Title: Help Them
Fandom: X2
Rating: Teen
Length: 1,711 words
Content notes: Mild violence, emotional turmoil. Also for my X-Men A-Z, with the prompt, "fall"
Summary: Wolverine gave Colossus an order. He intends to follow it.


Colossus ran down the corridors behind the children. Most of them were younger, sandwitched between himself and Kitty. He stayed back, making sure that no one fell behind. They had hit two gates, which he had to bust through, but then he had dropped back again. As much as he wanted to be in the fight back at the house, Wolverine had been right; these kids needed him. With the school fallen, the professors all gone and half of the older kids missing, he and Kitty were the only ones who could keep all the other kids safe. And they actually made a pretty good team. The one time they came to a blank wall, she peaked through to make sure it was safe and then he had busted it up.

Finally, they reached the woods. While Kitty and another boy scouted ahead, Colossus tried to remember everything he could about the safe house. They had only talked about it once, and only because Rogue had asked the Professor in class.

If Magneto or the police ever came to the school, what should we do?

Cyclops had brushed the question off, promising that the teachers would take care of it, but the Professor had given them a partial answer. He had mentioned a safe house, out in the woods, and another one in town. Right now, the town might not be safe, but the woods should be.

"Ellie, you can find anything nearby, right?" he asked quietly. "I mean, if you know about it."

The young girl crept over to his side. "I can try."

"There's a place in the woods; the Professor mentioned it. A safe place, where mutants can hide in case the school isn't safe anymore." Ellie looked doubtful, and he quickly tried to think of something more to tell her. "It was probably made by the Professor, and maybe Jean and Cyclops. It might, I don't know, feel like the school!"

Ellie nodded and closed her eyes. While the others shuffled or sniffled, Colossus ignored them, focusing only on Ellie. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she opened her eyes again, but they were glowing a bright green. "That way," she whispered, pointing.

"Thank you!" he gave her a quick hug. "Mark, call Kitty and David back in."

The young telepath nodded, and a few moments later the two scouts slipped back through the concealing bushes. "What's up?" Kitty asked as David transformed back from his owl shape.

"We have a place to go," Cyclops told her. "Anyone out there?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

"They're still back at the school, but they're starting to spread out," David added. "They'll be here soon."

"Then we move." Cyclops decided. Looking around, he took stock of their situation. Most of the children were shivering in their pajamas, and no one had shoes. The tunnels had been one thing, but running through the woods was another. And if they weren't careful, they'd leave a trail that would lead the soldiers right to the safe house. They had a little time, still: not much, but enough to make a plan.

He looked around the group. "First things first, can anyone fly?" David raised his hand, but he was the only one. "Can anyone climb trees? Or walk without disturbing the ground? Any other animal shape shifters?" One tree climber, and one boy who could walk on water were his only volunteers. "What about clothing? We need clothes and shoes. Can anyone make those?" Nothing.

"Well, what can we do now?" Kitty asked.

"Go underground," one of the kids said. Colossus and Kitty both spun to look at her. "Go underground," she insisted.

Suddenly Colossus realized what she meant. "That might work!" With a thought, he morphed into his metallic form. "Kitty, take me down, now."

With a nod, Kitty grabbed his arm, and they both sunk into the dirt. Once they were below most of the shallow roots, kitty let go and phased back up, out of the way. As quickly as he could, Colossus began to smash through the rock, hammering out a tunnel for them to walk in. Kitty returned with Ellie and Flora, who immediately began to pull oxygen from the roots around them.

With Ellie offering directions, Colossus continued to tunnel as Kitty brought the rest of the children down. As soon as they were all below, she started scooping up the dirt he had displaced and shoving it into the walls. Now packed twice as hard, they created a sturdy support structure, and cleared the way for the others to walk. Carefully, as quickly as they were able, she and Colossus continued to build and shore up the tunnel, while the others crept along behind.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but finally Ellie said, "Stop."

Colossus froze, and a moment latter Kitty did as well. "What's wrong?" the other girl asked.

Ellie looked up, her glowing eyes seeing through the earth they were buried beneath. "We're here," she whispered.

They were here! Colossus quickly transformed back to his skin. "Kitty, take David up and scout ahead," he instructed. He wouldn't let anyone else go back to the surface until he was sure it was safe, but for now, he was just so relieved to have made it. Now he knew why Wolverine had insisted that he go with the other children. If he had stayed behind to fight, these kids would still be stuck at the first dead end, easy pickings for the soldiers who had just invaded their home. He had been needed, and he had done his best.

Now he just had to hope that his best would be enough.

A short while later, Kitty and David returned. "They're still quite far out," David reported, "and it seems like most of the soldiers have left."

"Probably taking the others back to whoever sent them," Mark guessed.

Kitty nodded. "This place is really well protected, and it seems to have perimeter warnings, so we'll know the moment one of those soldiers does come snooping by."

"Okay," Colossus nodded. That was the safest place he could think of, and if the perimeter alerts went off, they could just return to this cave. "Kitty start taking them up," he instructed. As she vanished with two of the others, he turned to the rest of the group. "Flora, keep the oxygen system working down here, just in case. David, take a break and then I'd like another scout please. Splice, go up with Kitty next. Start gathering some supplies for her to bring back down. If we have to make another fast get-away, I'd like to have food and medical supplies handy."

"And shoes!" Connor piped up.

"Will do!" Splice assured him as Kitty retuned, grabbing the other girl's arm.

Colossus went through his list of orders quickly in his mind. Had he forgotten anything? Anyone? "Mark?" he asked.

"Everyone's here," the younger boy reported. "Flora and I kept up the rear." Kitty descended as he finished talking and scooped up two more children.

"Thanks, kid." Colossus ruffled his hair. They had almost made it to safety, but he hadn't wanted any surprises.

Once Kitty had everyone else into the shelter and a load of emergency supplies and backpacks down in their cave, she brought Colossus up into the small cabin. The others - probably Splice - had found sleeping bags, and most of the kids were already tucked away. Colossus didn't blame them; they had been sound asleep before the attack, and the adrenaline kick of escaping wore off quickly.

Colossus followed Kitty into the next room, which was a well-stocked kitchen. There he found Splice, who was closing the cupboards and neatening up. "Hey," she whispered. "I figured we'd still need enough to eat tomorrow, so I didn't take everything down."

"Good thinking," Colossus gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and she beamed at him.

"Oh, and Blink's awake again," Kitty whispered, leading Colossus out of the kitchen and down an empty hallway. "Fran couldn't make them wake up, but she could help the sedative dissolve faster, and he woke up on his own a few minutes ago," she explained. Colossus tried to remember Fran, but his own tired brain refused to cooperate, so he simply shrugged at Kitty. "She's a kind of telekinetic - she's been learning healing from Jean," she prompted.

"Right! Right!" Now he remembered. Ability to heal others with her mind. Right. Kitty opened a door at the end of the hall and led him inside. This was a command room, with a half a dozen computer screens displayed on the walls. They all appeared to be placed in the forest, and he gathered that this was the surveillance system that she and David had mentioned.

"How're you doing, buddy?" he asked Blink, who was staring at the screens.

"Fine," the young boy answered. He appeared to be anything but fine, but Colossus could only do so much. He was a bulk guy, not a healing or emotions guy. Hopefully the teachers would find them soon, and then either Jean or the Professor could help.

"He'll tell us if there's any activity," Splice explained, stepping in behind them. "I made everyone else stay in the same room, so it'll be easier to get down into the chamber."

Another Splice poked her head in behind the first. "There's a bathroom down the other end of the hall, double stalled," she said. "And David just returned. Apparently the outside of this place is disguised as a large pile of rocks, all covered in moss and stuff. He thinks we should be fine as long as no one else goes outside."

Colossus sighed. They had really done it now. They had gotten everyone to safety, and they really were safe here. He could finally relax. "Good work Splice. And tell David the same please. You two can both go ahead and lie down now. Kitty and I will be there in a minute."

Both Splices smiled at him as they merged back together and then ducked out of the room. Colossus turned to Kitty, who was also smiling tiredly at him. "You did it," she whispered.

"No, we did it," he replied.

Wolverine's order echoed in his mind. "Help them!"

And they had.