"This may surprise you but this concerns us all Wolverine," sneered Raven.
"Yeah right. You wanna come out on top, like always," stated Remy, idly flipping a card between his fingers.
"If I wanted you dead, you would be," she stated quietly, patting the gun at her side. "Fury wouldn't even lift a finger. Especially since you all were trying to escape," she added meaningfully. They knew she had them right where she wanted them.
"So what do you want?" asked Kitty.
"I want the same thing you do. I want Rogue and Kurt safe, and I want to have my power back."
"But you don't know where they are any more than we do," replied Eric as he climbed to his feet, nursing his bruised jaw and glaring at the redheaded woman. She glared back.
"No. But I've found out who's responsible," she said. "One of the soldiers who tried to capture me managed to talk before I snapped his neck."
"Who?"
"Trask," she hissed.
Logan growled, and those around him backed up. Even without his claws, his rage was a dangerous thing. His room's near-constant state of being repaired was testimony to what happened when he got angry.
"Then the kids are in danger."
"And you all," Raven replied, glancing at the mismatched group before her "Are, unfortunately, the best I have to work with... now... do you want my help or not?"
"Alright..." stated Logan. "But I'll be keeping my eye on you."
Raven quickly slid back into her position and replaced her cap on the off-chance Fury recognized her as the said agent returned.
"Seem we had some company, Logan... friends of yours?" he asked, indicating the black-haired young woman and brown-haired child with her.
"Jamie? Wanda?" said Logan.
"My daughter," said Eric, as the two adults made their way forward to inspect their young charges.
Midway there, Wanda slapped her father, across the face. Hard.
"Don't you dare call me that," she stated angrily.
Eric grimaced, rubbing his cheek, wondering idly how much damage his face could take as he stood on his feet a safe distance from Wanda. Her eyes had changed. She seemed as enraged as ever. "Wanda, what is wrong...?"
"You know damn well what's wrong with me!" she roared angrily, moving as if to strike him again. He flung his arms up to shield himself, but the blow never landed. "It wasn't low enough you took my life away by throwing my away in a lousy asylum, you had to replace my memories as well! Damn you!" she cursed, collapsing onto her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Eric could only watch her and wonder, was this his doing? He had truly been such a horrible parent to Wanda? All he'd done, he'd done to create a world that would be better for her and her brother, for all mutants. A world free of human persecution.
"And you know what the sad thing is?" she asked angrily, glaring up at him, her cheeks stained with tears. "I wish I'd never found out... I wish I'd lived this miserable lie you had Mastermind concocted... I wish I could pretend it was true... I wish..." she sobbed, collapsing once more into a sobbing mess.
"Jamie," interrupted Logan, gaining the little boy's attention while Wanda continued to weep on the floor. "What happened? How'd you two get out?"
"We didn't, Mr. Logan!" he started, excitedly in the manner characteristic of little boys. "It was amazing! First those soldiers and machines came and they took everyone in these big black trucks, and I woke up and we were all shackled and then I tripped and Wanda broke free and I followed and we ran..."
"Wait kid, whoa, back up..." said Logan. "You know where their base is?"
"I, uh... think so... Wanda would know better, but I could probably lead the way back," he replied.
"Good... Jamie, is it?" asked Fury with a smirk. "You can show me where the base is, and I can handle everything from there."
"Now wait just a minute Fury," said Logan, turning to face the one-eyed man who was once his commanding officer. "You send in troops there's a good chance our friends could get killed. Let us handle this."
"And you'll do what, Wolverine? Without your powers you mutants here," and he gestured to all those present (save Mystique). "Are little better than civilians."
"You can't stop us, Fury," replied Logan angrily, getting right up in his face. Fury smirked, snapping his fingers. Immediately Raven tapped the console near the door and it slid open. A dozen guards filed in, guns trained on those present.
"This time I can, 'Weapon X'" he said with an expression that told them he wasn't exactly pleased with what he was doing. "Lock them in containment... we'll interroga... er... ask the kid where the base is in the morning."
"Yes sir," replied Raven, leading the way as the former mutants, plus Arcade, were rounded up and led down the corriders of the SHIELD compound to its prisons, where they were all stuffed into a single chamber and the door was slammed shut behind them, locking them all in, deep in the SHIELD complex. Their chances of rescuing their friends and comrades was looking bleaker by the minute.
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The facility was dark now, most of the lights had been turned off in the main room to conserve power, as the facility slept, those few guards on night duty patrolling the upper levels of the mutant prisons armed with flashlights as well as guns. Still, the prisoners, most of them, didn't stir. They'd managed to make themselves comfortable (most of them at least) and had fallen asleep.
All but one.
Scott Summers couldn't sleep.
His mind was too ablaze with thoughts. All centered on one thing. How they could get out of this one. For all his study of logistics and strategy, the field leader of the X-Men was drawing blanks, and he knew why. His thoughts of escape were overlaid with thoughts of concern. Primarily for the redheaded angel who's cell was right next to his. They were less than two feet apart, but unable to hear one another, unable to speak or communicate more than the basic of conversations that gestures allowed. So close, yet so far apart.
Then there was concern for his brother. Alex looked damn well beat up when they'd arrived. After hearing the sort of tests Trask had performed on Logan, it wasn't hard to figure out his brother had been sent through gauntlets with these new, mark II sentinels. He'd been hurt bad. But Scott intended to return the favor to Trask, every last bit of it, the first chance he got. Rogue, Kurt, the Professor, all of them Scott was concerned for. They were more than his team, they were his family. He'd lost his first family, in that damn plane accident. He wasn't going to lose this one.
Idly he filled with the visor he had in his coat pocket. Like it was any good to him now.
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"Ah, excellent... good evening, bigfoot," said Colonel Wraith, laughing at a joke only he truly found funny as he gazed down at his subject.
Sabertooth was strapped down, metal bars slapped across his waist, wrists and ankles, pinning him to the metal table. On a nearby table lay a number of surgical tools, and none of them looked very friendly.
"It is rather excellent I can finally proceed with this... losing Wolverine twice has convinced me the fool might not be as perfect as I hoped in being such a lethal mutant hunter. But you, Sabertooth... you remain as vicious as ever," stated the sick doctor, running his hand almost lovingly along the cool blades of his tools.
"Just get this over with, you bastard," grumbled Victor. "Less talk, more torture, right?"
Colonel Wraith smiled, picking up a remote control and holding it out before him. Thought it didn't look particularly menacing (it had only one button) Victor inwardly chilled. "As you wish," he stated, pressing the button. Instantly the air around the room... rippled, to a strange degree. But that wasn't what caught Victor's attention. In an instant, every single bone, fiber and sinew in his body felt like it'd been speared with a needle. A jagged, fiery needle no less. Despite his early bravado he howled in sudden pain, gasping as he noticed just how loud he'd been. It'd been a growl. In an instant, the pain was gone, and when he looked down again, he was shocked.
Claws, a few patches of fur, his size and bulk had grown back, now the metal bars were even tighter against him as he ran his tongue along his teeth and felt his fangs once more sharp.
His powers had been restored.
Colonel Wraith's wicked smiled confirmed it.
"Mmmm... you'd be rather useless to me without those remarkable healing powers of yours, thus this room was designed to allow me to work without the interference of the leeching child's power," stated Colonel Wraith, as he walked around the newly restored Sabertooth, who growled up at him angrily, straining against his bonds. It was useless. They'd been designed to hold him at full strength, and even with his powers restored, after a day of fighting and imprisonment he was nowhere near full strength. "Now I can finally finish where I left off with Wolverine... and then perhaps on to your fellow mutant hunters, Sabertooth..." stated Colonel Wraith, as he picked up a scalpel and examined it in the dim light. "Pity we can't use anesthetic, but you know how that interferes with the bonding of the adamantium... so... best you just try to ignore the pain..."
Outside the door, the guards cringed as the screaming started. Once started, it didn't seem to stop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
X23 grumbled as she slunk back into the alley, watching the SHIELD fortress.
She herself didn't dare go inside, as she'd told the kids. She had no desire to be their weapon anymore than Hydra's. But she did need their help. So for now she'd watch and see what they'd do.
Idly, she glanced up, as she noticed a pair of civilians in the alley across the street, trying to remain hidden and doing a pathetic job of it (in her eyes, at least). Two women and a man. They too seemed to be watching the SHIELD installation. As she watched, the man, a blonde, took out a mirror and reflected a light to the very top most window in a series of blinks. Morse code. At her current angle, X23 couldn't make it out very well. But she did see it was answered by someone inside of the SHIELD facility.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Authors Notes:
Okay, I think that last bit with Colonel Wraith was pushing the limit of this story's rating just a bit. Still, it was worth it, don't you think? Is anyone else surprised by SHIELDS reaction? Well, fret not, for all things shall be explained in time.
Elisabeth Braddock-Grey: I confess, I stole that from the X2 movie comic/book, but yeah. Don't you just hate intolerant people? And thanks for the present, it's the best I've gotten so far.
Sashi: Ah, didn't know that. I thought his father was a human nobility of some kind in Europe named Eric. And that's why he was abandoned after Mystique gave birth to him (in the comics at least) since she'd been exposed as a mutant because of her son. I got the idea that his father had a latent x-gene from one of Internutter's stories, actually.
Unknown Source: Terribly sorry. Did not mean to sound like whiney know-it-all. But I honestly don't see any mention of Wolverine being any stronger than somebody who just works out often. He just seems stronger in cartoons and comics 'cause they're, well, cartoons and comics. As for the unlikely trio, well does this chapter answer your question?
Faith Darkholme: Yeah, I loved that scene too. And the one above with Wanda. As for the names, I am keeping them mostly by their non-mutant names. But someone might not know a real name, and this story comes from a lot of points of view. Like, for examples, apart from episode one, has anyone seen Toad called anything other than that? My point. Besides, some I don't even know their real names. Terminator, good. Terminator 2, awesome. Terminator 3... needed Cameron and Hamilton, but not bad on the whole.
Rogue14: I know, don't you just hate people like that? I know I certainly do.
Todd Fan: Of course the Morlocks are still there. And, er… Juggernaut. Calling him Juggy sounds… wrong. Like those women on 'The Man Show'.
Gyuumajo: And Jean saying them is any different? They're force-fed philosophy at the mansion. Some of it just rubs off of 'lil Spyke. Besides, deep down, he's a good person, just like Lance.
Emerald Lightning Goddess: Favorite? Wow, thanks. But my vacation might be cancelled now, due to that frickin' hurricane. So if it is, you all can look forward to many more updates.
Glaivester: Well, I think Sinister always considered himself a mutant, at any rate. But I suppose it doesn't matter overly. But I did not know that Xavier was naturally bald because of his mutation. A parody of this story would indeed be very twisted. Oh and I do like this 'Essex Plan' of yours. Very interesting, keep up the good work