Chapter 1:
The sound of metal on metal grated across the hallway floor as the meal cart made its thrice daily rounds along the many corridors of the compound, a gun in easy reach in case any occupant tended to get too rowdy or throw themselves against the orderly who delivered the meals. Silent, he showed no emotion as he slid the plates of bland food through the doors without another look at the people caged inside the living hell holes. Every time he found an occupied cell, the same tray of food would be pushed through the small grating at the bottom of the cast-iron doors. Arriving at the last cell of the block, the orderly pushed the door with his food to signify the meal had arrived. Hearing no movement or sound, he nudged the door harder and knocked sternly. As no sound issued from anywhere in the cell, the orderly unhooked the safety catch of his weapon and peered through the window into the dark and very damp cell. He could see nothing and he swore under his breath as he opened the door with his key. Opening it very carefully, he stuck his head in cautiously and then slid the door open as he entered and held the rifle at full alert.
There, in the smallest corner of the cell was a quivering ball of flesh, hair and rags. Shrinking back further into the corner, two haunted and very wary green eyes peeked out from behind matted strands of white hair that covered any suggestion of the thing even being human. The only emotions present in those lifeless orbs were fear, terror and a small spark of something the orderly could not decipher. Sighing, the man hooked the safety catch back on and lowered the weapon as she relaxed a smidgeon but not by much as she still shivered uncontrollably. A small squeak escaped the lips of the creature and then the eyes were covered by the hair as they shrank away. Intrigued, the orderly walked towards the figure as the eyes peeped out again and lowered carefully. Stopping carefully so as not to alarm the ball, the wiry man reached out a hand gently and touched the hair as the thing shrank away. Pushing a lock out of the way of the face, the man gasped as an ethereally beautiful face peeped out from behind the hair nervously. She looked to be about 16 and the gut of the man twisted, he had a daughter the same age as this terrified girl. Beauty shone out despite the grime and dried blood that encrusted her face, the tenderness of the skin surprising as the man stroked her face gently and soothingly so as not to alarm her further. She was obviously terrified of any touch, gentle or otherwise and the man could only guess why.
Turning as he heard the sound of footsteps, the orderly saw a group of heavily armed guards and the girl began to shiver again as she ducked back into the ball. Pushing the orderly out of the way, the guards burst in the door and dragged the poor captive out as she writhed and struggled madly to get away. In her eyes was pure terror and the man tried to take a step towards her but was stopped roughly, all he could do was watch as she was pulled away. Screaming, the girl writhed in the iron grasp of the men and her shrieks could be heard as the orderly watched her disappear. As the orderly turned back, he was hit in the forehead with the butt of a stun gun and fell heavily on the polished floor. Shrugging, the leader stepped away and walked out without another glance as the sound of a gunshot reverberated through the halls.
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Professor Charles Xavier lowered the helmet carefully and slowly from his bald head as a tear fell onto his cheek. He had picked up the presence of the girl via Cerebro when she had screamed and had watched as the episode unfolded with pure sadness. Rolling his wheelchair out of the room, he locked it and wiped the tear from his face as he entered his office. Sending a telepathic message to most of the trained X-Men, he waited for them to join him in his office as he tapped the desk thoughtfully. The councillor would have her hands full with this arrival for sure...