She was grateful to be home, but I still felt sick inside. What would happen when I got back? Did he realize I'd even left? Did I abandon them? No, I hadn't really. The girl and I weren't able to fight men, especially that many men with guns. We'd have only hindered the situation, I'd done what I needed to. Someone had to make sure she got home, and even if I wasn't good in a battle, I could hold my own in a direct confrontation.
I hurried back to the alley where I'd left Creed and the others, even as my head was screaming just to go home. I couldn't though, they'd done nothing wrong to me. If they were still there then I felt it was my responsiblity to see it through to the outcome. The place was surrounded with cops, I could make them out blocks away. Ambulances, cops, firetrucks, I moaned aloud. This couldn't be a good sign.
I moved with the crowd, keeping an eye out for anyone I knew. There'd been many casualities on the FOH side, but I saw none of the Brotherhood. I glanced around at the people surrounding me, trying to catch a glimpse of yellow eyes. I'd prefer anyone else, but I would take her at the moment, if only to find out what happened.
It didn't take long, the cops quickly started running the spectators off. Finally, having enough of a force to handle crowd control, it looked like I was going home anyway. I walked slowly back the way I came, glancing around, keeping an eye out for anyone I would reconize.
Three blocks down, something in the alley caught my eye. I stopped, turning to make sure no one was paying attention to me, before ducking into the darkened way. It seemed like any other, trashed, stinking, and scary as hell. I moved closer to the line of tin cans, they were surrounding piles of trash outside the dumpster. It didn't seem like much, but the purple rag seemed to pull at me.
I nearly cried when I caught what was hiding behind the cans. "Eric!" I cried, falling on my knees beside him. He was passed out, blood covering most of his right side, and what I could see of his face. I slowly pulled his metallic helmet from his head, his hair falling in a sweaty mass from it. "Oh God." I moaned, barely touching the whiskered jaw.
His eyes blinked, trying to find me, but still unfocused. "Don't move." I ordered, not sure what to do. He moaned, moving his legs. "I don't know how hurt you are." I admitted, "Can you walk?"
"She okay?" he whispered, his voice raspy.
I put my hands on his good arm, "Yeah, she's fine. Just stay still."
He shook his head, slowly, groaning with pain at the small movement. "Got to get out o' here," he struggled to speak. I nodded, moving closer to hear his whispered words. "Can't be here, they'll find me."
Tears started falling down my face, my situation was hopeless. I had the most wanted man in the word, hurt at my side. He was a killer, a known terrorist, a bad man, and I couldn't bring myself to turn him in. I wasn't ignorant of what he was capable of, but in my heart I couldn't do it. He hadn't harmed me, he hadn't done anything to me, and I couldn't just bring myself to hand him over to people I knew starving to take their own revenge. They'd make an example of him to other mutants, try to teach us submissive and beatable was an acceptable behavior.
It seemed in that instance, I'd made up my mind. I shook his shoulder, "I gotta have you help me, I'll get you outta here." He opened his eyes again, blinking, trying to fight unconciousness. I couldn't pity him now, I had to get him up and going. "They catch you, they'll kill you Eric! Now get your ass up!" He moved then, but his body fell back into the trash before he'd barely lifted from the ground. Okay, I'd do this, I could do this, I would do this. I let my hair free, allowing it to wrap around his body.
I had to do this, I had to get him up this time. "Come on Lehnsherr! Get your magnetic ass up and moving or I'll turn you in myself!" He snarled, my words were penetrating his mind. Good, meant he was still somewhat aware. "I'll turn your ass over to them, then I'll use the money they give me to take off and buy my own fuckin' island! Now move!" I shouted at him. He started to lift, and my hair quickly caught his movement dragging him to his feet. I grabbed him before he could fall back over, and we stood there while he tried to remain on his feet.
I tightened part of my hair around him, keeping him up, but allowed the rest to flow over the back of his cape. He was a bright beacon of purple and red in the black night. The only thing I could hope for was to try to make people think he was a woman. I moved my hair lower on his abdomen, letting him slump into me. His cape surrounded us, and we moved slowly back out to the street.
It seemed like he had extremely good luck, meeting no one, as we made our way slowly through the streets. My body was ready to take solace on the ground, to lay my burning muscles on the cool concrete, and just surrender. The man moaning every so often at my side, the pain he suffered with every step, kept me going. The last several blocks, the only thing that kept me moving was the fact I knew whatever I was suffering was doubled for him. His blood was slowly covering me, and I said a quick prayer that he'd stay concious long enough for me to get back to my apartment.