by Gouki
Chapter Two
The M'Kraan Crystal
Weapon X was about ready to kill someone. He could feel the red hot berserker rage boiling within him, ready to burst out at any second. The only problem was that the person he was ready to kill wasn't present at the moment, so the rage built up to frightening levels as he made his way through the M'Kraan Crystal.
This did not go unnoticed by his companion, Cyclops, who could hear a low growling noise coming from Weapon X's direction. He knew that somebody was about to get gutted, and he sure hoped that he wouldn't be in the way when the guy finally lost it.
"Scott," Weapon X snapped, "stop fer a second."
Cyclops did as he was told without question. Normally, he would have asked why they were stopping, but Weapon X had been freaking out more and more since Jean Grey had disappeared, and he didn't want to take the chance on getting some adamantium claws in his belly.
Weapon X sat down on the crystal floor of the giant space they were journeying through and grunted. He looked about in despair, wondering how in hell he ever ended up the way he had. He wondered if Jean was still alive, and if so, whether or not she was in any pain. There were about a million things he was wondering about, most of them he could do nothing about. He wondered if he had any cigars left.
He wondered just where the hell that weirdo had taken Jean and just what the hell he had done with her.
Scott Summers sat down as well, nursing his singed left arm, damaged by his psychotic brother Alex just before the bombs went off. He was unconscious for a few minutes after Alex had blasted him, so he hadn't seen Logan stab him in the back with his claws. He wished he had, so that he could spit on Alex's corpse.
Oh well. No sense in dwelling over a past you couldn't change.
"Scotty," Logan said, "how'd you survive Havok's cosmic blast? You looked like meat when I looked over you and Jeanny."
Scott shrugged. "Alex and I were immune to each others powers. That I survived doesn't surprise me much, but I'm not sure how Jean survived."
As soon as he finished speaking, Scott knew that he had made a mistake. He heard a low, growling sound coming from Logan's direction at the mention of Jean's name.
But Logan gave no other indication of anger or despair. He simply continued to talk. "I saw Jeanny slip away inta death, Scott. I saw it. I just don't know how she was brought back. Right now, I really don't care how it happened. I want her back, and we're gonna get her back."
No, they wouldn't. Because just as Weapon X had said that, the crystal floor beneath their feet had opened up, swallowing the two men whole, sending them to greater depths of the M'Kraan Crystal.
* * *
Jean Grey had been walking for a long time.
Just exactly how long she was uncertain of, because wherever she was, whenever she was, time seemed to flow really strangely here. It felt like she should have been making better progress, that she should have been getting farther than it seemed like she was getting. As it was, it felt like she was walking in place. The features of the crystal floor beneath her feet never changed as she walked along.
The multicolored "sky" was the only thing that really changed, but that really didn't help her much. All that did was make her really dizzy.
She stopped for a second and sat down.
Where in hell was she?
Am I dead? she wondered.
Well. That certainly could be a possibility. After all, she did remember being blasted by Alex Summers' cosmic bolt. She remembered being in the worst physical pain she had ever been in her entire life, but feeling comfortable with the knowledge that she was dying in Logan's arms. After that, she didn't know what had happened next. She remembered awakening to that same feeling of physical agony, only to have it disappear moments later, leaving her in a strange land all by herself.
But she had the strangest feeling that Scott and Logan were there . . .
It had to have been just that. A feeling. Because they obviously weren't with her now. Was she dead?
No, she might have been hallucinating, but she definitely wasn't dead. She wasn't even hurting. The injuries Alex had given her were distant memories, or better yet, they were just bad dreams that she had awakened from. She didn't even have scars.
A portal opened.
A girl emerged from it, disguised by shadows which hid her face and body, leaving only a featureless form which stepped toward Jean Grey.
"Come with me," the shadow girl said urgently, "if you want to live."
The shadow girl extended her hand toward Jean.
Reluctantly, Jean took the hand and followed the strange girl to the portal.
From the Age of Apocalypse, through the M'Kraan Crystal, and to . . .
Ah, but that, you mustn't know until later . . .
The Frustrated
David hadn't counted on her showing up and messing around with things. He thought that their last confrontation had ended on a positive note. He thought that the two of them, they infant gods, had come to an understanding.
He thought wrong, obviously.
Damn her!!!
This was bad. Jean Grey was instrumental in his plans. Without her, things could get rather chaotic. He'd have to get her back.
It was obvious that he wouldn't get any help from the Elders. They had made it rather clear that this was his show to run. He'd have to use his own resources.
Bishop?
Oh, yes. He's also floating around in here somewhere, David.
But will he help, or will he make things worse?
It didn't matter. Once this was over, David would have a little chat with her. Then she'd be sorry...