A/N: Just thought I'd say a quick thanks to my lone reviewer, Zhaneel...
And let's hope she starts a trend, or it could take me a long while to
finish this fic. Reviews = speed in typing. =]
*********
6:03 AM
Her alarm clock was painfully bright in Emma's dark room. She squinted at it and wondered why she'd woken up. Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another seven minutes. Sighing, she reached out and turned it off.
She sighed again and went to have a shower. Training started in half an hour.
As she was getting into her uniform, Emma looked outside.
"Oh great."
It had snowed overnight. It had snowed *heavily* overnight. She turned her alarm clock onto the radio and listened for a while. Snow Day.
She stopped. "Whoa, Deja Vu..." Then she shrugged and left her room, heading down to the danger room. Since she did the same thing most mornings, she could easily dismiss the first sense that she'd done this before. But the training session was a vastly different case.
Emma couldn't spare the energy it would take to raise her hand and wipe the sweat away from her forehead. She was running as fast as she could, swerving to avoid most of the obstacles and blasting the few she couldn't avoid.
She didn't know how, but it was like the *knew* what was coming.
Later, after another shower, Emma wandered into the kitchen for her morning coffee. She warmed her hands on the cup, frowning slightly. As part of her routine, she turned on the television and listened with half an ear. A phrase caught her attention. "...here in Buchanan County, Virginia, tragedy has struck..."
Emma quickly looked at the television, and heard the whirr of her Uncle's wheelchair. She looked at him as he entered the kitchen.
"Charles, I've done this before." Emma blurted out quickly before he had a chance to say anything.
"What do you mean?"
"This, I've done this day before, it's all really familiar. Like I've lived it before. But that's not possible, is it?"
He made his 'pondering face.' "Well I suppose there is a remote chance that your psionic powers could have developed, but it's not very likely."
"I'll second that." Emma's psionic powers were extremely weak. She could only create simple illusions in weak minds, and even then it was a great drain on her energy.
Then she frowned. "Wait, there's something I'm supposed to be doing."
"Oh, yes, a mine has collapsed in - "
"Buchanan County." Emma finished his sentence, her eyes a little unfocused.
*************
They'd landed the jet and Scott had handed out communicators and torches. Emma couldn't shake the deep sense of foreboding that had settled in her stomach like a lump of lead. Something was wrong, she had to do something, but she couldn't remember what it was. She followed the rest of the team down into the mine shaft, keeping well clear of Logan.
Some way down the mine, Scott called them to a halt. He looked at the plans he held. "It should be here. Shadowcat, go through and have a look."
Kitty walked through the wall. Soon after, her voice cracked over the communicator. "Yeah, we found 'em all right."
"Good, get them away from the wall." He stepped back and turned to Jean. "Try to hold up as much of it as you can, the rest of us will get them out."
"Wait, stop!" Emma cried out.
The X-men looked at her.
"What is it?" Jean looked concerned.
"Uh. Nothing, sorry." Emma felt completely helpless, knowing that there was something she had to do, something important, but not knowing what it was.
"Are you okay?" Kurt's eyes gleamed at her in the dark.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Blast away, Cyclops."
Scott unleashed his optic blast at the rock, blowing it away. Emma shielded her eyes from the bright beam and the flying rock shards. One sharp fragment nicked the skin on her forehead, making a small cut. She clapped a hand to it, knowing that she had received it before.
She stared at the dark shine of the blood on her fingertips.
Scott took a step forward through the hole he had carved and the rest followed.
There were fourteen men in the tunnel, three badly injured, whom Kurt teleported to the surface. Emma helped a man to his feet and made for the entrance, followed by two others who could walk. Then she stopped and handed the man over to his friends.
"Go, quickly." No sooner than she had spoken, the ground shook beneath them. Emma stumbled out of the tunnel to where Jean was. "We have to hold it!"
Rocks began to tumble to the ground.
Jean looked at her, shaking her head. "I can't hold it!"
"You have to, or they'll die!"
"Jean, Emma, come on!" Scott called down the tunnel.
Jean started to run and Emma went after her. She grabbed the girl's arm. They were meters from the exit. "You have to try, or they'll die! Trust me!" She shouted over the rumbling of rock. She saw Jean's brow crease as the girl bent her mind to the task. The rocks around them started to fall less, and slower.
The last three miners were slow, hampered by injury. Emma hurried them on as much as she could. When they finally made it to the surface, she turned around for Jean.
There was a great boom and the entrance closed behind her.
Emma couldn't breathe. Her mouth was open, but she couldn't breathe.
**************************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock, groaned and went back to sleep.
*********
6:03 AM
Her alarm clock was painfully bright in Emma's dark room. She squinted at it and wondered why she'd woken up. Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another seven minutes. Sighing, she reached out and turned it off.
She sighed again and went to have a shower. Training started in half an hour.
As she was getting into her uniform, Emma looked outside.
"Oh great."
It had snowed overnight. It had snowed *heavily* overnight. She turned her alarm clock onto the radio and listened for a while. Snow Day.
She stopped. "Whoa, Deja Vu..." Then she shrugged and left her room, heading down to the danger room. Since she did the same thing most mornings, she could easily dismiss the first sense that she'd done this before. But the training session was a vastly different case.
Emma couldn't spare the energy it would take to raise her hand and wipe the sweat away from her forehead. She was running as fast as she could, swerving to avoid most of the obstacles and blasting the few she couldn't avoid.
She didn't know how, but it was like the *knew* what was coming.
Later, after another shower, Emma wandered into the kitchen for her morning coffee. She warmed her hands on the cup, frowning slightly. As part of her routine, she turned on the television and listened with half an ear. A phrase caught her attention. "...here in Buchanan County, Virginia, tragedy has struck..."
Emma quickly looked at the television, and heard the whirr of her Uncle's wheelchair. She looked at him as he entered the kitchen.
"Charles, I've done this before." Emma blurted out quickly before he had a chance to say anything.
"What do you mean?"
"This, I've done this day before, it's all really familiar. Like I've lived it before. But that's not possible, is it?"
He made his 'pondering face.' "Well I suppose there is a remote chance that your psionic powers could have developed, but it's not very likely."
"I'll second that." Emma's psionic powers were extremely weak. She could only create simple illusions in weak minds, and even then it was a great drain on her energy.
Then she frowned. "Wait, there's something I'm supposed to be doing."
"Oh, yes, a mine has collapsed in - "
"Buchanan County." Emma finished his sentence, her eyes a little unfocused.
*************
They'd landed the jet and Scott had handed out communicators and torches. Emma couldn't shake the deep sense of foreboding that had settled in her stomach like a lump of lead. Something was wrong, she had to do something, but she couldn't remember what it was. She followed the rest of the team down into the mine shaft, keeping well clear of Logan.
Some way down the mine, Scott called them to a halt. He looked at the plans he held. "It should be here. Shadowcat, go through and have a look."
Kitty walked through the wall. Soon after, her voice cracked over the communicator. "Yeah, we found 'em all right."
"Good, get them away from the wall." He stepped back and turned to Jean. "Try to hold up as much of it as you can, the rest of us will get them out."
"Wait, stop!" Emma cried out.
The X-men looked at her.
"What is it?" Jean looked concerned.
"Uh. Nothing, sorry." Emma felt completely helpless, knowing that there was something she had to do, something important, but not knowing what it was.
"Are you okay?" Kurt's eyes gleamed at her in the dark.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Blast away, Cyclops."
Scott unleashed his optic blast at the rock, blowing it away. Emma shielded her eyes from the bright beam and the flying rock shards. One sharp fragment nicked the skin on her forehead, making a small cut. She clapped a hand to it, knowing that she had received it before.
She stared at the dark shine of the blood on her fingertips.
Scott took a step forward through the hole he had carved and the rest followed.
There were fourteen men in the tunnel, three badly injured, whom Kurt teleported to the surface. Emma helped a man to his feet and made for the entrance, followed by two others who could walk. Then she stopped and handed the man over to his friends.
"Go, quickly." No sooner than she had spoken, the ground shook beneath them. Emma stumbled out of the tunnel to where Jean was. "We have to hold it!"
Rocks began to tumble to the ground.
Jean looked at her, shaking her head. "I can't hold it!"
"You have to, or they'll die!"
"Jean, Emma, come on!" Scott called down the tunnel.
Jean started to run and Emma went after her. She grabbed the girl's arm. They were meters from the exit. "You have to try, or they'll die! Trust me!" She shouted over the rumbling of rock. She saw Jean's brow crease as the girl bent her mind to the task. The rocks around them started to fall less, and slower.
The last three miners were slow, hampered by injury. Emma hurried them on as much as she could. When they finally made it to the surface, she turned around for Jean.
There was a great boom and the entrance closed behind her.
Emma couldn't breathe. Her mouth was open, but she couldn't breathe.
**************************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock, groaned and went back to sleep.