Steph sat, staring at the moving wall, Ruhko asleep on the floor next to her. She was exhausted physically and mentally and emotionally, but the worry she felt for Hank refused to leave, even when she kept assuring herself that he'd be safe. Sooner or later- Hank would come through, even better than he was before- and they'd get out together.

But apparently whatever they were doing with him wasn't finished yet, and soon Ruhko woke up and started talking. Steph managed to tear her eyes from the wall as Ruhko sat in her lap, and they discussed a variety of things. Though Ruhko couldn't remember what had happened the last time she was in these labs she could smell her scent in the rooms where they had drugged her.

"I felt good again," was all she said when Steph asked her what happened this time. Steph gave her a hug, which Ruhko returned carefully, like Hank had being careful around her injuries.

"So what was goin' on with Blue?" she asked. "I saw 'im leavin' the cell, walkin', with a whole bunch o' those guards. Why'd he give up?" Steph shook her head and sighed.

"He didn't give up," she said. "He was lookin' after me, they threatened me if he wouldn't go, n' so he went quietly... idiot."

"Ya knew he would though," Ruhko said knowledgably. "Ya knew he'd go, 'cause he loves ya so much." Then she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "It's gross." Steph laughed softly as she grabbed the tongue, making Ruhko squeal.

"What this?" Steph asked. "A wise liddle brat? What would you know 'bout Hank lovin' me?" Ruhko managed to pull her tongue back and she grinned mischievously.

"I know he smells funny whenever he's near ya," she said mischievously. "N' a blind guy could tell he don't look at ya like he looks at anyone else, n' what's with all that touching?"

"Show how much you know," Steph said, color rising to her cheeks as she coughed slightly. "Hank always smells funny- he doesn't always shampoo 'is fur enough, n' accourse we look at eachother different n' touch- we're best friends."

"Huh," Ruhko said, emphasizing the sarcasm in the one syllable but not pushing the subject. She looked sideways at Steph, taking her hand with both small ones. "Ya need t' sleep Teffie, ya look like yer 'bout t' fall over."

"Can't sleep," Steph murmured, though her eyelids had been drooping for some time. "Too tired." Ruhko snorted again when suddenly she spun around, having already noticed the wall starting to move back.

Jumping up from Steph's lap she unsheathed all six claws, growling at the black armored men as they came forward, then gasping as they tossed Hank into the cell. The blue man hit the floor and bounced slightly in a broken heap, finally stopping and lying completely still. Ruhko sniffed him and then yelled out, charging at the guards. One calmly raised a stunner and shot the girl, making her yelp out and back off.

"Ruhko!" Steph cried, scrambling over as Ruhko fell backwards on her butt. The sudden movements had reopened many of the cuts on her back, but even as the blood started to seep out Steph didn't notice and couldn't care.

"Ow!" Ruhko said, then shook her head. "I'm fine, check Blue-" and Steph, not even thinking anymore, dropped down beside Hank, who was lying on his back, out cold.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered, checking for a pulse and breathing. Both were feint, but there. Steph grabbed on of his hands as she kneeled by his chest, staring at the pained face of her best friend. "C'mon Hank!" she said, pleading now. "Wake up!"

"Teffie- he looks bad...." Ruhko said softly from right next to Steph, who didn't even hear her, the tears starting to well up in her eyes again.

"C'mon, come back t' me," she said whispered. "Ya promised you would, Hank, n' ya never broke a promise before!" Hank didn't move, and slowly, as if in half time Steph crumpled and fell down, her head landing on his chest as she held on to his hand, shoulders shaking even though she couldn't find the tears to cry.

Slowly the bleeding on her back had drained away everything inside of her, as the men who had started everything took it all from around her. The black void inside of her that she hadn't been able to concede to before rushed up, overwhelming her.

Ruhko put a hand on her back, then looked up to see that all but one guard had left. To her surprise the guard had removed his helmet, revealing a young man no older than twenty five. He was staring at Steph and Hank as if transfixed by them, an expression of fascination, fear, and surprisingly deep regret written all over his features. Then he locked gazes with Ruhko, who stared back, looking lost and confused.

"Why?" she asked. "Why Blue? Why'd ya take Blue from my sister?" The man suddenly looked ashamed.

"I didn't know it would be like this," he muttered. When he looked back, his eyes were full of determination as he strode into the room. Ruhko's claws shot out, but he paused, holding out his gun to her.

"What?" she said.

"I just wanna help," the man said, taking a small device out as Ruhko took the gun uncertainly he showed it to her. "It will get the collars off, don't move." With that he bent over Ruhko and the device buzzed. A second later the collar fell off and clunked on the floor. Quickly the man removed Steph and Hank's collars.

"Listen kid," the man said quietly, picking up the disabled collars and looking at a disbelieving Ruhko. "You hold on to your sister and her boyfriend, and you hold on tight, hear? I'm gonna get you home, but you need to hold on to them tight or they'll be left behind, and I can't get them back." Ruhko nodded and grabbed Steph's arm and Hank's wrist, right above where their hands were interlocked. The guard nodded and walked over to a wall outside the cell, going over to a small, barely noticeable panel in the wall and pressed a few buttons.

"Voice confirmation," a mechanical voice said.

"Jason G'varriet," the man said.

"Confirmation complete, instructions?"

"Reverse teleportation 534, send the mutants in cell block G44 to original detainment location, then delete all teleportation codes and other-" Ruhko lost track of what he was saying from there, but as the man turned away from the panel he had a triumphant look in his eyes.

"Commands received, re-teleporting inhabitants to original location," the computer said.

"Fool!" A voice down the hall screamed. Ruhko watched, horrified, as the man who had saved them turned to the left, then suddenly crumpled, a bullet going straight through the middle of his chest.

Then Ruhko saw no more, suddenly finding herself falling and falling into a blackness more absolute than anything else, the shouts dying above them as she clung on to Steph and Hank.