Everything is white. Where there was red and pain, theres now white and
cold. Am I dead? I don't think so. But theres still silence. Still no
noise. Is it really that quiet out here? Something leans into my line of
sight. I think its Jeannie, but the whiteness is blinding to me still. Is
this that light at the end of the tunnel? I sit up slowly, trying to feel
my way through this mess. There's nothing hurting, not a huge surprise.
Healing Factor takes care of that. We've landed on some scrubby mountains
in what I think is Arizona. I say think cus Chuck made real sure he erased
that from our memories before he took off. Amazing what you can lose in
the space of an hour.
Theres smoke risin up behind us, smoke from the Blackbird. No fire though, I don't know what that means. I think I've been out for a long time. Jeannie comes into view again and I can see her now, what a mess she looks. But God, what a sight for sad eyes. My Jeannie made it. Her uniform, its singed and torn and there's cuts all over her. The left side of her face is burned, some of it will be permanent, and her hands too. I think her right arm is broken, and she's walkin with a limp, but she's alive. She's trying to talk to me now. Her lips are movin but I can't hear a damn thing.
"Slow down darlin. I can't hear" I say, my eyes seeking hers out, trying to gauge her reactions. They're frightening on her pale face; they're dark and wild and they keep darting about. She's trying to take it all in, trying to accept it all. She's asking me what to do, like I know better than she does. The one man we all trusted just sent us plummeting to our doom while he took over Kurt and bamfed himself back to safety. What the hell do you do? Its not exactly in the manual. I shrug noncommitally for the moment and scan the area around us for the other two. Its not what she wants to see, but its all I can do for now. Rogue is a few feet away, looking off towards where the 'Bird touched down. Easing myself up I walk over towards her and place a hand on her shoulder. Turning to face me a slightly sardonic smile twists her face and I realise I'm still dealin with Carol. Thats fine, she can take over for now. I don't think Rogue's be much help in her state anyhow.
"Where's Gumbo?" I asked gruffly and she looks over my shoulder at the ground a little ways away. I know before I even look that he's dead. If he hadn't been killed by the shock, the fall surely did him in. His neck is at an odd angle, his eyes closed, that unruly hair of his flopping into his face. Its so strange to see him so still. He was so full of energy, so full of life...
Its amazing what you can lose in the space of an hour.
Jean's grabbing at me again and I look to read her lips, "Where do we go?" she's askin. Huh, like I know. All I can smell is smoke and I can't hear anyone anywhere. Not that I think I'd want t'. I've heard all that before an I can smell the flesh and burning metal of the plane. I don't think I wanna hear it too. I glance once around our landscape again, lookin at everything out there. Mostly a lotta desert and a little o' nothin. Though, as I face northeast I think I smell something....And the wind, its coming from that direction. Something, I am a firm believer in, is always better than nothin. Reaching out I grasped her hand and nodded in the direction I was looking
"That way" I answered her. And despite it all, she put those huge, trustin eyes on me and nodded, believin in me. I don't deserve that. Lookin back over my shoulder I beckon Carol with a toss of my head and she nods as well, picking her way through the brush to my side. Noone asks what to do about Gambit, there's nothin to be done. None of us wants to leave him like this, but we have no choice. We gotta find shelter before night hits and Jeannie's bleedin pretty bad. She's gotta get some help. I pray up to whatever God or Gods are listening, knowin I'm not a religious man but we need whatever divine guidance we can get. Praying to take Gumbo's soul on to a peaceful place along with Cyke's and Jubilation's. Praying that my nose doesn't fail us now. And most of all, praying we aren't too late to save the others at the mansion. Just praying that we make it through all this.
~~~~~~~~~
I'm not sure how long we walked, but I know it was dark by the time we got there. Of course, there wasn't much ta look at either, but it was better than nothin. I was carryin Jeannie by now, she was just too weak to go on. Even Carol's stumblin next to me, and I'm not doin to hot either. Theres a small house up ahead, more of a shack than house, but it'll have to do. I just hope they're mutant friendly cus theres no way we can last the night and none of us are in any shape t' fight em off.
I can smell the dogs before I see em, but logic tells me they're barkin at us from a ways off. I glance over at Carol, and I think the look of grim determination on her face matches my own. We don't have much of a choice right now. There weren't any lights as we were walkin up, but now one of the windows is glowing. I wish I could hear what they were sayin. Lookin over at Carol I can see her yellin back at them, but I can't tell what she's sayin either. I think she's askin for help. Its too dark to read lips. Whatever she said I think it worked cus the light's moving through the house and the front door's being opened. An older woman is rushing out towards us, she's got gray hair and a tattered old robe on. Close behind a skinny old man's standin on the porch pointing a shotgun at us.
The lady runs up ta me an looks at Jean in my arms, concern all over her face. Its not a pretty sight. She's doing that mother hen thing I think, ya know the one where they cluck an fuss? I can't make out everything she's saying, but I know she invited us in. Can you believe it? Sometimes people don't give these hicks enough credit. I look over at Carol and she nods her head at me. What choice do we have? I nod at the woman and we all follow her inside.
The house is rickity, not very well kept. Theres loose boards and weak furniture, but its a home and shelter none-the-less. The lady goes about lighting up candles all over the place- no electricity I s'pose. I watch her and then follow her directions to lie Jean on the kitchen table. She starts boiling up some water and pulls out some rags so we can wipe her up. Looking up into my eyes she very deliberately asks me if I need any for myself. Smart ole bird, she figured that out pretty quick. Or Carol told her. Either way, she knows she has to have my attention to communicate.
The old man is standing in the background, shotgun at his side, but at least the butt of it is on the floor. I nod briefly at the woman and then, catching the man's eyes again at him and let out a gruff, "thank you". He seems to soften a bit at that and I turn back to Jean to see if I can help. To my surprise, however, Carol and the woman shoo me out of the room and into a cramped den, telling me to make myself comfortable. Southern sensibilities I guess. Not like I haven't seen her naked before. The old man comes in a few minutes later and places a bucket full of warm water and some rags next to me. God, it feels good to wash off. By the time I'm done the water is a murky brown and I'm still not entirely clean, but it doesn't matter. It feels better than before.
Only thing left to do now is wait I guess. I sit on the beat up couch and stretch out along it. It can't hurt to close my eyes for a few minutes, I'll just wait for them to get me. Hmm, maybe I can sleep until then....
Theres smoke risin up behind us, smoke from the Blackbird. No fire though, I don't know what that means. I think I've been out for a long time. Jeannie comes into view again and I can see her now, what a mess she looks. But God, what a sight for sad eyes. My Jeannie made it. Her uniform, its singed and torn and there's cuts all over her. The left side of her face is burned, some of it will be permanent, and her hands too. I think her right arm is broken, and she's walkin with a limp, but she's alive. She's trying to talk to me now. Her lips are movin but I can't hear a damn thing.
"Slow down darlin. I can't hear" I say, my eyes seeking hers out, trying to gauge her reactions. They're frightening on her pale face; they're dark and wild and they keep darting about. She's trying to take it all in, trying to accept it all. She's asking me what to do, like I know better than she does. The one man we all trusted just sent us plummeting to our doom while he took over Kurt and bamfed himself back to safety. What the hell do you do? Its not exactly in the manual. I shrug noncommitally for the moment and scan the area around us for the other two. Its not what she wants to see, but its all I can do for now. Rogue is a few feet away, looking off towards where the 'Bird touched down. Easing myself up I walk over towards her and place a hand on her shoulder. Turning to face me a slightly sardonic smile twists her face and I realise I'm still dealin with Carol. Thats fine, she can take over for now. I don't think Rogue's be much help in her state anyhow.
"Where's Gumbo?" I asked gruffly and she looks over my shoulder at the ground a little ways away. I know before I even look that he's dead. If he hadn't been killed by the shock, the fall surely did him in. His neck is at an odd angle, his eyes closed, that unruly hair of his flopping into his face. Its so strange to see him so still. He was so full of energy, so full of life...
Its amazing what you can lose in the space of an hour.
Jean's grabbing at me again and I look to read her lips, "Where do we go?" she's askin. Huh, like I know. All I can smell is smoke and I can't hear anyone anywhere. Not that I think I'd want t'. I've heard all that before an I can smell the flesh and burning metal of the plane. I don't think I wanna hear it too. I glance once around our landscape again, lookin at everything out there. Mostly a lotta desert and a little o' nothin. Though, as I face northeast I think I smell something....And the wind, its coming from that direction. Something, I am a firm believer in, is always better than nothin. Reaching out I grasped her hand and nodded in the direction I was looking
"That way" I answered her. And despite it all, she put those huge, trustin eyes on me and nodded, believin in me. I don't deserve that. Lookin back over my shoulder I beckon Carol with a toss of my head and she nods as well, picking her way through the brush to my side. Noone asks what to do about Gambit, there's nothin to be done. None of us wants to leave him like this, but we have no choice. We gotta find shelter before night hits and Jeannie's bleedin pretty bad. She's gotta get some help. I pray up to whatever God or Gods are listening, knowin I'm not a religious man but we need whatever divine guidance we can get. Praying to take Gumbo's soul on to a peaceful place along with Cyke's and Jubilation's. Praying that my nose doesn't fail us now. And most of all, praying we aren't too late to save the others at the mansion. Just praying that we make it through all this.
~~~~~~~~~
I'm not sure how long we walked, but I know it was dark by the time we got there. Of course, there wasn't much ta look at either, but it was better than nothin. I was carryin Jeannie by now, she was just too weak to go on. Even Carol's stumblin next to me, and I'm not doin to hot either. Theres a small house up ahead, more of a shack than house, but it'll have to do. I just hope they're mutant friendly cus theres no way we can last the night and none of us are in any shape t' fight em off.
I can smell the dogs before I see em, but logic tells me they're barkin at us from a ways off. I glance over at Carol, and I think the look of grim determination on her face matches my own. We don't have much of a choice right now. There weren't any lights as we were walkin up, but now one of the windows is glowing. I wish I could hear what they were sayin. Lookin over at Carol I can see her yellin back at them, but I can't tell what she's sayin either. I think she's askin for help. Its too dark to read lips. Whatever she said I think it worked cus the light's moving through the house and the front door's being opened. An older woman is rushing out towards us, she's got gray hair and a tattered old robe on. Close behind a skinny old man's standin on the porch pointing a shotgun at us.
The lady runs up ta me an looks at Jean in my arms, concern all over her face. Its not a pretty sight. She's doing that mother hen thing I think, ya know the one where they cluck an fuss? I can't make out everything she's saying, but I know she invited us in. Can you believe it? Sometimes people don't give these hicks enough credit. I look over at Carol and she nods her head at me. What choice do we have? I nod at the woman and we all follow her inside.
The house is rickity, not very well kept. Theres loose boards and weak furniture, but its a home and shelter none-the-less. The lady goes about lighting up candles all over the place- no electricity I s'pose. I watch her and then follow her directions to lie Jean on the kitchen table. She starts boiling up some water and pulls out some rags so we can wipe her up. Looking up into my eyes she very deliberately asks me if I need any for myself. Smart ole bird, she figured that out pretty quick. Or Carol told her. Either way, she knows she has to have my attention to communicate.
The old man is standing in the background, shotgun at his side, but at least the butt of it is on the floor. I nod briefly at the woman and then, catching the man's eyes again at him and let out a gruff, "thank you". He seems to soften a bit at that and I turn back to Jean to see if I can help. To my surprise, however, Carol and the woman shoo me out of the room and into a cramped den, telling me to make myself comfortable. Southern sensibilities I guess. Not like I haven't seen her naked before. The old man comes in a few minutes later and places a bucket full of warm water and some rags next to me. God, it feels good to wash off. By the time I'm done the water is a murky brown and I'm still not entirely clean, but it doesn't matter. It feels better than before.
Only thing left to do now is wait I guess. I sit on the beat up couch and stretch out along it. It can't hurt to close my eyes for a few minutes, I'll just wait for them to get me. Hmm, maybe I can sleep until then....