Somewhere I Belong

Chapter 17

Cyclopes and Jean separated from Wolverine and Nightcrawler when they got inside the door, one set going left and the other heading straight, following the same path Will had taken a few minutes earlier.

"Stay close, elf," Wolverine barked followed by a loud SNIKT.

Nightcrawler did as he was told, looking back and forth between two more empty rooms in the hall.

That's when they heard a loud voice floating down their hall "…about the security grid?"

They followed the rest of the hallway and came up on a man's back. Wolverine motioned for Kurt to wait back a few paces.

Nightcrawler heard Wolverine's sarcastic remark, then the loud cracks of gunfire and at least one man scream.

SNAKT. When Wolverine returned to the spot he'd left Nightcrawler, his uniform had a few extra holes in it, a few still seeped blood.

Kurt knew better then to ask questions.

"Wolverine, we found her," Jean's anxious voice chirped in his ear. Nightcrawler looked at him, the same short message had played in his ear too.

"Where?" Wolverine barked into the small mic.

"North side of the compound," Cyclope's voice answered him. "take the hall we did and stay to the right. Jean's coming to meet you."

Wolverine and Nightcrawler ran back down the corridor they'd just seen and turned down Jean and Scott's hall. Only a few seconds later they ran into Jean.

The normal fiery redhead was extremely pale, which Logan and Kurt didn't take as a grand sign.

"This way," Jean waved at them, turned and hurried down the hall she'd just come from.

As he ran, Wolverine called back to the Blackbird. "Beast, we've found her. Get that damn thing ready."

"Copy Wolverine. How is she?" Beast's crisp voice radioed back to him, but Wolverine barely head it. He and Nightcrawler were now standing in a small operation room, or at least what looked to be an operation room. Closer inspection proved it to be an old laundry room, modified with better lighting and a large metal table in the center of the room.

Bright white lights lit the entire room, reflecting off the edges of the metal table. The light also fell on three bodies in the back corner of the room. All wearing lab coats, they were slumped over each other, knocked unconscious.

On her back, Shay laid on the table, arms and legs chained down. Her eyes were closed, but Wolverine's heightened hearing picked up the soft breathes she was taking.

Scott moved to Logan's side and swallowed deeply. "They were standing over her when we came in. Tried to make a break for it, but Jean held them back, knocked 'em out for a bit."

Wolverine finally realized Beast was still waiting for his answer. "Not good," he answered simply, stepping up to the table. SNIKT. His adamanitium claws made quick work of the chains and when her limbs were free, Logan called Nightcrawler closer. SNAKT.

"Can you get her back?"

Kurt nodded his head. "No problem."

Wolverine turned to Cyclopes and Jean. "Get moving, back to the Blackbird."

Nightcrawler hopped up onto the table with Shay as Jean and Scott made their way out of the room. Kurt grabbed Shay's limp hand and with a look towards Wolverine, BAMF, they were gone.

Now alone, Logan moved closer to the three doctors who Jean and Cyclopes had cornered. As he neared, one of the men stirred, lifting his head slightly from the floor. His eyes moved dreamily around the room until they came to Wolverine, who was slowly drawing closer and closer. The doctor's eyes widened dramatically, the dream state lifting quickly.

"You like play with mutants?" Wolverine growled, SNIKT, his claws gleaming in the light. The doctor's face drained of all color as he stared at those claws.

"N-n-no…" the doctor stuttered, trying to back even farhter into the corner.

"How about you try it with a mutant who isn't drugged and chained?" Wolverine took another threatening step towards the doctor, but a loud BAMF from behind him stopped Logan.

"Wolverine, we have to go," Kurt said as he drew closer. Logan growled, staring at the doctor.

"Is Shay on the Blackbird?"

"Yes. Beast was taking her to the back when I left. Storm said we need to get her to the Institute quickly."

Wolverine gave a final frustrated growl, turn between revenge for Shay of getting her help. The doctor had stopped moving, his eyes darting between Logan and Kurt.

Finally, Wolverine took a step back from the doctor, SNAKT, who's relief couldn't be any more obvious.

Nightcrawler stretched out a hand and grabbed Wolverine's shoulder. BAMF. They stood in the Blackbird, facing the rear of the plane. Kurt's hand dropped from his shoulder and Logan made his way back to the medic station of the Blackbird as he felt Scott bring the jet up. As it evened out, Logan found Ororo and Hank looking down at Shay, who was lying on a steel table, much like the one she'd been on for the last 26 hours. Shay's eyes were closed, though as Logan neared he saw her lids were twitching.

"She awake yet?" he asked Ororo as he stepped up beside her.

She shook her head. "Almost, she's beginning to come around. I'm not sure what they've been giving her, so I can't counter it. It's best to just let it run its course."

Hank leaned down and studied the large bandage on Shay's abdomen. Her chest and lower body were covered by the top and shorts the doctors had dressed her in, but Hank had pulled the bottom of her shirt up, to uncover this area. The bandage was taped down on all sides, though in the center, a dark stain was seeping through. "I don't like the look of these wounds."

"There are more bandages. One on her mid-back, another on her thigh," Ororo reported as moved over to a cabinet. She began pulling out clean bandages and tape.

"What are they from?" Logan asked, staring at Shay's quiet face. Her eyes were flickering even more now, a sure sign she was about to wake up. He leaned closer to her. "Shay?"

Hank and Ororo both looked at Shay, expecting her eyes to open. When they did, it wasn't what they were expecting. Her breathing automatically increased, her eyes darting around her. Once again, Shay's hold on the situation around her was shot. The images before her flashed in her mind, distorted by all the pain and tranquilizers she'd been given.

With a shriek, Shay jumped up off the table, moving back from the doctors. No, now it was her father. He moved towards her, cussing at her. She raked her claws across her face, screaming at him.

Logan growled, feeling the blood start seeping from the scratches on his face. "Shay!" he shouted at her again, trying to calm her. Hank moved in beside him, calling her name again, a little more calmly then Logan.

Shay shook her head, her hands clenched at her side. Why wouldn't they leave her alone? The doctors were before her again, moving closer to her. They held knives in their hands, evil grins on their faces. They beckoned to her, to try and escape.

"No, no, no," Shay moaned, moving back even more, until she hit the wall of the plane. "Please, don't." She pulled her arms around her body, trying to protect herself from them.

Logan and Hank exchanged a glance, the wounds on Logan's face already beginning to heal, then Hank moved a little closer to her. "Shay, calm down. We're not going to hurt you."

Shay's gaze lifted, her magenta eyes gleaming at him. Her father sneered at her, belt wrapped around his fist. "Come on girlie, let's have it," he mocked at her.

"NO!" she shouted, and sprang at Hank, claws shredding the front of his uniform.

"Shay!" Logan roared, grabbing the sides of her wings, pulling her back off of Hank. She spun around, eyes shocked at the fact her father was now behind her. She raised an arm to claw at his face, but Logan was faster and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side.

Ororo moved closer to them. "We can't help her like this."

Hank nodded his head, leaning against a counter. "Sedate her for the moment, Ororo. Nothing strong, just so she'll calm down."

Ororo moved back to the cabinet and brought back with her a vial and needle. She filled it as Shay struggled against Logan's hold. Tears were in her eyes as she stared hopelessly at him. "No, no. Please, don't," she sobbed. She saw her father's evil grin falter for a second. Everything around her shuddered, like a film strip that's been caught on a hiccup.

Suddenly, Logan's face sprang up before her, his brown eyes staring right at hers. His face was knitted with concern, but for what? But then he was gone, replaced by a man's face, covered by a medical mask.

Logan watched Ororo swap a spot on Shay's shoulder, then slip the needle into her skin, pressing down firmly on the tip. "I'm sorry, darlin'," Logan muttered to Shay, though he doubted she could hear it.

Shay felt the pain again, less then normal, but still pain, in her shoulder. She struggled again against whatever was holding her, another moan coming from her throat.

Then, again, her vision gave a heave, as if re-aligning itself. A second time, Logan was the center of her attention, but this time, it was clearer, as though she'd just woken up from a horrible dream. Her ears were also bombarded by the noises of wind and voices, voices that sounded so familiar to her.

"Logan?" she whispered softly, the sedative now beginning to darken her vision. She felt her own body going weak, her fists that had been so tight her claws were cutting into her own flesh a few seconds before were not hanging limply by her side.

"Yeah, it's ok, Shay," Logan sighed, picking her up the best he could and taking her back to the table, laying her back down, just as he'd come upon her in the lab and again on the Blackbird.

Before she was even back on the table, Shay's eyes were closed again, her breathing beginning to even out. Hank moved over her, checking her heartbeat. He looked up at Ororo, and nodded his head. "She'll be out for about an hour. We should be back at the Institute before that. Charles needs to see her."

Logan took a few steps back, staring at the gargoyle girl as Hank took a deep breath, looking at Ororo. "Bring me those bandages, Ororo. I want to get these cleaned as quickly as possible."

While Ororo gathered the medical supplies he'd need, Hank lifted up the bottom of her shirt again, uncovering the bandage once more. Logan watched him begin to gentle peel the tape back around the edges. After a few tense moments, Hank finally removed the gaze and his brow furrowed in anger.

The wound, a large bloody square, was almost three inches wide, and still looked fresh, as though they'd only done it a few minutes before, instead of hours. Hank gave a grunt out of frustration and looked up at Shay's face. "My God…" he said softly, shaking his head.

He took a piece of cotton and cleaning solution from Ororo, and began to clean the wound. Logan watched as he did, never taking his eyes off the wound. Ororo too watched, though she wasn't as silent. "They don't look deep," she muttered as she threw away another piece of bloody cotton.

"It looks like they just… peeled off her skin," Hank said slowly, ripping off another piece of tape for the new bandage he'd placed over the cut. "Tests."

"What?" Ororo asked as she looked up at his face. "What tests?"

Hank sighed. "Charles and I believe they were looking for a way to duplicate Shay's healing ability. Skin tests, blood tests, DNA testing, anything they could get a signature from to trace the healing factors."

The three of them were silent as Hank put the last piece of tape on the bandage. He moved back and looked over at Ororo. "Her mid-back?"

Ororo nodded. "And her right thigh." Hank looked back at Shay and was about to pull up the hem of her shorts, when he noticed a dark spot on her other side.

"What's this?" he asked out loud, though he wasn't expecting an answer. He moved around the table and stopped. Shay's whole side was covered in another bandage, but this one was completely red, soak through and through with blood.

"Ororo, get me another bandage, now," he said quickly, pulling the stained bandage off hurriedly. Logan moved closer and watched as the bandage came off, and a large wound, much worse then the first, covered her side. Dark blood still seeped out her side, trickling down onto the table.

"Not as clean as the other ones," Logan remarked, off-handedly.

Hank shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. "You said there was a shot, right? Yesterday when they took her? This is probably where it hit."

Ororo handed him the antiseptic solution, grimacing when she saw the blood. "They didn't care for the wound at all."

"They thought they didn't need to," Ororo looked over at Logan, who had moved down the table, closer to Shay's head. "They figured she'd be dead soon anyways."

****Notes****

I know, I know. It's a freakishly long chapter, but I love it. This is probably one of my favorite chapters, besides the one-on-one fight between Logan and Shay and the chapter with Shay and Kurt fighting. … Could you tell I like action scenes? Lol.