Chapter 2
Only a heap of steaming rubble remained after the building standing in the city centre had collapsed for no apparent reason. Or at least it looked this way, because rescue workers, searching the place of the disaster in quest for victims, didn't manage to find a single living witness who could throw a light on the secret of this unusual event. Gas explosion, feud among gangs, bomb attack conducted by Islamic extremist terrorists or effects of the fight of people attired in colourful costumes were possible explanations of building's collapse which policemen, firemen, television reporters and ordinary passers-by interested with the event tried to guess. Clouds of dust rose above the rubble tousled by the wind and airflows being forced to the movement by rotating blades of landing helicopters. The smoke was colourful, arising from burning wood and synthetic materials. Clouds rushed to the meeting with the nearby streets, covering them with their stinking shroud like the morning fog rising above concrete forest. Streams of gases slowly crawled along themselves layer above layer, they sped up, mixt with each other creating whirls of boundary layer wrapping one another, taken away from the stone of streets by positive pressure's gradient. One of clouds having the pink colour seemed to live its own life, it moved oposite to the direction in which the laws of physics forced the gas to flow, it started increasing its density as well as assuming the shape of the human body. Amelia Voght materialised in dirty, dark alley far from eyes of people and cameras. In spite of the fact that the woman had been unconscious at the moment of the explosion, her superhuman abilities, without the participation of her awareness, had led to her transformation into the gas form which saved her life. Amelia was really tired, totally disorientated with everything that surrounded her from every side, she didn't remember what had happened to her the day before and she wasn't able to plan what to do next. She walked a few strides and fell down unconscious on sacks lying on the pavement filled up with rubbish.
At the same time, in the completely different place, inside the building of large shopping centre the life lasted undisturbed by the chaos around tumbled down house. People stood next to cashier's offices in long queues, they were toing and froing looking straight ahead with eyesight stupefied by the music playing from everywhere, they were throwing objects which they started needing suddenly, right after they had heard about their promotional prizes at that specific day, into carts they pushed before themselves, they gorged with unhealthy food handed out by young hostesses. Sellers smiled artificially to customers swearing in their thoughts that they had too much free time and too much money to spend and bodyguards looked at everyone like they expected that they would turn out to be assassins wearing kilogrammes of explosives under their covers. None of the people inside the building expected that that night they really had been threatened by the danger of death. Young, inconspicuous girl with fair hair tied into ponytail was walking along the corridor. Her face expressed no emotions, it showed boredom with monotonous view stretching out in front of her eyes. The girl stopped violently, somebody hit her and quickly walked away looking at her with an anger. The mysterious figure closed her eyes, a few tears flowed down her cheek.
"Your 1000 lives for every one our life..." She whispered. Her body shone with bright glitter and right after it, it exploded with rainbow of colours and the wall of fire. Ardent wave flooded corridors, shops, cash desks, all employees and customers of the shop. Their bodies consumed by flames had been burnt all the way to the very bones in the matter of a few seconds. All objects in the epicentre of the explosion became the heap of ashes and clouds of suffocating smoke.
Carmella Unuscione woke up from a long dream. She felt bad and her head ached terribly. At the beginning she could not freely think and her memory about events of a few past hours was full of contradictions and blank areas. The girl counted on her instincts taught when she had been active member of the team of mutants called Acolythes, she tried to search her most immediate environment. As it turned out, she was inside the room with wooden walls furnished by the wardrobe, table, few chairs and bed on which she was lying. She clutched her head, trying not to think about pain and to remember how she was taken to such a strange place. She remembered the meeting with Scanner, Spoor and Amelia Voght. Amelia didn't lose her abilities, it was the only thing that brown haired mutant remembered. Carmella recalled that her companions from the team had disappeared in mysterious circumstances, her own fear and decision to take action to protect herself from the same fate. She failed, she thought. But at least she learnt where other mutants had been taken. The thought about them caused that the woman gained greater self-confidence and the willingness to further actions. She had to find somebody from whom she could learn more about that place and find a remedy to get out of there. The girl very quickly found the exit door and much to her surprise she opened it without the smallest effort. Glitter of the sun and the green landscape stretching out in front of her eyes transfixed her. As it turned out, she was on a big meadow, surrounded by coniferous forests, on which few small, single-storey wooden houses stood on. She started looking all around in quest for any mutant, but everything pointed at the fact that there had been nobody living in her surroundings. She ran to the lower part of the hill toward the closest cottage, but unfortunately during the walk she felt bad again. She felt dizzy, like being struck by a wave of the heat and she staggered on legs. She reached the bench standing in front of the house. She sat down on it burying her face in hands trying to reduce symptoms of migraine which attacked her with redoubled strength.
"What the helll is happening here?" She thought. At the same moment she realised that somebody approached her. She was feeling really bad, so she even didn't turn toward this person.
"Did you come from that house? Did you wake up? So fast..." The man said to her.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Carmella..." The woman answered raising the head.
"I'm Jared Corbo. Known at one time as Radius". Brown-haired man replied sitting down beside mutant girl. Carmella was weakened, she didn't want to answer him. On the other hand, the anger and willingness to escape from that incredibly strange place in which she was imprisoned caused that she wanted to learn as much as possible about it. She rose from the bench, walked a few strides, stopped suddenly and leaned against the tree. Jared ran up to her, because he noticed that the woman had barely stood on legs. He helped her to come back to the cottage.
"Be careful, I don't know what they gave us, but it really weakened us. You must be really strong, I wasn't able to leave this house two days after they had kidnapped me here".
"Don't say more..." Carmella said clutching her head again.
"Come inside, I'll give you my room for the entire night, if you need it". The man announced smiling to brown haired mutant woman.
"I'll take a walk around surroundings, maybe some new neighbour will appear". He added and helped the girl to enter the cottage.
Amelia Voght approached gates of the Xavier's Institute. Her body was in the semisolid state, her tired psyche maintained her human figure with an effort. The woman knew that something horrible had happened to her acquaintances and probably to other mutants throughout the country and she was sure thhat Charles Xavier was the only person who could help her. Amelia phased through the school fence, then cautiously sat on the lawn. The place seemed to be strangely quiet and abandoned. Mutant thought that something had been wrong. She knew from television that the school of her former acquaintance had been revealed to public opinion and was accepting young mutants from the entire world. Perhaps after the M Day, there were nobody who would need Xavier's advice and help. Perhaps X-Men also lost their extraordinary abilities - ginger acolythe mused. Suddenly a huge shape grew above her head - large battle robot, Sentinel piloted by one of members of the O.N.E. organization stood up opposite the woman pointing his huge hand at her.
"Amelia Voght, member of the Acolythes organization, suspected of the cooperation with known terrorist Erik Lehnsherr, Magneto. Stop and don't try to move. Otherwise we will have to use force". The man said from the inside the metal colossus. Amelia was horrified, the blackest thougths started turning up at her mind. The government found a way to deprive mutants of their power and then they sent robots in order to eliminate the ones who resisted their secret weapon. Unuscione was right, Magneto was right all the time - she thought. She clenched fists thinking about the escape. At that very moment Cyclops, Emma Frost, Storm and a few pupils who didn't lose their abilities emerged from inside the school.
"Wait! We'll take care of her!" Summers shouted. Sentinel turned the large head toward the leader of mutants.
"She is well-known terrorist! She must be arrested!" The soldier inside the tin machine said.
"If she arrived here, she is seeking the refuge. We must give it to her! There was the agreement between me and Val Cooper". Scott replied.
"I don't think that you want the war with X-Men?" Emma asked looking at the robot cameras.
"We'll take care of her and escort her to the camp for 198!" Cyclops added.
"Ok. But I must report to my superiors about what happened here". The soldier announced moving his machine toward buildings.
"Thank you." Amelia said assuming solid form. She came up to X-Men members standing before the school.
"What do you want?" Ororo asked her.
"Charles! I must talk to Charles as soon as possible!" Voght replied being still horrified with everything what happened to her a few hours ago.
"Why?" Cyclops asked.
"Mutants are disappearing. Somebody is kidnapping mutants who lost their abilities. I don't know why, I must meet Charles as soon as possible!"
"I'm afraid that it's impossible". Frost stated.
"I'm not your enemy. Not now, when our situation became tragic. I really need his help".
"Charles left the school some time ago. He stayed in Genosha, where he helped mutants survive after Cassandra Nova's massacre. But after M Day ..." Ororo started the statement.
"He vanished without a trace. We aren't sure whether he still lives". Scott completed. Amelia was struck dumb and tears appeared in her eyes.
"We must suffice for you. Can you exactly tell us what happened? Who disappeared? Who is hunting mutants?" Emma asked. Storm came up to junior X-Men standing close by and she asked them to come back to the schoolhouse. Amelia tried to tell everything she knew
"Unuscione got in touch with me a few days ago. She was horrified, because she had learnt that somebody was hunting members of my group, the ones who lost their abilities after " M Day ". She was worried about her life, she didn't know how to defend herself not having her powers. She also managed to contact with other mutants - Spoor and Scanner who also lost abilities. Every four of us met in the city in order to decide what to do farther, whether hide somewhere or perhaps try to fight with the unknown opponent. Unfortunately he was faster than us, I didn't even see his face. His servant, looking as if he escaped from some sado-maso production knocked me down without the smallest difficulty. Later he entirely destroyed the café in which I met everyone, covering up his tracks. I would die also, if not for my body which subconsciously was turned into the fog when I was unconscious. Next thing I remember was when I regained consciousness in some dark street and when I built up my strength to came here. I thought that only Charles will be able to help me... but perhaps he also... was kidnapped."
"The situation indeed is grave. We must meet in the conference room, I want leaders of all groups to come there. As soon as possible". Cyclops said to women keeping him company.
"Deal with her Ororo." He added looking at Amelia.
"Am I supposed to inform Val Cooper or somebody from O. N.E.?" Storm asked.
"No". Scott coldly replied and then he headed for the building.
The most important X-Men members came to the meeting hall, everyone who commanded teams: Cyclops and Emma Frost, Storm, Alex Summers and Logan. Dr. Henry McCoy and Amelia Voght keeping him company appeared also.
"Scott, she is healthy. Her abilities probably effectively protected her from the attack by that person and the explosion."
"Thanks Henry. If we're all here I think that we can start. Emma telepathically handed over to you all information about the new threat. We don't know who the secret opponent is and why he attacked us when our rows were decimated. We don't know whether it's the coincidence or he planned act of aggression on the homo superior who aren't able to defend themselves. At the moment we must suspect everyone, therefore I didn't want Val Cooper participating in our conversation".
Logan rose from the chair hearing these words.
"It's not our fight! All of the kidnapped ones were terrorist, right? They got what they had deserved. We had to fight with these bastards many times and now somebody did what we should have done a long time ago".
"Logan is right". Alex joined the conversation.
"Perhaps the government is catching everyone who has been on their list. If we are involved in their operation we'll be in trouble. We won't be able to defend ourselves having on our own lane the biggest Sentinel models".
"I knew that I should turn directly to Charles". Amelia announced feeling anger and dislike for people keeping her company.
"We don't have any contact with Charles. Perhaps he met the same fate as Acolythes?" Ororo reacted to Amelia's statement.
"We've been trying to find Charles for a few days, with the help of Cerebra, telepathically... without the smallest effect. Kidnappings of mutants are the only trail which we have at the moment. It is worthwhile to head at the direction which it's appointing". Dr. McCoy expressed his opinion. Logan leaned against the table looking straight into the eyes hidden behind the spectacles made of ruby quartz.
"Cyke, it's your decision". Cyclops was silent eyeing Emma, then Storm and the ginger believer of the Magneto philosphy standing near the wall.
"We'll take this mission. We cannot let the death of next mutants to happen. Not now when there's so few of us, we must defend every member of our race irrespective of on which side of the barricade she or he was before the M Day".
"You're making a mistake Scott". Havok announced grooming from the room.
"Emma prepare our team. We're setting off as soon as we're ready. Amelia Voght will join us".
"Thank you". Ginger woman whispered toward the X-Men leader. In the same moment Val Cooper ran into the meeting room. Everyone assembled looked in her direction and they guessed that they would hear the information not very pleasant for them in a minute.
"Scott. Cancel your order". The woman said firmly.
"What does it mean, Val? We're in the middle of the meeting... in what way you..." Cyclops tried to communicate with the memeber of O.N.E. organization.
"The order from a few minutes ago: no mutant can leave the zone for 198. We'll use force, if anybody breaks this ban".
"Val, our agreement was completely different. X-Men won't be treated the same as the refugees from the 198 camp!" The leader of mutants was irritated very much.
"I'm not joking Scott! The situation is really grave. Don't make the enemy from me, because you aren't able to win. Not after what happened in the city".
"Is there something we don't know about?" Ororo asked.
"Yes. I will tell you why we must carry out the order of the isolation of all mutants. But..." The woman looked at the ginger mutant. Her eyesight betrayed the huge dislike which she felt towards the former member of the terrorist organization.
"Miss Voght will be moved to the camp for 198". She said firmly and at that very moment a few armed soldiers entered the room. Amelia clenched fists.
"I can teleport us out of here..." mutant suggested.
"No, Amelia, we won't be fighting with them until we learn what they mean. Go with them and don't try to do anything stupid. Please". Scott said calmly.
"Yes". - Voght replied letting soldiers move her out of the conference room. After the ginger woman left, Scott immediately came up to Val Cooper. He required explanation for her invading the room and the next ban put on the group of mutants.
"And now you must explain everything to us. And this time I won't be conned to the story, that everything what you're doing is only for our protection".
"It was our primary order. But this time it isn't the whole truth".
"What do you mean?" Frost asked.
"Yesterday somebody conducted the terrorist attack on one of New York supermarkets. 51 persons were killed, 115 injured, 29 they didn't find so far. We must assume that the attack was done by mutant suicide bomber and my superiors guessed that it could have been the revenge for the M Day. It isn't a secret, that a lot of organizations consisting of mutants and former mutants think that M Day was some experiment conducted by the American government. I got the order to take proper preventive measures..."
"But suspicions don't concern X-Men, right? XSE active in our Institute is the official police dealing with matters of mutants in the USA, my Astonishing Team was accepted by S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Scott, don't make it difficult for me. Just do what I ask you for".
The awkward silence fell in the room. None of the mutants was satisfied with the development of the situation. Creaking of the front door stopped oppressive metallic silence filled up with the monotonous sound of computer fans, Kitty Pryde appeared inside the room.
"Logan, the message from Alpha Flight came a moment ago. They ask us for the immediate help, a few of their members were kidnapped".
"Who?" Wolverine asked feeling anxiety about the life of his old companions.
"Radius, Murmur, Flex and a few others. Everyone who lost abilities in the M Day ".
"It's an action on the scale of America continent. " Beast said surprised.
"What action?" Val wanted to learn more.
"Reason for which Amelia Voght looked for the shelter in our school". Storm announced.
"Mutants belonging to her group started disappearing. Somebody powerful enough to defeat Voght with one thought is involved in kidnappings. We suppose Charles could also become his victim. We have no contact with him".
"O. N.E. didn't find him also".
"And what if the assault in the supermarket is having some connection with it?" Henry joined the conversation.
"We must trust each other and act together as partners. Only this way we'll be able to prevent more tragedies both on the side of mutants as well as people."
Scott had tried to communicate with the government agent once again. The woman prepared herself to leave.
"Okay, I'll get in touch with my superiors and I'll try to clarify the entire situation. And you do not try to do anything stupid, because I won't be able to help you then". The blonde left the room closing the door behind herself.
"What are we doing Scott?" Henry asked.
"I don't think we let them intimidate ourselves?" Katherine added.
"We cannot fight with them. Too many juveniles mutants are in the school and among them many who lost their abilities. Our situation became complicated very much, but we must plan every further step. Tomorrow, irrespective of whether we receive the permission or no, we must get out of the school and check all three matters. Ororo, your XSE will deal with the matter of the supermarket".
"Of course Scott." Deeply tanned girl said.
"Alex and Logan and the rest of their group will go to Canada to help Alpha Flight".
"Ok." Havok replied.
"My team will be searching for the professor. We must start in Genosha and it means the confrontation with Magneto. Amelia must keep us company".
"Scott, all three teams apart from the institute at the same time? Don't you think it is too dangerous? What will happned if the 198 rebel and they'll threaten agents of O.N.E.? Or the students from the school?" Beast asked. Scott turned to the big monitor on which the map of the entire world was seen.
"We must recruit the most aggressive and most powerful people form the 198. Keeping them close we'll be able to have a bigger control above them".
"Do you mean missions with these psychos? You're risking a lot Scott..." Logan announced.
"It's much better than these psychos with everyone else in one place and with the easy access to the newest military technology". Cyclops answered him.
"We're meeting in the evening". He added looking at everyone. When mutants left the room, Summers stayed with Emma Frost.
"Emma, I didn't reveal them my whole plan. I want to confer with you telepathically".
"Of course". Emma agreed cuddling up to her lover.
Dark night reigned above the mysterious hill on which the cluster of wooden houses to which Carmella Unuscione and Jared Corbo from Alpha Flight had been kidnapped was located. All buildings were darkened with the one exception - the house in which the two former mutants found shelter. The inside of the cottage was lightened up by the small lamp in which the blueish flame was dancing and the window was covered with dark curtains. Brown haired woman lay in the bed with her eyes closed, she was probably sleeping, and her new companion was sitting beside her looking at the shadow of his own silhouette cast by the lamplight. Carmella regained consciousness. A surprise seized her, when she noticed that the room, in which she was sleeping, had been plunged into the darkness. How long did she sleep? Why was some man beside her? That and other questions flowed into her mind. At the same moment she remembered about the meeting with Voght and kidnapping of her acquaintances. She sat down on the bed.
"You are... Radius? Yes?" She said looking at the man.
"Yes..." The former mutant replied. Carmella got up and immediately headed towards the exit.
"Where are you going?" Jared asked.
"Where? To find the exit from this place!"
"It's meaningless!"
"I don't intend to sit idly the same as you! I must get out from here, or at least find the rest of my group!" Radius rose from the stool, he came up to the girl and touched her shoulder.
"When you were unconscious... I searched the whole neighbourhood. The entire area doesn't have more than square kilometer. Meadow, a few wooden houses and that's everything. I tried to go in every direction and everywhere was the same: rock wall, smooth, without chances of the climbing, and on the other side the escarpment with few kilometres deep chasm. We don't have a chance of the escape from this place".
Unuscione broke free from the hug of the man. She swore something under the nose and later she tried to run out of the cottage not paying heed to Jared's words, but she was cognizant, that it wouldn't have any sense. Full of bitterness she banged her fist on the wall.
"What the fuck is happening here!" She screamed.
"Calm down. We cannot panic now. There's nobody here apart from us, but four still empty houses are standing on the meadow. It can only mean that new neighbours will join us soon. So we have a chance to see in what way they got us here and thanks to that we'll be able to think out means of escape".
"Yes escape... straight in the hand of government agents for whom taking our abilities wasn't enough". Unuscione replied.
"I was a government agent, but I didn't know that somebody made plans for the M Day". Jared said smiling.
"But I was a representative of other government, so I know nothing". He added.
"Which one?" Carmella asked sitting down on the bed.
"Canadian. I belonged to Alpha Flight... And who were you before decimation?"
"I was with Magneto".
"Were you a terrorist? In this case I should arrest you!" Radius announced joking and reminding himself again that he was in a place from which he wasn't able to escape.
"Try. I feel like hitting somebody".
"I would defeat you. But what then? Would I be supposed to lock you up in one of these houses?" He said smiling, but grew more serious very quickly.
"It's not making any difference. We must cooperate with ourselves to survive and then return to Earth".
"Return to Earth?" The girl was very surprised by the last statement of the Alpha Flight former member.
"I told you that there is no escape from this place... and as a matter of fact... see yourelf". Brown haired woman came up to the door, opened it and left the cottage. She looked above herself and she was struck dumb with a horror. Night sky full of twinkling stars, on which two silver moons reigned, was streching above her head.
Meanwhile, a lot of thousands of light years farther, in the Xavier's Institute, majority of active X-Men members were called to the conference room. The day was slowly ending and corridors of the school were shrouded with evening semi-darkness. Bobby Drake, Iceman, went toward the big door calmly knowing that he was late for the meeting. At some point he stopped noticing the person standing in front of the mirror hanging on one of walls. The figure deep in the shadow seemed to examine her own reflection, like being in the trance. Iceman went up closer and he recognised Lorna Dane in the women's silhouette, Polaris who was member of the same team as the ice mutant.
"What are you doing here, Lorna?" He asked unsteadily, but he didn't hear the reply.
"We must hurry, Scott said that the situation was very grave. As if he had to repeat it each time, especially after M Day."
"Bobby?" Lorna reacted as if somebody woke her up in the middle of the night.
"Did something happen? Are you feeling bad? " The mutant asked.
"No! I'm sorry... My thoughts were a long way from here... I didn't notice you". Green haired woman answered trying to avoid the eye contact with her friend.
"In that case let us hurry up!" Lorna lowered the head and and she followed Iceman in a silence. Mutants from all three X-Men teams gathered in the conference room. Cyclops and his Astonishing Team i.e. Emma Frost, Beast, Colossus and Shadowcat, X.S.E. under the lead of Storm composed of: Nightcrawler, Rachel Gray, Psylocke, Bishop and Sage as well as companions of Iceman and Lorna, Rogue and Havok.
In the room there were also: Canonball representing teachers and students from the institute, Wolverine belonging to all three groups at the same time and Amelia Voght. Scott seeing his friend entering through the door quickly ordered him to take a seat.
"Sage, you can start". He said to the black-haired woman keeping the laptop computer.
"Of course". Tessa replied tapping something on the keyboard.
"Sage worked the O.N.E. computer system out and now she can modify data recorded by their cameras and wire taps without any problem. At the moment she is sending the image of our meeting with the false soundtrack to their operations' room. We must mislead them and convince them that I gave the order to all of you to stay inside walls of the institute at all costs. Really, we met here for the completely different purpose. The most of you probably know, that after the M Day many new threats for mutants appeared, for the ones who still have their abilities as well as for the ones who lost them. Somebody is kidnapping victims of decimation, we're sure that it's happening on the world's scale. In Canada, Alpha Flight members became victims of kidnappers and Amelia Voght asked us for help in finding her acquaintances".
"Which were well-known terrorists". Kitty Pryde interjected.
"It isn't significant. After " M Day ", we cannot be divided into good and bad mutants. The is so few of us, therefore we opened thresholds of the institute for Marauders, Gene Nation and other who otherwise would be our deadly enemy. We must fight with the new threat together and stay together, now when the humanity has turned against us".
"I can hear Magneto talking". Logan quietly shared his observations with Gambit.
"You'll be divided in three teams: Logan and Havok's group will go to Canada to help Alpha Flight find kidnappers, Storm and her team will deal with the matter of the attack on the supermarket, we cannot leave it to the human police. My group will begin to look for Charles. Genosha will be the place in which we'll begin our search".
"I don't like it, Scott. Lying to people in this way in spite of assurances that we want to cooperate with them". Nightcrawler spoke getting up from his place.
"Unfortunately we don't have other options. They clearly convinced us what their position is. We cannot stay at home and wait until people settle our problems one way or the other".
"Scott, I don't doubt the effectiveness of Sage's ability in camouflaging real intention of this meeting or even our take-off in three blackbirds, but in what way you'll explain our physical absence in the institute?" Dr. McCoy asked.
"We won't explain. We'll be chased, but we cannot let ourselves listen to orders. After our disappearing, inhabitants of the Institute will be arrested and your role in our plan appears here, Sam. You must be strong and protect our young charges".
"Of course, Scott. I'm sure that I'll manage with Val's people and students, but 198's problem remains. What will happen if some of them get out of control? They didn't dare to make one step against us in the place, where it's possible to come across X-Man everywhere, but if you'll be missing..."
"I thought about this. I found the only sensible way out of the situation. I'm recruiting the most dangerous from the 198 to X-Men. They'll be keeping us company in missions, according to the principle hold close your friends but even more close your enemies". A rustle and voices of dissatisfaction turned up at the room. Emma very quickly hushed up all doubts and complaints with telepathic command: "quiet! Scott has not finished yet! "
"Thank you Emma". Cyclops replied and he continued.
"Mammomax and Arclight will go with Havok to Canada, Scalphunter and Sack will join Storm's team and we 'll take away with Fever Pitch. These are the most dangerous members of the 198, the rest isn't such a great threat to students and agents of the O.N.E."
"It isn't good move, Scott... we remember what happened when Sabretooth was recruited to the team". Logan announced. Psylocke looked at him angrily.
"We remember". She said clenching her fist.
"The situation is grave. We don't have a time to consider possible consequences of this decision".
"You're digging your own grave Scott". Logan completed his participation in the conversation and then he headed towards the exit. Right after it other members of X-Men rose from stools.
"We're starting our operation at dawn. Remember to appear punctually. If somebody is late, he or she will stay in the institute". Scott declared a meeting closed. Soon, the room became empty. Only Scott, Emma and Sage sitting at the table stayed inside. They had to discuss the most vital part of their plan.
"You are the most important, the possibility of winning depends on your role". The X-Men commander said looking in the direction of the mutant with green skin and big black eyes. The mutant was present in the room all the time, but Emma Frost protected him telepathically, therefore nobody else could see him. He was nervous, unsure of the reply, feeling of the betrayal which he committed towards his friends from the O.N.E group was on his mind all the time.
"I won't disappoint you and the ones who need you". Meld announced with a quiet voice getting up from the chair. Scott came up to him seeing the uncertainty of decision in the eyes of his new ally.
"What you did is right. Remember about it, when everything ends you will take your place in X-Men's rows". He informed him looking at his face through red glasses.
"I... I will do what you ask". Meld wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.
"Ok. Emma will notify you of your task's details in the night". Sage typed something on the keyboard of her computer and she coldly informed Cyclops that the transmission from cameras and microphones were decoded and it wasn't possible to mention a word about what everyone heard a few minutes before. When Tessa and green-skined mutant left to the corridor, Emma and Cyclops were alone at last.
"Scott, I'm going to recruit the group from the 198". Summers heard the telepathic voice in his thoughts.
"Are you sure that you don't need help?"
"No Scott, I know very well how to talk to people of this type. I was one of them myself at one time. Don't forget about it". The X-Men leader decided to leave his lover alone so that she can concentrate on the task. Emma sat down comfortably in the armchair and she closed her eyes. Her mind began its search for a few people for whom her telepathic message was directed. She travelled across awarenesses of X-Men members walking on the corridor, sleeping students of the school as well as Val Cooper's soldiers patrolling surroundings of the school. She found the 198's camp and addressees of the psychological message inside it. Emma's figure appeared in the heads of John Graycrow, Philippa Sontag, Anthony Smith, Fever Pitch and Maximus Jensen.
"Listen carefully what I have to say. You aren't able to escape or avoid my transmission because I turned motor functions of your bodies off. Because of the extraordinary times in which mutants live now you must join X-Men. I know that you take care of yourselves only and you won't accept this message with a joy, but listen what kind of offer I have for you. I know very well about your dislike for the ones who are holding you in the camp against your will. If you help X-Men, we will help you to get out from here. As a gesture of goodwill from our side, Dr. McCoy committed himself to remove transmitters which were inculcated in your bodies replacing them with fakes emitting the signal notifying that you are somewhere else. However I will put the gift in your heads thanks to which you won't betray X-Men. If you escape during the mission, you will get to know what kind of a gift it is. Are you with me or do you want to stay in the camp?"
Everyone agreed without the smallest thought. Possibility of getting out of the camp and the brush-off of transmitters making them prisoners, caused that mutants had been willing to collaborate with the old enemy.
"Good. Remember that you aren't allowed to talk about our meeting and the plan of action with each other and with other mutants from your camp. From now on you can only communicate telepathically with me". Emma finished her meeting. At the same moment all notified mutants came back to jobs they were doing a moment ago and the thought of gaining freedom filled their minds up.
The fair-haired woman was sitting on the wooden chair looking all around, at the furniture, ring binders and books lying on them and shadows cast by a floor lamp from the table. She stopped the eyesight on the flowerpot with the miniature palm and came back to the conversation a moment later. "My daughter's name is Carrie. She was a mutant, but not somebody with the great power as lasers in eyes or generation of the electromagnetic field. She was empath, she was able to sense emotions of others and transmit her own". The woman stopped to look for appropriate words in her head.
"She also had to shed her skin from time to time... like a snake..." She added.
"Four days ago she went out and she didn't come back. I don't know what could happen, but after the M Day and the chaos that appeared in Mutant Town... I'm expecting the worst..." The woman didn't hide sadness and anxiety about the life of the daughter.
"We will find your daughter. You can count on X-Factor". Jamie Madrox replied rising from the armchair.