Chapter Three

Last Look

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No!

A naked Eclipse stumbled backward as the creature oozed its way towards her, hissing and bubbling. Not the white worm! Its mouth gaped at her, its rows of silvered, razor teeth gleaming in the dim light. The fat, white worm squirmed after her as she tried to run. She tripped over her feet and hit her knees on the floor, screaming. Something behind her patella crumbled, giving way to a wave of red hot agony. Sobbing, she tried to crawl away, scoot away, slide, anything! Please, anything, anything! She had to get away!

The worm kept coming, its body hissing and gurgling as it waddled and scuttled across the floor in its own clotted, seminal emissions. No, no, no! Not the worm! No!

"Get away from me!" She screamed, begged, whimpered. "No!" She scrabbled at the slick, tiled floor with her scratched and bleeding hands, but the blood made her grip slippery. Her right leg shook, refusing to support her in any way. Hot, rancid breath washed over her convulsively flailing body, a violating and monstrous caress.

"Help me," she moaned, pushing against the rubbery, white flesh only inches away now. Her feet sank into the giant worm's body. The feel of that sickening carcass enveloping her feet made her scream, the horror of it choking her. Where were her teammates? Where were the children? Where were the X-Men? Why was there no one to help her? She was supposed to be safe!

"Help me!"

One of the worm's smaller tentacles waving in the air, scenting for her, suddenly darted out and wrapped around her waist, dragging her to the floor. It began to pinch, squeeze, crush...

Another tentacle slid up her leg, leaving its slime gleaming and sticky against her skin. She shrieked as it wrapped around her bad knee and gripped it, squeezing. Bones began to tremble and creak under the pressure. Spikes of white fire shot down her calf and up her thigh. No matter how hard she kicked, she couldn't get free of the oppressive, carnivorous meat.

"No! No! No! Please, no, stop! Stop! Help me!"

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'Gazer watched as Starlight staggered through the crowd, trying not to jostle the infant in her arms. He could see her, see the way her body swayed and dipped and shuddered as she took each step. He needed to grab her now, before she got away from him again-

Death
Everywhere blood
Crimson splashes on the ground and the walls
People screaming and crying
A baby crying
Starlight screaming
Flash of metal
Snarling beast out of nowhere
Moonshine
Men in uniforms with guns
Flash of gunfire
Agony in his body
Gasping for air
Dying-

'Gazer jerked and shuddered, back in the real world. He'd seen another vision. Being precognitive had its advantages, he thought dryly, wiping away the blood dripping down his face from his left nostril. He blinked the blurriness from his eyes, looked around. He'd lost sight of Starlight when the vision had come on him. Where had the beautiful mutant disappeared to? Where had she gone?

He spotted her, the light gleaming off of her hair and the drunken-like steps, all the way across the subway station as men in the black and brown uniforms of X-Gene hurtled down the stairs leading from the street above. A shadow rose up between the woman and the military men, a shadow with eyes like burning embers.

Nocturne! Gazer thought.

Starlight screamed.

One of the armed men in uniform, his own rifle shouldered, grabbed the mutant hard enough that the bones in her forearm ground together. Starlight could feel her flesh bruising under the iron grip of her assailant. Of course, she'd end up being attacked by a traitorous mutant with super strength like hers, and this guy had more muscle. Looking into flat, black eyes that held not even a spark of humanity, she screamed as he twisted her arm, snapping the bones.

'Gazer lunged forward. He could feel Starlight's pain radiating across the room from him. He knew the minute he showed himself, the shooting would start. He didn't know about Starlight, but he could handle the bullets.

"Gazer!" Starlight screamed, as Sunny, the infant, began squalling. Starlight sank to her knees, shards of cold, white pain spiking through her arm up to her shoulder and down to her fingertips. Sunny's screaming forced pieces of blinding light to flash behind her eyes, lancing her vision, raking her brain. She could feel something warm and wet trickling slowly down the side of her neck from her ear, and prayed it wasn't blood. Her entire body tensed and ached, sinews and tendons and ligaments trying to snap, muscles cramping, bones straining, joints popping. Sunny shrieked, and Starlight struggled not to drop her infant son and run as far away from him as she could. "Gazer, where are you?! Gazer!"

"Starlight!"

She barely managed to pry her eyelids open in time to see her husband hurtling forward. Built like a football player, 'Gazer's impressive bulk slammed into some of the X-Gene soldiers before they had a chance to fire on him with their guns. But that was all she had time to notice before everything began to gray out and blood began gushing from her nose. She sank to the ground, turning at the last moment so that Sunny was cushioned on her chest. Her skull cracked loudly on the floor.

'Gazer yelled, a wordless war cry of fury as he struggled to get to his wife. Something hit him in the back of the head, and bright red spots danced in front of his eyes. He fell to his knees, groaning. Starlight lay on the pavement, one of the X-Gene men coming slowly toward her.

"No!" He tried to haul himself to his feet. He was impervious to bullets- when he knew they were coming. If he couldn't see the attack, then what good were his powers? The butt of a gun hit him in the back of the head, cracking his skull.

Before he hit the ground, he heard his son wailing, and somewhere, an animal roar.

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Eclipse screamed, jerking Gambit, Rogue, and Beast out of their whispered conversation. Several of the sleeping children began to stir as their leader thrashed around, shrieking. Convulsing on the table-bed, she rolled and twisted, tangling herself in the blankets until she fell to the hard tile floor with a crash.

She didn't wake.

A few of the children did. Luna and Crescent began to cry, hiccuping and whimpering in between the great, whooping sobs. New Moon went to them immediately, trying to calm them, but even his best efforts were thwarted by Eclipse's terrified cries. Over and over again, she screamed and begged for help, yelled "No!" She kicked against some Morphean foe, slammed her fists against the floor, whimpering. New Moon hastily looked around, hoping to see Moonshine had arrived while he'd been asleep beside Sky Flower. No such luck. It was up to New Moon to wake Eclipse up... if he could. He wasn't sure his telepathy was strong enough to do any good.

What is wrong?

That guy in his head was back! The telepath, way stronger than New Moon. He could wake up Eclipse! He could free her from her nightmares! He could help her come back to reality!

Desperately, New Moon shoved everything he knew about Eclipse and her nightmares into the strange telepath's mind, crying, Help her! Help her, please! Any second, she's going to start using her powers! She could kill herself! Sucking in a breath, the teenager tried to maintain the link between himself and the grownup while projecting soothing thoughts to the two little girls crying into his shirt. How was he supposed to get any sleep while all this stuff kept happening? He'd told Eclipse he didn't want to sleep if she meant to sleep! This hadn't been the reason, but it was still a good idea. Why hadn't she listened to him?

When the screaming stopped, it took New Moon a few moments to recognize the silence for what it was. When the halt to the petrified cries came, the two toddlers immediately quieted their great, hiccupping sobs to whimpering tears into the silky red front of his Chicago Bulls jersey. He looked over at Eclipse, where she lay unmoving on the floor. His heart began to pound. Was she dead?

Gambit, the card playing Cajun, held the unmoving mutant in his arms. New Moon couldn't hear what he was whispering, but apparently it was working. Even as the teenager watched, the leader of the Celestials relaxed visibly, bit by bit, in his arms. Her teeth released the vicious grip they'd held on her bottom lip. Blood welled up and trickled from the bite. The boy heard the big, furry, blue guy mutter something about ripped stitches, sounding concerned. New Moon swallowed hard, rubbing Crescent's back. As exhausted as they both were, he didn't have to do anything to get them to fall back asleep after the screams stopped. Thankfully, none of the others had woken up. He was surprised- usually, the sound of the weeping toddlers would have woken every child on the plane. New Moon guessed they were too tired.

Stifling a yawn, he added silently that he was too tired as well. He needed to just curl up and sleep for a year. Pulling his blanket back over himself, he let himself cuddle against Sky Flower. Her presence eased his pounding heartbeat. Resting his cheek on the soft pillow- the softest he'd had in a long time- he sighed, allowing Sky Flower's breathing to lull him into restfulness.

Thanks, the boy thought just before slipping off again into sleep.

Don't mention it.

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The Card Soldier wouldn't let anything happen to her. Eclipse settled into the arms of the Ace of Spades, feeling like Alice in Wonderland. An entire deck of Card Soldiers, swords and axes gleaming, stood between her and the quivering, bleeding, dying worm.

"Everything's fine, cher," the Ace of Spades murmured soothingly. She sighed, feeling the exhaustion and pain catching up with her again.

At least now, she had a safe place to rest.

At last.

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Charles!

An urgent cry in his mind shattered the Professor's scrutiny of the connection he'd spun out between Gambit and the mutant called Eclipse. Jerking back to awareness, trying to focus on the earnest cry in his head, he reached out, trying to connect. He recognized the voice, the mind, the woman. He knew her as he knew his own soul.

Lilandra! Lilandra, what's wrong?

I am offering you a warning, Charles. The Encron Crystal! The Phoenix!

For a moment, his heart stopped. No, not the Phoenix! The powerful, cosmic entity that could destroy worlds, that had taken the strongest minds to even bring under control for a few moments, it could not be trusted. After what it had done to Jean, the very mention of the creature called Phoenix filled the parapalegic with a hideous dread that made his heart sink in his chest. Was the being loose again? Was it entrenched in the soul and mind of another powerful psychic, desperate to experience all the new feelings it was denied as a galactic being?

What is it, Lilandra?

The Phoenix had warned of a great danger coming to Earth. It threatens to destroy everything you've worked for, Charles.

Apocalypse? He asked. Back into the fierce, psychic bond they shared, he could feel her shake her head. He could feel the brush of her eyelashes against her cheek, feel her struggle to put into words what the Phoenix had whispered into her mind. But what if it was all a trick?

No, not that one. Not Sinister, either. I do not know. The Phoenix does not know. But someone is coming to you that will try to destroy your X-Men. Something powerful and dangerous. Something mad.

The thought made the powerful telepath shiver. Anything with power could be dangerous. Look at the Phoenix. Look at Storm. Look at the Professor himself. But power in the right hands was only a tool, like any other. A power, like all mutant powers. But if the wielder of that great and dangerous power were insane... then what? What could happen? All of civilization might be destroyed.

Do you know if it is human or mutant? Do you know anything about it?

I'm sorry, Charles, I do not. And I must go. I am not as strong a telepath as you are, and the link is draining the powers of my mind.

He could feel the touch of phantom lips against his own, and it made his eyes burn. He tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. How had he been so blessed to have found his other half? And how had he been so cursed as to lose her again, to their respective duties? They had had such a short time together when he'd gone to the Shi'ar Empire to be helped. They'd been together every day that he'd been allowed to stay, but there had come that bitter day when they had been forced to part again. Now, they had only their psychic bond to sustain them.

Goodbye, Lilandra, he whispered softly into her mind. He could feel her pain, the sharp hurt in the area around her heart. It mirrored the sharp lancing pain he himself felt.

Goodbye, Charles Xavier.

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Gambit only broke from the trance the Professor had shown him how to reach, the trance connecting his consciousness to Eclipse's subconscious, when he heard soft, muffled weeping. Thanks to the Professor's excellent control and power experimentation, the image of the card soldier army from Alice in Wonderland was still maintained in Eclipse's sleeping mind, allowing her peace from the hateful nightmares that plagued her. It gave Remy the ability to check and see who was crying.

It was the little girl with the cough. She was scrubbing her cheeks, trying to shove away the tears. She shook under the thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She was sitting beside the sleeping New Moon, her gaze riveted on the sleeping teenager.

"Petite?"

She glanced up at him, and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"What da mattah, Petite? Ya have a nightmare?"

The shuddering, sobbing sigh she gave him was answer enough. Looking at her face, at the misery etched into those cheeks that should've given life to dimples and that tiny, angel's mouth that should've been smiling, made Gambit's eyes burn. She got up and walked over to him. She sat down on the cool floor, tucking her feet beneath her, and laid her head on the sleeping mutant's stomach. Tears still gleamed like wet diamonds as they dripped from her nose to plop onto the floor of the Blackbird.

"Here, Petite. Gambit gonna show you a trick," he told her, and she jerked upright, eyes wide in her head. Her breathing sped up, whistling between her clenched teeth. Her hands were tightened into little fists. He added, sounding casual, "A card trick. See?"

He pulled out his playing cards, keeping one eye on the girl's lip, which she'd bitten until blood came. Her shoulders were hunched, like she expected a blow. Gambit had to throttle his rage: she acted like she'd been severely abused, probably sexually. If the phrase "show you a trick" was any indication, than whoever had been taking care of her- Eclipse would know, when she woke up- had a lot to answer for. But he kept his fury out of his voice and off of his face as he held three of the cards out to her and said, "If Petite would be so kind, pick da card foh Gambit." She picked the middle one. He knew it was the Queen of Hearts, he could see the image reflected in the glassy orbs of her eyes. She gave it back to him, and he shuffled the deck, working good ol' Gambit magic.

He saw the little girl keep her eyes on his hands and the deck the entire time, frowning as she muffled her coughing. It was much better now, he noticed. She didn't seem as if she'd be ripped in half everytime one of those coughs came, and they weren't so rough and ragged, either.

Remy held the deck out to her, and said, "Is yo' card on da top?"

Her cheeks were still wet with tears, he noted. That poor bebe, someone had to do something to make her smile. But he didn't let that thought cross his features, either. He simply waited until the girl gave him a single, wild-shy glance and grabbed the card on the top of the deck. She stared at it for a long, long time, eyes intent, scanning every detail. He'd never seen a look of such intense concentration on a child's face before. Finally, after an eternity, he was rewarded with the most beautiful thing he'd seen all night.

She smiled at him.

"Keep da card, Petite."

When she went back to sleep beside New Moon, she held the Queen of Hearts in one hand, and tucked the thumb of the other hand into its designated place in her mouth. Gambit couldn't help smiling either as he went back to the mental place that the Professor had created to help him help Eclipse sleep.

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"So my Mom's waiting?" Moonshine asked. Wolverine shot him a look- he didn't exactly sound like he cared whether Eclipse was waiting or not. The smile that had lit up his face a few moments before had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Now he was back to being the surly 38-year-old in an 8-year-old's body. How had this kid popped out, anyway? Where was the attitude coming from?

"Yeah," Wolverine growled, keeping an eye on both the kid and Heaven. The young woman looked about ready to keel over. The adamantium claw wielding mutant was a sucker for a fainting woman. "Your siblings, too."

"New Moon, too?" The kid asked. Where was all this suspicion and cynicism coming from? Little kids shouldn't be like that. It was against the laws of nature. But Logan kept that observation to himself and replied, "Yeah, New Moon, too. He said he needed to talk to you about something."

"'Cause you totally don't sound like you're an axe-murderer now," Moonshine muttered, but fell quiet when Heaven put her hand on his shoulder. The boy didn't want to upset Heaven, he could feel from the way she carried herself that she needed a huge break. She was probably worried about Dawn, come to think of it, the boy thought. Like his mom was probably worried about him. Suddenly, he wanted to see Eclipse more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life. Was she all right? Was she hurt? Did she know he was okay?

"So, Abbs, you're okay," a new voice broke in, jerking everyone's attention to him.

It was guy with long, silver blond hair. Moonshine had to admit he looked kind of like an elf out of the Lord of the Rings, or maybe Meredith Gentry. It was how Moonshine himself wanted to look when he grew up- tall, as tall as everyone, and with muscles, and have his hair long. Maybe some guys would make fun of him for wanting hair like his mom's, long and shining and white like moonlight, but he loved his mom, thought she was the kick, the cat's pajamas. And this guy had long, silver hair, just like his mom's, and green eyes the color of acid. He was all in black, from his steel-toed combat boots to his black trench coat. The only color to him was his skin, his silver hair, and those poison eyes.

The guy next to him, with golden eyes and dark hair, was Edward Swann, one of Eclipse's lieutenants! Edward, aka Twilight, didn't so much as bat an eyelash as he left the strange man's side to go and stand beside Heaven, flanking Moonshine. The boy had to fight back the grin trying to steal across his face.

"Sure, I'm okay," Abby replied. "Logan, this is Midnight. He's one of the Nightstalkers. I take it you guys know Twilight?"

"Yeah," Moonshine replied casually, shrugging. "Where'd you find him?" He looked up at Twilight. The twenty-one-year-old mutant replied, "I saved Midnight's butt." He shrugged himself, then ruffled Moonshine's hair and laughed. "Did you miss me, kid?" The kid finally gave into the urge to smile, but it was just a little one.

"No," he lied.

"Anyway," Abby interrupted. "Midnight, this is Logan, and that's Heaven, and the kid is Moonshine."

Wolverine shook Midnight's hand, feeling a bizarre sense of deja vu. Who was this guy? He smelled so familiar. He looked familiar, too, like the mutant had known him a long, long time ago. Maybe in Japan... or Canada? And touching the guy made his fingers tingle, which was about the full effect alcohol held on him. What the hell? But it was only for a moment. Then this Midnight character had released his hand and focused on Heaven and Moonshine. He bowed to Heaven, a bizarre but somehow right gesture, sketched Twilight a salute, and then turned his absinthe gaze to the kid by her side.

"Hello, Moonshine."

"H-hi."

For one of the few times in his life, Moonshine didn't know what to say. Everything in him screamed that he knew this guy, that he could trust him, that one of the safest places he could ever be was with him. But this guy, this Midnight... he was a grown-up. And he was a man. Eclipse had been so badly hurt by strange men before, and so had the others, like Sky Flower... how could he trust this guy? He didn't even know him! The only reason he trusted Wolverine at all was because he had Heaven with him, and she wouldn't have led the older man back to Moonshine if she didn't think he was safe.

"Thanks for taking care of Abby for me," Midnight said.

"Mm-hmmm," was all he could say. Midnight winked at him, and said, "Look after your mom and your brothers and sisters, okay? And get back to Eclipse, she's worried sick about you."

Wolverine jerked, and Heaven stared. Twilight just smiled a smug little smile and put his gloved hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. All Moonshine could say was, "Oh... okay." And then, before he could gather himself up enough to come up with something else to say, something to ask, Abby and this Midnight guy were gone. It was only after the man had left, and Moonshine shook himself back to the present, that he realized he wanted to know a few things: how had Midnight known he'd tried to save Abby? How had he known that he had brothers and sisters? And how had he known about Eclipse?

Before Moonshine could ask Wolverine or Heaven for an explanation, something rocked him, hard: the sound of Starlight screaming, "Gazer!"

"Starlight!" Moonshine cried, and lunged toward the source of the sound, only to be grabbed by Wolverine, who kept a good grip on the back of his shirt. "Lemme go! It's Starlight and Stargazer, they're in trouble! Lemme go!" But the adult mutant lifted him up and tossed him to Heaven, who barely managed to catch him without dropping him to the pavement. Feeling heat spread across his face, Moonshine lunged foward again, this time at the glowering Wolverine, only to be caught by Heaven's arms around his middle. He yelled, "Where are you going?!" He struggled to reach Logan's retreating form, fought against Heaven's restraining arms. "They're in trouble!"

"And I'm gonna get them out of it. Stay there."

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Jean Grey jerked awake with a terrified cry that wrenched itself out from between her clenched teeth with the force of a tsunami. She heard something like glass explode, fragments tinkling as they cascaded to the floor. She tried to ignore the twinge of guilt for not controlling her power better and opened her eyes to see the Professor and Scott leaning over her, both of their faces twisted with concern. Then the headache began, the brutal pounding right behind her eyes, and she knew she'd be in pain for a long time, probably all night.

"Jean?" Scott murmured, smoothing back her hair. The tender gesture made her feel a little better, but that sense of impending dread still hung over her. The strange fear that had pushed her over the edge into unconsciousness.

"Just...a minute..." She protested weakly, covering her burning eyes with one hand. She tried to push past the pain of her headache- a headache swiftly pushing out of its cocoon like some satanic caterpillar to turn into a migraine- and tried to reach out to the X-Men. She could feel them, like looking at someone from the corner of your eye, but the moment she turned her head, they'd vanish like evanescent ghosts. She tried, crawling across the fields of psychic depth and breadth, trying to cast her mind out to Manhattan, where her friends struggled to fulfill their mission.

She met an impenetrable wall, like a wall of smooth, polished bone. She tried to touch it, to figure out what bizarre thing blocked her from the people she loved, and found herself screaming. Pain lanced her eyes, lanced her mind, shooting from her temples to spear her soft, unprotected brain. Blood poured from her nose. She convulsed on the bed, clutching at Scott's hand as he tried to calm her, tried to tell her it would be all right, was all right.

"Jean!"

Jean!

The Professor in her mind, trying to reach her, trying to protect her from the snarling agony in her head, trying to fight against the influence of whatever psychic obstacle, psychic trap, she had touched and triggered. She heard laughter, familiar laughter, dark and sinister, and yet different, and only when the Professor pushed her mind into merciful blackness did that diabolical cackling stop cutting at her.

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Hank McCoy stalked through the gargantuan hedge maze growing up around him, searching. Something- an innate, primal sense, the inner perceptions of the hunter in him- told him that what he and the X-Men were looking for could be found right here, in this vernal labyrinth. So he wandered, sniffing out the scent of mutant, listening for footsteps or disturbed foliage. The hairs on his arms and neck were all standing on end, electrified by the intensity of his focus on the quarry he hunted. He knew they were here, he knew that one of them, at least, was here in the maze, possibly following the tracks of the rest of the mutant group the X-Men had rescued. How many were there? At least one, he was sure.

His assertion grew into the utmost certainty when he smell perfume. This scent, this delicate odor of fresh rain and rose blossoms combined with the crisp richness of the rising sun grabbed hold of his senses and refused to relinquish him. That perfume danced in his nostrils, whispered over his skin, beckoned him. He shook his head, trying to fight that inexorable pull. He knew there was something strange about this attraction to that smell, but he didn't know what. The fact that he longed to track down the source of that smell without thinking first of his safety was a problem, he was certain, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. His mouth began watering, and he shook himself. He would not wander around, slavering like some starving, rabid mongrel beast just because of some woman's perfume.

The whole thing smacked of mutant powers. Perhaps he had found one of the missing mutants after all.

Then he heard the screamed curse, a woman cussing obscenely so that even as he launched himself into action, loping through the maze towards the sound of that woman's enraged voice, Beast found himself blushing hotly. He had no idea anyone could be so inventive.

He leapt over the last wall and landed in front of the shrieking woman. He spared her a glance, and was nearly floored by a woman with hair like a sunrise spun into silken threads, her eyes like the red of a flower ablaze like burning rose petals. That remarkable scent was coming from her, but mingled with it now was the scent of blood. In less than a nano-second, he realized why, as he noticed she was clutching her shoulder, which bled sluggishly through her fingers. Flanking her were two women, identical in all respects except the color of their hair and eyes: one woman, with long, golden blond hair and flaming amber, the other with pale, white blond hair and a gaze of sea blue. They both had knives drawn, and stood in defensive stances, obviously trying to protect the bleeding woman between them. Their blue jeans were filthy and ragged, their sneakers scuffed and caked with mud, and their thin, black sweaters were ripped and full of holes, baring pale skin underneath, mottled by bruises.

"Evening, ladies," he said conversationally, and proceeded to grab a gun from one of the assailants. Seeing the naked fear in the eyes of the men assembled before him, he grinned, baring his long, animal-like teeth and roared like a mad beast.

To the women's obvious astonishment, the four men who'd been about to do them injury ran like frightened rabbits.

"How did you- ow!- do that? Ow," the injured one added, squeezing the bleeding shoulder. She glared at it with such hatred that Beast almost recoiled. As if her shoulder had a mind of its own, and had decided just at random to get in the way of a biting bullet. But Hank didn't have time to deal with his shock at the woman's behavior. He needed to guarantee they were some of the people he was looking.

"What have you done with Eclipse?" The blue eyed woman demanded in the ensuing silence. Hank blinked. Apparently they were. This woman glared, trembling in her shoes, but not from fear. He would've been able to smell fear. All he could smell off of any of them was the gorgeous perfume, and blood.

"Well," the third woman added, obviously the blue-eyed woman's twin sister. "Tell us. I'm so fed up with tonight that I wouldn't think twice about ripping you to shreds to get my information, you jerk." The injured woman added, gritting her teeth against the pain, "Or lighting you up like a bonfire."

"And you are?"

"Aurora," she snapped, and glared again at her shoulder. Beast realized she wasn't simply holding her shoulder, she was digging in the wound with her fingers. Horrified, he cried, "You should wait for a doctor." But the woman only hissed, her entire body taut with the agonizing burning sensation throbbing through her body, and plucked out a bullet. Dropping it onto the ground, she went back to gripping her now freely bleeding shoulder. Beast smelled burning flesh.

"What are you doing?" He asked, taking a step toward her. She jerked away from him, her eyes alight now with a strange, crimson light. "I mean you no harm."

"Right, you just wanna help," Blue-Eyes snarled. "And for your information, jerk, my name is Nadine. Call me that and I'll drown you."

"Drown me?"

"I'm a hydrokinetic. Now, what do you want?"

"I only want to help-"

"We're busy right now, so you come near me and I'll fry you like an egg," Aurora snapped.

"Do you like blue eggs and ham?" He asked, making an attempt at humor. Against his intentions, Aurora scowled. Turning her head away from him, she ground out between her teeth, "I'm seventeen, not seven. Don't treat me like a kid."

Hank repressed a shiver. Seventeen? How had she become so... bitter? So suspicious? And so hardened to pain, he added silently when she took her hand away from the wound in her left shoulder. She must have been pyrokinetic, he realized when he saw the still sizzling, shining flesh of a burn on her shoulder. She'd cauterized the wound, to stop the bleeding and prevent infection. So she also knew more about treating serious wounds like that one than any teenager should know.

"Well," the last woman said into the poignant silence, "you're not our enemy, that's for certain. And I'm Daystar. Don't make me hurt you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Aurora replied, rotating her arm. He could see it hurt, she was wincing the whole time. But then she shrugged, and picked up something shining and black from the ground- a leather jacket. It had the Corvette logo on the back in red and white. "If you were my enemy, you wouldn't feel sorry for me. Don't be stupid," she added. "So, are you going to lead me to my boss or am I gonna have to fry you?"

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Starlight woke to being carried across a man's back. She would've panicked, but the moment she moved her head to get a better look at her surroundings, she saw 'Gazer, and he didn't look too upset. And then her focus shifted lower, and she saw Moonshine walking with him, hands stuffed in his pockets. She knew he hated swinging his arms when he walked- said it made him feel childish. She turned her head the other way and saw the welcome sight of one of her bosses, Heaven, arms tucked up under her fringed, cream-colored poncho, walking slowly beside them. Arranged beside them were two of their team: Twilight and the dark skinned Nocturne.

"You're wife's awake," the man holding her said. She jumped- his voice rumbled through his body like an earthquake. Suddenly she found herself on her feet, which didn't hurt anymore. She glanced again at Heaven, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Starlight!" 'Gazer immediately enfolded her in his one free arm. The other one was engaged in holding their son. Almost at once, she melted into his arms. This man who'd been carrying her was not their enemy, then. They were all right. They were safe.

They started walking again.

"This is Wolverine," 'Gazer added, acknowleding the rough, ragged man with the slight Canadian accent, who raised a hand in greeting. "He's taking us to Saint Peter's Gardens, and then we're going to a safe place, everyone. Eclipse and the rest of the kids are waiting for us at the Gardens. Starlight," and his voice dropped to an anticipatory hush. "Starlight, Wolverine's from the X-Men. The X-Men are going to help us."

Suddenly she remembered something- silver bright, metal claws slashing through the men crowding around her with their guns, and a roar of primal rage. Had it been this man? She could barely remember, she'd been in so much pain. It was amazing that she'd woken up that long.

Speaking of pain...

"'Gazer," she whispered. "Can they fix me? Me and Sunny, can they fix it?" If someone could break the unnatural connection between Starlight and her son, she'd be their best friend for life.

"Maybe," he whispered back. "Maybe."

Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO

New Moon gasped and bolted upright, drenched in icy sweat. Disoriented at the metallic sheen to everything around him, it took the teenage a few minutes to remember everything that had happened. Even then, he didn't relax for a long minute. He had to forcefully remind himself that he was in a safe place, and no one would hurt him. His boss was here, and if he were really in trouble, Eclipse wouldn't let a little thing like lack of consciousness stop her from saving him, or any of the kids. And, he reminded himself, he had superpowers. He could fight back, too.

There is no need for you to fight back, New Moon, that familiar voice said calmly in his mind. You're among friends. Don't be afraid. Half listening, the kid shivered, surprised to find that he was cold. He hastily pulled the blanket he'd been sleeping beneath up and around his shoulders. Only then did he reply, Your word ain't worth nothin' till you prove what you're saying. So quit wandering around inside my head.

Would you like to know who has rescued you?

You're the X-Men, I know, New Moon snapped. I ain't stupid. So what?

"New Moon," someone called.

Wolverine saw New Moon look up, startled, from where he and the others stood behind the young boy. New Moon saw the best thing he could've hoped to see in his life- Moonshine. Moonshine looking pissed off as hell and ragged as a stray dog, but it was still Moonshine. If New Moon had been a girl, he probably would've jumped to his feet and ran to his best friend and hugged him. But, then, he wasn't a girl, he was a teenage boy, and he needed to keep his cool. He was second-in-command of the Blue Stars, for crying out loud. He needed to keep it cool, keep it real.

"Hey, man," he said, getting slowly to his feet. Moonshine held out his hand, and they did the most complicated handshake Wolverine had ever seen. They were both grinning, obviously happy to see each other. For the first time all night, Wolverine saw Moonshine relax almost completely. He let go of that last little bit of tension when he turned and saw Eclipse sleeping curled up on the table they used as an emergency bed.

Moonshine trudged over to where his mother lay sleeping. He touched her face, careful to avoid the black eye. It really was his mother. He'd been so scared he'd never see her again... and here she was. And she looked so peaceful and relaxed, sleeping here in this strange place, that Moonshine came to two conclusions: one, he wasn't going to wake her up right then, to show himself to her. She'd never slept so soundly since he could remember. He wanted her peace to last as long as possible. And two, this place had to be okay. If it wasn't, if these people meant him or the other Celestials harm, there was no way they could get Eclipse to just snooze around like nothing was going on. And they hadn't drugged her- he could tell the minute he touched her. No intoxication could escape him undetected. After all, poison was his power, wasn't it?

He waited, standing beside his mom, until Starlight and Stargazer were settled with their baby, and Heaven was seated beside the sleeping Dawn, before he went to New Moon again and they huddled together, seated on the cold floor, to discuss things. He saw Wolverine walk out- presumably to go find the few people left- and the only stranger left on the plane was a man asleep in a chair beside Eclipse, snoring softly. Now was the perfect time for a conference.

"So, what all's happened since we split?" Moonshine asked, and the older boy gave a sweeping glance over the plane before replying, "We got separated from Eclipse and..."

As the teenager gave his leader a report on the events of the night, Moonshine half-disengaged his mind, trying to figure out what to do next. He knew the correct answer was to wait for his mother to wake up, but he was still spinning his little hamster wheel, trying to figure out if he had forgotten anything. Apparently, these X-Men had given everyone medical attention who needed it. So if they did have to make another break for it, they'd have a better chance than they would've otherwise. But everyone was still exhausted. Where did that leave them? What would they do if the X-Men were actually trying to hurt them? Now, Moonshine had never heard anything negative about the X-Men when it came to helping mutants in trouble, even if those mutants were on the wrong side of the law, as long as they didn't do anything bad while under the X-Men's care. That's what he'd heard. What if the gossip was wrong? What if they were the enemy? If they got the Celestials lulled into a sense of security, then took off with them in their plane, how would they escape? Not enough of them were capable of flying. What were they supposed to do?!

"What d'ya think about these guys?" Moonshine asked New Moon as soon as the report was finished.

New Moon shrugged. He knew that the guy asleep by Eclipse was from the bayou, and played cards. Sky Flower liked him. He liked the kids, and he, at least, wanted to help. His name was Gambit. But Gambit also had some frustration, directed at the other three mutants of the X-Men, particularly the red-haired woman with the streak of white who stood sentry with the big, scary adult called Wolverine. Wolverine was considered "okay," Moonshine informed him when New Moon inquired about the clawed mutant. Not having a lot of experience in regards to the man with the metal claws, the teenager gave way for his leader's opinion. Moonshine had come in with him, after all. And lastly, there was the big, blue, furred mutant who'd gone out looking for others. He'd been the one to help the kids who were injured, as well as fix up Eclipse so she could make it until they reached the place the X-Men called "the Mansion."

"So he's okay?" Moonshine demanded.

"Yeah. Look, Moonshine..."

"Yeah?"

"You were right," New Moon admitted. He brushed ineffectually at that irritating curtain of spikes. "I should've listened to you and helped you plan our escape routes. If I had, we might've had a better chance and not gotten split up." He bit his lip until he tasted blood. Frustration and anger at himself made him bite down even harder.

"Next time," Moonshine replied, drawing his knees up to his chest. "You'll help me, and we won't have that problem. No big deal. So, who's this guy who's been talkin' to ya in your head?"

My name is Charles Xavier-

Buzz off, wacko! Moonshine snapped, rage giving his thought a sharp sting. He was used to telepaths prowling around in his head, and it freaking pissed him off. Only his mom and New Moon had permission to go strolling through his head, dang it! The boy flushed, and cast a glance at his mother's sleeping form. He kind of wished his mom would take a trip in his brain right now. It would make him feel a little better, because he'd know she wasn't so badly hurt she couldn't pry and poke at his thoughts. But she didn't, which meant she was. The boy clenched his fist, struggling not to hit something. He didn't want to wake anyone.

Is that anyway to speak to your elders?

You do that again, I'm gonna tell my mom, and she'll kick your telepathic ass, got it?

Thankfully, after that threat- and Moonshine meant it with all his heart- the voice and presence in his head quickly left. Despite the haste of the retreat and its coincidence with his threat, however, the boy had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't because of the threat of Eclipse's retaliation that had made that presence dissipate. In fact, Moonshine thought it was more his own displeasure, and the politeness of the psychic being rather than real fear.

That idea made the boy very uncomfortable, but he was too tired to give it much thought. He really just wanted to sleep.

So he did.

He missed Beast arriving with the last members of their team.

Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO

Somewhere in the van, a cellular phone rang.

"Dawson here...
Yes...
Yes, we're in the city...
Yes, we're tracking our little spy...
Yes. Not to worry, we know exactly where they are...
Yes, sir...
Yes, sir. Saint Peter's Gardens...
Don't worry, we've got them tra...
Yes, sir, we know about X-Men...
Search and destroy, sir?...
Yes, sir. Understood sir...
Thank you, sir."

The line went dead.