Chapter 9: Encounters
The room was a mess.
There was broken glass everywhere. Syringes still in their plastic casings were strew about the floor, bandages unrolled and unusable flung around microscopes and computers, an unlocked cabinet of medicine dripped antibiotic and sedatives on to the floor. The steel tables, all seeming to have collided with each other in an attempt to escape to destruction.
The small group of mutants came upon the chaos, eyes glued to the petite figure standing in the middle of the room, his chest heaving in exertion, eyes glowing a sinister poison green, long strands of midnight loose from a braid Jean had tied the night before. His diminutive hands clenched into fists, blood dripping on to the floor from hidden cuts by clasped fingers. He looked wild, like a creature that had gone without real human contact for years.
The X-Men stood in the doorway, blocking the small male's escape, they watched him, watch them, his eyes glittering with malice.
"We have to get in there and administer a sedative." Said Jean, her eyes never leaving the strange mutant's face as she reached into her lab coat, pulling a filled syringe from the breast pocket.
"How many of those do you have?" Asked Hank, his own lab coat stredded and stained with red laying on one of the unfortunate computers.
The red head smiled sympathetically, before shrugging her shoulders, "I only carry one of these, the rest of them are insulin and epinphrine. This here is only for calming distraught children down when they've got themselves worked up. I'm assuming the dosage is the same,considering how small he is."
Logan watched the small mutant, his eyes open for anything sudden movement from the boy, the cold tang of fear sweeping into the older mutant's nose, "He's scared. Rush him and take him down."
Jean glared at the taller mutant, her warm brown eyes taking on a hint of red as the Phoenix made an appearance, "If he's scared then we should contain him and administer the drug. 'Rushing' will only serve as a way to distrust us even more." she said, maternal instincts manifesting themselves in the more untamed form of Jean.
"If you're going to do something, you should do it soon." Said Bobby, as he watched the boy he had given his virginity to, his blue eyes glued to the small form, "He doesn't look like he'll last much longer."
Ororo nodded, her eyes taking in the unsteady knees and heaving chest, sweat beading on the paramour's brow as the strain on his body began to take its toll. "Alright, Logan rush him. Jean give him the sedative. Hank...LOGAN, BOBBY!" Shreiked Ororo as the two brunette mutants rushed toward the smaller mutant, tackling him to the ground.
The petite body went down easily under the weight of the two heavier men, though he pushed and shoved to get away from the large forms. Logan holding the young man's legs while Bobby straddled his waist, trapping the slender wrists above the mutant's head.
"Hurry up and bring the, ARGH!" Yelled Bobby, as his attention was diverted away from the the boy to Jean, the smaller mutate bit into the skin of his wrist, drawing blood he refused to let go.
Logan reached forward, clutching the clenched jaw in his hand he firmly pried it away from Bobby, allowing the teen to get away from the skirmish on the floor.
Jean briskly walked forward her hands busy preparing the syringe, Hank made his way to Bobby as he leant against a wall trying to stem the flow of blood. The red head knelt down beside the struggling pair, pressing a hand into the petite mutant's shoulder, trying to gently calm the male down as the syringe went into his neck. The doctor paused, keeping her hand against the tiny shoulder, waiting until the tensed muscles relaxed under her fingers.
"Okay, you can let him up." She said, rising from her kneeing position to go help Hank clean up Bobby.
Logan rose slowly, rolling the mutant from his side on to his back, meeting wide, glowing emerald eyes, wet with tears, his delicate features twisted in fear. The feral felt the small body shudder as tears made their way down rosy cheeks, a gasp torn from his lips as his eyes met Logan's.
"...Big papa..." The whimper was heartbreaking to the larger mutant, a burning rush of protective emotions flaring in his chest, causing him to wrap his arms around the small mutant as his body continued to relax under the sedative.
Soon the mutant was completely under the drug, his head lolling gently against Logan's shoulder. The others had begun cleaning the medical bay, Bobby looking over every once in a while, his wrist wrapped up, cradled against his chest.
Ororo swept up to the two, her eyes glowing as she clutched a broom in her hand, "Hello, I'm Ororo. This is the first time we've met when you haven't been out cold. It's very nice to meet you."
The poison eyes, glassy with sleep, swung over to the dark skinned woman, taking a moment to adjust properly before a snarl and growl was torn from his throat, sounding more like a kitten than anything else. "Whoa, there bub. You're not goin' anywhere." Said Logan his arms wrapping securely around the small waist, lifting him from the glass covered ground to his feet.
"I wouldn't let go of him, if I were you. He looks like he's gonna collapse." Said Jean, watching the two mutants, the smaller struggling feebly to get away from the burly arms of his captor, while Logan supported his weight against his body.
The taller feral growled at the petite male, glaring down at the long hair, "Chuck wanted to see him, once we had him calm. The way I figure, now's as good a time as any." Said Logan, lifting the small body up into his arms, shushing the boy when he whimpered in complaint.
Jean sighed, moving into one of the closets and coming out, pushing a wheelchair. "Here, take this. He'll be more comfortable this way."
Logan nodded in understanding, placing the small body down into the chair, looking to see Bobby standing in front of the chair with a blanket, "Uh...here." He said handing the material over to the older mutant, before stepping toward the door.
The feral sighed, quickly unfolding the blanket and spreading it across the gray clad knees. "You ready, kid?" He asked, eyes once again straying to emerald green.
The other mutant glared, twisting his face into a snarl, striking Logan weakly across the shoulder before sagging into the chair, huffing in frustration.
"I thought as much. Come on then kid, let's go. Don't want to keep Chuck waiting for us."
"..."
Logan turned the chair around, wheeling the contraption out of the destroyed medical bay. He could feel Bobby's eyes on his back as he approached the door, nearly pleading. Again Logan sighed, he seemed to be doing that a lot as of late, turning around he looked at the boy, jerking his head in the direction of the chair, indicating that Bobby start pushing.
The teen, walked quickly forward, his long legs carrying him quickly to the odd pair. He brushed by Logan, reaching for the handlebars, the older mutant strangely on the verge of snapping at the teen for his proximity to the dazed mutant in the chair. Something in his mind telling him the Bobby had gone further with him that he could ever hope. The feral stepped back from the chair, settling to walk beside it as the trio began their journey to the Professor's office.
The trip was made mostly in silence, every once in a while, Bobby would try to make small talk with Logan and the other mutant, but that all seemed for naught as neither were up for much talking. Though, admittedly Logan was the one with the most say in the matter. Seeing as how the tiny mutant was apparently working through the drugs in his system, at time making the most enticing sounds.
When they finally reached the office, it was as though they could sense the Professor on the other side of the door, waiting. Logan opened the heavy wooden edifice, quietly so as not to disturb any conversation that might be occurring within the room.
Xavier was not alone in the room. Scott sat in the front of the coffee table, pondering a chess board the black and white pieces littering the checked surface. It was obvious that they had both been waiting for the trouble in the medical bay to calm, playing chess to pass the time as they were wont to do on slow day. The Professor always choosing to be white while Scott was black. Usually, the Professor won, but not without being hard-pressed by Scott. This time though, it looked like Scott had the upper hand this game.
The other mutants entered the room, Bobby still pushing the chair, gently, as one would push something fragile and the small mutant did look so breakable in that moment, as though a strong wind would crack something and then the rest of him would follow without any way to stop it.
The Professor looked up from Scott, his eyes taking a moment to readjust to the new light in the dimmed room, before his eyes crinkled up in recognition. "Ah, Logan. So good of you to bring out friend to visit me. Thank you very much. You too, Bobby."
Both brunettes recognized the dismissal, both chose to ignore it.
Xavier laughed queitly turning to face his newest guest, conscious for the first time within the walls of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
"Hello. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I run a school for mutants. What is your name?"