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Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men, but I do own Spirit.
Spirit: Are we at the good part yet?
Me: Yes, we are.
Spirit: Finally! It took you long enough.
Me: *glares* I've been busy.
Spirit: Just get on with it already.
Me: *grumbles under breath*
Spirit: What was that?
Me: Just get into the story where you belong.
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Later that night, I went down into the kitchen, stomach growling.
I was in my cat form, pacing the countertops as I looked for something to eat, when Bobby came into the kitchen. My pale grey ears flicked forward to look at the young male, my tail twitching behind me. I watched silently as he went into the freezer and took out some ice cream. I cocked my head curiously; Rogue had tried to explain to me what ice cream was once, but had given up after a while since I asked too many questions. Apparently, humans took the milk from cows and put it through this whole process to make it sweet and then freeze it, and sometimes people would add other foods to the ice cream to make it taste different. I think Rogue gave up when I kept asking why humans didn't just drink milk.
Anyway, I leapt from the counter onto the little island in the center of the kitchen, coming over to Bobby.
"What flavor is that?" I asked, pink nose twitching delicately as I sniffed at it.
Bobby jumped slightly at my intrusion before sticking his spoon into the carton and pulling out a large chunk. "Here," he said instead. "Try it."
Hesitantly, I flick my small tongue out and lick at the cold stuff. The familiar taste of chocolate coated my tongue and I give a small purr, finishing off the rest of the bite. Bobby chuckles, getting up to get another spoon.
"It's more satisfying as a human," he told me, to which I perched on the edge of the island counter and changed into my human form, taking claim of the spoon I'd licked.
"Fair enough," I said, getting myself another scoop. This went on for a while, Bobby and I sharing the chocolate ice cream in content silence. I looked up when I smelled a familiar scent of cigars.
Logan came into the kitchen and, at the sight of the two of us, rolled his eyes. "Doesn't anyone sleep around here?" he grumbled, going to the refrigerator and looking into its contents.
"I was hungry," I told the burly mutant, sliding off of the counter and padding lightly over to the sink to place my spoon in it. Before I left the kitchen, I looked over my shoulder at Bobby. "Thanks for the ice cream."
"No prob," the young man replied and looked over at Logan as he asked where the beer was.
I chuckled and left before I could hear his reply, shifting into my cat form once again as I moved down the silent hallways. Now that I was hyped up on sugar, I padded through the abandoned corridors to explore and just to enjoy the silence.
That's when I realized that something wasn't right.
I froze in the middle of a hallway close to the game room, where I could faintly hear the TV playing, hackles lifting and my claws unsheathing. I hunkered down in the shadows, trying to figure out what was unnerving me so much. My tail twitched anxiously as I saw lights flickering outside the windows, giving a faint hiss. I heard the TV turn down low and I could suddenly hear the crackling of branches outside before the lights that had been outside were suddenly inside.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement as a young pup, though not as young as Heather, come out from the game room, his eyes large behind a pair of glasses.
"Hello?" he called experimentally.
I could only watch as men suddenly appeared, coming around the corner of the hallway. The man in the lead looked at the boy, a large gun in his hand. I gave a loud hissing screech, tail lashing angrily, when the gun gave a soft pffh noise and the boy fell to the ground, three needles protruding from his neck. The guns were suddenly trained on me and I hissed again.
"It's only a cat," one of the men said. "Keep going."
I stayed where I was for a while until they had all passed, one taking the boy with them. I hissed for a third time as I changed into my human form. I kept to the shadows, starting back towards the kitchen. I had to warn Logan.
And then, all hell broke loose.
A loud, piercing scream came from upstairs, and I landed on the floor, covering my ears. I could faintly hear glass shattering and the pounding of feet. Lights flashed all over the place, and I could have sworn that I heard the whomping of helicopter blades just outside. The scream suddenly cut off and I lunged to my feet, sprinting down the hallway.
"Logan!" I screamed. "Logan!"
The burly mutant came running from the kitchen, the scent of blood coming from his hands. I ran to him and wrapped him in a hug.
"Logan, what's going on?" I asked, voice quavering.
"The mansion's under attack," he growled, looking around. "Find the others and get them out of here. Do you know Colossus?" I nod, remembering the large, Russian boy well.
"Good. I want you to take the kids to him; he knows a way out through the tunnels."
I nod again and take off back down the hallway, falling onto all fours as I shifted mid-stride. Scents of fear and anger washed over me as I ran up the stairs, a stain of white against the darkness of the mansion. A few times, I came upon soldiers in the hallways and I leapt at them with a savage eagerness, the smell of blood being spilt bringing my more feral instincts to the surface. I don't remember much of that night, just the stench of blood and the taste of warm flesh in my mouth. I was dimly aware of going into the students' rooms and getting them out while the guards were distracted, noises of another fight coming from downstairs; it sounded like Logan was getting his revenge on those who had dared to enter his home as well. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only minutes, I managed to herd a good handful of students down into the halls, where I found Colossus, a large young man with a lot of muscle and smelling like metal, getting the kids into a passageway that was hidden within the walls, away from the chaos that raged just down the corridor.
"Get them out of here," I told him, panting lightly. He looked at me in a bit of shock; I learned later that he was a bit startled to see a white wolf covered in blood, telling him to get the kids out of the mansion. He nodded after a few seconds and looked over his shoulder, where I saw Bobby and Rogue were standing.
"Where's Logan?" I asked, giving a small whine as I looked over my own shoulder, trying to spot the burly mutant.
"I don't know," Rogue said. She looked up at Bobby. "We're not leaving him."
Bobby could only nod before he ran down the hallway, Rogue and I hot on his heels. I heard voices up ahead and I slid to a stop, my blood slicked claws trying to find a purchase on the wooden floor. I sank my teeth into the back of Rogue's shirt, alerting her to the presence just ahead. She in turn pulled Bobby back and the three of us poked our heads around the corner.
Logan was standing in the middle of the hallway with his claws out and bloodied, facing off with a man that looked familiar and a handful of soldiers, some holding unconscious students. I gave a quiet snarl, blue eyes blazing with hatred. Rogue hushed me with a gentle touch to my head with a glove covered hand, watching the on goings as I was. I couldn't really tell what was going on, but I did know that the man was aggravated by what the familiar man was saying to him.
Not interested in their conversation, I looked over at the students that the soldiers held. A small whine escaped as I noted the familiar faces before it turned into a snarl when I realized that I knew one of the students better than all the others. It was Heather, held like a sack of potatoes over a soldiers back. Before I could stop myself, I stalked forward, looking a lot like a hellhound with my fur matted with blood and my eyes holding a wild, intelligent light. Rogue tried to stop me, but I slid out of her grasp like oil in water.
The gaze of the soldiers and the familiar men turned to look at me as I approached, looking three times my normal size with my fur standing on end as it was. The familiar man, who had dark short hair and a goatee with glasses, looked incredibly startled to see me before his features were twisted into a feral grin.
"Well, well, well," he said, hands clasped behind his back. "So this is what became of Experiment 54B. I should have known she'd be found by your precious school. She's quite the interesting specimen is she not?"
Logan frowned slightly and his gaze flickered down to me, but my mind wasn't on him. It was on the man who I now knew had kept me imprisoned for all those years. My snarl deepened into a growl fierce enough that a few of the soldiers took a step back.
"Get back," Logan growled back towards me. "Go with the others."
Stubbornly, I shook my head and returned my gaze to the man who'd been behind the experiments that made me who I was today. I was shaking, my rage was so fierce. I finally couldn't keep it up anymore and I shifted into my human form. The man's eyes lit up in shock and delight.
"You finally changed forms," he said breathlessly.
"Go to hell," I spat, fists clenched hard enough that my fingernails cut into my palms, which quickly healed.
"This is remarkable," the man said, still in awe. I snarled, shifting back into my wolf form to get the message through, bloodstained fangs glinting in the light of the flashlights the soldiers had. And then, I lunged forward, heading towards the soldier that held Heather. I wasn't going to let them hurt the young pup.
There were shouts of surprise and the blasting of guns as I moved, though none found their mark.
"Get her!" the man shouted. "Get her now!"
I felt a few of the needles pierce my skin, but my healing abilities got rid of them easily, though I felt a bit dizzy before the sedatives wore off. I could hear Logan shouting before it was muffled, Bobby having formed an ice wall between us and them. I was glad that they would get away. Besides, it would give me a chance to look after those who were to be taken to who knew where.
"I'll be alright, Logan," I thought to him, hoping that he got my message. "Go with the others. Find Jean and all of them. I'll look after them."
I looked once at the ice wall and at the explosives that a few of the soldiers placed against it to blow it up. I could just see Logan on the other side, Bobby pulling his arm to get him to go. I swear that I saw Logan nod his head once to me before he ran off with the other two, disappearing down the hallway. Once they were out of sight, I turned my attention back to the fight.
I snarled at the soldiers that approached, having lost the one that had held Heather. I looked out the closest window, feeling the warmth of the full moon.
Protect us all, Moon Goddess, I thought, once again returning my attention to the soldiers. Keep us safe.
The next time the needles pierced my skin, I feinted to lose consciousness and dropped to the floor with a thud.
"Finally," the man grumbled. I could tell that he was frustrated at having lost the others. "At least we have seven of them. Now, get them out of here before they wake up. Especially Experiment 54B; she was made to be the most deadliest killer alive. I won't know the extent of her abilities until further testing, so be careful with her and don't let her wake up."
"Yessir," came a chorus of replies, and I felt my body being picked up before I was carried outside to one of the helicopters and taken away to who knew where.
I just hoped that I had made the right decision in staying behind.
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Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Spirit's Life! Please read and review!