It took only ten minutes to get the others together. Logan, Jubilee, Jean, Evan, Kitty, Scott, Bobby, Tabitha, Storm, and Kurt slunk into the bushes outside of the factory. "I'll see if she's here," Kurt said, teleporting himself to the roof. He peaked through the skylight and saw the fiery red-head crumpled on the floor, her arm and side bleeding. He bit his lip, fearful for his spunky friend. He teleported back to the ground. "She's in there. She looks pretty bad." Jean sighed.
"We need to get up to her. Storm, can you get me up there? I'm going to ask her how she got in there."
"Maybe I should go with you," Scott asked. "We have no idea what we're up against."
"I'll be fine, Scott. You worry to much." Jean found the drain pipe Raven had used to get up and shimmied up the wall, pulling herself up on the roof, giving her friends the thumbs up sigh to let them know she was alright. She slunk to the skylight and saw Raven. She took a deep breath. Oh God, she looked almost dead.
Raven! Wake up! she said mentally, half yelling, half praying.
Raven woke slowly, hearing a familiar voice. Raven! Wake up!
"Jean?" she moaned softly.
Raven, I'm in your mind. Just think what you want to say.
Jean? What are you doing here?
Good girl! You're awake. Are you alright?
I don't know. I hurt. Her mental voice was clipped and strained.
I need you to focus and stay awake for me, baby. Jean said.
Where's Pepper?
Are you in the room alone?
Where's Pepper?
Raven!
Jean! Where's my dog?
He's at home. He's pretty banged up. Focus, are you alone. Raven looked around, her mussels screaming at her for doing so.
Yeah, I think so. Jean, my arm hurts.
We're coming in to get you baby. How did you get in?
The window on the second floor, but it'll be guarded.
Then we're coming in the skylight.
Jean gestured for her friends to come on up, but placed a finger over her lips for them to be quiet. Kurt helped Kitty, Jubilee, Bobby, and Jubilee and Storm helped the rest. By the time they got up on the roof, Jean had the skylight unlatched and she was using her power to lower herself down. "Wait," she told the others, "I'll rescue her. If I need you, I'll whistle,"
"Do we look like Pepper to you?" Jubilee asked with a giggle.
"Please, Pepper understands better English then the rest of us," Logan growled and Kitty giggled. Jean landed on the floor and quietly slunk over to where Raven was lying, having blacked out again. Jean reached her hand out and brushed her hair out of her face. She gently scooped the small girl up, and Raven winced, gasping, only half awake. She motioned for Logan come down, and he jumped, landing on his feet.
"Take her. I want to check this place out. See if you can slow the bleeding."
"They turned Raven into confetti, Jean, like I'm going to let you go by yourself."
"Deal with it, Logan. Take Raven," she said, handing Raven over gently to Logan, who cradled her gently.
"Easy there, Raven. It's alright. You're safe now," Logan said gently, brushing her hair out of her face, and Jean smiled.
"Starting to like her a little?"
"Not at all, now get us out so I can keep her from bleeding to death." Jean smiled wryly, focusing her powers to lift them up through the skylight. Logan landed safely on the ground, gently resting Raven on the ground. Evan climbed down behind him and placed his hand on Raven's arm.
"Is she alright?"
"I don't know. Get back up there and tell Cyclops to go with Jean. She doesn't need to go alone. Take a look at exhibit A."
"He already went with her."
"Good. Now get me something I can use to stop her bleeding." Evan nodded, pulling off his shirt and handing it to Wolverine. Wolverine wrapped it around her arm. He then slid Raven's blood stained black tank-top off so he could get to the wound, leaving her in just her black bra. "Boy, this chick wears more black then is good for her. What is she, she first red-headed gothic?" He used her tank-top to slow the bleeding on her hip. Evan held tight to Raven's hand, afraid to let go.
"Hold on Raven," he whispered. "Please Raven. I love you. Hold on."
"Scott, what are you doing?"
"You're not going in there alone. You saw what they did to Raven."
"You're worse then Logan. Come if you must," she said with gentle amusement. Scott followed her as she eased through the door, her powers expanded so she could feel the presence of anyone, friend or foe. She scanned the room with her eyes and her mind, feeling the presence of three humans in the next room. They didn't feel like friends.
She eased forward, cautioning Scott about their enemies in the other room. She suddenly felt another presence behind her and she turned sharply, a male human standing in her way.
"Good thing you rescued your little friend. I'm sure she wouldn't want to witness your murders before she died. Don't try to save her. She's been steadily bleeding out for over three hours. She's going to die no matter what you do."
"Don't ever underestimate the stubbornness of a southern red-head. She just might surprise you with her will to live." Jean knew she was bluffing. When her mind touched with Raven's for that brief few moments, she had been able to sense all of the mental anguish she had suffered, though she didn't know why or from who. She knew, from the dark traces in her mind that she had done drugs once and had tried suicide twice. She knew how severely messed up Raven was, and that she needed someone to help her work through it, and Jean knew she was just the one to help her.
That was, if Raven lived.
That was, if they all lived.
Logan's pulse was racing with fear as he tried his best to save Firefly. Spyke was gently caressing her forehead and holding her hand, whispering soothingly, but he knew Evan was just as afraid as he was. Logan found himself feeling glad that Rogue had opted to stay with Pepper. He was glad that she didn't have to see her best friend die, which, he realized, was probably why she had stayed at the mansion. She knew her friend may be dead. "Best friends from hatch to dispatch", Raven had said. Logan hated that "dispatch" would come before either girl had anticipated. Even though he still tried to stop her bleeding, he knew it would do no good. She had lost so much blood already that it would be impossible to save her, but still he tried. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because Rogue needed her best friend, or because Evan was in love with her. Maybe it was because Pepper had given his life to save hers and he didn't want that sacrifice to have been in vain.
Maybe it was because she was so much like himself at her age that he wanted to help her like no one had helped him.