Feral Bonds CH4
Disclaimer: This chapter is gonna be rated R for violence. Be forewarned and if you don't like that sort of thing, I'm amazed you've read this far. (jk) but seriously, if you don't like it, don't read it.
Outside the base
Scott lowered the binoculars and frowned. The complex loomed at the junction of two hills. Spread out over 2 acres, the concrete buildings were just utilitarian enough to be disturbing. They seemed new, so hopefully whoever the mutant was, he hadn't been there too long. He swallowed again and tried to clear his head of the images that Jean had planted there. He could understand distrust of mutants, even comprehend hatred, But he could not understand what could make not only one person, but also an entire group set out on what appeared to be a deliberate routine of torture.
With a last glance at the base, Logan turned and watched the kids. Taking in Scott's frown and Jean's pale face, he started to wonder if they were really ready to see what he suspected was inside the installation. He'd had too many years or exposure to so called 'secret' government projects through S.H.I.E.L.D and what he could remember of the war. Too many people using the excuse of 'it's my duty', and 'It's for the good of my country.' to indulge themselves in their baser instincts. Too many people he had called friend had died because of that.
"Hey One-Eye, you just gonna sit there? Or are we going to go in?" Logan watched the ruby-visored boy carefully.
Scott glanced back at Evan and Kitty and took a deep breath. "We are going to sit here until I can come up with a plan that doesn't involve someone getting killed Wolverine."
Logan let out a snort. "Kid, this isn't the local popsicle stand. This is a top-secret military installation. I doubt that we are going to be able to bypass that security..." Logan waved his hands at the multiple guard patrols crisscrossing the kill-zone behind the fence. ".. without someone ending up bleeding."
Scott clenched his teeth in frustration. -Logan's right.- He turned and took in his team.
Jean was sitting with her back against a tree with her hands massaging her temples. -Jean looks peaked, I don't know if she's going to be able to help much unless she gets a rest.-
Evan was staring off into the trees, seemingly lost in thought. -Evan has been pretty quiet, I just hope that he doesn't freeze up inside.-
Kitty was sitting on her haunches gazing out onto the base, eyes half- lidded in concentration. -Kitty's been acting pretty strange the past week, but she's been scoring better in the Danger Room sessions. She should be ok.-
Kurt was hanging upside down from a tree branch and watching the group with uncharacteristic silence. -Kurt's been doing well in the Danger Room, as long as he follows orders, he'll be ok.-
Rogue was leaning back against a rock and wasn't looking too happy about it. -Well, as long as she doesn't get too out of control, she could come in handy.-
Storm was standing motionless next to Jean, offing her own brand of comfort to the aching telepath. -Storm is Storm, I don't see any problems there.-
And lastly, Wolverine. The short mutant was crouched next to the summit of the hill, sniffing the wind and glaring at the base, ready to erupt into violence. -I just hope Logan can stick to the plan I come up with, we really don't need him running off on his own. Again.-
Sitting back down, Scott put the binoculars back into their case and lapsed into planning how to take his team of high-school students and rescue a mutant from the inside of a military facility.
Mentally sighing as he discarded the fifth plan as too likely to get someone killed, Scott started shredding the leaves off a bush next to him. -Well, I guess this is why I'm the leader, no one else wants to have to plan these things.-- Scott smirked and once again stared into the sky, hoping for a flash of divine inspiration.
He was immediately and sorely disappointed when Kurt's tail slapped into the tree trunk over his head. Scott was about to brush the tail away from his head when the mental gears engaged. Staring at the teleporter, the plan sprang full-grown from his mind.
Tossing the chunks of leaves back onto the ground, he stood up and straightened his uniform. Drawing the eyes of everyone with the sudden movement, he cleared his throat. "Ok, here is the plan. Logan, I want you to move down to just outside the security fence by the cope of trees over there. When you get there, I want you to time the roving sentries and try to find a hole in the pattern. Then I." Kitty interjected, "The ones with the dog aren't paying any attention to what they are doing." Everyone just looked at Kitty. Scott turned and asked, "How do you know that Shadowcat?"
Kitty blinked a couple of times in confusion and gestured at the k-9 sentry. "just like, look at him."
Everyone looked and watched the sentry for a few seconds.
Evan broke the silence. "He looks just like everyone else Kitty."
"He's right Shadowcat, I don't see anything that supports your statement." Scott said.
Kitty, growling with frustration, "Then open your eye Scott. Just like LOOK at him."
Logan broke in. "Half-Pint's right Scooter. That sentry isn't paying any attention."
Scott turned and with a touch of disbelief in his voice said. "And how do you know that Wolverine?"
"Just do. Trust me." Logan growled.
Scott took a deep breath and continued. "Ok then, we are going to need to take him and his dog out of the picture first. The dog needs to be the first priority, it can alert the rest of the base if we let it bark. So Kurt, when I give the signal, Jean is going to hold it's muzzle shut and I want you to port over and grab it and the sentry then port back here. Kitty, I want you to disrupt his radio and take his gun. Then Storm and I will see if we can get any information from him." The group nodded and sat back to wait for the sentry team to get near the fence.
Scott felt his heart start pumping faster the closer the soldier got to the razorwire. Seeing the time for action snap into existence, he turned and uttered a clipped, "Go."
Jean concentrated on the dog, clamping it's jaws shut with a sliver of power.
Kurt exploded in his usual black cloud only to appear the next instant next to the soldier. Grabbing the dogs tail and thrusting his other arm around the soldier's waist, he once again disappeared and reappeared back at the tree.
Kitty, quick as a snake, shot her hands towards the soldier's belt, passing one incorporeal hand through the sensitive electronics of the handheld radio, causing it to spark once and let out a shrill squawk before dying. Her other hand grabbed the barrel of the Beretta and phased it out of it's holster. Spinning, she shoved her hand inside the tree and dropped the gun inside, entombing it.
Logan flashed across the clearing, flipping 2 claws out and slamming his fist into the soldier's neck, the twin blades barely missing the jugulars.
Logan leaned in to that his face was nearly touching the prisoner's, he let a growl slip out from deep in his cheat and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "Keep very still. There is another blade aimed right at your spinal column. Do you understand?"
The soldier stared wide-eyed at his costumed captor before opening his mouth, only to have a small squeak come out. Logan growled again and shoved him hard in the chest. "I ask if you understood, I don't want you to accidentally make me slit your throat." He let his middle claw slip out and poke the soldier's Adam's Apple for emphasis.
The soldier blinked and croaked out "I understand."
Logan let a predatory grin slip onto his face. "Good, now this is how this little party is going to work. One of us is going to ask you a question, and you are going to answer it immediately, and correctly. Do you understand?" The soldier nodded in response. "First question, are there motion and pressure sensors in the kill-zone?" The soldier waited a second, then responded. "Not on the field, but near the buildings there are."
Jean's voice drew Logan's attention. "He's lying. There are sensors all over the place in there."
Logan turned his head slowly back so that he was staring the soldier right in the eyes. The soldier's eyes hardened and half-closed. "Stay out of my head you fucking mutie bitch."
Logan's eyes slited and he reached out and covered the soldier's mouth. The next instant, a loud pop echoed as Logan's boot clad foot shattered the soldier's right kneecap. The soldier let out a muffled shriek and sucked air in through his nose. The k-9 started growling deep in it's chest and began moving towards Logan when a sudden snarl from Kitty silenced the dog and made it start backing away from her. Kitty blinked and shook her head as if clearing it.
Noticing that the animal was going to cause a problem, Storm gathered a tendril of power out of the heavens and sent a weak lightning bolt at the dog, getting a small whimper before it fell to the ground unconscious.
Logan brought his attention back to the soldier, noticing that he was sucking air heavily and his eyes hadn't closed. -Good pain tolerance. Looks like they've improved the training.-- "Listen bub, you're gonna answer me correctly. Remember that? I hope you do, you have another leg." The soldier waited until the hand was lifted off his mouth before spitting at Jean and angrily biting out, "Fuck you mutie. My friends are going to find you and put you in a fucking cage, just where you belong."
Scott turned to Jean and spoke. "Just take what we need, he isn't going to cooperate."
Jean closed her eyes and forcefully penetrated the soldier's mind, ripping out his knowledge of the facility before pulling back into herself. "I have it."
Logan nodded and stepped back from the soldier, pulling his claws back into his hand. The soldier pushed forward and threw a swing at Logan. Logan shifted his weight onto the heal of his left foot and pivoted to the side, watching as the soldier's fist passed harmlessly in from of his face. Reaching out, he clamped his right hand onto the flying fist and pulling it further across his centerline, torqued his torso and spun his left elbow into the soldier's stomach. The soldier breath was blown out in one explosive exhale and he dropped towards the ground only to have the bridge of his nose meet the adnamantium-encased knee that was powerfully snapped up. With one final crunch as his nose disintegrated, the soldier flopped bonelessly to the ground. A lazy smirk crossed Logan's face and he casually dropped the arm he was holding.
Scott was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
Logan broke in. "Yes One-Eye, that was necessary."
Scott closed his mouth. He stood still for a moment before turning to Jean. "Do you have what we need Jean?"
Jean tore her eyes off the soldier and blinked. "Yes Scott. We have a 7 minute window before they will be expecting him to check in. After that, we better be inside and have control of the security station."
Scott took a quick glance to see if everyone was ready. "Then let's get moving."
Outer security doors, Research Installation Tau
Specialist Sean Coombs grounds out his third cigarette of the hour. Flipping his gaze quickly out, he quickly scans the field. He takes a quick glance around and seeing no one, he pulls out a tattered paperback. -Shit I hate this place. There is never anyone here. There hasn't even been a false alarm in weeks. It's fucking boring.- Sighing to himself, he flips open the book and leans back, engrossing himself in the story. His head jerks up suddenly when he hears a gravelly voice drawl out, "Hey bub, got a light?" He comes face to face with a short, hairy man wearing a skin-tight black suit with gold stripes on the shoulders. He immediately brings his Car14 to bear and speaks in a clipped voice. "Halt and identify yourself, this is a restrict." His vision whites out for a moment as a pair of feet slam into his lower back, driving him forward. Sean clenches his teeth and starts to yell out an alarm when he feels a Mack truck slam into his face. The last thing that flits in his mind before he slides into the darkness is, --I hope they don't take my book.-
Logan draws his fist back and wipes the blood off on his leg. Looking at Kurt, he says. "Good kick Elf, you're actually paying attention."
The rest of the x-men crowd into the alcove and Kitty phases through the heavy security door. A moment later, the door grinds open and reveals a smiling Kitty. "As I said, it was like no problem."
Scott barely manages to contain his frown. Barking out, "We don't have time for chatter. Jean, where is the security station?"
Jean looks down the hallway before pointing. "It's that door, there isn't anyone inside."
They all jog down the metal hallway and spread out in front of the door. Logan slides a single claw out and tears through the lock like butter. Opening the door, he takes a quick look. "Looks clear. Kitty, can you get the system shut down?"
Kitty phases through the door and takes a look at the sophisticated security terminals that line the small room. Sitting down at the operator's terminal, she starts typing. For the next few minutes, nothing is heard but the clacking of the keyboard.
Kitty's eyes narrow in concentration as she flips through the menus and command interfaces on the terminal. Growling, she leans back in her chair and scowls at the screen.
Scott speaks up. "Is there a problem Shadowcat?"
Kitty snaps her head around and glares at Scott. Neither of them move for a moment. Kitty's right hand suddenly shoots out and phases into the terminal, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the casing. All the boards in the room blink once and fade to black.
Kitty smirks, "Nope. There's like no problem at all now Scott."
Jean and Logan both snort once and shake their heads.
"Well, in that case, lets move further in."
The team files out of the station and Scott sends a small blast into the keyhole, melting the lock.
The team moves quickly down the hall, stopping every few meters so Logan can sniff for guards. Not encountering any, they make good time. As they pass a junction, Jean stumbles and grabs her head. Scott reaches out to steady her. "What's wrong Jean?"
Jean shakes her head and frowns. "I can't feel anyone Scott. It's like you all just vanished."
Scott blinks and turns towards Storm. "You ever see anything like this before?"
Storm thinks for a moment before replying. "No Scott, I have not."
Scott looks both ways down the hall and scowls. "Well, it's a little late for it to matter. Everyone just keep on your toes."
The team nods. Scott starts to motion them forward when he catches a dark look on Logan's face. Not needing another distraction, he snaps out. "What is it Logan."
Logan takes another sniff and his scowl deepens. "I smell antiseptic."
Storm rests a hand on his shoulder and gently says, "I'm sure it's just the base infirmary Logan."
Logan growls and stands. "Lets make sure."
The rest of the x-men trade uncomprehending looks at the two adults. Shaking off the questions that want to bubble out, Scott motions them towards a room marked 'Records'.
A swipe of a claw and the door is open. Kitty once again sits down at a computer and starts typing. Evan and Kurt dive into the file cabinets.
The next fifteen minutes are filled with the quiet shuffle of papers and the clatter of a keyboard.
Kitty stops typing for a second before leaning back in her chair and tapping her chin. "Does 'Weapon X' mean like anything to anyone?"
Everyone notices Wolverine snap upright and go rigid. He stands still for a moment before stalking over to the terminal. Kitty's eyes go wide as he grabs her chair and pushes it back to the terminal. "What does it say about Weapon X kid?" Logan croaks out.
Kitty stares for a second before a hand taps the screen. She turns back and starts reading. "It talks about a 'bonding process' and hey, isn't adnamantium like the stuff your claws are made out of Mr. Logan?"
Logan's hand slams down on the desk, making everyone jump. "Get that kid. Make a disk or something. I want the entire file."
Kitty shrugged once before popping a cd into a drive and typing again. A few seconds later, she pulled the cd out and handed it to Logan. He snatched it out of her hand and stared at it for a few seconds before slipping it into his costume without another word.
He ignored the questioning stares from the younger x-men and the sympathetic look from Storm. He gruffly spoke. "Let's get this mutant out and get out of here."
Kitty turned back to the terminal and with a few deft keystrokes, pulled a schematic of the base up. Looking at it carefully for a few moments, she reached out and tapped the screen. "That totally has to be where he is." Her finger pointed to what looked like an observation room.
Logan's head snapped up and he took a whiff. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Before anyone could respond, he was out the door, silent as a ghost. Ten seconds later, they all heard a muffled slam and a small scraping noise. They all warily watched the door as Logan came back in dragging a bloody guard by the foot behind him. Dropping the foot on the ground, he turned back to Scott. "It's clear, we need to move before another guard comes this way."
Scott nodded and motioned for the team to follow him.
They raced down the hallway, following Kitty's soft instructions on where to turn. Eventually, they came to a metal door marked 'Observation'. Scott's eyes fell on the keypad and card swipe that had to be the door lock. He turned to Kitty. "Can you do something with that?"
Kitty looked at the lock and rolled her eyes. "I'm not like magic Scott." She bent down and took a closer look and probed a phased finger around the panel. "I can't do anything here. But I'll open it from the other side." She stood up and walked through the door.
The next heartbeat brought a scream blasting through the door that froze the x-men's blood in their veins. Logan's claws snapped out and ripped through the door. Sinking his hands into the cuts, his shoulders bunched up and he let out a grunt and steel tore as he ripped the door out of the wall. He started to leap into the room when Kitty slams into his chest. He instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulder and spins his body around, blocking her from danger. He pushes her into the hallway and spins around, settling his weight on the balls of his feet and ready to fight.
Evan catches Kitty and starts to ask her what is wrong when Kitty's eyes clamp shut and she folds over and retches on the floor before collapsing. Kurt and Jean are instantly at her side. Kurt's 2 fingers holding her hair out of her face as he hears her sob and choke out "oh god" over and over.
Storm glances back at Logan and notices that he hasn't moved an inch. Every muscle in his body tight as steel. She starts to move towards him when he slowly turns around. In a voice as dead and cold as space, "Storm, come here. Everyone else, stay right here." Scott starts to object and Logan bites out. "Damnit kid, STAY OUT HERE!"
Scott clenches his jaw but he keeps his mouth shut as Storm and Logan both disappear into the room. Turning to the sobbing Kitty, "What happened in there? What did you see"
Kurt and Jean both glance at him sharply. Kitty continues to rock gently. Mumbling "oh god" over and over again. Scott kneels down and puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Kitty. What's in there?" She turns her head and he locks with her horror filled eyes. She opens her mouth only to have nothing come out. She closes it and tries again before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head slowly. Heading a footstep behind him, Scott turns to find a pale Storm stiffly walking out of the room. Standing up, he reached out to put a hand on her arm. She looked at him for a moment before swallowing thickly. "Don't go in there Scott."
Scott frowned and took his hand off her. Glancing at the rest of the team, he decides that he needs to know what they ran across. Stepping over the twisted door, he walks confidently into the room.
Stepping into the barely lit room, he sees the large observation window. Walking towards Logan he sees him turn his head. "Listen Scott, you don't want to be here."
Stepping forward, he said "I can handle whatever it is Wolverine. It's obviously not dangerous or we would be fighting by now."
Snorting, Logan turned to him and waved towards the window. "Fine kid, take a good long look." Logan then stepped to the side, revealing the inside of a lab.
Scott scanned the lab, not seeing what had scared Kitty when his eyes locked on the center column and a scene that would wouldn't be out of place in the deepest darkest pits of Hell.
There was a boy strapped to a vertical table. He was spread-eagled and had his arms tied down sticking out to the sides. There were innumerable tubes plunged haphazardly into the flesh of the mutant. Scotts eyes blinked and his mind refused to comprehend what his eyes were showing him. Turning away for a moment, he looked back to verify what he thought he saw. His eyes traveled to the sparkle of metal in an open chest cavity. Raw skin and glistening muscle were sliced open and clamped down to the table, spreading the chest cavity apart and exposing the ribs. Scott shivered and swallowed. His eyes refused to blink, trying to force the horrible image before him to change, to somehow not be real. A little bit of his sanity slipped when the corpses eye opened and rolled to him. A strangled choke tore itself out of his throat.
"Oh God"
And he felt suddenly light as he crashed to the floor.
Disclaimer: This chapter is gonna be rated R for violence. Be forewarned and if you don't like that sort of thing, I'm amazed you've read this far. (jk) but seriously, if you don't like it, don't read it.
Outside the base
Scott lowered the binoculars and frowned. The complex loomed at the junction of two hills. Spread out over 2 acres, the concrete buildings were just utilitarian enough to be disturbing. They seemed new, so hopefully whoever the mutant was, he hadn't been there too long. He swallowed again and tried to clear his head of the images that Jean had planted there. He could understand distrust of mutants, even comprehend hatred, But he could not understand what could make not only one person, but also an entire group set out on what appeared to be a deliberate routine of torture.
With a last glance at the base, Logan turned and watched the kids. Taking in Scott's frown and Jean's pale face, he started to wonder if they were really ready to see what he suspected was inside the installation. He'd had too many years or exposure to so called 'secret' government projects through S.H.I.E.L.D and what he could remember of the war. Too many people using the excuse of 'it's my duty', and 'It's for the good of my country.' to indulge themselves in their baser instincts. Too many people he had called friend had died because of that.
"Hey One-Eye, you just gonna sit there? Or are we going to go in?" Logan watched the ruby-visored boy carefully.
Scott glanced back at Evan and Kitty and took a deep breath. "We are going to sit here until I can come up with a plan that doesn't involve someone getting killed Wolverine."
Logan let out a snort. "Kid, this isn't the local popsicle stand. This is a top-secret military installation. I doubt that we are going to be able to bypass that security..." Logan waved his hands at the multiple guard patrols crisscrossing the kill-zone behind the fence. ".. without someone ending up bleeding."
Scott clenched his teeth in frustration. -Logan's right.- He turned and took in his team.
Jean was sitting with her back against a tree with her hands massaging her temples. -Jean looks peaked, I don't know if she's going to be able to help much unless she gets a rest.-
Evan was staring off into the trees, seemingly lost in thought. -Evan has been pretty quiet, I just hope that he doesn't freeze up inside.-
Kitty was sitting on her haunches gazing out onto the base, eyes half- lidded in concentration. -Kitty's been acting pretty strange the past week, but she's been scoring better in the Danger Room sessions. She should be ok.-
Kurt was hanging upside down from a tree branch and watching the group with uncharacteristic silence. -Kurt's been doing well in the Danger Room, as long as he follows orders, he'll be ok.-
Rogue was leaning back against a rock and wasn't looking too happy about it. -Well, as long as she doesn't get too out of control, she could come in handy.-
Storm was standing motionless next to Jean, offing her own brand of comfort to the aching telepath. -Storm is Storm, I don't see any problems there.-
And lastly, Wolverine. The short mutant was crouched next to the summit of the hill, sniffing the wind and glaring at the base, ready to erupt into violence. -I just hope Logan can stick to the plan I come up with, we really don't need him running off on his own. Again.-
Sitting back down, Scott put the binoculars back into their case and lapsed into planning how to take his team of high-school students and rescue a mutant from the inside of a military facility.
Mentally sighing as he discarded the fifth plan as too likely to get someone killed, Scott started shredding the leaves off a bush next to him. -Well, I guess this is why I'm the leader, no one else wants to have to plan these things.-- Scott smirked and once again stared into the sky, hoping for a flash of divine inspiration.
He was immediately and sorely disappointed when Kurt's tail slapped into the tree trunk over his head. Scott was about to brush the tail away from his head when the mental gears engaged. Staring at the teleporter, the plan sprang full-grown from his mind.
Tossing the chunks of leaves back onto the ground, he stood up and straightened his uniform. Drawing the eyes of everyone with the sudden movement, he cleared his throat. "Ok, here is the plan. Logan, I want you to move down to just outside the security fence by the cope of trees over there. When you get there, I want you to time the roving sentries and try to find a hole in the pattern. Then I." Kitty interjected, "The ones with the dog aren't paying any attention to what they are doing." Everyone just looked at Kitty. Scott turned and asked, "How do you know that Shadowcat?"
Kitty blinked a couple of times in confusion and gestured at the k-9 sentry. "just like, look at him."
Everyone looked and watched the sentry for a few seconds.
Evan broke the silence. "He looks just like everyone else Kitty."
"He's right Shadowcat, I don't see anything that supports your statement." Scott said.
Kitty, growling with frustration, "Then open your eye Scott. Just like LOOK at him."
Logan broke in. "Half-Pint's right Scooter. That sentry isn't paying any attention."
Scott turned and with a touch of disbelief in his voice said. "And how do you know that Wolverine?"
"Just do. Trust me." Logan growled.
Scott took a deep breath and continued. "Ok then, we are going to need to take him and his dog out of the picture first. The dog needs to be the first priority, it can alert the rest of the base if we let it bark. So Kurt, when I give the signal, Jean is going to hold it's muzzle shut and I want you to port over and grab it and the sentry then port back here. Kitty, I want you to disrupt his radio and take his gun. Then Storm and I will see if we can get any information from him." The group nodded and sat back to wait for the sentry team to get near the fence.
Scott felt his heart start pumping faster the closer the soldier got to the razorwire. Seeing the time for action snap into existence, he turned and uttered a clipped, "Go."
Jean concentrated on the dog, clamping it's jaws shut with a sliver of power.
Kurt exploded in his usual black cloud only to appear the next instant next to the soldier. Grabbing the dogs tail and thrusting his other arm around the soldier's waist, he once again disappeared and reappeared back at the tree.
Kitty, quick as a snake, shot her hands towards the soldier's belt, passing one incorporeal hand through the sensitive electronics of the handheld radio, causing it to spark once and let out a shrill squawk before dying. Her other hand grabbed the barrel of the Beretta and phased it out of it's holster. Spinning, she shoved her hand inside the tree and dropped the gun inside, entombing it.
Logan flashed across the clearing, flipping 2 claws out and slamming his fist into the soldier's neck, the twin blades barely missing the jugulars.
Logan leaned in to that his face was nearly touching the prisoner's, he let a growl slip out from deep in his cheat and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "Keep very still. There is another blade aimed right at your spinal column. Do you understand?"
The soldier stared wide-eyed at his costumed captor before opening his mouth, only to have a small squeak come out. Logan growled again and shoved him hard in the chest. "I ask if you understood, I don't want you to accidentally make me slit your throat." He let his middle claw slip out and poke the soldier's Adam's Apple for emphasis.
The soldier blinked and croaked out "I understand."
Logan let a predatory grin slip onto his face. "Good, now this is how this little party is going to work. One of us is going to ask you a question, and you are going to answer it immediately, and correctly. Do you understand?" The soldier nodded in response. "First question, are there motion and pressure sensors in the kill-zone?" The soldier waited a second, then responded. "Not on the field, but near the buildings there are."
Jean's voice drew Logan's attention. "He's lying. There are sensors all over the place in there."
Logan turned his head slowly back so that he was staring the soldier right in the eyes. The soldier's eyes hardened and half-closed. "Stay out of my head you fucking mutie bitch."
Logan's eyes slited and he reached out and covered the soldier's mouth. The next instant, a loud pop echoed as Logan's boot clad foot shattered the soldier's right kneecap. The soldier let out a muffled shriek and sucked air in through his nose. The k-9 started growling deep in it's chest and began moving towards Logan when a sudden snarl from Kitty silenced the dog and made it start backing away from her. Kitty blinked and shook her head as if clearing it.
Noticing that the animal was going to cause a problem, Storm gathered a tendril of power out of the heavens and sent a weak lightning bolt at the dog, getting a small whimper before it fell to the ground unconscious.
Logan brought his attention back to the soldier, noticing that he was sucking air heavily and his eyes hadn't closed. -Good pain tolerance. Looks like they've improved the training.-- "Listen bub, you're gonna answer me correctly. Remember that? I hope you do, you have another leg." The soldier waited until the hand was lifted off his mouth before spitting at Jean and angrily biting out, "Fuck you mutie. My friends are going to find you and put you in a fucking cage, just where you belong."
Scott turned to Jean and spoke. "Just take what we need, he isn't going to cooperate."
Jean closed her eyes and forcefully penetrated the soldier's mind, ripping out his knowledge of the facility before pulling back into herself. "I have it."
Logan nodded and stepped back from the soldier, pulling his claws back into his hand. The soldier pushed forward and threw a swing at Logan. Logan shifted his weight onto the heal of his left foot and pivoted to the side, watching as the soldier's fist passed harmlessly in from of his face. Reaching out, he clamped his right hand onto the flying fist and pulling it further across his centerline, torqued his torso and spun his left elbow into the soldier's stomach. The soldier breath was blown out in one explosive exhale and he dropped towards the ground only to have the bridge of his nose meet the adnamantium-encased knee that was powerfully snapped up. With one final crunch as his nose disintegrated, the soldier flopped bonelessly to the ground. A lazy smirk crossed Logan's face and he casually dropped the arm he was holding.
Scott was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
Logan broke in. "Yes One-Eye, that was necessary."
Scott closed his mouth. He stood still for a moment before turning to Jean. "Do you have what we need Jean?"
Jean tore her eyes off the soldier and blinked. "Yes Scott. We have a 7 minute window before they will be expecting him to check in. After that, we better be inside and have control of the security station."
Scott took a quick glance to see if everyone was ready. "Then let's get moving."
Outer security doors, Research Installation Tau
Specialist Sean Coombs grounds out his third cigarette of the hour. Flipping his gaze quickly out, he quickly scans the field. He takes a quick glance around and seeing no one, he pulls out a tattered paperback. -Shit I hate this place. There is never anyone here. There hasn't even been a false alarm in weeks. It's fucking boring.- Sighing to himself, he flips open the book and leans back, engrossing himself in the story. His head jerks up suddenly when he hears a gravelly voice drawl out, "Hey bub, got a light?" He comes face to face with a short, hairy man wearing a skin-tight black suit with gold stripes on the shoulders. He immediately brings his Car14 to bear and speaks in a clipped voice. "Halt and identify yourself, this is a restrict." His vision whites out for a moment as a pair of feet slam into his lower back, driving him forward. Sean clenches his teeth and starts to yell out an alarm when he feels a Mack truck slam into his face. The last thing that flits in his mind before he slides into the darkness is, --I hope they don't take my book.-
Logan draws his fist back and wipes the blood off on his leg. Looking at Kurt, he says. "Good kick Elf, you're actually paying attention."
The rest of the x-men crowd into the alcove and Kitty phases through the heavy security door. A moment later, the door grinds open and reveals a smiling Kitty. "As I said, it was like no problem."
Scott barely manages to contain his frown. Barking out, "We don't have time for chatter. Jean, where is the security station?"
Jean looks down the hallway before pointing. "It's that door, there isn't anyone inside."
They all jog down the metal hallway and spread out in front of the door. Logan slides a single claw out and tears through the lock like butter. Opening the door, he takes a quick look. "Looks clear. Kitty, can you get the system shut down?"
Kitty phases through the door and takes a look at the sophisticated security terminals that line the small room. Sitting down at the operator's terminal, she starts typing. For the next few minutes, nothing is heard but the clacking of the keyboard.
Kitty's eyes narrow in concentration as she flips through the menus and command interfaces on the terminal. Growling, she leans back in her chair and scowls at the screen.
Scott speaks up. "Is there a problem Shadowcat?"
Kitty snaps her head around and glares at Scott. Neither of them move for a moment. Kitty's right hand suddenly shoots out and phases into the terminal, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the casing. All the boards in the room blink once and fade to black.
Kitty smirks, "Nope. There's like no problem at all now Scott."
Jean and Logan both snort once and shake their heads.
"Well, in that case, lets move further in."
The team files out of the station and Scott sends a small blast into the keyhole, melting the lock.
The team moves quickly down the hall, stopping every few meters so Logan can sniff for guards. Not encountering any, they make good time. As they pass a junction, Jean stumbles and grabs her head. Scott reaches out to steady her. "What's wrong Jean?"
Jean shakes her head and frowns. "I can't feel anyone Scott. It's like you all just vanished."
Scott blinks and turns towards Storm. "You ever see anything like this before?"
Storm thinks for a moment before replying. "No Scott, I have not."
Scott looks both ways down the hall and scowls. "Well, it's a little late for it to matter. Everyone just keep on your toes."
The team nods. Scott starts to motion them forward when he catches a dark look on Logan's face. Not needing another distraction, he snaps out. "What is it Logan."
Logan takes another sniff and his scowl deepens. "I smell antiseptic."
Storm rests a hand on his shoulder and gently says, "I'm sure it's just the base infirmary Logan."
Logan growls and stands. "Lets make sure."
The rest of the x-men trade uncomprehending looks at the two adults. Shaking off the questions that want to bubble out, Scott motions them towards a room marked 'Records'.
A swipe of a claw and the door is open. Kitty once again sits down at a computer and starts typing. Evan and Kurt dive into the file cabinets.
The next fifteen minutes are filled with the quiet shuffle of papers and the clatter of a keyboard.
Kitty stops typing for a second before leaning back in her chair and tapping her chin. "Does 'Weapon X' mean like anything to anyone?"
Everyone notices Wolverine snap upright and go rigid. He stands still for a moment before stalking over to the terminal. Kitty's eyes go wide as he grabs her chair and pushes it back to the terminal. "What does it say about Weapon X kid?" Logan croaks out.
Kitty stares for a second before a hand taps the screen. She turns back and starts reading. "It talks about a 'bonding process' and hey, isn't adnamantium like the stuff your claws are made out of Mr. Logan?"
Logan's hand slams down on the desk, making everyone jump. "Get that kid. Make a disk or something. I want the entire file."
Kitty shrugged once before popping a cd into a drive and typing again. A few seconds later, she pulled the cd out and handed it to Logan. He snatched it out of her hand and stared at it for a few seconds before slipping it into his costume without another word.
He ignored the questioning stares from the younger x-men and the sympathetic look from Storm. He gruffly spoke. "Let's get this mutant out and get out of here."
Kitty turned back to the terminal and with a few deft keystrokes, pulled a schematic of the base up. Looking at it carefully for a few moments, she reached out and tapped the screen. "That totally has to be where he is." Her finger pointed to what looked like an observation room.
Logan's head snapped up and he took a whiff. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Before anyone could respond, he was out the door, silent as a ghost. Ten seconds later, they all heard a muffled slam and a small scraping noise. They all warily watched the door as Logan came back in dragging a bloody guard by the foot behind him. Dropping the foot on the ground, he turned back to Scott. "It's clear, we need to move before another guard comes this way."
Scott nodded and motioned for the team to follow him.
They raced down the hallway, following Kitty's soft instructions on where to turn. Eventually, they came to a metal door marked 'Observation'. Scott's eyes fell on the keypad and card swipe that had to be the door lock. He turned to Kitty. "Can you do something with that?"
Kitty looked at the lock and rolled her eyes. "I'm not like magic Scott." She bent down and took a closer look and probed a phased finger around the panel. "I can't do anything here. But I'll open it from the other side." She stood up and walked through the door.
The next heartbeat brought a scream blasting through the door that froze the x-men's blood in their veins. Logan's claws snapped out and ripped through the door. Sinking his hands into the cuts, his shoulders bunched up and he let out a grunt and steel tore as he ripped the door out of the wall. He started to leap into the room when Kitty slams into his chest. He instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulder and spins his body around, blocking her from danger. He pushes her into the hallway and spins around, settling his weight on the balls of his feet and ready to fight.
Evan catches Kitty and starts to ask her what is wrong when Kitty's eyes clamp shut and she folds over and retches on the floor before collapsing. Kurt and Jean are instantly at her side. Kurt's 2 fingers holding her hair out of her face as he hears her sob and choke out "oh god" over and over.
Storm glances back at Logan and notices that he hasn't moved an inch. Every muscle in his body tight as steel. She starts to move towards him when he slowly turns around. In a voice as dead and cold as space, "Storm, come here. Everyone else, stay right here." Scott starts to object and Logan bites out. "Damnit kid, STAY OUT HERE!"
Scott clenches his jaw but he keeps his mouth shut as Storm and Logan both disappear into the room. Turning to the sobbing Kitty, "What happened in there? What did you see"
Kurt and Jean both glance at him sharply. Kitty continues to rock gently. Mumbling "oh god" over and over again. Scott kneels down and puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Kitty. What's in there?" She turns her head and he locks with her horror filled eyes. She opens her mouth only to have nothing come out. She closes it and tries again before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head slowly. Heading a footstep behind him, Scott turns to find a pale Storm stiffly walking out of the room. Standing up, he reached out to put a hand on her arm. She looked at him for a moment before swallowing thickly. "Don't go in there Scott."
Scott frowned and took his hand off her. Glancing at the rest of the team, he decides that he needs to know what they ran across. Stepping over the twisted door, he walks confidently into the room.
Stepping into the barely lit room, he sees the large observation window. Walking towards Logan he sees him turn his head. "Listen Scott, you don't want to be here."
Stepping forward, he said "I can handle whatever it is Wolverine. It's obviously not dangerous or we would be fighting by now."
Snorting, Logan turned to him and waved towards the window. "Fine kid, take a good long look." Logan then stepped to the side, revealing the inside of a lab.
Scott scanned the lab, not seeing what had scared Kitty when his eyes locked on the center column and a scene that would wouldn't be out of place in the deepest darkest pits of Hell.
There was a boy strapped to a vertical table. He was spread-eagled and had his arms tied down sticking out to the sides. There were innumerable tubes plunged haphazardly into the flesh of the mutant. Scotts eyes blinked and his mind refused to comprehend what his eyes were showing him. Turning away for a moment, he looked back to verify what he thought he saw. His eyes traveled to the sparkle of metal in an open chest cavity. Raw skin and glistening muscle were sliced open and clamped down to the table, spreading the chest cavity apart and exposing the ribs. Scott shivered and swallowed. His eyes refused to blink, trying to force the horrible image before him to change, to somehow not be real. A little bit of his sanity slipped when the corpses eye opened and rolled to him. A strangled choke tore itself out of his throat.
"Oh God"
And he felt suddenly light as he crashed to the floor.