"I'm guessing you couldn't help us out with any light?" Alyx ventured as
they encroached on the darkness more.
"Oh." Chiara said, realizing she was talking to her. "Sure." Technically she had never created her own light before. She reached out a palm and closed her eyes, concentrating on sending potential energy through her veins to her hand.
She opened her eyes again, surprisingly pleased to see a cluster of sparks about her skin, entwined with her fingers. She smiled and looked at the other two. They didn't return her look of success, they kept heading into the dark.
"Alyx! Twist! Chiara!" a voice suddenly called ahead of them.
"Streak?" Chiara called, her steps picking up. Streak appeared out of the dim. Her eyes were the same shade as grass. She gave a grateful smile and awkwardly locked the three of them in a hug.
With some anatomic persuasion Chiara was able to place sparks around the tunnels, providing some light. Younger students were sitting, huddled together. Streak was doing an amazing job of keeping them from panic. Half of them fell asleep within minutes of her assurance.
"Kurt bamfed down a few minutes before you arrived." She said to the other three when the students had quieted down. "He said Cyclops has the place near secure. Logan and Storm got back just in the nick of time." She smiled. "But... there are some missing students."
Chiara didn't have to ask if Yuako was one of them. From the determination of the one intruder who'd knocked her out and then chased them, she was already a hundred miles again. She shuddered, freezing cold in her pajamas.
"Silence?" Twist said with a note of urgency, taking Streak's shoulders. "Streak? Is Silence up there? Is he helping?" Streak looked worried. Her eyes changed to match. She shook her head.
"I... I don't know." She said slowly. Twist let go of her. She looked back at the dark way they'd come and begin walking.
"Twist! No! You can't!" Alyx shouted after her, but Twist was going to fast.
"Twist!" Streak joined. She reached out a hand, stopping Twist in place with her mind. Twist seemed to struggle against the psychic force. She threw Streak a crimson, but teary eyed, glare and finally returned.
She crumbled against the tunnel wall, near tears. Alyx looked at Chiara and Streak before going to sit with her.
"Yuako?" Streak asked.
"She... she was taken down." Chiara said, trying to make some memory in her mind that Yuako had gotten back up and was running after them. "She... they put something in her arm." She tried again, voice shaking.
Something above them slid open and light filtered into the tunnel shaft. The students shifted out the way to see who was up there.
"They're down there." Said a deep voice. Chiara immediately recognized it as Logan's. Several of the students were smiling, whispering his name in relief. There was the grinding noise of a ladder being lowered down against the metal opening. One by one they began to climb up. Eventually, Chiara's head finally crested into the fresh night air. Kurt offered her a hoof and she pulled herself up. She looked up at the starry sky and then over at the mansion.
A near blinding sight met her eyes. There were two great fumes of smoke rising from the room. The wooden building looked damaged. The grass was glittery with broken window glass. Chiara looked over at Streak who shook her head.
Two figures appeared from the shadows of the school, coming towards them.
"Logan!" one called. It was Add and Simon.
"What'd Cyclops get you down on?" Logan asked immediately.
"Attendance." Simon said. "By count, everyone's here, but five students are missing." Chiara's ears pricked at Simon's words. Logan turned to look at him sharply.
"Who?!" he exclaimed. Almost everyone was listening. Simon seemed to well understand that. He let out a deep breath and looked at the board he was carrying.
"Lucea Windle, Gaudi Von Goeth. Cathrine Wood, Mingmei Yuako and Boyd Michaels." He said with an attitude of admittance. There were several whispery outbreaks of talking from the field of students. Chiara frowned. She'd known all of them, even if only a little.
She looked back at Streak again. Her eyes were closed, but she was sure they'd be pale blue with sadness. Behind her Twist was crying, Alyx was comforting her, but solemn looking herself.
"Where are they?!" Logan continued.
"We dunno." Add interjected. "But Storm's got one of the dead attackers. She and the Professor and going to test the uniform for a location." He shrugged. Logan paused.
"Thank you." He said, frowning. He turned his head, pulled out a lighter and lit a cigar.
"Oh." Chiara said, realizing she was talking to her. "Sure." Technically she had never created her own light before. She reached out a palm and closed her eyes, concentrating on sending potential energy through her veins to her hand.
She opened her eyes again, surprisingly pleased to see a cluster of sparks about her skin, entwined with her fingers. She smiled and looked at the other two. They didn't return her look of success, they kept heading into the dark.
"Alyx! Twist! Chiara!" a voice suddenly called ahead of them.
"Streak?" Chiara called, her steps picking up. Streak appeared out of the dim. Her eyes were the same shade as grass. She gave a grateful smile and awkwardly locked the three of them in a hug.
With some anatomic persuasion Chiara was able to place sparks around the tunnels, providing some light. Younger students were sitting, huddled together. Streak was doing an amazing job of keeping them from panic. Half of them fell asleep within minutes of her assurance.
"Kurt bamfed down a few minutes before you arrived." She said to the other three when the students had quieted down. "He said Cyclops has the place near secure. Logan and Storm got back just in the nick of time." She smiled. "But... there are some missing students."
Chiara didn't have to ask if Yuako was one of them. From the determination of the one intruder who'd knocked her out and then chased them, she was already a hundred miles again. She shuddered, freezing cold in her pajamas.
"Silence?" Twist said with a note of urgency, taking Streak's shoulders. "Streak? Is Silence up there? Is he helping?" Streak looked worried. Her eyes changed to match. She shook her head.
"I... I don't know." She said slowly. Twist let go of her. She looked back at the dark way they'd come and begin walking.
"Twist! No! You can't!" Alyx shouted after her, but Twist was going to fast.
"Twist!" Streak joined. She reached out a hand, stopping Twist in place with her mind. Twist seemed to struggle against the psychic force. She threw Streak a crimson, but teary eyed, glare and finally returned.
She crumbled against the tunnel wall, near tears. Alyx looked at Chiara and Streak before going to sit with her.
"Yuako?" Streak asked.
"She... she was taken down." Chiara said, trying to make some memory in her mind that Yuako had gotten back up and was running after them. "She... they put something in her arm." She tried again, voice shaking.
Something above them slid open and light filtered into the tunnel shaft. The students shifted out the way to see who was up there.
"They're down there." Said a deep voice. Chiara immediately recognized it as Logan's. Several of the students were smiling, whispering his name in relief. There was the grinding noise of a ladder being lowered down against the metal opening. One by one they began to climb up. Eventually, Chiara's head finally crested into the fresh night air. Kurt offered her a hoof and she pulled herself up. She looked up at the starry sky and then over at the mansion.
A near blinding sight met her eyes. There were two great fumes of smoke rising from the room. The wooden building looked damaged. The grass was glittery with broken window glass. Chiara looked over at Streak who shook her head.
Two figures appeared from the shadows of the school, coming towards them.
"Logan!" one called. It was Add and Simon.
"What'd Cyclops get you down on?" Logan asked immediately.
"Attendance." Simon said. "By count, everyone's here, but five students are missing." Chiara's ears pricked at Simon's words. Logan turned to look at him sharply.
"Who?!" he exclaimed. Almost everyone was listening. Simon seemed to well understand that. He let out a deep breath and looked at the board he was carrying.
"Lucea Windle, Gaudi Von Goeth. Cathrine Wood, Mingmei Yuako and Boyd Michaels." He said with an attitude of admittance. There were several whispery outbreaks of talking from the field of students. Chiara frowned. She'd known all of them, even if only a little.
She looked back at Streak again. Her eyes were closed, but she was sure they'd be pale blue with sadness. Behind her Twist was crying, Alyx was comforting her, but solemn looking herself.
"Where are they?!" Logan continued.
"We dunno." Add interjected. "But Storm's got one of the dead attackers. She and the Professor and going to test the uniform for a location." He shrugged. Logan paused.
"Thank you." He said, frowning. He turned his head, pulled out a lighter and lit a cigar.