Thants to : Summers Groupie !
Read and please review!
Three more weeks melted away in the doubt and the uncertainty for all the X-Men. Nobody was exchanging Christmas or New Year wishes. There was nothing to celebrate, not when the life of one of their team-mate and friend was at a stake.
On Saturday, at midday, a mutant who they hadn't seen in about a year, came to make a surprise visit…
- "Forge!" said Kurt, discovering him on the doorstep "I'm glad to see you again !"
- "So am I, Kurt! How are you ?"
Nightcrawler lost his happy face and answered in a much less sprightly voice:
- "Not very well. Jean was kidnapped one month ago, we don't even know if she's still alive and everybody is at the end of their tethers, mostly Scott and the professors" he said sadly by leading him to the common-room where most of the students were gathered with Beast.
Everybody waved warmly at him and offered him something to eat and to drink. Forge noticed Cyclops' absence and asked:
- "Scott isn't here ?"
- "No, since Jean has disappeared he spends all his free time searching over the town and the surroundings until the night" answered Evan.
- "Oh…"
- "I think he knows very, like, well that it's useless, but he needs to do something" added Kitty "He and Jean have always been liked, quite bonded; they were together, like, for a few months and he's blaming himself for not having been with her, even if it's, like, not his fault, he had class and she had ended sooner"
- "It happened at the exit of the high school?" asked Forge.
- "Yes, that's what we think, even though we found her car several miles from here, broke into pieces and covered with anti-mutant graffiti" answered Beast.
Forge thought for a few moments, and declared:
- "That's strange, I'm coming from Wichita, where a similar kidnapping happened two months ago now; it was a mutant who controlled animals, called Stimy Peterson" explained Forge "his parents didn't make a fuss about this –they haven't accepted the fact that he had revealed himself to be a mutant– his car had been found ransacked, but the act had been claimed by the 'Friends Of Humanity'"
- "The what?" asked Rogue.
- "The 'Friends Of Humanity' is a group of fanatics who have something in common with the Nazis but whose target is nothing but us, mutants" explained Forge "They aren't really numerous, but we're beginning to find out about them."
Beast seemed to be pensive:
- "It's as though I've already seen this name somewhere, but where…?" he thought at out loud voice before exclaiming suddenly "I know!"
Without even adding a word, he left in some jumps. Curious, the students followed him to the garage where the shell of Jean's car was. He glanced over the numerous inscriptions full of hatred and seemed to find what he was looking for.
- "That's it ! here : ' humanity has found its friends to protect it from this curse'" he read in a loud voice indicating the graffiti on the bonnet of the car "the 'Friends Of Humanity' it's the same organization !"
Five minutes later, they were all gathered in the Professor's office –only Scott was missing– and had informed him about this major clue: finally they knew the kidnappers' name.
- "We must attack them and set Jean free !" said Tabitha.
- "This isn't so easy" said Forge "They're rather well organized and only their members know where their headquarters is"
- "So, we find one of those damned members, and I'm gonna make him speak" grumbled Logan, pulling out his claws.
- "They're known for being real animals, at least the most fanatical of them, they'd rather die than speak to a mutant" replied Forge.
The Professor, who hadn't opened his mouth since their coming, asked in a calm voice.
- "It seems to me that you have an idea, Forge"
- "Yes" he admitted "to infiltrate their organization"
- "Nah, they won't be had, we're well known in this territory" said Rogue.
- "Yours yes, but not mine"
- "This could be really dangerous Forge" said Ororo.
- "Maybe, but without you I'd be still locked in this parallel dimension, I owe you my life and I'm bent on paying my debt"
A silence took place, before Kurt suggested:
- "If I change my image inducer, I could come with you"
- "No, with two people we'd be too noticeable, and a magnetic problem would be enough to reveal you" replied Forge.
- "You know by where you're gonna begin ?" asked Logan, having understood that the young mutant had made his decision.
- "Yes, I've my idea…" answered Forge "I'll leave immediately, I'll contact you with the smallest bit of new information"
- "Thanks Forge"
- "You'll thank me if something comes of it"
In his car, Scott had just parked on the side of the road, at the very place where Jean's 4x4 had been found, one month ago. Leaning on the door of the car with his elbow, discouraged, he set free the tears which were growing inside for too long. He missed her, lord how he missed her and he didn't know where she was nor even if she was still alive; if it was the case, all he hoped was that she wasn't suffering…
Jean was suspended by the arms with a butcher hook for half an hour already. She was naked, her body was strewed with bruises and marks, the cold water which was flowing down her head had erased most of the dried blood which were staining her. She shivered from the cold. Several guards had come to watch, most of them had already raped her several times. She held back a sob. The water was salty, it was surely sea-water. It stung her when it made contact with her wounds, but at least it'd disinfect it a little. Another electrical shock coursed through her body. Led and fed by the salted water, she gave out an agonising scream filled with pain.
- "…I beg you…stop it…" she articulated weakly.
- "Well, we'll increase the power" another woman was contented to answer her plea.
- "There is nothing to say, this torture is really arousing, I would well want to fuck her" said Tyron by gliding his tongue on his teeth, turning around Jean.
Several guards laughed and agreed.
- "Another time maybe, but seeing that you've undressed her, I'm sure you've taken her before bringing her here" said another masculine voice.
Tyron was startled and answered with submission:
- "Ok chief"
Jean shut her eyes, her tears were going unnoticed with the water running down her skin. The next electrical shock was even stronger, she was about to pass out, she wanted to pass out.
- "Hey, where do you think you're going red-head?" asked the chief of the guards who had come closer and pulled up her chin.
She didn't see him reaching out for a syringe but, the next instant, a needle was violently plunged into her thorax, bringing her back to consciousness once again. Damned this product…
- "That's better" he smiled "We don't want you to miss the party. Carry on"
For the next twenty minutes, she was being tortured by electrical shocks though she wasn't screaming with the same vigour anymore. She was constantly in pain due to the pallets used on her skin without protection and the salty water only made it worse for her.
- "It'll be enough for today" said the woman "You can bring her back to her cell"
A guard cut the rope which was binding her hands at the hook and in doing so, he deliberately slashed her skin. She fell heavily on the ground, shaken from time to time from nervous-start..She heard Tyron and other guards were debating among themselves, then one of them grabbed one of her wrist roughly and dragged her on the ground as if she was no more than a sack of rice.
The woman called out to him:
- "Brad, after you're done with your business, please be kind enough to dress her again."
Jean wasn't going to delude herself, she knew what was going to happen. Upon arriving in her cell, the guard raped her for a long time until he was too exhausted and finally collapsed on top of her, covered in sweat. As he was about to exit, he remembered the woman's order and caught the half torn clothes which Tyron had shredded, before fetching her to the observation and torture chamber. He viciously dressed her again.
- "It must be the first time I do that in this order" he laughed. "You must be proud to be the first woman I ever clothed after being used" he laughed menacingly
Jean was too numb to do anything. She used to struggle despite what it would cost her, but not this time. She was too weak and her muscles were not responding to her anymore. All she had been able to do was to turn her head away as she cried silent tears. The guard obliged her to look at him, as he bent toward her and said:
- "See you soon…" before going away.
When Jean regained consciousness it was dark. Her body was aching all over but she dragged herself to the ridiculous bathroom for to clean herself as much as she could.
Since three days, the Professor had started again his researches with Cerebro, but didn't have any result. On the other side, he knew that their only chance to find Jean, Forge, was still alive.
Ororo entered as soon as the door opened:
- "Charles, you should go to rest."
- "I know Ororo, but I can't. She is out there somewhere and we know nothing of her safety."
- "You know that Cerebro can't detect her. It's useless. You're just exhausting yourself."
- "Each minute counts"
- "I know Charles, I know"
They stayed silent for some minutes:
- "How is Scott?" asked the Professor.
- "Bad. When he's not at school, he spends his time on the road or near the phone hoping for a call from Forge…At school a professor asked him news of the researches –the one who is tolerant, Mr Malcom– he had understood that Jean's kidnapping was the reason of the fall of Scot's results. The fact that someone exterior has asked him questions has shaken Scott" answered Ororo before sighing "He's worrying me, if we don't find her, I dunno what will happen…"
- "We still have a hope" remembered Charles.
- "I hope she's still alive…"
To be continued
Please review, it only takes 1 minute
Wen
