Disclaimer: I don't own anything X-Men. I do, however, own Thymes and Haris.

Summary: The journey to the labs is like going through the levels down to the center of hell...

A/N: Well, here we go with chapter 6. It will mostly from Pietro's P.O.V, but Lance or Freddy might or might not wake up. I haven't decided yet O.o Wanda won't be awake until the next brotherhood chapter, I can tell you that much.

There is one warning, I mention mentally disabled, blind, deaf and mute people in what may seem to a few a 'harsh, hateful' way. Let it be known that I have absolutely NOTHING against anyone with any of those problems, and there is no insult meant in any way! I needed a strong angle to get a strong message across, and I found it through the mention of those four. I am deeply sorry if I offend anyone, but please do not take any of it personally. Again, I apologize in advance if you think you might be offended but read it anyway. Though it really isn't as bad as I'm making it sound, please understand that I mean none of it personally.

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Journey to Living Hell

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Pietro sat in the back of the cramped black van. His eyes slid in and out of focus, his mind screamed at him to sleep the pain away. He shook his head a little to keep himself awake. He couldn't sleep now, who knew what might happen then. He had given up struggling against the handcuffs and linked anklets he wore...but there was a thick collar around his neck that kept him pinned to the interior side of the van as well. Around every place where he was restrained rest a ring of blood where he had struggled enough to make his bonds cut through his skin. He glanced over at the others. Wanda's hands had been imprisoned in a strange, unheard of metal to keep her from hexing anyone else. Freddy they had shackled so highly that he was enveloped in a cocoon of chains. But it was Lance that Pietro's eyes drifted to most often.

Ever since they had left and started driving, one of the agents had made his way back to Lance and injected him with some ebony tinted liquid. Pietro didn't have a clue what it was, and didn't care to find out either. On his way back to the front, the same agent would always inject Wanda with another dose of tranquilizers. Pietro's eyes always flared up with anger when the agent did so.

Even though for most of his life he hadn't known Wanda, and when she finally found him, he had good reason to fear her; deep in his heart he wanted to make up for all the missed time. And to see her constantly drugged for purposes unknown to him made him suspicious and enraged. His rage came from the knowledge that he could do nothing to help her if anything might happen. He cringed noticeably, pushing the thought away. He had just went with the flow and let their father send her away without a word of support for Wanda...maybe he had done the wrong thing...maybe she was worse off for him not speaking up for her like a real brother should have.

The hours drug on, the windowless hellhole they were held in gave Pietro no hint to where they were. He stared down at the shackles that bound him, and started his struggle anew. He took it easy as far as the collar grappling with his throat though, he didn't want to slice his own jugular. To no avail, the struggle only lead to him feeling even more exhausted and drained. He watched as blood made its way down the front of his hand, between his middle and ring finger and finally forming a droplet at the end of his ring finger and falling to the floor.

The syringe-carrying agent hadn't returned for a record amount of time, though Wanda was no where near stirring from her drug-induced sleep. Neither was Freddy, the agent he killed must have been packing some sort of extra strength tranquilizers. Lance, on the other hand, had been muttering in his sleep for the past half-hour or so. Pietro had been forced to lash out at him when he began muttering to loudly, the last thing he needed were agents coming back here. As long as they all stayed up in the front of the van and let him keep an eye on his fellow mutants, Pietro could care less. His attention was grabbed by Lance's eyes opening with a wide, confused and fearful look. He tried to sit up, but was held at a lounging angle to the wall by a mesh net. Shackled held his ankles in their grip, a semi short chain ended in the middle of the floor. Lance drew his knees up as far as he could, then looked to Pietro.

"Welcome to the chariot to hell."

Pietro scoffed irritably. The pain in his calf was slowly creeping up his leg and was now in control of the right side of his body. Lance looked at him, blinking a few times to try and remember why they were here and what was going on.

"What happened?"

"You got to take the easy way out and play 'Sleeping Beauty' through the entire battle with the Mutant Control agents. Aren't you a lucky one?"

Lance glared at Pietro, feeling that this was far from the right time to start arguing. Pietro turned his attention back to the small opening the black clad agent usually came through. Sure enough, there was the same agent holding a few syringes. He looked down at Wanda, giving her a harsh kick that made her body lurk forward and connect with the interior wall before that chains snapped her back. Pietro gave an audible snarl, lunging forward against his bonds and looking the agent right in the eye. He ignored the screaming pain in his leg for the time being, baring his teeth at the agent.

"Lay the fuck off her!"

He growled, pulling with all his failing strength against the chains. The agent gave him a smirk, and kicked Wanda again, this time the chains didn't snap her back and she stayed at rest up against the wall. Pietro took a step back, daring the agent to come within his punching range. The agent did advance, but only struck Freddy in the side of the neck and gave the massive teen another dose of sleeping serum. He glanced over at Lance seeming dismayed that he had waken up, but went over and inserted a different syringe needle into his exposed arm, all thanks to the mesh net. Lance turned his head when the ebony liquid was injected.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

He growled, struggling against the metal net. The agent gave a wicked smirk.

"Element serum...wonderful stuff. Keeps you muties in tune with natural elements from being able to control them temporarily. We're working on a permanent deletion serum...which is what we need you for."

The agents smirk widened as he regarded Lance harshly and then turned and went back to the front of the van. After he had disappeared into the cloth covered opening, Lance glanced over at Pietro with a nervous, angry mixed look on his face. But he didn't meet Pietro's gaze...the speed demons blue eyes were fixed sadly on his sister.

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Haris had had enough of listening to Thymes gloat about their victory. At 26, he had joined this 'control' team to keep the peace and find a cure for mutation. And he supposed that Barson had rubbed off on him. He wasn't a hard core mutant-hater...nor was he a bleeding heart mutant lover. He wanted to find a cure for these cursed beings, but more over he wanted to let them retain their human dignity. He had been raised in a mixed family...his father was black, his mother white. This not only gave him his deeply tanned looking skin and dark black hair, but a balanced outlook on both sides of the color world. He had been taught from a young age about slavery, and he found a stunning similarity to the mutant situation. And here he thought he had joined to be part of the solution...he had just helped enslave four kids.... Kids for God's sake.

He shook his head, raising his hand and running it slowly through his medium length mop of raven hair. He looked over at the other three, laughing and celebrating. He didn't feel that there was anything to celebrate...they had just done something he swore he would never be a part of...something completely against his morals. When he heard one of the two agents that he didn't really know mention to Thyme's that the 'earth shaker' had waken up and the 'speed demon' could be easily controlled by what happened to his sister. Haris felt his heart drop when he heard this, though let none of his inner emotions show on his face. To his surprise, Thymes turned back to him.

"Go ahead back and see your captives Rookie. And smile a little...this is your first capture."

Thymes turned back to watching the road. Haris gave a convincing smile, and nodded.

"Sure, I think I will."

He got up and slowly walked back into the holding compartment. He chose to ignore the larger of all the mutants, feeling guilty. But it was when he saw the speed demon, sitting as far as his chain would allow and watching the girl with sorrow and hatred for the agent in his eyes that made Haris's heart shatter. he wasn't prepared to see that much raw emotion, and had to force himself to look over at Wanda.

Her face was bruised horribly from where she had hit the interior wall, her wrists, upper arms, ankles and throat...everywhere they had a shackle around was bleeding and cut considerably deep into her flesh. Haris caught himself chewing on his lip and stopped. He noticed the speed junkie's gaze had shifted to him, and took a step back under the hateful and loathing gaze.

"What do YOU want?"

The speed demon snapped out, standing up and quickly shifting his weight to his left leg. Haris felt an even more noticeable shot of guilt...he had done that to the mutant...but he couldn't stop himself. He had panicked, and the gun had began thinking for him...

"I-I..."

He began to stammer, but Pietro had already sunk back down to a sitting position and was watching Wanda again.

"Then get the fuck outta here...unless you don't think you've done enough damage in three hours."

Pietro snarled. Haris knelt down, far away from stricking distance, next to Pietro.

"Look, we're only trying to help find a cure for you...to make you normal...."

Pietro shot him a glare and was on his feet again. Although he wobbled a little from weakening strength, and was covered in blood and chains, the speed demon still looked intimidating.

"Oh, normal. Like you care how many of us you kill to make a few 'normal'. Guess what, this is normal for us! And if that's the way you see things, why don't you just kill all the retarded people, all the blind, deaf, or mute people too! God knows they're not normal either!"

Pietro growled, looking down at Haris. Haris hung his head a little, closing his eyes and thinking about the words the young mutant had said. He was right...so right...'God, what have I done?' Haris thought, lifting his eyes again. Pietro stumbled a little, and quickly forced himself to sink back to the floor before any more damage was done to him. Haris looked out at him with eyes pleading for forgiveness...he had stepped so far out of bounds with his morals that he was lost and alone. But Pietro wouldn't give him the dignity of an understanding glance, he stubbornly watched Wanda. Haris looked again to the girl, and walked over to her slowly. He heard the sounds of chains straining, and looked back at Pietro. The white-haired boy lunged forward.

"Get the fuck away from her!"

Haris shook his head slowly, kneeling down and inserting a key into the chain pads on the floor. When all the chains were free from the floor, Haris gently picked Wanda up in his arms and stood up.

Pietro's heart raced when Haris lifted Wanda from her resting-place. His eyes also filled with a level of fear. What the hell was he going to do with her? Pietro lunged forward again, giving an angry snarl. To his surprise, Haris walked towards him.

"Sit down and get back against the wall."

The black clad agent ordered. Pietro growled, but sat and scooted back. He couldn't risk insubordinate behavior while Wanda was at Haris's mercy. But the agent surprised him again when he sat Wanda down well within Pietro's chain reach, risking injury at the young mutants hand as he replaced the chain pads into the many empty slots that lined the floor of the van. Pietro considered rushing the agent and pummeling him. It wouldn't be that difficult, Haris was only 5'7" and looking to weigh around the area of 178 pounds. But he remained still; wondering just what trick the agent had up his sleeve.

Once he had re-chained the girl, he backed up from Pietro's reach and watched as the white-haired mutant stared at him, confused.

"A token of my apology..."

Was all Haris said before slipping back through the opening to the front of the van.

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Once back in the front of the van, Haris was met by Thymes wry grin. He had always been intimidated by Thymes...who was a good 6'3" and at least 261 pounds of muscle. He sat quickly back in his seat, trying to return the same grin.

Thymes was older, 49 to be exact, with graying dark brown hair and failing eyes that were usually a light blue, but with the contacts he wore they were such a dark shade of brown they were almost black. He had been in the mutant hunting business for years now; he had killed his fair share of them, and was an avid mutie hater. Across his forehead he had a long scar that ran from just above his thick left eyebrow down to the right base of his heavy set jaws. Where he had gotten from was a mystery to everyone but him, and he wasn't about to tell. He had switched places with one of the other agents, but when they had stopped, Haris wasn't sure. Thymes let the grin fade, looking to Haris, whom he had dubbed 'Rookie'.

"Pretty good catch for your first time, Rookie. Not bad."

Haris gave a weak smile, but deep down he wanted nothing more than to go back into the holding cell and set the four mutants free. He was in a state of self-loathing. Thymes didn't notice the well masked emotions, and gave Haris a hearty pat on the back.

"We'll make a mutie hunter out of you yet."

Haris blocked out the rest of the short speech. is thoughts were on the white-haired mutants words. 'Kill them all too...God knows there not normal...' He shuddered, and much to his dismay Thymes noticed.

"Whatsa matter Rookie? After hunt jitters?"

Thymes asked, though without a hint of worry or concern. Haris smiled a little brighter and nodded.

"Yeah, still brimming with adrenaline."

He lied, but Thymes let it pass without a second thought.

"We'll be at the dock in a few minutes, then we can get down to the real adrenaline booster of the spirit breaking process..."

Thymes smirk was wicked again, his eyes gleamed.

"Ever seen a mutant go from strong willed and thinking there still independent to being so docile and obedient that the very life is drained out of their eyes?"

Haris shook his head, and Thymes smirk grew wider. Haris could swear he saw fangs within that smirk, so full of malice.

"Good. Then it'll be just you an' me. I'll show you the ropes to breaking the freaks...I think I'll start with the speed one... He was the most stubborn of 'em all. You'd really notice the life draining out if HIS eyes..."

Thymes twisted mind continued to unravel the plan, but Haris blocked him out. He didn't want to hear any of it, he didn't want to break anyone's spirit. He thought painfully to what he had just done minutes ago for the speed demon, returning the girl to his reach. He'd have to do a lot more than that to apologize for what he would be forced to do....

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(A/N: oooo...you don't know how badly I wanted to end the chapter here and make it a cliffy...)

Pietro crept forward, pulling Wanda up so that he cradled her upper body in his arms. He looked at her face, swelling and bruised, and wished now more than anything that he had convinced them to stay home. He could have so easily just let Lance go and get captured...but no, the prospect of caffeine packed Mountain Dew had been too great. Now look where it had got him, a one way ticket to a living hell. He listened to the forced laughter from a familiar agent up front, and knew that things would only worsen considerably when they got wherever they were going. He suddenly wished that Haris would come back, he had questions that he wanted answered.



Lance had watched silently the entire time, feeling the serum he had been injected with begin to take effect. His head lulled forward, then back into the wall as sleep found him again.

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The dock had been reached, the vans loaded onto the boat and almost two hours later, on an island in the middle of no where, the boat deposited the cargo. The vans surged through the sandy beaches with ease, and then came to a sudden halt. This was not the most fun experience for those wearing chains...to be suddenly jerked and thrown across the cell until the chains buckled and brought you sailing back. It wasn't long before Pietro heard keys jingling at the back door. He growled, instinctively pulling his sister closer to him. The doors opened, and Thymes evil face shown through.

"Wakey wakey..."

His voice taunted. He motioned behind him, and the three from his squad came forward. They unlocked Pietro's shackles from the slots they were in, and yanked him out. Pietro growled at them, pulling back. He wasn't going anywhere without his sister. Thymes muttered something, and Haris stepped inside the van, obviously to get Pietro to release his grip on Wanda. Pietro watched him, venom dripping from his gaze. Haris knelt down, grabbing Wanda under her shoulders and knees, giving a hard stare at Pietro. What he received in return was a punch in the face. He deserved it...he knew that. He looked at Pietro, hissing lowly so that just the white haired mutant could hear him.

"Your all going to the same cell...don't fight just because of her...they'll use her against you."

Pietro gave him a disbelieving stare, but the other agents took the opportunity to yank him out of the van but the chain connected to the collar around his neck. Pietro yelped out as he hit the hard pavement on his back, but was hulled to his feet and forced to walk. Haris, who had unlocked the chain pads from their slots, carried Wanda after them, within Pietro's view range. More agents walked past them, and soon they were dragging Lance and Fred after them

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A/N: YAY! Hope you guys liked it ^.^ I know that Pietro isn't usually the protective brother, but in desperate times come desperate measures...right? Well, even if not, it works for me. It helps show that he does have a softer side. Please review...no flames about the four mentioned disabilities though... Thanks!

Next Chapter: Help Wanted

Yup, next chappy is Todd trying to convince the X-Men to help him rescue the Brotherhood. Will they? Of course! Never underestimate the...er...~persuasiveness~ of a girl in love!

Ok...that sucked, but hey, I'm on a caffeine trip right now, lemme alone! *Hugs 2 liter of Mountain Dew*