Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Six. Jail Bait

“So, what's your deal?” Logan asked Peter, but he shook his head,

“I can’t tell you. It's uh, complicated but my friends are here, and I need to save them,” and Logan shrugged,

“I can smell your different kid, parents huh?” and Peter frowned, “Too clean to be a prisoner, and too old to have just popped. Parents turn you in after hiding for a few years?” and Peter nodded. It was technically true after all. “Can you fight, or is your power something useless?” and Peter shrugged, “Oh come on kid, they ain't gonna use harsh language. If you're gonna get us killed I want to know now.”

“I can fight, I just don't like to, and if that room didn't kill you, what makes you think they can?” But Logan laughed,

“Cause that room wasn't tryin’ to kill me. It was one of Dooms experiments.”

Peter stopped, “experiments? This is a prison, that’s illegal,” and Logan laughed, 

“Illegal?” and as he scratched his stomach, “Doom only cares about Doom bub. He makes the rules. If he says it's not illegal then nobody will argue.”

Peter still didn't understand. Every day Dooms spokesman, John Jameson, ranted about the mutant threat, and its ties to the Russian Federation. So why was Doom experimenting on mutants?

Logan must have seen the confusion on his face, “he’s liar bub, he ain't after extermination but stealing our powers. You don't have a team of mutant hunters without some of ‘em being mutants themselves.”

It was becoming clearer to Peter. Doom didn't just use the war as a means to keep the population under control. The reeducation centres, the drugs, and now the mutants. It was all to add to Doom's power and keep the country under his thumb. He never saw it, he was well fed and well cared for. No one would give that up, he had been so blind, and stupid.

But you know, and are making a difference, Hexen whispered but Peter didn't feel better. He wasn't, the memories supplied from Wanda and Hexen were. He wasn't the original or the altered, he was a blend of both, and he hated what his world had become. What he had become.

Stop it, worrying over what we are or what we do is pointless, you are who you are, strive to be better, not complain, and Hexen tutted, we have a sister, who complains and hides in her host, only coming out to eat or screw, and we still love her, even if she wastes herself. 

“Hey, we’re here.” Peter was brought out of his conversation with Hexen by Logan pointing at a thick steel door. “If your friends are anywhere, they're in there,” and Peter nodded.

Hex, can you tell if anyone is inside, but she mentally shook her head

The door is protected by magic as well as technology. This is where they should have taken Stephen and Wanda, so be prepared.

“We have to break it down,” Peter told Logan who just grinned at him.

“You be ready, I’ll make a hole, and you start doing whatever it is you do,” and Logan roared as three slick silver blades sprang from each hand. Peter jumped in surprise as he slammed each fist into the door and scored a massive gash into it with each hand. As the lines crossed each other he stood back and nodded at Peter.

Hexen slid over him and he slammed a fist into the thick metal and it screeched and jumped forward an inch,

“Thick sucker ain’t it,” and Hexen nodded and slammed another fist. With each punch, the plate moved another inch until with a thunderous clang, it slammed on the floor.

The guards on the other side had already moved behind the barricades to deal with the intruders, “You go left an’ I’ll go right,” Logan ordered and with a nod, Hexen shot out a line and swung into the room. “Different, still good, but yeah,” and Logan roared as he followed.

The bullets made no difference to Hexen as they bounced harmlessly off his armour and any that hit Logan had no effect on the man. As he ripped and roared through concrete and steel shutters no one was spared and while Hexen had similar thoughts Peter was more content to web any opponents down and kick their guns away.

Once all the guards had been neutralised Peter turned his head and closed his eyes as Logan tutted, and jammed a three-bladed fist into the throats of each incapacitated guard. “Never, ever leave a man alive that’ll kill you without a thought.” and as he continued his gruesome task Peter tried his best to ignore the muffled coughs of gurgled blood.

“You didn’t-” but Logan glared at him,

“They are conditioned to kill, so shut your yap,” and he continued his killing spree. “Now, what do your friends look like? Awful lot of cells here, and I ain’t about to start lettin’ random idiots out until we hit the right ones.”

Hex? But she shook her head, 

The cells are warded, and Logan is right, we need to be careful, if Doom is experimenting there could be danger in these cells.

“A man and a woman, Wanda and Stephen. She's uh, really beautiful, with long red hair, and he looks like Stark. I mean, the same beard and hair. But, uh,” and Logan raised a hand,

“I get it kid, Stark wannabe and hot redhead with massive jugs,” and as Logan took one side of the room, Peter took the other.

In the cells normal looking people stared at them, keeping themselves away from the crackling orange energy field. Noone called out or even spared them a second glance as they moved from one to another. Sitting in the middle of one cell, Stephen, wearing his sanctum grey uniform but missing his coat was sat floating, in deep meditation. 

“I found one,” and Logan nodded, 

“An’ I think your girlfriend is in this one,” he said, pointing to another cell. “Know how to open these? Cause stabbin’ the control panel will probably open them all.”

Uh, Hex?

And as small grey tendrils made their way into the panel it shorted and the field around Stephens cell faded.

“That took you long enough Mr Parker, but I am thankful for the rescue. We need to find-” but Stephen was interrupted as Peter moved away and placed his hand on the panel outside Wanda’s cell as well.

“It seems teaching you about magic was not as wasteful as I thought, Hexen,” and Peter heard her huff within his mind,

“Uh, she says thanks, I guess” and Stephen chuckled,

“I’m sure she did. We need to be careful. Doom is a practitioner, and a strong one at that. Even Wanda and I were no match for him.” and as he cast an eye over the cells surrounding his. “Maybe we can acquire some help though,” and as his hands glowed the control panels on each of the cells became alive with runic patterns and each one opened in turn.

“You idiot, we just avoided that.” Logan snarled at him but Stephen raised a hand,

“I know, but fellow practitioners will make for good allies. I don’t care what happens after we escape, only that we do.” Stephen cleared his throat, “Denizens of the underworld, dark dimension, and alternate planes of existence. Doctor Doom has imprisoned you here against your wills. All we ask is that you fight-” but he was interrupted as one of the smaller women Peter had seen facing the wall suddenly burst into flames and charged at a wall, screaming in a strange tongue and burning straight through it. One of the men seemed to blacken and grow, his skin became thick and grey while his face morphed into a singular eye, and eldritch runes, pulsing with light, covered his skin.

“Or you know, that works too. Wanda?” and Peter pointed to a cell, where Wanda lay, panting and gasping for breath.

“Easy now Wanda, the cells were designed to block out both your powers and your magic. You’ll feel better once we’re away from the wards.” Stephen explained as he helped her to her feet. “I would appreciate it if you could protect us while we escape.” and Peter nodded.

“Logan?” he asked as the man stared expectantly at the burning wall.

“Nah, I’m good. Think I’ll follow the crowd, an’ see if I can find your other friends. Maybe say hello to an old pal of mine.” As he walked towards the hole he stuck his head through and nodded back at them, “cya around kid,” and dived through. Peter could still hear the screaming and gunfire coming from their direction, and as Stephen and Wanda leaned against each other for support, Peter cautiously led them back to the entrance of the station.

As he scouted ahead the courtyard was empty, both of bodies and of signs of fighting, “I don’t like it,” he said as the pair slowly made their way behind him, “it’s too quiet.” and even the sounds of fighting in the distance had almost vanished to his sensitive hearing.

“Did you discover what Doom was planning?” but he shook his head as the trio crouched down behind one of the emergency barricades.

“All Logan said was that Doom used this place as a testing ground for something, Natasha and Steve were interested in getting here, but nobody would explain why.”

Stephen looked serious for a moment, and sat back down on the ground, leaning against the wall. “We need to find Doom and the Stone. Without it, we can’t fix things. So what do we know?” and Peter shrugged,

“That this is a holding facility and not a prison, that he was experimenting on mutants here and Steve and Natasha were more interested in getting in than rescuing you two, even with my help.”

“Which tells us that whatever Doom is planning, is probably centred here. So my suggestion is to simply wait. We can rest for a few moments, and if the station is as important as everyone is making it out to be then Doom will come to us.” And as he lay back against the wall he closed his eyes. “Peter, can you stay on watch while Wanda and I rest, the cells were,” and he paused, trying to describe them, “unpleasant,” and he nodded,

“Sure, uh Wanda, thanks.” and she frowned but sat next to Stephen and closed her eyes. The prison had been hell, constantly shifting between moments of ear-piercing noise and silence, constant temperature adjustment and humidity. It was designed to create a distraction and force any magics to be disrupted before they could be cast. 

Doom had assaulted the physical shell of the Sanctum, destroying it, and once its outer shell had been stripped he began to assault the magical defences themselves. It was brutal and inelegant but even against the magics of Doom, they had fallen eventually. Once Wanda and Stephen had no choice but to defend, the soldiers had assaulted them with overwhelming firepower, and Doom had taken apart their magical defences. Two against twenty was no match, and Doom had gloated when he snatched the amulet from around Stephen's neck.

As Stephen and Wanda rested to regain some strength and some sanity while Peter kept watch at the entrance. He could hear something but was unsure as to what. There was the mechanical squealing of brakes, but the type was unknown to him, the slight hiss of gas escaping but nothing he could recognise as a system. As he saw Wanda and Stephen lying limply against the wall, 

gas? Shit, he cursed. Hex, is there gas in the air?

Yes, we are keeping you safe though,

No, Stephen and Wanda. Help them.

We can do better, hold your breath.

As Peter took a deep breath, Hexen flowed from him and covered Wanda. Her eyes shot open and she stared over at him as his cheeks went red. “I can manage,” and Hexen flowed from her back to him. Waving her arms a barrier of red flowed from her and surrounded the trio. “I learned that very early on,” she said with a slight hint of red on her cheeks

Her Peter seduced her with a scent, and she remembers it fondly, Hexen told him, and Peter could only nod, unsure if it was appropriate to comment or not.

As Wanda cleared the air around them Stephen stirred and groggily rubbed his face, “we what?” and Peter helped him to his feet. 

“We need to move,” and the world exploded into bright light and coloured smoke.

As soldiers poured into the area, gas masks and the standard thick body armour of Dooms personal guard, Doctor Doom himself floated into the prison.

“Doom sees all. Even the insects that threaten his domain.” and seeing the imposing figure of Doctor Doom, his armour, grey steel with a huge green cloak and hood that covered his helmet, thick and runic sleeker than Ironmongers and covered in the same glowing runic script that Hexen had, Peter felt fear, and grabbing Wanda’s hand, and helping Stephen to his feet, the trio retreated back into the cellblock.