These Earthly Things: Coda
Feb. 28th, 2008 12:20 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsThe cavalry arrives.
Angelo was just sitting down, waiting, when the team finally appeared in the room. On one side of him lay Miguel, breathing shallowly, the front of his shirt covered with blood, but alive. On the other, curled up and unconscious, was Alejandra. Her wrists were bound tightly with makeshift tourniquets of torn cloth, as soaked with blood as her brother's clothes and Angelo's hands. Both were covered by a stretched-out blanket of Angelo's skin - it was all he could really do.
The room, all around, was littered with bodies - most on the ground where they'd fallen, but some, all too noticeably, on bone crosses against the wall under the upper level.
Good God. Scott didn't betray the moment of shock, however. There'd be time for that later. Much later. "Check the wounded," he said to Jean, meaning their wounded. "Let's secure the place," he said more loudly, to everyone else.
There was a difference between a living body and a dead one -- some intangible quality that separated a living human being from cooling meat. Jim didn't know if this was a consequence of telepathy or not, but one glimpse around the room told him that for almost everyone -- saving the two on either side of Angelo -- it was too late. After a moment of skimming the room he caught Jean's eye, silently pointing to one of the mutants still hanging from a cross. One survivor. One.
Jean had started for the girl by Angelo but when Jim drew her attention to the boy on the cross she immediately changed direction. Alejandra would need serious medical care, she could tell already, but would almost certainly live. The boy on the cross... Luckily, he was already unconscious when she started working to get him down - TK supporting his weight to stop any additional damage she carefully worked the nails out, focusing on her patient. By the looks of things, Angelo had already gotten their revenge.
Marie had stood, locked in place, until Scott had spoken. She hadn't known what to expect when she'd been alerted that the team needed to move out, but the scene that faced her wasn't one she had ever contemplated coming across. As soon as she could move again, she went straight to Angelo. "What..." she trailed off, a shudder running across her body. "Ah don't understand," she finally said as she dropped to her knees besides Alejandra to begin applying basic first aid until Jean or Haller could make their way over to deal with the wounds piercing her wrists.
"Sick bastards", Angelo said dully, not looking up from his hands. "Call themselves the Church of Humanity. Call themselves a church."
The smell of blood combined with the closeness of the room was enough to send Ororo's heart jackhammering. She felt a wave of panic begin to build and fought it off, her face a bit pale as she moved further into the room. "We need to call the authorities," she murmured, her voice growing a little louder as she took in the casualties. "We cannot do this all on our own. And they need proper medical attention, soon."
"We'll take the wounded back," Scott said, "and call on our way out." Busy checking one of the other exits, he very deliberately did not meet the eyes of any of his teammates. "We can't answer questions as to what happened here. Especially if Snow Valley was involved."
"Understood." Jim knelt down next to Miguel, frowning. The younger man was breathing, but there was blood, and a lot of it. They needed to get him to the hospital. Jim happened to glance over at Ororo and noted the expression on her face. "Um, Ororo, do you think you can make that call? I think between us the rest of us can get them to the 'bird."
Angelo was just sitting down, waiting, when the team finally appeared in the room. On one side of him lay Miguel, breathing shallowly, the front of his shirt covered with blood, but alive. On the other, curled up and unconscious, was Alejandra. Her wrists were bound tightly with makeshift tourniquets of torn cloth, as soaked with blood as her brother's clothes and Angelo's hands. Both were covered by a stretched-out blanket of Angelo's skin - it was all he could really do.
The room, all around, was littered with bodies - most on the ground where they'd fallen, but some, all too noticeably, on bone crosses against the wall under the upper level.
Good God. Scott didn't betray the moment of shock, however. There'd be time for that later. Much later. "Check the wounded," he said to Jean, meaning their wounded. "Let's secure the place," he said more loudly, to everyone else.
There was a difference between a living body and a dead one -- some intangible quality that separated a living human being from cooling meat. Jim didn't know if this was a consequence of telepathy or not, but one glimpse around the room told him that for almost everyone -- saving the two on either side of Angelo -- it was too late. After a moment of skimming the room he caught Jean's eye, silently pointing to one of the mutants still hanging from a cross. One survivor. One.
Jean had started for the girl by Angelo but when Jim drew her attention to the boy on the cross she immediately changed direction. Alejandra would need serious medical care, she could tell already, but would almost certainly live. The boy on the cross... Luckily, he was already unconscious when she started working to get him down - TK supporting his weight to stop any additional damage she carefully worked the nails out, focusing on her patient. By the looks of things, Angelo had already gotten their revenge.
Marie had stood, locked in place, until Scott had spoken. She hadn't known what to expect when she'd been alerted that the team needed to move out, but the scene that faced her wasn't one she had ever contemplated coming across. As soon as she could move again, she went straight to Angelo. "What..." she trailed off, a shudder running across her body. "Ah don't understand," she finally said as she dropped to her knees besides Alejandra to begin applying basic first aid until Jean or Haller could make their way over to deal with the wounds piercing her wrists.
"Sick bastards", Angelo said dully, not looking up from his hands. "Call themselves the Church of Humanity. Call themselves a church."
The smell of blood combined with the closeness of the room was enough to send Ororo's heart jackhammering. She felt a wave of panic begin to build and fought it off, her face a bit pale as she moved further into the room. "We need to call the authorities," she murmured, her voice growing a little louder as she took in the casualties. "We cannot do this all on our own. And they need proper medical attention, soon."
"We'll take the wounded back," Scott said, "and call on our way out." Busy checking one of the other exits, he very deliberately did not meet the eyes of any of his teammates. "We can't answer questions as to what happened here. Especially if Snow Valley was involved."
"Understood." Jim knelt down next to Miguel, frowning. The younger man was breathing, but there was blood, and a lot of it. They needed to get him to the hospital. Jim happened to glance over at Ororo and noted the expression on her face. "Um, Ororo, do you think you can make that call? I think between us the rest of us can get them to the 'bird."
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