Kurt had volunteered to fly the jet to allow Kitty a few more minutes to think about the mission. She'd given them their orders already, so she was going over the blueprints in her head, making sure her chosen route was the best one. It would lead them through the massive ventilation system of the compound, close enough to the specialized prison her friends were being held so that Kurt could teleport them in. Rick Blair would muffle any sound they made in the ducts by absorbing the sound waves, and Jewel Rhodes would 'listen' for the guards with her mind. They were all about stealth, for they couldn't afford to be captured. Not with so few mutants left free.
Kitty nodded imperceptibly to herself; it was a good plan. There shouldn't be any snags if they all kept their cool. She wasn't worried about Jewel, but this would be Rick's first real mission. His gift was intuitive for him though, and he'd been trained what to do in nearly any situation they could encounter. The others in squad Beta were her brute force unit, who would do their best to ensure that everyone escaped no matter what. Kitty trusted them all with her life
A soft hand on her shoulder made her turn. It was Rick, whose gift of absorbing sound very often left him mute. They had all learned how to sign when Rick had been rescued a few months ago. *Kurt says we're nearly there* he signed.
*Thanks, Rick* she replied. She stood up, a little unsteadily due to the high velocity of the plane, and addressed her team. "You all know the drill by now. Stay hidden until we need you. Jewel will give you the signal. If you see anyone suspicious, say a guard, don't let them see you. Worst comes to worst, you take them out quickly and non-fatally.
"Once we land, Kurt will teleport squad Beta in first to secure the area. Squad Alpha will then proceed into the facility. Everyone got it?"
Nods and a few soft "yes ma'ams," then the soft rocking as Kurt set the jet down in a perfect landing.
"All right, we're moving out."
**
Getting in had been easier than Kitty had dared hope. But then again, when you have a teleporter and a girl who can phase through walls, getting into a place shouldn't be that big of a concern. Breaking and entering is not what Kitty envisioned herself to be doing only days from her twenty-fifth birthday. But then again, no one had predicted the cascade of events that led to the decimation of the world either. Not even Magneto, she thought a little bitterly. War, yes. Total and utter chaos and destruction generated by a human nation with the single-minded goal of destroying all mutants, no.
It was so silent in these vents…Ororo will hate it, thought Kitty to herself. But if there was no noise, there was no way they could be detected. Kitty led the others through the vents, following the map in her head from the blueprint she'd committed to memory. Turn right at this T-junction…should be almost there. A few minutes later they were gathered around the opening that would lead them into the holding area.
The cells were specially designed to hold the mutant inside them, Kitty knew that much. But exactly what lay in store for them down there she wasn't sure. *Scout the area, find out where the guards are,* she signed to Jewel. The petite blonde girl immediately got a far off look in her eyes. Kitty knew that was how she got when she listened really hard. Jewel wasn't a very strong telepath, but her ability to pinpoint the exact location of a person based on their thoughts was rather unique.
*There are only two, both guarding the one door, and some more people in the hallway outside, but not near enough to hear us if Rick does his job.*
Rick's pale green eyes gleamed, and he glared angrily at Jewel. *I know what I'm doing. No one, outside this room will hear anything going on inside it.*
*All right then. When we drop down, Kurt and I will take out the two guards. You two just make sure that no one else is coming. We rescue as many as we can. Kurt, can you take them to the rendezvous point?*
Kurt nodded in response.
*Okay then, let's go!*
Nightcrawler grabbed Shadowcat's hand and the teleported behind the guards. They didn't even notice anything beyond a strange sulfur smell before two decisive blows knocked them unconscious.
The room was set up simply, and wasn't very big. It was one single, brightly lit corridor with small cells on either side, mostly made of metal and thick Plexiglas. Shadowcat's face lit up when she saw her friends for the first time in years. Finally, after years of searching, she had found them…and maybe they knew where the others were. She would have shouted with relief, but it would have done no good, as Rick's power was in full, though hopefully controlled, effect.
Shadowcat ran over to Storm's cell, phased through the wall, and freed her teacher from her bindings. Storm quickly embraced the girl before Shadowcat took them out of the cell and gave her to Nightcrawler to teleport to the safe zone. She didn't hear the usual *bamf* but he was back by her side in seconds. Quick hugs followed as she rescued Rogue and Scott from their separate cells. True greetings would come later, when they were home safe.
She knew they didn't have a lot more time, so Shadowcat hurriedly raced from cell to cell, freeing mutants. Most were little older than she had been when she'd first joined the X-Men, and some were younger still. She pushed her feelings aside, and focused on getting them out. She couldn't allow herself to care about the little boy crying in her arms, not yet.
Within minutes all but one of the fourteen cells had been cleared. There was nothing special about that last cell. The prisoner inside it was a different matter. He, for she could tell it was a man, was hunched in the corner, terrified. He was older than the rest, maybe even a few years older than her, with long dark brown hair. His clothes appeared to simply hang on his body, as if he were malnourished.
She went to phase him through his bonds, but he shrank away from her. She didn't have time for this! She grabbed his arm and pulled them both backwards, accidentally pulling him down on top of her. And for the first time she got a good look at his face.
"Oh my god…. Lance."