Chapter Three: Desperate Measures

There had been a girl who called herself Mindstorm. A girl who was both telepathic and telekinetic, possessing power far beyond that of either Jacqueline or myself. A girl who had been murderous and psychotic. She had sworn to kill all four of us. She had come within seconds of killing Chloe. Until she was stopped.

Stopped by Jacqueline.

Our friend's last act of sanity, sacrificing her own mental health to save the rest of us. I could still see in my mind, the all too vivid images of Jacqueline, putting her hands on the sides of Mindstorm's head, and pulling both of their minds back into her own. It was an ability Jacqueline possessed, the ability to hold multiple minds inside her own brain. From that day, the two minds had existed inside Jacqueline's head. Though Jacqueline controlled the body, it seemed almost certain that it was Mindstorm who was really in control, manipulating her thoughts and changing her, making her more and more cruel and depraved with every passing day. She had ceased to be Jacqueline, and had become Psyche, the amalgamation of the two.

There was a third mind that also existed inside her. When Jacqueline was seven years old, her parents had discovered she was a mutant, and disowned her. Unable to cope with the trauma of being thrown out of her own family, the little girl's mind had split into two. One had remained in control of the body, ageing as time went along, the one we knew as Jacqueline. The second had remained the mind of a seven year old girl, trapped in her own head, suffering for ten long years, haunted every moment by the horrific scars that had been left in her memory.

Now the three of them were in there together. I knew Jacqueline could only come back to us if Mindstorm's influence was taken away. Even then, there might not be enough of her old personality remaining. And getting Mindstorm out of her head would not be easy. I didn't even know if it was possible. Could a consciousness be killed, without killing the body in which it existed? We would have to try. If we couldn't…then we would have to kill Jacqueline and put her out of her suffering. That was not something I wanted to think about.

I wondered how much of this Magneto knew. It was obvious Mindstorm had made Jacqueline attach herself to Magneto's crew, seeking the possibility of revenge against me and my friends. What she had planned apart from that, I didn't know. Even though Magneto was our enemy, I suspected there was a good streak in him, something that Mindstorm certainly didn't have. She was potentially far worse than even he.

I lay awake in the darkness as I contemplated these thoughts. I hadn't wanted to sleep, but Storm had insisted we get some rest. There was nothing more we could do anyway, until Nightcrawler had infiltrated Magneto's group. I wasn't sure what our next move was, and I suspected neither she nor Wolverine knew either. We desperately needed the Professor, or somebody like him, to plan our actions. The three of them had headed for New York City. The plan was for Nightcrawler to start some kind of trouble, an angry mutant fighting for his right to freedom, and hopefully attract Magneto's attention. If it worked, he'd join the Brotherhood and try to locate the Professor. If it didn't work, Storm and Wolverine would grab him and the three of them would high-tail it back here. They'd left the mansion shortly before midnight.

Glancing at the clock, I saw the time. 3am. I could hear snoring from the bed nearest the wall: Chris. He never had any problems dropping off to sleep, regardless of the situation. He could switch on and off like a light. Chloe, in the bed nearest mine, wasn't making any noise, but her chest was rising and falling rhythmically, and I assumed she too was asleep. The bed on my left was occupied by Felicity. Since regaining consciousness in the infirmary, she'd attached herself firmly to the three of us. I supposed she needed something familiar to cling to, in this strange and frightening new environment, and we were the best thing she had.

I couldn't sleep. I pushed back my duvet, stood up, and headed for the door. Perhaps a short walk would settle my mind sufficiently. Pushing the door open, I walked down the darkened corridor, not heading anywhere in particular, letting my feet go where they chose, trying to collect my thoughts and calm my mind. While I was deep in thought, my footsteps led me down the staircase and into the games room. Looking up, I could see that the television was switched on, and somebody was sitting on the comfortable sofa in front of it. Obviously I wasn't the only person who couldn't get to sleep. I walked closer and saw Bobby, idly flicking through the channels, with Marie curled in his arms, sleeping silently.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"Hey, man," he replied. "Couldn't sleep?"

I sat down on the sofa next to them, "No. I can't stop worrying. I can't stop thinking about Magneto and what he's going to do. I can't stop thinking about Jacqueline."

"She's with Magneto now?"

"Yeah. She's lost her mind. She's not who she used to be."

"And you want to get her back?"

"If I can."

Bobby didn't make any response. He rested his head on the back of the sofa, and I thought he'd fallen asleep too, when he stirred and said, "I wonder when Storm and the other two will get back."

"Well, if everything goes to plan, there will be only be one other," I said. "I wonder if they – "

I stopped as I was distracted by the television, "We apologise to viewers for interrupting our regular broadcast with this newsflash. Less than an hour ago, two mutants were arrested by military forces as they attempted to incite a riot in New York City."

"Oh no," I gasped, as pictures of the incident flashed up on screen.

Wolverine and Storm. Both lying motionless, being carried into the back of a military vehicle. I couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead. With them went our last hope.

The news reporter continued, "This special army unit, under the command of Colonel Michael Lutowski, was sent to New York specially to deal with the continuing mutant problem in our state. We can only hope that with the capture of these two mutants, peace may return to our streets and cities."

"I don't believe it," Bobby said. "We're lost now. What can we do?"

"Where's Nightcrawler?"

"Hey, you're right. He must have gotten away. Do you think he managed to find Magneto?"

I shook my head slowly, "I have no idea. We can't assume anything."

"What can we do now?"

"I don't know. And why were there military forces involved? Is the army moving in against us?"

"If so, we're finished. Without the Professor, there's no way we can prevent a war."

I stood up and put both hands to my head, trying to clear away the whirlwind of worries, forcing myself to think clearly. A plan. We needed a plan. We needed a flash of inspiration, striking from the heavens like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, without warning, I got one. I looked up, my eyes wide, staring at Bobby, "I've got it."

"Got what?"

"I know what Magneto's planning to do. I just figured it out."

"What?"

"Go upstairs, wake Chloe and Chris. I'll tell everyone together. Meet me down at the elevator."

"Where are you going?"

"To use Cerebro."

Bobby exclaimed, "What?! You can't possibly – "

Marie woke with a start, roused by his shout. She looked at him, then at me, "Oculus? What's going on?"

"Bobby will tell you. Meet me downstairs."

"No way!" he protested. "You can't use Cerebro! It's too dangerous!"

"I have to. There's no other way. Just trust me. Hurry, get the others!"

He seemed torn by indecision, unable to choose between going upstairs to wake them, or stopping me from going to Cerebro. Eventually he made up his mind and ran for the stairs. I turned and hurried down the corridor that led to the elevator. I was halfway there when the enormity of it struck me: I was in command now. In the absence of the adults, I was the oldest person in the school, and temporarily leader of the X-Men. I almost laughed. It was only yesterday that I'd been nothing more than an emergency back-up member, who'd never been out on a mission. Now I was in charge.

I reached the elevator, darted inside, and punched the button for the underground floor. It descended as swiftly and smoothly as ever, but still seemed to take an age to reach the lower level. Once it got there, I bolted out of the lift and towards the huge, circular door that blocked the way to Cerebro. The door that could only be opened by the Professor's retinal scan.

Or by a telepath with X-ray eyesight. I'd done it once before, and now I did it again. Pushing my focus beyond the door, I could see inside the vast spherical chamber. The mechanism that opened the door was now visible. I used my telekinesis to activate it, and the door slid open silently. I went inside, and walked towards the device at the end of the platform

"Neil! No!" came a scream from behind me.

Chloe, still wearing her nightdress, was running madly down the corridor outside, coming towards me.

"You can't! It'll destroy you! Please!" she cried.

I raised my hand, and used my mind to move the switch that closed the door. It slid shut, and Chloe was stuck on the other side. Looking through the door, I could see her shrieking, her eyes flooding with tears, beating helplessly on the door with her little fists. I knew how she felt. We'd both seen Jacqueline almost annihilated by the power of the machine. We both knew I wasn't as powerful as Jacqueline. It was stupid, crazy, insane and suicidal. But it was the only way.

Kneeling in front of the machine, I took a deep breath, offered up a prayer, and placed the headset over my cranium. What now? Did it work automatically? Was there something I had to do to start it up? Something was happening. The wall – the huge, curved wall – in front of me had changed, taking on a cloudy appearance. Was this supposed to happen? I concentrated my thoughts on the Professor, on trying to work out his location. My telepathic senses were stretching out, amplified by the machine, seeking him.

Suddenly, with a jolt that nearly knocked me off the platform, Cerebro joined with my brain. It was the most incredible sensation I'd ever experienced. It was like being in two places at once. I was there in the room, physically, kneeling in front of the machine, but my mind was there as well. I could actually sense my own presence, see myself kneeling there, my eyebrows furrowed in concentration. A moment or two passed, and I could begin to sense more people. Chloe, outside the door, still screaming for me. Chris, Bobby and Marie were with her. I could sense the other students, the other children in the school, upstairs. Most of them were asleep, but one or two lay awake.

I tried to focus my thoughts on finding the Professor, but I couldn't seem to direct the path of my senses. Cerebro had taken control, and my field of telepathy was spreading out in an ever-increasing ring around me. It began to hurt. I couldn't handle the speed it was moving at, nor the huge distance it was covering. My mind was buffeted by information, like a high-pressure fire hose shooting water at a tiny hole in the ground. There was no way it could all get in, and I was beginning to struggle. As the ring spread further and further, it felt as if my head was being ripped apart. If I did this any longer, I would die. Putting my hands to the helmet, I was about to yank it off, when I sensed something.

The Professor.

Lying on a cold metal table, unmoving, drugged or asleep. He wasn't dead, or I wouldn't have sensed him. There were other mutants nearby, but my mind was losing control and I couldn't identify them. Magneto might have been one, but I couldn't tell. I just needed one more piece of information: where they were. I could see them now: Magneto, Mystique, Pyro, Rat, Psyche, together in the one room. Psyche looked up suddenly, sensing my intrusion into her mind. I moved on, and could sense Cyclops, locked in the adjacent room. His visor had been taken away, and he was groping around blindly, keeping his eyes tight shut.

Going a little further, I could see where they were. Magneto's sanctuary. On an island, off the coast of New York City. That was all I needed to know. With shaking, sweating hands, I pulled the helmet off my head, and slumped to the floor, exhausted beyond movement. I had just enough strength to lift my hand, and mustered the telekinetic power to hit the switch that opened the door. Chloe screamed and they raced towards my unmoving form.

"Neil? Are you all right?" she sobbed.

"Is he dead?" Marie gasped.

"No, otherwise he couldn't have opened the door," said Chris. "Are you OK?"

I opened my eyes, and weakly waved my hand at them, "I – I'll be all right."

"What were you thinking?" Chloe shrieked. "You could have killed yourself!"

"I'm fine. And I found them."

"Found who? The Professor?" Bobby asked.

I nodded, "I know where they're holding him."

"Where?"

"Help me upstairs and I'll tell you."

I had partially regained my strength by the time we got up to Xavier's office, but was still too tired to stand. Sinking into a chair, I faced the four of them, "OK. Here it is. Magneto's plan. He wants to start the war against humans, but he knows the Professor will be able to stop him. He's going to get the Professor out of the way."

"How? By killing him?"

"No. Like I said before, they are actually friends. I don't think he would want to kill the Professor. No, he's got something else in mind, and I know what. He's going to try and trap the Professor's mind inside Jacqueline."

"Huh?" said Marie.

"We told you what Jacqueline did to Mindstorm, by dragging her mind into Jacqueline's own. Magneto's going to get her to do the same to the Professor. He'll still be alive, but he won't be a threat to Magneto any more."

"Will he let him out again?"

"I don't know. Maybe he intends to do that once he's won the war. It doesn't matter, because we can't allow him to do this. We have to stop him."

"Right," said Chris slowly. "I hate to be the pessimistic one, but how exactly do we accomplish that? We can't send an army after him. You're looking at all the manpower we have, right here in this room."

"It's impossible," said Chloe. "Even if the five of us go, who stays behind and looks after the children?"

"I don't know, I really don't know," I said. "Some of them can come with us, the ones who are powerful enough to look after themselves. Felicity, for example."

"We can't. It's too risky," Marie said.

"Of course it's risky!" I said. "It's completely insane! It's our last stand! It's all we can do!"

There was silence for a few moments. Chris finally said, "You really think we can do it? Rescue the Professor, stop Magneto, stop the war?"

"How am I supposed to know? We can fight him now and risk getting killed, or we can wait until he's even more powerful, and be sure of getting killed."

Chris nodded, "I'm with you."

The others were more hesitant. Chloe looked at the ground and said, "You know I'll follow you anywhere, but…I…well…I guess I'll go with you."

"Like you say, there's nothing else we can do," Bobby sighed. "I'll go."

"In that case, count me in too," said Marie. "Just tell us what to do. What, how, when and where."

"When and where are easy," I said. "Now, and on an island close to New York City. As for the what and how…I haven't the faintest idea."

"Getting there is the first problem," Bobby said. "I can fly the jet…well, sort of…is it still here?"

"I think so. Storm and the others took one of the cars."

"Good," I said. "OK, here's what we'll do. Bobby, you'd better go to the hangar and get the jet ready. We can think of a plan on the way down there. Chloe, Marie, go upstairs and tell the children what's going on. Get the oldest ones to stay awake and look after the younger ones. I don't want to leave them on their own, but we have no choice. Chris, go and get Felicity and anyone else who's old enough and strong enough to join us."

"What about you?" someone asked.

"I'll be looking out the uniforms. We are X-Men, after all, and we're going to do this properly."