Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, Emily Rachery, or Robi Wexler.
Cyclops adjusted the settings on his visor with a deft touch of his finger. He could hear the sound of several people sneaking up to the mansion. Magneto obviously wasn't operating on the side of caution, but he had little reason to be afraid. Charles was away, and the X-Men, though skilled, were a small group. His Brotherhood had been growing steadily over the years. Cyclops wasn't worried. This was the home of his students; no one was stepping their dangerous and crazy-ass feet on it unless he gave them leave to, or he knew he could destroy them and completely dominate the playing field.
The second of which was true in this instance.
Cyclops pressed himself against the cold concrete wall, his black uniform melding him into the shadows. He waited with baited breath as the sounds of feet drew closer to the garage doors. His hand was up at his visor in a millisecond, simply waiting to blast several other mutants into oblivion. He turned his face away as he heard a familiar beeping, and the garage doors were suddenly blasted inwards, sending metal and shrapnel headed his way.
He refused to cough as the dust tickled his throat, and then turned to face his enemies. A group of ten immediately stepped into the garage, and it was as though math notations appeared in front of his vision. He sent one blast with enough strength to give a decent concussion as well as induce unconsciousness. He didn't bother to follow its trajectory; he knew it would knock the girl with pink hair out. He blasted two more, taking down his total enemies down to seven. He threw himself out of the way and pulled himself into a tight somersault as the mutants realized they were under attack.
Cyclops swore viciously underneath his breath as he heard the familiar sound of a car exploding. He had landed behind the mansion's SUV, and he laid on his stomach. He took a deep breath, waiting for a foot to appear, somewhere underneath the cars. The moment he saw one, he took the shot and he heard a scream. Using this as a distraction, he sprinted, keeping low, to duck behind his Mazda. He gave his car a gentle pat as an apology if anything happened to her.
"Hey, fucker, why don't you show yourself?" One of his opponents yelled, his voice echoing slightly.
Cyclops smirked. They thought they could taunt him. It was impossible to taunt the leader of the X-Men when he was in battle. Outside, he was merely another man who needed to wear sunglasses at night as well as during the day. During battle, he was cold and distant, merely thinking in terms of who he needed to protect and serious physics (where he could blast, what he could bounce his blasts off, etc).
"Yeah." Came a high-pitched, whining female's voice. "We're just gonna shoot you off your feet if you don't surrender, so you might as well die quicker."
Cyclops crept around, taking advantage of the many cars in the garage. He kept absolutely silent until he was directly behind the group of inexperienced fighters. They hadn't heard him, and he followed them, his smirk growing more and more prominent as he listened to their frantic whispering.
"Think we got him?" One of the girls asked.
"Dunno." Replied the hulking male. "Can't see a damn thing."
"Let's go inside, Magneto told us to look for Pyro."
"Like he'd come with the idiots."
"Guys! Can we just focus on whether or not we're gonna get our asses handed to us?"
Cyclops quickly erased his smirk, and then spoke up. "That might be a good idea."
"Fuck!" One of the Brotherhood mutants shrieked.
Cyclops quickly eradicated the last seven with the same powerful blast that threw their dead bodies into the shadowy depths. This done, he crouched behind the shield of one of the students' cars. Minutes ticked by, and he let out a sigh when he heard the sound of the jet lowering into its hangar. Most people wouldn't have been able to hear it over the sound of battle, but the jet was his baby, and it was absolutely silent in the garage.
He didn't have heightened senses like the Wolverine, but he knew when something was suddenly terribly, terribly wrong, and that was when the feeling descended upon him.
XXX
Storm landed the jet expertly in the hangar, and then shut it down. The X-Men filed out, the mood charged and expectant. Colossus picked up John, who was still unconscious and freezing. Now that they were at the mansion, however, with readily available advanced medical supplies, concern now only aimed at the possibility of a concussion or other internal injuries. Shadowcat gently took Alyssa and Emily's elbows and helped them from the jet to the medlab.
"Will you be all right here, Shadowcat?" Colossus asked his wife.
Shadowcat smiled as she bustled about the medlab, taking different supplies from the drawers and cabinets. "Colossus, put John on the table and get his wet clothes off. There are blankets in that closet." She pointed as she prepared an IV. She was no official doctor, but Hank had taught her several things in case she needed to help someone, whether she was in the medlab or not.
Colossus did as he was told, toweling the soaked Pyro. Storm walked in after sending Iceman and Angel upstairs to help the other X-Men. "Shadowcat, tell me something good, please." The dark-skinned woman sighed, obviously itching to join the battle.
Shadowcat looked up. "He'll be fine. I just need to get him covered up and put some warm compresses on him, and use one of Hank's hypothermia IV bags." She took a deep breath, focusing on John's limp elbow. She gently tapped the soft inside of his elbow and then inserted the IV. She attached the Teflon needle to the IV bag, sending the fluid into John's bloodstream.
"Okay. Unless you need him, we might need Colossus upstairs." Storm told her.
"Take him, I'm fine. Will I stay down here with the other two as well?" Shadowcat referred to Alyssa and Emily who had found the soft patient beds for the rare cases in which someone needed to stay in the medlab over night.
"Yes. They're in no shape to fight, and they need to rest. Good luck, Shadowcat." Storm nodded.
"And to you, too." Shadowcat stood on her tiptoes, her husband leaning down to kiss her gently. "I love you." She squeezed Colossus' hand.
"I love you too." He turned around and faced Storm. "Let's go." And with that, the other two X-Men left Shadowcat in the medlab with her three patients.
Kitty left her Shadowcat façade behind, allowing herself to simply be Kitty. She sighed, deciding not to think about her husband and her friends. Right now, she had a hypothermia patient to warm up and make note on Dr. McCoy's chart to check for possible tissue and brain damage. She had known they shouldn't move him so much when he was unconscious, but it couldn't be helped. They had needed to get out of the building to save John's life, and now they were in a safe place.
Kitty tucked more blankets around John's body, slipping a few warm compresses around his neck, on his hands and feet, and on his groin. She made a note on the chart to change them every ten minutes, and hooked John up to various machines; monitors for his heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory systems. She placed an oxygen mask over John's nose and mouth. She hooked the medical chart onto the end of the table, leaving him for a short time.
"Alyssa, can I check you over?" Kitty asked, approaching the bed where the water-manipulator was resting tentatively.
Alyssa looked up and nodded wordlessly. Her eyes were distant, and Kitty wondered what she was seeing. She grabbed Hank's stethoscope. "Here, take a deep breath… and another… and one more, Alyssa." She nodded, finding Alyssa's chart and marking down her vitals. "You seem to be fine."
"I am not fine." Alyssa's voice was cutting.
"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, putting the chart down. "What happened in there?"
Alyssa sighed. "I don't really remember, but… they just… I feel so dry and empty. I can't feel the moisture in the air. They put me on an IV, but it wasn't whatever's in normal IV." She shuddered.
Kitty exhaled. "Wow." She picked up the chart again. "Are you in any pain? I can give you something for it…"
Alyssa shook her head. "You can't. Don't even think about it. Look at my damn chart." She gestured to the chart in Kitty's hand. "I'm just going to get some sleep, and I think I'll be okay with that. I can't… take anything, not when I'm like this."
Kitty furrowed her eyebrows, flipping through Alyssa's medical history. She went back to the beginning, finding Hank's first notes. She peered at the neat handwriting. She couldn't possibly be reading what she was, but it all made sense. She nodded, deciding against making any mention of it. She could only nod once more, and then rubbed her friend's upper arm.
"You're going to be okay. Just let me take a blood sample and Hank can see what's in you, and if we can't get it out of you before it'll naturally leave your system." Kitty told her, quickly taking a small blood sample and marked it with Alyssa's name. "Okay, we're done. Just get some sleep, girl."
Kitty moved onto Emily, looking her over. "Any pain?" She asked, leaving Emily's side to find her chart.
"No. Is John going to be okay?" She asked, casting worried eyes over to the limp form on the medical table. "He looks so pale, and I just… need him to be okay. You know?" She looked up at Kitty, a married woman. "He's only been back for a little bit, but I'm already so dependent on him for everything. He can be such an ass, but he needs to wake up. He's going to be okay, right?"
Kitty laughed, nodding. "Don't worry, he'll be back on his feet, pissing everyone off again soon enough. I'll take good care of him until Hank can. We just need to get him warmed up. You can go sit with him while I find more blankets and make you all comfortable."
Emily immediately stood up and went to stand by John's side. She found his hand underneath the blankets and held it gently. She stared down at his face, wondering why he hadn't woken up yet. She looked over her shoulder when she heard a soft snore, giggling when she saw Alyssa had fallen asleep, relieved. Alyssa was so strong. Emily found herself admiring her best friend more and more each minute. While Alyssa was strong, Emily had never felt more weak or useless. Kitty wasn't about to let her leave to fight with the X-Men, though she wasn't sure her muscles could stand it. John was unconscious (though Kitty had told her he was merely sleeping now, letting his body heal), and she couldn't fix him. She couldn't do anything to help him. He had done so much for her and had protected her so well. She owed him so much for keeping a smile on her face for most of their time in the cell and keeping her mind off of the cold reality.
"Hey John." She murmured. "I know you're in there somewhere, but just listen, okay? You have to wake up. I know you'll just piss me off again soon, even though you're really different, which I kind of like, you know? I just don't know what to tell you, except to ask you to wake up sometime. Don't leave me again." The last sentence was a whisper, and she fell silent, staring at his pale face, expecting his brown eyes to open any moment.
XXX
Logan yelled out as he buried his claws into another Brotherhood mutant. The element of surprise had been blown when his fighting instincts kicked into gear and he'd tackled twin brothers who used gravity and each other to fight off any attackers. They were annoying him and kept throwing things in his general direction for some odd reason. He'd taken them both down and jumped into the fray that erupted.
He sniffed, his nose detecting a scent he hadn't smelled for a while, but one he definitely recognized. Magneto. He slashed three more mutants, and then faced the elderly mutant. He scowled when he saw Mystique at his side. Bitch.
"Oh, Wolverine." Magneto greeted him. "How nice to see you again. Care to… hang around?" He asked, levitating Logan into the air.
"Can't wait to slice you up, bub." Logan spat, attempting to point his claws at Magneto. "Just couldn't wait to get your ass kicked, huh?"
"Mystique, would you care to go to the garage? Our good friend Scott Summers is waiting for you." Magneto sent the blue-skinned woman off with a slight smile.
Mystique sauntered off, taking the form of one Jean Grey. Logan growled, knowing Cyclops would never fall for such a disguise. He could only hope Scott wouldn't crack in battle because he was seeing his fiancée for the first time in seven years.
"You're an asshole." Wolverine growled.
"Well, I've heard that before. Surprisingly enough, I don't believe you're in a position to be making such comments. You see, I could use you to kill all of your friends. Even your girlfriend, Ororo, if the rumor mill speaks truly."
Logan growled, using all of his strength to force himself out of Magneto's hold. "You lay one fucking finger on her, and I will end you." He threatened.
"Oh, was that a promise?" Magneto shook his head. "For some odd reason, I'm not afraid. But don't worry about Storm, she has enough to worry about. As do you, I imagine." He commented, slowly bringing his fingers together and crushing Logan's leg. It healed itself rapidly, but Magneto then broke his other leg, and then his left hip, slowly moving on upwards.
XXX
Cyclops held his breath as the door to the mansion opened, the sound of high heels clacking against the concrete floor. A familiar form of a woman stepped out, and Cyclops kept his eyes trained on her. He bit down on his bottom lip, gathering his courage and resolve. He knew it wasn't who his eyes saw, but that didn't mean it broke his heart any less to consider what he needed to do.
"Mystique, I always knew Wolverine was right. You are a bitch." He called out, not going to bother with the ducking and hiding. Mystique was a different kind of mutant, and she had real skills. He would fight her outright, and then end her for having the balls to look like his dead fiancée.
"Why, thank you, Scott. You're a dear too." Jean Grey's voice spoke, but Cyclops refused to react to it.
He pressed the side of his visor and aimed at Mystique, even as she performed a fancy cartwheel to get out of the way. He judged her speed and the distance she would go with one revolution and then targeted a spot ten feet in front of her. He held his breath, and then released it as he shot one beam. It hit Mystique, still posing as Jean, directly in the chest.
"Now take off the damn disguise and fight me." Cyclops ordered.
Mystique gathered herself, feeling the blue skin bruise. He had balls and extreme intelligence, she would give him that, but she didn't think he'd last very long. He may have been the leader of the X-Men, but she was Erik's right hand, despite what Pyro would have liked to believe. The kid had only ever been a pawn, a dangerous one that needed to be silenced. She left Jean's visage behind and faced Cyclops.
"You think you can beat me, that your virtual reality can train you for a real fight with a really dangerous mutant?" Mystique asked as she launched herself at him, aiming for his visor.
Cyclops ducked out of the way, grabbing her arm and pinning it behind her back. "If you're dangerous, then I must be deadly." He hissed into her ear in a treacherous whisper.
He kicked her away, and then blasted her again, but only succeeded in blowing up the Miata directly behind her. He turned around quickly and covered his head, hoping none of the larger shards would hit him. He swore at himself, internally chastising his evident lack of control. He couldn't focus on berating himself further, as Mystique attacked him the moment the dust settled.
He was tackled onto the ground, Mystique above him. He kicked her off, rolling away to push himself into a standing position. He gave up blasting, considering the close quarters and the fact he was now facing the Corvette. He would blast it into oblivion if it would end Mystique, but she seemed much more interested in taking advantage of his 'weakness'.
Cyclops met her blow for blow, giving as good as he got. Unlike what she thought and what she had seen from him, he hadn't been trained by a computer. He had designed that computer program from what he had learned in conventional battle. He wasn't the leader of the X-Men because he was Xavier's poster boy. He had proved himself in hard battle and in the level of strategic skill he possessed. He finally dealt her a sweeping roundhouse kick, and sent her flying. He aimed and fired a blast that knocked her out into the night. He didn't know if she was dead or unconscious or simply injured, and frankly, he didn't care. All he knew was that she wouldn't be attacking him again, any time soon. He left the garage and joined the battle in the mansion.
XXX
John murmured in his sleep, completely unaware that there was a conscious world. He was stuck inside a dream, tortured beyond repair. He tried to scream, but as in the dream world, all sound he tried to make was muffled. He twisted and turned, trying to escape the hold of his nightmare, but to no avail. He was restrained in the dark, damp world he now was forced to see. Two figures approached him.
"Ah, my boy." Magneto's silky sweet voice, and John shuddered. "Where did you go off to?"
"We missed you so much." Mystique whispered, her fingers trailing through his hair.
"Leave me the fuck alone. I left you, remember? You can't touch me!" He screamed, thrashing to get out of his dream.
"Oh, but we can." Magneto reminded him. "You do not leave my Brotherhood, except when you have died. You must now pay the price. You will lose the only thing that has ever mattered to you."
"Fuck you, cupcake." John spat. "I don't care if you end up ruling the world. I'd never come back to you. Just leave me the hell alone, and don't you dare touch Emily. I'll kill you." He promised.
With those ominous words, he shivered into wakefulness, and the first face he saw made him smile blearily. Emily.