Try Going the Speed Limit!
Kitty crouched in the field next to Magneto's lair. Pyro and another kid had dragged Bobby outside, and they were kicking the shit out of him. Kitty wanted to wait until they left, but she didn't know how much longer she could take it, Bobby already looked rather worse for wear. The other boy, one she had been watching carefully, since he had not shown any true powers, besides beating people up anyway, was mainly watching Pyro work. What had happened to Pyro? Why was he like that? Kitty couldn't watch any longer.
"Hey Flame of a Bitch, back off!" Kitty screamed, walking towards the two boys.
"Oh, so your Bobby's girl," Pyro started to laugh.
"Yup, aren't I lucky?" She smirked.
"He's the lucky one, your kind of hot," The other boy said.
"See how hot I am after this," She screamed, kicking a stick up from the ground and hitting the boy with it. Pyro shot out a blast of fire at her. It hit the stick instead of her and she threw the piece of burning wood at him. He was knocked down again, but he quickly regained his feet. The other kid stood up and nudged Pyro. Pyro walked back to Bobby and smiled, lifting him up and taking him around the corner of the building.
"I don't believe we've been introduced, I'm Quicksilver," The other boy said.
"Kitty, now…end of introduction," She said, giving him a glare. He smiled and started to run around her in circles. He went faster and faster, his power now obvious. Kitty started to have trouble breathing; the air wasn't making it into her. His speed grew and she fell to the ground, un-able to fight. She grabbed her neck, waiting to die. Suddenly, it stopped, though Kitty was still unable to move, she heard a familiar voice.
"I've never been one for people who pick on the young," Rogue said, her hand griping his neck. He started to shake until finally, he fell into a heap on the ground, weak but still breathing.
"Now maybe you can go the speed limit," Rogue smirked.
Pyro threw Bobby forcefully to the ground and stood threateningly over him.
"Get up," Pyro spat, "Or have you had too much already?" Slowly Bobby pulled himself to his feet, carefully assessing his surroundings. They were in some kind of open aired metal arena that was lined with lit torches, no help for iceman there.
No sooner had he stood than Pyro punched him in the stomach knocking him to the floor again.
"What? Is that all you got Popsicle?" Pyro taunted, "Why don't you fight back?"
"Because I don't hit girls," retorted Bobby, standing up again. He longed to cool the bastard's temper with a nice shower of ice, but they had bound his wrists with manacles that rendered his power useless.
"Why you!" Pyro sputtered his face turning a lovely shade of magenta.
"Aw, out of witty retorts already?" he teased, "What a shame, I was just starting to have fun." Pyro's only reply was to send a stream of fire rushing toward him, which he dodged but his chains slowed him down just enough so that his arm was singed.
"Bitch!" Bobby yelled, "This was my favorite shirt!" Pyro sent several more fireballs at him one right after another so fast the Bobby barely had time to dodge, let alone retaliate. At last the torrent of fire slowed and Bobby fell to his hands and knees panting.
"As lovely a day as it is," said Pyro mockingly, "I'm afraid playground time is over. Besides, I have something I want to show you inside." It was easy to tell from the malicious glint in his eyes that what ever it was it would not be a good thing for Bobby.
Try as he might to resist Bobby was too winded and in too much pain from his many burns to fight off his former friend as he was led through a metal door back into the dark interior of Magneto's stronghold.
Roughly Pyro shoved him down a short flight of steps and through the overwhelming labyrinth of corridors and labs. As soon as he regained his breath Bobby began to struggle but Pyro punched him twice in the gut and he gave up, knowing that even if he could get free he wouldn't be able to find his way out again. At last they retched a sparsely furnished room made out of a strange metal that Bobby guessed with a sinking heart was specially fire proof.
Pyro thrust him against one wall and the chains binding his wrists somehow connected themselves to a ring attached to the wall just above his head. Bobby struggled against it but it was no use, he was stuck chained and unable to move more than a step or two in any direction. Pyro was pacing the other side of the small room, looking like a lion who has just had a live dinner thrown into it's cage.
"Do you like it?" Pyro asked, gesturing to the room at large, "Magneto had it built just for me. It's completely fire resistant, virtually indestructible, and completely sound proof." He grinned maliciously. Bobby didn't answer.
"Aw, pity, has the cat got your tongue?" Pyro goaded, crossing the room in three long strides and ramming his fist into Bobby's gut again, who tried to double up over the spot but was unable to thanks to the chains holding him fast to the wall.
"I've learned a new trick, do you wanna see?" Again Bobby didn't answer, but Pyro didn't really want one. Instead he just grinned and with a flick of his wrist the helpless prisoner suddenly found six daggers made of fire flying toward him. Each hit him in a different spot opening large gashes that immediately began to pour blood. He gasped in pain, the effect feeling something like a branding iron being force several inches into his flesh.
"Neat trick, No?" Pyro grinned, a grin that sent the first true shiver of fear since being captured snaking it's way down Bobby's back.
Rogue helped Kitty to her feet, making sure that she was all right. Kurt hovered a few steps behind them.
"Bobby!" cried Kitty, wildly running off in the direction Pyro had taken him, Rogue and Kurt not far behind. They arrived just in time to see Bobby and Pyro's retreating backs as the door slid closed behind them.
"No!" Kitty yelled throwing herself against the spot, but to no avail. Again and again she ran at the wall, trying to get through. Finally Kurt grabbed her by the arms to prevent her from hurting herself.
She sank to her knees sobbing. "I can't get in," she wailed hysterically, "My power won't work. I can't get in. I can't save him!"
Cautiously Rogue put her ungloved hand against the door. Suddenly she felt a gently electric shock. "Try again," she said slowly, "Carefully. I think I may have just short circuited their shield." Reluctantly Kurt let go and Kitty gently pushed against the wall, seconds later she had disappeared through it.
"You did!" Kitty yelled happily, reemerging and grab both of their hands pulling them through with her.
"This way," said Rogue firmly leading them off down a dark corridor.
"How do vou know?" asked Kurt curiously.
"Blood," she quietly pointed out the streaks on the floor. After that they followed her without a word.
Bobby hung limply in his chains. He was now drenched in blood and barely conscious.
"Why John?" he gasped, finally able to ask the question that had been burning at him for so long, "What happened to you?" Pyro stopped pacing and glared at him.
"Why?" he repeated as though mystified by the question, "Power," he said at last, "True power, not that wimpy stuff they teach at your precious school."
"But we were best friends!" Bobby hated the way he sounded like he was whining but he couldn't help it. He was falling, sliding through a fog that was threatening to over take him, and he almost wished it would.
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby" Pyro admonished, "So naïve. I'm afraid that as we grow old we tend to find that we sometimes grow apart, choose different life paths."
"Yeah, and you chose the one that involves my fist getting very friendly with you're face!" Kitty yelled, appearing through the wall with Rogue and Kurt in tow. After taking a moment to assess the situation Rogue nodded to Kurt.
"Right avay," he said, and with a small pop they were all three at Bobby's side.
Dimly through the swirling mists of pain and semi-consciousness Bobby felt a pair of small arms wrap themselves around his waist. He struggled to open his eyes, flinching from the touch, wanting to see who it was but the darkness was drawing him in and he fell back weakly.
Carefully Kitty used her power to free her beloved from the cruel chains that bound him and he sagged limply over her shoulder. Pyro was sending a barrage of fireballs at them, which miraculously missed every time.
"You won't escape!" Pyro yelled, his face a mask of hatred and rage. Rogue stepped forward and wrapped her hand around his throat.
"Back off, Traitor!" she spat, and with that they were gone, back at the institute in the clinic. Jean came funning, fighting to hide the worry that was plain on her face. Kitty unable to support Bobby's limp weight struggled not to drop him; Kurt and Rogue helped her lay him gently on the bed next to Warren's.
"What about the others?" Jean asked, obviously fighting a loosing battle to control her emotions as bottles filled with strange colored liquids and bandages zoomed through the air to her, bent over Bobby. She never lifted her eyes from his prone form as she began tending his wounds.
"Don't worry," Rogue reassured her, though she was having problems not worrying herself, "They can take care of themselves." Jean nodded biting her lip.
It seemed like days as Kitty and Rogue waited on edge, watching Jean patch Bobby up; Kurt had left silently some time ago, preferring to go at bed and let the girls be. It was only really a little over an hour however long it felt. Finally Jean finished and sat back her mouth drawn into a tight line.
"That's everything I can do," she said grimly, but then reassuringly she added, "He should be alright." Kitty leaned forward in the chair next to his bed that she had sunken into several minutes ago and clasped his hand. Jean got up and swayed a little unsteadily.
Rogue caught her arm. "You should go to bed," she admonished, "Think about the baby." Jean nodded.
"I should tell you the same," she sighed wearily, but then glanced at a pale Kitty and took in Rogue's furtive look at Warren. She didn't tell them to go to bed; she just wandered off leaving her last remark as a good night.
"Kitty," Rogue said quietly after several minutes, gently putting her hand on the girl's shoulder, "You should get some sleep too. I'll watch over them." Kitty blinked blearily at her, already half asleep.
"I-I-" she fumbled, but Rogue didn't give her time to get it out. Instead she gently but firmly pulled her friend out of the chair and began to lead her out of the clinic.
Heavy… everything so heavy…pain…hard and consuming…filling him…it was so dark…what? What was going on? His star…was leaving…no, he couldn't loose her light…he had…had…
"Kitty…" the word came out thin and hoarse, barely loud enough to hear. The hand that shot out to grab hers weak and shaking, but it fell short and landed limply hanging from the side of the bed.
Kitty spun, pulling roughly from Rogue's grasp, both of them surprised. She was back at Bobby's side in an instant, caressing his hand; tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
"Kitty…" he said again, the sound rattling through cracked and bleeding lips. His eyes fluttered and roved as though he was searching for her.
"I'm here," she whispered stroking his cheek, "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes at last settling on her face, "I was suck a jerk to you…. and Rogue…. where is she?" his words were coming in short gasps and they could tell that he was struggling to stay conscious, "Tell her…. Tell her… I'm sorry…"
"I'm right here, Bobby," Rogue said quietly stepping forward, "Relax, you're safe, everything's OK now." He tried to say something but a hacking cough cut him off. Kitty held a glass of water to his lips while Rogue propped him up to drink. When he was done he sank back against the pillows, his eyes closed, breathing, beginning to slow and even out again.
"Sleep well," Kitty whispered, pulling away a bit, thinking to leave him to sleep, but his hand shot out again.
"Don't… please…" was enough to banish all such thoughts from her head as she gently lay down in the bed next to him and wrapped her arms around his thickly bandaged chest, stilling his shaking just by her presence. It only took a minute for both of them to be soundly and peacefully asleep.
Rogue watched the two, unable to squash the burning envy in her heart at what they shared. But then her eyes strayed to the next bed over where her own beloved Warren lay sleeping, his face deathly pale in the moonbeam falling across it. Slowly, as though in a trance she crossed the few feet that separated them and sat by his side. Tears came, sliding slowly at first down her cheeks, then falling faster and faster until she was nearly blinded by them.
"Hey now," said a light, if husky voice, "Why are you crying?"
"Warren!" she exclaimed, looking down to find him wake and staring curiously at her. Slowly he reached up a slightly trembling hand to brush the tears from her face, but it never got there. She intercepted it half way, caressing it and gently kissing his finger tips as the tears just fell faster.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked tenderly his eyes seeming to leak understanding and warmth pooling it out to her.
"It's just everything it so screwed up," she sobbed, "You're hurt, and Bobby's hurt, and Magneto's still got Logan and Storm and Hank, and I just don't know what to do, and…and…" the tears were coming to thick and fast for her to speak anymore, but she didn't need to. He didn't need her to explain, he just held her close, pulling her onto the bed next to him and wrapping arms and wings alike around her thin frame, lovingly kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair, whispering soothing words to her and she cried herself out on his shoulder.
At last she quieted to nothing more that the occasional shutter as she relaxed back against his warm embrace. He too was just beginning to relax and slip again into unconsciousness when she mumbled into his wing
"I thought I was going to loose you. When you weren't waking up, I thought…." She didn't finish the sentence, she couldn't, but she didn't have to.
He craned his neck around forcing her to look him straight in the eye. "I will never leave you alone," he promised solemnly, "Never, do you understand me? It'll take a hell of a lot more to make me desert you than Magneto or any of his crones."
"I know that now," she whispered, cuddling closer, pure exhaustion taking a firm grip on her and refusing to let go. After that they both let it go, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
Perhaps an hour later Warren broke the silence, whispering, "Rogue…" but she didn't answer. He craned his neck again looking at her closed eyes and peaceful sleeping face. At last he was able to close his own eyes and slip happily into unconsciousness, knowing that when he woke up his friends and especially Rogue would be waiting happy to see him.
