Yawning, he pressed his ear against the door and listened to snatches of conversation.
"...wish... been able... save..."
"...forget... darlin'..."
"... report... Sinister... tell Xavier..."
He leaned back as they exited the plane. He'd never heard of anyone named Xavier before. Nor did he know who his benefactors were, and until he did, he had no intention of approaching them, if then.
Made patient by imprisonment, he waited, counting to himself until he sensed two hours had gone by. Then he cautiously opened the door.
The plane was deserted and he took a few careful steps. His ankle felt better and he went to the nearest window.
He was in a hangar, much like the one in Sinister's lab. He bit his lip and went to the next one. It wasn't until he'd looked out every window and was sure the hangar was empty that he lowered his arms.
No attack came at that point and he peered out the doorway. Still no one there. Quickly, he scurried down the ramp, reclosed the ship and ran as fast as he could across the floor to some stacked crates, his footsteps ringing on the ground.
The short run made his lungs ache, but he made it. Crouching behind a crate, he surveyed the hangar again. Still empty. Now he wondered what to do next.
The great hangar doors the plane came through were right across from him, a smaller door on the wall to their right. He was pretty sure the team had gone that way, though, which was an excellent reason for him not to.
Behind him was a circular, reinforced door, marked Morlock Tunnels: restricted. He looked at it a moment, then made his decision. If it was restricted, then he'd have a better chance of not being found. Quickly, he opened the door, and hurried down the steps on the other side, letting the door swing closed behind him.
With a good supply of candles now, he expanded his explorations, marking his route with bits of chalk he'd found. Some places he avoided because they looked unsafe and one he ran from, when what looked like a squid erupted out of a pool and tried to grab him. He was lucky he'd been exercising, or he never would have outrun its tentacles. It was three days before he ventured forth again, in the other direction.
It was a plaque, with a name inscribed on it. They all were, and he went from one to another, until he came to a raised pedestal in the very center of the cavern. This one was inscribed with something else.
As he walked, he heard a screeing and turned to see a trio of rats. Slowly, he bent and picked up a small rock, then threw it at the largest of the three. It fell over and the other two ran. He let them go as he collected the little body and hung it from his belt. Afraid or not, a man still had to eat.
Cautiously, he opened the door a crack and peered out. The plane was gone.
Surprised, he let the door open further and took a second look. The hangar was empty.
He started to turn back the way he'd come, but his stomach's rumbling stopped him. Rats weren't always plentiful, but even when they were, he had to struggle to choke them down. Could he go out there and find some real food?
It took him hours to work up the nerve. When he was finally ready, he crept across the hangar to the other door, ready to bolt at the slightest sound. Beyond the door was a corridor leading past several locked rooms to an elevator. He steeled himelf and pushed the button for the first floor.
Seconds later, the elevator deposited him in a mansion. He gaped at the rich wood paneling and expensive furniture, but didn't step off the elevator until he was sure there was no one there.
The kitchen was at the end of the hall. A loaf of bread sat on one of the counters and he grabbed it, ripped open the bag and stuffed a slice in his mouth. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Chewing happily, he went over and opened the fridge.
It was filled with food. Dropping the bread, he began grabbing stuff and piling it on the table, forgetting where he was. All that mattered was filling his belly, and fill it he did.
There was a plate of fried chicken covered in tin foil. He yanked that off and grabbed a leg, chewing and swallowing as fast as he could between bites of an apple, a cream pie, carrots, pickles and a raw egg that he cracked and poured straight into his mouth. Milk he drank out of the carton.
He was so absorbed in his eating that he didn't hear the hum until a golden chair floated into the kitchen. Then he froze, staring over a cold baked potato at a bald man who looked back at him, equally shocked.
The man's eyes drifted down to his blinking inhibiter collar. "Oh, my God," he whispered.
That broke the spell. Grabbing up as much of the food as he could, he bolted for the elevator.
#Wait, I won't hurt you,# the man called, directly into his mind. #You don't have to be afraid.#
He just kept running. The open elevator was only a few feet away.
Then something reached into his mind. #Stop.#
Against his will, he skidded to a halt and stood there, trembling, not even able to move as the man came up beside him.
#You're safe now,# the man told him. #No one will harm you here.#
With a great effort, he closed his eyes for a moment and felt a tear trickle down his cheek. This was worse than Sinister. At least then he'd been able to move in his cylinder.
The man saw it in his face and sighed. "All right, I'm going to let you go now. Then we'll talk."
He felt the grip on his mind loosen and leave. Instantly he was gone. Tossing the food at him,he bolted into the elevator and hit the down button. The doors closed.
When they opened again, he exited at a dead run. Sprinting down the corridor, he turned the corner and ran into the hangar.
For an instant, everything seemed to drop into slow motion. The plane was back, the ramp down and a dozen mutants exiting it. Every one of them saw him.
"What the hell...?" One of them said in the slow, stretched way his mind seemed to suddenly make everything. The short man he recognized from his escape held up his fists and long metal blades erupted slowly from the back.
Time resumed its normal flow and he ran for the tunnels. Immediately, they were after him, some airborne, others on the ground. A beam of energy like that which hurt Sinister went by him, trying to force him to change direction. He leapt over it awkwardly and kept running. The next thing he knew, lightning danced around him.
"Don't hurt him!" A woman yelled. "The Professor wants him unharmed!" The lightning stopped.
There was a low growl behind him and he glanced back to see the short man had almost caught up. He'd had no idea anyone could move that fast.
Terrified of what those claws could do to him, he put on a burst of speed. Diving through the door, he kicked it shut and threw the locking mechanism to on. An instant later, three metal claws punched through the door, coming to a stop an inch from his nose. Then they withdrew.
Counting his blessings, he picked up the candle he'd left there and hurried back into the darkness.