Thank you to everyone who favorited and/or follow this story. That's very kind.
However, WORDS of encouragement are even better. I appreciate the ONE review I DID recieve, but like I said before, if I don't hear that this story interests people, I WILL STOP WRITING IT AND FOCUS ON OTHER STORIES.
Please keep that in mind.
Anyway, this chapter has ACTION in it and the plot line is introduced! WOO!
Enjoy!
They settled into the X-Jet with Wolverine and Storm in the pilots' seats, Kitty and Jean in the left seats and Kurt and Scott in the right –an arrangement created by Logan in order to reduce the (as the students were calling it) 'Kurtty' interactions.
The guys relaxed, reclining their chairs as they listened to the girls chatter.
"It was amazing! We went to Rialto Bridge, the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and we even went for a gondola ride through the canals of Venice. Kurt almost fell in!" Kitty said, giggling.
Jean smiled. "It sounds like your days were pretty restless."
Kurt cast them a naughty grin. "The nights were pretty restless too."
Wolverine growled. Kitty quickly changed the topic. "But as amazing as Italy was, Kurt and I really missed X-Men-ing. We were kind happy you called. But the professor wasn't very specific when he said he needed us back. What's going on?"
Jean and Scott shared a look that Kitty interpreted as definitely not good. "Well," Jean began, hesitant, "we aren't really sure. There hasn't really been any trouble per se, but people have been acting… weird."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Veird? Vhat do you mean?"
"There have been these reports," Scott said, "of people having bouts of strange behavior. For example, there was one from a mother, saying that her daughter had stolen a camera from a store. She claims the daughter to be a saint and that she would never have taken the camera, but the police found it all on surveillance. When they questioned the girl, she said she didn't remember anything."
"Maybe she vas lying."
Scott shook his head. "They gave her a polygraph test. She was telling the truth."
Kitty frowned. "That is weird. You think a mutant is doing this?"
Jean nodded. "That's what the professor seemed to think. That's why he wanted you two back. We're going to need all the help we can get."
"Do you know who or where they are? What their power is?" Kitty asked.
The Summers shook their heads.
"Hasn't Cerebro picked up anything?"
"That's the most disturbing part," Storm said over her shoulder. "Whenever Xavier attempts to use Cerebro, the system backfires and he is shut out. Normally he only looses consciousness, but there have been a few instances in which his memory is affected as well."
"That's awful!" Kitty exclaimed, rightfully upset.
"Yes, and that's not all," she said, looking pointedly at Jean. The redhead shifted uncomfortably.
Kitty caught the exchange. "What?"
Jean sighed. "It doesn't just happen when the professor uses Cerebro. He and I have tried reading the minds of the victims with the same results. We're blocked out. We black out. I never remember what happened before hand while the memory loss only periodically affects the professor. My powers still aren't powerful enough…"
Scott unbuckled and made his way to his wife as tears began welling in her eyes. He crouched beside her, taking her hands in his and speaking softly. "Hey, we talked about this. You're not weak, Jean." He ran his fingers through her hair, then brought them to brush her cheek. She offered him a sad smile as a tear slid down her face.
"Here, Scott." Kitty unbuckled her seatbelt and stood, letting Scott take her spot as he comforted Jean. Shadowcat watched in concern.
Suddenly the interior warning lights flashed and the warning sirens blared. The passengers' hands flew to their ears.
"Vhat is that?" Kurt roared above the alarms.
"We got trouble!" Wolverine bellowed, jerking the yoke –and the jet- hard right.
Kitty (being the only one not buckled to her seat) lost her footing and crashed into the wall. "Ouch! Hey, Mr. Logan! Maybe a little warning next time?"
"Sorry, half-pint, but we've got a rogue military plane on our tail!"
"What?" Scott yelled.
"Just like I said, kid! We've got an F-35 Lightning II following and firing at us."
"Firing?" Kitty asked. She stood on an empty seat and phased her head through the roof. "I don't hear any gunsho- WHOA!" a volley of bullets flew straight for her head. Kitty waited for the pain and inevitable end of her life but instead felt a sharp yank on her wrist.
She flopped safely on a chair and within a millisecond her husband's furious yellow eyes bored into her own. "Don't be so reckless! You couldn't hear ze shots because of ze sirens! Use your head! You could have died!" he shouted.
Kitty sunk into her seat. "I'm sorry."
Kurt exhaled, letting his head drop to his wife's shoulder. "Never do zat again. I sought I vas going to lose you."
"I'm sorry," Kitty said again, wrapping her arms around Kurt's neck. "I'll be more careful."
"Good. Now buckle yourself back in quickly."
"Right," Kitty said, smiling slightly, reaching for the seatbelt. Before she could fasten it, there was an explosion and Blackbird jolted. Kitty stumbled once more, tumbling to the floor. The smell of smoke wafted into her nostrils; the smoke choking and stale as opposed to Kurt's sweet, porting sulfur.
"We've been hit!" Storm yelled. "Jean, try to contact the pilot! Get him to stop attacking us! Cyclops, see if you can do something about the damage we just took. See if it's fixable and/or threatening! Nightcrawler, if Jean fails to convince the pilot to cease fire, you're going to have to take over!"
"Roger!" Kurt saluted and the Summers nodded their heads. Scott gave Jean a peck on the lips before he disappeared to the engine room.
Jean pressed her fingers to her temples as she reached out to the pilot's mind. She managed to locate the man's subconscious but was met with darkness. The gloom seemed to seep from the pilot's mind and infect Jean, black shadows closing in upon her as consciousness slipped away.
"Jean?" Kitty asked, leaning down to check on her friend as she wavered. Jean's eyes opened to stare at Shadowcat with an empty gaze. "Jean?" Kitty asked again, concerned and unnerved at the lifeless, green gaze. It was as if someone else was watching her through Jean. Suddenly the redhead's eyelids fluttered and she slumped forward, unconscious in a forced sleep.
An explosion rocked the X-Jet as Kitty stood to hover over Jean, blowing a hunk of black metal off the side to reveal the blue sky and Westchester County landscape bellow. Shadowcat's boots left the floor of the Blackbird as it jerked. She flew toward the hole in the plane, the air sucking her out like a piece of dirt into a vacuum.
"Keetty!" Kurt yelled in panic. Acting on adrenaline and instinct alone, he quickly bamfed to the hole, latching onto the jagged edges with his hands, feet and tail, effectively blocking his wife's fall. Rather than tumbling out of the X-Jet, Kitty hit his chest with momentum . Kurt grunted, but managed to stay in position.
"Thanks, Fuzzy!" She beamed, truly grateful. Then, careful not to displace herself again, she took a small step toward the center of the jet and phased her foot into the metal. She repeated the process until she was anchored and then held her hand out to Kurt. He outstretched his tail and Kitty transferred her power, phasing Kurt's toes into the floor. The two were slightly wobbly, but secure. "Storm!" Kitty shouted, "We have to do something! Jean's unconscious and the Blackbird isn't exactly in perfect condition!"
Wolverine growled, strained from the exertion it took to keep the jet in the air. "We're almost there! Just hold tight and prey we hold together for a few more minutes!"
Scott burst into the fuselage¹, the same, rank-smelling smoke trailing his wake. He coughed a few times. "The engines got hit! They're failing fast!"
"Common, girl!" Wolverine scowled. "Hold together!"
Storm shouted over her shoulder. "Nightcrawler, can you teleport us to the ground?"
Kurt looked anxious. It had been a while since he had transported such a large object –not to mention one with six passengers. "I… I don't know."
"We're almost to the mansion! I can see it ahead, but at this rate, we'll crash before we arrive!"
Kitty grabbed Kurt's hand. "Come on, Fuzzy Elf! I know you can do it! Just believe in yourself!"
In other circumstances, Kurt would have teased his wife for using such a cheesy line, but as it was, now was not the time for jokes and Kitty's words instilled Nightcrawler with confidence. "Alright! I vill try, but I suggest ve prepare for impact just in case!"
With his eyes closed and his tail wrapped around his wife for reassurance, Kurt concentrated. He focused on the X-Jet and the mutants onboard, tracing their outlines and filling in their essences. He stretched his powers to grab hold of the core of what he wanted to teleport and imagined them all safely grounded just outside of the Institute. It was difficult to keep everything in focus and he felt his power flicker occasionally, but eventually he heard the comforting bamf and sulfur mingled with the burning smoke. He peeked under an eyelid to see the mansion trough the hole blasted in the jet. They were grounded safely. The smell of combustion however, persisted.
"You did it, Kurt!" Kitty grinned, attempting to tackle her husband before realizing she was still trapped in the floor. She phased herself out.
"I got us down," Kurt said, "but ze plane is still on fire. Ve need to get out of here."
"Right," Kitty nodded, removing Kurt from the metal. "How's Jean?"
"She's fine," Scott answered. He had Jean in his arms already. "She was knocked unconscious again."
Wolverine left his seat, followed by Storm. "We'll bring her to the sickbay for some rest and a checkup from Hank."
Storm nodded, ushering the younger mutants off the plane and onto the lawn of the mansion. "It wouldn't hurt for all of us to get a once over. Smoke is never a friend to lungs."
Vhat vill happen to ze team? Vill Kurt be able to bamf dem all or vill zey crash? Vhen vill I be able to stop speaking vith a German accent?
REVIEW for answers.
But not for the German thing. Unless you find that fascinating for some reason.
but all jokes aside, REVIEW and read note above ^^^^
1- the body of a plane