"1-800-CALL-ATT"
Here is yet another installment of my most unusual of X-Overs. Many thanx to Nightfan and Discord who have reviewed me more than once! If you want a character named after you, just tell me in the review, and you'll get one. (or two in Charmega's case). Just tell me what species (Human, Itexian, Other) and Gender you wish. Or anything else you want the characters to have. And is it a Mary Sue if the characters are based off of someone else in the dreaded Real World?
Chapter 3: Not a Ghost of a Chance
Menga paced around Ce'it's still form, her keen gaze passing over the Jedi. He lay very still, barely breathing, and as pale as the sheets he was on. Sunlight peered through the window, small slivers of golden light. Last night, he had come in, badly injured. His leg was broken, and Professor Xavier was certain he had internal injuries. But this Force of his was amazing.
The deep wound on his side was nowhere near as bad as just a few hours ago. The break in his leg was closing. He was healing, in his own Force-induced fashion.
"How is he?" the Professor's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
"He's healing."
He rolled next to her, "Get some rest, I will watch him."
She nodded, walking from the room. Her thoughts turned from Ce'it to her brother. Char had never left Kitty's side since they arrived at the airport, and it galled her. She had no idea why he had fallen so hard and so fast for the shallow valley girl. Hormones, perhaps? Or maybe it was that magic thing, that elusive annoying thing that he saw when he looked at her. Simply disgusting.
And then there was the weather. As nice as it was in upstate New York, it was not Washington State. The air was heavy and hard to breathe, the heat burning at her. And where did these people get off calling those hills mountains? She missed the sweet, cool air, the light wash of the rain, the cool breeze of true, snow-capped, mountains. Menga longed for the caress of the Pacific Ocean, the sunsets over the Olympic Mountains, the coffee cart on every corner in Seattle.
Not that upstate New York wasn't pretty. But it was missing a certain wild spirit that only the Western states seemed to have.
She was homesick.
And then there was this whole Traddess thing. Kurt's teacher not a mutant but an alien. And not just one alien, an entire compound of the things. Granted, she and Skimmer had a nice conversation, but it would be impossible to invite a ship the size of a small three-story apartment building to her house for a sleepover.
Traddess sent shivers of weird up her back, and she couldn't help but cringe whenever it was mentioned. But, true to form, her brother had taken it all in stride. He accepted Traddess and its denizens without complaint or second glance. It was all just too weird for her.
Jean ran past her, rushing towards Ce'it's room. "He's back!" she yelled.
Menga stopped short, her eyes on Jean's retreating back. Then her brows lowered in a scowl. Why would she want to see Ce'it? He wasn't even Human. With a snort of derision, she continued her original path to her room.
This was odd. Ce'it could never get used to seeing himself laying deathlike on the bed. He passed his spectral hand over his body, watching the sun shine through. It's not time yet, he sighed sadly.
"How do you know?" Xavier steepled his hands in front of him, his eyes gazing over them at Ce'it.
The ghostlike Ce'it shrugged. I just do. There is something else I need to do, but I don't know what it is.
"Is Donnye on his way?"
Jean darted into the room, breathless. "I came as soon as I could."
Ce'it turned slightly to look at her. Donnye is on his way. He stopped speaking suddenly, his gaze distant.
"What is it?" Xavier waved his hand at Rouge and Kitty, who just arrived and were standing in the doorway.
Someone is coming. Not Donnye, younger. A mutant, one I don't know.
"Not an X-Man, then," Xavier reasoned. "Kitty, care to see who it is? Our powers seem to be returning to normal."
She paused, concerned. "Does that mean we can get Kurt home?"
He shook his head, "Not if he teleported far out of his range. As soon as Cerebro is back online, I will try to find him."
She swallowed her fear, walking through the walls to the main room. She returned almost as quick, fear on her face. "It's Magneto!"
Ce'it looked up, Rouge stepping aside as the mutant floated down the hall. She balled her fist, but Xavier waved her aside. "This is not the place for a fight."
"Wise to the end, old friend." Magneto floated into the room, alighting just inside of the entrance. "I see there have been some unforeseen consequences to my little experiment."
You, Ce'it floated up to Magneto, his spectral eyes boring into the mutant's. After a second, Magneto had to look away from the timeless Jedi gaze. You did this, how? Don't you have any idea of what was at stake?
"He knew full well," Donnye growled from the doorway.
"Knew what?" Rouge said, her hands still tightly in fists.
"He knew about Qua'Xia. Someone, an Itexian, told him everything. And you," the word was back with anger and wisdom, "you were aware of the consequences and stopped the converter before it tore this world apart."
"A traitor?"
"A prisoner." Magneto backed away at the dangerous growl in his voice. "When Starrush crashed just south of the North Pole, you captured her and her partner, T'Kesh. We found what was left of Starrush just a few minutes ago, and traces of Itexian blood. Where is T'Kesh?"
Magneto lifted his chin a fraction. "Regrettably, she did not survive the debriefing process."
"You tortured her!" Rouge rushed at Magneto, but Donnye stopped her with a hand on her arm. She glanced down, shocked that the skin-to-skin contact didn't seem to bother him. Perhaps her powers hadn't returned to normal after all, maybe she would be able to touch another being. Or most likely, Donnye was just too weird from her powers to understand.
Magneto appeared hurt. "Torture? I would never sink down so low. She was babbling in the last minutes of her life, and her translator was still active. She talked about everything." His look of hurt changed to one of triumph.
Donnye let go of Rouge and walked up to Magneto. "You're telling the truth, I only smell her death, not her pain."
Ce'it hovered next to his body as if protecting it. "Why? Why interfere with Qua'Xia?"
"I never intended to. T'Kesh's last words were about the Balance, on how Qua'Xia is what is the power behind evolution, the Force, and our own abilities. Without it, we are merely human." He placed a hand on his chest, as if wounded by Ce'it's question.
But the Jedi paid the gesture no heed. You wanted to disrupt the humans' lives and make mutants seem like the heroes. You wanted them to bow down to you.
"How very perceptive." Magneto appeared smug. "Then I would liberate what dormant X-genes there were, and save the human race."
"It doesn't need saving!" Kitty mirrored Rouge's balled fists.
"Of course it does, my child. Now more than ever with this alien threat among us." His gaze passed over Ce'it's still and spectral forms.
Donnye released Rouge's arm, sighing sadly. "You have taken the wrong matters into your own hands, Magneto." He turned his timeless gaze on the mutant. "You should have come to us, but you chose to put the integrity of your home dimension in peril."
"I stopped it in time."
"Are you sure?" The much smaller Donnye stared Magneto down, the larger mutant backing away from him. "There is much more at stake here than just your one race. Keron."
A soft yellow glow filled the room.
Xavier, Magneto, and Donnye appeared in the cargo hold of a small ship. Donnye turned, walking towards a wall with three levels of catwalks and ladders. The metal was a dull black, streak through with dark gray. "I know this technology," he said.
Magneto looked down at him. "What is it?"
"This is an Itexian ship. Odds are, it might even be Skimmer."
"He's not," Donnye called down from the middle level of catwalks. "Come up here and meet Cometrun."
Xavier felt his chair lift gracefully into the air, Magneto a few meters behind. They met Donnye at a large opening in the wall, a corridor just beyond its gaping maw. The chair shuddered a bit as it was lowered to the floor, Magneto landing ungracefully next to him. "You are draining my powers from me," he growled.
"The metal this ship is made out of passively absorbs energy. You tell me where your powers are going."
Magneto clamped his mouth shut, regaining his composure. Xavier smiled softly. "I have seen these ships before. The Machine Intelligence, they are called. Living, thinking, feeling machines. I wouldn't cross one if I ware you." He rolled after Donnye, deeper into the ship.
Glossy black panels lines the walls, angular Itexian text scrolling across their surfaces. The two mutants met up with Donnye in a large room just at the end of the corridor, the alien looking out a window.
Magneto and Xavier gasped at what they saw.
Earth rotated serenely below them, her surface laced with blue and white.
"How did we get up here?" Magneto controlled his surprise.
"Teleportation is one of the mutant powers that is easy for a high enough technology to emulate."
"You…teleported us up here?"
Donnye nodded, his hand passing over a panel. A display detached itself from this air, hovering over the panel. Itexian text scrolled across the screen.
A three-dimensional display of the galaxy hovered above the panel, just in front of Donnye's eyes. One arm had a following of Itexian text, pointing to a small blue dot far down its length. "I can't take you Beyond, Qua'Xia doesn't exist there and to remove you from it would be death. I can show you what happened when you created that Imbalance." He turned, he ancient purple eyes boring into Magneto. "Because you are going to fix it."
"Me?" Magneto appeared shocked. "And what if I refuse?"
Donnye glanced down at Xavier, who lowered and shook his head. "I don't like it," he muttered.
"What, Charles? What is it that you don't like?"
The small alien turned his unnerving eyes back to Magneto. "You will know what life Beyond is like. Since if you do not fix the Tear in the Barrier, you will be thrown through it."
Kurt slept in the forest that night, cowering in the bushes. The rain had started up just before nightfall, and had yet to stop. The sun struggled to break through the clouds, but it was a losing battle. Cars rushed by on the highway, mere glimpses of color and tires on wet pavement. He sneezed.
His fur was wet, his hair plastered to the sides of his face. With an irritated gesture, he tucked an errant strand of hair behind one pointed blue ear. Somehow, he needed to find a way home, and he doubted teleporting was the answer.
A logging truck barreled down the highway, its brakes squealing with a rush of compressed air as it ground to a halt. It sighed, squeaking and shuddering as it lost momentum. Kurt smiled to himself, teleporting onto the load. He had to hide, but where. If he hid between the logs, they could settle and kill him. But if he hid under it, a quick teleport and he was under the truck. The rear half of the truck was nothing more than brake lines, some wires, and a huge axle. And two large flanges of metal that stuck down to support the axle. He secreted himself in this soggy, smelly, oily void. Very little held him in place, his tail wrapped around a crossmember, his thin, agile frame squeezed between an air line and the floor of the small trailer above him. Kurt looked towards the cab, regretting his action. The trailer stopped, a single bar of metal spanning the distance to the front to the trailer. Logs filled the gap, pieces of small branches and bark falling down randomly.
He gritted his teeth, wedging in even tighter. This was going to be a long trip.
Ce'it meditated, hovering above his body. The room was growing darker, but lights came on as the power grid returned to normal. What is it, Rouge?
The girl in question sidled into the room, hands clasped behind her back. "Ah though ya might be able to answer a question of mine."
Ce'it opened his eyes. Go on, I'm listening.
"When Magneto was here, Donnye grabbed me. He held onto my arm," her voice rose in pitch as she pointed out where he had touched her. "And he's fine! How can he do that!"
Calm down, I think I know why. He floated down to her, so his head was level with hers. When he regained his body, he would miss being able to float so effortlessly, but the tradeoff was worth it. Donnye's people stopped evolving a very long time ago. They stopped being able to touch Qua'Xia. He has no power for you to take.
"So," she reasoned carefully, "When ah touch someone, I'm not taking their powers, but their Qua'Xia?"
Correct. The same is true of the Itex, except they lost theirs in a race for survival. While your race is using it to change, to evolve, to adapt to your changing world, the Itex lost theirs when most of their race was destroyed three thousand years ago.
"You lost me, Ce'it."
He smiled. There is more than one way to do anything, Rouge. One of which is to evolve. The Itex used the technology that literally rained down on their planet to save their species. Their evolution, their very survival, was forced. Your evolution, your mutation, is a natural reaction to the influences of your environment.
She chewed on one lip, her arms folded over her chest. "Ah think ah understand." Her gaze grew distant.
Ce'it spoke, softly and slowly. I know what it must be like, not being able to touch. He looked at his own spectral hand. I think Traddess may want someone to work with them part-time. Someone to help them understand this Human world. Her eyes lit up. They know that you need to be here, with the X-Men, but they need a liason, someone to guide them.
"Really?" She walked closer, careful not to touch his glowing form. "Is that true?"
Ce'it nodded. If you like, I will talk with Donnye about it, and then we can talk to Xavier.
"People I can touch…" her voice trailed off. "But what about Kurt? He's trapped…somewhere."
The West Coast. Somewhere rather north, I think. It's vague, but I think he's been there before.
"The West Coast!" Her shock was an emotional spike in the Force, she failed to notice his wince. "We hafta get him!"
We will. Didn't he take a vacation up that way not too long ago? (AN: Chasing the Sun to Paradise).
"Yeah, he visited with Char and Menga."
I don't suppose you can get them in here.
"I'm on it." With a flash of white bangs, she left.
The Tear in itself was a marvel. It was a living, writhing thing, a gaping wound in the Barrier. The edges blurred with matter canceling out, as the Chaos from Beyond collided with the Order of his world. It seethed, threatening to turn the Dimension inside-out.
"And how do you recommend for me to fix this?" Magneto scowled.
"The same way you made it," Donnye handed his a small black box. "Use this to control the converter, just place it on your temple."
He glared at Donnye, the alien continued to speak, "Or, I could just toss you Beyond and seal the Tear for you."
Magneto looked through the Tear. The sky, if one could call it that, was mottled, a swirling mass of reds, yellows, and blues. Asteroids, flattened on one side, floated or spun on their axis. Water fell randomly from asteroid to asteroid. Donnye followed his gaze. "Physics as you know it will cease to exist. Your powers will be gone, stripped from you as you pass the Barrier. Your survival will depend on your remaining usefulness."
The mutant placed the box on his temple. Text, at first Itexian than English raced across his vision. Diagrams of the Tear's power readouts flashed by. Then the converter came online. This was a newer model, the commands more intricate and simpler at the same time. He shuddered, the power he held at his temple was intoxicating. He held in his hand the power to destroy countless worlds.
"And yourself along with it." Xavier's voice intruded on his thoughts.
Magneto sobered. His oldest friend and arch rival was mere feet away, and an alien more bazaar than any mutant watched his every move. Very little was going to get past that pair, and if it did, he doubted that he would be able to stop Donnye from tossing his Beyond. From what he saw of the creature's technology, he could easily stop Magneto before he had a chance to start.
The converter powered up, the displays flashing from red to green. The commands were similar, but different. After studying them for a few moments, he activated the machine.
Space twisted in on itself, screaming in protest. The ship shuddered, throwing Magneto to the floor. Power exploded from the Tear, spears of yellow, red, and other myriad shades of the rainbow. The ship howled, absorbing the power and focusing it back on the Tear. The Tear wailed, a primal scream of a Dimension.
The Barrier slowly fused closed, wisps of light and power escaping into space. Donnye removed the black box, standing over the shaken Magneto. "So much power…"
Donnye nodded. "Expect some odd storms for the next few months." He stood, tossing the box into the air. It vanished in a flash of yellow. "Do you understand? Do you really understand?" He speared Magneto with his eyes. "That Tear would have been all that was left of this Dimension because of your greed." The alien turned his back on Magneto, requesting that the ship return them to Earth.
Kurt hid in the back alleys of Seattle. The logging truck had gone as far as the Port of Seattle, unloading its trees on a massive cargo ship. The rain continued to pour down, massive raindrops shattering as they hit the pavement. "Odd rain we're having," quipped a passerby.
Odd rain? Didn't it always rain here?
"Yeah," he couldn't see the people as they talked, huddled as he was behind a Dumpster. "Rain this heavy just don't fall like that around here. Too many mountains."
Lightning lit up the evening, its light casting everything in a harsh black and white glow. He edged out from behind the Dumpster, trying to get a closer look at the people. "Oh man, that's too weird! Full moon, right?"
"Nope, not till next week."
Kurt couldn't loose his cover, and didn't want to risk being seen by the people. He sighed, cowering deeper behind the Dumpster. This just isn't my lucky day.
"Okay, break's over." The rumbling of a diesel motor filled the alley. The Dumpster shuddered as twin spikes speared the holders on each side. He teleported away before the Dumpster could be lifted fully and himself exposed.
What a miserable few days. And his stomach decided it was very hungry.
He teleported into a small convience store, taking a quick look around. Nobody was around. He hated doing this, but he had to eat, and with a quick grab, he snagged whatever he could reach. He teleported outside, reading the place's name before vanishing into the raining night.
Ce'it hovered in the main room, watching the pensive X-Men. It was sweltering outside, but it was also snowing a harsh blue snow. Kitty paced from one end of the room to the other, Char at her side. Rouge and Evan tried to distract themselves with a video game, while Jean watched them impassively. Logan and Scott were scouting the city, taking in what damage the weather has caused. Ororo was holding vigil over Ce'it's still form, professing a profound headache and a need for quieter company. Which included asking his spectral self to leave the room.
Menga puttered half-heartedly in the kitchen. Even though Char and Menga were visiting, and not really a part of the X-Men, they keenly felt the lack of two of its members.
"How are you holding up?" Char had ceased his pacing with Kitty and stood next to Ce'it.
My body is healing well. I would like to be there with it now. Preferably in it.
He let out a small bark of laughter. "Do you know when you can go back?"
Soon. There is something I need to do.
Kitty heard their exchange and stopped pacing. "Why don't you like, go find Kurt. You are like, weirding me out."
Good idea, he smiled, then he waved his hand at the group. See you all in a few.
He passed easily through the walls of the mansion, floating gracefully into the sky. The Qua'Xai was uneven, little pockets of power or lack thereof. He tried to avoid each, weaving his way at great speed to Washington State where Kurt had vacationed just a few weeks ago. Green and yellow lightning flashed with the absence of thunder, winds blew vertically and diagonally. Hurricanes screamed over the midwest, with tornadoes carving away at southern California. He scowled, he had gone too far south.
It was not easy following the coast north. The storms themselves were nothing, but the disrupted Qua'Xia behind them held his full attention. The last thing he had any interest in studying was the effect of it on his spectral body. And the nausea he felt when he drew too close hardened his resolve.
What was the name of that city Kurt's plane had landed in? Sea-Tac? He hovered low to the ground, fighting nausea as he floated under a large disturbance. Planes waited for take-off, each impatiently lined up after the other. Heavy pink rain pelted their wings, confining them to the ground.
A quick scan and Kurt wasn't here. He was close, slightly North and West.
The Port of Seattle opened up before him. He struggled to contain the nausea. It was developing into pain, a sharp tearing at where his spectral guts should be. The Force urged hjim onward into a dark alley and a sleeping Kurt.
Kurt woke with a start. "Vas vas zat!" The alley was deserted, but there was an odd glow, dissipating as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. He held onto the sides of his head, a strange sort of pressure building up.
The world as he knew it ceased to exsist.
Uh-Oh…a cliffhanger! Sorry guys! Next chapter to come soon!! "Of Two Minds" It's called.