To Outrun Panic (Peter, Kitty, Jubilee, for a_q)
**posting for author**
Title: To Outrun Panic
Characters: Peter, Kitty, Jubilee
Rating: G
Recipient: a_q
Author: Ponderosa (ponderosa.dreamwidth.org)
Request: Peter (Colossus) X2 - what went through his mind during the Mansion attack and the escape into the woods? What happened then?
Notes: Sorry this is so brief, there's a lot I didn't have time to explore! I hope you like it regardless, as I've always felt Peter should've gotten a lot more screentime.
To Outrun Panic
The kids used their abilities on instinct, many of them accustomed to survival long before Xavier had welcomed them in. Peter brought up the rear, straining to hear any sound of stragglers or pursuit. There was no time to stop for a headcount and figure out who was missing.
Jubilee lit the way, the energy fizzling from her hands falling away like dying stars, lingering just long enough for Peter to pass through its heatless glow. With her at the fore, they ran in a tight group, silence trumped by speed, and although roused from their beds, the rustling and bare slap of feet was not as much noise as Peter imagined it to be. The sound of their escape echoed through the network of tunnels, bouncing back on itself like so much whitenoise.
Xavier had taught them well, the older helping the younger, the braver urging along the frightened. All the mandatory evacuation drills had paid off. Where the twist of old and new construction would be confusing to the soldiers unless they had perfect intel, most of the kids could run the path blind if they needed. Even the ones who had a mind to skip the drills knew the underground well enough. The mansion had a lot of secrets and to a teenager, secrets like how to get in and out without supervision were priceless.
He whistled softly when the damp tunnel air mixed with the fresh chill of the outside. Jubilee's fireworks reabsorbed into her hands, and the creep of soft blue moonlight grew visible along the walls. One more turn and they'd be out into the surrounding woods. Best to give the kids a task before they had a chance for the panic to catch up and turn to shock.
"Anyone sense anything?" Peter asked, keeping his voice low.
A few shook their heads while the rest darted glances between the exit and the way they'd come.
"Then we run, fast as possible to the edge of the trees." Peter hefted the boy in his arms and was thankful the night wasn't bitingly cold. "Speedsters stay close until we're across the creek near the hideaway. Those of you who can heal can do so once we know we're safe."
Peter got a cluster of nods, some determined and some terrified, but all of them ready to go out there. His chest surged, left his lungs too tight to say more. If ambush waited, it'd be easier to protect these kids than a group of humans, but the sanctuary of Xavier's school had already been violated. They had enough to fear from the outside as it was, how many would return if this wasn't the end?
"On three," Jubilee said, and Peter moved back to the front before the countdown triggered a rush. On three, they made for the grate, all the adrenaline backed up in a moment's rest propelling the kids out of the culvert at a sprint.
The two speedsters held back as told, phasing briefly in Peter's vision as they fought the urge to outdistance the group. Branches in the low foliage scraped at Peter's legs and cracked under his feet, but the ground overall was soft, dense earth and easy to run on.
Midway through crossing the shallow trickle of the creek, the figure ahead of him slipped on a moss-dark rock, and before Peter could do anything to try and reach out and steady her, there was a strange lurch in his chest followed by a tingle that spread across his skin. Kitty lunged straight through his body, phasing back in time to keep the younger girl from falling.
"Almost there," Kitty said, near breathless. Her face was flush with exertion. Fled first and far faster than the rest of them, Peter guessed, and confirmed it when she added, "Hideaway's clear. I almost missed you guys, thought you'd come out the other way."
Peter allowed himself a bit of relief. Safety was always an illusion, but once they could regroup and rest, they could figure what to do from there.
*
The fortified hideaway was little more than a concrete bunker set under the earth, and judging by the assorted trash Peter shoved into one corner, it had become quite the popular make out spot over the last term.
Emergency supplies were crated and stored here in bins that some of the kids were using as benches. Upon first glance, the bins were still stocked, and although Peter didn't quite trust the blankets, there were enough to go around. If Peter had ever thought the Professor put too much emphasis on emergency preparedness, he wouldn't make the mistake again.
Grabbing what looked like a clean blanket, he threaded through the tangle of huddled kids to stand watch near the hideway's camouflaged entrance. Kitty glanced over at him, the flush in her cheeks gone to leave her skin pale as death in the low light. She hid her fear well, and as Peter scanned the room, he realised that most of the others did the same.
"How long are we going to stay here?" she asked, arms curling tight around her knees.
Peter leaned heavily against the chill concrete. "How long do you think we should stay?"
Seemingly shocked than an adult would ask for her opinion, she chewed on her lip. "Guess it depends on where we go."
Peter cast his gaze out through the camo-netting at the dark shapes of the trees. There'd been nothing but silence since they'd arrived, no sign of stragglers or search parties. He shook out his blanket and settled down across from Kitty. Waiting for an attack was simple, easy to meet if he only had himself to worry about, but he hid his own kind of fear. He felt not the least bit equipped to be making decisions. Oldest among the current group or not, he wasn't a team leader for a reason. "As soon as the sun rises, I'll check the mansion," he said. "See if I can get in contact with Storm or the professor."
"What if you can't?"
Kitty scooted to sit beside him when he took too long in answering, and she leaned against him, pillowing her head on his arm. "One step at a time, I guess," she said, voice heavy with exhaustion.
"One step at a time," Peter echoed.
Title: To Outrun Panic
Characters: Peter, Kitty, Jubilee
Rating: G
Recipient: a_q
Author: Ponderosa (ponderosa.dreamwidth.org)
Request: Peter (Colossus) X2 - what went through his mind during the Mansion attack and the escape into the woods? What happened then?
Notes: Sorry this is so brief, there's a lot I didn't have time to explore! I hope you like it regardless, as I've always felt Peter should've gotten a lot more screentime.
To Outrun Panic
The kids used their abilities on instinct, many of them accustomed to survival long before Xavier had welcomed them in. Peter brought up the rear, straining to hear any sound of stragglers or pursuit. There was no time to stop for a headcount and figure out who was missing.
Jubilee lit the way, the energy fizzling from her hands falling away like dying stars, lingering just long enough for Peter to pass through its heatless glow. With her at the fore, they ran in a tight group, silence trumped by speed, and although roused from their beds, the rustling and bare slap of feet was not as much noise as Peter imagined it to be. The sound of their escape echoed through the network of tunnels, bouncing back on itself like so much whitenoise.
Xavier had taught them well, the older helping the younger, the braver urging along the frightened. All the mandatory evacuation drills had paid off. Where the twist of old and new construction would be confusing to the soldiers unless they had perfect intel, most of the kids could run the path blind if they needed. Even the ones who had a mind to skip the drills knew the underground well enough. The mansion had a lot of secrets and to a teenager, secrets like how to get in and out without supervision were priceless.
He whistled softly when the damp tunnel air mixed with the fresh chill of the outside. Jubilee's fireworks reabsorbed into her hands, and the creep of soft blue moonlight grew visible along the walls. One more turn and they'd be out into the surrounding woods. Best to give the kids a task before they had a chance for the panic to catch up and turn to shock.
"Anyone sense anything?" Peter asked, keeping his voice low.
A few shook their heads while the rest darted glances between the exit and the way they'd come.
"Then we run, fast as possible to the edge of the trees." Peter hefted the boy in his arms and was thankful the night wasn't bitingly cold. "Speedsters stay close until we're across the creek near the hideaway. Those of you who can heal can do so once we know we're safe."
Peter got a cluster of nods, some determined and some terrified, but all of them ready to go out there. His chest surged, left his lungs too tight to say more. If ambush waited, it'd be easier to protect these kids than a group of humans, but the sanctuary of Xavier's school had already been violated. They had enough to fear from the outside as it was, how many would return if this wasn't the end?
"On three," Jubilee said, and Peter moved back to the front before the countdown triggered a rush. On three, they made for the grate, all the adrenaline backed up in a moment's rest propelling the kids out of the culvert at a sprint.
The two speedsters held back as told, phasing briefly in Peter's vision as they fought the urge to outdistance the group. Branches in the low foliage scraped at Peter's legs and cracked under his feet, but the ground overall was soft, dense earth and easy to run on.
Midway through crossing the shallow trickle of the creek, the figure ahead of him slipped on a moss-dark rock, and before Peter could do anything to try and reach out and steady her, there was a strange lurch in his chest followed by a tingle that spread across his skin. Kitty lunged straight through his body, phasing back in time to keep the younger girl from falling.
"Almost there," Kitty said, near breathless. Her face was flush with exertion. Fled first and far faster than the rest of them, Peter guessed, and confirmed it when she added, "Hideaway's clear. I almost missed you guys, thought you'd come out the other way."
Peter allowed himself a bit of relief. Safety was always an illusion, but once they could regroup and rest, they could figure what to do from there.
*
The fortified hideaway was little more than a concrete bunker set under the earth, and judging by the assorted trash Peter shoved into one corner, it had become quite the popular make out spot over the last term.
Emergency supplies were crated and stored here in bins that some of the kids were using as benches. Upon first glance, the bins were still stocked, and although Peter didn't quite trust the blankets, there were enough to go around. If Peter had ever thought the Professor put too much emphasis on emergency preparedness, he wouldn't make the mistake again.
Grabbing what looked like a clean blanket, he threaded through the tangle of huddled kids to stand watch near the hideway's camouflaged entrance. Kitty glanced over at him, the flush in her cheeks gone to leave her skin pale as death in the low light. She hid her fear well, and as Peter scanned the room, he realised that most of the others did the same.
"How long are we going to stay here?" she asked, arms curling tight around her knees.
Peter leaned heavily against the chill concrete. "How long do you think we should stay?"
Seemingly shocked than an adult would ask for her opinion, she chewed on her lip. "Guess it depends on where we go."
Peter cast his gaze out through the camo-netting at the dark shapes of the trees. There'd been nothing but silence since they'd arrived, no sign of stragglers or search parties. He shook out his blanket and settled down across from Kitty. Waiting for an attack was simple, easy to meet if he only had himself to worry about, but he hid his own kind of fear. He felt not the least bit equipped to be making decisions. Oldest among the current group or not, he wasn't a team leader for a reason. "As soon as the sun rises, I'll check the mansion," he said. "See if I can get in contact with Storm or the professor."
"What if you can't?"
Kitty scooted to sit beside him when he took too long in answering, and she leaned against him, pillowing her head on his arm. "One step at a time, I guess," she said, voice heavy with exhaustion.
"One step at a time," Peter echoed.