Book-Devourerx: thank you so much for your time and hard work editing this. You're amazing!
A few hours and a shower later, Xavier called me back to his office, where I found Storm, Beast, Wolverine and Gambit already settled around the room. Kitty came in through the door only a moment after I flashed in.
This wasn't the normal set up for a 'team' meeting. Typically there would be everyone involved, or just the more senior members would have a meeting. Since neither Kitty nor I were 'senior' members this left me wondering what was going on. Luckily Xavier cut straight to it, asking about what we found when retrieving Cyclops. They had an idea of the conditions, but since Cyclops really hadn't seen anything thanks to his powers, not even going in his head could really tell them what it those conditions were like.
Kitty and I were standing side by side, while she started describing what we'd seen. I kept silent, hands shoved in my pockets as I listened to her. She'd managed to take in a lot of our surroundings in the short period of time we'd been there.
"Can you estimate how many you saw?" Beast asked gently, directing the question to Kitty.
But when she hesitated, like she was trying to remember, I answered. "There were a little more than a dozen besides Cyclops. But twenty cages in all, so there's a likely chance that there are more people there than just what we saw."
Everyone looked either furious or sick, or a little of both by the information Kitty and I had just told them.
"We need to help them," Kitty demanded of everyone in the room.
Xavier nodded, but didn't speak. He was obviously trying to process the information.
"We will." Storm's voice was pure determination.
"How?" Logan growled the word from a few feet to my left.
I listened silently as everyone started tossing ideas back and forth.
"Hold on." Kitty raised her hands up. "Shadow and me can go back and just bring them here."
The collective group seemed to like that idea, and yeah, that was an obvious and simple solution to get people out. One I didn't have any objections to.
"We can set them up here, temporarily, to help them recover and get home," Storm said looking at the others.
"Wait," I shook my head, realizing that they weren't quite getting this, "wait a second. Not all of them were in as good as shape as Cyclops here." When she frowned at me, I continued. "This was a place they were doing illegal experiments on mutants right?" I asked, just to remind everyone. "Then we don't know what's been done to them-"
"We can ask them." Wolverine snapped at me, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Go ahead." I crossed my arms and shrugged my shoulders, "But do you really think the scientist always told them what they were doing to them? I bet if you're lucky one or two out of the whole group will know."
"Sounds like you know something about this." Beast's voice was nearly an accusation. Which was fucked up since I was a mutant myself.
"He's dealt with similar experiences during his time with the Brotherhood," Xavier answered effectively cutting off any further argument, before turning back to me with a nod. "Go on."
I got the feeling Xavier already knew what I was about to say, but wanted me to say it anyway. Probably another one of his team building steps for me. "And…well since this stuff is illegal there aren't any regulations in place, nothing to protect the mutant they are fu-uh, experimented on. So anything can be done to them, and normally is. We won't know how to help them without getting the files the scientists have on them." Even then, more often than not, it was still too late. But I wasn't going to tell them that.
Again the others started talking around me, trying to figure this out, and twenty minutes later a plan was halfway made. That was as far as it went, since it was late and people were starting to argue.
Just as the group started breaking up, Beast turned to me with a question. "You've seen something like this before?"
I nodded, eyeing the door, making it obvious I didn't want to get into details.
"What did you do for the people you found?"
"Got them out and did what we could for them."
"How'd that go?" Logan raised an eyebrow.
I shrugged, knowing full and well Kitty's eyes were on me and it disturbed me a little that I was reluctant to disillusion her. I tried to think of a positive way to tell Logan, but I came up short, and settled for a shake of my head. I didn't look at Kitty when I flashed out.
XXX
Xavier called me to his office before anyone else the next morning, for questions about how Magneto had handled things when the Brotherhood rescued people. I answered everything as straightforwardly as I could. There was no reason to sell him on what to expect. Things weren't going to be pretty. When he was satisfied he pulled everyone back into a meeting to get the last touches of the plan completed. I made sure to pay better attention this time around, not letting Kitty's cute ass distract me.
It was a simple plan, Kitty and I would be the ones to go in and pull out the captives. Me for transportation purposes, while she could get in and out of the cages without having to waste time unlocking them. Beast would lead the search for the victims' files, Logan and a couple others would be there to deal with any muscle we might run into. Not everyone would be going, because someone would need to be here to help the ones I'd be bringing back. It was all hands on deck for this, even if you normally didn't participate in Xavier's extracurricular activities.
When it was time to go, we skipped the jet this time, and with a little concentration I managed to get everyone to the holding cells. Beast, Rogue, Gambit, and Colossus went in search of the files, Logan, Storm and Icemen took up vigil, keeping a look-out as Kitty and I got to work.
Kitty went rushing into cages, pulling out captives and I started to take them back to the school in groups of twos and threes, where Xavier, Jean, Kurt, and Warren were waiting. I tried not looking too hard at the victims. I'd learned the first time doing something like this it was best to shut down emotionally. It may have may have been a cold way. in dealing with them, but it meant I was able to help them. The first time I hadn't known better, and had started losing it. I had almost cost the whole mission.
Some of these people couldn't even stand on their own, but those that could were helping those who couldn't, and all but dragging each other toward me as soon as Pryde pulled them out of their cages. Again, while I wasn't looking too hard at them, I couldn't help noticing that not all these were people were adults, some were kids. Fucking kids. Fury started rising in me, and for a moment I wished I was back with the Brotherhood. Magneto would have demanded that this base be burnt to the ground with all the doctors and soldiers locked in.
I teleported back to the base from the school, ready to take back my third group, and still ready to kill something. I struggled to push back the anger when a man that must have at least been ninety reached out a bandaged hand to me. A girl, no more than thirteen if she was that, was helping him stumble to me. Though tears were running down his face, the girl's expression was impressive: har and determined.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the man repeated over and over when I met them half way. His grip on my hand was surprisingly strong. His gratitude made me uncomfortable. I felt like a fraud.
"Hold on to him," I told the girl, and watched as Kitty pulled another man free. I wasn't going to make the old man, clinging to my hand like it was a life-raft, walk more than necessary, so we watched the other man jog toward us as fast as he could with his pronounced limp. The second he reached us, I put a hand on his shoulder, and we were back at the school.
Xavier had things pretty well in hand, and I didn't waste time getting back. Some problems arose at the base when a few soldiers came rushing in, guns blazing. Wolverine met them head on, and the others were right behind him. Kitty only paused a moment, before pulling another prisoner out.
We were nearly through when Beast showed up again, followed by the others who'd gone with him.
"We got them," he shouted to Storm, and I took his group, except Colossus, back immediately to help with the ones ready at the school.
All in all it was going smoothly, with Wolverine and the others were keeping the soldiers off our backs. I wasn't having any performance problems with my powers, and Kitty finally pulled out the last captive from his cage. After that, I got everyone out of the base and back to the school. The medical lab was chaotic as the victims were being sorted out, and everyone trying to help.
Normally I would have offered to help, but at that particular moment all I could manage was to stumble out of the room. I'd worn myself out teleporting back and forth while carrying so many people with me when I did it. The more people I transported at a time the more power I use, and having to do it so many times in such a short space of time had drained me.
Leaning against the hall wall, my eyes were closing and I was focusing on pulling myself together. My knees felt like Jell-O and when I opened my eyes the world titled. Don't know what happened after that.
XXX
Bell was looking at me when I came back around. Her eyebrows were knitted over big worried hazel eyes and she was talking. Of course.
"…worried, but Kurt said you'd be find."
I blinked, trying to remember what happened. Then it hit me. I'd passed out. What a bitch move. Very good for my ego.
"I'm fine," I muttered, feeling humiliated.
"I know that now," she answered back, grabbing my hand. "I was just worried when I came here and they told me you were down here."
"Just wore myself out." I'd never done that before, but I'd never transported so many people so fast. Guess we all have our limits.
"Do you want anything? I could get you something," she asked.
I pushed myself up in a sitting position, and she didn't wait for a response as she pushed a cup of water into my hand she'd previously been holding. It was the best thing she could have given me at that moment.
"Kurt found you passed out in the hallway. You've been out for hours. They told me you were just sleeping it off. Maybe you should just lay back down and go back to sleep. If you were that exhausted then a few hours isn't going to cut it. You need more." She was twisting the ring around her thumb as she rambled. Both are nervous habits of hers.
"I'm fine," I grumbled, embarrassed, but she was right. I could still use more sleep.
"Otto…" She said as I started to get off the bed.
"I'm going up to my room. Calm down," I said, a little grumpier than I had meant to.
"And then right to your bed?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure," I nodded, before I caught sight of what I was wearing. My suit had been removed and I was in just sweat pants. Someone had changed my clothes? God, someone shoot me.
I stood too quickly, and almost toppled over. Bell catches me, but struggles to keep me upright until I get my balance.
"Sorry." I let go of her, standing on my own two feet, feeling like a pansy ass.
"Maybe you should just sleep here. At least until you're steadier." Her face pinched with worry.
"I'm fine. Just need to get to my own bed." No way in hell was I staying there. I started for the door and she keeps pace with me.
"Otto…" She stresses my name.
"Bell…" I copy her.
"What if something's wrong or something?"
"I'm fine." I glance at her, and get a good look at how concerned she is, and ease up on the tough act. "Seriously. I just need to sleep and I'll rest better in my own bed." There's little to no privacy in the medical lab, not to mention someone could actually need this bed I was just sleeping in.
It takes a few minutes to walk all the way up to my room. My mother-hen of a little sister kept an eye on me the whole time, making me feel like I might suddenly pass out… again. When we get there, I repeatedly tell her I'm okay, even if the trip up nearly wiped out any energy I had, leaving me with no patience. I have to remind myself that she means well, and not be a dick to her, but I still all but have to force her out of the room. She only goes after I promise to call her first thing in the morning.
When she's gone I realize I was probably a little too curt with her, and hope like I hell I hadn't hurt her feelings. I was still trying to make it up to her for everything I'd done before. Shame burns me every time I think about what a bastard I'd been, but it's just one sin against me in a long line of them.
I exhale as I lay on my back trying to not think about anything. Not the shit I'd done before and not the people I helped free today.