They walked cautiously, following the tunnel to the lower floor. The smell of blood grew stronger distinguish between the scents. There were two that seemed to be fresher than the rest, though. One was Rogue, but the other was just as familiar, although neither could put their finger on why.
As the pair walked out of the passage way, they could see a large warehouse room filled with at least 15 giant cages. The stench had become worse, and both mutants had to fight to keep from vomiting.
Cloud was unable to control her stomach, and had to stop to be sick. Logan continued on, not wanting to embarrass the girl even more. As he walked past the cages, he noticed most were empty. There was someone sleeping inside. The man was lying on the floor, face down in his own blood.
He almost past it by when he realized he knew the scent. Slashing through the lock with his claws, Logan entered the cage and turned the body around. Although his face was covered in blood, Logan recognized him immediately.
“Cloud!” he called quickly. “Get your ass over here.”
She ran to him, still wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She was still having a hard time controlling her stomach, and he hoped she would be able to hold it back until they were out of there.
He motioned to the body on the floor with little compassion. He felt no pity for the man who had abandoned them as a boy. “This is…”
“John,” she breathed softly. He nodded slightly, remembering suddenly that she had been at the mansion for many more years than he had.
“He’s not doing so well.” He had to snap his fingers to get her attention. Look at me right now, not at him.”
When she finally turned her gaze on him, her eyes were glazed over. He could hear her heart pounding in his ears, and he knew that if she didn’t have a task soon, she would be useless. “He’s alive, but barely. The others should be here in a few moments. I need you to clear away the blood and find the wound. Who ever shot him wanted him to suffer. That might be what saves his life. Get the bleeding to stop.”
He didn’t wait to make sure she did what was necessary. Something told him she would give her own life to make sure he kept his.
He walked away from the young pair, looking for the only woman he could ever be completely loyal to.
The next cage over looked to be a bit more comfortable than the others. As he walked in, he noticed a bed covered with a thick blanket and sheets. It was the only bed he had seen in the entire place as yet, and there were even a few pillows.
There was a wooden rocking chair with a table and a few books. There was even a toilet with a make shift sink closed off to the rest of the cage by a dork green curtain. The bed smelled of Rogue.
He let out another howl before running out of the cage and through a set of double doors at the far end of the room. Just as he entered the long hall that traveled to his right and left, he heard a small whimper come from the right. It was also the way Rogue’s scent was leading him.
He found her through the first door he had tried. It was an operating room, and it smelled of medicine and disinfectant… and Rogue’s blood. When he opened the door, the overwhelming smell of her blood almost dropped him to his knees, but it was the sight before him that brought tears to his eyes.
She was lying on an operating table, all alone. There were no doctors, no nurses taking care of her. A thin, blue, paper sheet was draped down to separate her vision from the lower part of her body. Her eyes were closed, but he could hear the faint sound of her breathing. She was still alive.
The lower part of her body was a mess, how ever. They had cut her open and moved everything around. It looked as if someone took all her organs out and then just threw them back in. He could still smell the doctors and nurses. But there was also a different smell. One that was fresh and new. One that made his heart hurt.
It was the scent of a child. A newborn baby girl.
But he couldn’t think about that now. He needed to help his girl. He walked across the room and looked down at her. She was impossibly pale, but still alive. He could see her body shiver, and he knew that he needed to help her quickly.
He went to her stomach first, removing the clamps they had used to hold her open. He made sure that her legs and arms were securely bound, yet lose enough so that she could get out.
He bent to kiss her, hoping that her mutation was working. As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt the familiar pull. It would only be a few seconds and then she would be fine and he would get her the hell out….
All too soon he felt himself be pulled away from her. He saw that she had at least begun to turn a more healthy shade of pale, but that was all. He hadn’t held on long enough. He looked over at the hand on his arm. He let out a low growl before turning to face down the young girl who had torn him away.
“Knock it off,” she said angrily, gathering all the courage she could. “There is no was the other’s are going to be able to get three gurneys down her to carry all of you up. Someone will have to carry the lease disabled. All three of you will be out of it. She just had a baby. Pyro was shot in the neck and you will be unconscious. No one will be able to get you out of here. And don’t you think she would want to see you first when she wakes up? It won’t do any good if you’re comatose.”
He wanted to shake her off and go back to what he was doing be he knew she was right. “So what you want to do? Wait until the other’s get through with Pyro over there? One doctor, remember? Only one person can be fixed at a time. I bet that Beast already has his hands full.”
“Then I’ll do it.” Determination flashed through her eyes, and he felt the itch to slap some sense into her. She had never done anything like this before. She didn’t seem to understand that even though a healer like the both of them could wake up from Rogue’s touch in a matter of hours didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be out of commission for a few days. Before Logan could stop her, Cloud reached out her hand and grabbed on to Rogue’s bare leg. He watched as every vein in her young face lifted up as her life began to drain from her. Before he could reach out to shove her away, Cloud fell to the floor, unconscious.
He watched as Rogue’s open stomach seemed to mend its self back together. He watched as her organs slightly moved back into place, and Rogue’s eyes slowly opened as she took in a sharp intake of air.
“Logan?” she whispered as she tried to sit up. “You got here. Where is she? Where’s our baby?” Rogue tried to sit up, but realized she was strapped to the table. She pulled slightly on the restraints, realizing that her abilities were back when they snapped easily. “Where’s my daughter?”
New tears formed in his eyes as he saw all hope vanish from her face. He was able to save her, but he wasn’t in time to save their child. By the looks of things, she had probably been on that helicopter that had left just as he arrived. “She’s gone, baby.”
He watched as she brought her hands to her face and began to weep. She had always been stronger than this, even when she was just a girl. The last time he had seen her cry had been all those years ago, on that train when she was just a child. Even then, she had tried to fight it. But now, she appeared to be a broken woman.
“I’m sorry, Logan,” she sobbed, not looking at him. “I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t stop them, Logan. They took my baby.”
He thanked God for the long sleeves he wore today as he wrapped his arms around her, letting her find condolence in his arms. She cried in his arms, begging him for forgiveness even as he knew he should have been the one begging her.
That was how Scott and Storm found them, wrapped in each other’s arms, begging each other for the same thing. Cloud was still passed out on the floor, and so, as Scott picked her up, Ororo stood by until the lovers were ready for any help they needed.
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