“Wait for me.” He mouthed the words soundlessly, but it was far better than just leaving her standing there, not knowing what to do. She crept in to the hole they had dug on the wall. It wouldn’t hide her if they came looking for her, but if the corridor turned yet another shooting range at least she’d be out of the way.
Wait for me. And it had been a smile. An honest smile. The first she had gotten out of him during the whole time they had spent together. She couldn’t help the warm feeling that grew inside of her. He was twisted. Broken in so many ways she couldn’t even comprehend. Gruff and mean, looking after mostly himself, but that had started to change already. He had done things he didn’t necessarily need to do. What would happen once they got out from here? Would he learn how to live? Would he leave her after he knew how to react, how to behave?
She snorted. Would he leave her? What on earth was she thinking? They had made a deal. It was the only reason he had dragged her sorry ass through all this. That was the only reason she stood here waiting for his return, her heart hammering at her temples, because she was so close of being free, but she still needed him to get through the last stretches of her imprisonment. Rotors that forced the air to the smaller shafts that circulated the building were probably huge. Able to cut her in half. She’d need him and his claws to get through the shaft alive.
When she heard footsteps approaching her hiding place she tensed. Tried not to move. Tried not to breathe. When masked face of a soldier appeared in front of her she screamed. Barrel of the gun that had been pointing at her was suddenly wrenched aside, and she could see three sharp blades coming through the chest of the man that was standing in front of her. Black clad body was tossed to the side, and Wolverine stood there. She launched from the hole and wrapped her whole body around him, her hands around his neck, legs around his waist and held on as if her life depended on it. She felt him tensing, but his hands curled around her as well. He held her for a moment, then struggled loose and lowered her on the floor, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“They won’t bother us anymore. Time to get moving. I’ll go first. Keep some distance between us. I don’t want to drop you if I start to fall.” He ducked in to the hole, then turned around and backed out.
“Try to leave so free space between your legs. I have to cut loose some parts and it’s easier to let them fall than try to push them up with us.” With that said he disappeared in to the shaft. She waited for a moment, then climbed after him. It was pitch black, but she could hear him breathing somewhere above her. Metal screeching against metal.
“Watch it. Coming through…” He warned her and she could feel something cold and hard brushing past her shins. She braced her feet apart little wider, and pushed upwards with her hands, blinking off dust that rained down on her and got in to her eyes.
They had gotten past three rotors and as many nets when she felt it. First wet droplet on her face.
“Logan?” She asked.
“Yeah?” Tone of his voice was wary, he was obviously surprised from her using his ‘real’ name.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“I’m fine. Except that I’m getting wet. It’s probably raining outside.”
“We’re getting pretty close then. Aren’t those nets there to gather rubbish and moisture?” She asked. Wolverine grunted.
“Probably. Can’t see a thing yet. It’s raining, and it’s night. Isn’t that some sort of cliché?” He asked.
“Cliché? Yes. Definitely. Only thing missing are howling bloodhounds on our trail, and we have a nice little prison escape movie in our hands…” She giggled.
“Shit…”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Nothing. A movie? I think… I think I have seen few of those. Watch it.”
She moved a bit and he dropped yet another rotor past her. She heard him shuffling upwards and followed him.
“Oops…” He started to slide down. She could only watch his approaching back, then she heard him unsheathing his claws and he plunged them in to the wall, stopping his descent. She could feel the warmth radiating from him. She could smell the blood that was running down his arms. She could feel him hovering above her in the darkness, every muscle and tendon trembling from exertion.
“Shit…”
“What do we do now?” She asked.
“Can you get past me? That was the last rotor I just cut off. Should be a clear way from now on.”
“What about you?” She asked. She held no illusions. If she stayed where she was and he fell, she couldn’t stop the fall.
“I can use my claws to climb up, but I don’t want to kick you in the face while doing that. Try to climb over me. And fucking fast. I don’t know how long I can stay this way…”
It took a bit creative thinking and lots of squirming and screaming from her part, and use of unidentified curses from his part, but finally they managed to trade places. His claws were buried deep in to the wall and she was sitting atop of his palms, trying to find sturdy footing from the wall above and started inching slowly upwards. She gasped when she turned to look up. She could see the stars above. Bright, shining lights above her, inviting her to the outside. She kept her eyes locked to them and used the pull she imagined as a leverage and source of strength. She was going to get free. She heart Wolverine below her, claws scraping and screeching against the metal wall of the shaft, seeking purchase.
She reached the brim of the shaft, and for a moment panic gripped her insides. She had been climbing face up. How was she going to get over the brim? Then she felt Wolverine’s head between her shoulderblades. He gave her the push she needed, and suddenly she was falling. Fall wasn’t high, just few meters, and she fell to a soft grass on her back. Wolverine climbed out after her, standing on the brim of the air ventilation shaft for a moment, his chest heaving, eyes closed and face turned upwards to the sky. Then his head swiveled sharply around and he turned to look at her.
“Turn on your skin. Now.” She did as he told her to do.
“Stay down. Don’t move.” She could hear angry growling from somewhere close by.
“Don’t say a word. Don’t even fucking breathe…” Wolverine murmured, then leaped down from the shaft. Angry bark, more of a howl echoed from somewhere behind her head, and a dark figure leaped over her. A dog. A huge dog. A huge, dead dog.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000