Room for Improvement, Improvised Holding Cells

[Just a Spark]

*If stupidity got me into this mess, why can’t it get me out?* With Will Rogers in his mind, Matt glared at the windows that were now securely locked and barred. It was amazing how quickly these dorm rooms had been turned into holding cells, and in spite of himself, he was impressed by the meticulous planning that had so obviously taken place beforehand. Who these people were, why they had invaded the school and what their plans were, Matt didn’t know. He couldn’t, really, considering that all that had been said to or around him had been “Got another one.” when they had caught him and “In there!” while he was pushed into the room, pardon, cell.

He had been careless, so much Matt had to admit in retrospect, but there had also been an unhealthy lot of bad luck involved, which had ultimately tipped the scales in his disfavour. Thinking back to half an hour ago was unpleasant but necessary in order to analyse his mistakes and avoid them in future missions. If there would ever be future missions. That last bit was looking a little uncertain at this point, but Matt was good at entirely ignoring unpleasant things, and so that he did while letting his mind wander. It had all started with Storm’s raising the alarm and handing out tasks to her team…

~Attention, obeX. We will focus on evacuating those who would have problems getting out on their own. Beast has an emergency list ready for situations like that. Please listen carefully, we might not have much time.~

Like most others, Matt was assigned two students to fetch and take to a point inside the Institute from where others would take over and get them outside and into safety. Inwardly, he blamed their having done relatively well during the Training Island team missions that had earned them the questionable honour of being trusted with such an important task. He was determined to not let the X-Men down, and so he listened intently, even though he was only vaguely aware of what all that fuss was actually about. The X-Mansion invaded? That sounded ridiculous, but thinking of how easily Steven Chadstone had got in… maybe not.

His charges were a boy who turned into a slimy, immobile substance when frightened and another one, Seoule, who required a constant supply of electricity to survive. Surprisingly enough, it was the former who posed the lesser problem. The alarm that was sounding in the entire Institute by then had already driven him into such a state that Matt could simply and quite literally bag him and carry him to the designated meeting point. Granted it wasn't the most ego-flattering way of being evacuated, but really, if you randomly turn into a glibbery mass on a daily basis, you can't be too sensitive in that regard.

The second was that bit trickier which it took to get caught. When Contrast entered Seoule's room, he could feel the hair on his arms rise. It seemed as if the air itself was charged with electricity. Nothing dangerous, as it seemed, but enough to be noticeable and uncomfortable. The boy didn't look much older than eight and had his fingers stuck in a power socket. The lights were flickering in almost regular intervals, the sounds they made a counterpoint to the shrill sirens warning everyone that something was going very wrong at Xavier's. Seoule looked terrified. *Very Exorcist meets Sixth's Sense,* Matt thought with a brave attempt at being funny, even if he was the only one who could hear it. He wasn't really in the mood for jokes though.

"C'mon, Seoule, we have to get out of here," he said, not daring to get too close seeing as the small boy's whole formed seemed to be crackling with energy. The car battery he was carrying in his gloved hands was growing heavy, much heavier than its size suggested it ever would. Having to carry it away from himself didn't really help either but no matter how much of an emergency this was, he really didn't want his clothes to get stained with acid and disintegrated next time he would wash them. No random invasion could get him to make such a sacrifice!

"I...um...brought you something to nibble, for the way." He put the chunky box down in front of him and took some steps back, but the child simply stared at him with wide eyes, then slowly shook his head. Matt sighed. "C'mon," he repeated, a touch of impatience in his voice, "There are bad men all around. The sooner we leave the better." Of course he couldn't be sure whether these people really were men. They could as well have been women or something entirely different, but for some reason society prefers presuming that evil strangers must be men and this really wasn't the time for discussions about gender roles.

Hesitantly, Seoule took his fingers out of the power socket and moved towards the battery, grabbing it in a way that showed he knew very well what it was and how it worked. "That won't last long," he stated, his voice somewhere between matter-of-fact and frightened while Matt watched him lift the heavy box with ease. "We'll think about that once you're outside," the light-elemental replied, deciding that the kid's strength was probably a side effect of his otherwise rather restraining mutation.

And then he did what would cost him his freedom. He reached out to usher the boy outside, wanted to get him to move quickly. "Don't!" The warning came to late. The moment Matt's fingers touched Seoule's shoulder, an electrical charge sent him flying through the room and against a wall, taking various objects down with him in an explosion of noise. "Sh!t!" he cursed under his breath, and sure enough, heavy, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the room, approaching. He had to think fast.

"When the door is opened, and I tell you to, then you'll run. You know where the games room is, right? Go there. Look for Mrs Munroe. Do not stop before you're there, no matter what," he said as quickly as he could dare without confusing the child whose eyes had become even larger with fear. "Ok?" A nod. That was something. That he couldn't be touched would help him get away, or so Matt hoped.

Then everything went really fast. The door was opened, and the dark mask covering the intruders face made it painfully clear that this was no knight in a shining armour coming to their rescue. "RUN!" Matt bellowed and after a second wasted with wincing, the boy did as asked. The door was wide open by then, revealing several more masked strangers visible outside. Still dizzy from hitting the wall, Matt narrowed his eyes in concentration as he tapped into his mutant powers and assaulted their sight. Not waiting to see if it had worked, he fought himself into a standing position and tried to run after Seoule who was nowhere to be seen anymore. Apparently he could also move faster than someone his age should legally be able to.

Sudden pain and the feeling of getting all the air knocked out of his lungs made his already weak knees buckle under him as one of the intruders punched him in the stomach. His control was lost, another attempt impossible... that was it. He only heard the crackling of some kind of intercom being activated and a harsh voice saying "Got another one.", then another sharp pain and everything went black.

Absent-mindedly, Matt rubbed his stomach, then the back of his head. Both still hurt, though it was now more of a dull, pulsing sort of pain than the stinging variety he had had the pleasure of experiencing before. The idea to ask the charged kid what else he could do hadn't even crossed Matt's mind when he had heard the footsteps outside, and he had cursed himself for that uncountable times already since he had woken up in this surprisingly harmless-looking holding cell. Super strength, super speed, some kind of electric shield... he might have just had to focus a bit and electrocute them all on the spot. Not the kind of thing you would want a small child to experience but if it had been an option... well... better than being captured.

All those thoughts were pointless now though. It was too late. Matt could only hope that he had been enough of a distraction for Seoule to escape into safety. It was what kept him from beating himself down even more, the thought that maybe he had not failed completely. Once or twice, he had looked out of the window, trying to find out anything about what was going on. But there was only the night, dark and unspeaking. The night and his thoughts, and the sounds from outside that told him that there was no point in trying to break down the door and attempt an escape. Not that he seriously thought that he could have done that, but then again, he had always heard that one would suddenly develop almost super-human strength and agility when panicking.

His hand touched the metal band around his neck. He didn't feel very super-human right now. That little accessory had been there when he had woken up, and from what he could tell, it made sure he was as human as could be. His first instinct had been to crawl into a shadowy corner and turn invisible. Except that it hadn't worked. No flashy counter-reaction, no sound, no sensation of being blocked. The only sign that something was happening, was that nothing was happening. And as far as Matt was concerned, there was very little that would have been more frustrating than that.


TBC - Max, Trip (order doesn't matter)

[Just a Spark]

There are few things in human society that have changed as much and yet so little at the same time as the way prisoners are being treated. A few hundred years (or not even that long) ago, there were specialists dedicated to nothing but finding new means of torturing people into making confessions, wearing down their ability to resist until they would do anything that was asked of them. Devices that compressed, expanded, pierced and twisted, psychological schemes that drove people insane, forceful exposure to revolting things - the list of what man came up with to achieves his goal is long, cruel and...

"Bollocks," Matt said to the spot on the wall at which he had been staring for the past ten minutes, busying himself with the idle task of figuring out whether the two points he saw when going cross-eyed were equally dark or of different lightness. As he had been able to find out first-hand during the past couple of hours, there was no need for sophisticated methods of torture. Sitting in an nigh on empty room without knowing what was going on and why would likely turn out to be more effective than the medieval rack as far as actual results were concerned.

The rapidity with which the situation finally changed was almost too much for Matt's dazed brain to comprehend. Almost. The door was opened, someone was pushed in and hadn't even properly landed before it was already closed and locked again. “They uhh.. Those ones like it rough.” The voice sounded familiar, and after having shaken off the slight stupor that had got hold of him before, the light elemental remembered. Training Island, Wolverine's survival field trip...

*Oh joy, it's Mother Superior,* he thought sarcastically, not caring that the image was beyond flawed. When making sarcastic comments nobody but he could hear, Matt figured, he had a right to pick ones English teachers would have marked as wrong and unfitting. Plus he had been hit hard on the head and forced to uselessly stay in the very centre of boredom for far too long. That was his excuse and should anyone dare to ask - which was unlikely but you never knew - he would stick to it.

"Hate to break it to you, but they do it with everyone," he replied, playing along for the simple reason that peacetime animosities lost a great part of their force when there were attacks from the outside. The enemy of my enemy and all that jazz... Also, it was rather nice to finally have another student around as it saved him from having further discussions with random objects. Even if it was Mark. Beggars can't be choosers.

[Just a Spark]

“Damn. And here I thought I was special,” Matt heard the other say, and the ghost of a somewhat rueful smile flickered across his features for a moment. *Didn't we all, at some point?* he thought, feeling the weight of his past hit him with sudden gravity. The moment was over as quickly as it had come, but left a stale aftertaste in his mouth. It wasn't surprising really that there were memories he had thought defeated a while ago re-emerging with a vengeance. This whole scenario was hitting a little too close to home.

Shaking off his demons the best he could, Matt tried to think of a way to reply, just to say anyhing, but before he could so much as take a breath to speak, the door was opened once again, revealing a face so familiar, he first thought his mind were playing tricks on him. Almost instinctively, he made to get up, but the weapons being aimed at him as well as Trip effortlessly convinced him to change his mind. It wasn't like they seemed to consider them a threat. There was nothing defensive about the way the guards - for lack of a better term - pointed their guns at the two of them, Matt thought. It seemed more like a statement that should they students dare to try anything on them, there wouldn't be any qualms about ending their lives.

The shot that all of a sudden hit the newly added captive in the chest, however, showed that at least for now, they seemingly preferred to keep them alive - despite their ominous words and the shape in which Max and Mark had showed up. The latter's provocative words were just the kind of thing Contrast had expected of him. Rebellious, reckless and amazingly stupid. It was probably lucky they fell on deaf ears, though there was no telling whether these inhuman strangers weren't simply postponing retaliation. Or maybe they didn't even care that much.

Matt, on the other hand, didn't spare him more than a passing glance and fleeting thought either, his eyes transfixed on Max's swaying form. Judging by the trouble he had to even so much as grasp the dart and his staggering steps, chances were he wouldn't remain standing much longer. Not that the light-elemental consciously had these thoughts, but somewhere inside of him, they must have had risen, causing him to leap up and rush to his friend's side just in time to keep him from hitting the ground as his knees buckled under.

"Rough night out, huh?" he tried to joke, but there was no mirth in his eyes. Only worry. Delayed, Mark's words knocked at the door of his consciousness, demanding to be heard. "Is Logan fucking with us again?" There was fury in his voice, rising and barely suppressed. Matt couldn't even blame him. Carefully allowing Max's unconscious body to slide onto the floor, he tried to get to some sort of objective assessment of his friend's state and failed. Staring at the dart in the other's chest, as if willing it to remove itself, he eventually replied. "No... I really don't think that'd be his style. Besides, Ms Munroe would never allow that." Being on Storm's student team, Matt was sure to have a rather clear image of what the "weather witch" thought to be useful training and what she would consider going to far. The fact that Trip's theory wasn't actually as far out there as Contrast thought didn't even cross his mind.

Hesitantly, Matt's fingers touched the dart he was still scrutinising intently, but soon moved his hand away again. "Any idea if I can just pull that thing out?" he asked uncertainly, lifting his gaze to look at Trip. "I've never really had to deal with that kinda thing." All he knew was that actual arrows should not be pulled out lest they do more damage than leaving them in or breaking off the shaft and pushing the rest all the way through would do. "It's just a dart so... nothing bad should happen.... right?"

[Max Chadstone]

"You alright, Max? " The words were distant and slightly blurred, causing Max to look over towards Trip with a slight squint in his gaze as the youth tried to assess who the voice belonged to. Any attempt to brush off concerns with a smirk may have completely failed as Max’s eyes closed in a blink and suddenly refused to open again, at least not without some extreme effort. "Is Logan F*cking with us again?" The next words were even fainter, Max’s face having lowered as if he were nodding off where he stood, everything seemed a spinning blur about him. Somewhere between gravity suddenly seeming so much more prominent about them and the floor that was threatening to rush towards him, arms seemed to have grabbed out for Max’s unsteady body to aid in supporting him from the inevitable crash that would have occurred.

"Rough night out, huh?" The words sounded familiar, and amongst the haze Max did recognize them as being Matt’s, causing an almost drunken smirk as he whispered back, "Wouldn’t you want to know…" Though it was muffled in the weakness of his sapped strength, if Matt had managed to hear it or not Max wasn’t sure, because the darkness behind the other seemed to spread closer and quicker. There was a sudden increase of Max’s heart just for the moment as the illusion of the darkness swallowing them triggered the fear he held towards the dark, though everything went empty once again, a nothingness that in some ways offered peace… though that would not last long. Soon the dreams will come, whether Max wanted them or not.

[Just a Spark]

It all happened much too fast to do anything.That's what Matt kept telling himself, but it was a lie. There had been commands being shouted outside, the door suddenly flung open and without much ado, two guards had taken Trip into their middle, half dragging, half carrying him out. Contrast had known that it would be no good, yet still he had tried using his powers to blind them. The effect - nothing - had sent a guilty shiver of relief through him. That was all.

"What do you think they'll do with him?" he asked into the silence. 'With us' was what he meant, but it felt tactless to say that. He didn't know how close Max had been to Mark but they had seemed to know each other reasonably well (Gods, he wasn't dead; enough with that past perfect already!). How much harder it all had to be for Chadstone! Yet all Matt could bring himself to do was to not show too strongly how he felt inside.

Three guards and a gun; he had been afraid. That was the truth. Not one he was proud of, mind you. His conscience was the jury and a pitiless jury at that. He couldn't hide from his own mind. Admittedly, it did help that they had been outnumbered and their abilities blocked, so that the verdict wasn't delivered as quickly as it might have been otherwise. The debate went on.

The worst part really was the lack of information. All they could do at this point was wait for whatever there was to come. There had been no explanations of the who and why of this attack; the enemy was a big Unknown, which rendered all plots foolish. For all they knew, it could be Mickey Mouse standing outside, laughing his cartoon butt off. Strangely enough, that thought didn't make it much better.

For the umpteenth time, Matt carefully investigated the collar he figured was a power inhibitor. It was no use, of course. Even if he did manage to get it off (which was a risky business since those things liked to include some type of bomb), there was precious little he could do. The Institute was too well-lit to sneak out through the shadows. And he wouldn't have been able to leave Max behind anyway. What was more, unlike the Brotherhood's rookies they had had to face on the training island, these people seemed highly trained; a fact that meant the other part of his powers was just as useless.

In short: it was a pretty messed up situation.

[Max Chadstone]

Everything was dark and cold. With every breath taken there was a fear of being discovered; and if that were to happen then... best not to think about it. Hot breath seeped out with every strained exhale, offering a touch of warmth and comfort to the chilled face hidden beneath a sea of fabric. Something was moving out there, out in the darkness. Creeping towards the hiding place with steady calm and eerie silence that broke only now and then, causing nervous twitches to be seen under the material which was shielding the frightened figure. Although it could not be seen, somehow it was still known that a dark hand was moving towards the blanket, threatening and dangerous fingers grasping at the protective layer and yanking it back; the curled up boy let out a scream...

...With a gasp of fright Max’s entire form twitched; blue eyes opened as his form sat up and took in the scene around him. Oddly enough, despite the circumstances, Max seemed to ease at the realization of where he was, after all, at least these enemies could be kicked and punched. Those in his dreams could not.

"Shit." The murmur came as Max’s arms reached up to cradle his spinning and aching head. He’d be hit earlier with the butt of a gun and not to mention the manhandling used to get him to the room! The grogginess of the needle still hadn’t worn off, the urge to go back to sleep was still there but the hot headed youth kept his resolve and forced his focus. The memories returned at first in drips and drabs, soon enough pooling into a clear enough picture. The whole school was falling apart around him and all Max was doing was laying around having nightmares like a little girl! A yell forced its self out through gritted teeth like a loud growl. Throwing himself at the door and kicking or banging it down seemed like a good idea until it came to the prospect of actually moving. All the teen managed was an exhausted glare towards the door; only then realizing Matt was in the room with him. "How long was I down?" The grumble came with a released sigh, though Max’s hands remained cradling his head as he spoke, his eyes closed regardless of the effort used to keep them open. He was thirsty, but there was probably no point in stating that; Max hardly expected them to have left food and water for them.

[Just a Spark]

It was the lack of a reply tipping him off. Surely he could have expected some form of response, and be it a non-committing grunt. Nothing. Eventually allowing his eyes to abandon their aimless searching of the room and to turn to Max, he half sighed, half groaned. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" Matt mumbled under his breath, staring at the apparently sleeping form of his 'cellmate'. At least he hadn't spent the last fifteen minutes spilling his heart to Chadstone. Now that would have been humiliating - even without witnesses.

The next hour and a half dragged on for days. Either they had taken everything of interest out of this room or the student occupying it was the most boring person in the entire universe. Either way Matt soon found himself longing for their captors to come back just to interrogate or relocate them just to break the monotony. He couldn't fathom how people had managed to survive in cells without entertainment for years, but then, they probably hadn't been part of a generation whose attention span had the life expectancy of an extra in a horror movie.

A mumbled word intruded into his uneventful world and made Matt spin around hopefully. Count on Chadstone to wake up with a curse on his tongue. Not that he cared. "You're awake!" he exclaimed observantly, the relief barely kept out of his voice. "I have no idea how long we've been in here so... let's just say it was more than 10 minutes because I got bored enough to think of possible names for my potentially-some-time-existent kids and less than 5 hours because I'm not starved yet."

Matt stopped only to take a deep breath, then continued as if making up for the time spent in silence. "And they took that other guy a little after you clonked out. Didn't say anything about the why or where to... and nothing's happened ever since. ...who would have thought being held prisoner could be this boring."

[Max Chadstone]

"You're awake! " Quickly Max made every effort to subdue the urge of snapping back, frustration of being so easily taken down twice now was wearing Max down and he couldn’t remember feeling so easily over powered outside situations with his father. It wasn’t like Max put up a fight with the older Chadstone though, here the stone shifter had actually tried, he tried to fight them off or get away or do something and each time he’d been knocked out. "I have no idea how long we've been in here so... let's just say it was more than 10 minutes because I got bored enough to think of possible names for my potentially-some-time-existent kids and less than 5 hours because I'm not starved yet. " The half hearted joke caused Max’s hands to slip from their hold on his head, dropping into his lap as sapphire blue eyes peered over towards the other sharing this room.

"And they took that other guy a little after you clonked out. Didn't say anything about the why or where to... and nothing's happened ever since. ...who would have thought being held prisoner could be this boring. " Fingers returned absent-mindedly to the bruise now swelling on the side of Max’s forehead, still a little out of it as words spilled almost bitterly without intention. "You find things to do." Of course this wasn’t his room and as Max peered around the common things such as drinking himself into a mini coma, there was no bed so sleeping comfortably wasn’t an option either.. The pale light of early morning was struggling to break the darkness of the chaotic night, the shadows of the room were limited due to the lack of items inside, yet the corners were like shadowy black abyss’s that Max dared not to be caught within close distance of.

"I feel like I have a serious hangover, my head is throbbing." The glass for the school was tough, re-enforced to help keep the enemy out... Max wondered if they had ever considered it would help the enemy keep them in like this. Wobbly legs strained to support Max’s weight, an unsteady movement which guided him from the ground where he had laid to the window. Outside wasn’t much of a safe haven right now, even if they could break the glass, the grounds were still covered with groups of the invaders, outside the outer walls was some sort of blockade that kept them in, but stopped others from getting in too Max imagined. Who got out? Who else was trapped inside? Was there a rescue team planning their great return? Max clenched his fist, the focus of turning his hands to stone was far less then the whole of his body, yet no matter how hard to put his mind to it, the readied fist remained it’s soft fleshy self. Fingers uncurled under the confused and stern gaze of the youthful Chadstone.

"Fuck." Was it temporary or not, Max wasn’t sure, and partially figured it was yet another step in his inability to deal with this situation. A frustrated and helpless sensation felt as if it were slowly choking him, like the words of his father’s as their fingers enclosed about his neck so often in the past. The feeling was familiar enough that Max could already tell he was slipping, but right now, that sense, it was unwanted in so many ways. Matt had seen him freak out more then once, and so often Max had managed to brush it off, but all the other times he’d had the safety of escape, his hotel, his room, somewhere that he could hide. There was no hiding here, there seemed no escape.

"This-" Max began, anyone who knew him would guess the sentence would have been along the lines of how messed up everything was, adding a few more swear words and perhaps tinge it all with a temper and you generally got it down pat. However the youth was interrupted as was the door was opened without warning, and with such a force it swung back and slammed into the wall, causing Max to twitch from the suddenness of it all. Three men, two with guns aimed at both the students in the room and the center one stood with his hand resting on the weapon which hang from his shoulder.

"This is the room, mark it," Just as Max was about to ask a question, it seemed one of the gunners with a focus on him looked almost ready to open fire just by the slight movement of Max’s jaw. To say Max got the hint would have been an understatement, the usually run at the mouth trouble maker clammed up instantly and stared at the barrel of the gun. "I’m here to warn you that any retaliation or conspiracy on your part will be met, if necessary with lethal force." That much was already clear, as far as Max was concerned, he folded his arms and regretted the movement when the maniac with a loaded weapon pointed at him looked just as ready to shoot him for that as before. It was difficult to tell if they were that scared of the mutants or if they were that hateful they just looked for any excuse. "None of you are to speak, when this door opens you will stand and face us and you will remain still till we leave." It was pretty obvious what the alternative would be should anyone go against this demand, why these trigger happy goons were interested in the school Max couldn’t guess but he did get exceedingly more nervous as the speaker seemed to take an interest in the Chadstone. Max glanced at Matt, which didn’t seem to help because the speaker aimed his weapon at Max and the other two at the door still focused both weapons on Matt as if Max had signaled the other and somehow expected him to launch an attack. "These are the two she said he wanted?" One of the guards pulled out a folded sheet of paper, tearing his eyes away from Matt cautiously only long enough to take quick glances at the sheet and then at the two captives. He gave the speaker a nod of his head before putting the sheet away again and the speaker offered Max what he could only dub one of the creepiest grins ever, before turning away and leaving the room with the two gun crazed guards slamming the door behind them. It was then Max realized he had been holding his breath because it spilled out in a nervous stammer in the silence that was left, before the shaky inhale gave Max enough strength to stare at Matt clueless and frightened.

"What... the fuck?" All that could be heard after was the muffled voices of orders being given to secure the other rooms and locate other targets of interest. Movement outside of shuffling bodies died down and unknown to the occupants of the room it would be well into the later part of the day before that door opened again.

[Just a Spark]

"I feel like I have a serious hangover, my head is throbbing." There was a comment along the lines of "I didn't do anything this time, honest!" on his tongue but he swallowed it. There were only so many stupid joked you could make per hour before declining from somewhat funny to Ben Stiller and he didn't want to use them all up right away. If things progressed the same way they had been going, the two of them would have more time to kill than they cared for.

Storm-green eyes followed Max to the window. The sight was unlikely to cheer Max any more than it had cheered him. Unless they sprouted wings, there was little hope of getting out of this room any other way than that very door through which they had entered it.

"Fuck." The curse was less general than he had thought at first. *So he figured it out too... that we're just two normal guys held captive by some freaky military group, with no flashy powers or bloody anything to help us...* The stoneshifter was about to say something else when the door was flung open noisily. For a second, Matt imagined it to rebound and hit their captors in the face but the grin never came. Having a gun pointed at you is probably one of the least funny situations you can find yourself in.

When the only one of the three capable of speech reeled off his list of commands, a detached part of himself commented with the usual sarcasm, but the majority of him was simply scared. Those things really only seem ridiculous when you're not directly involved. It was all he could do not to let them see it. He felt Max's sapphire glance and was all too aware of the additional attention they paid him. What did they expect him to do? Do the hula and hope they'd laugh themselves to death? They seemed strangely jumpy considering they were three armed muscle-mountains against two unarmed students, one of which tended to avoid excessive exercise.

"These are the two she said he wanted?" He wouldn't have been able to say why, but for some reason that question disquieted him even more than anything that had gone before. Who was "she"... and wanted them for what?! When they left again, the door banging shut behind them, it seemed all of Matt's strength was leaving his body. Eyes wide, fear now much more clearly written on his face than before, he sank into a kneeling position, as if praying to gods he rarely believed even existed.

"What... the fuck?" He turned his head, barely seeing Max at all, and nodded. "Yeah... that sums it up alright." Taking a deep breath, Matt closed his eyes and summoned the calm he knew was the only thing that could help him not to panic. "Who is 'she'...," he muttered eventually, unable to let go of this question that filled him with dread and curiosity at the same time. "who are they.... and what the hell do they want from us?!"

A moment later, he looked at Max again, as if he had woken up from sleep and remembered something. "Is your father still after getting you back into his clutches, you reckon?" Having the choice between Steven Chadstone and these armed maniacs, it was easy to pick Max's old man. An unarmed guy you could kick in the balls and make a run for it. Somehow he thought that strategy wouldn't be the best when dealing with those military people.

[Max Chadstone]

"Yeah... that sums it up alright. " A chill went through Max’s body, the socks on his feet seemed to aid very little in keeping his toes warm and the jeans weren’t the warmest pair of pants he could have on. Usually when he got cold and had no jumper the mutation of turning to stone had came in handy, rocks don’t feel the cold, after all. It took this long to realize that the cold night was in fact around them, Garnet’s earlier fire storm had kept him warm but now she was gone, and for a brief moment Max found himself only hoping that she had managed to escape and take out as many of these morons as possible on the way.

"Who is 'she'..., " Who indeed. Max pressed his cool hand against the swell on his forehead, which ached to the touch and throbbed regardless. "who are they.... and what the hell do they want from us?! " Maybe they were anti-mutant terrorists? Maybe they were just really pissed off rivals tired of the X-men getting in their way. Right now Max wondered if any of the wardrobes former clothes items may still be around, he may be wearing his favorite red shirt but it wasn’t keeping him comfortably warm! A jumper would be nice.

"Is your father still after getting you back into his clutches, you reckon? " For some reason, it wasn’t expected, and the statement caused Max to drop his hand to his side and stare across at Matt as if the other were on drugs AND crossing a fine line. The only thing that kept Max’s usual lash of a colorful demand to be quiet and shut it was the fact that Steven hadn’t exactly earned the favor of anyone lately. And suddenly that cold bite gnawed at Max again, the youth felt so torn, he wanted to yell and yet he wanted to sigh at the same time. Moving towards Matt without giving the action much thought, Max found himself hovering momentarily in front of the other and then dropping also to his knees, the action seeming only to cause his head to hurt more.

"He’s filing for control over Panacea." It wasn’t something that Max was going to mention, to anyone, over half the school would probably laugh, the rest generally wouldn’t care and the few involved with Steven lately would just use it as a reason why he was such a terrible father. "Considering I thought that was over kill, this would be entering the realms of psychotic break down." Still resting a hand against the injury which had come after the butt of a hostile gun had struck him down, Max looked rather disturbed as he added. "Dad’s extreme, but he just wants what he thinks is best, for me, he has all these ideas and I can’t always reach them, but he won’t let me just rot in here, he wont stand for it. You’ll see." While lacking the enthusiasm of a wide-eyed child, Max did cling to this hope, no matter how flimsy it may be. "It’s the only time he shines, I guess." Matt might not understand but no one had seen the endless amount of times Max had screwed up so bad that if his father had been any one else other then Steven Chadstone then there was no telling where Max would have been this day. His father was an artist when it came to pulling his son from the fire, Max always joked rather bitterly it came from his long experience in pulling himself and his partners out of their collapsing failures.

[Just a Spark]

Max's stare was met with defiance. After all that had happened and considering they were caged up, Matt decided there was little that couldn't be brought up. Especially when it had the potential to get them out. When the then-awaited tirade didn't hail down on him, he figured the other had come to the same conclusion. *And now he wants his reward?* he thought with only the faintest trace of disbelief as Max moved to stand in front of him. He found himself wondering if he would be up for it even in their current predicament.

Fortunately, he didn't have to find out the sad truth as the stoneshifter brought his eyes at Matt's level. "He’s filing for control over Panacea." Shocked surprise and pity rippled over his features. He knew how much the hotel meant to Max, even though he had never been told the whole story. Yet the way he moved in it, the way he spoke of it and with his employees – it all said enough for Matt to connect the dots. He couldn't help wondering what Steven thought to gain from taking that away from his son; other than spiting him, of course. Or could that really be his sole motivation?

When the other went on, Matt bit his tongue and said nothing. This really wasn't the time for repeating what had been said before: that the elder Chadstone didn't deserve his son's devotion; that he and he alone was at fault, not Max. If the source was tainted and illusionary at best, it was a source to draw strength from nonetheless. And strength they had dire need of at that point.

"Ok," he said eventually, despite his doubts and worries, "Let's hope he brings the army or FBI or something because they don't really seem to care who you are out there." It was only when he said it that he realised it must be true. They had verified their identities and, well, it was also pretty unlikely they had never seen a photo of Chadstone at the newsagent's. Still no hesitation. The thought that the attackers might have been sent by the very same government who he hoped would be coming for their rescue didn't even cross his mind. After all, laws had been passed even before his mutant powers had surfaced, giving them equal rights to every other citizen. Of course, some people were always 'more equal' than others, but his mind refused to go there.

"And if not, obeX and some other teams were working on evacuating people. Some of the others will have gotten out," At least he hoped so, but this wasn't the moment to be doubtful. "They might think they're invincible but we'll get out of here somehow..." His voice trailed off slightly, betraying his uncertainties. A voiceless sigh escaped as he allowed his head to sink against Max's shoulder. He smelled nice. At least some things could be counted on.

[Max Chadstone]

" Ok, " It was the first time in a long while that a compliment of any kind regarding Steven had been met with acceptance, even if Matt did sound a little withdrawn when saying it. " Let's hope he brings the army or FBI or something because they don't really seem to care who you are out there. " To be honest, Max was hoping they did, they just weren’t familiar with him by some miracle, but maybe they knew his name well enough, knew his father might pay a fortune to have him safely returned. Of course, there was no way Steven would pay a dime for Matt’s release, so even if there was some sort of ransom demand made, how could he just leave without Matt?

" And if not, obeX and some other teams were working on evacuating people. Some of the others will have gotten out, " Yeah, good for them... hopefully Garnet and the others were amongst that group of escapee’s. " They might think they're invincible but we'll get out of here somehow... " Yes, because ordinary humans stood a chance against flying bullets. Was it cowardly to shy away from the thought of getting shot without his mutant powers, it had hurt for a while despite them, what would it have been like had it just been flesh the bullet struck? How did normal people cope feeling so vulnerable and fragile?

A head rested on Max’s shoulder and the worry about stunted powers drifted back, replaced with the previous concerns of... what if his father did pay for Max’s release? A snow ball stood a better chance in hell then Matt did in Steven’s eyes. Maybe Max could sell his bike, that’s a few grand right there, another sixty thousand in his account, no way his father would let him access the trust fund till Max turned twenty-one and saying it was for Matt would pale in comparison to suggesting they just flush it down the toilet. Cold arms reached about Matt to offer some sort of comfort, though to be honest, it just cemented something he already knew, but didn’t want to admit too often. His dad really was a self righteous bastard.

"Yeah." Somehow.. There was of course the hotel, he could always sell it to his father’s competition, that’d be a win win... enough money to cover any additional ransom, and a stab in his fathers plans of taking it over himself. Sure that would be a hard thing to lose, it was his life, but how could Max go back there knowing not only his father ignored Matt, but then he did nothing to help either, wasn't he just as bad as his father then, even if for different reasons?

Then again, there was that very dreadful chance that this wasn’t about money at all, what else it could be about Max couldn’t even guess... well, maybe some sort of rebellion against his father’s out spoken anti-human campaign. "It’s the weekend.." It seemed like an odd thing to say right then, but there was only a brief pause because Max was so annoyed. "..if I just told you, but I was so angry." Probably would help to explain with some more details in this ... what felt like some sort of apology. "Dad issued the papers for the Panacea the day you visited me in the medlab.. not even him, his stupid-ass secretary, and I was so angry, and then you turned up and.." And he lashed out, because in the end it had felt like it really was all Matt’s vault that things had fallen apart then, but none of it would have happened if Max hadn’t .... well... gotten so involved with the other. "We could probably have been at the hotel right now fucking ourselves senseless for another three hours if he wasn’t such a fucking bastard." It wasn't like he never got angry at his dad but there was anger and there was hate and Max hadn't yet reached the level of hate he probably should have given the situations he had faced. But he spent so long wanting to win his fathers affection that it all seemed just like some sort of excusable obstacle course between them. Recently however, things hadn't been going well at all, and Max wasn't going to pretend he felt good about any of it, but he didn't want people to tell him that his father didn't care. And in the end, that had been what had hurt the most, that people who barely knew them, could make such frightful assumptions with so much confidence, despite all the effort Max had gone through. It hadn't seemed fair, right now he hardly cared, right now he didn't even care if people walked in on him and saw them together, didn't care if his father got word and decided against helping. Because Matt was right, the X-men would had groups which got out, and sooner or later they would come and save the bloody day.

It was hardly a time to toss the other to the ground and show just what they could have been doing over at the Panacea, in the comforts of an expensive bed and amongst the warmth of over priced covers.. Yet it would be a lie if Max tried to suggest the temptation hadn’t just flickered by his thoughts, so annoyed and frustrated, worried and angry and scared... it wasn’t uncommon for him to find comfort in the flesh when feeling these things, right now however they had more important stuff to worry about. It was times like now that Max found himself wishing his attention span was in fact longer then the length of his sexual appetite.

[Just a Spark]

Eyes closed, all he did for a moment was breathe, shutting out the world and its troubles. Without his noticing, it synchronised itself with Max's, removing him from reality by a fraction. He wouldn't have minded staying like this for a few hours. When the other spoke, his baritone voice sent a slight vibration though his body. He could feel the sinews and muscles in Max's neck move. So alive. So much more than just a body and yet at that very moment, it was his pure physicality that grounded Matt enough not to go crazy with fear and worry.

"We could probably have been at the hotel right now fucking ourselves senseless for another three hours if he wasn’t such a fucking bastard." Well, he was there though and that formed part of the issue, but Matt didn't really feel like repeating what he had said bluntly or indirectly at countless occasions. What was the point anyway? And it undoubtedly was already a great step forward for Max to actually acknowledge that his father was anything but this ideal man he had at some point convinced himself he was.

Despite himself, Matt chuckled. "And trade in this holiday resort for a threesome with one of those bikini babes? Think of what we'd be missing out on!" He had no doubt that a good part of the modelling swimmers would be up for fooling around with Max and getting a little more kinky than usual by including him – if Matt avoided geeky comments. Not that there would necessarily have been a lot of talking involved on his part. Chatting up girls was Max's territory. He himself was still a little too uneasy, too far out of his comfort zone to even attempt making the first move – but that didn't mean he wasn't interested...

A moment later, Matt looked with amusement at his mind going off on a tangent. They were being held captive, some gun-crazed freaks had who-knew-what plans with them and he was mentally justifying his sexual orientation. Classic. But really, it wasn't as if they had much else to do. Of course they could have discussed crackpot escape plans but considering their lack of anything convincing and the risk that they were being monitored, chances of it leading to anything positive were somewhat slim.

"At least we can't complain about a lack of excitement," he japed, pulling away from the other. It was good not to be alone in this. And at the same time, it was the worst part about it. As it was, he could tell himself that at least Garnet and everybody else he cared about had gotten out of harm's way. But even somebody as accomplished at lying to himself as he faced unsurmountable issues trying to think Max into safety. If they took Chadstone next, he didn't know what he would do. In all certainty, it would be something really, really stupid.

[Max Chadstone]

" And trade in this holiday resort for a threesome with one of those bikini babes? Think of what we'd be missing out on!" Sex. Talking about it, doing it, thinking of it, all a the things which summed up perhaps on of the only security blankets he had, outside the watch with the lucky penny face. Though lately that was less a comfort and more a gapping black hole of questions that any abandoned child would have had swell over the years. Though even Max knew there were moments which it wasn’t the best answer, didn’t mean he always listened to himself. Right now however there probably wasn’t much of a choice in the matter, he didn’t see any reasonable way of delving into the physical pleasures without worry about captors walking in on them or gunfire in the background.

For a moment it was felt like everything was just a bad dream, that this pounding in his chest and ache of the bruise on his forehead all just from yet another nightmare, and for once, just this once, Max was allowing someone to comfort him. The illusion was sweet, almost smoothing, not as distracting or involved as sex, definitely not as enjoyable, but it was something at least. " At least we can't complain about a lack of excitement," And with that the embrace was over, it was stupid and Max knew very well that it was all in his head, his painfully throbbing head, but with every inch that grew between them it seemed as if the darkness about them got all the more darker. A creak in the floor boards above caused Max to uneasily stare over at the shadows of the corner, forcing Max to realize he actually preferred having those other men here threatening them, at least then Max could see them, and apparently while staring at them he had little time to spend wondering what might be lurking in the shadows like a paranoid infant.

In the process of attempting a frown, Max flinched at the tenderness of his bruise, resting the tips of his fingers a hair’s breath away from his swollen skin with an air of what appeared to be annoyance. Distraction won over however, as it so often did with Max and his relatively short attention span, his eyes focused now on one of Matt’s knees as his hand dropped to rest it’s finger tips now against the fabric of dark jeans. They were the faded ones, Max had seen Matt wearing them before, though any faded grey patches were unseeable, swollen by the darkness of the room. "I think I need to lay down." Maybe it was the hit on the head, that’s what seemed most likely, and the drug which had been shot into his system, maybe it was the fact also however that if he didn’t change position soon the idle wandering of his fingers might start to get adventurous. Although planning on just leaving it at that, Max couldn’t help but notice the look the other had as he replied with a rather uncertain ‘ok’. "My head is spinning." The statement came as Max eased himself side ways to the floor, and then seemed to rather flop lazily to his back, his legs still bent from when he had been kneeling as if it were too much effort right now to stretch them out. Understandably it did nothing to help ease any concerns for his current room mate, but Max just rested his hand back on the others thigh, though it slid closer down towards the knee till Max’s elbow touched the ground and supported propping the hand up. Quietly Chadstone’s gaze shifted from the ceiling to the walls, his head turning a little to allow a complete scan of the room before shutting his eyes and turning his face towards where the other sat, it was better just not thinking about anything, that way he’d not panic, and things won’t get even worse for them. It was embarrassing enough with what happened at the hotel during the black out, Max could cope not having a repeat of that, he couldn’t stand coming across so pathetic.

It felt like Max had been laying there on the uncomfortably hard floor for a while, listening to the other breath and focusing only on that sound, though in reality it could have been minutes for all Max knew. The darkness was all that lingered, even in Max’s dream, the void of emptiness which could have been sleep, but the silence of the darkness didn’t hide the truth that something else was there. Even in this quiet world of nothingness, Max still assumed it was Matt, sitting there quietly breathing, but the rhythmic sound couldn’t be heard, it didn’t matter though, because despite the darkness there was someone there with him, their hands brushing against his skin. It felt incredible, teasing at times, exploring, Max couldn’t move, he felt frozen, pinned, desperate for more. The emptiness went from a nothingness to a void choked with intensity, that burning need felt overpowering and yet still Max couldn’t move, he couldn’t even speak. Even as he tried to mouth the words something covered his mouth, a hand Max realized, large enough to cover his mouth and his nose and strong enough to make it impossible to breath, a flurry of movement caught Max’s attention, a sensation felt despite the blackness which blinded him to everything, a need to protect himself flared and yet still he couldn’t move and the assault which rained down felt all too real, the panic of it stirring him from his sleep in a half noticed jerk as his mind started to rip itself away from the nightmare.

It was a sharp intake of air that first jolted Max from his still blurred grasp on dream and reality, sweaty and shaky hands instinctively grabbing out at the body next to him in defense, his left hand grabbed at Matt’s shoulder, and the other pressed against the front of him and pushed away. All Max could barely hear in the fog of drowsiness was a confused mumbled ‘What’s happening?’, "Stop hitting me." It seemed a little slurred the reply, groggy as Matt’s own confused question yet upset, desperate, Max’s eyes still remained closed, they tried to open but it was so difficult, it felt like someone had placed sticky tape over his lids. Couldn’t it be like before? Back to the way it had felt, that burning yearning desperation, "I couldn’t breath," It didn’t make sense, none of it make sense, but his face hurt, his back ached from the solid floor and he felt like his heart was about to burst it beat so hard it almost seemed to hurt. Breathing was erratic in his panic, heard in the voice which repeated itself as hands which seemed to have a slight shiver to them continued to cling to the other body. "Stop hitting me." Instead of pushing the other at arms length, Max seemed to pull Matt in, groggy eyes barely caring to see anything even when they did flicker open, all they focused on was the others lips, and all that mattered was fulfilling what couldn’t be done earlier, unaware that it was a dream he was playing on that his advances were sudden, the thought that they would be unwelcome never crossing his mind. From gripping Matt’s shoulder, the left hand settled on Matt’s neck as he was drawn closer, fluid and firm in it’s movements despite the hot palms unease and shivers.

[Just a Spark]

Feel. After the rather rude awakening, the feeling of Max's lips pressing onto his sent a jolt of electricity up and down Matt's spine. *Guess that makes up for it,* he thought with a smirk, waking up slowly but in a way he certainly wouldn't have minded as a regular occurrence. Without the whole captivity thing going on, ideally. Memories came rushing back, reminding him that this wasn't the Panacea, nor his or Max's bedroom. And then the fear came back.

Look. His eyes flicked from one side of the room to the other, following walls, lingering at the window... He was reluctant to abandon the solace Max's kiss had to offer, lunging himself into it again, as it were, in desperation. He didn't want to think about all that could have happened while they had been sleeping, nor about what was lying ahead. His brain was his enemy, showing him horror scenarios and tempting sights alike. Torture and freedom, one dreaded, the other a mere fancy, unlikely to occur any time soon.

Touch. One hand found the back of Chadstone's head, the other propped himself up in a half lying, half sitting position. He could feel his body react to the other's proximity. It had only been a few short weeks, yet it had been enough for Matt to know when the other's mind was set on sex. Granted that wasn't overly difficult, seeing as it was true most of the time, but even so there were degrees of excitement, constraint and, well, its lack. It was difficult to resist.

Hear. There were footsteps outside the door, coming closer. With more effort than it should have taken, he pulled away from the other and summoned the most revolting images he could come up with to cool down. "They can't find out," he said in a hushed voice. "The more they know about us, the more vulnerable we become." It sounded overdramatic even to his own ears but that didn't make it any less true. Despite the fact that they knew close to nothing about their captors, they could be sure that they were kept locked up for a reason. They wanted something – and the fewer means they had of getting to them on a personal level, the better.

Think. He couldn't fathom what it was they would want with him. Chadstone could get them a nice ransom (if his father still wanted him back, but they wouldn't know about what had happened there), but he didn't even exist in this state. As far as the government was concerned, he had gone missing in a different part of the US a while back. How could they know him, let alone see anything valuable in him that "she" would want?

Breathe. It had been a while since he had been afraid. Really afraid. While there was a certain amount of panic in him, that level was still not reached and it would take a bit more than tough words and sitting in a spartan room for that. A lot more. Maybe more than what was to come. Maybe more than the reason why they had a photo of him.

Hope.

[Max Chadstone]

At first it seemed as if nothing would further delay what Max so desperately demanded, what it had felt to him had been held back, teased, taunted so close to getting hold of that sensation yet having had it ripped away. Right now the dream itself seemed like a fog and all that mattered was sedating this yearning inside, this ever building eagerness which seemed to drive him wild. For a brief moment, the passion, the intensity that Max longed for faded, hesitated almost, enough that Chadstone let out a sigh that translated roughly into ‘don’t go’ though whatever had caused the moments pause seemed to be brushed aside. Matt leaned in, his lips or a moment eager and desperate, a hand cradled the back of Max’s head and for a moment all the aches didn’t seem to matter.. and the outside footsteps were unheard. Just as Max’s hands readied to tug at the other’s shirt and peel it away, the lips of the other pulled away.

"They can't find out," The whisper caused Max to open his eyes, though the manner in which they stared back at Matt seemed strangely distant, tired still yet as if Matt just may have been some sort of strange puzzle Max couldn’t quite register right there and then. "The more they know about us, the more vulnerable we become." The slightly younger teen remained laying, his breathing catching still in his throat, his heart still thudding away, with the most unpleasant sensation of Da Ja Vu he had ever felt in his life, though pinning where this came from was difficult and all Max could hear was not the click of the lock before the door handle was turned and opened; it was just the beating of his heart, ever loud thud echoing in the inside of his ears, with the unsteady breaths woven amongst each wild thud.

The door swung open and the the heavy boots of the soldiers stomped inside, the shuffle of bodies and clicking of weapons as they took their stance seemed not to phase Max, who rolled to his back in hopes it’d make the breathing easier and was more focused on trying to calm himself down emotionally that Max hadn’t even noticed he was no longer aroused. Four men stood just inside the door now, their weapons aimed and posed, behind them, still outside stood another two, whose shoulders could be seen only standing guard, then another who stood facing the open door. For a moment, only Max’s breathing seemed to be heard in the room, before movement at the door caused even Max to try and see what caused the shadow from the doorway. Confused eyes watched, staring at the thing which stood there, some sort of machine made, Max tried to recall if he had seen them the night before amongst the shifting shadows of the dark halls but he had trouble recalling many details from amongst the panic and confusion.

[Sonny]

"Hold him." One of the guards aimed their gun from Max to the darker haired boy as he spoke, ordering the blue eyed droid to apprehend the pale skinned student. With only a moments pause, one which seemed to have the mechanical creation staring down at the boy still laying on his back, the soft footfalls of the machine carried it towards Matt swiftly, and it’s agile form was fluid in it’s strides. It had settled up behind Matt and clamped it’s cool fingers about the teen’s upper arms, firm yet not painful, hoisting the boy to his feet without effort, it seemed only then that the fog really appeared to clear from Max’s eyes. The artificial eyes of the droid scanned the boys curiously, wondering what these teens could possibly have done to need a squad of men aiming their guns at them. The idea of mutants was not unfamiliar to Sonny, the name the droids creator had given to the unique blue-eyed NS5 model, but to this droid a human with powers could be just as dangerous as a any human with a weapon. As this group proved while they stood watchful and ready.

"Ready sir." Another of the four announced once Matt had been held secure, if the boy struggled it didn’t seem to phase the droid which held him, which had been the point of the request really. And that may or may not dawn on the black haired teen as the familiar face of Max’s father appeared at the doorway, offering a seemingly more then deserved polite nod of his head to the guards at the door while stepping into the room. Matt would have been the first to notice, since Max was staring up at the machine holding him, but at the new arrival Max turned his head and the surprise (perhaps leaning more towards shock) of seeing his father there was evident in both the expression and words that followed. "Dad!" There was something almost eerie about the smile which graced Steven’s lips, the look in his eyes as he peered towards Matt appearing to almost find it amusing, somehow despite all this going on Steven still looked arrogant and as if he were in charge of the situation. A hand smoothed down the front of his expensive grey suit, as if ironing out wrinkles no human eye could see.

"Get up." It’s all Steven managed to say, which to be honest Max at first wasn’t phased by, struggling up to his feet, though Max barely managed to stand before the disappointed tut of his father was heard. "Look at you, you’re a mess, it’s embarrassing Max," His son seemed to stare a moment, looking down at his shirt and rubbing the sweaty palms across the fabric in limited effort of removing any creases. "Come on." Steven was already turning around, it felt like some weird dream, and for a moment Max wondered if that was what it in fact was, just a dream. But just in case it wasn’t, he quickly looked at Matt and then at his father’s back. "Wait, what about Matt?" Steven didn’t look back, but seemed rather amused as he replied. "Oh, he can come too if you want." Max’s expression as he watched his father vanish out the door and around the corner was a mixture of surprise, confusion and perhaps even some suspicion. Which was clear in the look he gave Matt after a moment.

"I will allow you to move freely if you walk at a steady pace three feet ahead. Attempt to run and I have been requested to apprehend you." The smooth voice of the robot came as a surprise for Max who stared at the machine holding his friend as if he almost forgot it was there; granted he hadn’t, but he hadn’t expected it to start talking either. Sonny for now remained holding Matt till the youth agreed to the terms offered.

[Just a Spark]

He had pulled back when it was certain they would be coming in again; had removed himself to a distance that nobody could interpret as being due to more than the basic human urge to be close to another in times of plight. He couldn't entirely say why, but felt it was important that his body was half turned away from the other all the same. When the doors opened eventually and a small company entered, he realised from the complete lack of interaction that subtle things were unlikely to be picked up on by them. 'But better be safe than sorry' – how he hated that phrase.

The grotesqueness of six heavily armed soldiers guarding two depressingly non-superpowered youths wasn't entirely lost on Matt, who would have cracked a crooked grin had their situation not been as dire as it appeared to be. "Hold him," he heard one of them command and watched the android's approach warily. Why did they only want one of them held in place? Would the other be taken? His stomach felt as if a cold fish were wriggling around inside of it, looking for a way out. Then the machine took hold of him and the fish bumped against his heart which changed to a fast and almost painful pace. Would he be taken out or held back? Which of the two should he be hoping for? What did they expect he would do that their deadly toys couldn't meet with bone-splintering steel?

And then a new player entered the stage. He drew in a sharp breath. Steven Chadstone. Matt's jaw tensed, his mind racing as he registered the respectful 'sir', the nod, the smugness. Had Max's old man gone as far as raiding the Institute to demonstrate his power and superiority. Was this all nothing but an act of vengeance? He found it hard to believe that Chadstone Sr would go that far. *They are all about appearance... but how this fit into the picture?* he thought, and then *He can do anything he likes with me and there will be nobody to save me this time.* Matt clenched his fists and opened them again, all too aware of the guns pointed at him and those mocking dead-blue eyes brushing over him as if he had been dragged in by the cat and now Chadstone was pondering how to dispose of him despite the funniness of the situation.

The little exchange between father and son – not unlike the one they had had in that restaurant half a millennium ago – only added to the absurdity. But maybe Steven hadn't taken his own son prisoner. Maybe he just seemed to be in charge by virtue of his power and influence. Maybe he was secretly here to get him out. Not Matt though, he had no illusions in that regard; his only hope was that Max's thinking of him could free him as some sort of reverse collateral damage. It was the calm and amused manner in which he replied "Oh, he can come too if you want." that set off his alarm bells. Something was very, very wrong here...

"Understood," he replied to the robot's voice, massaging his upper arms as he was released as if to force away the memory of the creature's touch. The fact that these people even had advanced robots at their disposal added a whole new level to his fear. But he wouldn't let them notice. He couldn't let him notice. No matter what was to come, Steven Chadstone would not see him confirm whatever images he had of 'his kind'. Pride could be an armour – and it was the only one the had.

The fish was shadowboxing in his chest as he followed the soldiers taking the lead to whatever it was that awaited them.

[Max Chadstone]

"Understood," Although Sonny knew humans lied, he innocently accepted the confirmation regardless, letting the grip on the human loosen till the droids arms fell to its side, it’s blue eyes distracted for a moment to the state of the room the boys had been kept in. So far, Sonny was having issues dealing with the fact not only where these boys and others like them not fighting back, but they didn’t appear to be treated as anything more then mere Prisoner’s of War. And while it did appear to be some sort of war going on around them the night before, as the dust settled Sonny disliked the leaders of this troop more then he disliked their captives. It would make the droid feel so much more better if he could just get in contact with Professor Lydecker, yet so far communication outside had been impossible.

The sudden realization of his father possibly walking off and not noticing his son wasn’t follow tore Max’s eyes from Matt and the robot who had spoken to him, the youth looking over towards the door and his feet already moving before any conscious effort came into effect. They were free, weren’t they? That seemed the only solution to Max, and as they walked he focused more on what exactly caused his father to be in so good a mood it seemed he was willing to help Matt, of all people. Maybe he would use this as some sort of leverage over the hotel issue, but at this moment Max didn’t care, as much as he loved his hotel he couldn’t put someone’s life on it, maybe his father counted on that? Suddenly thoughts of all he would miss came rushing to the young Chadstone’s mind, all the work he had put into the hotel, all the stress and fun he had from it, the people there he would miss or be glad to be without.. Then it struck him, if the hotel was closed or taken from him, Andrew would have no where to sleep, at least he had money now but not enough to last, he couldn’t rent a room for too long before the money dried out and suddenly Max wondered how the older man would cope now back on those cold streets. At first it had just been out of spite of his father but as the years past Max had grown to like the guy, to the point that now Max was almost in a panic at the idea of the old man losing his room in the hotel. It felt strange for the teen who never really cared about what happened to others, suddenly he had to people who’s futures could very well hang in balance depending on if Max had the hotel or not, assuming he might have to sacrifice it for Matt’s freedom, it meant giving up another mans home... but if he didn’t give up Andrew’s security, what if it were just as dangerous to Matt’s health? What happened to the days where life’s greatest concern was bribing some bookworm into doing his homework for him. A fancy room in his hotel gave a place for the students to take their dates away from prying eyes, a pretty girl enjoyed Max’s attention and maybe the chance of a night with him, it had been so simple then.

Right now, it felt like Max were an older person looking back on their life so long ago, yet in reality it was what? A month? How could one month twist life about so drastically? The hall they needed to go down towards the main entrance was coming, and Max only noticed it just as the group passed by, his attention lifting from the floor to the passing hall and then slowing down enough for one of the guards to nudge him onwards with the tip of his gun.

"But-" Max started, his hand moving to point towards the hall, though went quiet with a slight flinch as his father spun about on his heels, causing Max to keep a slow pace as Steven’s hand reached out and grabbed Max by the shoulder, pulling him up beside the older Chadstone and keeping his son in pace with his own brisk strides. "Max.. do you know how much money I’m putting into you right now?" His father’s tone seemed as if more pointing out a fact then question, Max frowned a little in uncertainty how to reply. In some ways that only confirmed that his father had payed some sort of ransom but then where were they going? "I just need to finalize one more thing for you, and then we go back to the estate, and I’ll never have to set foot inside this rancid place again." The elder Chadstone seemed to slow, his hold on his should causing Max to slow as well and then suddenly Max noticed he had been turned about enough for his back to be facing the wall as Steven stared down at him. "I had a visit at work, McCoy came by." He stated, though Max didn’t understand why this was being mentioned or why McCoy would visit his father. "You must have told him some wild stories, Max." Confusion crossed Max’s features and he frowned slightly, because he never said anything, he was sure of it, even when it would have clearly made things so much easier to do so he had done what he always was told to do. So why was it never enough for this man! "No, I didn’t know he went there, he never told me, I barely speak to him, I’ve barely spoken to anyone since-." Max was interrupted by a rather sharp retort from his father. "I’m fully aware of it, you’re blatant disregard for demands from both your mother and I to come home have not gone unnoticed. Any other father would leave you here to rot, but as always you have me here to save the day and how do you repay all this effort?" A disgusted snort was barely made in Matt’s direction, none of these people understood just how far Steven was willing to go, and as far as Steven cared that would be their downfall.

"You send your precious little Doctor to me, you think he can scare me, you think he or any of these pathetic hero wannabes can tell me what to do? You think I’ll just sit back while little faggots and fur clogged air heads think they can talk down to me?" Max was just about to say something, something clearly defensive, Sonny’s hands lifted to rest against the top of Matt’s shoulders as Steven’s hand shot out and grabbed Max by the mouth to stifle the words. If Matt caused a scene or charged at the older human, Sonny wondered if these soldiers would open fire on the boy, the metallic fingers remained holding onto the powerless mutant with the same manner he had once held Professor Lydecker’s young daughter when she had been ready to put her hand into the fire to grab out one of her favorite books which had falling into the flickering flames. A human could buy another book, but they couldn’t generally grow new hands or heal themselves from severe burns, right now this scene reminded Sonny of the same danger. The tension in the boys form made it clear this scene was agitating him, Sonny had to admit it made them look less like the dangerous criminals they were supposed to be and more like the scared children they seemed to be at first glance.

Max’s hand couldn’t even grab his father’s wrist, the other pulled away, the hold turning into nothing but a warning finger pointed at Max with a stern look before grabbing at his shoulder and half shoving half pulling the boy onwards. "I can only hope after this you won’t be as big a fucking disappointment, there is nothing more anyone could possibly do for you, you little shit. All I’m asking from you is to do as you’re fucking told, the more you blabber on like an idiot the longer this will take." The grip of his father loosened and suddenly Max was able to fall back a few feet as his father moved ahead, straightening his clothes and leaving a rather scorned looking Max behind. There was a familiar mixture of hurt and rage boiling inside, yet it wasn’t so easy to go out through the halls looking for a fight to vent, all that Max managed was a nasty glower at one of the guards who had looked his way. Even Max wasn’t ready to go up against an armed guy with an itchy trigger finger, he still remembered how it had felt to get shot and that wasn’t something he wanted to repeat.

It soon became clear that they were heading towards the Medbay, and while Max wasn’t sure what was going on and didn’t understand what they had to do before they left, or why his father seemed to be yoyoing between that air of untouchable glee and boiling point rage so effectively. At this point Max didn’t care and just sulked angrily and hurtfully, trying to get some comfort by dropping back closer to Matt rather then his father but at the same time not wanting to cause some rand flare of rage again should his father think he was getting too close to the other boy. By the time they arrived to the med lab Steven continued walking even as all but one of the soldiers came to a stop, the one who didn’t stop ushered Max into the Science Lab area, with only one rather distraught look over his shoulder as Matt was forced to remain behind with a door now sliding shut between them. Two soldiers motioned to the android to stay and then they too went off to the Science lab to help out. The remaining soldiers made an obvious display of locking the medlabs door before vanishing off into the ledlab itself while Sonny and Matt remained standing in the very entrance area.

"NS5, hold him there, she needs to clean up after the last one." It probably sounded worse then the soldier intended, though the mysterious ‘she’ was referred to again and while it held no mystery to the mechanical man, it still remained a big unknown to the mutant in his charge. Not that this thought occurred to Sonny, right now he was curious as to what these apparent law enforcers intended to do with these captives if they were going to be released as the elder human implied? The increased heart rate of the teen caused Sonny to try and think of something assuring, though given the situation he was faced it was difficult to figure out what to tell a human.

(TBC for Max in: Captivity in the Science Lab, after a wes post)

[Just a Spark]

Matt didn't speak while they walked, but surveyed his surroundings instead. He knew the Institute well enough now, and before his inner eye he saw the mansion's hallways like the map of a labyrinth. Where were they headed? It couldn't be the exit or they would have taken any of the flights of stairs they passed down. Maybe they would be interrogated somewhere, although he still had no idea what information these people could want that they as students would possess.

"But–" Had Max been telling himself they would just take a less direct route out and now realised they weren't? Could he blame him? Matt knew all too well how proficient the other was at convincing himself of something and if truth be told, Contrast wasn't much better. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that he was entirely aware of the unlikeliness that what they had gone through so far was the worst they had to expect, there was a small part inside of him that kept muttering exactly that with feverish fervour.

The exchange that followed between father and son made little sense to him. These people didn't seem to be after money, so why would Chadstone Sr be able to pay them off to let his son go? There had to be something else, but what that was kept eluding him entirely. The lack of self-reflection Steven displayed by reproaching his son for not coming home to him, after he had assaulted him, breaking more than a few bones, only proved that delusions ran in the family. As did resorting to violence.

When Steven's hand shot out, Matt's hands twitched, his form tensed. Had he not felt the android's hand on his shoulder, reminding him of the position he was in, he would have done something (although he wasn't quite sure what that would have been – something stupid, most likely). As things stood, however, it was all he could do to clench his teeth, burning eyes drilling holes into Steven's skull and wishing him into Tartarus.

It was just as well that this time around, the worst attack was in his words. He had never heard a parent speak like that, except for some drunk, unkempt woman yelling at her toddler, which was about as far from the current scenario as it could get. When they continued on their way, Matt could feel the storm of emotions raging inside his companion almost physically, but there was nothing he could offer to help. He walked on in silence.

When they stopped at the Medlab, realism and that persistent optimistic voice were quarrelling loudly. They had been ever since he had ruled out any other destination for their little trip, one refusing to believe that it was a mere coincidence that they were brought to the only place in this building with an overabundance of alien technology and the other claiming that it was just that. When the doors closed behind the Chadstones and the soldiers left, they both fell silent.

"NS5, hold him there, she needs to clean up after the last one," one of them had said. His heart stopped for a moment – and resumed its endless sprint even more ardently. And yet he couldn't bring himself to rationalise what that meant. His mind probably thought it was entertaining to show him exploding bodies, covering the walls in blood and guts. He didn't agree.

The weight of loneliness threatened to drag him down. It was strange, but somehow the lack of people pointing guns at him wasn't much better – leaving him waiting in line for an uncertain fate with nothing but a machine for company. Would he hear Max screaming soon? Was he just being overdramatic? Maybe there was nothing going on inside there but a desk with some bureaucratic mummy on the other side and all they had to clean up was the paper work. Maybe it was something much worse.

"NS5, what do they want from us and what's happening in that room?" he heard himself say, doubting the command pattern would allow everyone to access it but unable to bear the silence any longer. He couldn't just listen for screams and pray they would never come. He was no sheep led to the slaughter. He really wasn't. But if that was true, why did he feel so helpless; why was he so afraid?