Fell
Standard Disclaimer: Theirs, not mine.
Author's Note:
Shortly after I finished my first XME fic, "The Demon Bottle," I realized that I had presented two of the characters rather two-dimensionally. The first, most obvious one, was Storm, who simply held the role of a background character, providing a domestic influence within the school. The second, oddly enough, was Jean Grey. Jean is very much a hub that the other X-men tend to turn around and I found myself somewhat 'stretching' her telepathic abilities.
This story just appeared in front of my eyes.
Radical Nike
PS: Sorry about the late update. I have a lot of things going on in my life at the moment.
Part Four
"So," Nightcrawler said as he watched the two girls floating before them, "Katzchen's mind is tied up with Jean's?" He didn't want to see the slack features of Kitty's face, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head. He wanted her to smile. Or frown. Or yell. Anything was better than this eerie non-reaction.
"Correct," Storm replied. "Along with most of the other X-men as well. I'm not sure how we escaped." She glanced to the side, where Rogue could be seen laying on the floor.
"I don't think we did, Storm." Cyclops was watching Jean as intently as Nightcrawler was watching Shadowcat. "I think I may have dreamed. Or remembered, anyway."
Nightcrawler slouched, grimacing. Sometimes, at night, he would lay awake for hours before falling asleep. His dreams tended to leave him shivering and gasping for breath and reflexively checking his surroundings to make sure he was safe. "Me too. Jean seems to be collecting minds, ja?"
Storm frowned. "We need to check her before she reaches out beyond the mansion-if she hasn't already."
"But how?" Cyclops cried in frustration. "None of us are telepaths-the Professor is out cold! Same with Rogue."
The German mutant knew that there was very little that stumped Cyclops. Lack of resources was one of them, though.
"Maybe we could find the Professor inside Jean's head?" Nightcrawler suggested hopefully. "If we can get back inside her mind?"
"It's possible, Kurt," Storm responded after a few moments of consideration. "If we-or at least one of us-can concentrate on that purpose, it may be possible." Her white hair stirred weakly in the psionic wind surrounding the girls. "There is the risk that we will become trapped."
"I'll do it," Cyclops volunteered, his shoulders squared and set. His fist was clenched at his side.
"A moment, Scott." She studied the boys, attention turned inward. "Yes, Scott, you will go in with me. Nightcrawler-"
"Ja?" His long blue tail twitched.
"-you will stay out here." Storm waved her arm vaguely towards the Danger Room. "If neither Cyclops nor myself wake up, there are some emergency contacts that you can use."
"Muir Island?" He didn't know anything about the place except that it was a mutant research facility. The Professor kept some of his records there. Nightcrawler gave Storm a curious look.
"Yes," she nodded. She didn't elaborate and Kurt felt a twinge of disappointment. "Cyclops, we will both seek out the Professor. Do not reach for Jean, understood?"
The tall boy set his mouth into a hard line. "Yes, ma'am. So what do we do?"
"All I did was touch Kitty to be drawn in before," Storm stated. She placed herself in front of the petite teenager. "I expect it should work again."
Storm touched Kitty's wrist. Cyclops and Nightcrawler both rushed to catch her.
"I wonder if this is really a good idea," Nightcrawler said in dismay.
"We have to do something, Kurt," Cyclops replied. "Besides, this was your idea."
"So I get the blame?"
"Or the credit, fuzzball." With that, Cyclops reached out and grabbed Shadowcat by the hand, so Nightcrawler was left to watch over his fallen comrades.
Storm fell into chaos and pulled her emotions and thoughts close to her. The discipline that helped the weather witch maintain her control over her feelings helped her clear the space around her. There were figures and events occurring at all over, threatening to cloud her senses should she lose her purpose. She forced herself to the edges of the swirling mindstorm.
*Charles?* she called out. If the Professor was in this mess, he should hear her.
Indeed, he appeared right beside her and she was so startled that she nearly let herself be sucked under. *I'm here, Ororo. I'm glad to see you've managed to pull yourself loose from the current.*
Briefly, Storm managed to convey what she knew of the situation to her friend. *Can you find Scott?* she asked. *He should be here...*
Professor X cast out his awareness. *He is here, but he is sinking.* Storm could almost see the telepath reach a hand into the chaos and pull Cyclops free.
Scott looked extremely confused. *Professor-*
*Do not trouble yourself, Scott. At least you were aware enough for me to find you.* As if to underscore the Professor's words, a crowd of Logans suddenly charged past with an equally large group of Sabertooths in hot pursuit.
Ignoring the phantasms, Storm asked *Could you free us at any time, Charles?*
*It would take a great deal of effort, but yes. It would be easier, however, for Jean to simply release us, but Kitty is tied up in Jean's consciousness somehow. I believe that, based on what happened in the Danger Room, this surge is more Kitty's doing than Jean's. Jean's powers, unfortunately, were triggered by the link she made with Kitty.*
*So we need to free Kitty, sir?* asked Scott.
*It should be that simple,* his mentor replied. *The trial is to get to Jean and Kitty. The trapped minds are densest around them and it is very difficult to break through, even for me.*
*Difficult doesn't mean impossible, Professor,* Scott stated, determined.
Storm chuckled. *Indeed it doesn't, Cyclops.*
The Professor drew the others' attention. *I think I know how to proceed...*
Kitty held onto a dead tree root desperately, knowing that if she fell, the rocks hidden beneath the storm-churned waves far below would kill her instantly. She wondered how it hadn't given way already, but prayed that it would not break. It had already bent a few degrees downwards, dust and gravel skittering loose. Punishing winds battered at her body, trying to carry her away.
She had tried to swing herself inside the cliff with her mutation and had nearly lost her grip when the stone repelled her as surely as it would any without her very unique ability to phase. All that she had accomplished was to pull the root out a little bit more. Her palms were sore now, with sweat working its way into her split blisters.
Kitty flinched as the root bent a little more, tendrils pulling free of the eroded cliff. The wind shoved her roughly into the rock yet again.
"Kitty," said a voice behind her.
"Huh?" Kitty turned her attention away from her failing grip to see three shadows hovering before her. They flickered in and out in the raging storm all around her. She could stars and galaxies within them. It was very beautiful.
"Pull Jean out of the cliff," said the one on the left. It was full of planets spinning with slow grace. "If you do, she can make the storm go away."
"Huh? How can I do that?" Even if she could escape from her predicament, she had no idea where Jean was.
"You're holding onto her hand, child. It would be very simple. Phase and pull her out," said the second, who was in the middle. This one had comets streaking within it. Kitty noted that it was the one keeping the other two in mid-air.
"What?" Kitty looked at the root she was clinging to. It did look a lot like a hand, actually... "If I do, we'll both fall!"
"The storm is confusing and dangerous, Kitty, but only Jean can make it go away."
This was a dream. It had to be. It was too strange not to be. Kitty looked down into the waves and saw, to her shock, the bodies of her classmates bobbing helplessly in the water. None appeared to be swimming. "No!" she cried in horror. "I'll end up like them!"
"Kitty, I'll help you," said the shadow that hadn't spoken yet. It had bright red stars burning within it. "Jump towards me. We'll fall together."
"Trust Scott, Kitty," said the one filled with comets. "He would never harm you."
"Scott?" Kitty said in disbelief. "You're Scott?" She regarded the shadow in confusion. "You don't look anything like him!" she yelled.
The root bent abruptly and Kitty tightened her hold.
"Storm, Jean is trying to work herself free," said the one on the left. "Kitty, you are in Jean's mind. You are keeping her trapped here. As long as you hold on to her, she can't free herself."
"But if she's that root, I'm doing her a favor by pulling her out!"
"No. She is doing that herself. You keep blocking her," said the one in the left. "Pull Jean loose and let go. Of you don't, we'll have to try a different tactic and we'd rather not. This is very, very serious, Kitty."
The root gave a few more inches and Kitty's head spun in fear. "No!" she shrieked, terror taking full possession of her.
"Charles, we have no time!" said the comet-shadow.
"I know, Storm," sighed the planet-shadow. "Scott?"
"Ready, sir," responded the star-shadow.
The planet-shadow and the star-shadow both seized her, pulling her away from the cliff as they let loose of the comet-shadow. She screamed and struggled, holding onto the root madly. The shadows were not strong or terribly heavy, but they seemed solid enough. The planet-shadow had seized the hand hanging onto the root and was carefully, but inexorably, weakening her grip.
The comet-shadow watched, the winds not affecting it.
The slight weight of the shadows was too much. Kitty fell, eyes wide, as they broke her grip. She screamed as the three of them plunged into the raging waves below.