Chapter Eight:
Cyclops led the X-Men down the dark halls of the compound quickly. Every now and then, Nightcrawler would teleport ahead, and then give them the all clear to continue. Wolverine trailed behind them, sniffing the air suspiciously. There were the scents of many others in the air, and they had not been gone long. Beneath the smells of the soldiers, he searched out a few familiar scents, warily glanced backward, expecting an attack at any minute.
However, they had walked for nearly twenty minutes, and had not so much as seen one guard or other living being. The scents were growing stronger as they moved inward, but still far off.
Suddenly, Wolverine paused and sensed the presence of an enemy.
"Hold on," he said, and the others turned back to look at him. Wolverine was frowning deeply, and inhaled a few times before speaking.
"Sabertooth..." he growled, "He was around here not too long ago. And...Deathstrike. Both came down this way..."
"Right," Cyclops said, "Let's stay alert. Any trace of the prisoners?"
Wolverine shook his head, "No...let's keep moving..."
***
A little deeper inside the base, Sabertooth and Pyro stood over the slashed bodies of three dead soldiers. Apparently, not all the guards had been ordered to retreat from their posts. Sabertooth frowned as he looked on the cooling bodies, disappointed that someone had gotten to them before he did.
Pyro felt sick, suddenly faced with real death. This was not a game anymore. He struggled to keep his composure.
"The Lady..." he said, and Sabertooth glared down as Pyro continued, "The Lady Deathstrike did this. We must be going the right way."
Sabertooth inhaled to catch the Lady's scent...but caught someone else's instead. He began to growl and Pyro glanced at him nervously.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Shut up," Sabertooth said back in a low voice. He breathed in again, and a vicious smile spread over his large mouth.
Wolverine... he thought. He turned and began to walk in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Pyro shouted after him, "Why are you going back? I thought we were..."
Sabertooth cut him off with a roar, and Pyro decided not to argue with the large mutant.
"X-Men," Sabertooth finally replied, "Be ready..."
Pyro snapped his lighter once, and grinned wickedly. He had been waiting for this moment for eight months.
"Don't worry...I am."
***
For about thirty seconds, the control room monitoring the cellblock was in complete chaos. None of the soldiers had time to react as the clawed woman burst through the small door and decimated their ranks.
As the room filled with the scent of coppery blood, Deathstrike strolled calmly to one console and regarded the multiple monitors intently. Most were identical, showing an empty dark cell, until she spotted a screen that was a little more active. She watched the three mutants sitting imprisoned, and was pleased that they all seemed in good condition.
With a quick tapping of keys, Deathstrike accessed control of the cell doors. A few more typing strokes and the red light over the occupied cell turned green. Toad would bring the girl to Magneto, and Deathstrike would ensure it would be without interference by Stryker.
She stood and walked over to another control panel. Only three monitors glowed on the wall above and her eyes focused on the central one. It showed a larger central base of operations, and among the bustling troops stood the General, his arms clasped arrogantly behind his back. She knew she was very close to him now.
With quick fury, Deathstrike tore her claws down through the center monitor, and then headed out to do the same thing to the General.