Part VII

It had been three weeks since the Danger Room incident. Phoenix was training meticulously that day, hitting and kicking the punching bag with no mercy. She was breathing hard, her eyes focused. That morning Logan had come down to scold her about something…again. It had been like that for the past weeks. He would nag her about something, she would get frustrated and it would end with both of them getting angry and leaving. She tried ignoring him, giving him the silent treatment, but nothing worked. Phoenix didn't understand why he did it, but he was beginning to annoy her and she wasn't one to dislike anyone.

Storm told her that was just the way Logan was, but she knew it was something different. After a while Phoenix stopped training with him and instead went to Colossus, who was much more tolerant. That only seemed to make things worse. She held her breath, performing a rather complicated move on the punching bag.

Bishop got mad just the other day, saying that Logan was acting strangely and he shouldn't be taking it out on Phoenix just because she was there and willing. He came back with something, like the smart-ass that he is. That only made the situation worse. It ended up with a fight, and Phoenix was a little angry that her own father said that she was willing to be Logan's punching bag. She would be nothing of the sort. Sage knew where she was coming from and told her that sometimes men say things before thinking. She didn't need to be told that twice.

There was a sound from the opposite end of the gym, making Phoenix turn her head. The sweat made her hair stick to her face. The ponytail was already coming undone, the back almost resting on the base of her neck. It was Logan.

He was walking towards her, his eyes cast downward. Phoenix cocked her head to the side, unsure. She suddenly realized he was smirking at her. He didn't say a word but only took off his leather jacket and threw his white shirt on the ground. He took his fighting stance waiting for her to respond.

Phoenix shrugged her shoulders and followed suit. This would definitely be interesting.

Logan circled her, looking for a weakness. She was careful to keep her eyes on him. If she hadn't, then she wouldn't have seen the lunge he took at her. Phoenix blocked him easily, but she soon realized that either Logan had gotten faster or she had gotten slower because as she blocked his next moves, she began to take small steps back. Logan saw this and dropped to his knees, kicking out her feet from under her.

Phoenix gave a small yelp before hitting the floor with an echo that sounded about them. His laugh soon joined it. She was angry now. She got up and they started the dance again. It was several minutes later before Phoenix had gotten so uncoordinated and angry that she didn't care whether or not she won the little spar they were having. She wanted to hurt him. She threw a right hook when Logan ducked, grabbed her by the waist and tackled her like a football player would someone who had the ball. They fell to the floor, Logan trying to soften her fall but the sound still rang in his ears.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he roared.

Phoenix tried punching him and hitting him on the chest, but he was too strong. He pinned her arms to her sides, but she kept thrashing. She had never shouted at him before, she had never intentionally hurt him in anyway but now all that anger and frustration was surfacing and she wanted to hurt him this time.

"Phoenix! Calm down!" he said with difficulty. He noticed the slight tear stains on her face. Her eyes were closed as she still tried to free her body and her hands. "Stop," he said as gently as he could. He decided to stop shouting at her too.

She paused, but her body began to shake with the tremors of crying. "Why are you so cruel to me? I've never done anything to you before and this is how I get treated! I hate you!" she said starting up again, trying to get her body free of his enormous weight.

He watched the weak girl below him. Logan got up from her so quickly she didn't even know he had done it until she opened her eyes again. His back was facing her, his face turned away. His stuck his hands in his pockets and pulled out a crushed cigar. He reached farther in for a light, but didn't have one. "I'm sorry."

The words were so faint that she had to strain to hear them, but she knew. Phoenix also knew that he wouldn't repeat them for her. She stood up now, brushing herself off and readjusting her ponytail. She wiped at her face and looked at the ground, unsure of what to do. Things couldn't be fixed as easily as that…could they?

Phoenix walked over to him slowly and pulled the unlit cigar from his mouth, smiling down at it, unable to meet his gaze yet. "And I hate these too," she replied not sure if he understood her sentence.

But he did. She didn't really hate him, but he was so mean to her. She had a legitimate reason to hate him. He didn't. He reached out, slipping his arms around her waist. The movement caused Phoenix to gasp, her arms trapped between them resting on his chest. She'd never seen this side of him before, but it was making up for the past three weeks.

Something interrupted their moment when Logan's ears perked up. He pushed Phoenix away, holding her an arm's length away. She looked around, uncertain about what was going on. The skylight windows above them unexpectedly shattered all around them. Logan pushed her out of the way. Before she knew what was happening, he pulled her up and dragged her out of the gym, slamming the door shut after them.

"Hopefully you didn't get too slow," he muttered with his usual smirk before heading down the hallway. "Get the kids out of here," he called. She nodded and began opening doors and pulling out the teenagers and kids out of bed and down the hall after Logan.

The glass from more windows crashed to the ground. Phoenix caught up with Jean who quickly created a shield around them. "Take them!" she shouted pushing a smaller kid into Jean's arms. "I'll go back."

Before she could say anything Phoenix was gone again. Jean contacted Scott mentally, telling him to make sure that everyone was out of the building before he left. "Come on kids, it's all right, don't be scared. This way, hurry up!" she said, ushering them down the stairs and sending stray soldiers into the air as the descended. She met up with Colossus who was already putting kids into the underground tunnels.

"Phoenix is making sure no one is left behind. Scott and some of the others are taking care of the soldiers but I told him to make sure everyone else got out of the building. Someone has to go down with the children," Jean said climbing into the tunnels.

"You go," Colossus said in his heavy Russian accent. "I will help them."

Rogue was running down the long hallway grabbing Kitty and Jubilee's hands, one on either side of her. Bobby was trailing behind them, sending flashes of ice towards incoming soldiers. "Hey Peter, wait a second!" she screamed as bullets zoomed past her. She pushed the others in first, hurrying Bobby, and then climbed into the tunnels after them. "What about you?"

"I've got to help the others."

"Make sure Gambit gets out. I lost him in all the shooting," she asked before he closed the doors on her. He made his way upstairs looking in all the rooms for stray children as well as stray X-men. He stopped Kurt who was teleporting throughout the rooms as well.

"Get to the tunnels furry boy," Colossus said. "I can take care of this. They need more X-men down there." With a nod from Nightcrawler, he teleported to Rogue and Jean who screamed slightly from the sudden intrusion.

"Sorry about that," he smiled up at them.

Jean looked up, her mind reaching out just in time to feel Scott pass out. "Something's wrong," she shook her head and tried to contact him again but got nothing. "I have to go up there. You two stay down here and make sure the children get out safely. Seek cover in the forest. We don't want anything to happen to them. I have to make sure Scott's all right," she called running back the way she came. Rogue was going to follow when Nightcrawler shook his head.

Phoenix was about finished checking the rooms when she heard a small cry coming from the closet. She approached the doors and opened them quickly to see a huddle form in the corner. She stepped in and grabbed her as the little girl held her arms out for her.

"It's all right now. You're safe I promise. Let's get down to those tunnels before the bad guys find us okay?" Phoenix asked calmly. The little girl nodded her head and clung to Phoenix for dear life. "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Kaitlyn," the fragile girl replied.

"Why that's a beautiful name!" she said softly as she crept down the hallways looking for any more soldiers. She could only hope that Wolverine and the others got them all. "How old are you Kaitlyn?" she continued to ask questions as they made their way down the large staircase. The glass cracked under her feet.

"I'm five and a half," the little girl replied, sounding a bit happier. "My birthday's in a couple of months and then I'll be six and I can start school with all my friends!"

"Wow, that's wonderful!" Phoenix answered.

"Isn't that sweet?" a soldier said coming from behind the staircase, gun raised and ready to shoot. A handful of other officers stood behind him, smirking and laughing. Kaitlyn started crying, her face buried in Phoenix's neck. "Don't put up a fight and we won't hurt you," the soldier replied. The others behind him laughed again, their night vision goggles sitting securely over their eyes.

Phoenix didn't reply. Maybe she could control them enough to get them out of the situation, but she didn't have the time as suddenly a wall of fire rose in between Phoenix and the soldiers. They screamed, the light affecting their eyesight. Kaitlyn was shaking in her arms, but it seemed to have come from her. As the wall started to disappear, Kaitlyn became weaker, her grip loosening on Phoenix's neck. "Time to move," she whispered running around the other side of the staircase.

She was hit in the face with the blunt end of a gun the moment she turned the corner, her body falling limply to the ground. Kaitlyn screamed before being hit with a tranquilizer. Colossus heard them. He went running towards the sound, the small darts bouncing off of his steel body. He spotted them, Phoenix lying on the ground. He pushed the guards out of the way, grabbing Kaitlyn and lifting her into his arms.

"Get the kid out of here!" Wolverine called from above. "I'll get Phoenix."

Colossus took off without another word. Before Wolverine knew what hit him, he was on the ground. He tried to pick himself up with his arms but they were growing weak, very quickly. His vision was blurring, his sense leaving him.

"That should take care of the animal," a voice above him said sinisterly before he passed out completely.

…

General Derex smiled at his desk, leaning back and propping up his feet. He put his hands behind his head and sighed. They had just finished raiding the Xavier Mansion, and it seemed like things had gone exceptionally well. The soldiers were briefed on the mission and they were to bring back the following mutants unharmed: Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, Logan, Tessa Niles, Lucas Bishop, Remy LeBeau, Henry McCoy, Kurt Wagner, Piotr Rasputin, Sam Guthrie and Marie D'Ancanlo.

Surprisingly, they brought back more than half of those who were to be captured. General Derex had thought that less than half would be brought back to the labs unharmed. The other X-men would have either escaped or else died trying to. Things were already turning out in his favor.

His fingers touched the manila folders gently, also caressingly. He grinned again. Putting his feet back on the floor with a loud thump, her leaned forward and opened the first one. It had a picture of Lucas Bishop, arms folded across his chest. It had background information and more importantly in bold letters, mutant powers. General Derex pulled up the second one as well, opening it to the first page. Sage's picture was staring back at him, her rose colored glasses sitting neatly on her face. Her mutant powers were also highlighted with bold letters.

Bishop woke up with a splitting headache. He reached behind his head and felt blood. He had to blink his eyes a few times to regain normal vision as he looked around the small, rectangular cell that he was held in. He spotted a curled-up form on the ground. Suddenly, he realized who it was Sage, laying on her side, her hair flowing behind her.

"Sage!" he cried, getting up so fast that the room started to spin. The concussion didn't help the situation either.

Sage moaned, but she didn't respond. Bishop grabbed her shoulders, her head falling limp to her side. He shook her trying to wake her up. Sage opened her eyes enough to see Bishop's form, but she was so sedated that she fell back asleep. Bishop noticed the small puncture wound in her arm. It was rather large, and he figured that they pumped her full of drugs so that she wouldn't be able to use her powers.

Speaking of powers, Bishop charged up and fired at the metal door only to have to bounce back and hit him square in the chest. He groaned, his back hitting the opposite metal wall. Only one form of metal would be able to do that…adamantium.

General Derex smiled wickedly. With the adamantium walls, Bishop's powers would cause no damage at all. The only damage might be against himself. Sage on the other hand could cause some problems with her low-level telepathy, but he was able to solve that problem by keeping her heavily sedated.

Turning to the next manila folder, he opened it to see Ororo's picture looking up at him. She was smiling, her hair blowing back in the wind. She was in her natural element, the wild. Derex looked down her folder to see the word claustrophobia in capital letters. That would be an asset, and putting her in a contained adamantium room would be perfect to keep this weather witch under control.

Storm opened her eyes slowly. The tranquilizer was beginning to wear off. She was still feeling stunned, and she didn't quite remember how she got here. All she could think about was hearing boots running down the hallway in the mansion, glass shattering and hitting the floor. The next thing she knew soldiers clad in camouflage uniforms, burst through her door and shot her with something, instantly knocking her out. They knew that she would cause a problem with her elemental control.

Storm looked around, the area about her black as night. She couldn't see a thing. When she reached a hand out, it touched something cold and metal. She was in a box! Her eyes immediately became white with power. She tried to use the elements to get out of the metal box, but nothing was happening. Storm was beginning to panic. If she didn't get out she would surely die! Minutes later she passed out from exhaustion and fear, her screams could still be heard throughout the compound.

Derex flipped to the next folder. He already knew what it was, opening to the front page. Scott Summers was waving at him. Taking out the folder behind it, he could see Scott's long-time girlfriend Jean Grey, her fire engine red hair pouring down her shoulders. Her green eyes were staring intently at General Derex. Looking into them made him feel almost guilty for what he did.

Shrugging his shoulders, the guilt didn't stay for long. He turned back to Scott's folder, tucking the telepath's folder into another pile. Derex knew that Scott got his power from solar energy so if he was able to keep him from gaining energy, he would be able to stop Scott's power from working underground.

Jean Grey was screaming, her red hair flying wildly around her. She was being held around the waist by one of the guards, his grip almost taking the air from her lungs. She was reaching her hands out to the sleeping form in the glass coffin. Scott lay sleeping soundly, his hands folded across his chest. He was sedated, and not receiving any type of solar energy. His powers would be gone it a matter of hours.

General Derex walked into the room, smiling sweetly at Jean. She was crying. He took his fingers, wiping at her face. "Don't cry girl. I promise that it will be a quick death. We don't need you anymore, so you will have to be disposed of. We already have a resident telepath," he whispered to her, his eyes focusing on something else.

She directed her eyes to where he was looking. It was Professor Xavier! He was hooked up to a machine, his eyes covered and tubes sticking out of his body. Jean tried to say something but no words came out of her mouth. They took her to a darkened room where she knew she would see Scott no more.

Scott, on the other hand, woke up a few hours later with his arm stinging. He looked down to see a small puncture would. He looked around for a couple of minutes before realizing that he didn't have his glasses on. His hands reached up, touching the cool surface. He pounded on it, trying and struggling to get out. The guards came, wheeling the coffin into another cell. They dumped him in there alone. The only thoughts he had were of Jean. He was getting a very bad feeling.

General Derex was already reading the next folder, propping his feet back up on his desk. If he had the time, he would have liked to enjoy this particular folder more. At the top it read Project Weapon X. He got this specific information from an old friend, William Stryker. Reading the tests and experiments done on this mutant brought a grin to the general's lips. If only he had thought of it first.

Logan was roaring with anger, slicing away at the adamantium walls. He knew that he would never brake through them, but he wasn't going to give up. If this place had adamantium cages, then they must be at some kind of base like the one where they did the mutant experiments on him. With the rest of the X-men team captured, and any of the other students taken hostage, he was damn well sure that they were probably going to try and do the same thing they did to him all those years ago.

Huffing, Derex threw six folders across his office, the contents spilling out across the floor. Rogue, Nightcrawler, Cannonball, Beast, Colossus and Gambit had all escaped. Turning back around in his chair, he eyed a single folder left on the desk. It was thin, the front stamped with the word unknown. He opened it to see Phoenix, her ebony hair long and straight falling past her shoulders. Her eyes were gray, looking him dead in the face.

They had captured this particular mutant but they had no idea who she was. She wasn't in the system at all. Derex was cautious to let her run around free in a cell. Even though nothing could get past the adamantium casing, he was hesitant because he didn't know the nature of her powers. She could be another telepath, trying to mess around their heads. Then again, she could be a normal human being. Without any prior knowledge, he just couldn't risk it.

Phoenix lay in a glass coffin, exactly like the one Scott had been in. She was asleep, an IV hooked up to her arm. The sedative ran through her system at all times, keeping her under control. When they were ready to see what she was capable of, she would be pulled out and brought to a special room. Right now, they were ready to experiment with their other test subjects, leaving her be in the glass tomb.