AN: Thanks for all the reviews! I know how much everyone doesn't like cliffhangers, so here's the next chapter. Be warned: parts of this chapter are far darker than anything else I had written up to this point.
Scott didn't respond at first and Kitty couldn't help but notice that there was something different about him. She would have never described Scott as being vain or conceited, but he did usually take the time to make sure his appearance was neat and presentable. At least, he did usually.
He was currently dressed in a wrinkled, gray shirt that was too large and stained blue jeans that were fraying just along the tops of his dirty, white sneakers. His hair badly needed to be trimmed and there was a small scar on his cheek. The only thing that appeared to be the same was the visor.
"Scott," Jean repeated, stepping forward, "I'm so glad we finally found you." It seemed that differences didn't matter so much to Jean.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Scott began, "that you know my name. I was warned about your abilities."
Jean faltered. "What are you talking about? Don't you remember me? Scott, it's me - Jean."
"There's no use in trying to trick me," he responded, his voice rising slightly, "I told you; I was already warned."
"I don't understand," Jean said.
"Then maybe you'll understand this!" Scott shouted raising his hand to his visor.
Kitty realized what Scott intended to do but Jean seemed to shocked by his behavior to react. Just before the optic blast hit Jean, Kitty grabbed her arm so that the beam passed through Jean rather than actually striking her. Jean gasped as it seemed she now realized that Scott was not kidding.
"Stop!" Jean cried, "Why are you doing this?"
"I want to know what's going on too," Toad said, standing up. Up to this point, he had been watching the whole confrontation as if amazed, "I mean, who are you people?"
"Stay out of this," Scott commanded.
"Are you going to make me?" Toad taunted.
"As a matter of fact," Scott responded, blasting the ground inches from Toad's feet, "I am."
Toad just stood there for a moment and Kitty thought he was going to attempt to face off against Scott, but finally he turned and start walking away. "I don't need this," he said, as he made his away around to the front of the house. Kitty realized that Toad was probably staying there in that messy room upstairs. That explained what he was doing here, but Scott was a different matter. She couldn't figure why he was here and it didn't seem like he and Toad had recognized each other.
Once Toad was gone, Scott turned his attention back towards Jean and Kitty. "Now, where were we?" he questioned, smiling slightly.
"I have no intention of fighting you," Jean stated.
"Shame," Scott responded, "because I do." He shot another blast but this time Jean was more prepared as she telekinetically protected herself. As she had done in their brief struggle with Toad, Jean shoved Scott back, but he wasn't so easy deterred. Quickly, he regained his footing and was on the attack again.
At first, Kitty wasn't sure what to do. Just a few days ago she barely knew how to use her powers as her only experience had been a few times she had accidentally phased through something. Yet, since she had met up with Jean and they had came (returned?) to Bayville, her memories of the institute had become so clear that she now had a fairly good grasp on all of this, although she still found herself hesitant in a battle with a former friend and teammate.
All at once, Jean spoke to her telepathically. "Stand next to me", she said, "and hold onto my arm. When I tell you to phase, do so quickly. I have an idea."
Kitty nodded slightly and moved over behind Jean. Scott fired another blast, but Jean didn't protect them right away. In fact, Kitty was becoming afraid they were about to be hit when Jean finally did protect them. However, it was so very close that it would appear to Scott that they had been hit, especially since Jean began flying quickly backwards as if she had propelled by the shot and Kitty held on to her tightly. They flew back until they came near a large boulder.
"NOW!" Jean cried in Kitty's mind and she phased them inside the boulder.
They waited for a long time, before Kitty peeked out and she saw Scott slowly walking away. Obviously, he had been unable to find them. "What do we do now?" Kitty asked.
"We follow him," Jean replied, "mentally and from a distance. I have a feeling if we do, we'll finally find our answers."
********************
Their trailing of Scott led them back to the two-story house that sat on the same property where the institute had been. From a distance, they saw him enter through the front door as Jean flew them over the tall gate. They didn't dare try following through the front, but Kitty noticed a dark room upstairs. Jean flew them up to the window and Kitty phased them inside.
At first it was almost too dark to see anything except a series of blinking lights of some sort of machine. However, once their eyes adjusted, a horrible sight stretched out before them. There was a series of machines, wires, and devices throughout the room, but it was what these things were connected to that was horrifying. Slowly, Kitty circled around to the front so that she could see his face.
"Kurt," she cried, "What have they done to you?"
She had feared he was dead at first, but as she looked at his face it appeared that he was only unconscious. There were two large cables that were hung from the ceiling that were wrapped around his upper arms so that he was suspended there, his toes a few inches from the floor and was naked except for a pair of old shorts. Wires of various shapes and sizes were attached all over his body. There was a clear tube like an IV inserted in his lower right arm and another such tube that went up a leg of the shorts. However, the most disturbing was two larger tubes that looked like vacuum hoses. One was inserted in the base of his neck and the other had been inserted just below his rib cage. Kitty stepped closer, careful not to trip over the wires and she could see dried blood around the edges of the tubes.
"Don't worry, Kurt," she whispered, tears welling up in her, "I'll get you down from there." She reached up, prepared to take Kurt's hand and to phase him out of the wires and tubes, but Jean grabbed her arm.
"Wait," Jean began.
"Wait for what?" Kitty demanded.
Just then, a noise from outside the room distracted them. Someone was walking towards the room.
I hope you enjoyed chapter 6. I should have chapter 7 done soon. This story will probably have only 8 chapters. (I have to say probably because I sometimes change my mind where to end the chapter.)
