Truth and Consquences

"It's bad, isn't it, kiddo?" Logan asked, leaning over Kitty's shoulder to look at the documents she was rapidly scanning through. Jack Roddy had done his homework, and the intel he had gathered was proof of his dogged determination to uncover all of the Society's dirty little secrets.

"Yeah, it's bad," Kitty whispered. "They call themselves the Society of Pet Fanciers, like they're just some group that likes cats and dogs." She shook her head in disgust, then quickly gave Logan an overview of what was on the thumb drive that Remy had given her. It contained lists of breeding locations, so-called obedience schools for the Pets, the description of the various types from Breeders to Exotics, the secret locations that Society members met on a regular basis, even the identities of all the owners and the mutants they'd bought. Some of the names were familiar: a couple of A-list Hollywood celebrities, several politicians, plenty of scions of Old Money families. It was disgusting. Hardest to view were the photographs. Hundreds of candid snapshots of children, teens and adults, all mutants, all enslaved.

Kitty pulled up one of the photos. It was Harper, age thirteen, standing by a man identified as Mitchell Carver, the CEO of Empire State Bank, one of New York's oldest financial institutions, where all the city's elite did business. There was a collar around Harper's neck, and Carver was holding the leash. The grin on Carver's face was in direct opposition to the look of abject sorrow on Harper's.

"Harper...it says right here that he was classified as an 'exotic'," Kitty whispered. "Sexual slavery, Logan. Children, subjected to that."

"Harper was telling the truth," Logan muttered. He'd had some doubts about the young man's story. Now, seeing the proof, the photos, the horrific descriptions of young children being ripped from their mothers and sent for a brutal, five-year course of 'obedience training', then shipped off to their owners, it hit the grizzled old man hard. It was almost too much for either of them to fully comprehend, really.

Kitty rubbed her face with her hands. "If this is correct, there are at least fifty mutants in bondage, Logan, possibly more. How the hell do we track them all down and set them free? And bring down this Society?" She sighed. "I really need to talk to Harper. I need his input and knowledge if we're going to go about pulling off a rescue as big as this. And we're going to need all hands on deck, too, everyone we can get. Maybe we can convince Rogue to bring the Avengers on board. Hell, we might even need to get SHIELD involved. We're going to have to do a coordinated strike on all locations at the same time, or you know these bastards will disappear and take their captives with them."

"Or kill them," Logan growled.

Kitty shook her head. "No, I don't think they'll go that far. These...Pets, they're much too valuable. No way this Society would destroy what they've invested so much time and money into. Harper and his family are the result of decades of research and millions of dollars."

"You said...family?"

"Yes, family. They're all related, every captive, to some degree or another."

"Jesus," Logan whispered. "And if the Society tries to hide them away? Can we use Cerebro to find them if that happens?" Logan asked.

"I don't know; we've never picked up these particular mutants in a scan before. It's possible the change in their DNA masks them from Cerebro. I'll have Rachael give it a try."

"We have tracking chips."

Kitty looked up to see Harper, flanked by Bobby and Remy, standing at her office door.

"You have what?" she asked, surprised to see him there. She'd thought Remy had wanted him to get comfortable with them, get settled in.

Harper stepped forward. Almost hesitantly, he sat down in a chair across the desk from her. "We are all implanted with a tracking chip. Mr. Roddy, he disabled mine a week or so before he died. But they're all the same. If you take the chip out of me, you should be able to track all the others. At least that's what Mr. Roddy told me."

Kitty frowned. "If your chip was disabled, how were the Hunters able to find you?"

"It's why they brought the Hellhound with them. Since they couldn't get a signal from my chip, the Hunters had to resort to using one of the hounds. They're mutant dogs with psychic abilities, designed to sniff us out by our specific brain waves."

"Jesus...who are these people?" Bobby asked.

Harper turned his big eyes on Bobby. "Monsters."

"Harper...I read what they did to you. I would understand if you don't want to involve yourself directly in any of this. We can handle this without any risk to you," Kitty said, concern written clearly on her face. She was struggling to keep the horror she felt concealed from the young empath. What Harper had been subjected to had left her sick to her stomach.

Harper shook his head. "You can't do it without me. I didn't just sit idle while Mr. Roddy worked. We went to all the Society parties, and I networked with the other Pets, making contacts, getting information, gathering intel. They know me...they trust me, which is important if this is going to work. There's a very good chance that some of them may not want to go with you."

"Why wouldn't they?" Bobby asked, surprised by the notion.

"Stockholm syndrome," Kitty said. "Some of these captive mutants may have bonded with their captor."

Harper nodded his agreement. "They're going to be frightened, too; the outside world is a very scary place when you've spent your entire life in bondage. I know that all too well. You'll need me to reassure them, to show them it can be done. That we can be free." He set his jaw and nodded firmly to stress his commitment. "I'll do whatever it takes, Kitty. I will."

Kitty stepped out from behind her desk and moved over beside Harper. She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "Brave Harper," she sighed. He blushed at the compliment.

Remy cleared his throat. "Is it safe, takin' dat chip outta him?"

Kitty smiled. "Easy peasy, Gumbo." She touched Harper on the shoulder. "Do you need to rest, or do you have a moment to go down to the Med Lab so we can get that thing out of you? I want to analyze it as soon as possible."

"Can Remy come with me?" Harper looked down at his tightly folded hands. It was hard to admit his fear of all things medical.

"Of course," Kitty reassured him. "And I promise, Harper, it's not going to hurt at all."

In the Med Lab, Kitty did a quick scan of Harper's body and located the chip in the muscle of his left shoulder. While it would have been less traumatic to simply phase in and snag the chip, she didn't want to risk accidentally destroying it.

"I'm just going to give you a shot to numb the area, okay Harper?" Kitty said, holding up a hypodermic containing lidocaine. Nervous, Harper nodded. He took hold of Remy's hand and shut his eyes tight. Kitty gave him the anesthetic, then waited for it to take effect.

"Can you feel this, Harper?" Kitty asked, pinching the muscle. Harper shook his head. "Okay, just keep your eyes closed. This will be over in a minute." She made a small incision over the site, then inserted a pair of fine, needle-nose tweezers into the muscle. A quick probe, and she withdrew the chip. It was small, flat and black. Kitty carefully placed the chip in a glass petri dish, sealed it, then closed and bandaged the tiny wound.

"All done. You did great, Harper." She smiled warmly at him. "How about you go get some sleep, huh? It's late, and we're going to need you well rested for tomorrow."

Harper nodded again. He was pale and a little sweaty. Although the procedure had been quick and painless, it had brought back some very disturbing memories for him. "I'm tired," was all he said.

Remy helped Harper off the exam table. He looked pointedly at Kitty.

"Chère, you t'ink it'll be okay if Harper and I stay in my old room? I don't want him bein' alone, not now." He slipped his arm around Harper's waist and pulled him close, protective of him.

That was when it dawned on Kitty: Remy loved Harper, and Harper loved him. And it didn't surprise her, either. Remy was a such sensual creature, one who loved to touch, and be touched. It's why his chaste relationship with Rogue had baffled her, Remy being with a woman he could not touch. She'd always thought it was some weird combination of self-punishment and misguided nobility on Remy's part. But it was obvious from the way Remy looked at Harper that this relationship, while new, was deeper and more meaningful than any he had had in a long time. It eased her mind, knowing that Harper was the recipient of Remy's fierce love.

"Go to bed. That's an order." Kitty pointed to the door.

Harper gave Kitty a grateful look. Tenderly, he placed his hands alongside her face and looked into her eyes. She was suddenly stricken with how heart-breakingly beautiful he was.

"Thank you, Kitty. Thank you for everything." Then, surprising her, he kissed her full on the lips.

Kitty took a step back. Her cheeks were flushed, and she touched her fingers to her mouth. "You...you're welcome, Harper."

Remy smiled indulgently at Harper. "C'mon, cher, let's get you to bed. Been a long day, and I don't know about you, but I'm about dead on m'feet." Without waiting for an answer, he led Harper out of the Med Lab.

"Whoo…" Kitty let out a low breath. It stunned her, how the touch of Harper's lips to hers had sent a shock through her entire body. She shook her head as if to clear it, then sat down at the workbench to begin unlocking the secrets of the tracking chip.