Drei
By Mieren
"I don't know why I ever agreed to this," Kurt moaned, tugging halfheartedly at the electronic bands circling his wrists. A moment later, he started poking at the device strapped to his chest.
"It's perfectly safe this time," Forge assured him, fiddling with a large computer nearby. "This time, the dimensional portals can't stay open."
"But the creatures…"
"Nightcrawler, relax," Xavier said calmly. "You won't be delayed in your traveling this time. They won't even know you're there."
"What if they do?" Kurt wailed. "Wolverine isn't even here!"
"Chill, dude!" Forge laughed. "It can't handle two people yet. Besides, I told you. This one is safe!"
"So was the last one," Kurt muttered.
Beast straightened up from behind the large computer Forge had been working on earlier, a bundle of wires hanging from his enormous blue hand. He grinned and waggled the mass of wires at the group.
"Finished," he announced.
"Kurt, it will be fine," Storm soothed.
"All it does is amplify your powers," Forge explained, adjusting the settings on the device strapped to Kurt's chest. "We'll start it on a low setting."
"How low?" Kurt asked suspiciously.
"We'll just triple your power to begin with. Instead of jumping two miles, you'll be up to six. You can make it all the way to the school gym from here. What d'ya say?"
"I'm not sure. I have a bad feeling about this."
"You'll be fine," Scott said.
"Go for it," Jean encouraged.
"Contact us on your communicator when you get there," Xavier said.
"If I get there…"
Kurt sighed and looked around the room at the six mutants waiting on him expectantly. Grumbling about his life being in the hands of a mad scientist, he walked a few paces to the side so he would be standing clear of his observers. He began his countdown.
"Drei… zwei… ein!"
BAMF!
A huge blast of sulfurous smoke was left in his wake accompanied by a flash of light and electronic crackling. The computer Beast was standing by began sizzling, smoke rising from the circuit boards.
Forge cursed loudly and ran to the computer, working on it frantically as he attempted to correct the damage.
"Professor!" Jean cried. "Did he make it? Is he okay?"
"I… I'm not sure," Xavier admitted. "I can sense he's in the gym, but he's confused and panicking."
"I'll get the van ready," Scott called over his shoulder as he ran from the lab.
After a few tense moments of silence, Kurt's voice fizzled through on the communicator. A collective sigh of relief resounded through the group.
"Professor?" Kurt called tentatively, sounding as though he had suffered from a massive shock. "Something went wrong."
"It's all right, Kurt. We're on the…"
"Forge! Ich werde Sie töten!"
Everyone jumped at the hostility in his voice, shocked at the death threat as much as the sudden change in temperament. He had sounded so unsure only moments before. Now, he was so furious he had reverted to German.
"Just bring the van," Kurt said, sounding very frustrated.
"You should probably go get him before he gets more worked up," Beast suggested.
"Indeed," Xavier said. "Kurt, Scott and I will be there in a few minutes."
* * *
The ride to the school was made in silence, Scott driving almost twice the posted speed limit. Xavier was too lost in thought to notice. He couldn't seem to focus clearly on Kurt's mind or emotional state. His thoughts were jumbled and often conflicting. His physical location was a blur as well. Though obviously in the gym, his exact position was uncertain, smeared across fully a quarter of the space.
Once the van was parked, Scott barely managed to help Xavier out of it. He was clearly upset as he walked beside the professor up to the gym entrance. They found the doors unlocked. Pulling the huge metal door open, Scott froze, jaw dropping and eyebrows shooting towards his hairline.
Confused by Scott's reaction, Xavier moved his wheelchair around him to see what had shocked the young man so badly. For a moment while he was still moving, he didn't understand why Scott was gawping. Kurt was a little ways into the gym, walking towards them. Once fully in the doorway, Xavier froze with wide eyes, his mouth frozen open in the beginning of a greeting.
True, Kurt was walking towards them, looking extremely irritated. Several paces behind him, a spitting image was following, openly scowling darkly. A little ways to the side, a third blue figure was also closing in, fiddling uncertainly with his tail as he approached.
"Triple my power, my ass!" the blue figure in back yelled.
"He tripled something," the lead figure growled.
"Yeah, us," the final Kurt muttered.
"Good thing he set the power on three and not two point five," Scott said weakly. All three Kurts looked vaguely horrified.
"That's not funny!"
Xavier snapped out of his shock and spoke up before a real argument could arise.
"Come on. We need to get back to the institute. Forge should be able to correct the malfunction of his device."
"I'm not really sure I want him near me with his gizmos again," one of them muttered.
"The last one was bad enough."
"The fur on my chest melted when that thing exploded!"
"Stop complaining. We're in the same state, you know."
"How can you three be arguing? You're the same person!" Scott said incredulously.
"Bite us!"
BAMF!
BAMF!
BAMF!
Scott stared, shell-shocked, at the now empty area that the three blue teens had been standing only an instant before.
"Professor?" he asked, stunned.
"They're in the van," Xavier answered numbly. He slowly maneuvered his wheelchair around and started back towards the vehicle. "We should get back."
"Yeah," Scott mumbled. "Man, Kitty's going to freak."
To Be Continued…
Couldn't help it. I just started watching X-Men Evolution and I absolutely had to do a fic. Tell me what you think! R&R!
Translations:
Drei – Three (really creative title here ^_^;)
Drei… zvei… ein. – three… two… one.
Ich werde Sie töten! – I will kill you!