Disclaimer- I do not own any familiar names that have appeared in X-Men
Evolution or Marvel Comics. The poem in this story is called 'Sea Lullaby'
by Elinor Wylie. I do not own 'The Lion King'
Author's Notes- Sorry, this chapter has a few cuss words in it. If you're uncomfortable with that, I tried to keep it to a minimum.
Chapter Three- Cells and Familiar Faces
No one rebelled as the FoH members escorted them in. What would they struggle for? They knew if they fought or struggled in any way they would dig themselves a deeper hole than what they were already in.
To be honest, they were scared. This was one of the most frightening things that had ever happened to either of them.
Todd Tolensky had never been so afraid in his life. He ordered himself not to shake. He was sure the guard had some sort of smirk on his face as he felt the Toad's whole body quiver under his hand.
They led them down a long hallway. All Todd could concentrate on was that the clicking of the feet on the floor matched the thumping of his heart.
They continued walking. The only thing Todd looked at was his feet as they walked down the dark slate tiles. His eyes moved forward slightly and watched the other pairs of footsteps walking.
A bald agent reached to his side and pulled out a black walkie-talkie. He pressed a button on it and static could be heard at first. "Kolinsky here. We got the mutants. Bringing them down now. Over."
They continued walking.
Todd finally had the courage to look up and at the other companions. Ahead of him was a woman he recognized as Sheila Dunphrey, and next to her was the very tall Peter Stusche. To Todd's right was Marla Conner, who was only four foot eleven inches and twenty-three years old. He chanced a look behind him and saw Niles Singer, but he was told sharply to turn his head around. So to his left must be Pietro.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw him. He inclined his head slightly to his left to look at him better. His whole face from the nose and down and to his chest was covered in dried blood from a very obvious heavy nosebleed. He didn't seem bothered that he was covered with blood, which surprised Todd. Pietro was always a neat and tidy person- even though he had done little to nothing when they were 'cleaning' their house- and he especially always kept up a neat appearance. He was staring straight ahead, seemingly seeing nothing. Todd wondered if he was as afraid as he was at the moment.
The mutants and the agents went through a steel door and down a staircase. The walls were clean, the floor and stairs were shiny, and the rails didn't even have any smudges or fingerprints on them. They kept walking down the flights of stairs.
They were led through a door to their right and the wall color became beige and the floor color some shade of teal. The lights above their heads were flickering and there were other hallways and doors. They were led to the right again down another hallway and then to the left.
They kept going when they were finally led to a room. Inside the room were five more agents. They were holding guns in their hands and they glared at the mutants that entered with such loathing that it seemed to freeze the room with the coldness of the stare.
Three men came in through the other door across the room. Two Todd recognized as Gyrich and Trask. The third he did not.
"Stryker," said Trask, "these are the mutants from the prison. Sheila Dunphrey could make purple energy orbs with her hands and when she releases the energy they make a violent tremor in the room. The bigger the orb, the more violent the tremor or vibration is. Peter Stusche can stretch any part of his body for a certain length. Marla Conner has abnormally high agility and super strength. Pietro Maximoff has super speed, so his legs are stronger than most people's put together. Niles Singer can stun you just by looking at him, and Todd Tolensky is basically like an amphibian. He hops great distances; he could grab onto anything with his tongue, climb walls, and shoot slime out of his mouth. He also has a very low hygiene."
Stryker looked at the six mutants in front of him. He turned to Pietro, stared at him straight in the eye, and suddenly impacted his fist in his gut, sending Pietro doubling over with tears in his eyes and giving him a coughing fit.
The agent holding Pietro made him immediately stand upright. Stryker hit him again. He then spat at his feet.
"I think we should lock them up now," Stryker suggested to Trask and Gyrich. The agents then shoved the mutants in front of them and led them to even lower floors.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pietro was led to a dark and grubby cell. The walls underground were made of cement or concrete and had stains on them. In some spots, there was water dripping. He vaguely felt the handcuffs being released from his wrists. He was the only person who was forced into this cell and he watched as the last two mutants were led further down the hall. He felt like crying.
Suddenly he heard a scuffling noise in a corner. His head snapped to the general direction from where it came.
"Who-Who's there?" he called out feebly.
The lights flickered on. In the back corner to his left was a young woman whose hand hovered above a light switch. Her hair was long and red but slightly matted. She turned her head towards him and he saw a very pretty face and blue-green eyes. A face he knew. . .
"Grey? Jean Grey?" He voiced in disbelief.
She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Pietro. It's good to see you again."
He was actually glad she was here. Him, Pietro Maximoff, was glad that *Jean Grey* was there with him. Someone he knew besides Toad was here. . .
"How-How'd you get here?" he asked, crawling over to her. She was wearing a gray suit much like his orange one from jail. There was a patch that was stitched on where the left breast was on her outfit. It read: JG010247
"I was walking from the mall with Amara, Roberto, Jubilee, and Bobby. I was getting a birthday present for Scott so he wasn't with me," her voice choked a bit. "They caught them too. They just. . . jumped us. We didn't have a chance to defend ourselves."
"We didn't either. Todd and I shouldn't have even been in prison. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time. . ." Pietro told her, the image of the memory flashing across his mind's eye.
* * * "Come on Todd! We need to get home so Lance won't kill us," Pietro walked ahead of Todd, carrying groceries. Todd was struggling with a few bags behind him. They both had extra cash in their pockets that they didn't have when they first left the house.
"I'm trying, yo!" Todd muffled reply came.
"Hurry up! Must I slow my pace down for *everyone*?" Pietro snapped. He slowed down for Todd, but spotted several police cars by the town's bank.
"Hey, Toad!" he called back, "I'll be over there. I'm gonna go check it out!"
Using his super speed he was there in about a millisecond. He was looking around and a little while later Todd came up behind him, panting.
"What happened?" Todd asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Pietro snapped irritably.
"I wasn't blaming you!" Todd snarled back.
They found themselves suddenly tackled to the ground. A foot was placed on their backs holding each of them down and a gun was trained at the back of their head.
"You have the right to remain silent," an angry voice said, "Anything you say can be used against you."
"What'd we do, yo?" shrieked Todd as the officer holding him down roughly grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back, putting manacles on him.
"You were at the scene of the crime. You could have robbed this bank. Check their pockets." They felt the extra bills being pulled out of their pockets from when they were pick-pocketing for some cash earlier. "Bring them in."
"What!" Pietro yelled, his temper rising. "We didn't do a fucking thing! What the hell is going on?! What are you doing?"
"They're mutants, they had to have something to do with the bank robbery." One of the officers said.
"We didn't do anything!" Todd hollered as the officer pushed his head down while he was being shoved forcefully in the car. The same was done to Pietro.* * *
"How long have you been here, Jean?" Pietro asked the redhead after he was done reminiscing about the day he and Todd were arrested.
Jean cocked her head to the side. "About two weeks."
Pietro was about to say something when a voice in the other corner was chanting some kind of verse:
The old moon is tarnished
With smoke of the flood,
The dead leaves are varnished
With color like blood,
The voice belonged to a little girl of about nine with tan skin and black hair. She seemed to have been here longer than the others.
Jean looked at the little girl. "That's Nala. Her mother named her after the lion in 'The Lion King'. She'll say some poems once in awhile."
A treacherous smiler
With teeth white as milk,
A savage beguiler
In sheathings of silk,
The sea creeps to pillage,
She leaps on her prey;
A child of the village
Was murdered today.
Pietro watched, mesmerized, as the little girl's dull dark eyes began to brighten.
She came up to meet him
In a smooth golden cloak,
She choked him and beat him
To death, for a joke.
Her bright locks were tangled,
She shouted for joy,
With one hand she strangled
A strong little boy.
He watched, as the little girl seemed to become more alive, as the corners of her lips tugged up slightly as she rehearsed the poem from memory.
Now in silence she lingers
Beside him all night
To wash her long fingers
In silvery light.
Her eyes turned to Pietro when she finished her poem.
"My name is Nala and I am nine," she said cheerfully. "That was called 'Sea Lullaby'. Momma used to sing it to me every night before I went to sleep."
She suddenly broke down in heart-wrenching sobs.
And all Pietro and Jean could do was watch, as the world seemed to change around them; no longer peaceful and no longer carefree or safe. It wasn't like what it was when they were in high school, and they had to learn to accept that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N- I hoped you liked this chapter. As you noticed, I had a little point- of-view thingy from Todd. But unfortunately I cannot stay away from Pietro for too long. Please read & review and check out my other stories!
Author's Notes- Sorry, this chapter has a few cuss words in it. If you're uncomfortable with that, I tried to keep it to a minimum.
Chapter Three- Cells and Familiar Faces
No one rebelled as the FoH members escorted them in. What would they struggle for? They knew if they fought or struggled in any way they would dig themselves a deeper hole than what they were already in.
To be honest, they were scared. This was one of the most frightening things that had ever happened to either of them.
Todd Tolensky had never been so afraid in his life. He ordered himself not to shake. He was sure the guard had some sort of smirk on his face as he felt the Toad's whole body quiver under his hand.
They led them down a long hallway. All Todd could concentrate on was that the clicking of the feet on the floor matched the thumping of his heart.
They continued walking. The only thing Todd looked at was his feet as they walked down the dark slate tiles. His eyes moved forward slightly and watched the other pairs of footsteps walking.
A bald agent reached to his side and pulled out a black walkie-talkie. He pressed a button on it and static could be heard at first. "Kolinsky here. We got the mutants. Bringing them down now. Over."
They continued walking.
Todd finally had the courage to look up and at the other companions. Ahead of him was a woman he recognized as Sheila Dunphrey, and next to her was the very tall Peter Stusche. To Todd's right was Marla Conner, who was only four foot eleven inches and twenty-three years old. He chanced a look behind him and saw Niles Singer, but he was told sharply to turn his head around. So to his left must be Pietro.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw him. He inclined his head slightly to his left to look at him better. His whole face from the nose and down and to his chest was covered in dried blood from a very obvious heavy nosebleed. He didn't seem bothered that he was covered with blood, which surprised Todd. Pietro was always a neat and tidy person- even though he had done little to nothing when they were 'cleaning' their house- and he especially always kept up a neat appearance. He was staring straight ahead, seemingly seeing nothing. Todd wondered if he was as afraid as he was at the moment.
The mutants and the agents went through a steel door and down a staircase. The walls were clean, the floor and stairs were shiny, and the rails didn't even have any smudges or fingerprints on them. They kept walking down the flights of stairs.
They were led through a door to their right and the wall color became beige and the floor color some shade of teal. The lights above their heads were flickering and there were other hallways and doors. They were led to the right again down another hallway and then to the left.
They kept going when they were finally led to a room. Inside the room were five more agents. They were holding guns in their hands and they glared at the mutants that entered with such loathing that it seemed to freeze the room with the coldness of the stare.
Three men came in through the other door across the room. Two Todd recognized as Gyrich and Trask. The third he did not.
"Stryker," said Trask, "these are the mutants from the prison. Sheila Dunphrey could make purple energy orbs with her hands and when she releases the energy they make a violent tremor in the room. The bigger the orb, the more violent the tremor or vibration is. Peter Stusche can stretch any part of his body for a certain length. Marla Conner has abnormally high agility and super strength. Pietro Maximoff has super speed, so his legs are stronger than most people's put together. Niles Singer can stun you just by looking at him, and Todd Tolensky is basically like an amphibian. He hops great distances; he could grab onto anything with his tongue, climb walls, and shoot slime out of his mouth. He also has a very low hygiene."
Stryker looked at the six mutants in front of him. He turned to Pietro, stared at him straight in the eye, and suddenly impacted his fist in his gut, sending Pietro doubling over with tears in his eyes and giving him a coughing fit.
The agent holding Pietro made him immediately stand upright. Stryker hit him again. He then spat at his feet.
"I think we should lock them up now," Stryker suggested to Trask and Gyrich. The agents then shoved the mutants in front of them and led them to even lower floors.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pietro was led to a dark and grubby cell. The walls underground were made of cement or concrete and had stains on them. In some spots, there was water dripping. He vaguely felt the handcuffs being released from his wrists. He was the only person who was forced into this cell and he watched as the last two mutants were led further down the hall. He felt like crying.
Suddenly he heard a scuffling noise in a corner. His head snapped to the general direction from where it came.
"Who-Who's there?" he called out feebly.
The lights flickered on. In the back corner to his left was a young woman whose hand hovered above a light switch. Her hair was long and red but slightly matted. She turned her head towards him and he saw a very pretty face and blue-green eyes. A face he knew. . .
"Grey? Jean Grey?" He voiced in disbelief.
She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Pietro. It's good to see you again."
He was actually glad she was here. Him, Pietro Maximoff, was glad that *Jean Grey* was there with him. Someone he knew besides Toad was here. . .
"How-How'd you get here?" he asked, crawling over to her. She was wearing a gray suit much like his orange one from jail. There was a patch that was stitched on where the left breast was on her outfit. It read: JG010247
"I was walking from the mall with Amara, Roberto, Jubilee, and Bobby. I was getting a birthday present for Scott so he wasn't with me," her voice choked a bit. "They caught them too. They just. . . jumped us. We didn't have a chance to defend ourselves."
"We didn't either. Todd and I shouldn't have even been in prison. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time. . ." Pietro told her, the image of the memory flashing across his mind's eye.
* * * "Come on Todd! We need to get home so Lance won't kill us," Pietro walked ahead of Todd, carrying groceries. Todd was struggling with a few bags behind him. They both had extra cash in their pockets that they didn't have when they first left the house.
"I'm trying, yo!" Todd muffled reply came.
"Hurry up! Must I slow my pace down for *everyone*?" Pietro snapped. He slowed down for Todd, but spotted several police cars by the town's bank.
"Hey, Toad!" he called back, "I'll be over there. I'm gonna go check it out!"
Using his super speed he was there in about a millisecond. He was looking around and a little while later Todd came up behind him, panting.
"What happened?" Todd asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Pietro snapped irritably.
"I wasn't blaming you!" Todd snarled back.
They found themselves suddenly tackled to the ground. A foot was placed on their backs holding each of them down and a gun was trained at the back of their head.
"You have the right to remain silent," an angry voice said, "Anything you say can be used against you."
"What'd we do, yo?" shrieked Todd as the officer holding him down roughly grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back, putting manacles on him.
"You were at the scene of the crime. You could have robbed this bank. Check their pockets." They felt the extra bills being pulled out of their pockets from when they were pick-pocketing for some cash earlier. "Bring them in."
"What!" Pietro yelled, his temper rising. "We didn't do a fucking thing! What the hell is going on?! What are you doing?"
"They're mutants, they had to have something to do with the bank robbery." One of the officers said.
"We didn't do anything!" Todd hollered as the officer pushed his head down while he was being shoved forcefully in the car. The same was done to Pietro.* * *
"How long have you been here, Jean?" Pietro asked the redhead after he was done reminiscing about the day he and Todd were arrested.
Jean cocked her head to the side. "About two weeks."
Pietro was about to say something when a voice in the other corner was chanting some kind of verse:
The old moon is tarnished
With smoke of the flood,
The dead leaves are varnished
With color like blood,
The voice belonged to a little girl of about nine with tan skin and black hair. She seemed to have been here longer than the others.
Jean looked at the little girl. "That's Nala. Her mother named her after the lion in 'The Lion King'. She'll say some poems once in awhile."
A treacherous smiler
With teeth white as milk,
A savage beguiler
In sheathings of silk,
The sea creeps to pillage,
She leaps on her prey;
A child of the village
Was murdered today.
Pietro watched, mesmerized, as the little girl's dull dark eyes began to brighten.
She came up to meet him
In a smooth golden cloak,
She choked him and beat him
To death, for a joke.
Her bright locks were tangled,
She shouted for joy,
With one hand she strangled
A strong little boy.
He watched, as the little girl seemed to become more alive, as the corners of her lips tugged up slightly as she rehearsed the poem from memory.
Now in silence she lingers
Beside him all night
To wash her long fingers
In silvery light.
Her eyes turned to Pietro when she finished her poem.
"My name is Nala and I am nine," she said cheerfully. "That was called 'Sea Lullaby'. Momma used to sing it to me every night before I went to sleep."
She suddenly broke down in heart-wrenching sobs.
And all Pietro and Jean could do was watch, as the world seemed to change around them; no longer peaceful and no longer carefree or safe. It wasn't like what it was when they were in high school, and they had to learn to accept that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N- I hoped you liked this chapter. As you noticed, I had a little point- of-view thingy from Todd. But unfortunately I cannot stay away from Pietro for too long. Please read & review and check out my other stories!