"Of course you do," Wraith says with a grin.  "Why wouldn't you?  Here, you'll be tortured, manipulated, and trained to kill.  You'll even be given brand new memories to replace all the ones that we've tainted with our actions.  When we're done with you, you'll be nothing more than a killing machine.  One designed to eradicate mutants from the earth.  And when you're done with that, you'll be destroyed, like tools that are obsolete!"

            "No more," Donovan snarls.  "You made me a monster but you won't do it to anyone else."

            Wraith turns off the shield generator to Rogue's cell.  He aims his gun at Rogue.  "You will.  Or I'll kill the southern harlot as fast as you can fly at me with those specially designed wings that we have provided for ya."

            Donovan lurches forward and freezes when Wraith starts to pull the trigger.  She growls deeply.  "Get back in there and don't start anything again.  You're a soldier of Weapon X now.  Get used to it."

            Wraith steps back, making sure to keep his gun pointed at Rogue.  Donovan just stands still for a moment, looking dimly at Rogue.  She starts to move toward the cell slowly, barely lifting her feet.  She watches the shield shimmer in front of her.  Wraith grins.  "That's right, slave.  Do as you're told and you'll hurt a lot less."

            "Colonel," the guard groans.  Wraith just shakes his head and walks away.  "Colonel.. MEDIC!!" he is carried away by a group of medics on a stretcher and a new guard replaces him.

            Rogue eases Donovan onto the cot gently.  She rubs Donovan's hair softly.  "You all right?"

            "Headache," Donovan murmurs.

            "How come y' talk all of a sudden?" Rogue asks.

            Donovan sighs.  "Long story.  But believe me, my silence had nothing to do with wanting to distance myself from you," she rolls on her back to look at Rogue.  "I tried to make things right again.  But I'm not very good at this superhero thing."

            Rogue smiles weakly.  "Y' did yer best, sugah.  Ah can't ask for nothing else," she looks around.  "So it was that Jennifer gal who did this t' us?"

            "M'hm," Donovan says with a sneer.  "She told me that this was a place for mutants who had no home to go.  But then the story kept changing depending on who we recruited.  I was suspicious but I had no way of being sure.  Not till she was selling me to these Weapon X monsters."

            "Ah'm sorry Ah didn't trust you," Rogue throws her arms around Donovan.  She lets Donovan rub her hair gently.  Rogue sighs.  "Ah wish there was something we could do t' get outta here."

            "Don't waste your time, kid," a booming voice snaps.  "That Ganger girl got us real bad."

            Donovan looks up and sees Cain Marko sitting in the cell across from them.  She flushes in anger at how she helped trick him into this situation.  He is sharing a cell with Kurt Wagner, who is asleep on the cot.  His thick blue fur is disheveled and he looks as though he's been beaten pretty badly.  She shakes her head and sits up.  "I'm so sorry about this.  I really am.  If I had known…"

            "Y' shoulda figgered it out, kid.  She ain't with no helpin' freaks campaign.  That much was obvious when ya kidnapped me," Victor Creed's deep voice grumbles.  He is prowling about in his cell.  Every so often he bangs a fist against the shield to give it a test.  He won't go through it the way Donovan did but he is getting antsy.  He wants out badly.  Animal's don't do well in cages, echoes in his mind.

            "She told me that you're a danger to society unless you get help," Donovan says.  "When we found you after slaughtering that family, I thought she was telling the truth."

            Victor laughs.  "That family was kind enough t' take a hulkin' maniac like me in fer the night.  To repay 'em, I didn't torture 'em too bad."

            "That's awful," Rogue shudders, silently thanking God she hadn't been celled with him.  It had taken four cellmates for the Weapon X engineers to realize that Creed doesn't play well with others.  "Why would ya do that?"

            Victor just laughs again.  He taps the shield one last time and heads over to his cot, where he falls asleep almost instantly.  Cain shakes his head.  "There's a man who can't control his rage.  So, what'd Miss Granger tell ya about me t' make ya wanna drag me here?"

            "That you needed a place to go to because mutants like you has no one else.  You could be a great community figure if given a little guidance."

            It's Cain's turn to hoot.  He slaps his knee and wakes Kurt in the process.  "Kid, I ain't even a mutant!  My bein' big and tough come from some jewel I found in a temple somewhere.  It don't matter to these X-jerks, though.  They just wanna use what I got t' take out the mutant populace.  Probably'll kill me as soon as they're done."

            "I can't believe I've done this," Donovan whispers.  "I can't believe I went through what I've gone through and still end up some kind of villain."

            Wraith walks down the hall of cells with a large grin on his face.  He stops in front of Victor's cell and turns off the shield.  "Hey, Sabretooth.  I got that Granger girl t' snag ya up for me again.  Didn't even catch no guff for it, neither.  I no you're probably ticked off but I got an offer for ya, that you can't refuse."

            Victor rolls onto his side.  He'd caught Wraith's scent long before the man had even entered the hallway.  "What do ya want?  Speak up 'fore I gut and filet ya."

            "Come on upstairs and I'll fill ya in on a little man with a big man's temper," Wraith says with a grin.

            Victor is on his feet in a flash.  "Wolverine?"

            Wraith nods and leads the large, feral mutant out of the cell.  He pauses before the exit.  "Ya heard of Magneto, right?  Seems a new team of mutants called the X-Men stopped him and his terrorist buddies from takin' over humanity.  If he had won, you'd probably be free pretty soon.  We wouldn't be able to stand up to a world full of angry muties.  Thought ya might be interested…" he laughs raucously as he and Victor leave, the guard following close behind.

            "X-Men, huh?" Cain mutters to himself.  "Sounds kinda familiar.  Wonder why they went and did a thing like that for?"

            "Does it matter?" Rogue asks bitterly.  "If those X-Men had left Magneto alone, we'd be free!  Don't they get it?  Humans and mutants don't mix.  Why the hell would they wanna stop us from gettin' what we deserve?"

            Donovan shakes her head.  "There's got to be a reason.  No one would just let us be stepped all over for no reason."

            "It's an attitude like that that got us all into all this mess," Rogue reminds Donovan gently.  She takes Donovan's hand.  "We just sit here and wait t' be tortured an' executed…"

            "Not if I can help it," a familiar female voice says.  Jennifer, dressed in skintight body armor and a leather jacket sneaks out of the shadows.  She grins and holds up a key card.  "Those Weapon X jerks forgot to take my keys when I was terminated.  Foolish lack of thought on their part, wouldn't ya think?"

            Cain gets up angrily.  He punches the force shield, hoping to get his hand through far enough to ring Jennifer's tiny neck.  Jennifer stands inches from his cell and giggles.  "Not so fast, big boy.  Only someone with extra durable skin, like our dear Miss Milady, can get through these super duper seals.  And even that was pretty painful, wasn't it?"

            Donovan puts a hand next to her ear, where blood is still caked to her gray skin.  She feels a rumble deep within her throat.  "What the hell gives you any right to show your face around here, Boost?"

            "Mason, Mason, Mason… that is what they've decided to call you, right?" Jennifer says sweetly.  "I did what I had to for a bit of cold, hard cash.  But now that I have what I want, I'm going to make things right.  As of right now, you're all free to go."

            "What's the catch?" Rogue demands.

            Jennifer raises an eyebrow.  "Catch?  Rogue, you're so untrusting!" she laughs melodically.  Her face is all business when she's done, however.  "I need your help.  I've got an organization that needs employees.  Mutants of all kinds can work for me, building an economic empire fit to run the world.  No fighting.  Well, when the humans try to take what's rightfully ours, we may need to defend our property, but generally nothing of the sort.  But it involves a lot of covert, hush-hush stuff that I'll need muscle to perform.  You can be the basis of everything I build.  And you won't go without reward.  You'll be the richest mutants in the world!"

            Cain rolls his eyes.  "Y' got one problem, Granger.  I ain't a mutie and I ain't about to go pretendin' I'm one t' make a buck."

            "Then you can stay here and face the Weapon X masterminds, Juggernaut.  Simple as that," Jennifer replies haughtily.

            "I don't believe you," Donovan says coldly.

            Jennifer sighs.  "I liked you better when you didn't talk, Donny.  You were so agreeable.  You helped these guys into this.  You're going to let them rot here now?"

            Donovan takes a deep breath.  I did do this to all of them.  Maybe if I agreed to join her, she'll let them go anyway.  "What do you propose?"

            "That's the spirit!" Jennifer says gleefully.  She releases the lock on Donovan's cell.  She gasps when Donovan grabs her by the neck and lifts.  Her feet dangle about an inch from the ground.  She kicks violently.  "Let go of me…" she orders in a choked voice.

            "You let us go right now," Donovan roars.  She tightens her grip.

            In a flash, however, Donovan is on the ground in her human form.  Jennifer kicks her in the side.  "Did you forget that I can change you from mutant to human with a thought?  I could also beef you up so that even you can't control your power.  Want me to do that?  That's usually a painful and sometimes messy process but don't you dare doubt that I'll do it if it means getting my way."

            Rogue launches herself at Jennifer.  They tumble to the ground.  Rogue slips her gloves off and reaches for Jennifer's face.  "You leave her alone!  Ah'll get yer power and make ya stop!"

            Rogue's hand touches Jennifer's face and nothing happens.  She curses under her breath.  "Y' stole mah power!"

            Jennifer punches Rogue in the nose.  Blood spurts from Rogue's nose and she falls over.  Donovan, who had stood at this point, helps Rogue to her feet.  "Fine, I'm on your side.  Just let us get out of here."

            "Not so fast, Granger," Wraith's voice booms.  "These mutants are the property of the Weapon X program.  You will not, under any circumstances, be allowed to leave here with any of them," he aims a large gun at Jennifer.  "And your power won't affect me, being human and all."

            Jennifer glares at Wraith and crosses her arms.  "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have any of them.  I'm here to take what's rightfully mine."

            If I can get them while they're fighting, I can get us all out of here.  Set things right, Donovan thinks.  She gives Rogue a gentle hug and throws herself at Wraith.  In his shock, he loses his grip on his gun.  She aims it at his head as she stands again.  "Don't move, dirt bag.  I'll blow your head off!"

            "Nice shot, Donny!" Jennifer exclaims.  She is rewarded for her exclamation by a warning shot slightly to the right of Wraith's head.  "Whoa, didn't know you had it in you!"

            "Shut up or I'll kill you first!" Donovan snaps.  "Unlock Cain and Kurt.  Now!"

            Jennifer has never once been told what to do.  She clenches her teeth against a biting remark and does as she's told, though.  Cain and Kurt rush out of the cell.  Cain grabs Wraith and yanks him up off the floor.  "Not feelin' so tough now, are ya, Colonel?"

            "How do I get us out of here?" Donovan demands, looking at Wraith.  "Tell me?"

            Wraith chuckles.  "That, my suicidal friend, is for me to know, and you dying to find out!" he reaches into his belt and pulls out a small grenade.  "Nighty-night, mutie scum!"

            Donovan realizes too late that Wraith is setting off a smoke bomb.  She begins to cough and feels overwhelmingly dizzy.  "Damn… Wraith…" she falls unconscious.

            The others fall as well, including Jennifer and Wraith.  When the soldiers of the Weapon X project find them, they return all but Wraith, Jennifer, and Donovan to their cells.  Wraith recovers in his quarters while Donovan and Jennifer are kept in cells separated from the others'.