Pain and exhaustion are jarring his movement and he stumbles, falling on his knees on cold, hard floor. There’s something wrong he realizes, watching lazily as his blood pools around him. He isn’t healing fast enough. Blood colors his claws and flows from the bullet wounds on his chest. He tries to stand up, slips on his own blood and falls on his back. Darkness invades his field of vision. Numbing coldness seeps through his frame. He can feel every ounce of extra weight of his metal enforced skeleton. Nausea grips his insides, and he barely manages to roll back on his knees before he chokes to his own bile. He forces it back and focuses to his surroundings. Darkness recedes slowly and he can see again. Dimly lit corridor. Red emergency lights blinking. Light. Movement behind him. Darkness. He jumps on his feet and swipes with his claws blindly. Light. Scream. Darkness. Hot blood warming his hand. Light. Uniformed young man clutching his stomach, crumbling to the floor.
Familiar scent floats around him. Strong hand on his shoulder and around his waist.
“I got you. We have to go now. More people are coming.” Cyclops.
“No. She’s here. I have to find her.”
“Wolverine. We have to go, before they catch us.” He growls and pushes Cyclops to against the wall, bloodied claws pressing slightly his throat.
“I’m not leaving without her. Not this time.” Cyclops struggles until he loosens his grasp.
“How do you know Rogue is here?” He asks. Wolverine taps his nose and grins.
“I can smell her. She’s close.”
“You got five minutes. After that we’ll leave, with or without you”, Cyclops promises and together they start tearing open doors that line the corridor.
These are the holding cells for mutants brought to this lab complex. All empty except one. Young girl, dressed to rags huddles in the furthest corner of the filthy cell, trying to shield herself from what ever it is that’s entering there.
“Go. I’ll bring her out”, Wolverine tells to Cyclops. Other man leaves. He crouches on all fours and approaches the girl carefully.
“Hi, little one”, he whispers. Marie stops shivering, but doesn’t look at him. He crawls closer.
“I came to take you home.” Big brown eyes peek through tangled veil of long, brown hair. He reaches his hand and she jerks backwards.
“I’m not going hurt you. I’ll get you out of here. Come on. Take my hand”, he urges her. She shakes her head.
“Don’t touch. Don’t touch”, she hisses and drags herself to a standing position. He can smell her fear. But it’s not fear of him. She fears for him. He retreats to the door.
“Come with me. I won’t leave you. I promise nobody touches you.” He turns to leave and hears soft footsteps behind him. He doesn’t turn to look. He walks out from the cell, and the footsteps follow him. His feet give up and he falls on his hands and knees just few meters from the main door. Footsteps stop, and he can hear a soft gasp. He tears himself back on his feet, every tendon and muscle trembling. He pushes the door open and falls face first to a snow bank, and he knows this time he won’t get up. He has lost too much blood.
“See that jet over there?” He points towards the Blackbird that has landed hundred meters from the compound. She doesn’t answer, but he continues.
“Rest of the team is there. Go. They will take care of you.” Darkness shrouds his vision again. He can hear footsteps. Her scent surrounds him.
“Are you going to be alright?” She asks. He can hear soldiers inside of the building, approaching rapidly.
“Go. Run. They’re coming”, he warns her. Fear mingles in her scent. Suddenly stench of it rises. She’s in panic. He feels her small hands circling his larger ones and she starts to drag him through the snow. He can hear her heart pounding.
“Clothes on… I can do this… He has clothes on…” She mumbles. All his senses give up one after another. His body is shutting down. This time he doesn’t fight the darkness.
There’s an angel with him.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000