x - generation #2
The Powers that Be part 2
Baiting Armageddon
The whine of the Blackbird's VTOL engine fills the hanger. Emma Braddock can almost feel the vibrations from it. Through the window she can see Logan at the controls--his skin red in the tinted Shiar steel-glass. She tries to concentrate on the noise, listen to it, not the mental chatter emanating from her companions. She hates the rides on the Blackbird. Enclosed proximity only makes the irritant worse. She does not mean to listen, she honestly tries to ignore the stray thoughts and random emotions that flit across her senses, she even tries to block it out, but as yet she does not have that much control.
Charles once told her she was the most powerful telepath he'd ever encountered. That's probably the problem, and even the filters he placed in her mind did not last more than a few minutes. Her own powers overcame them without her direction--they just did--they often work around her best intentions and that scares her.
Charles joins her at the door. "Are you all right, Emma?" he asks, knowing she prefers not to mind-speak with him.
"Nervous," she says. "I hope you're right about me being up to this."
"I'm sure I am." He pats her hand. "You've already met and surpassed all of my expectations in the year we've worked together. You match me now in raw psionic power."
"But not in control," She says. "And I hope I don't accidentally push this young man into full-on mental collapse."
"I trust you, Emma. If I didn't, I'd go myself."
"I hope you're right to do so," She says. She leans closer, kisses the top of his head. "Thank you, professor. It means more than you can know."
Xavier gives her hand one more gentle squeeze. Emma looks toward the Blackbird. Hank lumbers up the ramp with X'ian. Paige and Will start toward the ramp, Paige halfway up it while Will delays, waiting for Emma.
Oh Will, Emma thinks, If only you knew who I really was.
"I think they're waiting," Charles says.
"I know," she steps away from him, turns back to look at his face, and mindspeaks Professor, when are you going to tell them?
Tell them what? He mind-speaks back, even though both of them know that he knows what she's asking.
Why you're really doing this? Why the X-men must be revived now.
He shrugs. When it is time. But that's not yet.
All right. She turns and joins Will on the ramp. She says nothing to him, just smiles at him and then walks around him.
Inside, the Blackbird has room for ten, besides the pilot and co-pilot. The passenger seats face each other, forming a horseshoe around the cabin's interior. Logan sits in the pilot's seat, Ororo in the co-pilot's. Hank sits just behind Ororo. There is a seat empty, and then another in which Kurt lounges. He is sprawled, reading his German translation Catholic Bible. Another seat is empty between Kurt and Paige. Paige's effort to ignore Emma blasts itself into Emma's brain like cannonfire. She knows just why Paige dislikes her; it's not because Paige is in love with Will, but she does feel a sense of ownership over her friend.
Will holds back. Emma takes the empty seat between Logan's back and X'ian--the two people on board it is the hardest for her to read. Will sighs and then settles into the seat next to Paige.
"Finally ready to get our first mission underway, boys and girls?" Logan growls.
"Just take us out, Wolverine," Ororo says.
"Right." The Blackbird vibrates; the hanger falls away around them. The X-men rise up into the sky. Emma watches below them, and is as always amazed at how completely the Xavier Institute vanishes, replaced by knotty slopes and old-growth forest. The Shiar cloaking so complete that not even the most sophisticated government satellites can tell the Institute exists; the same cloaking technology hides the Blackbird from discovery.
Ororo rotates in her co-pilot's seat to face the rest of the team. "We have just over an hour until we reach Gao-Jeng. I believe Hank has the breakdown of the plan."
Hank places his glasses atop his broadening nose and pulls out his datapad. "I do," he says. "Listen . . ."
There is no reason for Jono to do this again. They know everything they need to know--the boy himself does not know how to access and channel his mutant abilities--it is all up to Dr. Richards and the rest of the Pax scientists. Bishop has told Jono to leave it alone, monitor, but not do any more than that.
But now, at three o'clock in the morning, Jonothan Starsmore finds it impossible to sleep and he is afraid he knows the reason why. Jono gets out of bed, pulls on the pants and jacket of his XSE uniform, leaving his torso bare against the chill air, his own glowing ruin of a chest and mouth to cast light for his walk.
He can feel the boy as he gets closer to the crypt. The guards on either side of it nod at his uniform and allow him to pass. He still thinks of him as a boy, through the two of them are probably the same age. The anguish, the lack of understanding, these things mark him as a child in Jono's mind. Mentally, spiritually, he is one.
Jono places a hand on the cold adamantium of the crypt. It is a box in the center of a warehouse. Wires and tubes connect to it, taking power away, waste away, feeding in nourishment. The containment is cruel, Jono knows. No matter what Bishop tries to convince him of, this containment is cruel.
Maybe I can help you, Jono mind-speaks to the boy. I want to help you. He sends himself out, through the metal, his mind like a limb, still attached to the body but able to reach out. Let me help you. I too know what it is like to be broken by my own mutation.
Jono feels himself tugged, pulled. He is no longer inside the Pax base, no longer touching the crypt. He now crouches beside a campfire. Woodsmoke fills his nostrils and stars scatter in the sky overhead. They move above him, rolled like pebbles in ocean surf. It is all very disorienting and for a moment Jono cannot move for fear of completely losing his equilibrium.
Orange campfire-glow lights several small tents and bedrolls arranged around the fire. The world pulses. Jono can feel the rhythm of some force he cannot identify, does not have the words for. World-force.
Jono stands, finally, and looks around. The air is cold, colder even than the chilled steel. He has the sudden fear that the sleeping figures around the fire are not sleeping, but dead, but then one stirs and Jono relaxes.
But how could anyone survive in this cold? It is then that Jono notices the tufts of fur, black and shiny in the moonlight, that erupt from the cheek of one of the sleeping figures. The others also display strange shapes, forms just out of proportion to that of the merely human.
Mutants, then. A camp of mutants. Jono walks around the campfire, searching for the self of the mind he walks within.
He hears voices, a language he does not recognize, but which must be some Chinese dialect. A figure walks, points to the mountains, then in moonlit silhouette, unfurls wings and flies. The figure hangs there for a moment, black against the moon.
But then Jono hears shots--the figure folds in on itself, one wing splits off, then falls to earth.
Everyone around the campfire throws off blankets, stands, shouting, confused. More people empty the tents, mostly human in form, but some with scales, stone for skin, more with wings leap free and enter the sky.
Jono stands in the midst of the cacophony. Everyone ignores him, a few move around him, sidestepping him without notice, not even aware of his presence.
Jono spins. Within the fire he sees a shape, a small boy staring at him from within flames that have shifted tones from orange to blue. He alone of the panicked throng has noticed Jono. Jono hears screams, shots, the thud of falling bodies, howls of infants cut short in machine-gun bursts, but he does not look away from the boy within the fire. Those eyes will not let him, there's too much pain there.
"You said you'd help," the boy says in English. "Stop me." Jono is almost too surprised to respond. The boy closes his eyes, opens his hands, and becomes a being of blue white fire.
The world is gone, and so is Jono.
Paige has spent the flight sleeping on Will's shoulder. The day has turned to night around them as they fly east, and Wolverine has not turned on the cabin lights. Will lets Paige sleep. She'll need the energy later, on the ground. Will spends his time watching Emma, who sits rigid in her seat, her eyes closed. He knows she probably senses his thoughts, but what good is it to think surreptitiously around a telepath?
There's just something about her he responds to, some need in her that he can sense. Beyond the physical, into the spiritual, he reads signs in her taught to him by his Shaman Uncle Quentin Lone Eagle. But she doesn't want him to know this, and he respects that. He wishes he had the courage to force the issue.
Paige stirs, wipes the drool from her chin with the back of her hand. "Are we there yet?" she mumbles.
"Don't know. Soon, I hope," Will replies.
"I'm worried," Hank announces. He leans close to Ororo, but speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. "Fifteen years ago in the Altun mountains an explosion left a scar in the earth nearly fifty miles long."
"And?" Logan responds. "Get to your point, McCoy."
Hank stares at his datapad. Next to Will, Paige leans forward, fully awake now. Will notices that she cannot stop tapping her foot against the cabin floor.
"Well," Hank continues. "The Chinese tried to bury this little disaster, officially blaming it on a stray meteor strike, but enough information got out that it woke up all the UFO nuts, not to mention the worldwide conspiracy crackpots. What if it wasn't a meteor? What if it was a mutant coming into his power?"
"And that same mutant is the one we're sent to rescue?" Ororo asks.
"Doesn't change anything," Logan says. "We're sent to get 'im, we'll get 'im."
"I lack your confidence, Wolverine," Hank says. "We could end up causing a disaster much worse than the one in the Altuns. Have you thought of that?"
"Of course I have. But that doesn't mean we leave him a slave, a human battery. That's not what we're about."
"I concur," Ororo says.
"So do I," Hank replies. "We just need to be careful."
"What else is new?" Logan chuckles. "We're the X-Men."
"We're almost there, aren't we Logan?" Ororo asks. "I should begin my part of the mission."
"You may want to give me a minute to slow us down and take us low," Logan replies. "I think even you would be ripped apart if you jumped out of the plane at supersonic speed."
Ororo stands and moved to the back of the Blackbird, pulling her hood up over her head. Hank joins her at the door as Logan brings the Blackbird lower to the rugged plains of the Gao-Jeng province.
"Lake Qing-Zhou is in view," Logan calls.
Hank palms open the hatch, holds on as air rushes in, pulling at him. "Bless us, Goddess," Hank says as Ororo dives from the Blackbird.
She spins, tailing toward the earth. Lightning cracks out from her hands and the Blackbird is buffeted by winds as the dark clouds gather, spilled like ink in the sky, blotting out the moon. Rain swells and lightning strikes all around them as Logan engages the VTOL drive, bringing the Blackbird to rest on the wind-swept shores of Lake Qing-Zhou.
The X-Men unstrap from their seats. "The goddess is doing her part," Logan says. "Runaway--recon!"
Paige is out of her seat and out of the hatch before Logan can finish the order.
Hanks settles back into his seat and keys his datapad. From it projects a holographic display--schematics of the Pax base. in the center of it is an oblong black spot, their target.
"Psylocke, can you get in?" Hank asks.
Emma is already trying. 'There's a telepath on duty, but his screening is weak. I can get into a guard, read his surroundings. Nightcrawler, I'll link you in--there--will that do?"
"Yes, that is very fine," Kurt says. "Who am I taking with me?"
Paige is back. "Heavily guarded, but I'm guessin' that's not a problem for us, is it?"
"Psylocke, Thunderbird, Beast, you're first," Logan says. "Runaway, Rogue, and I can wait until the second run."
Will nods.
"Wolverine," Hank interrupts. I know this isn't the best time to bring this up, but I'm changing my codename--Charles approves it--something with a little more nobility given my recent accelerating transformations."
"What is it, McCoy?" Logan huffs. "I'll call you Princess Lollipop is you want."
"Griffin," Hank says. "Call me Griffin."
"Fine--Psylocke, Thunderbird, Griffin, you're first."
Take my hand," Kurt says. Will does, as does Hank. Emma grabs onto the arms of both of them.
Will feels warm flames and smells brimstone as they vanish.
Jono wakes, harsh light in his face. He groans, pats the space around him, sits up when his fingers touch the rough surface of an infirmary blanket.
"Jono?" Laynia. her face appears over his, eyes deep wells of concern. "Jon?"
Jono falls back on the bed, groans again. Laynia is suited up, but Jono has no idea if morning has come. "What time is it?" he asks.
"Almost 6:00--what happened to you?"
"Sleeping Beauty awake yet?" Sam joins Laynia at Jono's bedside. "What did you think you were doing? Bishop's really pissed."
Jono swings his legs onto the floor, grasps for his jacket, which Laynia provides. He stands, lurches for the door, but the world tilts strangely and he's forced to balance himself against the edge of the bed.
"Sam's question is a good one," Laynia says. "What were you doing?"
I was seeing what I could find out, Jono replies. Get off my back. This is my job, you know.
"Your job is to follow orders. I told you to monitor and instead you went in and tried to raid his mind."
Jono buttons up his jacket, squares his shoulders against Bishop's glare. I was trying to help.
"Help by following orders. Now. We have invaders."
"Invaders? Who?" Laynia asks.
"Just come with me."
Jono, Laynia, and Sam follow Bishop out of the infirmary and down to the main section of the base, where the rest of XSE Alpha waits for them on the catwalk that overlooks the crypt.
Marrow leans on the railing, sharpening a bone knife against her wrist. Alexei turns to look as his sister, Laynia. He has already assumed his great Russian bear form.
"An aircraft has landed, just as the storm blew in outside from a clear night. I think we know what this means."
"What do they want?" Marrow asks.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sam replies. "Think my sister's with them?"
"We don't even know they really exist," Bishop says. "That said--we're here to protect the subject, and we'll do it. You all know what needs to be done."
"Cannonball to the rescue, Sir," Sam stiffens and gives Bishop a playful salute , then is in the air, leaving a hot contrail behind him as he aims for the vent window that allows him access.
Jono readies his own bio-blast, the telekinetic aspect of his psionic powers, which allows him to excite the air molecules around him with such rapidity that they erupt and explode with directed force. The power wells up within him as his psionic net is extended. He can feel his teammates around him, their selves like shadows glimpsed through a veil.
Where will they come, these invaders? Are they the X-Men, resurrected from the ashes of Charles Xavier's dream? If so, who will they be? Paige and Will -- Runaway and Thunderbird -- their old teammates? What others?
Jono feels a disruption in the psionic field, a rift opening just in front of the crypt--white hot power blazes through, a telepathic mask, random thoughts cast into the room like psionic shrapnel to hide from notice the exact forms and number of these invaders.
"XSE Alpha--Focus!" Bishop shouts. Jono links with his teammates--it takes almost all of his power to do it. He keeps them tied together, roped against the mental blizzard which is even now sending the guardsmen scrambling around the base, shouting, shooting blindly.
Laynia grabs Jono and together they descend, gliding down on a cloud of darkness. Jono runs to the crypt, for the mass of beings his mind will not quite allow him to see, and blasts.
Hank leaps out of Kurt's brimstone cloud. Emma clutches at her head, immediately letting go of Will's arm. Reluctantly, Will lets her. He feels connected, pulls the earthfire up into his hands. Hank's return to the ground shakes the floor, extending the thunder's rumble. The entire building vibrates like a struck bell as Ororo's lightning volley strikes home.
"Kurt, Hank, do your thing," Emma shouts. "I'm masking us as well as I can."
Will jumps in front of Emma. It is his task to protect her and he means to execute the role well. Hank is on top of the crypt, holding a radiation monitor. Kurt is gone again, sent to fetch the remainder of the team.
Pure force, orange heat, blasts Will, knocking him off his feet. he rolls, narrowly missing taking Emma down with him. He leaps into a crouch and sees Chamber--Jono--standing in front of him. Jono stares as if trying to pick out Will's features, but Emma blocks him with her masking.
Will throws out his arm, letting loose a ball of fire. It slams into Chamber's side, but Jono tilts to avoid it, drawing it into his own energy.
Thunderbird, I thought so, Jono sends, and Will winces at the knowledge that he's revealed his identity. Nothing else can be done, so Will shouts back to him, "Chamber--why are you here?"
Orders, friend, Jono sends back. This time he does not respond with a bio-blast, but Will's vision is blotted out as pure black pervades the area around the crypt.
Hank curses. "I can't read the meter!"
Lightning finally breaks through the roof of the building, bringing the storm with it. Will can feel the force, see the flash, but it does not cut the darkness for long. Will's arms are pinned behind him suddenly by a smoothly muscled form, and he feels a sharp pressure on his neck. Even without sight, Will knows the knife is made of razor-sharp bone.
"Marrow," Will says. "Will you stop it and just listen to us?"
"And what is it exactly you will say?" She hisses in his ear. "You're a traitor, Proudstar, and I should gut you where you stand. Wise move, that wasn't, putting yourself back in the hands of the XSE."
"Shut up!" He elbows her in the stomach, throws fire into her face, rolls to avoid her slashing response. He smell's Kurt's arrival, feels Paige rush past. How can she see to run so fast?"
Then the darkness is gone, Laynia on the floor, X'ian standing over her. The darkness coalesces around X'ian's hands.
Marrow stands over Will. He kicks at her and she falls into Logan, who pops his claws out, holds them to her neck. She curses and kicks, but he manages to hold her.
Kurt is next to Hank, but Will has lost track of Emma and Paige completely.
Jono is at the edge of the crypt now--his arms spread wide and his back against it in a posture of defense. Bishop leaps down from the catwalk, blasting with his force-guns. Hank and Kurt fall; Kurt teleports as his feet leave the metal and his is immediately back where he was. X'ian is down as Bishop rushes forward. Will grabs onto Chamber, but is greeted with a bio-blast that sends him reeling. Paige rushes at Bishop, but he absorbs her speed, the force of her full-throttle approach, and sends it back at her, sending her into the wall to collapse in a heap.
Logan stands his ground, Marrow still in one arm. Will knows better than to throw his fire at Bishop. It will only make his former commander more powerful.
Logan lunges, dropping Marrow, drawing blood from Bishop's leg. Emma screams, clutching once more at her head, and Chamber falls too. Bishop sends all his force out, lifting Will off the ground, throwing him into the crypt. Will reaches out for Emma as his head hits the edge and everything vanishes in a hot black flash.
Emma has to drop the psionic masking as the pain stabs into her head. It isn't working anyway. The XSE's telepath, Chamber, the man with the open psionic energy well in the middle of his body, is nowhere near as powerful as she is, and she can tell the psychic trauma of the strange mutant's call has ripped him from his body.She closes her eyes, falls to the ground at Will's side, and follows him.
She's inside a mind like none other she's ever experienced, Chamber in front of her, twisting, flailing in some psychic wind. She manages to catch the edge of his coat and anchors them both to some image she can catch in the mind around them.
And immediately wishes she hadn't. All around them are bodies, twisting and contorting as they burn, frozen in their moment of ultimate agony, the fire that takes them a hot blue-white.
But it is a still image, not a living moment, otherwise Emma is sure she and Chamber's minds would both be seared away. Chamber pants, and lays on the burning ground.
You saved me, he sends
Of course I did. Do you know where we are?
Inside his mind. The subject's. I've been here before.
That's why he called us back?
Their telepathic exchange is halted by the arrival of a child. He's about five years old, dark eyes under short black hair.
He mouths the words, "Stop me."
And the world vanishes in white-hot pain.
Next: A Scar in the World