Disclaimer: Leeeeeerooooooooyyyyyy Jeeeeeeennnnkiiiiiiiins! Least, that's what Wolverine yelled when he rushed out of the kitchen in X2 and aggro'd the entire Mansion! Heh. Er. They're not mine. And yes, I'm a WoW nerd. (:
Story Notes: This story acknowledges some aspects of X2 as well as some of the foundation of X-Men: Origins. Yes, I've messed with canon, who cares!
Normalcy is Overrated: She never asked to be different. She was pretty complacent being normal. The day that changed her whole life changed. Being a mutant definitely isn't all it's cracked up to be. OC alert!
Normalcy is Overrated
Chapter Twenty-Five
"We can't get her off the ground."
Shivering, I rubbed my hands over my face and stood at the top of the ramp, struggling to see over Sabretooth's shoulder. The children were strapped into the bench seats in the back, and Rogue, Bedlam, Pyro, and even Iceman were already strapped into their seats. Storm and Cyclops were at the controls, while Jean tended the Professor. Kurt, the blue guy, was perched on a chair across from Rogue, crossing himself like a Catholic and, all-around, looking uncomfortable.
"Shit!" The usually pristine and seemingly preppy Cyclops howled as the jet powered up, only to shut right back down. "There's gotta be something wrong with these gauges. Damn. It has to be because of the landing, maybe it's the snow? Ororo?"
"We need to do a full system restart," she suggested, her voice as calm as it ever was. "How long would one take?"
"Too long!" Cyclops spat as he stood up, fiddling with gauges over his head. "We need to get off of the ground, and now!"
Sabretooth walked up the ramp slowly, rubbing his hands together as he glanced over at me. I simply nodded at him as he leaned against the side of the jet, arms crossed over his chest. Wolverine was in the front of the jet, as though his presence alone would somehow make Cyclops and Storm work faster. "Got two, three minutes tops," he grunted, black eyes devoid of emotion.
"That's not long enough to get the jet going, is it?" I asked, sighing heavily when he merely lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "What about digging the landing gear out? Would that help any?"
"No," Jean replied for him, pressing a hand to her thigh as she hobbled toward us. "A complete systems restart takes at least four and a half minutes, generally closer to six. They've been doing this for years, but there's only so much they can do." Wordlessly, she hobbled down the ramp and onto the snow.
Hands clenched, I glanced toward Cyclops and Storm, willing them to somehow magically fix the jet. It wasn't fair, and it was quite childish, but I was tired and weak, and completely overwhelmed by what had happened to me. "Pyro, can't you melt some of this stone?"
"No," he replied gruffly, playing with his ignitors like a child would play with their hot wheels car. "It's too sudden, too much. I'd just as likely turn it into ice or melt the landing gear. The only time I've really worked with... that sort of stuff is with Bobby."
"And no, I can't control stuff I don't create," the mutant in question supplied, bent over in his seat, head braced in his hands. He looked defeated, sad, and Rogue looked lost as she sat between him and Pyro hands clasped in her lap. "I've been practicing, and maybe in a few more months . . ."
As he drifted off, I glanced back at Sabretooth, who merely shoved past me in order to make his way to the front of the jet, where he argued with Wolverine good-naturedly while attempting to assist a wary Cyclops. A strange creaking noise echoed in the air, causing me to glance down the ramp in surprise.
"Jean?" the Professor murmured as the ramp began to lift of its own accord. "Where is Jean?"
As the ramp continued to rise, my heart began to race. "She's outside!" I howled as the ramp sealed itself shut. "What the heck?"
The next instant, the jet was alive with sound as it slowly powered up, as though by some miracle. "What's going on?" Cyclops demanded as he struggled to sit down at the controls, obviously confused. "What's Jean doing?"
"I'm sorry," the Professor spoke up suddenly, his accented voice altered as what sounded like Jean's voice left his lips. "But, it's the only way. I know what I am doing." He shuddered violently as he looked over his shoulder at the ramp, eyes wide in fear. "Jean."
"Jean!" Cyclops shouted as he attempted to shove past Wolverine, who caught him in a bear hug and refused to let him go. "Jean! Don't do this! You!" he practically shouted at the top of his lungs, motioning to the uncomfortable-looking Kurt Wagner. "Get her!"
He disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, only to reappear in the exact same place. "I cannot, she vwill not let me."
The jet was chaotic as I stared at the shut ramp in contemplation. I could almost feel the jet lifting off of the ground, but it was slow, as though the work was strenuous. My mind was a mess of thoughts and emotions as I stalked toward the ramp, smashing my fist into the sealed door at the edge and gripping the jagged metal. It swung downwards on its hinges noisily, clearly destroyed as it finally thumped against the ground after I kicked at it. Wordlessly, I jogged down the ramp and stood in the snow, eyes narrowed as Jean turned, her hair blowing in the breeze.
"Let me help you," I shouted as I crouched, making my way under the jet right under the ramp. I can do this. You know I can, I told her. I felt her brush against my mind gently as I sucked in a deep breath, legs braced. "I can do this," I repeated as I started to stand, the middle of my upper back braced against the bottom of the jet and the palms of my hand cupping the smooth metal.
I wasn't a puppet as I blocked out everything except for my determination to lift the jet. My body shuddered in alarm, in fatigue, and yet I could not give up. Whatever Jean had done to me, whatever the weird mental attack had done, it had changed me. My body felt strange, even new to me, as I pushed it to its limits, lifting the Blackbird off of the ground.
This has to weigh a ton, I grunted as I struggled, sweat beading down my back and brow as I closed my eyes, groaning. Come on, Dr. Grey. Help me!
Closer to seventy-five tons, her voice echoed calmly in my mind as the weight eased ever so slightly. Soon, between the two of us, I was standing at my full height, arms outstretched and the jet resting on the palm of my hands. For a split second, I wondered if I was dreaming, if I looked like the infamous Atlas holding the very world in my hands. It is coming. The dam is no more.
The jet continued to hover of its own volition some ten feet above our heads as I staggered toward her, body weak and weary. She stood with one hand stretched out toward the jet, and her body half-turned, focusing on the ocean of water that was racing toward us so fast that I knew it would be upon us almost instantly.
My instincts took over as I grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her toward me as I turned on my heel, trudging through the snow. The ramp, still open since I'd destroyed the mechanical hinges, beckoned me as I pushed up off of the ground, free hand outstretched. The ramp grew closer and closer, and I realized with a gasp that I wasn't going to make it when suddenly several figures appeared in the ramp way, and four arms reached out, grabbing at me.
The ramp creaked under our way as I clung to it, dragging Dr. Grey up beside me as I shuddered in relief. My ears were ringing, my heart pounded wildly, and yet the sound of rushing water was deafening, causing me to look over my shoulder at the destruction that we'd left behind. As it grew further and further away, I wanted to sob in relief.
It was over.
"Jean? Jean!"
Suddenly, the woman next to me began to convulse. Alarmed, I sat up shakily, rolling her onto her back and held her down by her shoulders. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she continued to convulse, blood trickling from both nostrils. Wolverine and Sabretooth clutched at her, attempting to hold her steady even as she convulsed, the jet mimicking her movements. Her mouth fell open hauntingly, as though she were screaming silently. As she stopped convulsing, so did the jet.
"I think it's over," I managed, panting as I loosened my grip on her shoulders, suddenly aware of the fact that I could have snapped her in half. "I think it's over."
But it wasn't.
Her eyes fluttered open again, flashing a vibrant orange as she convulsed one last time. The ramp beneath us shook violently as it was suddenly ripped from the jet as though it was the top of a tin can. I reached up wildly, grasping air as I fell away from the jet, riding the ramp down like some sort of sail. I heard them call my name over and over again as I dropped down heavily, fear icing my veins.
The wind whistled in my ears as I looked down and around, eyeing the still flowing water uneasily. Before I could even send up a silent prayer, the metal ramp slammed against the top of the water, nearly causing me to break my own jaw as my head slammed against my knee. It skidded once, and then twice as I scrambled to hang on. My fingers pierced the metal as I struggled to hold on, wondering how in the heck I'd wound up tubing on a sheet of metal.
An instant after the second skid, the metal ramp flipped suddenly, and I managed to suck in a shallow breath before my back hit the water. The current grabbed at me, jerking my fingers out of their holds as I was sucked under water in a vacuum. My chest stung, burned, as I was sucked deeper into the water and tossed side to side. I flailed, arms flapping as I struggled to right myself, struggled to swim upwards.
And suddenly, I realized I had no idea which way was up.
My body felt heavy and weak as something large slammed into me, sending me flipping in the icy cold water. A grunt left my lips and, instinctively, I sucked in a mouthful of water. Choking, I opened my eyes in the gloomy green underworld, coughing as I tried to right myself. What felt like hours passed by as I swam upwards, the current constantly dragging me toward the side. My eyes burned in the water, and my chest felt like it was going to explode, when suddenly something impossibly warm filled my body and touched against my mind.
"Dani! Don't give up! Don't go under!" My dad's face flashed through my mind as a drunken smile curled my lips. In the space of an instant, I finally understood.
Hands raised above me, I clenched my eyes shut and shot upwards, rocketing up through the water like a missile before breaking the surface. Before I'd even sucked in my first breath of air, I was screaming. Fear, relief, hatred, glee; emotions churned inside of me as I sailed through the air wobbly. Choking on the water that had filled my lungs, I felt blinded by the sun as I rested my eyes on the sight of the X-Jet sailing toward me.
The sun was behind it, casting a fairy tale glow on the sleek and impressive jet. As it neared, fatigue settled in my bones and I found myself fighting to not lose altitude. The moment that it was close enough and I could see faces peering out from where the ramp had once been, I dipped into a heart rushing arc and flew toward it. My ears popped and the wind chilled my cheeks as I defied gravity, sailing through the air like a real-life Super Girl.
One must wonder if it's reasonable to add the ramp to the list of things you've yet to repair, Danielle, the Professor's voice chuckled in my head, and I could almost feel his tears of relief as I crumpled to my knees inside of the jet, body trembling and weak. You were very brave, my child. Rest now, he urged me as my eyelids fluttered shut.
Instinctively, I clutched at the chest of Sabretooth as he pulled me further into the jet. My eyes fluttered open a few times before I lost the battle and sank into the quiet darkness where there was no pain.
"That's my Dani-girl. I'm always watching out for you, baby. Always."
A/N: Zomg! A flying Dani! Who would've guessed? Not me. Not ever. Yes, she's totally got a Ms. Marvel thing going, with the added benefit of slightly accelerated healing in place of near invulnerability, but I think it fits when paired with her strength. Yay Dani. (: