuckled. She placed a hand over her radio.

“Not at all, sugah. Ah would never throw ya words back atcha. I was just gonna say, Ah'm glad ya finally took notice of what was in front of ya.”

Wolverine spun around towards her. “What do ya mean took notice?”

Rogue rolled her eyes at him. “Ah mean that ya saw there was finally more ta the world than red heads. A certain one in particular.”

“I don't know what ya talkin' about.” He said turning away from her.

“Ok. If that's de way ya wanna play it. Thanks by the way.”

“Whatcha thankin' me for?”

“For teaching me that denial is more than just a river.” she said then went back to her position.


Chapter End Notes:
Thank you to everyone who has read this story.



You must login () to review.