Her long hair hung in greasy strands obscuring part of her view. She had stopped resisting and hung limply as she was dragged down the hallway. Her shoulders were screaming in pain and her wrists were slick with blood from where the handcuffs cut into them. She was silent, trying to memorize where they were taking her but all the hallways were the same plain grey walls with metal doors. There were no identifying marks anywhere, she could have been led in a circle for all she knew. Suddenly they stopped in front of a door. It looked just like any other door.

They held up one of their weird little remote and suddenly a blue light flashed and the door opened. The cell was tiny. She started to get claustrophobic just looking at it. One of the guards uncuffed her and shoved her towards the back of the cell. There was no bed, no toilet, no nothing.

“Arrgh!” She smacked the walls and looked around at her surroundings. It wasn’t completely dark, there was a tiny little slot above the door. It let in a tiny stream of light that lit up the cell just enough for her to look around. She put her arms out beside her and she could easily press her palms against both walls.

She felt her chest start to tighten, there wasn’t enough air, that slot couldn’t possibly provide enough air. Her head started to swim. The walls began to close. She couldn’t take it.

She didn’t know how long she had been there; she woke up curled on the floor. The cell was too short for her to even lie down on the floor without bending her knees. She stood up and stretched, her whole body hurt. She stroked her wrists carefully, they had scabbed up well. Her bladder was really starting to hurt and she stood and began to pace.

Time had no meaning and when the door finally opened she wasn’t sure if she had been in there 2 hours or 2 days. The quickly cuffed her wrists, she winced in pain but was relived to be out of that tiny dark cell, the hallway was long. She wondered why it was they never passed others when walking the halls. They had to have others there. She had been there for many sleeps. She had lost count a long time ago and since there were no windows she had no way of knowing the time. Where were the others? Her thoughts raced as they took her down the maze of corridors. Stopping at another metal door she stood, waiting. Would it be more tests? More beatings? More questions? She didn’t know what to expect but she couldn’t help but gasp before being shoved into the room, hand cuffs and all.

Logan cursed again and slammed his body up against one of the guards. He heard a satisfying crunch as the man flew into the wall. More guards ran up behind him. He knew he was outnumbered and going down but he was going to take out as many of them as he could. His arms were cuffed behind him but that didn’t make him any less lethal.

A guard rushed him with a club one well aimed kick and he was down; Logan was about to dole out the killing blow when he felt it: an explosion of pain rocketed up and down his body. They used a potent drug that caused mind numbing pain and paralysis. He dropped to his knees, barely aware of the guards dragging their injured away.
By the time he could move his body he had been dragged to his cell and thrown in, face down. They had removed the cuffs though he could barely move his fingers let alone roll over. He was getting weaker. His body should have been growing immune to the drug but instead it was taking longer to heal. His stomach was a constant gnawing pain. He hadn’t been fed in weeks. His healing factor was boosted with sleep and food and they made sure he hadn’t been getting any. He groaned and tried to lift his head. His body felt like dead weight.

He lay there, plotting his revenge. The hallways all looked the same but they didn’t all smell the same. He knew where he was, he knew the locations of the guard quarters, the showers, the torture room, the cells of the well behaved prisoners and his cell. He knew them all except what door would get him out of there. When he was first captured he had thought he would pop his claws and be out in a few hours. That had turned into weeks and then months.

He finally regained enough strength to sit up. His cell was small but it kept his body heat in. He guessed it was winter by how cold it was. If only he could get a whiff of fresh air.

He closed his eyes and rested until the click of the cell being unlocked woke him. He was on his feet glaring within seconds. The guards stood, tranquilizer gun at the ready. Logan growled deep in his chest, the sound reverberated off the walls. “Turn around, put your hands behind you.” Another one of them barked. Logan obeyed, knowing that if he resisted, he wouldn’t even have the satisfaction of hurting one of them before going down. They clamped the cuffs on him and before he could turn around one had struck him over the head with a club. They led him out of the cell and into another room. It was the same song and dance as before. Logan rolled his eyes. The guards strapped him in to a metal chair that was bolted to the floor and set a big plate of hot food in front of him. “I bet you want that don’t you?” One asked.

Of all the guards there Logan hated this one the most. He was tall, blond, had eyes so brown they were almost black and was the cruelest of them all. Logan ignored his taunt and watched the guard take a bite of the food. Mashed potatoes, steak, carrots and even a slice of pie. The smells taunted him and he cursed his body when his stomach rumbled loudly. The guards all laughed, and Logan snarled.

“You could have it you know.” The tall guard spoke when he was finished eating. “If you just decided to work with us, you could be eating meals like this too.”

He was lying. Logan could smell it on him. “Go fuck yourself.” He spat out angrily. He knew there was no way they would let him out. They might have mutants working for them but they would never trust him. He had taken out too many of their men.

As he was led back to his cell he smelled a new mutant. She was in the cell next to him and from the smell of it she was scared shitless. Normally they calmed after being put in the cell. They were always scared but the first few days were when the new ones reeked of it the most. He didn’t think anything more of it as he settled in to sleep. He wanted to be healed up enough for the next fight tomorrow.

Her spine stiffened as she was shoved into the room. Ahead of her sat Ashley one eye badly swollen and lip bleeding.

“You did this!” Ashley lunged across the table towards her. “How could you?” She screamed.

“No. I didn’t tell anyone.” She shook her head violently. Tears stung her eyes. No matter how many times they asked she had never told them about any other mutants.

“Yes you did. How else did they find me?” Ashley spat angrily. The mutant’s white hair flared with color and became a fiery red.

“I don’t know. I swear. They probably got you the way they got me.” She was cut off by the guard coming in and pushing her up against the wall. Pressing his baton up against her throat he leaned in close.

“Behave and shut up.” His foul breath turned her stomach and her skin crawled at his nearness.

Not for the first time she wished she had her power back. She could live with their personalities in her head if it only meant she could kill them and get out. Thankfully he turned around and faced Ashley. He pointed at her with his baton and then again at the chair. The tall girl plopped down gracelessly, eyeing the guard carefully.
“So tell me. Where is this mutie’s family?”

Her focus snapped to her old friend’s face and she silently willed her friend to be silent. Ashley looked up at her once, begging for forgiveness before looking down at her hands.

She felt like she had been punched even though she still stood there standing against the wall. Part of her wanted to jump across the room and rip out her throat and part of her wanted to turn and run out of the room. Neither was a viable option. She felt bile rise in her throat. She could try to plead with her friend but it wouldn’t work. Ashley had already been broken. Brown eyes bored holes into Ashley’s head and whether she felt it or she was just uncomfortable about ratting people out, she squirmed in her seat.

Marie sent up a silent thank you for the fact that her eldest brother had already moved out and was off to college before the whole war had started. She hoped he was safe, there had been no way of getting a hold of him.
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as Ashley rattled of every friend and neighbor she knew. Her shoulders sagged with relief when the guard stood from the interrogation table. Marie winced as she grabbed her arm and yanked her across the room. Shoving her into the metal chair across from Ashley, she knew what would happen.

Why don’t you tell us a little bit of what she left out?” His voice was gravely and low as he pulled out a cigarette. His lighter flicked and a shiver ran down her spine.

“No.” Despite her effort to remain calm and stead her voice wavered.

“Oh I think you want to. After the way she just told me all about your family don’t you want to get even?” His words were tempting but she refused to sell out. Shook her head no.

“Do you have any idea what we are going to do to your parents? Spawning off disgusting little muties like you. Oh we are going to have fun.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I might string up your mama from the nearest tree. After all she gave birth to you. Your daddy though.” He paused, watching her reaction. Rage seethed just barely under the surface and her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms. “They say the gene is passed from the father. So I guess that means we will save the best for him. Maybe take him apart, piece by piece…” She turned her head away from him and he punched her. The force of the blow caused her to topple off the chair onto the cement.

“You will pay attention to me bitch.” He barked. Grabbing her by her hair he dragged her back up into the chair. Ashley huddled nervously looking as if she had just wet herself. “Now I asked you nicely. Tell me where its family is.” When he said it he nodded at Ashley. It angered Marie that they were nothing more than creatures to them and she set her jaw. She didn’t even see it coming, suddenly her head was slammed down into the table and the cigarette was being extinguished on her cheek.
Her mouth filled with blood from where her teeth caught her inner cheek and she spit it out when he let her up. She was in a pain filled daze when they threw her back into her cell. There in the darkness she began to cry.

Logan woke growling, his claws itching to be released. He sat up against the back wall of the cell and scrubbed a hand across his face. Before he could wake up from his nightmares; now he lived them. He growled low in his chest. He could her talking outside, that was rare. Maybe it meant there were some new guards; new guards wouldn’t know what he was capable of. He smirked at the idea. That would be fun.

He sniffed the air, the little air vent above the door didn’t allow for much fresh air and as stinky as he was, he couldn’t smell them very well. He almost wished they would take him out and give him one of their ice showers. He heard a door open and close and then a few minutes later the door opened again. There was silence and then his door opened. He was still sitting there, back to the wall, watching them. His eyes adjusted quickly and he assessed them. They had the cattle prods, they had probably heard about him. But they didn’t smell too worried. He would work with that. “Get up.” He obliged slowly, popping his neck, he stalked towards them. The small red head registered the danger quicker than the other and lifted the prod to keep the distance between them.

“Walk.” The tall stocky one was over confident and Wolverine smelled no fear on him. The other one, the short red headed boy filled the air with it. Logan’s lips twitched upwards. He would wait for just the right moment. As they walked down the hall he registered the smells. The new girl in the next cell still smelled terrified, this time he smelled burnt flesh and blood in addition to the tears. He rolled his shoulders and his claws itched to be freed. He wanted to kill every fucker in this place.

They stopped him in front of the last door of the hall. Wolverine surged to the forefront of Logan’s consciousness. Metal cattle prods were no match for Adamantium claws. One swipe detached the short one’s head and the other he gutted from balls to adams apple. He grabbed one of their remotes and shoved it in the back pocket of his jeans. Flinging the door open he ran inside, there were two attendants at the showers, just as he knew there would be. Their screams echoed in the tiled room. He turned around and looked franticly; he didn’t see any weapons that would help him. He briefly considered barricading the door but he dismissed the thought with a snarl. Wolverine wanted OUT!

His bare feet padded silently down the hall, he heard them running towards him and he looked down at the remote. He left bloody finger prints as he scanned through the options. He had made it to the cell next to his, he pressed the open button and the lock clicked. Yanking the door open he looked down.

The first thing he noticed was her eyes. Big doe eyes, a swollen face, dark hair framing that same face with a single white streak in the front. He heard the steps nearing, “Be quiet.” He commanded, his voice felt gravely. He threw the remote at her and slammed the door shut. He didn’t hear it shatter so he guessed she caught it before it hit the cement floor. He turned and ran back down the hallway, towards the showers. He didn’t want them to know she had the remote. They would find it when they came to get her so he hoped she would use it before that. It wasn’t much of a chance. But it was a chance. And it was all he could do. At least at the end of the day he could say he taken out four more of the fuckers.

There was nothing he could do to barricade the doors so he waited for them, holding the hose he sprayed them at full force. He felt the bullets but he roared and lunged at them.

Marie lifted her head and looked at the door. She thought she heard yelling. It was faint through the thick metal walls but it was screams. She was sure of it. She wondered if someone had gotten loose. She silently rooted for whoever it was that was causing the commotion. Suddenly her door opened and standing in front of here was a blood spattered wild eyed mutant with knives sticking out of his fists.

He tossed a remote at her, barked at her to be silent and then he was gone. She could hear her pulse thudding in her ears. This was her chance. She heard more yells and for a moment she thought they were coming for her. She shoved the remote behind her and sat on it. The commotion faded as they went down the hall and she sighed. She pulled out the precious remote and scrolled through it.

Thankfully it was backlit and she was able to examine it in the dimly lit cell. She knew she had to wait to use it; she didn’t want to go out in the middle of the mess.
She thought back to the stranger. Why had he given the remote to her? What was going to happen to him now? She shuddered at the thought. He was tall, muscular and had those knives, but she knew they had weapons designed to handle them. She closed her eyes and prayed that the stranger would be ok. He didn’t look like one they could take down easily.

While she waited and listened carefully she examined the remote. She realized their little remotes were nothing more than a small tablet preloaded with access to all the rooms. She looked for a map but couldn’t find one, she sighed with irritation. Her thoughts again went to the stranger. It had been silent for hours.

She wondered if they would be on high alert for the rest of the night. She didn’t want to blow her chance. Her mind raced. Could she leave with just the remote? How would she fight? Her mutation was permanently switched off thanks to the chip imbedded in the base of her skull. She knew how to throw a punch but she was unable to fight off the prods and batons. She wished she knew where the stranger was and what happened to him. If he was alive she would release him. She owed him at least that much. She seriously doubted he was alive but she had to be sure.

Marie dropped down to do pushups, she had too much energy to sit still and she knew she needed to be stronger. When her arms could lift her no longer she began to panic. Her odds of getting out alive by herself were very slim. She had never been able to tell where she was and she seriously doubted that right at the end of the hall was a door to the outside. And even then, they were at war. She cocked her head to the side; then again, once she got out she would be a human so she didn’t have to worry about that. She just had to get out. Hanging her head she realized she was starting to lose it. She needed to focus on just getting out or they would drive her mad like they wanted.

The sound of a baton clicking along the wall signified someone approached. It had been too long since they had come for her. “Shit.” She looked around, there was nowhere to hide it but she wasn’t ready.

Holding the remote in her hands she stared at the walls, there was no place to hide it. She heard the lock disengage on her door. There went her chance of escaping.

Logan groaned. Healing ability or no he was in deep trouble. His healing ability was already maxed out because of the previous weeks of no food and torture. After they caught him they had taken him to the torture room for what seemed like days. They tossed him into his cell when they were done and he lay there, gasping, blood bubbling from his lips. He had never remembered such pain, even in the nightmares he had never felt pain so real. The only thing that kept him sane was the image of the girl in the cell next door.

She was so frightened when he opened the door but then this look flickered across her face. Like she understood. He had only had a moment to look at her but she was strong. She hadn’t been broken. He just hoped she got the hell out of there before it was too late. His lungs screamed for air, his vision swam and he closed his eyes. If only he could sleep, he could heal.

He woke feeling disoriented. He was relieved when he was able to move his fingers, when they had tried to detach his arms they cut through the nerves and when they had dumped him back in the cell he still hadn’t regained feeling. He still hurt. A small groan escaped as he tried to sit up. He licked his cracked lips. He was so thirsty.

He spent an unknown amount of time sleeping and healing. Every time he woke up he made himself go back to sleep so he could heal. His body was running low on reserves and he was weak feeling when the door to his cell opened again. “He’s still alive.” One of the guards said to the other. They slammed the door back shut and Logan lay there bewildered. Were they just going to leave him there till he died? He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or angry.

The Wolverine surged to the forefront when he registered the smells in the air. When the door opened it had gusted in air from the hallway and he could smell the girl. Why hadn’t she run? Had they caught her already? Why was he laying there and taking it instead of raising hell? Logan moved to sit in front of the door. Whenever they came back to check again, he would be waiting. That way he could at least get the one who opens the door. He cursed his weakness.

Closing his eyes he remembered how he was captured. It had been an unusually hot spring day. He remembered the fighting, the innocent children, they were being slaughtered just because of their DNA. He had never been one to get involved but someone had to stand up for them. He had joined the army of mutants. He had known the risk, his mutation had given him an edge, but the humans had the numbers.

He briefly thought of the other soldiers, did they count him as dead? Did they even look for him? How many times had he gone on rescue missions to retrieve them? Wolverine growled, he didn’t want to go down the path of pity. He was going to get out of there, somehow he will. He was close before. Wolverine was not meant to be caged.

Marie stood there in front of them glaring. This was her chance. She followed her instructions down to her ice bath. Her skin felt like it was being stripped raw under the pressure of the ice water and her teeth chattered but they ignored her and led her down the hall. She counted the steps carefully down the hall. She wanted a perfect mental map of where she was. They led her into a room where she had never been before and she cringed. There was a crude bed in the corner and several men leered at her as she was lead towards it.

“Leave her alone.” The tall red headed woman said from a corner. Marie hadn’t even noticed her when she walked in. Despite the purplish bruising across her face, it was obvious that she was beautiful. She wore a torn white shift like dress that was much too short for her. Marie subconsciously tugged at her own similar style apparel. It was more like a long shirt that a dress.

“Shut up.” One of the men in the room raised a hand at the red head and she cowed backwards. He let her go with a “Hrmpt”

“Get on the bed.” One of the guards pushed Marie, her legs were trembling already and she collapsed onto the dirty mattress. The smell of old sweat and musty bedding filled her nose and then the weight of a body crashed down on top of her, knocking the wind from her lungs. The hinges squeaked in protest and she shut her eyes and tried to will her mind to go somewhere else.

Her tiny cell was a welcome sight when they threw her back in there. She curled up in a ball and wept silently. She had been silent, she had gritted her teeth and had been silent but she hadn’t been able to stop the tears. Her eyes hurt from shedding so many tears and yet they still flowed. Her chest was burning for air, she didn’t even realize she was gasping for air. Wrapping her arms around her knees she laid her head on them and rocked back and forth.

When she could finally breathe again she looked up at the tiny air vent. The remote was still lodged firmly in the vent. Her legs shook as she forced her body to stand. She was growing weaker and she gritted her teeth against the pain as she stretched up to grab the remote. The silicone case made sure it hadn’t moved when she hid it there before the guards came for her.

She tugged it down and with trembling hands turned it on. Standing in front of the door she steeled herself. The word “Unlock” glared brightly in the cell. Her finger hovered over it nervously. She was going to get out, no matter what.

He heard the click of the door unlocking and he crouched. With a roar he sprung out. The last thing he expected to see was the girl from the cell next to him. She stood tall, her hair braided down the back and he wondered again about the strange stripe in front. “Shut up!” She hissed as she jumped out of his way. He froze and listened, no pounding of feet down the hall, no yelling of more backup. He felt safe. Why the hell did she wait and let him out? He was glad she was ok but the more she waited the weaker they both were.

“They aren’t coming.” He assured. He knew she was small when he saw her in the cell but it wasn’t till she was out in the industrial light of the hallway that he saw how emaciated she was. Logan figured she must have been there a long time. She paused at the end of the hallway and looked back at him. He shook his head no and pointed down the corner. “That’s the door to the showers.” He whispered.

Taking lead he led her down to a door he hadn’t been to before. “No…” She turned ash white and stopped by it. Logan didn’t know what had happened in there but the scent of her fear flooded the hallway. Her hands were shaking so badly he was worried she might hit a button wrong on the remote. “Hand me the remote.” He stuck out his hand. “Look. Neither one of us knows how the fuck to get out of here and you couldn’t kill a fly right now so give it to me. After all that’s why you let me out right.” He said it more as a statement than a question.

She paused, and he could see the question on her face. Could she trust him? He started to get pissed. He was the one who gave it to her and they were pissing away time. Eventually a guard would be walking the corridors soon. She thrust the remote into his outstretched hand and started jogging forward. He followed behind for a moment and caught scent of something he hadn’t smelled in ages.

“Wait.” He called out quietly. She turned back to look at him. He knew what he looked like. Standing there, crazy hair, in a pair of ripped scrub pants, streaked with dried blood and God knows what else. He looked more animal than man as he sniffed the door. “Fresh air.” He whispered as she walked up to him. It wasn’t fresh as in great outdoors but fresher than this canned air he had been breathing for the last few months. His finger hovered over the keypad.

“I didn’t choose you because you could fight.” She whispered quickly. That threw him. What the hell did that mean?

“What?” He grunted and turned back to look at her.

She looked nervous but her face was set. “I couldn’t leave you here. You were the one to give the remote to me, it wouldn’t be right.” He shook his head. How could she be so naïve even after what she had been through there? He finger paused over the button. “Get behind me.” He growled.

Marie stepped behind him and waited. She couldn’t smell the fresh air but she trusted that he could. The door hissed as it slid open. With a roar the man ran into the room. The glint of the blades drew her attention and she froze and he decapitated one of the guards and impaled the other. She took a step into the room and walked towards the window. Outside she could see snow, and in the distance, trees. She ran to the window and shoved it open farther. It was too narrow. So narrow she doubted she could climb out of it and she knew her bloody stranger couldn’t fit. She turned to look back at him, heart full of disappointment, her stomach full of dread. This wouldn’t be as easy as she thought. She looked at the guard on the floor gasping, blood trickling from his mouth. Blood dripped onto his face and Marie’s eyes followed it to the bloody, were those claws? She wondered as they slid back into his hands. “Get out the window. I will keep going.” He said as he reached down and picked up the guard’s gun and baton.

She looked down at her clothes. Like she would make it running around in a shift in what looked to be several feet of snow. She looked down at her scarred arms. She would rather die trying to get away than spend another minute in there. But she wasn’t going to leave him behind. “No fucking way.” She stepped over the body and went to the other guard and began to unbuckle his pants.

“Listen, we are going to get caught, I can distract them while you get away.” He grabbed her hand and she flinched back from him.

“I am not leaving you. We stand better chances together anyways.” She pulled the guards pants on and slipped the weapons belt on. Now she could fight. He nodded at her and went to the doorway. Following behind, cattle prod in hand she looked back one more time at the snow. Would that be her last time breathing fresh air?

The door clicked shut as she walked out and she jumped. “It buys us more time.” Logan explained.They treaded softly down the hallway to the door at the end. She steeled herself and waited as he punched the keys to open the door. It swung open and they ran in.

Bullets rang out, Marie couldn’t tell if they were from the guards, the stranger or her own gun. She was numb to it all as she fired at them. They seemed to multiply, there were 4 and then there were 6. She looked to her side and her stranger had ditched the weapons and was using his claws, cutting down a path for her to follow. She tried to run forward but was slammed into the ground. She kept pulling the trigger but it wasn’t working. Time seemed to slow down and everything was blurry.

She realized that her gun was empty right as she saw the fist coming towards her. She flinched but the blow never hit her. She opened her eyes just in time to see the guard go crashing into the wall, the stranger standing next to her. He sheathed the claws in one hand and reached for her. “You okay?” His voice seemed like it was underwater.

She didn’t trust her voice so she nodded. “Hey. You ok?” She felt so tired and warm. It reminded her of slipping into a warm bath. Opening her mouth Marie tried to speak but was all going dark. “Fuck!”

Logan watched her eyes slide shut and his stomach dropped. Not now. Not now!! He growled and pulled her into his arms. He leapt over the bodies on the floor and with one swipe sent everything on the counter clattering to the ground. Logan laid her body down and listened for the sounds of reinforcements on their way but all he could hear are the moans and gasping last breaths of the guards. He looked around for something that could help him. From the look of it this was their break room. There was blood splattered over most of her but she was so dirty and covered with blood it was hard to see where she was injured.

She had so many scents on her he couldn’t tell what was wrong. He ran his hands over her, lifting her shirt to look for bullet holes. Burns and cuts crisscrossed across her body but Logan couldn’t find any fresh new marks. Breathing a sigh of relief he realized it was probably exhaustion that made her collapse. She hadn’t been shot like he had first thought. At the sounds of boots hitting the concrete floor Logan whirled around. They were coming for him and he couldn’t take on another round in hand to hand.

He reached for the closest gun and hid behind a couch. He could feel his body sagging. He was so tired and it had been far too long since he had given his body something to heal with. He looked at his feet and saw a box of granola bars. His stomach growled loudly, he sliced open the box and ate half a bar in one bite. He took position for when the first guard made it to the doorway.

The man was tall, blonde, it was the fucker he had been waiting for. He reached for his walkie talkie and Logan snarled. He wanted to take his time with him but he couldn’t afford to fight any more than he absolutely had to. A well aimed shot between the eyes and the guard didn’t even have time to press the button to call for help. Logan made a pleased sound when he heard the guards halt in their tracks and back track. That would buy him some time. His body had been running on adrenaline since she had freed him and the reserves were running low.

Logan shoved the other half of the bar into his mouth and crept around to behind the table. Several guards came in with shields that covered almost their whole bodies. He saw the grenade too late. He forced himself to swallow and he looked at the counter. It was empty. What the fuck?

Marie fought her way to consciousness. A single gunshot rang out and her eyes flew open. She had to fight or she would die. She turned and saw him hiding behind the couch, barrel of the gun resting on the top of it. He looked like she felt, like shit. He had blood dripping from his face and a nasty gash on his shoulder showing what looked to be bone. She dropped soundlessly to the floor. He was cornered, it was easy to see. The door next to her was swung open and she crept behind it and grabbed one of the batons scattered around the floor. She hid behind the door and waited.

Peering through the crack between the door and wall she saw them assembling. There were 5 of them. She only had to take down five fully armed and dressed guards. She looked down at her baton and wished she had her mutation back. She would never curse it again if she did. She held her breath and waited for them to run into the room.

She saw the grenade lift high in the air. She couldn’t think of a way to distract them so she let out a piercing scream. It worked. The hand that held the grenade faltered. Marie lunged forward and swung her baton with all her might. It connected with the side of one’s head. She heard a roar and she caught the glimpse of her help rushing in. She felt a sharp pain burning in her side but she ignored it, focusing only on getting out. Marie cried out as one of the men grabbed her braid and jerked her back. She crashed to the ground and used the pain to fuel her.

She saw a boot coming towards her and threw herself on top of it, twisting it with such force she could hear the bones breaking even in all the commotion. He was down, screaming with pain and in her rage Marie grabbed the knife from his belt and plunged it into his neck all the way to the hilt. His blood coated her hands as she pulled the knife out. There was only one guard left and he took off running. She started to rise but was pushed down and a shot rang out over her head. She looked up and her stranger was there. He had shoved her down to shoot. “You okay?” He asked. Marie laughed at that. They were both covered in blood somewhere in the middle of a mutant extermination camp. Oh yeah she was just peachy.

“I’m-“ she gasped as she tried to stand up. Pain flared in her side and she looked down. A steady stream of dark red blood oozed from her side. She pulled up her shift and looked at it.

“Shit.” He cursed and she stuck out her hand. He helped her up and she pulled a shirt off of one the guards. She tied it around her waist, wincing as she went.

“That’s not going to help for long.” He pointed out.

“It doesn’t have to. It just has to last long enough for me to get the hell out of here.” She replied. She bent down with a groan and slung a rifle over her shoulder. “So what do I call you anyways?”

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Logan.” He replied. She knew the chances of her getting out of there alive were slim to none but she was going to do her best. She found a remote on the floor, she wiped the blood off of it and began pressing unlock as she walked down the hallway.

Logan forced his legs to work. “Hey, what’s your name?”

He heard her pause before replying. “Marie.”

His stomach had been denied food for so long he felt like he was going to be sick as he inhaled the energy bars. “Hey!” He yelled and she spun around to face him. He tossed her the last bar and hurried to catch up with her.

This corridor was different from the cells the mutants were kept in. It was still grey walls and silver doors but these rooms were a larger and had cots in them. He could hear her rip open the package and he took the lead, allowing time for her to eat as they walked.

Logan stopped at the second to last doorway in the hall and felt Marie stop beside him. The door unlocked and opened and suddenly Marie was cowering behind him, her fear filling the air. His claws slid out as he took in the scene. The smell of tears and fear filled the air; he could hear the soft sobbing of the woman on the bed, two on top of her.

“What the fuck?” The one holding her wrists down let go and reached for the gun next to him. The other one quickly stood up and pulled up his pants. He hadn’t even had time to finish zipping his pants before his guts were on the floor.

Wolverine pinned the other one to the wall, the gun clattering to the floor noisily. Looking back at Marie he took in her expression. At some point she had ran her hand over her face and she looked like she was wearing some macabre war paint. With a wave of his hand he offered the guard to her. Marie’s eyes narrowed “If you don’t I will. Either way that fucker isn’t living another minute.” Wolverine took a deep breath in.

He recognized that smell. Marie smelled of that smell. Which meant that fucker had done the same to Marie as what he did to that red head in the bed. Her sudden fear made sense as the pieces fell into place. He let his claws loose and twisted them, enjoying the feeling of bones breaking under the force. No one threatened his mate. Wait. His mate? Logan paused and regained control.

“Hey. Get up.” Marie coaxed the tall red head up off the bed. “you okay?” She pushed the lock of red hair behind her ear and looked at her face. It was swollen from recent beatings but she looked otherwise healthy enough to leave with them. Ignoring the fact that she hadn’t replied she focused on Logan. “We have to take her.”

Logan glanced back at them. “Can she even stand?” They were quite the team of rag tag runaways. And the more of them there were the harder it would be to stay concealed. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind but he didn’t exactly feel like staying around long enough to find out if they ever will find a way to kill him.

He saw Marie put her arm under the much taller woman and pull her to her feet. He stifled a groan. They needed speed to get out of there. They got to the door at the end of the hall and the woman froze. “I can’t leave without Scott.”

She expected them to walk out the door without her. Instead the girl with the striped hair sighed and adjusted her rifle on her back. She turned to face her and looked her square in the eyes. “You better be able to fight.” Jean nodded quickly. Judging from the blood on both of them they have been fighting their way through. Jean knew just how many guards were in that place. They had been sent in to take the place down but they greatly underestimated how prepared for an attack the compound would be.

She was weak but the idea of getting out fueled her. The man hadn’t spared her a second look, he lead them down the hallway into a room that looked like something out of a cheap horror flick. Bodies and body parts were strewn about. “Pick your weapons.” The man finally spoke. His voice low and gravely brooked no argument.

She copied the younger girl and grabbed a pair of pants and a belt. Set to go she started to go down the hallway back deeper into the maze of halls. Suddenly she was yanked backwards and the man put his hand across her mouth to keep her from screaming. No! She closed her eyes and for a moment she thought he was going to do what so many other guards had done.

She opened her eyes a minute later to see him staring at her, his eyes seemed to soften while looking at her. He made a be-silent signal and pointed down the hallway. Somehow they had managed to get that far without the enforcement’s coming in. She nodded and he dropped his hand. Jean shuddered and tried to shake the memories off. She could hear talking coming down the hall and it wouldn’t be long before the guards could see the carnage and would radio for backup.

The girl was holding her side and cringing. Jean could see blood seeping from between her fingers. She didn’t look like she could hold out much longer. Making a split second decision Jean rounded the corner and took aim.

She always was a good shot in training. The guards dropped and the man raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. “We need to hurry.” She said as she took off down the hall they came down. She slammed her hand into a door. She thought this was the right door. She just hoped they hadn’t moved him. The door clicked open and she rushed in.

He woke to someone shoving his side. For a moment he panicked thinking it was a guard dragging him out for another beating. He threw his weight at the attacker before he even opened his eyes. “Ooof” Jean grunted as she was slammed into the wall behind her. “Scott it’s me!” She pleaded.

He stared at her in shock. She was dead. That’s what he told himself. Because the idea of her being tortured was too much for him to bear. He had to believe she was dead and not suffering. He blinked up at her and struggled to rise to his feet. She was there under his bad arm and helped him to stand. Her face was swollen but she was still the most beautiful sight he had seen in ages.

He cupped her face carefully “You’re beautiful.” She placed a gentle kiss on his split lips and smiled at him.

“Move it.” The growl that came from the man set Scott on high alert. Giving him a quick once over he realized he didn’t want to tangle with the guy. He was about his height but even as thin as he was Scott could see that he had power. Pain radiated along his side as Scott limped along behind them. He observed that the man walked slightly ahead of another woman who seemed to be very distressed. The woman looked like she might collapse at any time and a few times she stopped to catch her breath, every time she did the man would pause and sniff the air like he was trying to smell something.

What was he, part dog? Scott thought after the third time he saw him do it. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway “What are you doing?” He finally asked when curiosity got the best of him.

The other man turned and glared at him. For a moment Scott wondered about his sanity, he may have saved him but he looked like he was two seconds from killing him. He surprised him when he spoke. “I can smell stuff. Like if someone is around or if we are going towards outside.” Logan replied.

“Thank you for helping get me out of there. My name is Scott.” Scott stuck out his hand and the man looked at it and turned away.

“We aren’t out yet.” He warned.

“Logan. Maybe he can help.” The woman spoke. “My name is Marie. I see the bracelet there. What’s your mutation?”
Hope lit her eyes while they darted back between him and Logan. He didn’t want to let her down by telling her he couldn’t control it but maybe there was a way…