Liquid Metal: An X-men & QuickSilver Novel

Chapter Fifteen: The Circus Master

Updated May 31st 2016

____________

Leaning against the fantastically cool metal bars of my prison cell, my head rested on the steel as I rolled the object between my fingers. I looked up slowly to meet the signature dark and round eyes of the person who I was expecting to see.

His appearance was utterly disheveled, a trail of blood was drying on the collar of his rather dusty and dirty shirt. The puncture was caused by the rather thick-tipped dart that had stuck his neck. I returned his smile halfheartedly.

"You okay?" Peter mouthed to me as he tilted his head, reminding me of a curious puppy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hit him upside the head or hug him, either way our distance  apart presented a small issue.

"Of course I'm not okay." I mouthed back with my eyebrows knitted together, but he only grinned at me like he had won some small victory by getting me to notice him. I shook my head against the bars looking down, not able to keep a small smile from my own lips, that kind of thing; a simple smile, was contagious. Especially at a time and place such as this.

"How long?" I asked eventually. I was tapping my wrist to indicate time.

"A day... two." He replied wavering his hand in the air to indicate that the given time was a rough estimate. I nodded and rested back against the bars, keeping my gaze on Peter this time. 

At least I knew that he was okay and that he wasn't being poked and prodded off on some crazy scientists lab table.

He was technically next to my own little "cage", one of the guards pathways is what was lay in between us. Even though I was leaning on the side closest to him the walkway created an even bigger gap than if he had been on my left. I watched him do a kind of shuffle-scoot over to the bars closest to me and that was when I realized his wrists were bound, not in the usual crude cloth or zip-ties like that I had seen on various other people, but actual chains.

"Why?" I mouthed again, too afraid to make any actual sounds. I pointed to his wrists. He shrugged, but I knew that he had an idea as to why he was deemed "dangerous" enough to get chains. Not the great thick ones you would see restraining some great giant, but they were still chains nonetheless and made me twitch with slight anger.

"How do we get out of this Josie?" He said in barely a whisper after a long silence, during which I had lowered my gaze. the softness of his tone made my heart sink and my eyes left the small crack on the floor to meet his gaze.

"I don't know." Where the only words I dared to speak aloud. Suddenly a harsh bell rung over the vast room of quiet imprisonment. There was the metallic grinding of a heavy door opening accompanying footsteps and my breath picked up as I searched Peters eyes for some kind of long distance protection I did not know if I would get or not.

"You tied?" He asked, casting a small glance toward the source of the noise, seeing the panic in my eyes as he still tried to be as quiet as he could be.

I shook my head.

"Then kick these guy's ass" he said with a fraction more volume than I would have liked.

Dull eyes and mechanical heads turned toward the doors at the end of the walk way. Ten people in crisp white uniforms walked in at a brisk pace, breaking off to go down different aisles and stopping at various cells. Including mine.

It was a woman who stopped at mine. She had her hair put in a very nurse-like and neat updo. She wore a white cap and kept her eyes down from mine as though she were trying not to startle me.

"Come on love, up you go." She said leaning down to get me up. Her voice was high pitched and soft like talking to a child. I noted her light English accent. I stumbled to my feet. Like everyone else, I was confused. These people didn't seem malicious they seemed gentle and patient.