Chapter 21. Escape.
We can't stay like this.
We can't.
We have to get out of here.
I won't let them die, trapped in here.
Each day we get weaker.
The pain isn't as bad as the beginning, but we can tell this temporary lax won't last. It's slowly getting stronger, while we get rapidly weaker.
And when it happens, whatever happens next, I don't know if we'll make it through.
Physically and mentally.
I'm beginning to doubt myself.
Not in the usual way.
I'm not sure if I know who I am anymore.
Everything is becoming clouded.
I can't think clearly.
This can't go on.
We have to escape.
Escape is our only hope, and this is our last chance.
And it happens now.
"What exactly is zis about?" Kurt asked for the second time, still not quite getting the mission, as was the state of most of the team.
"Yeah, since when do we like, attack HYDRA bases?" Kitty added.
"We don't know what's happening in there, but it seems Tabby and the Brotherhood might be there," Ororo explained once more.
"It figures that the Brotherhood are stirring up trouble," Scott muttered.
"We're not sure about that," Ororo reminded.
"But what could they possibly be doing there?" Jean voiced.
"Yeah, it's not like they could even be working or something, at a place like that," Rogue murmured.
"We don't know," Logan answered from the pilot seat. "But we're gonna find out."
I don't know if this will work.
I do know that if it doesn't, we're doomed.
They'll come, and I don't want to know what they'd do.
We can't fail.
"Ready Tabby?" I want to sound strong, to be strong for them, for me, but I can't stop my voice from shaking.
"I-I don't know if I can do this."
"You can do it, Tabby." Why can't I stop the shaking.
"We'll help."" Wanda doesn't sound much better than I do. But I'm glad she's... okay. As much as I can hope for anyway. She hasn't been taking this well, even worse than the rest of us.
I don't know if her hexes will work though. So far, none of us have been able to use our powers except Tabby, and Tabby doesn't even remember if she actually did
We had few options. And we decided that Tabby- with me and Wanda on each side of her to help, if we can- trying would be the best way.
If Tabby can't blow out the door, we can't do anything.
"...I-I don't know..."
"It's all right." Pietro sounds scared too. But he's there, right next to Wanda. And Fred's standing behind Tabby, in case she collapses; he's regained a little of his strength back, and Tabby doesn't weigh much anyway, especially not now. Todd's next to him, eyes never leaving her. And Wanda and I stand by, hands raised, next to Tabby. Desperately hoping we can do something.
"I...I'll try," Closing her eyes, she put her hands together. And we couldn't breathe.
Please let this work.
They had left the jet behind, walking the brief trek to the buildings. Logan had warned them not to get separated, and that they were all to stick together, to stay in one group. That had surprised them, since they had expected Logan to go off by himself, as it was more his style to do.
They had scarcely snuck in when the alarms blared.
The explosion made our ears hurt.
And she collapsed.
Fred caught her, just as we had planned. Tabby had done it- Wanda's and my powers hadn't worked. I was glad Fred had been ready- I wouldn't have been able to react in time.
Whatever had happened, it had been bigger than anything we'd ever seen Tabby do before.
I didn't know she could do something like that.
She would've taken out a whole side if it had been a normal house.
But now she was spent; Fred carrying her.
And we were running, the alarms screeching at us, the lights blinding us.
It took us four seconds to run into them.
"How do zey know ve're here already!"
"Doesn't matter- this way!" they broke into a run as Logan led them down the hall of flashing red lights.
They didn't hesitate.
We did.
They had been in the building for over a minute now. The alarm had sounded about ten seconds after they had entered. Yet, no guards had confronted them.
In fact, the hall was practically empty.
Logan didn't know where the guards were, but he had a bad feeling about it all.
There were three of them. The one in front immediately pulled the trigger.
I saw it. I saw the bullet as it sliced through the air, headed for her.
I couldn't move.
She couldn't either. Staring at the bullet coming at her, blue eyes wide open.
And time stopped at the dull yet shattering sound of the bullet meeting flesh.
And Todd was on the cold floor.
"Logan-"
"I know Ororo, I know," he nearly snapped at her, but she knew him well enough to know that it was the tension. "We should've run into something by now-"
Just as the words left him, a pair of armed guards turned into the hall from the corner. The second one spotted them, raising the gun up.
"What are you-"
A flash of metal, and the half the guns were on the floor.
The guard was slammed up against the wall, Logan glaring at the offending halve of a weapon still in the black gloves. It dropped when the glare bore into the guard's eyes.
A second it must've been, but to us it felt like a lifetime had passed.
"TODD!"
Fred broke free first.
Before anyone realized what was happening, he had put Tabby in Pietro's arms and his fist smashed against the face of the foremost guard. Fred then picked up the guard and threw him at the other two.
One dodged, but the other took the full blow, falling down. The standing one fired at Fred, but the bullets had no effect on him. Fred didn't even notice them, charging the guard and slamming him back.
I have never seen Fred so angry, so blinded by rage.
I could hear more footsteps coming to us; I could feel the ground thundering their footsteps. But still I could not move.
Wanda collapsed to the ground, on her knees next to Todd. I saw the red pouring out of his side, slowly coloring the floor. She was in shock- her mouth opened, but no words came out. She laid a hand on him, and I could see it shaking.
Then she screamed.
I have never heard her scream like that.
I have never seen them cry like that either.
"What's going on!" Logan demanded as Kurt teleported out then returned, a hand on the other guard who had sprinted a few feet.
With Logan's claws up front, the guard spilled everything. "The experiments- they've broken free!"
"Where are they!" Logan continued. At a brief blank look, he snarled out the obvious. "The experiments!"
She saw the gun, fallen from the guard that Fred had thrown.
A jolt of her hands and the gun was enveloped in blue energy, firing wildly at the three guards until the shots were empty.
A second gun, the blue energy wrapped, and then half a dozen more guards came in.
This time, Wanda was faster.
The gun shot off, bullet by bullet, until it had no more. And screaming still, Wanda and Fred, blue hex and pure strength, tossed the guards aside, hard enough that I could hear the cracking.
Abruptly, Fred fell, half a dozen metal darts embedded in the back of his neck and shoulders.
And just as suddenly, Wanda was thrown against the wall, blood streaming from her right arm, knocked out cold.
I can't help.
My powers aren't working.
I'm trying, but I can't even make the ground under me tremble.
And then something dug into my arm. And then my leg. I vaguely felt my knees giving out under me.
I'm powerless.
I could hear Tabby and Pietro screaming from next to Todd.
The world must have heard it.
The guard had stuttered out the answer, and they had left both tied up with the rope they had found on the guards themselves.
Now they were running even faster, Logan in the front.
Something had been let loose in him at the word of experiments, and the X-Men knew not to question him when he set a faster pace.
We are going to die here.
Todd is down.
Fred is out.
And Wanda is unconscious.
Half my family is dying, and I cannot stop it.
I saw Pietro leave Tabby and Todd, lunging at the guards that had taken away his friends, his family.
I have never seen Pietro run so fast.
None of the bullets could hit him.
But he hit all his targets.
All the guns dropped to the floor, and the guards were out flat next to them, Pietro on one, mindlessly slamming his fists against the one that had dared to hurt his family, not even noticing the blood that splattered against him.
Or the dozen more guards that came in.
Or the bullet that hit him from the back, slashing into the back of his right shoulder.
We are being killed.
I am powerless.
I cannot stop it.
Tabby tried desperately to get up, to help, to protect the ones she loved more than any other. But when she managed to stagger up, a bullet zipped by, grazing her left leg. She grabbed the wound in pain, collapsing back onto her knees, but she did not black out. Not before a dozen bombs flew through the air, falling onto the opening of the hall, taking out half the guards as well as parts of the walls. Not before another dozen made the arc.
Not before she saw the guards headed for me- the last one standing- and with a roar, lunged at them. I fell back, but not far enough to miss seeing the bombs in her hands digging into their very bodies, exploding halfway within them, close enough to me that the blood hit my face as well as hers.
I have never seen her eyes like that. It was more than rage. It was blood thirst.
But another gunshot, and her blue eyes widened, returning to their softness, before closing shut. She was down, blood gushing from her upper left chest.
I stand here, blood all around me.
I could not stop it.
My world shattered.
They were nearing the middle now, he was pretty sure. The guard had said that the cells were in the center of the building, and that the 'experiments' couldn't have gotten far.
Well, Logan had no idea who these experiments were, but whoever was behind them... if they were experiments like X-23... he would make them pay. They would pay.
He didn't know where the Brotherhood was supposed to be, or if they were working with HYDRA or not even there at all, but he didn't care right now.
All he wanted to do was find these so called experiments and put them down, along with all the people responsible.
The sudden shaking of the earth put a halt to his thoughts, as well as his steps.
I just want them back.
"It's Avalanche!" Scott shouted.
I need them.
"But- But Ah can't even see the Brotherhood!" Rogue said the one thing on everyone's minds; the earthquake was getting stronger and wilder, and they had never felt it like this before. Even when they had been face to face with Lance, the earthquakes hadn't been this strong.
And right then, it was just getting stronger.
Less controlled.
"Jean! Find them!" Ororo called out. "We must stop Avalanche before he makes the building collapse!"
I could not stop it.
"I'll try!" Jean answered, putting her hands to her temples. But no sooner had she spoken, she collapsed, and it was only Scott, who had been right behind her, that could react fast enough to catch her before she fell.
"Jean!"
"She's unconscious!" Kitty cried out.
"Storm, Nightcrawler, carry her out! Everyone else, follow me! I can feel it- they're this way!" Logan ordered, knowing that his fellow instructor could not use her powers inside, but could pilot the jet, and knowing Kurt could teleport the three out. Breaking into a run, the rest of the group headed for the source of the earthquake as Kurt first teleported Jean, then Ororo out.
We are trapped here.
The cement walls trembled, the earthquake suddenly taking on stronger levels.
It suddenly hit Logan full on that things were very wrong. His instincts were screaming at him to get out of the place.
He should've sent all the kids out, he realized, but it was too late.
We will die here.
Unexpectedly, the wall to their left shattered like glass.
And when they turned, they saw it.
They are already dying.
I am alone.
Or rather, they saw them.
The former hall was a crowded mess of shattered walls, blood and bodies all around. But some of the fallen bodies, they recognized, despite the blood.
Five of them, to be exact.
And in the middle of it all was Lance, drenched in blood, on his knees, his hands on the floor, tears falling onto the trembling earth as he sobbed.
I could not stop it.
"...L...Lance!"
...No one here has called me by that name. Not anyone... except them.
"Lance!" Kitty repeated, this time more urgently as slabs of the floor broke free, lashing out at the air.
They saw him turn, and only then did they see the blood spilling out from his left arm.
It's not them.
It's her.
Kitty found herself crying.
The earth stopped still.
He stumbled up, nearly falling down again, but shakily standing, staring at her.
...She can't be real.
She can't be real.
She isn't real.
It's all a part of their experiment.
Logan was first to see the change in his eyes, the sudden hatred erupting in those dark brown, blood-shot eyes.
I don't know how they know who she is.
I don't know how they know who our enemies are.
I'm expecting to see Mystique or Magneto shouting orders at us the next second.
But they aren't here.
And this isn't real.
And it chilled him to the very bones.
"Everyone, get back!" Logan shouted.
They are torturing us to the very end.
They are using her to torment me. They are using her, taunting me, torturing me with her image.
We are already dying, and they are keeping up their experiments.
But they couldn't move, frozen in their shock.
Shock and fear.
They stared, unable to do anything else.
I have already lost them.
I can no longer feel anything.
Slowly the earth regained its viciousness, snarling its destructive curses as it began roaring once more.
I will kill the ones that have forced this upon us.
Without warning, the earth erupted everywhere.
I will kill them all.
Instantly, they were thrown back by the sudden explosion of cement and metal below their feet and all around them.
Lance's eyes were fixed on them, with hatred and anger they had never seen before. Such loathing, such absolute rage they had never seen before, not in their entire lives.
Only Logan could recognize it as the breaking point of sanity, the result of losing everything and everyone.
I'LL KILL THEM ALL!
"Lance!"
"No, Kitty! Get back!" Logan shouted, but the girl did not hear, running already.
She grabbed onto the front of his shirt, desperately holding on, unaware of the red liquid that soaked her in the touch.
"Lance! LANCE! Stop this! Stop! You're going to kill all of us! STOP! LANCE!"
She... she feels...she feels real.
He stared at her, the chaos- the hatred, the confusion, the anger, the fear, the hopelessness- all in his deep brown eyes, barely contained enough to focus on the blue eyes that spilled tears.
"K-Kitty...?" the word barely dared to leave his lips, a whisper of both disbelief and ...dazed hope.
It can't be.
"Yes! It's me! Lance, please, stop! You're going to kill everyone!"
"K...Kitty..."
She is real.
...I ...I cannot kill her.
"Hold on," he whispered, one arm covering her, before he turned.
All the earth listened when he directed his rage, his desperation, and his despair into one single attack.
And with a surge of power, the seismic waves exploding so uncontrollably that even the others could feel, could hear them, the entire side of the building shattered.
And Lance fell, blood trickling out of his mouth and nose.
I'm tired.
I don't want to fight anymore.
I just want be with them, safe, back home.
The clean, crisp air blew through the ruins of the building, but none could feel it until the jet flew down, landing in what was only seconds ago half a HYDRA base.
"We saw it from the air- how did it happen?" Ororo asked, her expression betraying her shock, a stark contrast from her usual calm.
"Not sure. We have to get Avalanche out of here- he's got a bullet wound in his arm and who knows what else," Logan said, finally regaining his senses. "Get Kurt out here."
"Already here," Kurt spoke, having followed Ororo out. Logan nodded towards Kitty, who was crying next to the fallen Lance, and Kurt proceeded to teleport each into the jet.
"Ororo, Scott, Rogue, check the bodies- if Avalanche is still alive, the rest of the Brotherhood might be too," Logan stated as he himself rushed to the task.
I just want to go home.