Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Thanks also to my good friend Corrinth for the use of the
character Ilehana Xavier.
A/N: Nearly all done now, sob sob! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far, and if you haven't please do!
Scene Seventeen
"I guess they are in there?" Iceman nodded towards a door marked simply 'A. Jacobi'.
"Looks like it. Are you...?" Cyclops was cut off by a hasty "Hush!" from Wolverine. The adimantium-armed mutant sniffed heavily twice, before walking to the desk outside of Jacobi's office door.
"Get up." He ordered, and a woman dressed in civilian clothes obliged, whimpering. "What's your name?" Cyclops folded his arms, not happy with Wolverine taking charge.
"Carla." Jacobi's secretary replied almost sulkily.
"Is Jacobi in his office?" Wolverine inquired almost politely.
"Yes." Again a sulky one-word reply.
"Then, Carla, you might wanna get out of here." With another whimper she obliged, disappearing over the other side of the atrium. "Good enough for you Cyc?"
"Think you can do as good a job opening this door?" Cyclops indicated to Jacobi's lock, an old-fashioned needs-a-key number. With glee Wolverine pulled back two of his claws.
"Got the key right here."
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Inside the office, the desk had been overturned to make a temporary rampart. Behind it the three humans trained their guns on the doorway. These mutants didn't have a chance...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blaze had not descended the stairway with Cyclops and the others. She couldn't place it, but something was calling to her inside of her head. Hesitantly, slowly she walked around the gantry, booted feet clanging in the now relative quiet of the room. Somewhere a man whimpered, injured. The cries of those trapped by Bobby's ice where receding, muffled. Cyclops and Wolverine spoke to a woman down on the floor below. Carefully Blaze pushed open an unlocked door...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Crash! The locking mechanism for Jacobi's office fell to the concrete floor. With an animalistic cry Wolverine charged through the door into a volley of bullets. His eyes bulged with the pain and somebody almost laughed. But then Wolverine was on them, claws slicing. Sal van Hyre yelped and fell backwards as his precious gun was cut in half. Immediately van Hyre was struck with a blast of cold ice, making him gasp. He fell to the floor, arms pinned by the ice-bolt.
Bobby stood in the doorway, ready to immobilise Wolverine's next opponent when he felt himself struck by a colossal fist. He flew backwards, knocking into Cyclops. The giant mutant Crush filled the doorframe where Bobby had been stood, cracking his knuckles and grinning.
"Little boy wants to play rough?" He asked Iceman who scowled in reply. Cyclops rolled away as Bobby got to his feet.
"You bet." Bare palms towards the larger mutant, Bobby sent an ice-bolt straight at Crush's chest. It wrapped around him, and for a second seemed to hold him. Then with a crunch the ice shattered, shards flew in every direction. Bobby covered his eyes to protect them as the monster Crush laughed. The muscular mutant took a few steps towards Iceman and made as if to pick him up. Then with a yelp he stopped, hit from the side by a red laser beam.
"Why don't you pick on someone else?" Cyclops yelled out.
"My pleasure." Laughed Crush, turning to lumber towards Cyclops. Iceman saw his chance. Touching fingertips to the floor he turned the concrete into a skating rink and sent Crush slipping over. The huge mutant slammed down on his back, head thudding against the concrete and fracturing Bobby's ice sheet.
"What's that thing about the bigger they are?" Iceman asked Cyclops, and they both grinned briefly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wolverine didn't have time to look back as Bobby iced van Hyre. In seconds a white-skinned, blue-haired and blue-eyed woman dressed in shiny blue plastic was on him. With startling agility and speed Electra thudded home punch after punch, each one packed with volts, and all the time staying out of the reach of Wolverine's claws. Roaring his frustration and pain as electricity flooded his senses; Wolverine whipped the gun out of the hands of Pierre Cardomé who cowered out of the way behind the desk. In a fluid movement he slammed the butt of the gun into Electra's chest, making her catch her breath. But in that instant when Wolverine had an advantage to press home, Cardomé found his nerve and jumped the Wolverine from behind. Pinned by the skinny Frenchman, Wolverine struggled as Electra placed her bare hands to his temples.
"It will be easier if you don't fight it." She muttered, looking deep into his eyes. Then she unleashed her power. Wolverine fell to his knees in agony, Pierre Cardomé was thrown clear by the power of the electricity, and Electra smiled amicably.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the darkened laboratory, Blaze squinted as she waited for her vision to adjust. Within seconds against the green glow of the equipment she could make out a familiar silhouette.
"Remy?" She asked of the darkness, almost afraid of the answer. The shadow figure tensed, extending an arm holding a long, thin pole from the outline of a long trench coat. "Remy, is that you?" The hairs on the back of Blaze's neck stood up on end, every nerve in her head was screaming now. Something was very very wrong here.
"You shouldn't be here." His voice was cold, hard, but it was his voice. Blaze took a step forwards, but the Gambit-shadow stepped back equally. "I don't want to hurt you."
"What are you doing here, Gambit? What's going on?" It was happening again, he was cutting her out of his life, telling her she couldn't be part of his plans... Blaze could feel the panic in her stomach start to break down her walls. No! She had to remain in control!
"You don't belong here, Blaze. Leave. Take your new friends with you and leave. Now."
"Je ne pas comprendre." Desperate she tried again to approach him. He planted the pole firmly on the concrete and from standing swung round it. Blaze gasped as his two feet hit her in the midriff and sent her flying backwards. Her head slammed against the concrete wall. For a second she was stunned. Then it was like floodgate opening. She saw with another's eyes, breathed with another's breath. And she understood what she had to do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Arrgh!" Electra pulled her hands away slightly from Wolverine's temples. Blue bolts of lightning ran quicksilver through her fingers and into his pounding skull. He gasped for every breath, feeling his healing powers loosing grip, not being able to keep up with the damage to his nervous system. "Arrgh!" He screamed again, and Electra laughed.
Suddenly a bolt of red light combined with a pulse of white ice knocked Electra off her feet. She wailed as she hit the desk and toppled over it. Wolverine collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
"You okay Wolverine?" Bobby asked as he came to stand over his prone friend.
"What took ya so long?" Wolverine gasped in reply, pulling himself back onto all four.
"Iceman, freeze her!" Scott called out as Electra began to get back to her feet. Bobby tried to oblige, but already she was jumping over the desk, hands outstretched and electricity bolting out of her palms. Cyclops dived across the room, knocking Bobby out of Electra's path and taking her attack himself. "Arrgh!"
In a second Iceman had recovered. With a fierce blast he pinned Electra to the floor, trapping her with ice up to her neck. She wailed again, a high- pitched wail that echoed around the room. In one corner Pierre Cardomé twitched involuntarily, Electra's power making him fit and spasm on the floor. Slowly Wolverine and Cyclops gathered themselves, and Bobby's smile of thanks at Cyclops was answered with a slow nod.
"So where's Jacobi?" Logan asked, cracking his knuckles.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With heaving breath and sweat pouring down his face, Alessandro Jacobi ran like he had never ran before. Let the others take the wrath of the X-Men, he was not so stupid. Ever thankful for the secret exit through the wall of his office, Jacobi had slipped away when the X-Men had begun to win. He swore that one day the X-Men and Blaze would pay for the damage they had done him, the careful plans they had ruined...
A/N: Nearly all done now, sob sob! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far, and if you haven't please do!
Scene Seventeen
"I guess they are in there?" Iceman nodded towards a door marked simply 'A. Jacobi'.
"Looks like it. Are you...?" Cyclops was cut off by a hasty "Hush!" from Wolverine. The adimantium-armed mutant sniffed heavily twice, before walking to the desk outside of Jacobi's office door.
"Get up." He ordered, and a woman dressed in civilian clothes obliged, whimpering. "What's your name?" Cyclops folded his arms, not happy with Wolverine taking charge.
"Carla." Jacobi's secretary replied almost sulkily.
"Is Jacobi in his office?" Wolverine inquired almost politely.
"Yes." Again a sulky one-word reply.
"Then, Carla, you might wanna get out of here." With another whimper she obliged, disappearing over the other side of the atrium. "Good enough for you Cyc?"
"Think you can do as good a job opening this door?" Cyclops indicated to Jacobi's lock, an old-fashioned needs-a-key number. With glee Wolverine pulled back two of his claws.
"Got the key right here."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Inside the office, the desk had been overturned to make a temporary rampart. Behind it the three humans trained their guns on the doorway. These mutants didn't have a chance...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blaze had not descended the stairway with Cyclops and the others. She couldn't place it, but something was calling to her inside of her head. Hesitantly, slowly she walked around the gantry, booted feet clanging in the now relative quiet of the room. Somewhere a man whimpered, injured. The cries of those trapped by Bobby's ice where receding, muffled. Cyclops and Wolverine spoke to a woman down on the floor below. Carefully Blaze pushed open an unlocked door...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Crash! The locking mechanism for Jacobi's office fell to the concrete floor. With an animalistic cry Wolverine charged through the door into a volley of bullets. His eyes bulged with the pain and somebody almost laughed. But then Wolverine was on them, claws slicing. Sal van Hyre yelped and fell backwards as his precious gun was cut in half. Immediately van Hyre was struck with a blast of cold ice, making him gasp. He fell to the floor, arms pinned by the ice-bolt.
Bobby stood in the doorway, ready to immobilise Wolverine's next opponent when he felt himself struck by a colossal fist. He flew backwards, knocking into Cyclops. The giant mutant Crush filled the doorframe where Bobby had been stood, cracking his knuckles and grinning.
"Little boy wants to play rough?" He asked Iceman who scowled in reply. Cyclops rolled away as Bobby got to his feet.
"You bet." Bare palms towards the larger mutant, Bobby sent an ice-bolt straight at Crush's chest. It wrapped around him, and for a second seemed to hold him. Then with a crunch the ice shattered, shards flew in every direction. Bobby covered his eyes to protect them as the monster Crush laughed. The muscular mutant took a few steps towards Iceman and made as if to pick him up. Then with a yelp he stopped, hit from the side by a red laser beam.
"Why don't you pick on someone else?" Cyclops yelled out.
"My pleasure." Laughed Crush, turning to lumber towards Cyclops. Iceman saw his chance. Touching fingertips to the floor he turned the concrete into a skating rink and sent Crush slipping over. The huge mutant slammed down on his back, head thudding against the concrete and fracturing Bobby's ice sheet.
"What's that thing about the bigger they are?" Iceman asked Cyclops, and they both grinned briefly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wolverine didn't have time to look back as Bobby iced van Hyre. In seconds a white-skinned, blue-haired and blue-eyed woman dressed in shiny blue plastic was on him. With startling agility and speed Electra thudded home punch after punch, each one packed with volts, and all the time staying out of the reach of Wolverine's claws. Roaring his frustration and pain as electricity flooded his senses; Wolverine whipped the gun out of the hands of Pierre Cardomé who cowered out of the way behind the desk. In a fluid movement he slammed the butt of the gun into Electra's chest, making her catch her breath. But in that instant when Wolverine had an advantage to press home, Cardomé found his nerve and jumped the Wolverine from behind. Pinned by the skinny Frenchman, Wolverine struggled as Electra placed her bare hands to his temples.
"It will be easier if you don't fight it." She muttered, looking deep into his eyes. Then she unleashed her power. Wolverine fell to his knees in agony, Pierre Cardomé was thrown clear by the power of the electricity, and Electra smiled amicably.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the darkened laboratory, Blaze squinted as she waited for her vision to adjust. Within seconds against the green glow of the equipment she could make out a familiar silhouette.
"Remy?" She asked of the darkness, almost afraid of the answer. The shadow figure tensed, extending an arm holding a long, thin pole from the outline of a long trench coat. "Remy, is that you?" The hairs on the back of Blaze's neck stood up on end, every nerve in her head was screaming now. Something was very very wrong here.
"You shouldn't be here." His voice was cold, hard, but it was his voice. Blaze took a step forwards, but the Gambit-shadow stepped back equally. "I don't want to hurt you."
"What are you doing here, Gambit? What's going on?" It was happening again, he was cutting her out of his life, telling her she couldn't be part of his plans... Blaze could feel the panic in her stomach start to break down her walls. No! She had to remain in control!
"You don't belong here, Blaze. Leave. Take your new friends with you and leave. Now."
"Je ne pas comprendre." Desperate she tried again to approach him. He planted the pole firmly on the concrete and from standing swung round it. Blaze gasped as his two feet hit her in the midriff and sent her flying backwards. Her head slammed against the concrete wall. For a second she was stunned. Then it was like floodgate opening. She saw with another's eyes, breathed with another's breath. And she understood what she had to do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Arrgh!" Electra pulled her hands away slightly from Wolverine's temples. Blue bolts of lightning ran quicksilver through her fingers and into his pounding skull. He gasped for every breath, feeling his healing powers loosing grip, not being able to keep up with the damage to his nervous system. "Arrgh!" He screamed again, and Electra laughed.
Suddenly a bolt of red light combined with a pulse of white ice knocked Electra off her feet. She wailed as she hit the desk and toppled over it. Wolverine collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
"You okay Wolverine?" Bobby asked as he came to stand over his prone friend.
"What took ya so long?" Wolverine gasped in reply, pulling himself back onto all four.
"Iceman, freeze her!" Scott called out as Electra began to get back to her feet. Bobby tried to oblige, but already she was jumping over the desk, hands outstretched and electricity bolting out of her palms. Cyclops dived across the room, knocking Bobby out of Electra's path and taking her attack himself. "Arrgh!"
In a second Iceman had recovered. With a fierce blast he pinned Electra to the floor, trapping her with ice up to her neck. She wailed again, a high- pitched wail that echoed around the room. In one corner Pierre Cardomé twitched involuntarily, Electra's power making him fit and spasm on the floor. Slowly Wolverine and Cyclops gathered themselves, and Bobby's smile of thanks at Cyclops was answered with a slow nod.
"So where's Jacobi?" Logan asked, cracking his knuckles.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With heaving breath and sweat pouring down his face, Alessandro Jacobi ran like he had never ran before. Let the others take the wrath of the X-Men, he was not so stupid. Ever thankful for the secret exit through the wall of his office, Jacobi had slipped away when the X-Men had begun to win. He swore that one day the X-Men and Blaze would pay for the damage they had done him, the careful plans they had ruined...
