Soleanna exhaled, looking at the crushed walls around her. Lune had died, and the feelings she had on that needed to be dealt with once she had escaped this retched place. Her family was behind her, but she had a job to do, to honour her brother's ultimate sacrifice. Her head felt hazy, but she knew exactly what she had to do. As she made her way to the place she had found her brother, the control room, she sat down, looking at the screens. There was a thud at the door, non mutants and mutants breaking in. She looked up sharply, using her brother's power to knock them away. But she knew that there'd be more coming.
"You guys keep them off my tail, I've got to get into the system files and erase everything," she told them.
She was sure they went to execute their plan, she didn't bother making sure. She was focused on her task. Lune was still in her head, which made getting through all the security much easier. She quickly skimmed through it, seeing every recorded event, every file that contained anything that had to do with her family. It didn't surprise her that there was at least five years of research here, everything every step of the way. Project Paradise dated back to when the first mutant was ever found. She deleted all of that. She'd have to be sure to try and find anything else she could, but for now, this would do.
Looking around her, she noticed that this final ambush was a feeble attempt at regaining control. If Jean was in any kind of trouble, Sole was sure to feel it, and that meant that the other team was coping just fine. She still had her brother's powers with her. She combined them with her telepathy, shutting down her enemies and forcing them out of their way. Her vision went black for a moment, that kind of strain on her mind unexpected. She had never before done something like that, and probably never would again. Now that she knew how she developed powers, she knew how to stop it from happening. She didn't want any more power, didn't want someone to open up this stupid idea again.
She was calm, feeling as if she wasn't there while she looked around. But she knew exactly what she was doing. She had gotten rid of anything that could possibly be extracted here, and knew the codes to access any and all information she needed. She was going to stop this once and for all, and not a damn thing was going to stand in her way. As she calmly made her way towards the exit, everything around her was being shut down. She knew that there would be questions about this once she got back, but she didn't care right now.
She saw that the sun was rising as she led her family out of the labs. She communicated to Jean to get the others out as well. There was no point in staying here. Soleanna practiced turning off mutant powers with every one she encountered. She didn't take them away permanently, just long enough to get away safely and not have anyone on their tails. The mutants that the others were fighting off were starting to become visible from where Sole stood. She stopped them as well.
"That everyone?" asked Scott.
"It is," nodded Sole.
"What did you do to them?" asked Jean.
"I just put them all to sleep," Sole lied, not wanting to go into details about it, "Let's get out of here."
"And Lune?" asked Ororo.
"Dead," said Sole, her voice devoid of any emotions.
Without another word, she turned her back on her brother and this stupid lab. She didn't destroy it, she didn't want the one in the future to be destroyed and her family all dead. She couldn't take that chance. Once she was in the Blackbird, she felt exhausted. Everything that had happened came crashing down on her, and it made her feel light headed. She fell asleep in her seat, actually being able to sleep without feeling like the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.
...
Soleanna awoke from a dreamless sleep in her room at the Xavier mansion. She felt tired and groggy, but otherwise, comfortable. That was, until she remembered how she had gotten here. She may have been asleep, but she knew that someone would have taken her into her room once they had returned to the mansion. She didn't know how long she was out, the sun was shining brightly. But she didn't want to get up. She knew she had succeeded in her mission, but her heart was heavy with loss.
She had grown up losing people in Forge's lab, but she was never close to them. Maddock was gone, and now her brother. While she may have always known her brother as an enemy, the pain of his loss hurt her the most. Now she had changed things, and what if he was never born? What was she supposed to do then? She would never know. And now that her mission was completed, she would have to go home and see if she had succeeded. She could only assume that in her father's past, she had died and that was why her world turned out the way it did. Or else, she was sure that her future self would have been sent back again. These were questions she could have answered, once she returned home.
She got out of bed, knowing that there were things to be done. She was sure that Xavier would want to know what happened, and then she had to deal with Rogue before returning home, or all of this was a waste of time. But first, she had to pay her respects to the dead. Xavier and the others could wait, Sole wanted this done. She did not have the chance to mourn, and she felt that it was an important part of being normal. Now that all the emotions she held so dear were gone, all that was left was to be a normal girl. It was what her family always wanted from her. She refused to let anyone down.
She came to stand at her window, wondering how she was going to pay her respects. It wasn't like she didn't have time, she could go back whenever she wanted. There were just too many things racing through her head. Lune... He had given up his whole life to help her win. His memories still swirled in her mind, and she desperately tried to keep them there. She let a tear fall, wishing that none of it happened this way. She let out a small laugh, that's exactly the type of thing he avoided. He was the smartest person she knew, studied them enough. She realized in that moment, that he was right, this was the only way their future could have been saved. Even if they managed to save it with him alive, he would have died anyway, because of what those assholes in the labs had done to him. And he made sure that in killing him, she could not feel guilty. He thought of everything. The weight was lifted off her shoulders once she had realized that, and it made her hate him. She only wished that she could be as good as he was.
"Yer awake," she heard her mother speak.
Sole didn't take her eyes off the view outside her window. She wasn't on the ground floor, none of the rooms were, but she had a good look of the grounds. She noticed the younger mutants having their classes outside, a bright and sunny day. The weather was warm, a normal girl would be out enjoying it. She heard Rogue close the door behind her, and she knew that only the two of them were in the room. She vaguely wondered where her father was, but figured he would come to see her at some point in the day.
"Y'alright, sugah?" Rogue put a hand on Sole's shoulder.
"As okay as I could possibly be," answered Sole, keeping her eyes on the scenery.
"Ah know that ya probably want more time. Tha Professa would like t'see ya when y'get a chance."
"I know. I'll get there eventually."
"Gambit said ya'd probably wanna see it first."
"See what?"
"Where we buried Maddock."
Sole whipped her head to look at her mother, "What?"
Rogue smiled sadly, "We couldn' jus' leave 'im. Not afta everything he did for us, an' knowin' how much he meant to ye..."
Sole's eyes started to water, but she couldn't let it go just yet, "Show me where," she said in a weaker voice than she meant to.
Rogue flew out the window, and Sole was right there behind her. They didn't have to fly very far, and Sole was surprised to see her father there, waiting for them. She knew she shouldn't have been, it wasn't like he knew what she wanted. He also held a sad smile for her, but she quickly brushed passed him, kneeling in front of Maddock's grave. She felt so lost here, the vision of his death coming into her mind. Lune had Maddock killed, and yet, her complete understanding of how her brother's mind worked make it impossible for her resent him. Maddock would be reborn, Sole would find him once she came back to her world. Letting only one tear fall, she stood, keeping her eyes on the grave.
It was the only one here. These people didn't have to do this at all, and she knew that in part, it was for her. Looking beside it, the big empty space that now occupied her heart. Her brother, he deserved one after all the sacrifices he made. But could she really ask that of them? After everything he had put them through, would they understand it like she did? Who would she even ask about that? She supposed the Professor would suffice. She was sad that she would be going home alone and not with the two people she had lost. But if she had really succeeded, they would be there once she arrived.
"How long was I out?" asked Sole, turning to look at her parents.
"Three days," answered Rogue.
"Everyone made it out okay?"
"Oui petite... T'ought y'were hurt," said Remy, reaching out to wipe away her tear.
"No, just drained."
"Dat what Jean say. De Prof be waitin', petite. He need t'know what happen. We all do."
Sole sighed, "I know. I just..." she looked back at Maddock's grave, "I just don't know what to expect. When I go home, what if nothing changed? Even if it did, what will I do now? The only thing I know how to do is fight... I'm scared..."
Remy hugged her, "Not'in' t'be scared of, petite. Dere ain' not'in' in dis world dat y'can do dat stop us from bein' proud. Everyt'ing work out, Sole, y'see."
"How can you possibly know that?"
He put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her. Rogue stood beside him, both of them with pride in their eyes, "De two o'us too stubborn t'let it all fall apart again."
Sole smiled, "And I'm a product of both of you. Thick headed on both ends."
"Ya got that right, sugah," Rogue winked at her.
"Never forget, Je t'aime, ma belle fille."
She hugged the both of them, letting another tear fall, "Je t'aime," she whispered, the fear in her heart ebbing away.
...
hello me lovelies, terrible news, ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT! if you want more than two chapters, vote on the poll, it will be open until a week after the last chapter. love you and thanks for sticking around!