A/N - robbie, it's so hard to write a scene like the horse one because I could get so much more into it, but I don't want it to be TOO MUCH for someone who doesn't know or CARE. It's a facet of her, but I don't want it to overwhelm. So. YAY. Glad you enjoy it. :D I too, ADORE when Jean stands up for Scott. Mostly because it doesn't happen nearly as often as it should in the 616. And Marvel has a tendency to give bad parenting a pass, which irks me, so yeah. They're all gonna have to face their demons like ADULTS.
Chapter Five: The Battle For Jean Grey
According to the Starjammers, their ship had picked up several Shi'ar headed their way - and fast. And of course it happened when Scott finally managed to get his sister back from Kurt… only to find out that Kurt only turned her over because she was hungry and needed her mom. Typical.
He knocked on the doorframe of the room where K and Logan had set up and waved with one hand at K. "Sorry; she's hungry," he said. "Shi'ar are coming, too."
"It's a little overdue," K said, holding one hand up before she headed into the bathroom to wash up. "Good timing on both fronts." As she took Sam, she tipped her head to the little workbench area she'd been at when he walked in. "Take those. A few anyhow. You should have some incendiaries. They'll need an impact to explode - and by that, I mean not just throwing. Mid-level beam should do it."
Scott grinned at that. "Aww, Mom, you made me presents," he teased.
"Of course I did," she laughed. "If I'd had a little more time, I'd have hit up Tony for some toys."
"But these are homemade," Scott teased. "It's like a reverse macaroni frame."
"And I made it with my own two feet," she teased as she got Sam settled in.
Scott smirked, though he'd only just pocketed the incendiaries when the ship shuddered, and his smirk turned to a frown. "Guess that means the fight is on."
"Give 'em hell for me," K said. "And try to give me my sweetheart without too much damage."
"You know I've got his back," Scott promised, headed out to see the Starjammers already moving, along with his own team. The Starjammers knew how to handle the dogfight in space, but judging by the sheer number of Shi'ar, it was likely going to turn into something a little more hands on - and that, Scott knew, his team could handle.
Still, it really was something else to see the space battle once he got to the bridge. It was a different kind of piloting, somehow still similar to the blackbird but different enough that Scott couldn't help but smile to himself watching his dad at the helm. That was a lot more like the dad he remembered, and it was nice to see, even in the middle of a battle.
The advantage that the Starjammers' craft had was that it was smaller and more maneuverable. And Scott had to smirk when, more than once, Corsair would veer just out of reach of the Shi'ar, only to lead the Shi'ar into shooting at each other.
The moment only lasted a little while longer, though, when the Shi'ar managed a shot to the engines that suddenly made maneuvering much harder. From there, it was next to no time before the ship couldn't move, and the Shi'ar rushed in to board.
"Alright, Scott - let's see if your team learned anything from last time," Corsair called over his shoulder as both the X-Men and the Starjammers rushed to meet the boarding Shi'ar.
Scott simply smirked in response, especially since he didn't need to say anything. Not when his team was doing so well.
Even though Scott and Jean had both been gone for over a month from the team, they gelled back together seamlessly, with Jean linking up their minds so that they could more efficiently keep the Shi'ar from making any headway - especially any headway toward the hall where Logan was keeping close to K and Sam. Though any Shi'ar that did make it that far were dead before they even realized they needed to regret their life decisions.
The team had gotten much more efficient since Corsair last saw them, too. Alex was much more controlled with his blasts, Ilyanna was getting much more creative, Piotr and Hank were an unstoppable force - even Bobby, fresh out of his cast - was doing a terrific teamup with Warren, icing Shi'ar in place only for Warren to cream them. And Kurt was clearly enjoying himself, teleporting in and out of various skirmishes with two swords and a wide, pointy-toothed grin.
The Shi'ar clearly hadn't been prepared for the X-Men in addition to the Starjammers, and it didn't take long before they were being pushed back into their own ships. Jean even spotted Kurt and Ororo grinning as they left one of the ships - only for it to explode a moment later.
The two of them were just congratulating themselves - and flirting - when one of the Shi'ar managed to break away and take a potshot at them. It was clear he'd meant it to be fatal, but Piotr hit him as he took the shot, skewing his aim so that it didn't kill Kurt - but it did obviously hurt.
And while Kurt was still reeling, a second Shi'ar knocked him against the wall hard enough to knock him senseless. Storm was quick to make the Shi'ar in question regret it, but the other aliens had seen the opening and were headed their way.
And, honestly, Jean hadn't meant to do anything but keep the Shi'ar away from Kurt. But that many Shi'ar at once? When she was still a little on edge as it was? Sure, she was able to throw them all back and knock several of them out but when she could feel fire starting to form around her, she realized she'd accidentally pushed into that unseen boundary again.
And that's when the Shi'ar switched from more or less a search and destroy to a full-court press to get to Jean.
They had numbers and a sort of anger on their side that they hadn't had only moments before, though Jean could feel a similar sort of rage simmering inside her that didn't feel like her own. It wasn't just anger that her friends were being overwhelmed - it was hatred, pure and simple, almost a personal grudge that she knew wasn't coming from her.
But, the Shi'ar were perfectly prepared for exactly that - and frustrating not just Jean - but whatever it was, she couldn't get out of the sphere they'd caught her in. What's more, on realizing how stuck she was, the little bit of fire around the edges exploded out, filling every bit of the sphere with fire and rage.
When he saw it, Corsair let out a shrill whistle to get one of his Starjammers' attention and jerked his head down the hall - sending her running to K's room so she could show K one of their smuggling holes to hide, even as the rest of the two teams poured on the heat trying to keep the Shi'ar from walking out with Jean. Including a red beam that leveled out several Shi'ar followed by a blue beam in the other direction as Scott and Alex both rushed over to try to figure out how to get Jean out.
"What even is this thing?" Alex asked, shaking his head, trying to figure out how to … "And, um, how do we open it without getting burned?"
"Jean, calm down; we're going to get you out," Scott said, one hand on the outside of the sphere. "Alex, get my dad."
"You sure?"
"Yeah; he can cut through almost anything," Scott said. "I'll stay here, try to keep Jean calm enough that we won't set the place on fire as soon as we puncture this." Even as he said it, he was already reaching out to Jean telepathically. Come on; you know Dad will get you out. And I'm not letting anyone come near you.
This is a lot stronger than the last time.
You're strong too, Jean.
Yeah, but… this thing… it really hates Shi'ar…
So? My father does too. He paused, thinking of how Jean had gotten mad at Corsair. You want to be like him?
Jean paused, and it was clear she was at least trying to pull back the flames when Scott could see her face better, though she was still definitely on fire.
It didn't take long for Logan to catch up to what was going on, and when he did, he made a beeline for Jean and Scott, cutting through any Shi'ar in his way. He only stopped long enough to give Scott one instruction. "Get clear," Logan said. "Fire's gonna blow out big time."
Scott nodded. "I won't go far," he promised.
"Then get some damn good cover," Logan said, waiting for Scott to get back a little before he popped his claws and then struck out at the sphere. The first few hits, no one paid too much attention, but when the third hit had the sphere echoing out a crack … it was pretty clear he was breaking through.
And that was clearly a step too far for the Shi'ar. Any restraint they might have been showing, or any reserves they'd held back unless under the most dire of circumstances were let loose on Logan. And though they always aimed to kill … it wasn't something Scott was quite ready to see.
"Dad!" Scott shouted out, rushing forward before he'd even thought about it - though that put him right in the Shi'ar's path. Several of them turned their weapons his way, and he blasted through them on his way to Logan, but he wasn't thinking of anything but how the department had similarly shot Logan up and didn't see the Shi'ar captain until the alien had grabbed hold of his arm and there was a weapon in his face.
It was enough to get Scott to freeze, and he gritted his teeth as he realized the same story was true across the ship - Starjammers and X-Men alike were getting overwhelmed… and Jean was still stuck in that weird sphere.
Don't panic, Scott projected to Jean, even as the Shi'ar started to regroup to drag them off. We'll get out. Keep your mind open to me; we'll be able to find you even if we get separated.
It was plain to see that Jean was teetering between rage and panic, especially when the Shi'ar seemed to go out of their way to rough up their prisoners as they were restrained and led off. They even checked Logan's vitals - and were surprised to find him breathing. A few Shi'ar dragged him off too, while the others moved to get Jean resettled in her containment sphere - and then the smug aliens took off, leaving the disabled Starjammer craft to drift in space.
…..
One of the downsides - not the biggest downside, of course, but one of them - to heading into Shi'ar territory in the hold of the ship was that the X-Men really didn't get to see the galaxy they were traveling through. Or anything more than the hold.
So when they arrived on a brand new planet, even though all of them were restrained, angry, furious, and scared all at once… not a one of them could keep from staring, either.
This was the first time they'd ever been on an alien planet, and it just looked so different. There was no way they could have prepared for the different skyline, the different atmosphere, the way the streets and buildings were designed in a way nothing on Earth could ever be… It was like walking into a surrealist painting, in some ways - but even that description didn't quite match up to the experience.
But they couldn't really take it all in with the Shi'ar shoving them around, pushing any of them at the shoulders or yanking them by the arms if they got too distracted.
Not that all of them were taking in the sights. Scott and Kurt were hauling Logan between them. Whatever the Shi'ar had done or hit him with, he hadn't bounced back from it, and it had both Scott and Kurt sharing honestly worried looks between them as they kept pace with the others with one of Logan's arms around each of their shoulders.
To make matters worse, no one knew where Jean was since she'd been separated from the other prisoners, and considering the Shi'ar were crowing about an execution… Scott was having a hard time finding anything but the next step.
"Won't be anything like the one we run for you, Corsair," one of the Shi'ar guards was laughing as he and his friend shoved a few Starjammers around. "You're hardly worth the time to clean up the mess."
"Must be worth something to you," Scott shot back - since out of the many, many things going wrong, at the very least, he could stand up for his father. "You wouldn't take the time to talk to him otherwise, right? Or do you just like the sound of your own voice?"
"Scott, stay out of it," Corsair said in a tone that he meant to be sharp but which had that slightest hint of fear to tip everyone off that they were screwed.
"Touching," the Shi'ar sneered. "You even have your little trainees sticking up for you."
Scott narrowed his eyes at that, but Corsair shot him a look that clearly said now was not the time. Not that it made him feel any better watching the Shi'ar manhandle his friends and father through the streets.
He was just working up a quiet fury when one of the guards grabbed Kurt's arm to stop him - and Scott. "Lose the dead weight."
"No." It wasn't even a question of who responded first- both Kurt and Scott said it at the same time.
The Shi'ar sneered and drew his blade, stalking closer to the three of them. And though both Kurt and Scott were ready for a fight, what they weren't ready for was when the guard simply stabbed Logan.
Only … there wasn't a response from Logan either.
Kurt was almost snarling, but Scott was pale as he tried to get Logan to respond… and then realized he couldn't find a pulse either. "No, no, no," he muttered under his breath, clearly panicking, too focused on his unresponsive dad to notice the Shi'ar telling him to move on until the guard grabbed him to yank him back.
"Hey, get your hands off him," Corsair shouted back, elbowing the guard in the ribs that had been taunting him to get past and insert himself between the Shi'ar and Scott - even if it was only long enough to get his hands on the guy before the first guard caught up to him and sent him sprawling.
It was enough to get most of the Starjammers and X-Men riled, too, and the Shi'ar had a hard time keeping order until they had to resort to drawn weapons and a few guns in the faces of any of the prisoners they could get their hands on - though even with that threat over their heads, the group was still clearly upset.
For a moment, a tense silence rang in the air around them before Corsair wiped his mouth of blood, got to his feet, and then crossed to where Scott was to crouch down by him. "Scott, focus. Don't let them take you from me too," he said low.
"Oh, you can't be serious," one of the Shi'ar said, looking between the two of them with a slowly growing look of disbelief. "Someone wanted to procreate with you?"
Corsair glared at that. "Just because no one wants to get with you doesn't mean the rest of us are that ill-equipped."
"Dad, stop," Scott said quietly, though his gaze was still locked onto Logan where he was lying unmoving on the ground.
One of the Shi'ar guards stepped forward to pull Scott and Corsair apart. "Well, I think, considering our prisoners, this one needs a little special attention."
"Leave him alone," Corsair said at the same time Scott said, "Hands off."
"I'm sure the emperor would enjoy the diversion after the execution," the Shi'ar said, sneering at Corsair as his partner held Corsair back. "Or maybe a warm-up to the main event."
"Don't-" Corsair said, though that just had the Shi'ar holding him jamming the butt of his weapon into his stomach until he was gasping and half bent over.
Scott stared at Corsair, clearly panicking and thinking over and over again that he couldn't lose both of his fathers at the same time… though that panic was overridden with pain for the moment when one of the Shi'ar jabbed him with some kind of energy weapon that had every nerve firing at once until Scott was crying out and only held up by the Shi'ar on either side of him.
"You bastards," Corsair ground out through his teeth as the rest of the X-Men shouted over him as well.
"Leave him alone," Kurt, who was closest, was growling out, his gaze going between Logan and Scott and his expression getting closer and closer to rage than panic.
But the Shi'ar only seemed to be spurred on by the reaction; the one who had jabbed Scott was even smiling outright. "Oh, don't worry," he said, grinning at Corsair. "We won't kill him. At least not until the emperor can see your face when it happens."
Corsair bared his teeth at the Shi'ar. "Good. Take me to him and I'll kill him myself."
The Shi'ar laughed as if it was the best joke he'd heard all day - and then hit Scott with that same device again, leaving Corsair wordlessly yelling underneath the sound of Scott crying out.
When they finally let up again, the air rang with silence - stunned from the Starjammers and X-Men and smug from the Shi'ar. It was clear they were enjoying the look of anguish on Corsair's face. So when they heard a ringing snikt, the Shi'ar didn't know how much trouble they were in for.
There wasn't any more warning before, very suddenly, the Shi'ar who had been heading up the gloating found himself on the ground, away from both Summerses, with a furious Logan on top of him, claws already deeply sunk in his chest.
"Stab me, I stab back," Logan snarled out before he turned and began tearing through the Shi'ar that were holding the kids and Corsair. And once the kids were freed, they went to work too - especially Kurt, who was clearly working off the anger that had been building this whole time.
Logan pushed the Shi'ar, starting by taking out their comms before dismembering them one by one, though as Kurt began to get carried away, Logan put a hand on his shoulder to stop him just before he ran the last one through. "Let 'im go, Elf."
Kurt paused, though he didn't let go of the Shi'ar. "What?"
Logan leaned over Kurt's shoulder to whisper "We need to know where to go. Let 'im go and he'll run like a scared rabbit. It's not a mercy. He'll be the only one knowin' what's comin'."
Kurt's chest was heaving, but he nodded and then let go of the alien, who stumbled back several steps, looking between Kurt and Logan and clearly not trusting the situation before he did, in fact, turn tail and run.
Kurt let out a breath… and then sheathed his swords and pulled Logan into a hug. "It's good to see you on your feet, mein Freund."
"I told you it ain't easy to kill me, kid," Logan said.
"But you had no pulse, no breath…" Kurt shook his head. "You can't blame me!"
"Ain't you the one always tellin' everyone to have a little faith?" Logan teased. "I ain't done 'til I say I am."
"Clearly," Kurt said, letting out a breath and then stepping back. "Jean is still missing…."
Logan gestured to where the Shi'ar had run off. "We'll find 'er."
"Preferably before the Shi'ar execute her," Corsair said darkly. "They weren't kidding."
"You really think Jeannie's that much of a pushover?" Logan said, shaking his head.
"I wouldn't know," Corsair pointed out. "I'd hope not, seeing as she's dating my kid."
"She could take them apart," Scott muttered out as he made his way over - or, more accurately, Piotr helped him over, since he was still reeling.
"C'mon, Scotty," Logan said as Scott took the handful of steps closer to wrap Logan up in a tight hug for just a moment. He really had thought he'd lost him - and even though he'd seen Logan come back from the brink before, it was still hard to watch. And Logan knew it. "Let's go get your girl, son."
Scott smirked at that, though when he took a moment to try to reach out to Jean and let her know they were coming, he was surprised by the heat of her mental touch and how much panic and anger there was there. "She's scared out of her mind," he said with a frown.
"So let's fix it," Logan said, handing Scott one of the guns the Shi'ar had been holding. "A little backup."
Scott smirked and took a moment to acquaint himself with the gun, while Corsair shook his head, taking a step back. "Constantly surprising me, Scott."
The group of them headed after the Shi'ar that had run away after that - though honestly, the closer they got to the execution, the easier it was to find Jean, even without Scott calling out to her telepathically. She seemed to be easier for him to contact than for the others to try when she was that panicked.
But once they got closer, the large display was hard to miss: it looked sickeningly like a concert stage, drawing in crowds of Shi'ar already chanting for the demise of the Phoenix, all while Jean was stuck in the bubble trying desperately to get out with fire and fists.
Jean, we're here, Scott projected to her, trying to help her calm down, even though it was clear she couldn't stop. The Phoenix itself was furious, ready to ravage the Shi'ar, and that paired with the impending execution made it hard for her to focus.
"Keep tryin'," Logan said quietly to Scott, his hand on Scott's shoulder just before he tipped his head for the others to get moving. "We'll keep 'em off ya."
Scott nodded at that, though his gaze was locked on Jean as he kept trying to reach out and promise that she was going to get out. The team's here, and Dad's mad, so… everyone here is going down.
As if illustrating Scott's point, Logan started to really let loose, cutting through the Shi'ar royal guard as if they were toy soldiers, using his momentum of cutting through one to propel himself into the next with what almost looked to be laser guided rage. Kurt was using a blade the Shi'ar wielded to almost as graceful effect as his rapiers, Bobby was sliding through the crowd, freezing them where they stood, and Storm in particular was devastating once she'd had a while to adjust to the alien atmosphere and figure out how to call down some lightning of her own, which was more or less microscopic while they were in space. But with an atmosphere to work with … the goddess rose up anew to strike fear and awe into the Shi'ar. As a group, the team was more than the Shi'ar had been ready for.
Come on, Jean. You've got everyone here coming for you. You know the team won't let you down. Try and pull back a little so Dad can get you out of that sphere, alright?
For the first time, some of the panic seemed to let up, and Jean closed her eyes. I don't know if I can hold it back, she admitted.
Sure you can, Scott said. You let it loose just a little with Sinister, but you're still you. No Phoenix Force can change that.
Again, Jean paused. Love you too, Mr. Summers.
When we got off this planet, I swear, let's just hide away, Scott said - which, honestly, was starting to work to calm Jean down, at least a little. No aliens, no Phoenix. It's a long flight home, and I say we just hang up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign.
Getting a little ahead of yourself, Scott, Jean teased - which had Scott dropping his shoulders a little in relief to hear her sounding more like herself.
I don't think so, Scott teased right back. I think escaping an alien planet bent on destroying us is more than cause for vacation.
And you know your parents will do it anyway.
Yeah, it's a good idea. Why not join them?
And while Jean and Scott were trying to calm each other down, Logan was working his way toward her. It was as if he'd simply decided on a straight line path and refused to deviate from that path regardless of what was in his way. When he finally got close enough to her to get started, the Shi'ar that were farther out from the action started firing on him, even as he sliced down at the odd bubble Jean was trapped in. He'd managed to get on top of it - and instead of fighting sideways, he was using every bit of weight and strength he had to drive down into it.
There were several hits before it looked like the cracks he'd put in it before began to reappear, but he still hadn't even acknowledged Jean in the bubble. Not until the cracks were plain for even Scott to see from where he was. "Don't panic, Jeannie," Logan said. "We got ya." His lip curled back and he threw himself into the last hit, breaking the capsule.
But even as he tried to fall away from her, Jean slipped on her control just a tiny bit and the instant Logan had broken through the capsule - well before Logan could get clear- fire burst out along with Jean until the flames had formed a fully realized giant firebird that rose up high in the sky.
When Logan hit the deck burned down to the bone in some places and already shaking in shock, he half curled into a ball, his face buried in the crook of what was left of his arm as he tried to get his bearings, but that left Jean with no one close enough to try to talk her down, if not for the connection with Scott.
Everyone was staring up at the Phoenix. The Shi'ar were pointing and yelling, and even the Starjammers and X-Men couldn't help but stare as the fire started to spread across the sky and reach down, blazing paths through the Shi'ar - in particular the ones that had imprisoned her in the first place. It was pretty clear the Phoenix was taking its revenge, but with every life taken, it seemed to get brighter and bigger in the sky.
"Jean!" Scott shouted, rushing forward until he was standing almost right underneath her. Come on; weren't we just making plans? When the fires just kept right on burning and tearing through Shi'ar, he tried again, Would you rather stay here and kill aliens or go find my mom and Sam and curl up?
That seemed to get a reaction, at least, and Jean paused, looking his way. Scott?
Yes, it's me, he said, sounding almost breathless even in his mental voice. I know you're in there. Come on, Jean. The rest of us can't get close to you when you're like this. Come back down and be Jean.
The Shi'ar…
Are running away from you. Besides, anyone stands in our way, and I'm pretty sure we can take them down. We got all the way to you, didn't we? He looked up at her, finally catching her gaze. You, me, a 'Do Not Disturb' sign…
That does sound nice…
Right? Scott smiled up at her. By the time we get back, it'll be right around my birthday anyway, so we'll just vacation the whole trip and then have everyone's birthday at once, since 'Yana's will be in space...
You just want the excuse to spend more time with our friends and family, Jean teased lightly.
And?
Jean couldn't help but smile, and the fires were starting to fade away as she gently floated down until she was standing in front of Scott, still radiating fire but at least not fully in bird-form. You're such a family man and you're not even twenty, she teased. What am I supposed to do with you?
Stop burning my dad and being on fire so I can kiss you? Scott pointed out dryly, gesturing to her with one hand. That seems like a start.
Jean smiled at him for a moment before she took a few steps his way, the fire dying out with each step until the moment she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. "Better?" she asked, even if there were still a few flames licking at her hair.
Scott nodded. "You alright?" he asked without moving back from her.
She nodded, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I think so," she said, then glanced over her shoulder to where Kurt was crouched by Logan, who was clearly still in pain. "Is he okay?"
Scott frowned, wincing at how much bone Logan was showing… but Logan was also pushing Kurt away, so he was conscious, and he'd been through the fallout from a nuclear bomb before, so… "He'll be alright," he said.
"I didn't mean-"
"Yeah, I know you didn't," Scott promised quickly. "I know you lost control. It's alright. Let's just get out of here before the Phoenix causes any more trouble."
Jean nodded. "Yes, please," she said, holding her arms at the elbows. "I can feel how much it wants to keep going and destroy this place."
"Then let's not let it do that," Scott said, keeping his arm around her to let her feel grounded, even if it was all he had to keep from panicking himself at the sheer power of what Jean had been doing.
Kurt and Piotr finally got Logan to his feet, but Logan kept his head down and his face blocked even as the team at large looked more concerned about their friend. But even with everyone taking turns trying to help, Logan flat refused to let them look at the damage he was hiding at his face. But it was impossible to hide the blood as it dripped to the ground and just as hard to hide his other arm that was little more than shining adamantium with bits of charred and angrily raw looking flesh. It was pretty clear that if it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't see where they were headed, he'd have shrugged their hands off of him, too.
But on getting a better look at the extent of the damage, Scott couldn't help but to reroute closer to Logan. "Dad?" Scott asked as he and Jean got to them. "You alright?"
"I'll 'e fine," Logan said, though his words weren't quite clear and his tone was laced in a growl that Scott was very sure he couldn't control.
"I'm sorry," Jean said, her eyes wide now that they were closer up and she could see some of the damage.
"Don't," Logan said, cutting across her.
"Your arm-"
"Jus' don't."
"He said it would be alright," Kurt explained, though it was clear by looking at Kurt's expression that he had gotten a glimpse of how bad it really was before Logan could shove him away. Clearly, Kurt didn't believe it.
"Sounds like him," Scott said in a sigh.
"We can shanghai a Shi'ar craft and get back fast," Corsair said, a Shi'ar weapon slung over his shoulder as the Starjammers joined them. "We're familiar with the way they work. One of mine already picked out a nice fast one, too."
"Where?" Kurt asked, and when Corsair pointed out the ship in question, Kurt reached over before Logan could protest and simply teleported Logan to the ship - with the others not far behind.