Disclaimer: I do not own the Xmen, only this story and my OCs.

Chapter 13

Striker laughed lightly. "Well, I must admit this is the last place I expected to find you. I didn't realise Xavier was taking in animals, even animals as unique as you. My," He gazed at Logan, memories glazing over his eyes. "How long has it been? 15 years? You haven't changed a bit." Striker tilted his head, watching as Logan followed the movement. "Me, on the other hand…'nature'."

Wolverine glared, his muscles tense with anxiety. "Who are you?" he demanded.

His frustrated mounted at the man's knowing smile. "You don't remember?"

He growled lowly, edging forwards. Maybe if he got a stronger wiff of that scent…

But a sudden chill entered the air, a wall of azure ice growing and sealing off the corridor before either of them could even blink. "NO!" Wolverine snarled helplessly.

"Logan please, let's go!" Rogue begged, watching the man turn towards where she and Bobby were leaning out of the secret passageway door.

He shook his head, watching the shadow of the man's hand fade away from the ice. "I'll be fine."

"But we won't." She implored. Rogue knew she would hit a nerve with that. As expected, Logan looked back, and after a moment of internally struggling, ran towards them. They rushed in as the beeping of a bomb timed them like a metronome, ice scattering and hitting the closing panel door just in time.

They ran down the tunnel, bare feet slapping loudly against the damp concrete. Thick pipes lined the way, several junctions slipping in other directions that Logan ignored. He followed the familiar smell of gasoline and rubber, leading them to a red faded door that when opened revealed the large garage on the other side of the property.

There, they spotted Erin, John and Peter, rushing around haphazardly, trying to find the keys to various vehicles. Erin spotted them first. "You made it!"

"Where are the other kids?" Logan asked, running towards a large muscle car with a deep blue sheen.

Peter swallowed harshly. "We tried following them out in the forest, but they're crawling with those men as well. They got Evan as well. They were already knocked out and most were already hauled into their aircrafts."

"Managed to get back here." John finished for him as guilt cut off the Russian's words. "Been trying to get one of them working."

"Get in." Logan growled. The doors of the blue car hissed when they opened, thanks to a well placed claw. The teens rushed in. "I'll drive!" John said excitedly, but Logan pushed him to the back. "Maybe next time, kid."

"Ain't this Mista' Cyclop's car?" Rogue said nervously. She was wedged onto Bobby's lap, Erin in a similar situation on John's while Peter sat next to Logan. The feral mutant snorted, snapped out another claw and bent down to start hot wiring the car.

"Aren't we forgetting somethin'?" Erin snarled. "You know maybe, my fucking sister?!"

"And Kitty!" Rogue gasped.

Peter reached for the door, but Logan caught him. The metal man tried pushing him off, but his grip tightened. "We can't just leave them!"

"They're already gone, kid." Logan snarled. "If you go back in there again, you're just another ass we'll have to save."

"What do you mean?" Bobby said, flinching slightly as the engine roared to life.

"We're gonna fight?" John said, eyes burning.

"Fuck yes. As if we'd leave them." Erin said firmly. Rogue and Bobby looked at her surprise.

"We don't leave our own behind, you got that?" Logan agreed. "But first, we gotta go somewhere safe, contact the others and work out a plan."

"Where then?" Peter said grimly, watching the tiers of the Mansion crumbling further into the distance.

Bobby chewed his lip. "My parent's house. They're a couple of hours away, in New Jersey."

"Give me an address kid." Logan commanded, which Bobby promptly did.

Meanwhile, Erin leaned forward, ignoring John's tensing hands on her waist and spoke into Peter's ears. "You said you would get her. What the hell happened?!"

Peter glared at her, furious at her accusations that he in fact agreed with. "Kitty said she'd go instead, as she could be in and out in seconds." He forcefully breathed out, screwing his eyes closed. "Something happened though. They should have gotten out before us."

Erin gripped the leather seat enough to leave marks from her nails. Her breath tickled his neck. "If she's hurt, I'll personally send you to hell." She hissed.

Peter's blue eyes met hers, full of grief. "I won't stop you."

Several minutes before…

Kitty gasped as the familiar chill of entering the air in a solid form again overwhelmed her as she floated to the floor. She could still hear the shouting and sounds of war above. Nearby, the hissing of drills and lasers told her that soon, this level would be infiltrated as well. She rushed down the luminous corridors, almost running past the medical bay in her haste.

Kitty slapped her head after an attempt to guess the code to Giselle's room, phasing through the next second and running towards the bed. When she got there, she froze at the sight.

Of course Kitty had visited her friend often, but she always had this reaction, the feeling of being numb all over. It was worse than when she had been constantly crying. Hesitantly, she let a shaky hand reach forward to touch Giselle's bare arm, scared to grip it properly. Kitty moved forward to kneel down, her haste forgotten. Her lips trembled. She didn't hear the falling circular door that had just been broken through, due to the sound proof glass that made up the med bay cubicles. Maybe if she had been more aware, she would have been alerted by the shaking furniture and humming aftershock.

"Oh god, Elle…" her voice cracked, and she buried her head back into the dark curtain of hair on the pillow. This time, Kitty tightly pressed her fingers one by one on Giselle's skin, finding comfort in the rush of colour and blood she saw when she removed them.

A sound finally broke through her hazy state, and she whipped around just in time to see the butt of a hand held bomb stuck in the glass beep one last time and explode. Kitty screamed, throwing her body against the bed to knock it over, protecting both girls from the onslaught of glass. Several black clad men ran in, raising and firing their weapons without a second thought. Kitty grabbed her friends arm and tried to phase away, but in her hysterical state, her powers fizzed weakly and she was hit before even making the first layer of skin fade.

And so the mansion was taken. Oh how the great have fallen...

Sorry for the update delay, and that this chapter is a little short, but ill make it p don't worry ;)

Love,

Renzin xo