Authors note: I am currently in school and working, which is making it hard to update regular and having a muse that like to run off and hide does not help either. Plus, weird sleeping patterns due to random schedules and real world things getting in the way have been slowing down my writing.

Chapter 10:

The guards had dragged Rhane and Leech into the interrogation room the next day. They could see the coffin and the guards taunt them by telling them their friend is in the coffin and alive. But, they did not show them Ororo. The next day they dragged Jamie back into the interrogation. It had been two days since Jamie had seen Ororo last and there had been no sign of her in the cells. Jamie saw the coffin that she had been held when he last seen Ororo. They had had chained Jamie to the chair and opened the coffin showing Ororo who was obvious was starving and semi-dehydrated. She had obviously been roughly handled by the guards. The guards pulled Ororo out and placed her in another chair as they questioned Jamie.

"Now, you can see what we did to your friend and unless you want another of your friends to share her troubles I suggest you cooperate," Michael told him.

"How do I know that you won't hurt them anyways?" Jamie asked him. "You are keeping us prisoners already and your organization did not seem restrain themselves before from harming mutants. So why should I trust your word now?"

"Do you really want to see another friend in her condition?" Michael asked angrily pointing at Ororo. Michael cups her chin in his hand and turns it side to side. "I do admit she is good looking for a mutant. I have been lonely since this job takes almost all my free time so I have not been able to really enjoy myself," Michael tells him.

Jamie struggles with his chains trying to get loose. "You are sick!" Jamie told him angrily.

"Better sick then a filthy mutant," Michael shot back. He let go of Ororo chin's and her head dropped down so her chin rested against her chest. Her chest slowly rose and fell as she breathed. "Besides I would think that you might want to consider your options, you either play the game with me or you watch as I try to get your friend to play the game," Michael told him.

"You are sick!" Jamie yelled at him.

"You are repeating yourself boy," Michael tells him nonchalantly.

"She is worth five of you," Jamie growled.

"Watch your mouth!" Michael demanded back handing Jamie across the face.

"Hits harder to," Jamie said with a smirk spitting out some blood while grinning. His words were slightly slurred but clear enough for someone to understand. Michael realized that until the swelling went down he was not going to get more out of him that would be understandable. Michael left slamming the door behind him.

"Arrogant fool!" he shouted as he marched away from the interrogation.

"Still not talking?" Tom asked as Michael passed.

"Yeah, slapped him across the face hard enough he spat blood in response," Michael told him.

"I saw that, he will be hurting for few days from that one. It was nothing less then he deserved though. It might teach the others we are not fooling around," Tom pointed out. "Your hand ok?"

"Yeah it is fine," Michael told him flexing it a few times.

"Besides the only way a mutie could hit someone harder then that would be with their powers. If you did not teach that mutie a lesson I am sure that others will be less likely to try protecting the X-men if they know it will lead to being beaten themselves. Maybe we should try the ones called Vertigo or Toad they both have a long history of being enemies of the X-men. I know you have been trying with mainly the X-men but, if you try with their enemies they may just give you the information willingly. In promise of taking down the X-men," Tom pointed out.

"You have a point there, Tom," Michael agreed. "I think I will try that tomorrow Tom. One question though, why did you not mention this earlier?"

Tom shrugged, "I figured the X-men would know more about their teammates. So I did not suggest the idea earlier." Tom explained with a shrug. Michael nodded in agreement.

"I did not think of it like that," Michael admitted.

"No one can think of everything," Tom responded.

"So true," Michael replied with a laugh.

"Well we did make sure that the warehouse was registered under a member's alias. I mean who would connect Tom Michael Ackneya and Mat Lee Hicknachya? Besides no one can really pronounce either last name," Tom pointed out.

"Yeah, I would not know they are the same person if I was not at the meeting. I think it was genius to scramble the letters of the name and create a new name," Michael pointed out.

"You think the guards returned the muties to the cells? I wanted to see their reaction to their friend's current condition," Tom told him.

"I think they did and wanted see their faces' myself," Michael admitted. "Oh well you can not get every thing in life."

***

In the cells:

The guards opened the door and the inmates glared at them suspecting that they were going to try interrogating the next person. They stepped in pushing Jamie with their rifles. Another carries Ororo in and places her in Rahne's cell. "Have fun!" the one guard that brought Ororo told them. He gave them a mock salute as he and the other guards left laughing.

"Is she alive?" Leech asked quietly in a voice that could barely be heard.

"She is, for now," Jamie told him quietly.

"If she does pass away it won't bother me!" a woman with white hair that had green hair mixed in stated. She turned her back on the gathering going back to sulk in her cell.

"At least she would try to save you and not run when things get hard," Jamie pointed out. He was handed a cup of water by one of the other inmates. "Thank you," he told him then turned to Ororo. "Ororo, Ororo wake up," Jamie told her gently slapping her check. Trying to get her to come around and wake up.

"Anything?" Rahne asked. Jamie sadly shook his head. He had not gotten any response from Ororo.

"We have no idea how long she has been out," Jamie told her sadly. "From what I estimate they had her locked up for a couple days," Jamie told her quietly.

"She will be alright won't see?" Leech asked hopefully. Jamie let out a sigh debating if he should tell Leech the truth.

"She will be. She is very strong," Rahne told smiling. Rahne herself believed what she was saying and Leech in turn believed her and gave her a beautiful smile. "She just needs rest now," Rahne told him. She then looked at Jamie. "We all need rest," she pointed out.

"We can rest when we escape," Ororo voice told her. Her voice was dry and harsh and Jamie helped her sit up. He tilted the cup of water to her lips letting her drink. She took a few sips before pushing the cup away. "Leech you are the smallest and most likely to go unnoticed by the guards," Ororo pointed out.

"What are you thinking Ororo?" Jamie asked.

"Leech can sneak out and lead the others here," she told him as she pushed herself up. She made it up with Jamie's help. "Leech, there is a little space you can squeeze into next to the doors that the guards come in. If you hide there you can escape when they come to close the cells. I want you to hide in one of the trucks then when it stops somewhere escape the truck and find help," she told him.

"Ororo, you must be kidding me! There is no way that will work! What if he gets caught!" Jamie asks.

"Then we tell them the truth, that I told them him to do it," Ororo states. "It can work and it will give us the advantage," Ororo told Jamie.

"Leech thinks it is a good plan. Leech will do it!" Leech told them. Jamie and Rahne were about to protest but Leech shook his head. "You two are too big to fit," he told them. Then before they could protest farther Leech turned and hid where Ororo suggested and he did indeed fit in the small spot. Right after he hid the door opened and two guards entered. While their back was turned Leech slipped out the door and into the main warehouse.

"Alright everyone to their cells!" the guards shouted. They shoved Jamie into his cell and locked Rahne and Ororo in the same cell.

"Hey where is that green kid?" one guard shouted.

"Probably hiding under the bed too scared to show his face," one of the other females stated disgusted.

"Yeah, she probably right some actually have some sense," the other guard stated locking the last cell. "I mean they are not stupid enough to try and escape. Especially after what happened to their friend," he stated as they left they closed the door shutting off their laughter.

"Goddess protect him," Ororo whispered.

"Amen," Rhane added.

***

Leech raced across the floor of the warehouse and scrambled into the first open truck he saw. It was full of plants and Leech hid in the back trying to blend in with the plants. He stayed still as he heard voices and then the doors were closed and the truck started. Leech crept out of his hiding place and decided he was alone in the truck. He found the doors by the sliver of light that came in. He was knocked off balance when the truck started moving. He then sat and waited as the truck made its way. He was bounced and tossed around the truck as it moved down the streets. He slid a little when the truck turned corners as it made its way. He heard the breaks engaged and the truck jolted to a stop. Leech fiddled with the doors and finally got the door opened. He then jumped out just before the truck continued on its way. He quickly ran down a near by alley and found a sewer cover. He struggled a moment before moving the manhole cover. He then dissappred into the sewers and the Morlock tunnels, he grew up in the tunnels and knew them. He made his way to the Xavier mansion though the tunnels.