If Scott could handle being irretrievably stuck like he was, he could endure it for however long he needed to. There was no room for selfish where he was going, and refusing help would be endangering both himself and the team. I'm willing to risk my life for the cause of the X-Men, but it has to be my life, no one else's.
"Hey," Iceman called from the jet's inside, "what're you waiting for?"
Jim smiled. "Coming," he responded, striding up the entry ramp with firm, confident steps.
...
Ten minutes later
3 years, 1 month after the Battle of New York
"So, you get the idea?"
Force nodded in response. "The dial operates on a spring-loaded swivel and doubles as a firing button," he said. "Depending on how far you turn the dial, the blasts will be more or less powerful."
Cyclops nodded in response. "The filter allows you to finely control just how much energy you let through, from a precise shot meant to blow the lock off a door to a gigantic blast that can blow the roof off a building."
James nodded slowly, his eyes drifting around the jet and settling on Emma. "So, where am I going to be during the rally?"
Cyclops swiveled in his seat and activated a holoprojector in the middle of the aircraft. Displayed on it was a layout of the outdoor venue, an auditorium-style space with attendee chairs all on the same level and a raised stage.
"Senator Kelly is going to be speaking at the podium here," Cyclops said, pointing to the center of the stage. "Security at the event will be tight, so our primary concern is the surrounding buildings." The projection expanded, showing several six and eight-story buildings around the exposed side of the stage. "If someone wanted to kill Kelly, they'd have a clear shot from any one of those buildings."
James scoffed. "You'd think that Kelly would be smart enough to expect that, considering how long he's been getting death threats from the Brotherhood."
Emma turned around in her seat and faced them. "He is, so he'll likely have snipers posted around the perimeter of the venue watching those buildings."
"But," Cyclops cut in, "unless he has an army of them, I'm pretty sure there's no way they can cover that many windows."
Force nodded and looked out the window, seeing the ivory-clad buildings of Albany in the distance.
"We're here," Jean called from the front, taking the ship into stealth mode and landing on a rooftop about six blocks from the rally.
All six team members strode off the exit ramp, the jet re-cloaking as the ramp retracted. They all stayed at the bottom as Cyclops gave them their marching orders.
"All right," he said. "Listen closely, because this is important. Kelly won't take kindly to us being there, so it's imperative that our presence go undetected unless absolutely necessary. To that end, you all have to stay in plainclothes until the Brotherhood makes its move, or, I should say, if they do. Nightcrawler, use your image inducer, but stay out of sight as much as possible. Emma, you're going to draw a bit of attention in your cloak, so you might want to leave it behind." She nodded and marched back up the ramp. "Force, find a spot with long, open sight lines and a clear view of all the buildings in question. I'll do the same. Jean, you and Emma—" He looked up the ramp to see her striding down, having lost the cape but donned an open jacket of the same white material as her half-top. "You two will scan the crowd and surrounding area for any signs of aggression. If you pick anything up, tell us. Make sure you keep us all in telepathic contact."
They nodded.
"All right then. Let's get to work."
They descended to street level within a matter of minutes, staying just inside the building until Nightcrawler activated his wrist-mounted image inducer, tucking his tail into his plainclothes and walking out first. The rest followed in a staggered manner, trying not to be seen together as they made their way to the rally. I wonder, Jim thought, I wonder if anyone will look at my visor closely. I mean, it can't be every day that you see not one but two scary guys in visors with colored eyeslits in the same place at the same time.
He looked over at Scott. But, I'm not the expert, he is, and if he's been in these kinds of situations before and gotten out okay, so will I. They kept pressing toward the venue, the crowd becoming thicker as they went, slowing but not stopping them from proceeding. When they finally got inside, James saw why Cyclops was so concerned about security. You could see the upper floors of the surrounding buildings almost no matter where you stood in the seating area, much less the elevated stage. How could Kelly be stupid enough to have this little get-together here?
He shook his head as he found a seat on the edge of the auditorium, turning in his chair to look at the buildings. James observed the crowd, looking for his teammates and barely noticing that Scott had taken up a position almost directly opposite him, but otherwise seeing no one. I guess that's kinda the point of "low profile." Suddenly, he heard a slightly echoed voice in his head.
"Is everyone hearing me?" Emma asked telepathically.
Jim heard faint but discernible affirmatives from the rest of the team, giving his own by thought. That's gonna take some getting used to. The fact that I'm constantly thinking probably isn't going to help my teammates concentrate any.
"If you're focusing on your teammates, then it will be distracting. If you keep your mind to yourself, then we shouldn't hear your thoughts."
Jim's eyes narrowed and he grimaced in confusion.
"Just try not to pay attention to that thread in the back of your mind."
He nodded uneasily and continued observing the area, noting that Kelly was about to take the stage. The brown-haired, five-ten senator strode up to the podium, the audience erupting in applause as he stretched out his hands with a smile, waiting for them to calm before speaking.
"My fellow Americans," he said over the mic, "New Yorkers, residents of our great state Capitol. Thank you for coming out today. As you well know, my office has become increasingly aware of a national crisis, and I have lobbied and petitioned on Capitol Hill for the greater U.S. Government to do something about it. Since their discovery in the early sixties, mutants have grown more numerous, more powerful, and more dangerous. Even with the efforts and assistance of the Mutant Response Division, we find ourselves hopelessly outmatched and outgunned by them and their unnatural abilities."
Jim's face twisted into a disgusted expression. Oh please. I've seen what your MRD really does, you lyin' piece of crap. Dragging innocent people from their homes, interrogation, illegal incarceration—all because they were born different and it started showing.
"In recent events, a group of mutants has made threats against my life in an attempt to stifle my efforts to protect you and the rest of the American public from them, but…as you can see—" he spread his arms tauntingly, "—I'm still standing here."
The audience, with the exception of James and any other X-Men he could see, was applauding.
"Moreover," Kelly continued, "I have partnered with Trask Industries to produce a more effective long-term solution to the mutant problem, a means of defending humanity and its interests from the machinations of these freaks." He motioned to one of his aides, who activated a holoprojector behind him.
The image was projected just above Kelly's head, a fourteen-foot tall humanoid robot that, for some reason, looked exceptionally imposing to James.
"To this end, Project Sentinel has begun. These machines, built to detect the mutant X-Gene and equipped with the tools to defeat them, will be mankind's saviors. Production of the first line of Sentinels has already begun, and you will begin to see these mechanical guardians on a daily basis within a few short months, patrolling the streets and keeping you safe from the mutant scourge." More applause. "With your support and that of Trask Industries, we will take and maintain the advantage in this conflict of species. And, with time, we will triumph."
The entire audience, from where James was sitting, gave Kelly a standing ovation, and he stretched out his arms, smiling broadly at the support he was receiving.
This is the guy we're protecting? A gray-suited bigot with a vendetta against mutants and no qualms about stating his intentions? Dress it up in all the euphemism and rhetoric you like, Kelly, but I know you would like nothing better than to exterminate us. Suddenly there was another voice in his head, and James realized he'd been tugging on the "string."
"We're X-Men, James," he heard Cyclops say over the mind link. "We defend the innocent no matter what their views on mutants are."
James stared at him from across the amphitheatre, gaping. "Innocent?! Are you effin' kiddin' me? The man just told a crowd of over a thousand people exactly what he has planned for us: total annihilation, and you want to protect him? Because I don't."
"James," he heard Emma think, "he knows the mutants that he sees, the ones whose actions he's aware of. All he has ever known is the Brotherhood, with little variation. He likely doesn't even know we exist. In his position, I might do the same, and if you're honest, so would you."
James scowled and snarled. "No. I wouldn't. Because my parents taught me better than that. Better than this." James rose from his seat and started walking toward the exit, but was stopped by the massive throng of applauding attendees, so was forced to wait.
"James," Emma started, "if this job was easy—wait."
Jim stopped looking for an exit.
"I'm sensing something outside the stadium. Kurt, search the building on the south side." A few seconds passed before she sent another mind-message. "Oh no."
"I sense it too," Jean cut in.
"Scott, the stage!"
Jim looked over at Cyclops on the other side of the stadium, but a line of clapping people barred him from getting to the stage. Oh, I just know I'm gonna regret this. James charged the stage, barrelling past a startled security guard and rushing straight for Kelly. Another guard on Kelly's opposite side saw him coming and stepped between the senator and the open air. A split-second later, a sharp crack was heard, and one of the guard's lower ribs were caved in as a high-velocity bullet entered his body. The crowd's deafening applause turned to screams as they all scattered in a panic.
Kelly was in the middle of being spirited away backstage when James looked for the source of the bullet, then back at the fleeing senator. Even from just over ten feet away, he could see the red dot of a targeting laser alternately painting his chest and the bodies of the guards around him as they moved toward the exit. Jim's head snapped back toward the downed guard, whose chest was heaving weakly. Think fast, Jim. You've only got a few seconds at most before the gunman fires again. Where did that bullet come from?
"James," Emma thought to him, "see with my eyes." The teenager closed his eyes and began to see a vision of the buildings from another perspective. The gaze was focused on a window on the tenth floor of a development under construction, where a slight glint could be seen in the noonday sun. He opened his eyes and locked in on the same window.
"I've got it," he thought to Emma, looking for Cyclops and still seeing him irretrievably bogged down in the stampeding crowd. He doesn't have a shot. James looked back at the building's window. But I do.
For the first time, his right hand reached up to his visor and he stared directly at the window, all else in his vision fading as he focused his eyes hard. Please let this work. His fingers moved, turning the visor's dial halfway and pressing slightly inward. As the quarter-second between this action and the visor's response occurred, the assassin fired again, sending a bullet streaking toward Senator Kelly at over 400 meters per second. The beam from Force's visor emitted only slightly slower, its edge crossing the bullet's path halfway to its target and forcefully redirecting it into the far right of the stage.
The beam slammed through the window and into the room beyond, the assassin having leapt away barely a split-second before it was too late. Force's fingers lowered off the visor, and he looked behind him to see if Kelly was alive. He was, and was staring at his mutant rescuer, mouth slightly agape. Force stared back until he heard a voice in his head.
"Force," Jean said telepathically, "the assassin's escaping! Get after him!"
He looked in her direction, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why me?" he asked.
"There are at least three Brotherhood soldiers waiting for the senator backstage, I just picked it up. I think the gunshots were just a distraction, and we need our senior members to fight them."
He turned back to Kelly, who was still staring at him, and snarled briefly before sprinting toward the crowded exit to get outside.
"Here, let me help."
Force suddenly felt his feet lift the ground as Jean telekinetically lifted him over the stadium's walls and into the building's unfinished eighth floor.
"Go, I'll guide you as best I can."
Force nodded and broke off at a sprint, a slight tug in his head leading him toward the assassin. He descended two floors and cut across the hallway of the sixth, entering that end's stairwell and catching a glimpse of his quarry leaping down a flight just below him.
"Stop!" he yelled, following in his steps, sliding down the handrail to slow his descent just enough not to be injured. Another two floors passed before Force raised his hand to his visor and blasted the flight on the floor below his target, collapsing the stairs and trapping him on the third floor. Gotcha, Jim thought with a smile. But his celebration was short-lived, as the target ducked through the door on the third floor. By then, Force had nearly caught up with him and entered the floor just two seconds later, chasing after him hard.
"I've got a clear line of sight on this guy," he thought to Jean. "Go help the others!"
"All right," she responded, some trepidation in her mental voice. "Good luck."
Now that the assassin was clearly in sight, Force had the chance to observe him. The man was about his height, dressed from head to toe in gray fatigues, a gray-green mask with goggles pulled over his face. Force ran harder, pushing his legs, lungs, and heart to the limit trying to catch up with him. The assassin drew a gun, and panic flashed through his pursuer momentarily before he raised the weapon to a window he was running straight at and fired, cracking the glass and weakening it enough for him to jump through going full-tilt. Force slowed down until he saw why he jumped: there was a slightly lower rooftop just twelve feet away. The assassin rolled when he hit the ground, continuing his run as soon as his feet touched the ground again.
Parkour? The X-Man smirked. I can do that too. He leapt out the window, rolling on impact the same way his target had and kept up the pursuit, losing his line of sight when the assassin rounded the corner of a half-collapsed brick wall. As he followed, his battle instincts kicked in, as the metallic shine of a weapon in the sun reached his eyes as soon as he looked around the corner. Force dropped into a slide as the assassin fired twice from less than eight feet away. The assassin was a good shot, but his opponent didn't have to aim, just look. The visor released a precise beam of energy that disarmed the assassin and gave him just enough time to close the distance.
Force engaged the Brotherhood fighter hand-to-hand, still leery about using his powers on people after he nearly pulverized his roommate. This, as he found a few moments later, was a mistake. Force threw a right cross at his opponent, who ducked the punch and delivered a knife-hand strike to the X-Man's shoulder joint. He withdrew in pain, throwing a series of quick jabs meant to put his opponent on the defensive while taking his own down for less than half a second. Every shot was blocked before the assassin started his counterattack. The gray-clad man slid forward under Force's right hook and redirected the back kick that followed, leaping onto Jim's back and flipping him forward onto the cement floor of the roof.
Pain lacing his back, James rolled to his feet and put the assassin back into his sight lines, his style defensive. He heard an almost imperceptible snort from his opponent, who charged diagonally at the brick wall. I know what you're doing. Force turned his attention diagonally and lunged his right arm forward as the assassin leapt off the wall, adding force to a punch that would have decked the X-Man had it landed. As it were, James' blow impacted in the man's gut, and he fell onto his hands and knees, his opponent throwing a lower roundhouse kick at his now-vulnerable head.
The assassin pushed back with his arms, barely getting his head out of the kick's path in time and charging toward the X-Man. James leapt directly upwards, sticking his knee in front of him, but the assassin threw up a double-block, pushing his lower body behind his upper and causing the X-Man to fall into the same position he'd been in just a few moments ago. The Brotherhood soldier wrapped one arm around James' neck, squeezing the blood flow to his brain before Jim arched his back and reached to the back of his assailant's neck, then shifting all his body weight forward and flipping the assassin forward.
He rolled away, reevaluating his options and sizing up his opponent, each of them pacing around the other in a ready stance. The assassin ran at Force and leapt into the air with a flying kick that James redirected. He landed in a seamless Parkour roll and seemed to—shift as he turned back toward James, pulling off the mask and goggles. The shape of his body changed, and he lost two inches during the transformation into…
Jim's eyes went wide behind his visor. Mystique?! No, too young. A pair of gleaming yellow eyes watched him, narrowing dangerously as the expression of the blue-skinned, red-haired teenage female turned deadly. James winced Can definitely see a family resemblance, though.
"Who are you?" he asked. The girl cocked her head and kept silent. "Why does Magneto want Kelly dead?"
She raised an eyebrow and smirked sardonically before responding in a smooth, lilting voice. "The real question is, why don't you?"
His eyebrows furrowed, an expression she saw.
"You heard his presentation, his hatred for our kind. I saw you there, in the crowd. Saw your face as he outlined his plan for mutants. You were disgusted."
Jim's hard expression caved and suddenly turned weary.
"So, the question is, why—don't—you?" She took a step toward him as she said every word, seeing that virtually all the fight had left him.
He looked toward the ground, seeming to deeply contemplate her words.
"You do, don't you?" she asked, seeing his struggle. "Join us, and you will be free from men like him, forever. Free to live as you wish—or fight back against the humans who would do what he is planning to. Join us."
She put her right hand on his shoulder, and he lifted his visored eyes to meet hers. Up close and smiling, she looked no more dangerous than a normal teenage girl just getting her bearings in early high school. Well, that and she's...gorgeous. Shame, really, he thought with a smile. Taking it as a good sign, she relaxed. Big mistake. He grabbed the wrist on her shoulder and twisted it clockwise, stepping back and forcing her to turn her body to avoid it being dislocated. He thought he had won when a strong back kick slammed into his diaphragm, pushing all the air out of him at once and sending him staggering backwards. She turned back toward him, furious and leapt at him, wrapping her legs around his head and throwing him to the ground. Crawling atop his beaten body, she held a knife to his throat.
"Why?" she hissed out, snarling at him. "Why do you protect them?! They hate us, scream at us, abandon us, try to destroy us. Why?!" He just stared up at her for a moment, dazed.
"Because," he said, slowly slipping into unconsciousness, "they're not all the same. My parents...they're human, and they knew I was a mutant...but they didn't care. They loved me all the same. And—" He was interrupted by a wheezing cough on his part. "And if there are more humans like that...then maybe there's still...hope." Jim's eyes closed and his body went completely limp as he passed out.
...
Did he just-? Mirror let out a long, hissing breath as she held her knife to the young X-Man's neck, debating in her head whether to finish him off. He protected Senator Kelly, that monster. What does he think he'll accomplish? What do any of the X-Men think they'll accomplish by protecting humans who hate and fear us? Halting her mental query, Nalya Darkholme turned her attention back to Force and her decision. Just do it, Lia. You know Mother would. Probably. Her hand pressed the knife-point harder against his skin, but stopped just at the point of breaking it. She sighed and removed the blade from his neck, snapping it closed and returning it to her belt.
As she leaned back and took a good look at him, she realized for the first time that he was probably as young as she was. Young… She pulled his visor off, and when she did, her eyebrows went up and mouth curved. And good-looking...and that stunt you pulled, bluffing me out—brilliant. Suddenly she was very glad she didn't kill him. Her tongue in cheek, Nalya turned over all her options as she stared at his face. Oh, come on, girl. It'll never happen...with anyone, probably, much less someone like him. He thinks I'm a murderer. She sighed deeply, looking down at the knife on her belt and raising her eyebrows ruefully. Me trying to shoot and stab him probably didn't help that impression, either.
She looked back at his sleeping face, his mouth slightly open in unconscious laxity, and reached into her pant pocket, pulling out its single content and eyeing it in her hand. This was given to me by my first date...who dumped me as soon as he saw the real color of my skin. She pushed the memory away, sighing again. Oh, what the hell do I have to lose? She placed the small object in his left hand, closing his fingers around it and leaning toward him, her face inches from his.
And then she leaned closer.
Five seconds later, she stood up and left, taking his visor with her, looking back at him briefly, then at the curved polymer device. Something to remember you by, handsome. As she descended to ground level and shifted to her human form, Nalya's mind unconsciously drifted back to his last words, a small part of her wondering whether they might be true.
...
James groaned slightly as he regained consciousness, about to open his eyes when he realized that he no longer felt a weight on them. Reaching up, he confirmed his suspicions and felt an absence of visor where his eyes were. Good thing my parents and teachers taught me to always be prepared. He reached into his right jacket pocket and pulled out its contents, flicking his wrist sharply to extend his glasses' arms before putting them on. Opening his eyes, he once again saw the world in blue, sitting up and looking around him. A cursory inspection of his surroundings revealed his suspicion that one: he was alone, and two: the mysterious girl had left.
And left that behind, he thought as his eyes found the mask and goggles. Crouching down, he picked them up, looking through the goggles as if they were her eyes. He closed his and recalled his thin memories of her. The way her face wore a smile. The gold color of her eyes. It's funny, the way everyone says people react around Mystique, you'd think her eyes would unnerve me more, but...I don't know. Maybe her daughter is different somehow, but I think they complete the picture perfectly. He smiled as the image of her walking over to him came to his mind. And it's quite the picture.
That's when he realized his left hand was closed around something small and...circular, by the feel of it. Opening his hand, James looked at its single content: a small, quarter-sized pin, predominantly gold with a black center. The gold was forged in the shape of a supernova. His brows furrowed. She left this with me...why? Based on the way she'd been pressing that knife to his neck, he would've figured she hated his guts just for stopping her assassination attempt…much less tricking her into letting her guard down. His eyes narrowed in question, and after a few more seconds of self-debate, he huffed, giving up for the moment. Women. Now I get why my guy friends can't understand them.
"James!" he heard someone yell over his comm, nearly breaking his eardrum with its volume.
"Ouch!" he responded. "Yeah, I'm here. Could you possibly shout any louder?" He heard a sigh from the other end.
"You're all right," Emma said. "Thank God. We've been trying to contact you for over five minutes. We thought something happened."
He looked up at the horizon, walking to the edge of the building leading to the street. "Something did happen. The assassin escaped."
"But you stopped him from achieving his goal. As long as you're all right, it's fine."
"Her."
"Sorry," someone else, Cyclops, asked.
"It was a she. The assassin was a blue she."
"Mystique," he said decidedly.
James shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She looked young. Like, my age young. Well, that and I'm still alive." Silence reigned over the comm. for a few seconds.
"Interesting. Daughter?"
Jim shrugged. "Probably. Hey, if you guys aren't too busy, can you send someone to pick me up?"
"Already on it," Jean cut in, and he heard a slight whine in the air.
Looking for its source, he saw a slight shimmer on the horizon. It never ceases to amaze me how that thing can stay hidden in broad daylight. The X-Jet hovered mid-air, decloaking some 20 feet away.
Bamf.
Nightcrawler was suddenly standing next to him.
"Guten tag, mein freund."
Bamf.
They were instantly standing in the X-Jet's passenger bay.
"Thanks, Kurt."
"It was no problem at all." He sat, and James followed suit as the jet rose into the skies and accelerated.
"So…what happened while I was out?" the kid asked the team.
Jean turned to him. "The Brotherhood sent Blob, Toad and Avalanche." She motioned to Iceman. "Bobby was able to keep them away from Kelly while the rest of us went to work. They got away when Avalanche made a makeshift tunnel into the subway. The structure was too unstable in their wake, so we couldn't pursue."
Jim nodded in understanding. "But we won, right?"
Jean nodded and smiled.
"Yay," he said halfheartedly, slumping back into his seat and closing his eyes.
Jean's smile faded. "Jim, I know you don't like Kelly, and you don't see the point of—"
"I see the point," he interrupted. "I saw the look of utter shock on his face when I saved his life. The purpose of the X-Men is to be a counter for mutant groups like the Brotherhood, to show humanity that there's a better way." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Right?"
She nodded.
He shrugged. "Then we won." He leaned back in his seat.
Cyclops turned to Jim from the cockpit and drew his eyebrows together. "What happened to…?" His question dropped off as he motioned to his own face and visor.
"Oh," James stuttered. "Uh, I think she kinda...took it as a trophy."
Scott's eyebrows shot up, along with Emma's and Bobby's.
Jim shrugged. "Go figure."
Emma drew her eyebrows together and looked at him intently, lips slightly apart.
"What?"
"Have you been drinking?" she asked.
He opened his mouth to respond and realized for the first time that his lips were wet. I wasn't... His eyes widened. She didn't. His fingers pressed to them. Oh, she did! He looked back up at Emma and saw she was still waiting for an answer.
"Yeah," he lied, leaning back into his seat as Emma nodded slowly and turned around in hers. Really hope she didn't read my mind right then. He looked at her from behind, eyes narrowed. Meh, if she did, she ain't showing it. His head leaned back and he closed his eyes, turning over his experience with the girl over and over again. So she tries to shoot at me, fight me hand-to-hand while she has a knife in her pocket, then talk me down. It was like she saw that him holding back with his powers and adjusted accordingly, like she was trying not to use more force than was needed.
Throughout the entire trip back to the X-Mansion, James pondered the ramifications of their meeting, why she had kissed him, left him the pin. Whether what he had said meant anything to her. Whether she even listened. One thing's for sure. I've gotta meet this girl again if I'm gonna get any answers. Well, that, and...I just wanna see her again. He smiled and took out the supernova pin. Maybe she doesn't hate me after all…though I doubt Emma would approve of my current line of thinking.
He smiled more broadly, closing his eyes and resting his head on the headrest.
"So," Emma said, interrupting his near-sleep, "how did it feel to be part of the team again?"
He looked at her from behind his glasses, not lifting his head though he nearly jumped at her voice. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "the visor'll take some getting used to." He grimaced. "And some replacing. Sorry, Cyclops."
The man chuckled.
"But...overall, I think I can do this." He stared straight into Emma's blue eyes, smiling confidently. "I know I can."