Rebekah

While our minor sexist argument was fun, there's still that slightly nervous part of me that is screaming that I'm bleeding insane! I've never done a chute jump before and now I'm about to do one over what could turn out to be a warzone. Yay me! I turn to the door.

"Third dropzone! GO!"

And I leap out. Cold winds buffet me and I try to remember the twenty minute training session Jean and Logan gave me. My hand automatically strays for the cord but I pull it away. Jean told me she'd pull it telekinetically. But what if she forgets?! I spin and swear. All I can think of is a centrifuge of blood, which probably isn't the best thing to be thinking of right now. Stop thinking about terminal velocity! Think of air resistance! Good, now arms out, provide drag. Stop panicking and start thinking like a scientist. You always think of yourself as one, so start acting like that!

The cord is tugged and the parachute unfurls. I grab the small straps and tilt the chute. There's a small floating structure -the machinery- and I'd rather not get my fur soaked. It takes ages to dry and then I'd probably have salt crusted in my fur as well. Not exactly comfortable. Jean's hiding me from view, projecting an image of a blank sky to all who may look up but I'm still terrified. That's kind of obligatory.

This part of the plan isn't mine. I wouldn't be stupid enough to suggest a parachute jump. I simply suggested some of our ground tactics. Well, most of them. I hit the raft and run, pulling the chute off as I do so and throwing it into the sea. There the silk will be weighed down by the water and sink. I glance up and watch the Blackbird swirl around. Autopilot, taking it back to Westchester. Hopefully, the rest of the X-Men will be able to come and get us. I spot Isaac and hurry over.

"You know what to do, Be- 'Thera?"

"Yes. Now close your eyes."

He does and I shrink down. Not cat. I know it's there... Used it when I was working out this plan... There! The wildcat form is comfortable. Slightly stocky build, stronger than a typical housecat but small enough to slip through to the machinery and to let me tear it to bits unnoticed.

I slip out of the clothes and Isaac snatches them up, stuffing them into his bag.

"Good luck."

I mewl in reply and start slinking along.

Isaac

As I fell through the air, I suddenly realized how stupid I was to jump out of a plane without a parachute. Oh well. I could see water below me anyway and my healing factor would take care of any broken bones. I tried to get into a streamlined shape and prepare for the collision. I felt my body start to speed up until I was going extremely fast. I slipped into slow time and watched as the icy water came closer and closer. Two things flashed through my mind as I was about to hit the water. One, this water was probably shallow and I was about to break every bone in my body and two, this water was going to be freezing cold.

I hit the water with hardly a splash. Thankfully, there were no icebergs lurking beneath the surface. I was right about the temperature though. It was bitterly cold. The X-men body suit I was wearing protected me from the worst of it but my unprotected face was blue within seconds. The shock was enough for me to withdraw breath and underwater, that was not a good thing. Instinctively, I teleported to the surface, choking and spluttering water everywhere. I teleported to the bank where I took a couple of minutes to recover. After, I felt warm enough to move, I started making my way to my first target point.

From what Jean had told me, I was on the border of Canada and Alaska. I found my target almost straight away. It was a small power station. My job was to but it on the blink for a few hours. A task I went about with great pleasure. I took a deep breath and started to gather energy. When I was at maximum power, I let it all out through my eyes like a small atomic bomb. The explosion was incredible. It must have lighted the area up for miles.

My first job done, I slipped into slow time and sped towards the second target. Bekah would already be there. I travelled further into Alaska. I could feel the temperature dropping. The Blackbird passed over my head. I stopped as I reached my destination. Bekah came running up to me. I turned to face her.

"You know what to do. Be- 'Thera," I said.

"Okay. Now close your eyes.

I did as she requested. I wished her luck as she padded off towards another power station in the distance. I stuffed Bekah's clothes in a knapsack and lay them down. I had to wait half an hour before Bekah was back out. I laid her clothes on the floor and she wiggled into them and expanded into her more human form.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"Like a dream. The workers there didn't have a clue what was going on."

"We've got to go and meet up with Jean and Logan. Grab on," I said holding out my arm. She did and I teleported a couple of times.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Bekah said once we had stopped.

"We're here; can you smell Jean, Logan, or Spider-Man anywhere?"

"No, can you?"

"Not with my nose," I replied. I reached out with my mind and searched for them.

"Jean's over there somewhere and Logan is behind us. He'll be here in a couple of minutes. I can't detect Spider-Man but that's cause he's not a mutant."

"Show off," Bekah said with a grin.

Within ten minutes we were all together again. Spider-Man arrived last.

"There were no skyscrapers to swing on so I had to run," he complained.

We had all completed our separate missions. The first phase of the plan was to take out the nearest power stations. That way, the machine couldn't absorb any of the energy. The next part was to get to the machine, which was fronting as an offshore oil rig. For this we'd need a couple of sea planes. They were in huge supply in Alaska. Hopefully, they wouldn't miss a couple.