Logan grunted, using his free arm to grab the wing as the Blackbird righted itself and slowed down as the mansion was out of sight. Grimacing, he crawled forward, using his broken sword to dig into the seems between metal to keep himself from being flung into the ocean as he crawled onto the back and banged on the roof to get someone's attention. Thankfully, Kitty heard him and the hatch popped open, allowing Logan to slide back inside the safety of the jet.
"Next time I drive," he grumbled, leaning against the wall of the jet for support.
"We must find a secure location," said Eric, still at the controls, though the Blackbird had been placed in a circle around the general area they were now in. Thanks to its stealth technology, nobody would be able to find it this far from the coast.
"We should head back... we can still rescue them," said Kitty, who immediately quelled as Eric turned on the auto-pilot and stood, towering over her.
"How?" he asked coldly. "Good intentions aside, we have no weapons, we have no powers, and we are vastly outnumbered by trained professionals and robots that were designed to destroy mutants."
"Back off," growled Logan, stepping in front of Kitty and glaring at Eric. Reluctantly, Eric backed down. "I agree though... we need a plan before we can rescue the others. But we will do it. First priority isn't a base of operations... I know just the place..."
"Hey what about Forge?" asked Kitty. All eyes turned to her. "He's a mutant too, but his inventions aren't... maybe he's already invented something we can use."
"The girl has a point," stated Eric, taking the controls. Logan nudged him none-too-politely out of the seat.
"I said I'd drive... where's Forge live, Kitty?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder as the mutants strapped themselves in.
"I know the address... Kurt showed me where once when we visited... just head back to Bayville and I'll show you..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanda awoke with a massive headache, automatically reaching up to rub her temples, idly wondering if she'd been coaxed into drinking last night...
Her hands, however, went together, and she jolted awake as she realized she was cuffed, hand and foot, in thick metal restraints. Dimly, she could see the others in the darkness of the moving room... a vehicle of some kind... and see them similarly restrained.
Vague memories of sleeping in late... then awakening to see a cattleprod slam into her side... she grimaced, realizing she'd been captured, and there was little any of them present could do about it.
The vehicle came to a sudden halt, throwing mutants back and forth as they vaguely slammed into one another. The doors at the front slid open, half blinding them as the soldiers started go grab mutants and haul them out. Instead of the black-clad troopers, who wore helmets to conceal their features, these new soldiers wore a more streamlined body armor, faces free, hair universally cut short. Their faces were expressionless as they hauled out the mutant kids and few captured adults, pushing them forward in two uneven lines. Wanda could now see they were in some underground bunker with other vehicles, vans and helicopters and transport trucks.
Wanda was roughly shoved forward by an angry trooper with the butt of his weapon, and she stumbled into the person in front of her, who just turned out to be Todd. Grumbling to herself, she almost didn't notice as he half-turned, pressing his hands against hers. Before she could draw them back in disgust... she felt something cool slid into her hands, and close them around it. A long, thin piece of metal.
"Shhh... only time for one... get out of here," he said, walking slowly and speaking under his breath, back towards Wanda. She nodded, using the pick on her cuffs, keeping them on as she waited for a more opportune moment to escape.
Suddenly Jamie, behind her, tripped and went sprawling flat onto his face. For some reason the guards hadn't bothered to shackle his feet together like the other prisoners. Probably none small enough to fit the kid. The guards grumbled, breaking their pattern to converge on the helpless kid, and this was the perfect opportunity.
"Now!" she shouted, relieved when Todd slammed shoulder first into the nearest guard as she slipped off clunky cuffs and slammed them across the face of another, making a break for the exit. Surprisingly, Jamie was on his feet quick as lightning and following after her, and she almost stopped to slap her forehead as she realized the kid had planned this. His fellow X-Men made quick work of the guards, knocking them out or aside before they themselves were overpowered or electrocuted.
"The mutants are escaping! Seal the main doors!" shouted one the soldiers.
Wanda and Jamie made a break for the exit, just as the big steel doors started to close on the two of them, narrowly crushing Jamie as Wanda grabbed his arm and yanked him free, his shoelaces caught in the door as it sealed shut. Grimacing, they didn't stop, out of breath as they were, but kept running, down the mountainside where the fortress was built, sliding down the steep sides (thankfully not too steep) as they headed into the woods, closely pursued by the soldiers and their attack hounds.
Wanda grabbed Jamie and the two slid into a ravine, where she grabbed him and clamped his mouth shut.
"Shhh... whatever you do, -do not- move," she instructed. He nodded behind her hand, and she released him long enough to grab some leaves and crush them in her palm, blowing on them to send them to the four winds, murmuring softly in some strange language that Jamie (despite all his time at the Institute) could not identify, let alone understand.
The troopers, holding the leashes of very big, very angry looking dogs, walked into the ravine, searching, and Jamie almost cried out before Wanda's hand slapped back down over his mouth to muffle it. To his surprise (and relief) the dogs walked on by, giving them no more notice than they would the rocks and trees. Waiting just a few moments longer once they were out of sight, Wanda released Jamie and climbed to her feet, heading deeper into the woods with the little tyke at her side.
"What happened...?! How did you...?!" he started, then hushed when she angrily put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. He did so. "I thought you lost your powers," he whispered quietly.
"I did," she replied, as the two of them trudged further from the base. "But my mentor taught me the basics of witchcraft as well... though I've never had to use it. The spell I just used made us disappear, provided we did not move or make a sound. That is why the dogs couldn't find us."
"Cool," he whispered, as he trudged after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No other escapes were allowed, and the rest of the mutants were watched very keenly as they were shuffled deeper into the base, into a large, circular room that reminded most of the X-men present of the Danger Room. If it was perpetually dark and lit only with strange, eerie green lights in parts of the room. Around the edge of the room were many clear pods, human-sized, that most of the captured mutants didn't need to see too many Sci-Fi movies to figure out their purpose. To their surprise and horror they saw that some of them were already filled. Alex, Jubilee and Rahne were already there. Intact, unharmed, but as much prisoners as they were. Alex and Rahne showed some signs of struggle, their clothes had burn scars and holes and Alex looked like he'd been beaten, his face was covered in bruises.
A secondary level, a walkway, was overhead, allowing passing guards to keep a close eye on all the mutants below. They'd be easy targets if anybody tried anything.
Each and every mutant, some with a little more struggling than others, were thrust into their respective cells, their handcuffs and feetcuffs removed, as the glass sealed shut, barely giving them enough room to move as they were forced to watch, helplessly, the far end of the room.
Ororo was already starting to panic. The close quarters of her new cell were bad enough, but the room itself and the very evil that seemed to fill the air made her feel like she was going to be smothered. Kurt too was also pawing at his tiny compartments, his body languages and lip movements (since none could hear him) in such a manner that it was obvious he was not concerned about himself, but Amanda.
At the far end of the room, the walkway had broken off and was now descending with two shadowy figures on it. Presumably, their captors.
"Welcome, mutant scum," said the first, as he stepped into the light. A middle-aged man, still in his physical prime, with only a few gray hairs to mark the passage of age. He had a thick brown moustache, his coat was black and functional, and he was in no uncertain terms a military man. Even those who had never met him in person had seen his face on the television. They students, at the very least, knew who he was. They'd heard Logan's stories, and they'd seen the broadcast where he'd been placed in jail. Evidently, he'd released himself early.
Bolivar Trask.
The leader of the group that had constructed the giant sentinel robot, and a fanatic who saw all mutants as scum and a threat.
"Make yourselves comfortable," hissed the other figure as he stepped into the light, though reluctantly, clearly unused to working in anything other than total darkness. He too was in black, but it was a lab coat, not a uniform. Not a single hair graced his bald head, and in the eerie green light he looked as pale and sickly as a ghoul. This one few recognized, but in their respective chambers Victor and Kurt gave out mutual gasps of shock. They'd thought him dead.
Colonel Wraith.
The architect of Project Weapon X, and the man who laced Wolverine's bones with adamantium and implanted a chip in his brain.
"You're going to be here for a very... very... long time..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forge's home seemed devoid of the troopers and machine-soldiers, but as Wolverine dropped the X-Jet down alongside the small suburban building he couldn't help but feel apprehensions. Forge could've already been captured, or worse. Thus, he had Eric and Remy remain behind in case he and Kitty needed back up as they walked up to the front door and knocked.
No reply.
Grunting, Logan slammed his shoulder (and the adamantium laced bones beneath it) into the door and knocked it straight off its hinges, sending it crashing to the ground. He and Kitty rushed into the living room...
To see Forge sitting cross-legged in front of the television, his hands resting on the game controller as he glanced up at the sudden noise.
"Kitty...? What're you doing here?" he asked, dropping his controller and climbing to his feet.
"Long story Forge, but we gotta get out of here... its dangerous," she said. Logan checked the adjacent rooms while Kitty filled Forge in on the past events. Though the loss of mutations was not a surprise (he'd found that out fairly quick) he was shocked at the tale of the attack on the Institute.
"We gotta get out of here... are your parents here?"
"Nuh-uh," he replied. "They'd left to see some relatives out west. Just a guest. We were playing some videogames. If I'm going I should alert them, so they can get out of here."
"Guest?"
"Hey Kitty," came the voice, and she and Forge turned to see the freckled, red-headed boy, behind whom was Logan, apparently having flushed the boy out of the kitchen earlier.
"Arcade?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanda and Jamie found a stream and eagerly wet their mouths to parch their thirst, then finally sat down on the side of the river farthest from their enemy to think of a plan.
"Wanda... you didn't happen to see Logan or Kitty in that group of people who'd be, uh... captured? 'cause I didn't, see... and..."
"No," she stated angrily, trying to concentrate. She was trying to figure out where they were. She knew which way was East by the setting sun. Considering they'd been in a van they couldn't be too far from Bayville... so logically heading east would bring them back to the coast, and from there they could find their way.
Assuming the soldiers weren't still looking for them.
"Then maybe they escaped..."
"We can find them once we find out where we are," she replied, as they reluctantly started to trudge eastward again. Suddenly they heard the distinct click of a gun, and turned to face one of the soldiers, trained on them both with a rather lethal looking AK-47. He didn't seem like he'd care much if he had to kill them, either.
"Gotcha... now you stinkin' muties are comin' with me... comprende?" he asked, taking a step forward.
It was the last step he took.
A grey blur whistled through the air, slamming into his forehead and knocking him backwards, his gun pointing up as his finger clenched instinctively, letting bullets fly as Wanda grabbed Jamie and the two of them ducked behind a tree, as the soldier fell down dead from the thrown rock, unconscious. Wanda and Jamie stood up as a new figure entered the clearing, and they saw their savior.
Dark brown hair, tanned skin, haunted green eyes. Dressed all in black, with survival gear and a myriad of throwing knives slung across her body. She couldn't have been more than fourteen. Jamie shivered, hiding himself behind Wanda as he recognized their new arrival.
X23.
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Authors Notes:
For those confused, Colonel Wraith is the creepy military ghoul from "Grim Reminder." I'm not 100% sure that's his name, but it came from an on-line source, and seems as accurate as they come, plus his name was mentioned in "Target X" (I think), so that's what he is in my story. Oh and I tossed in that bit about Wanda knowing a little magic, same as her mentor Agatha Harkness. I figured she'd know at least a few minor spells. Magic being, of course, not a result of mutation but training, so it is not affected by the strange lack of mutant powers. Next chapters, find out what has caused all of this.
Todd Fan: That… made absolutely no sense whatsoever. But its okay, I still love ya.
Elisabeth Braddock-Grey: Sweet. I got a cute girl in my lap, yay!
*B: Hadn't actually meant for that to be a humorous moment, but whatever works.
Glaivster: I don't know about the comics, but yes I know Sinister was not born the way he is. He altered himself (or Apocalypse did) with science. But its still a genetic mutation, and thus still changed by what has happened. Find out why shortly.
CrypticIdentity: I cannot believe I was so foolish as to forget that, I feel so foolish. Thank you for catching it before I made my entire story meaningless (too late). Also, I tossed in Spider-Man for three reasons. One, somebody (read: a cute girl) asked he be put in since he's a Marvel character. Two, while not born with superhuman powers like a mutant, his abilities comes from altered genetic code, thus he is affected and he's mistaken for a mutant on occasion because of his powers. Third… well, his new series reminds me a lot of XME, and I thought a little tribute to it would be nice.
Tomoe: No hidden subplot, just me acting one night with too much caffeine and too little brain power. I've corrected the error though. But glad you like the story, more to come.