A/N: What, I actually updated in a quick fashion? This is crazy, it's almost like I have way more chapters done and am finally getting around to posting them haha! Hope you guys enjoy, because we're getting close to the end of X-Men, which means an interim before X2! Yay!

Professor Xavier was unconscious in the infirmary, but there wasn't time to focus on him. That was Jean's job. Yes, I cried and yes I felt like my heart was ripped out from my chest, but I needed to know why he got hurt from Cerebro, of all things. Nothing wrong with the control panel, the helmet seemed to be functioning, except for a blinking signaling something wrong with the fluid input. To keep brain activity high, the Professor had the idea to send a charged liquid of electrodes to the helmet. Taking a screwdriver, I opened the panel under the floor.

Yes, there it was. Something was added, a sickly green liquid that had to be done by a Magneto crony. Mystique if anyone. Stupid mistakes again. Yanking the container out of the tube, I connected both ends of the tube back together, telekinetically making the liquid run through until it ran crystal clear once more, the light on the helmet turning off. With a click on the control panel, Cerebro was up and running once again.

I stood, ready to leave, but an idea struck me. The Professor was down, we would never be able to find Rogue without Cerebro. Jean was less telepathic than me, the Professor said he would teach me how to use Cerebro one day…

I knelt where he usually put his wheelchair, flipping the right switches. I memorized it from when I was younger, following the Professor wherever he went. I could do this, not just for him, but for everyone. The world needed me to do this. Taking the helmet in my hands, I raised it above my head.

"Ria." It was Scott. No, don't look back. "Ria, stop!"

I put the helmet on, normal vision disappearing for the loudest cries of all humanity dominating my mind. There was every thought of every person, the mutants louder than the rest. I felt myself drop farther to the ground, teeth gritted in pain. It felt like my skull was about to burst open in agony. You have to do this. Yes, I did. Concentrating, I listened for Rogue, only Rogue. There were so many, I couldn't find her, until I felt it. A picture formed in my mind out of the grey landscape of Cerebro, Rogue, her hair stuck to her face, handcuffed to a bed post. She was… she was at Liberty Island.

The helmet flew off of me as my legs finally gave out. I was back in the room, the metal still cold on my skin, Logan's jacket still on. I heard the doors open, footsteps ringing out as they ran to me, someone shaking my shoulders.

"Ria, Ria look at me." Scott.

"She's at Liberty Island. Magneto's going to use that as the base for the machine. Scott," I said, looking up at him. "I did it."

"You did it?"

I nodded. He helped me stand, with me leaning heavily on him. Eventually, he just picked me up, as if I was nine again, carrying me the rest of the way to the meeting room, where the rest were.

"Ria, what happened?" Ororo gasped when Scott let me sit in a chair.

Scott explained. "She used Cerebro and found out Rogue's location."

Jean wasn't impressed. "Do you know how stupid that was?"

"Oh please," I quipped, "It's not like you wouldn't have done the same thing if you were in my position, Jeannie. But that's not the point. The point is that we know where Rogue is, which means we know where Magneto is. So we can maybe put aside your sarcasm and just…" Leaning heavily on the map table, I clicked on to focus on Liberty Island. "Figure out a plan."

Scott came up next to me, instantly in leader-mode. "His objective is clear. He plans to use his machine to mutant all the world leaders on Ellis Island for the UN Summit."

"So he doesn't know his machine kills." Jean commented.

"Kelly must've run off before he could do more tests," I elaborated. "And if Magneto gave all of his power over to Rogue, he could easily wipe out the island of Manhattan, maybe even beyond."

Scott nodded, showing his plan on the map as he spoke. "Then we go in behind so he won't sense us, at least hopefully. If we go past the George Washington Bridge, we can land on the far side of the island, here."

Logan didn't seemed convinced. "What about harbor patrol? Radar?"

"If they have anything that can track the jet, they deserve to catch us."

"Fair enough."

"Great," I said with a smile, energy coming back slowly, enough to stand up straight. "Now, let's suit up."


Tying my hair into a small bun, I walked out to the Blackbird in my uniform. The leather was actually armored underneath by an experimental version of kelvar that is able to move with the wearer. The hood was just rough cotton that I only kept because it looked cool. The thick soles of the boots that attached to the suit at the knee hit loudly on the metal floor of the hangar as the jet came into view. Far more advanced than any military aircraft, the Blackbird was a feat of engineering genius that Hank had created. He first thought of it while working in the CIA back when he was a teenager, and now it was complete, including vertical landing, radar and sonar, and a camouflage exterior when not in its original black.

"You ready for this, Henna?" Ro, her suit on along with the special cape she gave herself, said standing at the entrance to the jet.

Allowing power to stretch across my skin so the markings came to be, but not any energy to be visible (the Professor called this my natural state), I nodded. "Ready as any of us, Storm."

Going into the Blackbird with the rest of the team, with Storm taking the co-pilot's seat, and I humbly went next to Logan, far away from the window. Flying was fine when I was the one controlling it, otherwise I couldn't handle it very well. I noticed Logan inspecting the uniform – it did end up fitting him quite well – and occasionally shift in the seat.

"You guys actually go outside in these things?"

"What else would you want, yellow and blue spandex?" Scott asked.

I commented offhandedly. "I would."

I could hear Scott's annoyance. After nearly ten years of me wanting brighter uniforms, everyone was done with it. However, I did catch a chuckle from Logan, having already heard my comments about uniform color earlier. Well, at least there's a sense of humor under all of that.

Henna. Of course Jean was listening in.

"Let's get this flight started, huh? The sooner we get there, the sooner we save the world."

When the plane lifted itself up off the ground, rising from the basketball court, my hands gripped the seat handles. The lurch at the beginning was always the worst.

"What's our plan exactly?" Logan asked. "When we land."

Jean looked back, and I saw a hint of something in her expression. Her heart seemed to speed up as she stared at Logan, her green eyes dark. Well, that was incredibly ironic, after all she put me through when we were younger.

"We'll go through the Statue of Liberty, that's where the Brotherhood is most likely to be. From there it's getting Rogue and dismantling the machine."

"Which means that we're making this up as we go along." I explained.

Jean glared, her normally stunning features contorting. "Adrianna."

"Ria's right, Jean," Ro defended, which I was thankful for. "In all honesty, we don't know what to expect."

The rest of the flight was in silence until the George Washington Bridge was in sight. Scott flicked on the night vision of the jet to see any boats or police vehicles. "Storm, Henna, you ready?"

This was the classic entrance, shall we say. I unhooked myself from the seat, using the built in handles of the jet to get a better look at the oncoming island. Ororo's eyes went pure white as fog rolled in, giving us cover for when we landed, while I listened for anyone that could sense us.

"Welcome to the UN World Summit."

"Are you picking up anything? No, I must just be paranoid with all of this going on."

"This is the future." There.

"I don't know where, but there's definitely going to be an ambush when we land on the island. I caught the shapeshifter, Mystique's, mind. She's waiting for us. Just be prepared."

I heard a distinct snikt as Logan unleashed his claws. He was ready.

"I'm taking it down." Scott said, straightening the Blackbird for descent. Holding onto the handles for stability, I felt the jet hit uneven ground on Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty incredibly large in our sights. The lights turned off as the door opened to the ground below, everyone undoing seatbelts. "Let's go, and stay together. Magneto will only take advantage of us if we split."

Taking Scott's lead, we all start toward the statue, with me admiring it. Sure, I've been to the city plenty of times, looking at the statue from the other side of the Hudson, but it was so different this close. I understood how it could symbolize hope, a woman welcoming immigrants and refugees into the country with a torch to light the way. I also knew why Magneto was using it. The Professor had explained much about the man under the helmet, Erik Lehnsherr, born Max Eisenhart. A Jew in the time of the second world war in Poland. The statue must've been his hope too, and now his chance for change. If only it meant not becoming the man that ruined his life.

We hopped over the wall to get to the entrance, where a museum was held. Knowing the door would be locked, Jean extended her hand and telekinetically pushed the door open, allowing all of us inside without alarms going off. Even if they would've, I'm sure the Brotherhood have already taken care of them. Lights flickered on, motion sensored, as we walked into the museum, passing through a metal detector. I paused, then looked back to Logan. "You might want to go around."

He grunted in annoyance, but did it nonetheless, leaving us without an incident. I reached out my mind as we drew nearer to the stairs, waiting, knowing something was going to happen. It was only a matter of time. My mind grew clearer with each passing step. They were here, and they were getting closer…

I felt something attack me from the side. Jarred, I looked from the ground to see someone I recognized only from seeing so often in other people's minds: me. The light red hair falling out of the bun, the freckles only present under the dark eyes. She almost had the markings the same, but not enough. "Henna!" It was Scott.

"What?" Both of us said the same thing, the same tone, everything. I hopped to my feet.

"Which one is you?"

"I am, Slim, obviously." Her first mistake. I never called him anything other than Cyclops on missions. Using my powers, I slammed her into the wall.

"That clear enough for you?" I asked, looking at the others. "Go, I can handle her. Rogue's up in the torch."

Mystique was moving.

"We're not splitting up, Henna!" Scott yelled.

"I'll stay with her," Logan countered, his claws extending with a resounding snikt.

"Go, we'll catch up."

I barely turned to watch them go, eyes only on Mystique. She was in her normal form now, one I had only seen in the Professor's mind. Skin completely blue and scaled, holding an iridescence even in the dark lighting. Her hair was falling down into her face in thick ringlets, eyes like bright, yellow chrome. She was completely naked except for a skull at the base of her hairline. She could've been beautiful in her own strange way if not for the face of deadly calm.

"Wolverine, you sure about this?"

He didn't answer.

Mystique said nothing as she straightened, a trickle of blood coming down her cheek. When she ran at us, I barely had time to react before she jumped Logan, sending him to the ground.

A/N: What did you think? What do you think is going to happen at the end of X-Men and what could be coming for Ria and the crew? Let me know in a lovely review and I'll see you guys soon!