Thank you very much for the reviews! Now don't forget, I did say the action really gets going here. If it comes and a sudden shock, that's because it's supposed to come as a sudden shock for everyone, including the X-Men! Read on!

- CHAPTER 5 -

The Raid

The silence remained consistent. Scott had been sat in bed watching the ceiling through his glasses for the past fifteen minutes whilst Siren got ready for bed. Beyond the windows that were framed by partly drawn curtains was a thick impenetrable blackness like the windows themselves had been covered. Siren gave a rather impatient little sigh as she chanced a brief look in Scott's direction. Something was clearly troubling him, because this was not normal. He was usually quite mischievous before bedtime, sneaking obvious peeks across the top of the bed cover as she undressed and they'd laugh and bounce suggestive jokes off each other.

But tonight even a purposely prolonged search for her nightdress clad in nothing but her underwear wasn't enough to grab the visor-wearing mutant's attention. Siren normally didn't even need to turn on her mutant charm to get Scott's straying eyes, but even now, with a few clear signals being directed his way, he wasn't budging. Siren frowned gently, giving up her so-called search for her nightdress as she crawled across the covers of the double bed to flop atop the duvet on her front as she watched Scott.

"Your nightdress is in the third drawer down folded besides your jeans," said Scott in a bland tone without looking at her.

"I know," said Siren with a suggestive wriggle of her behind. "But I thought I'd come and see you.." she lifted a hand to playfully walk her fingers across the covers at the lay upon his clothed chest. Scott slowly looked down at the hand as it reached his face and tenderly took his cheek. Scott slowly turned his head, as he looked her way. He always made himself aware of her supreme control over her powers. If she weren't as strong as she was, she'd be disfiguring his face with her burning flesh right now. He admired that strength. "Vous bein?" murmured Siren quietly.

After been around Siren for so long, her habit of slipping into French from time to time was nothing unexpected now, and Scott answered her regardless, "I'm alright," he said gently, moving his hand so he could take hers, "Just thinking about today.. about Alkali Lake." Yet another sigh issued from him and he squeezed her hand briefly before he let his head drop back on the pillow, "Oh I don't know, I guess some part of me expected you to miraculously find Jean there.. alive. Yet at the same time, I knew it wasn't possible."

"There's nothing wrong with wishful thinking," offered Siren helpfully.

"Yeah, but I need to stop slipping into the past. And it's more than wishful thinking. I really hoped.. y'know? I need to concentrate on my life now," her hand was squeezed again by his fingers.

"Now?" asked Siren gently as she leaned in towards him.

Scott nodded slowly, "Now," he lips leant forward to meet hers whilst a hand reached back towards the bedside lamp. The room was thrown into darkness, leaving only the sounds of gentle breaths of escalating kisses.

Darkness lay around Logan as he opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. He yawned quietly as he reached up his hands, laying the back of a forearm across his brow as he relaxed in the built up warmth of the large bed. He felt oddly content, yet he knew what he had been dreaming about, and for once, they weren't nightmares. The dreams involved Aurora, dark cupboards and a lot more than passionate kisses.

What did they mean? Logan questioned himself inside his head at the possibilities of why he was having such dreams now. Was it because Aurora had awoken something inside him? Reminded him just how much he felt for her? His feelings towards her had been pushed so deep down out of view that he forgot he had them. Was it true, did he really still love her? Logan frowned to himself as he rolled over to watch the dark window solemnly. He hated how being by yourself and in silence made you think too deeply. Lying alone in bed made thoughts come all too easily and clearly without the busyness of the day to distract your worries.

Logan figured he was going to be awake for the rest of the night now. There was no way his brain would rest with all these thoughts tumbling around his head. He sat up slowly and swung his legs out of bed. Before his bare feet touched the floorboard a sudden scream pierced the silent air with a shrill ringing that froze Logan still.

Their bodies lay warm and tightly together with covers intertwined around limbs. Siren's head rested comfortably on Scott's shoulder, fanning golden blonde hair across the pillow behind her. She shifted gently with a content murmur, snuggling her cheek against the smooth bare flesh of his shoulder. She stirred briefly for a moment, the arm that lay strewn across Scott's exposed stomach pulled towards her a little. Eventually, her eyes fluttered open as she stared at the window drowsily with a satisfied little smile playing sleepily across her lips.

The slow gentleness of the night was suddenly brought to a jarring halt as the window, which Siren gazed at, smashed as an object flew through it. Siren lay still for a moment, it being too early out of slumber to put comprehensive thoughts together. But slowly, she noticed a dark gas unfurling at the bottom of the bed, and as her gaze settled tiredly upon it, she could feel her eyes watering and breaths becoming painful. She quickly sat up, coughing and gagging as hot tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes.

Scott stirred abruptly, only to be reduced into a sudden choking fit as he gasped and spluttered. Through the smashed windows a few dark figures silently leapt in. Blinded by her tears and by the thick smoke that was clouding the room, Siren was taken entirely by surprise as she felt a pair of rough hands grab her ankles and wrench her out of bed roughly. In her shock, she gave a sudden scream, as she was pulled out onto the floor, out of the warmth of the bed. She lay in only her underwear, hunched on the floor coughing and choking over her dying scream. She fought to scramble to her feet, eyes stinging so painfully, everything blurred and dull.

But hands grabbed her around the middle, and she screamed Scott's name for aid, which caused a sudden strike to her head that made her slump in her capturer's arms.

"Adrienne!" Scott cried, but it was followed by a coughing retch as he tumbled out of the bed, crawling blindly. He was suddenly wrenched off the floor by numerous hands, several of which hit heavily across his face whilst others fought his arms behind his half-naked form, and before he realised what was happening his hands had been cuffed.

"Shoot them," said a muffled unfamiliar voice. Scott lifted his head slowly to stare through watering eyes behind his glasses at a darkly dressed figure with a large mask on his face in protection from the fumes.

Scott tugged on the hold, his lung burning for clear air as he continued to gasp and choke, "Adrienne! ADRIENNE!"

A shot sounded, followed by a second one. Scott felt a sharp object jab into his arm, as he stood held still by two of the soldiers. It wasn't a bullet.. but the instant that sharp tip was in.. he felt a slow weakness start come over him. Like parts of his body was sleepily shutting down.

"March them out," ordered a voice. Scott was shoved forward and Siren bodily dragged across the floor. The leading soldier kicked the door open. Horrendous scenes met Scott's eyes as he was walked out onto the corridor. Soldiers, hundreds of them, were marching bound mutants along the corridor. Coughs and crying filled the air, but no one fought back or ran away, everyone was bound, and they all looked as weak as he felt. Scott was jostled into the crowd by the soldiers and was marched towards the entrance doors that had been thrown open as soldiers walked with the captured mutants towards several large planes that were parked on the grass with their undersides opened as a ramp.

Scott looked round slowly, recognising several students and X-Men, including Aurora who suffered a gash across her face as she was carried unconscious. No doubt she too had put up a fight. Scott tried to clear his brain, trying to think straight, but whatever was in the gun that shot him seemed to slow him down, make his body and mind sluggish. And so he, like all the others, put up no resistance as they were led up the ramp into the planes and disappeared from view.

"Oh my God.." Logan stood at the window, watching the activity on the front lawn. Mutants were rallied into the jets like cattle, all walking slowly with their heads tiredly bowed. He gripped the windowsill tightly, watching with his heart hammering and fear pulsing through his veins. He had been lucky that he was ready when he heard Siren's earlier screams, when soldiers burst into his room he took them down quickly before running on to discover just what the hell was going on.

Was he the only one still in the mansion? It had dropped into an eerie silence as the mutants were sent into the large carriers. What should he do, run out there? Try and fight? Logan slowly trailed his eyes over the scene, spotting Sentinels dotted here and there in their pristine suits with the black sunglasses positioned over their eerie lens-like eyes. The minute he stepped into view they'd swarm upon him.

A speedy thudding of running footsteps behind him caught his attention, and he abruptly spun round with his claws slicing down out of his knuckles ready. But it was Storm, who looked drained and shocked by the whole event. Her hands were raised, clearly expecting Logan to be an enemy.

"Oh! Logan!" she cried as she ran towards him, "They've taken everyone, everyone's gone!"

"Who's taken everyone?"

"The government!" Storm replied with wide eyes, "It's obvious isn't it! The Registration Act is passed. Oh my God, Logan.. this is it.. we're being rounded up. They're going to come and find us!" Storm ran to the window, staring down at the rows of mutants that walked onto the planes surrounded by soldiers keeping them in check. "We've got to help them, come on!" she quickly turned in a bid to rush down the corridor but Logan quickly held her back with his hands on her arms.

"No.." he said gently as he pulled her round to face him. He tentatively looked down across the grounds, "No.. there's no point all of us being taken."

"Well what are we supposed to do! Just stand here and get taken without a fight?"

"Run."

"What on earth – "

Logan shook his head, tightening his hands on her upper arms, "It's too late Storm, if we go out there now and retaliate, we'll be dead within seconds, and then the X-Men and the other mutants have no chance of being freed. We need to stay out of the Sentinel's way and get the hell outta here."

"So we're just going to leave them!"

"Listen to me! The only way we can help them is by being an outside aid. If we get taken too then they have nobody. They've sprung the MRA on us. Clearly they wanted the element of surprise so they could come here and get us first. No doubt they suspected that the X-Men would intervene."

Storm turned to the window, watching the ramps close up and hide the mutants from view, "Oh.. where are they taking them.."

"It'll be all over the media tomorrow now they raided this school, they've got the worst of us out of the way. But Storm, we can't be irrational."

Storm turned to look at Logan slowly, tears gently sparkling in her eyes, "So we've got to stay out of the Government's hands to try and figure out how to stop all this?"

"Yes.." sighed Logan quietly, "We're the only chance they've got." He gently took her arms as the pair began to swiftly walk down the corridor, "We'll go out the back door and quickly get into the woods so they won't notice us. We've got the clear this place otherwise they'll notice some mutants missing and we want to be well off by the time that happens."

"But Logan.. we don't even know how we can help them once we're clear of here.."

"I know." Logan glanced towards her, "But we've got to try."

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