Title: Stormy Forecast

Author: Viral

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. This is a fan fiction: a fan's version of expression in which he or she wishes to portray a character(s) aside from or in addition to the creator's original concepts and/or ideas.

Author's Notes: My apologies for the growing gap in updates; I have been writing things for another site, but I will try my best to get this story finished painlessly.

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Siryn would have died if she did not land on the trampoline the NYFD had prepared. Synch and Cyclops were too preoccupied with counterattacking the Shadow King to even try and help Siryn. "Everett, are you ready?" Cyclops asked Synch as Storm's body began to lose altitude to face the two face-to-face.

Synch's rainbow-like aura began to glow around his body, illuminating his Generation X costume. "Wait..." Everett said, as if his mind were somewhere else. His brown eyes looked over to Cyclops with a dazed look. "Cyclops see if you can hold him off," he yelled before he quickly left Scott's side, leaving him at the mercy of the Shadow King who was more than willing to slaughter him with Storm's abilities.

As Synch disappeared from the scene, the Shadow King began to laugh. Jean's unconscious body and what was left of Wolverine's body was a sight of humor for him. Even though Synch wasn't there, Cyclops answered his question. "Gladly!" he yelled, infuriated with the Shadow King's laughter. He ripped off his visor and released an unbelievable amount of energy from his uninhibited eyes. The blast was too large too dodge, but the Shadow King was more than willing to use Storm's hurricane like winds to outrun it.

As the optic blast moved towards the altitude where Storm's body hovered, the Shadow King gained an enormous amount of acceleration and speed as Storm's body flew at sub-sonic speeds. The optic blast was hot on her tail, but it was running out of intensity. Soon enough the optic energy had chased the Shadow King clear out of the Earth's atmosphere. However, with a collection of water droplets at her calling, the Shadow King was able to use Storm's lightning to perform electrolysis, splitting the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen and breathing the oxygen until her body entered the Earth's atmosphere once more.

Spotting Cyclop's body, using Storm's cat-like eyes once again, the Shadow King frowned. Was he that willing to get rid of Storm just because of Jean? If that was the case, then he would be more willing to get rid of Cyclops for his treachery. "You are not worth the air in your lungs," the Shadow King mumbled as he began to take in a deep breath while he crossed Ororo's arms. The deep breath he was taking in was not just for fun. He was purposely taking the air of Cyclops' lungs. He could see from his high altitude, Cyclops fall on his knees and bang on the ground as he pleaded for air. "What?!" the Shadow King yelled as he noticed a kinetically charged card hovering in front of him. He spotted Miguel, Gambit, and Synch below. Synch had telekinetically lifted the card to the altitude while the Shadow King was preoccupied with Cyclops – and the card was ready to blow at Gambit's will.

With a blink of his eyes, Gambit released the energy in the card and explosion filled the air, knocking Storm's body from the sky and allowing Cyclops to breathe, although now unconscious. Just then, Rogue was freed by the fire department from the rubble, with blood spilling out of her body in pools. But as if it were preordained, the Blackbird landed in the midst of the battlefield and Beast stepped out. Gambit ran towards the Blackbird, "De Calvary finally arrived, eh mon ami?"

"I am afraid there is no one but me aboard," Hank said as he came out with his medical equipment. "I found the Professor mentally traumatized at the mansion and immediately assisted him with medical care. This event sparked my curiosity so I checked the news and noticed the maelstrom. I knew for sure that the X-Men had some part in this. I will be unable to assist you in battling Storm; I have no weapons to battle the elements, much less our resident Windrider. But I will attend to our wounded."

"Danks for de speech," Gambit said as Synch and Miguel approached with Cyclops, Jean, and Rogue being carried between them.

"My stars and garters!" Hank shouted in surprise and fear, "Is that Logan?"

"He's gone, Dr. McCoy," Synch said as he laid Rogue and Cyclops in the jet.

"Has Storm gone mad?" Hank asked, still not aware of the entire situation. All he noticed was the roaring tornado coming their way and the heated Windrider ready to rip the entire city apart.

"She's not herself," Gambit noted in his thick Cajun accent as he readily charged a card. "The Shadow King got her mind! He controllin her."

"No!" Synch said, finally taking a leadership role. "Put the card away. You can't fight her – nobody so far has had the skill, but I can! I can copy her powers and the Shadow King's without even touching them. And unlike Rogue, I can handle Storm's powers!"

"You're gonna get yourself killed, cabrito," Miguel said to Synch as he looked up with watchful brown eyes of the approaching tornado. It was gaining speed and power as the city began to turn upside down at its fury.

"Just get in the jet!" Synch was now yelling over the strong winds and the thunderous sound of the moving funnel. "Storm may be the most powerful X-Man, but I'm the most powerful mutant – period!"

Gambit refused to be ordered around, but he had no choice. Synch telekinetically forced Beast, Gambit, and Miguel into the Blackbird and sealed the exit. His body surrounded itself with a colorful aura as it copied Storm's genetic information and copied her abilities.

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The Astral Plane is a place where only the greatest telepaths can go. It was an abstract world where the power of the mind is the greatest power. If the mind is destroyed or held captive in this universe, then the physical body is crippled, paralyzed, or worse – destroyed. This is where the Shadow King banished the minds of Professor Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. He wanted to make sure they would not attack him after he completely controlled Ororo.

The astral projections of Jean and Professor Xavier's bodies were held captive in this world. In barred cages they floated towards a form similar to a black hole. If they reached that hole they would never be able to live in the physical world. Their bodies would be destroyed and their minds emptied into nothingness. "Professor, we must get out!" Jean screamed as she tried to break open the prison with her mental abilities.

"I should have known it was the Shadow King!" the Professor yelled while he created the mental projection of a fire-containing weapon. Hopefully, somehow they would be able to get back to their physical bodies. "He has been trying to get Ororo's powers for years!"

"How did he escape? Didn't you have him trapped here?" Jean asked, as she pried at the bars. "Is it possible that he could escape on his own?"

"It's very possible," the Professor said. "There are so many psychics who travel the astral plane – so many weak psychics whom the Shadow King could trick or lie to. He could have used them to escape and then trapped them where I once had him."

"It's hopeless, Professor!" Jean said as she finally gave up. She sat on the floor of her floating prison and tears began to fall from her green eyes. "We can't escape from here. There's no one left to help us!"

"Do not lose heart," the Professor said in his comforting father-like voice and tone. "Have faith."

-=-=-

The tornado that once whirled through the city began to dissipate, to the Shadow King's surprise. He turned around, noticing the black funnel lose strength. Cars and buildings dropped to the ground and the sky began to show its bright blue face as the dark clouds disappeared. "What sorcery is this?" the Shadow King question through Storm's lips.

"No sorcery," Synch smiled, "Just mutant charm!" He hovered in the air before Storm's possessed body.

"You'll regret those words, child!" the Shadow King yelled as a lightning bolt flew out of Storm's hands and into Synch's body.

Synch, like Storm, could channel the electric charge through his body like a living lightning rod, and so he did; unharmed. He smiled and his brown eyes glistened with youthfulness as he returned the attack at Storm's body. They both remained unharmed by the lightning. "Anything you can do, I can do – and much better, if I may brag about it!" Synch said, amused.

"Take this!" the Shadow King yelled as Storm's right hand was pointed at Synch. Nothing was happening, nothing at all. The Shadow King was attempting to freeze Synch's body from the inside out.

"I have the same mechanism Storm has," Synch smiled even wider. "Immunity to extreme heat and cold. Don't you just love her power?"

"You sour ingrate!" Storm's body flew at Synch as a deadly kick from Storm's boots hit his cheekbone, causing blood to spill from the side of his mouth. Synch immediately looked back at Storm with a frown as her fist flew towards his ribcage. Synch caught the fist with his hand and twisted Storm's arm around.

"Ah!" the Shadow King yelled as he felt Storm's pain.

"Give it up, Shadow King! You're outmatched and outdone!" Synch commanded.

The Shadow King growled as he silently called on his own psychic abilities. Storm's eyes closed and her body went limp as she lifelessly floated in the air. Synch immediately caught onto what was happening and became synchronized with the Shadow King's abilities, and just in time. He successfully blocked the Shadow King's incoming mental attack. Concentrating, Synch's body went limp and floated as well as he and the Shadow King finally met, face-to-face on the Astral Plane.

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Their psychic swords clashed on the Astral Plane. Synch and Shadow King were in a gruesome face-off for Storm's freedom. Synch skillfully counterattacked everyone one of the Shadow King's moves as if he had been a psychic all his life. Reading the Shadow King's thoughts and planned attacks made the fight that much easier. "Maybe you didn't notice: but I don't just copy your powers, I can use them even better than you can!" Everett yelled as he knocked the Shadow King's sword from his grip.

"Kill me and you'll kill Storm!" the Shadow King smiled as Everett raised sword up to his neck. "Her mind is connected with mine, and when my mind is destroyed, so is hers. There is no way you can win – not matter how smart you are," the Shadow King cackled as he reveled in his victory.