Chapter two
Ta-da! Chap two ready to go thank you A for commenting on both of my stories know if there were more reviewers like that out there then every single fan author would live a satisfied life. Please even if it's just to type in a single letter I need to know if people are reading these or not. If you don't like this story then I suggest Scribblers work it's amazing. Thanks- Aeo
"Not again." Kitty rubbed the back of her head gingerly where it had been bumped and slowly sat up, blinking away flashes of brightly coloured light that flickered at the edge of her vision. "Jube, do you have to sit directly in front of me when I have a pounding headache." She rubbed her temples squinting as Jubilee grinned brightening up the end of the truck again before whispering "Sorry." Kitty grinned back and reached forward expecting to just keep going until she tapped Jubilee but she encountered cold steel first. "Do you think you could brighten just a lightly bit Jube." The end lit up slightly and kitty could make out the rough image of cages all around her. Focusing on the one beside her she glimpsed a tentacle and reached out to try to tap Jean but she was to far away. "Psst, Jean wake up." Jean mumbled something and twisted in her sleep. "Jean, Jean, JEAN!"
Kitty shook the bars of her cage and there were sleepy mumbles and Jean slowly sat up "Kitty what's" she froze, her head tilted to the back of the truck as someone beat the wall with their fist yelling at the top of their voice. "Keep it quiet back there! It's hard enough lugging an entire shipment without all of that yammering." There was silence for a couple of seconds and Bobby suddenly yelled back. "Then set us free!" The driver gave a hoarse bark of laughter and the second man opened a small door into the cargo area carrying the small control rods. Kitty stopped breathing for a second recognizing the grim face of the soldier that had caught her at the house.
"It's the star soldier!" Amara also recognized him and lunged at him through the bars her flame scorching the top of her cage, but the man just tapped a button on the rod and Amara scrunched into a small ball of pain and shivered for a couple of seconds before slowly uncoiling with a rasp of scales rubbing against each other that surprised Kitty until she saw the individual scales marked on her arm in the bright light. The rod ran along the bars of the cages and most of the captives drew back as the soldier came closer, until he stopped in front of Kitty's cage. "Ah so here you are." Her ears went flat and she crouched against the floor of the cage, snarling soundlessly at the soldier.
He tilted his head and leaned against the side of the cage just in time to brace himself for the jerking stop of the truck. Kitty was thrown into the back of her cage with a thud and from the yelps and small yells so was everybody else. "Finally." The soldier grunted kicking open the doors in an explosion of light that blinded Kitty and the rest of the captives. With a loud crunch a ramp extended from the back and was caught by Circle who had been the driver. "You couldn't have waited." He yelled at Star who scowled at him and shoved Jubilee's cage down the ramp. She tensed into a ball but was quickly loaded onto a smaller pick-up truck. Kitty shut her eyes and hugged the bars of her cage hurtling down the ramp like it was a snowy hill and she was on a sled. When she opened her eyes again they were jolting along a rocky path towards what looked like a long stable.
"Kitty? You ok?" Jean kneeled to stay balanced as they jolted up and down. "Besides a major bump on my head I'm fine." She rubbed her head and reached out to grab Kurt as he slid beside her. "Kurt, have you seen Rogue?" She bit her lip hoping her friend had escaped. Kurt nodded and as they thumped to a stop he whispered in her ear. "She's a new test subject." Kitty's mouth instantly became a desert and she was quickly snapped back to reality by the horrible smell that was coming from the building. It looked like one of the old zoos with concrete walls, bared doors and straw bedding that should have been replaced months ago. In the cages were any creature imaginable with chimpanzees swinging from crude swings and tigers pacing anxiously back and forth as well as any animal in between.
Kitty's eyes watered and she clasped her hands tight over nose to try to keep the smell out. The humans seemed unaffected by the smell and had started the truck again to turn down a small side path that led to a new area filled with empty cages. The truck stopped again and this time the two soldiers came out, dressed in matching green polo shirts and tan pants. Starting at with the first container, they carried the remaining team to separate pens and after unlatching the cage, slid it neatly in. After all of the new students were secured they moved on to the remaining x-men. Kitty tensed against the bars again as they lifted her cage up and carefully slid it into one of the empty pens with the door to the cage slightly open. She quickly rolled out and dashed to the front of her pen to see what happened to the rest.
Kurt was tossed into the pen adjacent to hers and Jean was slid in one down. "Should we open the doors now?" Kitty's ears perked up and she turned around to see if they meant the cage doors but as they disappeared behind a section of the wall, she sat against the back wall cradling her head in her hands. "Cheer up Kätzchen." Kurt called from across the way in a sing-song voice that made her giggle, as she returned to the mesh to grin at him. "Since our power's stronger could we maybe break through the tattoos restraint?" she asked Jean craning her head to see two of her tentacles peering through the mesh. "Somewhat but yours and Kurt's won't, I don't think." She chewed her lip and tapped her foot with Kurt imitating her startling another giggle out of Kitty as she tried to listen to Jean's explanation. "I can hear surface thoughts like someone's mumbling close by but I can't manipulate them."
Kitty's ears swivelled around as the sounds of people, lots of people, were coming their way. "Hide!" Kurt whispered urgently as he tried to find a place to hide in. Kitty frantically scanned her pen but there was nothing to hide in or under. She quickly ducked into the cage and winced knowing it was a bad place with the light shinning directly onto her fur. "Look Honey." Kitty peered out to see a mother and her child inspecting Amara. She snarled and a crest of spines rose down the centre of her forehead as they rudely stared at her. "These types are very rare only a couple have been found and this ones going up for auction today."
The hallway resounded in cries and yells as all of the team jumped out and scowled at the mother and her son as they continued down the hallway, the mother worriedly holding her son close. "Wait!" Kitty stood at the mesh and called after them, wanting answers to questions they all had. "Who called?" The women had twisted around and was scanning the room again until her eyes locked with Kitty's. "Did you speak?" She seemed breathless and strode back to Kitty's cage in amazement as Kitty nodded and opened her mouth to say more before being cut off by one of the soldiers. "Amazing creatures aren't they, able to parrot any word they hear." He stroked to top button of his rod and Kitty shivered as the lady hesitantly smiled "I'm sure it's quite interesting but we have to go prepare for the auction." She quickly shooed her son away from Kurt's cage and they both strode out the back door.
The Soldier turned around with the rod in his hand ready to beat Kitty but she had disappeared into the small cage she had come in bringing most of the straw with her for camouflage. He snorted and glared at Kurt who just idly stood on his hands and pulled a hideous face at him. With an angry growl he stormed out of the hall and left the captives alone save each other. "Is he gone?" Kitty shivered in her hiding place as Kurt called back. "Ja, he is." She cautiously crept out and crouched on the top of the small cage worrying her lip as Kurt stared thoughtfully at her. "More are coming!" Jamie sniffed the air smelling the people approach long before any of the others heard or saw them. Jamie and Jubilee bolted again but the rest stood in plain sight.
Amara settled in a meditative position, closing her eyes in what seemed like sleep unless you watched her knuckles turn lighter and lighter as she clenched them angrily. Roberto leaned against the wall of his cell and grinned menacingly at the people who walked past, who nervously backed away. Kurt sat on the top of his cage and softly muttered to himself in German, before rolling his eyes back and opening his mouth wide with his tongue sticking straight out, looking possessed or insane. Kitty and Jean crouched or sat on the top on their cages looking curiously at the many people who were passing through. Kitty grinned as Kurt yelled and half of the passer-by's shrieked, he had often down that on Halloween, scaring Tricker-treaters out of their wits. "Hi." Her ears turned first followed by her head which drew a giggle from the small girl who was clutching the mesh front covering.
She smiled and jumped down from the top of cage, creeping across the floor on all fours. She knelt by the girl and gently rubbed the small fingers with the back of her own, bringing a finger to her lips as the little girl was about to squeal in excitement. "Look a friendly one!" The little girl's older brother pushed past her, knocking her to the floor in the process. Her eyes filled with tears but she quickly got up and stared sadly at Kitty who stared straight back and gave her a small grin. The girl returned it with a watery smile and dashed back through the crowd towards her mother. Kitty's heart clenched as she remembered her own family and she sighed wistfully, watching the crowd close up around the little girl and turned her attention back to the brother.
With two missing front teeth and a mop of curly, dirty blond hair he looked more like cleaning tool then a kid as he rattled the mesh causing her ears to go back and she clapped her hands over them to cut out the noise. "Hey come here, come here!" He squealed sounding more like a pig then a child, which was quite possible considering his up turned snub nose. She glared at him and watched out of the corner of her eye as two of Jean's tentacles roll in an eye rolling motion that made her giggle. The boy's grin grew bigger and he rattled the mesh harder earning disapproving looks from many of the older visitors.
She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a tall girl stepped out of the crowd to grab his shoulder. "Liam, don't do that, she has feelings to!" She glanced at Kitty giving her a small crooked grin before frowning at Liam, the boy. "You know better then to do that, it's a good thing Natalie got me." The little girl peeked out from behind the teenager's legs and stuck her tongue out at the boy before bouncing over to the front of the pen and reaching through to gently tap the back of Kitty's hand. The bronze haired teenager trotted up beside the small girl and kneeled down beside her to reach through the bars to grab Kitty's hand, pressing a crumpled piece of paper against her palm. Kitty started, looking up into the green eyes of the girl around her own age who winked one eye before leading the two kids away into the crowds. Kitty sat against the wall of her cage curiously inspecting the piece of paper that had a short telephone number on it and a short sentence.
"No money can't set you free but will help you and friends Tori." She whispered to herself frowning at how the girl could have been passed by in the mind erase. A suddenly rattle of chains made Kitty start and whip around to stare at the large man who was standing at the back of her pen rattling a long chain. Behind him a cleverly concealed door slid open with a soft grinding noise to reveal a thin man in a dark grey suit. He knelt in front of Kitty who backed away, looking back to see that the stream of people had left dwindling down to a few stragglers. He frowned and signalled to the big man who snapped the chain like a whip, scraping the cement right next to her feet.
She nervously stepped backwards as her ears went back and she hissed involuntarily, her hackles sticking straight up with her tail thumping nervously against her legs. "Get away!" She yelled and swiped at the large man who was slowly approaching snapping the whip too close to her feet for comfort. Dodging agilely she turned to dart one way then the other each time getting blocked by the chain whip as it scored the rock next to her face. "Gotcha!" The large man swiftly flicked the whip around her legs and pulled bring her to the floor with a solid thwack. "Hey!" she tried to stand but the thin man had been gradually getting closer each time and pinned her down quickly before nodding to the large man, who backed off.
Kitty's eyes flicked up and narrowed as a growl built up from deep in her chest. Pulling one hand free she extended her claws and slashed the man across the face. He cried out and clasped the side of his face before fumbling in his pocket for a controlling rod. Kitty knew what he was looking for and sprang forward, pinning him against the wall as her claws sank deeply into his back. He yelled in pain and slammed a fist into the side of her face, grinning as she hissed in pain, rubbing the mark as it started to swell. She snarled and prepared to leap again but was swiftly scooped up by the large man who pinned her arms as she continued to struggle. Kitty glared at the thin man as he gingerly rubbed the fresh scratch that marked the side of his face and shot her a murderous look.
He grabbed a large black bag and carried it over to where she was still thrashing in the arms of the gigantic man before peeling back her lip to inspect her teeth. Kitty gagged as he shoved a finger on the back of her tongue, tasting the foul plastic gloves after he quickly inspected her ears and felt her pulse before checking her fur quality. Seeing everything was ok he slammed a fist into her stomach and signalled for the large man to bring her out. Completely winded, she could only gasp for breath as she was carried down a long corridor made of paneled wood towards a strong metal door. "Out ya go." The thin man growled opening the door and the large man threw her out. Quickly she tucked into a quick roll and crouched defensively as a man on a lectern started the bidding.
"Can I hear hundred-fifty, hundred-fifty for this lovely specimen?" The bids began to climb as Kitty glanced around, seeing no other item she scowled realising it was her. She cupped her mouth and started to yell at the crowd but it was too nosy to hear anything, beside the excited screams of the bidders. "Sold! For a thousand to the woman with the yellow feather hat." Kitty growled and leapt for the top part of the stands to try to get up, but there was no grip. She fell backwards, somersaulting in the air to land poised on her feet. There was a scattering of applause and the auctioneer quickly waved his hand at two thugs to take her away.
She tensed, her claws shooting out and she had a brief flash of Logan preparing for battle in the same way. One of the men took a small ball of metal that flashed in the bright electric lights that light up the half arena, out of the back of his belt and tossed it so it flashed past Kitty's head. Her eyes followed it by instinct and she crouched to spring before getting grabbed by the nape of the neck and hauled quickly through another small door. "Hey put me down!" She swung ineffectively at them and with a quick motion of his arm; one of them tossed her into a small crate. "Ouch." She winced and slowly sat up, stretching her arms out to see how big the crate was.
With on meshed exit, the crate was large enough for her to crawl forward and turn around in. Kitty sighed leaning against the back of the wall as she glared at her flicking tail as if it were the cause of her problems. "Hey!" She started and quickly scuttled to the front of the mesh to stare at Tori who was kneeling in front of the crate, staring in. "Hey." Kitty replied feeling on either side for a latch she could undo. "How do you remember about" she paused searching for the right word as her finger touched a small metal pad and she pulled back with a nasty blister. "Everything?" Tori replied with a small crooked smile as Kitty nodded.
"I'm one too, it doesn't affect certain carriers." She tilted her head back and gently stuck a finger in her eye to bring out a contact lens. Her normal eye had a slit pupil and an extra eye lid flashed by as she blinked. After she popped the contact back in, she opened her mouth, revealing two fangs that sprouted right where her normal canines should have been and a forked tongue that flicked out to test the air. "Wow." Kitty grinned and tapped beside her tattoo. "Then how come you don't have one of these?" The other girl grinned as she handed Kitty another slip of paper before leaving, calling back over her shoulder with a slight British accent adding a lilt to her speech. "I never get caught."
Tabby blinked high above the floor in the main chamber. She was never really conscious just floating in a dreamy mist, half awake, half asleep always watching the main chamber. She could feel the power being sucked out of her being replaced by something that burned through her veins that held her from deaths door, which she saw often enough. Gazing downwards she saw a tall man in purple armour approaching the desk of the one who made the drug that held her from restful death. She frowned as four other men followed him, each dressed in a uniform that blurred in her fuzzy vision. A steel man, a man in a trench coat, a kid with red hair, and a tall burly man with blond hair each lined up behind the purple armoured man and each bowed to the slightly smiling women at the desk. Tabby clenched her teeth, bringing the world into focus for a second as she glared at the figure of her creator and personal hell-maker. She sagged against her bonds all of her energy gone from that brief moment of concentration, drifting into a dreamless sleep as the drug pumped steadily into her body.
"Get help they said." Wanda growled to herself kicking a can down the alley as she headed for the only other place that offered refuge. It had been three weeks since the brotherhood had vanished and she had spent that time picking over the remains of the house. She had gone to the coin wash to do the monthly wash and when she returned the house was gone, like it had disappeared into thin air. Scowling she dug her hands deeper into her pockets and continued towards the Xavier institute, she hated to beg. A sudden noise from behind her brought her around, her hands lighting up sea green has she readied her hex bolts. "Hey calm down now." Ray shoved the sewer cap out of the way and pulled himself out before reaching down to pull out Torpid who stared wide eyed up at Wanda. "What do you want?" She snapped, extinguishing her hex bolts as the scruffy kids came towards her. "Nice pyjamas by the way" Ray blushed and pulled the waist band tighter as Torpid silently giggled. "There's been some trouble at the institute so I need some stuff before we go find the rest of the team."
Wanda's eyebrow rose and she glanced sceptically at the teen with carrot coloured bangs hanging in front of his eyes, clad only in a pair of pyjama pants. "They disappeared?" She asked, her interest rising as he shook his head "No they were captured by these soldiers." Torpid tugged at his pants and he added "Torpid's family was taken too." Wanda frowned falling into step with them as they continued down the alley towards the institute. "The Brotherhood were taken awhile ago you think the captures were by the same people?" Torpid and Ray nodded and introductions were passed around as they continued on. "Holy shi . . ." Ray stopped dead in his tracks staring at the spot that had once occupied Xavier's institute. A large Walmart stood in its place and all three of them gasped.
"But what happened?" Ray was seething in anger, his eyes flashing light blue as Wanda put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. She felt a small hand tug at her pants and glanced down to see the little girl staring wide eyed up at her. "We can still look for them." She watched as Ray's eyes returned to their natural colour and he nodded, clutching Torpid's hand as he pulled out a twenty dollar bill. Wanda took it, adding it the twenty she carried and glanced at him while he shrugged mumbling. "Always carry one for emergencies." "Like now?" She grinned and jogged over to the store.
Once inside she headed for the kids department, picking out some likely clothes for Torpid and even managed to find a pair of shoes that would fit her. Ray was harder and but she soon found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that would work as well as a hoodie that would fit. She found two cheap on sale wind breakers for the kid and herself and went to pay, cashing in most of their money before heading back. "Here you go." She tossed the clothes to Ray who nodded thankfully and hid behind a dumpster to change while she hid Torpid behind a pile of garbage bags and handed her the clothes before quickly slipping into the burgundy rain jacket.
Ray came stumbling back out, pulling on one of his sneakers while yanking down the hoodie that was backwards. "You'd think you never wore a hoodie before." Wanda muttered helping him pull the hoodie straight. "Hey cut me some slack I changed fast." She jumped feeling a small tug on her windbreaker only to see Torpid staring solemnly up at her, freshly dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue sweater. In one hand she held her new sneakers and she gave Wanda a beseeching look before seating on the ground slipping the shoes on but not tying the laces.
"Of course you don't know how to tie your shoes do you?" Wanda muttered kneeling beside her and picking up the laces. "You cross the laces, make two loops and knot them together." She demonstrated on one foot and tied the other shoe up for good measure. "There." She stood up and offered a hand to the little girl who took it and jumped to her feet grinning as she danced in a circle around the Scarlet witch. "So now what do we do?" The two girls glanced at Ray before Wanda headed for the Walmart again with Torpid skipping behind her. "We start where they disappeared of course." She turned around and grinned at Ray who was staring warily at her. "Ever think of becoming a minimum wage worker?"
Kitty braced herself against the base of the crate feeling the solid rhythm of a car on a smooth road vibrating through the wheels. Leaning against the back of the crate she opened the piece of paper to see what Tori had written. She sighed, rolling her eyes at the odd poem that her friend had written including her e-mail address on the bottom.
If a vow is made and a blood bond broken
Who will pay the price?
A broken soul and a shattered mind
Who would pay that twice?
Shadows can be grown
In the verges of a mind
That combine the same tactics
If their blood is of the same kind
Poisons can be countered
And drugs are but the same
With a shattered pact of visions
With the same potential aim
Kitty frowned and chewed thoughtfully on her lip before carefully slipping the note into her pocket and carefully crawling forward to get a first glimpse of what was happening. It looked like the inside of the X-van she thought at first glancing around until her gaze rested on the woman who was driving. She was tall with a brown bun that was streaked with grey though it was hard to see from the back. With a soft wheeze the car slowed and slowly sputtered down until with a soft hiss it stopped completely. "Excuse me?" Kitty stuck a couple of fingers through the bars and wiggled them in hopes of getting attention. The woman hopped out of the car and circled around the back to open the trunk yelling as she did so but such a racket was going on that Kitty couldn't hear the words.
Suddenly her carte was heaved upwards and she was sent rolling head over tail, ending up upside down against the wall while the old women berated who ever was carrying her. "Ya big galout that's a live animal in there, or at lest I hope it will be when you set it down." Kitty grinned starting to like the old lady already and as the crate was roughly dropped she giggled at the woman's screech of rage.
She heard a gate door swing open and saw the woman's face for the first time. She was around forty with a slight amount of wrinkles covering her face and a crooked nose that had been broken more then once. Her eyes were a lively hazel and danced happily at the sight of Kitty grinning back. A dimple sprung into life in her cheek as she grinned back and she carefully pulled back the door before stepping back. Kitty carefully crawled forward sniffing the air cautiously and listening for anything that might surprise her. She was in a horse stall that had been recently occupied and only a rabble of farm animals and the two people were close by. She crawled out all the way and carefully stretched enjoying her first real freedom for a long time.
Well part freedom she thought to herself inspecting the stall and the people who stood at the gated exit. The lady was leaning against the back wall and grinned at a taller broader man who laughed delightedly causing his large girth to shake. Kitty grinned and stood up before taking a deep breath and introducing herself. "Himy name'sKittywhoareyou?" The words came out all jumbled together and Kitty sank down on all fours, her ears folded back, blushing under her fur as the old man and woman began to laugh again. "So your one of the smarter ones eh?" the old man asked raising an eyebrow as Kitty stiffened but nodded, taking a deep breath to try again. "My name's Kitty who are you?" The lady knelt down beside her and gently patted her head. "Knew you were a smart one but who taught ya to talk?"
Kitty bristled as the lady rambled on "They must have been pretty smart themselves otherwise ya wouldn't have learned anything." The man covered the lady's mouth as Kitty's tail started to thump on the ground and the bare tips of her teeth were glistening. "My parents taught me to speak." She finally said after cooling down slightly, enough to speak civilly to these people. "So it's a passed on thing." The lady's voice was muffled by the man's hand but she continued to speak. "Like an heirloom sorta passed down through generations as a talent, good idea!" The man yanked his hand away with a yelp of disgust and the woman laughed holding out her hand to help Kitty up. "Don't mind him he just can't take any pain at all in anyway." She grinned, opening the gate to let them both out into a small rectangular yard.
The odd couple lead Kitty towards a large shed not paying any attention to the various barn fowl that crossed their path or clucked angrily at Kitty, who carefully avoided them. "Here we are, you can sleep here it's probably more comfortable then the ancient mattresses we have, heck I might come down and kick you up to the house so I can sleep here." The woman laughed at her own joke and Kitty grinned unable to stop herself from giggling at the odd old woman. "Name's Maureen by the way and this is Edgar." The older man bobbed his head and they headed into the barn, careful not to trip over any of the rugs that lay scattered around the floor of the small main room of the shed.
Kitty glanced around the shed, smothering a giggle at the thought of the Maureen sleeping down here instead of up at the house. It was small but cozy with bright scruffy rugs littering the floors and old mismatched drapes hanging over the walls for insulation. A small table sat at the center point of the room with a colourful table cloth spread neatly over top as well as a small set of dishes set on racks that hung on one wall. A small wooden box was heaped with worn pillows that were silky at the touch and a quilted comforter hung over the back of a small rocking chair that was placed in one corner.
"Is it ok? I mean it's not much but we didn't know what to do so . . ." her voice trailed off as Kitty hugged her "Thank you! I thought it was going to be awful and this is nice." Maureen's face split in a hug grin and she hugged Kitty back as she started to excitedly explain what Kitty's roll in the small couples lives would be. "That's great! All you have to do is." She paused and her grin diminished slightly as she tried to remember something. "Be like the daughter we never had." Edgar finished clasping her shoulder in welcome as Maureen's face lit up again.
Kitty wrapped her arms around their shoulders and replied cheerfully. "How about your niece instead?" Her new guardians laughed and agreed that this was a better idea though Maureen was still trying to remember something it seemed by her knit eyebrows. As the older couple left after turning on her power, Kitty sighed and collapsed into the rocking chair, the stress of the auction and traveling had taken all the energy out of her. She pulled out Tori's letter again to look over the note and after she had reread the poem, she flipped the paper over to read the small note that marked the other side.
If all is as it seems, then life would be dull. But to someone with clear-eyes, the sheep can have sharp teeth. So watch your back and take care, because all is not as it seems.
I'll see you soon and remember that flies are attracted more easily with honey then with vinegar – Tori
Kitty sighed and slowly dragged her way to the pillow bed. As she wiggled into the pillows and pulled the comforter snugly against her, she puzzled over her friends cryptic words and soon forgot all about them in the deep realm of sleep.
The door to the sleeping mutant's shed opened with a slight creek and Edgar strode quietly towards the bed. When he was half way there his form blurred for a second and twisted to become Mystique in mid step. When she reached Kitty, she hesitated reaching up to rub the back of her neck worriedly as she stared down at the sleeping girl. She slowly started to breathe slower and slower until her breathe was nearly nonexistent, as her face rapidly shifted expression back and forth like two people were inhabiting the same body.
She suddenly gasped and her eyes unfocused as she started to vibrate in pain and she quickly raised both hands to the back of her neck, clenching it as she hovered slightly above the ground, flickering between hundreds of different shapes at once. The convulsions suddenly stopped and she fell to the floor with a slight thump that shook a couple of small mice out of their holes along the walls of the shed. As she shakily climbed to her feet, she carefully took out a small syringe and placed it behind Kitty's ear. With a quick push she sent the needle into the young girl's vein before drawing out a canister of blood and holding something up to the light.
It was a tiny microchip, the size of a pin head and carefully, Mystique inserted it behind Kitty's ear. Standing up straight she shuddered and rubbed the back of her neck again as Edgar's image blurred back into focus. With one last glance at Kitty who was mumbling very softly in her sleep, Mystique/Edgar turned around and silently exited the small shed, the moon glinting off a small metallic chip on the back of her neck.
Jean kneeled at the back of her small room in silent agony. After she had watched Kitty get dragged out the same men came back for her, roughly dragging her into the same arena as the younger mutant had been taken to only several minutes before. The bidding was going higher and higher and Jean felt like she would be sick soon from the feelings pulsing from the crowd. Just as the sale was beginning draw to a close, a man in a police uniform stepped out of the crowd and beckoned to the auctioneer, who when he went over started to have a vicious argument with the officer.
"Sorry ladies and gents but this ones not for sale since she has been chosen to serve in the police force." There were some scattered claps as people tried to appease the man who stood by the auctioneer staring into Jean's face. She glared rebelliously back as two other police officers grabbed her arms and quickly lead her out into the back of a long black van. She had fought of course but when she had picked up on the intentions of one of the officers if she continued to resist, she let herself be lead away. She sighed as the flashback ended, her four tentacles curled gently around her face, like a cat greeting a recognized friend, twining around her face and rubbing against it while all the time making a soft hum like a purr.
She gently stroked them and returned to her thoughts remembering what happened next. The van had sped along a highway from what she could see out the small window and she smiled to herself as she remembered the endless questions she had put the officers through on that car trip. Then she was brought here, a constant ringing noise echoed throughout the building and some of the thoughts of the people who were next to near caused her stomach to revolt. "A jail most likely." She thought aloud, finally stuffing her ears with wads of the coarse blanket off her straw tick to block out the ringing.
The sound abruptly shut off and the door slid open to reveal a man in a polished police uniform. Jean staggered to her feet slipping off the half turban that blocked out the sound to stare at the man. They were eye to eye with his dark almost black eyes gleaming in the fuzzy electric light. His dark brown hair was sleeked back from his forehead so he looked like a greasy badger with a single stripe of silver running down the center. He frowned and whispered something to an aide beside before nodding to Jean to sit down. She curled her tail out of the way and perched on the end of the bed, watching suspiciously as he sat on the small stool that was bolted in the middle of the room.
"I know you're not stupid like some of your friends are." He started not noticing that she stiffened and a small ridge on her back started to rise. "Some are just stubborn but I'm sure you'll see the light." He stared at her rudely until Jean glanced down at her clenched hands. "You have a choice see?" He leaned forward with the air of a conspirator to hiss in her ear. "You can help us and help your friends see the right path or you'll follow this one into a humane society." He gestured to his aide who grinned nastily at her and put in his own threat while rubbing his red hair out of his eyes.
"After some special treatment by doc." She thought of the consequences, remembering the shooting pain that flew through her body at the meeting with Pietro. But the professor's face stood firm in her mind and she stoutly shook her head no, raising her eyes to stare into the man's face. He glared back for a couple of seconds before jerking his head to the aide who quickly dashed to his side. "Yes sir?" Jean gagged feeling the nauseating tone in the aide's voice as he kissed up to the officer, almost tripping over his own feet to answer the officer's request. They conversed quietly for a couple of seconds before the young aide grinned and swiftly grabbed the small rod out of the other man's hand before fawning like a dog at it's master's feet.
When the officer left he rounded on Jean who was still sitting on the end of the bed, innocently blinking at him to avoid what she knew was coming next. He raised the road and pointed it at her. "Get up!" He barked and with a roll of her eyes she did which caused him to jolt in surprise. "You could say please." She said reproachfully as he stood there dumb founded while she moved to the door. "Let's go see this doctor and get this over with right?" Wordlessly he slid open the door and stood behind her as she stepped out into the hallway. Glancing around she quickly turned around and slammed the door shut in the aide's face. "What the hell!" He yelled beating the door with his fists as she dashed towards the door at the far end of the metal hall. There was a load explosion and as she glanced behind her, she sped up to avoid the speeding ball of fire that was flying towards her.
Something caught her feet and she went down with a yelp quickly flipping over to see a man in a trench coat peering down at her. "You should watch your step." He hissed, his demon eyes glaring at her as she crept backwards only to freeze as she stared at the fire ball that hovered above her face. It changed becoming her own face that grinned wickedly at her as Jean gaped in surprise until it quickly hopped into her mouth. She screamed in pain, twisting her head towards the ceiling as flames sped out of her mouth and nose.
As quickly as it had come in it burst back out and left her in a shuddering heap on the floor as the demon eyed man approached and opened her clenched jaw. Her tongue had collapsed into ash and the entire inside of her mouth burned black except for her teeth that remained untouched by the laughing flame that had coursed through her throat and mouth. He smiled amused as she slowly opened her eyes and stared at him with dawning horror as he slowly drew out a thin knife and held her head steady as she tried to jerk away. "No my dear, we have special orders that the mute must also be the blind." His eyes flashed gold and Jean couldn't look away from the descending blade until a there was a flash of pain and all was dark.
Kurt had looked on in shock as Kitty then Jean got dragged out of their pens followed by the rest of the team. He was the only one left and watched curiously as a tall teen girl approached his pen, checking each of the pens as she went along. It was after midnight and she seemed to get sadder and sadder until she finally stopped in front of his cage.
"Is anyone in there?" She whispered, her tongue flicking out as Kurt slowly stood up and cautiously approached the bars. "Thank god." She breathed, her slight British accent sounding through out the pen as she grasped his fingers through the mesh. "Who are you?" Kurt asked quietly watching in interest as she hesitated before replying. "Viper and you?" "Kurt or Nightcrawler." He answered watching in interest as she carefully pulled a knife out of her pocket. "Stand back." She warned as she started to cut a small square in the mesh, her slit green eyes gleaming in the darkness.
She made a sharp gesture with her hand and a small scaled mutant only around 6 years old appeared out of the darkness, approaching silently and placing his three fingered hands on either side of the mesh. He closed his eyes and Kurt tried to ask something but he didn't make a sound. He could feel the vibrations in his throat but no sound was coming out and he started to panic as Viper bent the mesh over with what would have been a horrible screeching sound. She mouthed thanks to the small kid who briskly nodded and trotted back to the corner that he came from, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Come on Nightcrawler." Viper whispered quickly pulling him through and heading for the same corner. "We only have two minutes before the security comes back and we have to make the most of our time." He glanced back as they reached the corner and the bronze haired girl tapped the floor three times then spat on the floor. The tile slid back and she jumped in, looking back at Kurt who was staring around the pens in hope of seeing someone he might recognise. A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye but when he turned his head nothing was there so he quickly turned his back on the prison and jumped down the dark pit. The tile closed with a soft grating sound and a man wrapped in a thick cloak stepped out to examine it. Light glinted off his blond hair and he quickly repeated the same actions to have it slide open before jumping in himself, with only a few solitary scratch marks on the floor to show where he had been.
"Let me out!" Rogue's fists were raw from pounding on the door and the only response that she ever got was the dim echoing down a long hall. She turned and sank down on the opposite wall, exhausted from her trials all day and now the new problem she was confronted with. The door opened with a soft hiss as she rested her head on her knees not bothering to look up at the soldier that had come in. They had brought food in but the soldiers were entirely covered in cloth so she wouldn't be able to do anything to get free. "Excuse me." The voice sounded younger then the normal soldier and Rogue glanced up to see a young furred mutant standing in front of her holding a small tray.
Her fur was a light cream and light tan markings marked her face, ears and tail. She held the tray firmly in her tan coloured hands that looked like she was wearing elbow length gloves and she kneeled down beside Rogue with the tray held forward. "They told me to give you this." The maybe five year old girl handed Rogue the tray and stood up to leave but Rogue called her back. "Wait I" she hesitated and looked beseechingly at the girl who stared wide eyed back. "I need some company for a little bit." Rogue finished moving over a little bit so the young girl could fit in. A smile broke the little girls face and she quickly sat down and snuggled into Rogue's side, with her thumb clasped firmly in her mouth. "What's your name?" Rogue was eating with one hand while idly stroking the young girls head, listening to the soft purr that rumbled through the tiny frame. "I've got lots a names." She mumbled sleepily around her thumb.
She muttered a few names that made Rogue's face turn red and she quietly shushed the child until the girl stopped. "What about your friends what do they call you?" The girl's ears perked up "you mean Quick, he calls me Holes." She twisted her head around to stare at Rogue with bright blue eyes. "I used to make holes all the time in anything." She said proudly before rubbing her head and frowning. "Then they took me to this place where this guy took a needle and hurt my face and now I can't make holes."
She settled back down and Rogue continued to stroke her head feeling slightly tired herself. "But you can call me Holes and be like Quick. He's my buddy so you can be to." She paused for a second before asking Rogue. "What do your friends call you?" She pronounced the foreign word with difficulty and waited quietly for the answer. "Rogue, my name is Rogue." She quietly fell asleep as Holes did the same against her side with Karen watching from the monitors a grim smile hovering on her lips.