They were tired. In the end, when Bobby really let himself think back to
their arrest, he realized it was just internal exhaustion that
defeated them. It couldn't have been anything else, for usually,
human weapons could not contend with the mutant powers imbedded deep
within them, nor the training maneuvers, which still managed to
resurface whenever the X-Men needed them. No, their failure was not
due to lack of skill. What it all came down to was that the X-Men
lacked the heart necessary to succeed, Their souls were weary from
the last year of harsh oppression and cramped conditions and frankly,
he couldn't blame them.
Standing out in the rain, feet sinking so into the mud that
it now reached his ankles, Bobby looked at the large crowd assembled
at the train station, searching for a familiar face among them. He
was, of course, not surprised when every face he peered into, every
pair of eyes that caught his gaze, were foreign to him. They had seen
to it, successfully, that the X-Men be separated to the best of their
ability.
Alone, Bobby Drake was offered a silence so strong it bore
down upon his shoulders and added only in increasing his misery. All
this was his fault, of course. It was always the fault of the leader,
just as any death of a sheep lays on the shepherd's shoulders. As
usual, he let his heart speak louder than logic, and was now paying
the consequences. Mostly, though, he beat himself down over the fact
that Logan's betrayl should have been so obvious to him, to all of
them!
"Back in line!" The harsh cry drew him from his thoughts in
time to catch a small form that was practically thrown at his feet.
"You fiends!" And though she opened her mouth to argue
further, it seemed as though something caught her attention and
turned her away from the idea. Instead, she worked to steady herself
and thereby free her from his hold. "Thank you..." The frail form
turned slowly to look upon her saviour, and he was met with a pair of
hazel eyes that seemed to burn with anger and misery all at once. The
only other pair of eyes he had seen that resembled them were Marie's,
so filled with emotions he thought they should be overflowing.
"It was nothing..." Quirking a small smile, all he had left
in him, Bobby made sure she had fully steadied herself before
releasing his grasp. Seeing her shiver under the cold droplets, he,
always the gentleman, removed his coat and draped it around her
shoulders. She began to argue, when he shook his head slightly,
causing her to fall silent. One tiny hand slipped out to hold the
coat in place, while the other rested lightly atop a protruding
stomach. Such a sight surprised him, considering she looked to be as
old as, if not younger than himself.
When he looked up from her stomach, he caught her watching
him, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. "It's not what you think..." It
took him a moment to catch her meaning. She glanced down at her
clothes, nothing more than rags due to the poor conditions of the
holding cells everyone was kept in. Her legs, covered onto to her
knees with a skirt, were bruised and filthy.
"Oh! No, I didn't think...I mean..." And she laughed then,
which caused him to laugh, despite the fact that anyone in their
present condition could clearly see that there was no humor in any of
it. Several people, in fact, turned to shoot them glares, tears
streaming down their cheeks. He felt himself stop immediately, and
watched the woman before him duck her head, almost ashamed. "I'm
Bobby..."
"Drake. Yes, I know." When he looked surprised, she smiled,
eyes brimming, dirty locks of hair falling over her eyes. "Everyone
knows you, here. The X-Men are all legends here...our supposed
saviours from this nightmare." Her words pierced his heart,
remembering how many people out there were looking to himself and his
friends to pull them from the mess their own home had created for
them. They were called heroes, by others and by themselves, yet in
the moment of truth, they couldn't even provide hope and relief for
the five of them, let alone a hurting nation. "Sometimes...people
forget that heroes, behind the masks and costumes, are just as much
human as everyone else."
Grateful for her kind words, he moved to answer, when loud
voices boomed above the PA system. Though everything in him strained
to hear the words coming out, the hustle and terror that ran through
the crowds made everyone shriek with panic and drowned out any
instructions given to them. He knew only what those in control wanted
when people began to push from behind, and upfront, reluctant mutants
were being dragged to various box cars that looked fit for cattle, if
even that. Bobby wondered why the mutants didn't fight back, and, as
though reading his mind, the woman before him answered the unspoken
question. "We were all injected with a small computer chip...it
cancels out our mutation. We can't fight back..."
When those behind him forcefully shoved him forward, Bobby
quickly took hold of her hand without really thinking. When she
looked slightly puzzled and surprised, he shrugged his shoulders
some. "We're in this together now, all right?" He could see the
confusion scan over her features before she quickly nodded in
response and moved forward with him.
Despite their known cruelty, those loading the cars didn't
separate them as they almost expected. Bobby got onto the car first,
leaning over to pick her up and pull her in. She smiled in thanks,
gripping his arm tightly without realizing it, as they moved into the
corner to allow room for the others. "Easy, now..." Slowly, he helped
ease her into a comfortable sitting position before joining her on
the floor. The entire car reeked of things Bobby didn't even want to
think about. Instead, he turned his attention to the door, haunted
eyes watching every new prisoner enter.
At last, the car was filled to a point where another form
would have made the frame burst. As it were, neither he nor his
companion could move their arms or legs without hitting someone else.
Even breathing seemed impossible, due both to the cramped spaces as
well as the wretched smell that seeped into every pore of him, making
him feel even more dirty than he had been exiting the holding
cells. "I'm Jenn, by the way." The tiny whisper she spoke in came as
a surprise to him, considering the strength of emotion he'd heard
through her words the last time she addressed him.
Despite the protests of those around him, Bobby pulled his
arm free from his side and wrapped it about her shaking shoulders,
drawing her closer to him. "Don't worry, Jenn...the two of us are
going to make it. I promise." And he meant it, knowing he would do
anything to keep that promise. It felt like he'd been offered another
chance to do that which he had failed at the first time, and he'd be
damned if he didn't come through for her, as he should have for the
others. "Just rest easy..." Continuing the whispered, comforting
mantra, he stroked her arm slightly, thinking ahead to the horrors
that awaited them at their upcoming destination.
defeated them. It couldn't have been anything else, for usually,
human weapons could not contend with the mutant powers imbedded deep
within them, nor the training maneuvers, which still managed to
resurface whenever the X-Men needed them. No, their failure was not
due to lack of skill. What it all came down to was that the X-Men
lacked the heart necessary to succeed, Their souls were weary from
the last year of harsh oppression and cramped conditions and frankly,
he couldn't blame them.
Standing out in the rain, feet sinking so into the mud that
it now reached his ankles, Bobby looked at the large crowd assembled
at the train station, searching for a familiar face among them. He
was, of course, not surprised when every face he peered into, every
pair of eyes that caught his gaze, were foreign to him. They had seen
to it, successfully, that the X-Men be separated to the best of their
ability.
Alone, Bobby Drake was offered a silence so strong it bore
down upon his shoulders and added only in increasing his misery. All
this was his fault, of course. It was always the fault of the leader,
just as any death of a sheep lays on the shepherd's shoulders. As
usual, he let his heart speak louder than logic, and was now paying
the consequences. Mostly, though, he beat himself down over the fact
that Logan's betrayl should have been so obvious to him, to all of
them!
"Back in line!" The harsh cry drew him from his thoughts in
time to catch a small form that was practically thrown at his feet.
"You fiends!" And though she opened her mouth to argue
further, it seemed as though something caught her attention and
turned her away from the idea. Instead, she worked to steady herself
and thereby free her from his hold. "Thank you..." The frail form
turned slowly to look upon her saviour, and he was met with a pair of
hazel eyes that seemed to burn with anger and misery all at once. The
only other pair of eyes he had seen that resembled them were Marie's,
so filled with emotions he thought they should be overflowing.
"It was nothing..." Quirking a small smile, all he had left
in him, Bobby made sure she had fully steadied herself before
releasing his grasp. Seeing her shiver under the cold droplets, he,
always the gentleman, removed his coat and draped it around her
shoulders. She began to argue, when he shook his head slightly,
causing her to fall silent. One tiny hand slipped out to hold the
coat in place, while the other rested lightly atop a protruding
stomach. Such a sight surprised him, considering she looked to be as
old as, if not younger than himself.
When he looked up from her stomach, he caught her watching
him, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. "It's not what you think..." It
took him a moment to catch her meaning. She glanced down at her
clothes, nothing more than rags due to the poor conditions of the
holding cells everyone was kept in. Her legs, covered onto to her
knees with a skirt, were bruised and filthy.
"Oh! No, I didn't think...I mean..." And she laughed then,
which caused him to laugh, despite the fact that anyone in their
present condition could clearly see that there was no humor in any of
it. Several people, in fact, turned to shoot them glares, tears
streaming down their cheeks. He felt himself stop immediately, and
watched the woman before him duck her head, almost ashamed. "I'm
Bobby..."
"Drake. Yes, I know." When he looked surprised, she smiled,
eyes brimming, dirty locks of hair falling over her eyes. "Everyone
knows you, here. The X-Men are all legends here...our supposed
saviours from this nightmare." Her words pierced his heart,
remembering how many people out there were looking to himself and his
friends to pull them from the mess their own home had created for
them. They were called heroes, by others and by themselves, yet in
the moment of truth, they couldn't even provide hope and relief for
the five of them, let alone a hurting nation. "Sometimes...people
forget that heroes, behind the masks and costumes, are just as much
human as everyone else."
Grateful for her kind words, he moved to answer, when loud
voices boomed above the PA system. Though everything in him strained
to hear the words coming out, the hustle and terror that ran through
the crowds made everyone shriek with panic and drowned out any
instructions given to them. He knew only what those in control wanted
when people began to push from behind, and upfront, reluctant mutants
were being dragged to various box cars that looked fit for cattle, if
even that. Bobby wondered why the mutants didn't fight back, and, as
though reading his mind, the woman before him answered the unspoken
question. "We were all injected with a small computer chip...it
cancels out our mutation. We can't fight back..."
When those behind him forcefully shoved him forward, Bobby
quickly took hold of her hand without really thinking. When she
looked slightly puzzled and surprised, he shrugged his shoulders
some. "We're in this together now, all right?" He could see the
confusion scan over her features before she quickly nodded in
response and moved forward with him.
Despite their known cruelty, those loading the cars didn't
separate them as they almost expected. Bobby got onto the car first,
leaning over to pick her up and pull her in. She smiled in thanks,
gripping his arm tightly without realizing it, as they moved into the
corner to allow room for the others. "Easy, now..." Slowly, he helped
ease her into a comfortable sitting position before joining her on
the floor. The entire car reeked of things Bobby didn't even want to
think about. Instead, he turned his attention to the door, haunted
eyes watching every new prisoner enter.
At last, the car was filled to a point where another form
would have made the frame burst. As it were, neither he nor his
companion could move their arms or legs without hitting someone else.
Even breathing seemed impossible, due both to the cramped spaces as
well as the wretched smell that seeped into every pore of him, making
him feel even more dirty than he had been exiting the holding
cells. "I'm Jenn, by the way." The tiny whisper she spoke in came as
a surprise to him, considering the strength of emotion he'd heard
through her words the last time she addressed him.
Despite the protests of those around him, Bobby pulled his
arm free from his side and wrapped it about her shaking shoulders,
drawing her closer to him. "Don't worry, Jenn...the two of us are
going to make it. I promise." And he meant it, knowing he would do
anything to keep that promise. It felt like he'd been offered another
chance to do that which he had failed at the first time, and he'd be
damned if he didn't come through for her, as he should have for the
others. "Just rest easy..." Continuing the whispered, comforting
mantra, he stroked her arm slightly, thinking ahead to the horrors
that awaited them at their upcoming destination.
