A/N: I can't tell you how happy I am to receive so many reviews. You guys really make my day.

Now hold on tight to your seats, ladies and gentlemen. The battle everyone's been waiting for has finally arrived. If you have a weak stomach for violence, don't read this. If not, enjoy. I hope you have a good time. And please review!


Chapter 28 - Deathtraps

McTaggert's Institute of Genetic Research, Muir Island.

"Oh good! I'm glad I've found you. You're going to tell me everything that's happened between you and Mr. fearless leader during this past week, and you're going to tell me now!" Storm demanded as she entered the big kitchen.

"Good morning to you too, Ro," Jean scoffed from her chair as she tried to breastfeed Rachel. She looked down at the baby in her arms. "C'mon, sweetie. You're getting mommy worried."

The white-haired woman approached mother and daughter. "What's wrong? Why are the two of you wake at four a.m.?"

"I'm not sure. Rachel's been crying since two o'clock. I brought her here before she could wake up everybody in the women's dorm."

"You're up since two a.m.?" Storm asked while fixing herself some coffee.

"Yeap," Jean replied, moving her upset daughter from one breast to the other. "What about you? Are your ribs still aching?"

"A little, but not enough to prevent me from sleeping. I'm just way too excited about today's strike against the Inner Circle to get a proper night of sleep."

"You should be worried, not excited, Ro. These people are dangerous," the telepath retorted. She caressed her daughter's cheeks lovingly, wiping some tears away. "Why won't you eat, baby, huh?"

"I wonder if she's suffering from tummy cramps…" Ororo suggested.

"No, I don't think so. I've already given her a painkiller, but for some reason she's still restless."

"Maybe Rachel misses sleeping near her dad…"

"That's nonsense, Ro. Logan's only seen her once," the redhead replied, addressing her best friend with a cold look.

Storm gave her a provocative smile. "I meant Summers. Or is it Kirby? I'm not sure what kind of kinky pretend games you two have been playing lately. But I'd love to hear all about it."

The telepath narrowed her eyes. "Now you're just being nosy… and mean. You know that Scott's not Rachel's father."

"And you're not Nathan's mother, yet you take care of him as if he was yours. I saw the look in your eyes while you nursed him last night. You're completely taken by that boy."

"I am," Jean admitted with a nod.

"What about his father?" Storm cocked a white eyebrow.

The redhead sighed. "What do you want me to say, Ro? That I'm completely taken by Scott too? I am. There, I've said it out loud. Happy?"

"Not while I don't hear all the details," Ororo answered with a smug smile.

Jean finally managed to make her daughter start sucking. "Then shut up and fix me some tea before I pass out from lack of sleep. And pull yourself a chair… this might take a while if you're in for all the details," she told her best friend with a grin.

xxxxx

Two hours later, Warren climbed the Blackbird's hatch.

"Hey Cyke. I've just talked to Candy on the phone. It's all set. My private jet will be waiting for Jean and the kids in the Westchester County airport."

"Perfect, Angel. We'll land the Blackbird there in stealth mode, and then your jet will take them to Colorado. I want you to stay with Jean and the children while the rest of us strike the Hellfire Club," Scott replied without looking up from the pilot seat. He was busy checking the jet's control panel.

"You sure? The X-Men are going to need all the help they can get to defeat those bastards," the winged mutant pointed out.

"There are plenty of us already. Besides, I need you to protect Jean, Nathan and Rachel in case someone tries to attack them," Cyclops told him, turning around to stare the blonde in the eyes. "Jean hasn't taken the antidote, Warren. If someone injects her with the vaccine, she'll be powerless to defend herself and the children," he said, his tone dead serious. "Promise me you won't leave her side. Promise me you'll defend her with your life if you must."

Angel's wings gave a small twist in annoyance. "Look, I don't know exactly what happened between the two of you in Edinburgh, but I've got a pretty good idea. And I'm going to tell you once and for all, Scott, you're not the only one who cares about Jeannie," the blonde stated. "Did she ever tell you how the two of us met?"

Cyclops looked confused. "No. But what does it have to do with me asking you to look after her?"

"Just… Oh, never mind. Just… trust me. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Thank you."

"You know… the way you two have been acting since yesterday… people are talking. You might want to come clean about the new status of your relationship," Angel suggested.

"We will. But I've got work to do first. I can't be distracted right now," Cyclops said, receiving a nod from Angel. "Tell the professor the jet's ready. We leave in thirty minutes."

xxxxx

Just as planned, six hours later the Blackbird dropped Angel, Jean and the babies in Westchester's airport and resumed its flight to Manhattan. The Central Park was closed due to a strong snowstorm that had taken place in New York the day before, making it the perfect spot for Cyclops to land the jet.

"Are you sure you want to join us in zhe field, professor?" Nightcrawler asked Xavier.

"I am, Kurt. If the White Queen is beyond Havoc's and Polaris' mind controlling, my telepathy will be needed."

"All right, X-Men and acolytes. Just as we've discussed yesterday… Jubilee and I will join the Blue team, along with Beast, Gambit and Rogue. We'll break in through the back door. Storm, Iceman, Colossus and Charles, you're part of the Gold team. Nightcrawler will lead you. Miss Voght, I want you to go in with them and keep an eye on the professor. If anything happens, use your teleportation skills to get him safely back to the bird," Scott commanded.

"What about us, Cyclops?" Magnus asked. "Cortez and I could destroy the Hellfire Club's mansion with a mere thought."

"You'll stay in the jet with Forge, Magneto. Our main goal is to rescue Alex and Lorna alive, not to wreck the place down. Besides, you're going to need all your strength to spread the antidote after we're done here."

"I'm not used to stand back and watch other people do my work for me, boy," Erik retorted, standing up from his seat. "This mission goes beyond saving your friends. The Inner Circle must be brought down at any cost."

"We appreciate your willingness to put an end to this madness, Erik, but Cyclops' right. You should save your powers for now. The three of you are essential for our later plans, and God knows you could use some rest, old friend," Professor X told him, not without eyeing Cortez with suspicion first.

"Fair enough," Magnus replied, sitting back on his chair.

"Keep the communicator on, Forge. If zhings get out of control, we'll call you," Nightcrawler said, receiving a nod from the Indian.

"Let's go, X-Men."


The Hellfire Club, New York

Rogue and Beast silently knocked down the four guards who were watching the backyard while Gambit easily picked on the lock. Cyclops carefully stepped inside what looked like an industrial kitchen and looked around for any threats. "The place is clean. Come on," he motioned for his teammates to follow him.

They crept across the kitchen and ended up in a huge ballroom. So far, there were no signs of their teammates, or of any enemies for that matter. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm finding this break in a little too easy," Jubilee said.

"I must agree with the young lady, Cyclops. Although my sense of smell is nowhere as accurate as Wolverine's, the stink of metal and powder is overwhelming my senses," Beast informed.

"I suppose there's no need to keep the pretenses up, X-Men," a female voice reverberated through the air. Suddenly more than thirty heavily armed men could be seen around the ballroom, the Black Queen standing in the middle of them along with a skinny man. "As you can see, you are currently surrounded, and so are your friends on the upper levels. Surrender now, and you might live to enjoy the year to come."

xxxxx

Meanwhile, on the third level, the Gold team was facing a similar menace. Xavier had sensed the proximity of at least a dozen guards and had warned his pupils. A gust of wind from Storm threw the men to the floor, and Iceman's powers froze their guns.

"Stay alert, X-Men. I sense the danger is far from over," the professor advised once they'd reached the hallway.

"How perceptive of you, Xavier," Sebastian Shaw spoke as he emerged from the staircase. He was followed by another group of armed guards, the White Bishop and the White Queen. Behind them were Polaris and Havoc, their features void of any emotion.

"Looking for your students, Charles?" Emma Frost asked. "Here they are. I'm afraid they're no longer willing to follow your orders, old man."

Xavier tried to probe their minds. "What have you done to Alex and Lorna, Emma?"

"Oh, just a little mind insinuation. You know how these kind of things work, professor," the White Queen said, giving extra emphasis to the last word. "Polaris, finish them. Havoc, darling, let's find your brother, shall we?" She ordered, running a finger over Alex's face and turning around to exit the room.

The green-haired woman used the magnetic field to launch herself in the air and strike the professor with a bolt. Voght quickly involved herself and Xavier in her mists, transubstantiating them to another room.

"Try not to hurt Lorna, X-Men," Nightcrawler reminded his friends while he fought Pierce and Storm used winds and rain to overthrow the guards. Iceman had covered the floor under the guards with a thin layer of ice and was now trying to freeze the water molecules inside Polaris' magnetic field.

"Let's see if I can cool down your mood, Lorna."

"Stay behind me, tovarich," Colossus told Iceman. "Let me handle the Black King." The Russian changed into his organic metal form and punched Shaw hard on the chin. The man didn't move.

"Is this the best you can do, big guy? Well, let me show you the best I can do," the Black King replied, hitting Colossus' chest with such a powerful strike that sent the young mutant flying through the wall and down into the yard. "One X-Man down. Who's next?"

xxxxx

Inside the ballroom, Cyclops, Gambit and Jubilee were channeling their powers at the guards. So far, they had taken ten down, but more kept coming in. Beast aimed for Mastermind, using his agility to leap on the man's back and bring him down.

"I thought you were a man of Science, McCoy. I must say, this behavior of yours is quite bestial. Perhaps a stupider mind would suit you better," Wyngarde spoke as he stood up from the floor and aimed his illusions at Hank's brain. Beast crouched down on the ground, suddenly unable to think of a way to help his friends or even defend himself. "Tell me, McCoy… where's your brilliance now, huh? Can you count from one to ten, or is it too hard for an animal like you?" Beast stared down at his hands, counting his fingers and looking lost.

"What have ya' done to him, yoah scumbag? I'm gonna teach ya' not to mess with mah friend's head," Rogue yelled, flying towards Mastermind.

"I think you've got your own problems to worry about, Anna Marie," the Black Queen said, using her mental powers to get inside Rogue's head. The X-Man flinched for a moment, but soon regained control over her will.

"Stay out of mah head, bitch," the southern woman ordered. "Xavier's trained us against mind invasions. Let's see how ya' like other people suckin' yoah pawers and memories."

While Rogue plunged towards Selene, a red optic beam hit Mastermind in the chest, sending him sliding on the floor. Cyclops ran towards Hank. "Beast, are you okay?"

The furry mutant slowly stood up. "I am all right now, my fearless friend. And more than relieved to acknowledge that my intellect remains intact."

"A little help dis way, mes amies," Gambit said while dodging bullets. He used his staff to smack a guard in the gut and looked to his left only to see Jubilee down on the floor, bleeding from a bullet wound to her shoulder. "Hold on, petit. Cyke, Jubes needs medical assistance."

Cyclops hit the communicator on his uniform. "Nightcrawler, Jubilee's been shot. I need you to take her to the nearest hospital."

"On my way," he heard Kurt's voice. Soon the smell of sulfur filled the air and a flash of pink smoke appeared in the room; Nightcrawler cupped Jubilee in his arms and teleported away. In the meantime, Beast, Gambit and Cyclops were fighting the few remaining guards.

Rogue, for her turn, had just managed to dodge one of the Black Queen's telekinetic strikes and punch her on the face. Selene moved her jaw sideways and smiled. "Oh, you're fast and strong, X-Man. I might save you for dessert."

"And I might send ya' to yoah grave," Rogue replied, taking off her gloves.

But before her hands could touch Selene's skin, Cyclops' optic blast hit the Black Queen in the chest. She dropped to the ground, breathless. "Where's my brother, witch?"

"Well, well, well. Look who's been searching for you, my pawn."

Having just defeated the guards, the X-Men's heads turned in the new voice's direction. The White Queen was standing in the ballroom's doorway, her body half hidden behind Havoc's.

"Alex! Get away from her," Cyclops screamed.

"Oh, Scott, darling. Is that jealousy I sense in your words? You had your chance with me, dear, and you blew it away. But I must admit, handsome as you are, your little brother is way more obedient," Emma said, and added in Alex's ear. "Kill them."

In the blink of an eye, Havoc released a powerful plasma blast into the room. Beast and Gambit were struck with full power, losing consciousness as their heads hit the wall. Rogue fell from the air and clashed against the floor, yelping in pain. Cyclops was the only one that remained standing on his two feet, his uniform half shredded by the blast.

"Alex's powers can't harm me, Emma. For such a strong telepath, you should have known that by now," the team leader spat.

"Oh, that doesn't matter, Scott. I'm sure Havoc's fists can be just as painful," the White Queen spoke and grinned as Alex ran towards his brother. 'The babies and the woman are on their way to Colorado. I'm sending you the coordinates,' Emma said inside Selene's mind.

"Wyngarde, stand up. We've got work to do," the Black Queen demanded. She moved towards Rogue and hold the woman's neck between her hands. Anna yelled as Selene drained some of her vital force and used sorcery to manipulate her mind. "Now you're going to do as I command, Rogue," she whispered. "You're going to fly Jason and I to Colorado, full speed. You have an hour."

xxxxx

On the third floor, the battle was still going on. Before teleporting to help Jubilee, Nightcrawler had taken Pierce down, knocking him unconscious after a series of kicks and punches. The Hellfire Club's guards had also been defeated. Unfortunately, at some point, the Black King had thrown Storm down the stairs, fracturing another two ribs; the woman moaned in pain, unable to stand up. Shaw was now striding towards Iceman, who was still occupied fighting Lorna.

Voght teleported Xavier back into the hallway. "We need to turn Polaris back to our side, Charles."

"Now that the White Queen's not so close, I believe my mutant abilities will be enough to break her psychic influence over Lorna," Xavier explained, using his telepathy to enter Polaris' mind. The green-haired woman gripped her head in pain; her concentration faltered, and the magnetic field surrounding her gave way.

"Way to go, professor," Bobby cheered and was about to be punched in the head when a thick white mist involved his body and transported him to the other side of the hall.

"Watch it, Iceman," Amelia told him, reemerging from the mists.

"Thanks, I owe you one," he replied, getting in position for battle again.

"You can't escape from me forever, Iceman. I've defeated all of your powerful friends. What makes you think that a weakling clown like you could stand against me?" Shaw provoked.

"Maybe this clown is more of a magician and has some dirty tricks under his sleeve," Bobby retorted, his face contorting with the effort as he covered his body in thick ice spikes.

"What is it? Am I supposed to be scared by your appearance?" Shaw mocked.

"Not really. I was just distracting your sorry mind while I freeze the water molecules inside your brain. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, moron," Iceman said, watching in shock as the Black King yelled in agony and dropped to the floor.

"Is he dead?" Voght asked.

"P-Probably," Bobby replied. Amelia rushed towards Polaris to help her up as Professor X let go of her mind.

Xavier sensed Drake's uneasiness. "As much as I've taught you the value of human lives, I advise you not to waste your time second-guessing your actions, Robert. You did what you had to do."

"But I've taken a man's life, professor. There's no going back for me now…"

"This was a matter of life or death, Mr. Drake. It was you, or him. As long as you don't become insensible to the killing, you have nothing to worry about," Charles said, trying to soothe his pupil. "Amelia, take Lorna, Storm and Colossus back to the Blackbird. Iceman and I will help the others."

"But Charles… You can't walk. What if you need my assistance?" Voght said.

"I may be disabled, but I'm far from helpless. Right now, my injured students need your teleporting powers and nursing skills more than I do."

"Okay. Be safe," the woman replied, disappearing in her mists.

"Come on, Robert. Let's end this fight."

xxxxx

When Professor X and Iceman arrived at the ballroom, they were met with a more than worrisome scene. Beast and Gambit were down for the count, along with dozens of guards. Rogue, Selene and Mastermind were nowhere to be seen. Havoc was crouched over Cyclops on the floor, beating his brother up fiercely on the ribs and face.

"Alex… S-stop. Ugh... It's me, S-Scott. We're… brothers… argh!" Havoc's fist hit Cyclops' face, forcing his head to dart right. He coughed and spitted blood. Another punch struck Scott's left cheek again, leaving him barely conscious.

"Havoc, stop!" Iceman shouted and threw an ice blast to the blonde's chest. He motioned to ran towards Scott, but was suddenly hit by a psychic blast.

"That's enough, Frost!" Xavier yelled from his wheelchair. He invaded the White Queen's mind. "I've had enough of your mind games, Emma. You and the Inner Circle have caused plenty of harm to the X-Men, and to mutants all around the States."

"Get out of my head, old man," the woman fought back. "You consider yourself the most powerful telepath on Earth. Well, let me clarify some things for you. Powerful minds cannot be restrained by ridiculous moral standards. Power demands ambition. Power demands mercilessness. And your good intentions only make you weak!"

Professor X yelped in pain as he felt his memories being torn apart by the White Queen's powers. But he knew he was stronger than her. For the sake of his X-Men, he had to resist.

"You're wrong, Emma," Charles replied, pushing her away from his head and making her taste some of her own medicine. "Your ambition and cruelty prevent you from reaching your true potential. Your life lacks friendship, joy, love… it lacks meaning. There's nothing for you in this world that's worth fighting for. That's why you hide behind a mask of indifference and viciousness. That's why you have joined the Inner Circle. Well, the X-Men won't tolerate your pitiful games anymore. This madness ends now!"

Xavier imposed his thoughts into the White Queen's mind, forcing her to feel at once all the pain she had ever caused others. The sensation was overwhelming, and she dropped to the floor, her nose bleeding. "You… you won't win… Either way… I'll have my revenge," she gathered the remains of her telepathy in one blast and directed them into Cyclops' mind, immediately falling unconscious. The X-Men's leader let out a gasp and started convulsing on the floor.

"Scott!" Now free of Emma's mind control, Alex rushed to his brother's side. "Scott! Hold on! Oh God! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I could see you, but I couldn't fight back," tears fell from Havoc's eyes as he held his brother's head in his hands, the man's body still shaking due to the seizure. "Professor?"

"Iceman, try to wake up Beast. Scott needs urgent medical attention. I'm telepathically summoning Forge; I've asked him to bring the Blackbird to us. We need to get to Colorado immediately."

"But professor… There are so many injured. Wouldn't it be wiser if we went to Dr. McTaggert's complex?"

"There's no time for that, Iceman. I've just learned from Emma's mind that the Black Queen has gone after the babies. We need to alert Angel and Jean immediately."