Quick note- The parts where there are noticeable breaks in narrative is where I'm jumping around. The breaks will be where actual canon comes in. The only time I'm gonna bring them in is if I need to bring it in to tweak something for a character, like their thoughts. Example would be where I left off Wolvie meeting Stryker, I'm doing a break after that to where it starts up in this chapter as saying the fight between him and Lady Deathstrike still happened the way it did in the film. Does that make sense? I sure hope it does…anyway, on with the story :)
(Also I've gone over this chapter as many times as I can, but I just can't look at it anymore, so please excuse any errors. This ones a long one, so I hope ya'll enjoy :))
-x-
Chapter 8:
Kitty looked around in confusion as she tried to catch her breath. What had happened? The intense pain, it- it just…stopped. She glanced at Jubilee but her friend looked just as bewildered as she felt.
The kids started to pick themselves up and Kitty forced herself into action, Jubilee on her heels. Both girls made sure everyone was alright and not injured before wondering what they should do now. Kitty's eyes moved towards the electric fence. Maybe it had shorted out during that time? Was it worth the risk?
She glanced back at the small group, weighing the options. She couldn't leave them alone, what if something happened and she had knocked herself out by walking straight into a charged wall? No, she wouldn't risk it.
And it turns out she didn't have to.
As she looked one more time at the fence she could see someone moving towards them. She squinted, trying to get a better look, to see who it was and whether they were friend or foe. They were running now, seeming to already recognize her and she braced herself for whatever was to come.
But then she saw their faces.
"Storm!" Kitty gasped, stepping forward and almost forgetting at the last second to stop before hitting the electric fence that stood between them.
"Kitty?" The older woman sprinted the rest of the way, an unfamiliar blue man a little behind her. Kitty felt Jubilee, who had moved closer since hearing their teacher's name, grab her arm. The kids had heard as well and were now shouting happily at the prospect of getting out of there.
Storm stopped in front of their bars, "Kitty, Jubilee, this is Kurt. He's going to help you out of there, okay?"
Kitty barely had time to nod before the man was gone in a cloud of blue smoke. She choked on a gasp when he reappeared next to her.
"Holy shi-"
"Jubilation Lee."
"Sorry, Storm."
"Guten tag," Kurt smiled timidly, before holding his arms out. "Please, grab hold."
Kitty glanced back at Storm who nodded in confirmation. Taking a deep breath, she took hold of his arm and watched Jubes do the same. Other kids came rushing over, taking a hold of his arms and wherever else they could.
"Everyone holding tight?" he asked.
Everyone made noises of affirmation, and suddenly they were enveloped in darkness. Kitty blinked and found herself next to Storm on the other side of the fence. After everyone let go, Kurt repeated the process for the other few kids left inside. Once they were all free, Storm gestured for them to follow her.
"Come, this way. We need to hurry."
And then they were moving as far away from the fence as they could.
-x-
Rogue drew in ragged breaths as she lay on the floor. After the screaming ceased and the pain stopped the voices all came flooding back at once and she had to sift through them again to find her bearings. Erik was saying over and over that it had been Charles who had done that and something was very wrong and Logan just wanted her to move, to get away from there before it could get her again. Bobby and John were making a lot of noise but the older men were a lot louder.
She could barely sit up at first, much less run out of the jet, so she stayed immobile for a moment, taking deep breaths. As she calmed them down and reassembled them back in their proper place, she tried to figure out a plan.
She could hear the real Bobby in the background as he got up from where he'd fallen. His quick footsteps echoed in the small space as he made his way over to her, asking if she was alright. She nodded absently and started to lift herself slowly to her feet.
She knew things were still in play and that the others probably couldn't contact them if they needed help. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to move the plane, she needed to get closer. Logan was itching in the back of her mind, and her instincts were flaring for her to do something. She bit her lip, weighing her options.
She could try flying the plane, she supposed…but could she actually do it?
Erik in her mind confirmed that even if she couldn't technically fly it, she could still control it. The jet was made of metal, as were the engines. If she had that to help her then she should be fine. Hopefully, that is.
She took another deep breath, making her decision.
She always did like trying new things, she supposed.
-x-
John stumbled through the trees, his head still aching from the echoes of the earlier pain. His blood rushed through his ears, loud and unforgiving. He tried to catch his breath, but the icy snow surrounding his legs was a shock to his system. He really didn't like cold climates. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he trudged on.
Not even a couple of minutes later he stopped again. He strained his ears as he thought he heard something up ahead. It sounded like…a helicopter?
He quickened his pace and found himself at the edge of the tree line. There, in front of him, was where the source of the noise came from. When he squinted he could see that guy, Magneto, and that blue chick about to lift off.
'You are a god among insects. Never let them tell you anything different.'
He clenched his jaw. Should he?
Brown eyes flashed in his mind.
'I trust you. You better come back.'
The lighter in his pocket burned against his leg. The blades started up, picking up speed. He held his breath.
And took a step forward.
'Kitty…I promise.We will...I will find you again.'
I'm sorry, Kitten. I can't come back.
-x-
Kitty was running down the hallway, bringing up the rear of the group and making sure no one got left behind. She followed as they took a sharp corner and suddenly stopped. From up ahead she could see a circular doorway, one that looked eerily similar.
"What is that?" she heard Jubilee ask.
"Cerebro," Storm breathed out.
Shock bloomed in Kitty's chest as pieces started coming together in her mind. The pain from earlier, it originated in their heads and Cerebro was controlled by one person and that was-
The Professor.
They had the Professor.
The news hit Kitty hard and she was suddenly very aware of how close they came to dying earlier. If what she remembered about the Professor's mutation was correct then it's a miracle that he stopped when he did, otherwise they might not be here right now.
Footsteps from around the corner tore her from her thoughts, and Kitty readied herself for a fight. Her body still ached from her previous encounters with the fence, but she would do whatever it took to keep everyone else safe.
Whoever it was came closer and Kitty turned to face them. However, she wasn't prepared for who it was.
"Storm!" she called.
Kitty dragged her eyes away from the sight of Jean leaning heavily on Scott to Storm, who spun around at the sound of her name. The weather goddess shoulders sagged with relief and seemed to let out a deep breath as her friends moved through the children to the front of the group. Her eyes darted from one to the other, resting on Scott's face a little longer before finally turning back to the red head.
"Jean, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the other woman brushed off any concerns before focusing on door. Kitty slowly stepped closer, trying to get a better view. She ended up next to Jubes who linked her arm through hers. Kitty squeezed and then listened as Jean continued to speak.
"The Professor is still in there, but he's…trapped, with another mutant." She paused, concentrating, "He's in some sort of illusion."
Something seemed to reveal itself to her because she let out a gasp, "Magneto's reversed Cerebro. It's not targeting mutants anymore."
Kitty felt her heart beat faster, worry began to race through her veins.
"Who is it targeting?" Storm asked.
"Everyone else."
-x-
Charles had heard Raven's encouragement in his ear and then her soft words explaining there had been a change in plans. He had immediately set about fixing it, focusing on finding the humans, her soft breath still warm against his cheek. Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind and he leaned into her, his body responding while his mind continued to stay completely on the task at hand. He could feel his mind linking with everyone else through Cerebro and he continued to focus on them, not letting up one bit as her hands strayed over his chest.
He felt her head move against his back, the fabric bunching as she clutched it tightly.
"Keep focusing, Charles," she whispered into his neck.
"I will, love."
He vaguely heard Erik in the back moving around, but didn't pay much more attention to him other than that. He continued to locate everyone and press forward with his thoughts. He began to get lost within his mission, with only Raven's arms to keep him anchored. He couldn't tell how much time had passed when suddenly he felt a breeze.
…a breeze?
There wasn't wind in this place. Where on Earth-?
Charles twitched and he felt Raven's arms tighten around him.
"Charles, focus," she pressed.
He settled down only barely when another breeze wafted through. He tried to move, to turn around but her fingers turned into talons and curled tightly into the fabric of his shirt.
"Don't," she begged.
"Raven…"
"Charles, please, just…keep focusing. You need to. Please."
But then it was cold. Colder than it normally was in this room and Charles knew something was wrong. His hands moved from the console to her hands, gripping them strongly.
"Raven-!"
"Charles, please!"
He struggled, unable to pull free and unable to hurt her and still unable to stop his focus. His mind pulled back only a little, but his thoughts still continued to find the humans.
Raven let out a scream, burying her face into his shoulder blades.
"Raven!"
"Stop it!" she shrieked, but he had the feeling she wasn't speaking to him. Her fingernails dug into his chest before ripping away abruptly.
Something wet and small flurried about his face and he finally wrenched his eyes open, realizing belatedly that they had been closed that entire time.
It was snowing.
And then he came back to himself.
With a sharp cry and a bodily jerk, he felt his mind situate itself back into reality. Taking in his surroundings, he remembered what was happening and what he had been doing.
"Jason!" he gasped, his hands clenching the armrests of the wheelchair.
It was Raven's voice he heard once more, "He's gonna be so angry at me!" her voice was filled with pain and despite what he knew he still felt a deep twisting pang in his chest. She screamed in agony and that was when he felt something release around him.
Using that chance to finally move, he ripped the helmet from his head, the cheap imitation of Cerebro now blatant and the illusion created by Jason completely shattered. Erik was not there. Raven was nowhere to be seen. And despite himself, he felt something within him break once more.
They were never there.
Only Storm and another mutant stood behind Jason. It was then that he realized the room was shaking and the walls were collapsing. Charles turned his chair fully around, facing Jason head on. He made complete eye contact with Jason, unable to find the words to say. Despite everything that had occurred, it still broke his heart to see his former student like this.
He continued to hold eye contact as bits of building fell down around them. Even as the other mutant transported himself right in front of him, Charles did not move his gaze.
But in a blink, Jason was gone, and so was he.
-x-
Logan rushed through the halls, trying to find the exit as hell rained down around him. The dam was going to break any second and flood this bunker so he couldn't afford to waste any time. They had to get out of here- now. His footsteps thundered against the ground as he made no move to be cautious about it anymore.
He rounded a corner and found himself in the main room where the giant doors to the outside led. He could see Storm and Jean and the rest of the crew on the other side of the doors, and his ears could pick up the loud rumble of water as it rushed at top speed towards them. With one glance to his right he made a split decision and slammed his claws into the console beside him. Electricity flew about him but he could hear the doors closing and he kept up the force behind his arm, not letting up until they closed at last. Water managed to funnel through at the cracks, but once the doors were fully sealed, nothing got through.
"Trust me," he yelled over to them to get their attention, "You don't wanna go that way. Come on, there's another exit!"
He waited as they quickly made their way over to him before setting off again.
They made it out of the maze in record time and found themselves ankle deep in snow. A small boy fell down, his bare feet unable to function properly in the cold and Logan leaned down to scoop him up into his arms, not stopping his long stride towards where he last saw Stryker and the helicopter.
Only…they weren't there anymore.
He stared in disbelief, horror welling up inside him, "But it was right here! The helicopter was here!"
He took deep breaths, trying to think. There had to be an explanation, there just had to-
His ears twitched.
The sound of engines, the air moved in the trees, a shift in the corner of his eye. He turned and choked on a gasp as the X-Jet flew over the woods. And he knew exactly who was at the helm.
'That's my girl,' he felt pride rumble in his chest as the jet flew closer, but it was quickly replaced with panic when it made a sharp turn in the air.
She was having a tough time landing.
He cursed under his breath, hoping she'd at least make it down safely if she had to crash. The jet went sideways and landed against the ground a couple of yards away, snow flying up at the impact. He let go of the breath he'd been holding.
He felt the presence of someone next to him and saw Kitty and Jubilee, the latter bundled up in a blanket.
"Logan, who-?" Kitty began and he knew exactly what she was asking.
"Rogue and the boys," he answered. Her eyes lit up in response and he resisted the urge to smile. She immediately started running to the jet, Jubilee on her tail, with the others following. Nightcrawler disappeared in a puff of smoke with the Professor and Logan took a step forward as well when something down the line of trees caught his eye. He clenched his jaw at the sight of Stryker chained to a piece of wall, knowing exactly who put him there. The instinct to go and question him niggled at him, but he once again resisted it. He was done with that part of his life. Let the bastard rot.
Logan glanced from the broken man of his past to the child in his arms. The kid's wide eyes stared back up at him, waiting for his decision. Despite not knowing him at all, Logan knew this kid understood.
He smirked and stepped towards the jet, leaving Stryker behind.
-x-
Rogue's hands refused to cooperate at first, they were trembling so uncontrollably. She could barely let go of the steering wheel and she knew her body was still in shock from what had just occurred.
She couldn't believe she had done that. What was she thinking?
Thank God she actually made it though, she supposed. She knew something in the jet broke on her way down, but before she could assess the damage she was almost scared out of her skin when Kurt popped up next to her.
He laid the Professor down in one of the chairs behind her and she tried focusing once more on lowering her heart rate. A hand lowered gently onto her shoulders, as though approaching a wild animal and a hysterical laugh bubbled up in her throat. However she knew she'd look crazy so she squashed it immediately.
It was Storm, and she gently coaxed Rogue away from the controllers.
"You did good, Rogue. I'll take it from here."
Rogue could only nod before standing on shaking legs. Thoughts of fixing or even locating what was wrong with the plane flew from her mind. She stumbled towards the back of the aircraft, only to hear someone else call her name.
"Rogue!" Kitty exclaimed, halting her sprint as she stepped over the threshold. She was panting loudly as her eyes roamed the inside of the jet and Rogue felt her heart drop as she realized why.
"Where-?" Kitty looked from her to Bobby then back. Jubes finally caught up to them, trying to catch her breath as she clutched the blanket falling around her shoulders. Rogue ran forward to hug them both and they met her with equal enthusiasm.
But despite her happiness to see them, Kitty wouldn't be deterred. Rogue bit her lip nervously, not looking forward to the next bit.
"Where's John?"
Rogue exchanged uneasy glances with Bobby.
"Where is he?" Kitty demanded.
Rogue took a deep breath before answering. "He's gone."
Kitty looked shocked, like she was unable to process what she just said. "What do you mean he's gone?" a cold trickle of fear ran down her spine.
"He left the plane a while ago, before we moved it." Rogue shook her head, "I don't know where he is, Kitty-"
"Then we have to go looking for him!" her friend interrupted. By this time everyone had made it to the plane and were settling in to leave. Kitty pivoted on her heel and marched to the closest exit, which turned out to be the wall for her. One arm went straight through the strong metal and she was fully ready to just slip outside when Jean spoke up, causing her to freeze.
"You won't be able to find him."
Kitty stared at her from her position, her limbs still halfway out the jet. "Why not?" she croaked, her fist visibly trembling at her side and Rogue feared what Jean was about to say.
"He's with Magneto now," the red head stated, her voice somber and her eyes far away as she saw something only she could.
A broken sob escaped Kitty, and Rogue's heart ripped to shreds as her friend's body crumpled on itself. She and Jubilee moved forward and caught her, gently moving her to the back of the jet and letting her curl into a ball. Jubilee cradled Kitty to her, and Rogue smoothed back her hair as she began to cry.
The rest of the group was silent for a moment.
Rogue glanced up and caught Logan's eye, a frown marring his expression. Her heart sunk even farther.
A sudden and excited beeping cut the silence at the knees. Rogue looked over as Scott and Storm fussed over the console, and it was then that she remembered that feeling of something not being right when she landed.
The jet wasn't working.
And that was when they lost power. The entire jet shut down and Rogue felt a tingling sensation at the back of her neck. She looked over to the door that was now open.
And saw Jean limping out of it.
'What is she doing?' she wondered.
'It doesn't matter,' Erik spoke up, 'Right now you need to get up there and do what you can.'
'Buckethead's right, darlin'. Red can wait a few moments, you need to figure out what's wrong and get out of here.'
Rogue smoothed back Kitty's hair, and after sharing one last look with Jubilee she stood up and made her way to the front.
"Here," she maneuvered to the console. "Let me try something."
"Try what, honey? We don't have time for this-"
But Rogue had already placed her hands down onto the machine and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She tried locating the error in the system, letting Erik guide her through it as she allowed his powers to flow through her.
'There!' she found it. And right as she was about to put it back together something hit her...mentally.
She gasped hard at the sensation. Something, or someone was doing something to the jet. She felt the interior fixing itself below her fingers.
"Wha-?"
"Jean?" the Professor questioned. All eyes turned to him, then around the area where the redhead obviously wasn't.
"Where is she?" Scott worried. "Jean?" he called out, hoping she was within ear shot.
"She went outside," Rogue mentioned softly, wondering exactly what the woman's motives were.
Scott immediately made a dash for the exit, but the door slammed in his face. The jet burst to life then, all systems coming back online and every switch flipped to its proper place. Rogue's hands fluttered above it, unable to process what was happening.
'What was she doing?'
Scott spun around, "No! We are not leaving!" he assumed they were the ones doing it. "Lower the ramp!"
Sense hit her and Rogue slammed her hands back down on the console, ready to force the ramp down if she had to.
But Jean was too strong.
'What is this? Her power was never like this before.'
Erik hummed in the back of her mind, but she didn't have time to decipher it.
"Lower it now!" Scott was pushing at the floor desperately at this point. The steering wheel took on a life of its own and lowered in Storm's lap, ready to lift the jet into the air.
"I can't!" she screamed.
A massive force hit the side of the aircraft and everyone grasped at what they could to keep themselves level. Rogue gripped the dashboard before transferring her hands to the passenger seat. She looked out the window to where she could see Jean's small figure.
The dam had broke. And she was holding it back.
"She's controlling the jet!" Storm shouted, still trying to get the machine to work for her.
Scott ran back to the front, pushing Rogue aside to get a better look. She let him, and came to stand beside Kurt. Logan turned to him, "You! Can you go get her?"
She felt rather than saw Kurt jerk, but his body remained where it stood. "She's not letting me!" he cried apologetically.
"I know what I'm doing. This is the only way."
Everyone turned to see the Professor with his eyes closed. But it wasn't his voice that emanated from his lips.
"Jean!" Scott fell to the floor in front of Charles. "Listen to me!" he dragged in a breath, holding back his emotions, "Please…don't do this!"
Charles tilted his head towards the other man, his eyes still closed. His lips curled into a soft, fond smile.
"Goodbye."
Scott gasped and clutched at the Professor's suit, "No!"
Logan grabbed Scott and pulled him back. Rogue could see Charles come back to himself, his expression immediately falling into one of despair. As the plane lifted into the air she looked once more out the window and saw something that shocked her to the bone.
Jean was on fire.
It was only for a moment that she saw it, before the water engulfed her completely, but Rogue knew what she saw.
'What in the world-?'
'There are many things you don't understand, Rogue. This is only one of them,' Erik warned.
'What is she?'
Before he could answer her, if he was going to at all, the real Logan's voice ripped her from her thoughts.
"She's gone."
Scott flew into a fury, "No! She's not gone! We have to go back! We have to-!" he fell against Logan, shoving him and pushing him, taking his anger and frustration and hurt out on him. Rogue wondered how much more her heart could break in just one day.
Scott's heart wrenching cries filled the jet, striking everyone as they wallowed in their own despair at the loss of a loved one. Rogue's gaze connected with Logan's, who eyes were bloodshot and full of so much sadness. She felt tears build at the back of her throat and wished she could go to him.
"She's gone," he repeated over and over again.
"She's gone."
-x-
Okay so next chapter should be the last for this particular story. I already have a sequel in the works and I've had some of the first chapter done since before the second chapter of this one so xD I'm so happy everyone has been liking this story so far, it's really been helping me continue. Thank you so much for your continued subscription, it means so much to me :) I hope you liked this chapter as much as I liked writing it and I'm so sorry for the delay. DOFP, which comes out this Friday eeeeeep!, really inspired me to work on this more so yay~ :)
EDIT- I lied. This is the last chapter. The next for this series will be the sequel, so be on the lookout for that. I'm sorry, but I just realized I can't really go anywhere with this other than basic canon and that'd be just boring. So...yea
