Mystique wasted no time in flying us out of the valley below Alkali Lake, for which I am very thankful. No sooner than we cleared the treetops of a foothill, the dam burst; billions of gallons of freezing water flooded the entire valley in seconds.
Below us, something very unusual was happening.
There, between the flood and the jet, was Jean. I could see her, parting the water and lifting the X-jet, wreathed in flame. This was a most powerful display; her powers were never very impressive, she could hardly lift her own weight under normal circumstances, and here she was holding back the force of a flood and lifting an airplane!
The lake had a high metal content in the water, hence the name. I could have held the water at bay, and let Jean rejoin her family, but before I could offer my help to her, she let go. She disappeared under the torrential waters instantly, her flames extinguished. We watched the water, unbelieving. Why had she let the water take her?
Perhaps the effort was too much for her; she had used so much power to save her fiancé and her friends, she didn't have enough left to save herself.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she was taking the easy way out. Mystique said that she saw Jean and Logan kissing. Maybe this way Jean would not have to deal with the heartache of choosing Scott or the Wolverine. There are a number of reasons why she let the wave take her, but I wasn't interested in playing guessing games all night. Neither were the X-men, it seems.
No sooner than she disappeared, they soared off.
I took one last glance at the icy waters below before we did the same. Mystique took the control yoke, and I sat in back with the aptly named Pyro.
I leaned back in my chair and studied him.
He was a young man, perhaps nineteen at the oldest, but like me, he had seen and experienced things that made him older on the inside. What happened at the lake being the least of which. His hair was dark brown, a little on the longer side, but it seemed to suit his rebellious nature. He was a Caucasian, like I am now and like Mystique once was. His eyes were a dark hazel; they shined with adventure and strangely, an eagerness to please. He had a lean body, but physically, I am sure he was strong.
He had accepted my invitation, but why? Did he merely see a way to safety, or did he want to be a part of something?
Time would tell.
The boy seemed distracted as he stared off into space, but he knew I was looking at him. Truth be told, I was curious. What kind of life had he led before Charles reached him? What he planned to do with his future?
Without looking at me, he asked, "Are you going to kill me?"
It was the same question that Rogue had asked me on the boat. She was a reluctant sacrifice, a last resort. I had not wanted to hurt her anymore than I wanted to hurt Mystique. Certainly I did not want to hurt him, is that what Cyclops and Storm told their students? Big, bad Magneto will get you if you misuse your powers?
Typical.
"No, of course not. What makes you think that I would?" the boy seemed surprised at my answer, as if he had expected an emphatic 'yes'.
He closed his eyes and let out a breath he had been holding in. He was a troubled young man, and at the moment I did not feel like adding to his stress.
"Would you like us to take you back to the school?" I asked quietly. He opened his eyes, and furrowed his brow.
"No." now it was my turn to be surprised.
"Why not? That's where your friends will be heading, don't you want to meet up with them again?"
Pyro took a minute to collect his thoughts before answering. "They...can't understand me. They hate me now for what I did at Bobby's house, if I went back to the school the teachers would label me as a loose canon. I don't want to go back if they'll just be suspicious of me."
I nodded. "I understand. Mystique and I made a similar choice, years ago, whether or not to stay at the school. Some may not think it was a wise decision, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
Pyro then asked me the question that he had been turning over in his mind since our short conversation on the jet. "Can I stay?" His voice was nervous, he expected rejection, but I would not reject a young fellow mutant who needed help. He would not be welcomed back at the school, thus he had nowhere else to go...except to me.
"If it suits you, then you can stay." I replied.
"Cool, whatever." He tried to keep his face indifferent, almost bored. The boy's eyes betrayed him, he was happy to be a part of our group. I glanced up at Mystique and saw her smile.
*****
Without stopping the flight, Mystique brought us all the way back to the island. It stood out proudly from the crashing waves, just as I had remembered it. She gracefully set the helicopter down, and cut the engine.
John-Pyro- was the first out the door. He started walking around the grounds, exploring his new home. I smiled slightly at his childlike curiosity, there was something almost heart warming about having him here with us.
Mystique apparently felt the same way as she sidled up to me. Her hand slipped into mine, interlacing our fingers.
"I'm glad you're back, Eric." She said quietly as she watched Pyro look out over the ocean.
"So am I, my dear Mystique." I replied as I kissed her knuckles.
Below us, something very unusual was happening.
There, between the flood and the jet, was Jean. I could see her, parting the water and lifting the X-jet, wreathed in flame. This was a most powerful display; her powers were never very impressive, she could hardly lift her own weight under normal circumstances, and here she was holding back the force of a flood and lifting an airplane!
The lake had a high metal content in the water, hence the name. I could have held the water at bay, and let Jean rejoin her family, but before I could offer my help to her, she let go. She disappeared under the torrential waters instantly, her flames extinguished. We watched the water, unbelieving. Why had she let the water take her?
Perhaps the effort was too much for her; she had used so much power to save her fiancé and her friends, she didn't have enough left to save herself.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she was taking the easy way out. Mystique said that she saw Jean and Logan kissing. Maybe this way Jean would not have to deal with the heartache of choosing Scott or the Wolverine. There are a number of reasons why she let the wave take her, but I wasn't interested in playing guessing games all night. Neither were the X-men, it seems.
No sooner than she disappeared, they soared off.
I took one last glance at the icy waters below before we did the same. Mystique took the control yoke, and I sat in back with the aptly named Pyro.
I leaned back in my chair and studied him.
He was a young man, perhaps nineteen at the oldest, but like me, he had seen and experienced things that made him older on the inside. What happened at the lake being the least of which. His hair was dark brown, a little on the longer side, but it seemed to suit his rebellious nature. He was a Caucasian, like I am now and like Mystique once was. His eyes were a dark hazel; they shined with adventure and strangely, an eagerness to please. He had a lean body, but physically, I am sure he was strong.
He had accepted my invitation, but why? Did he merely see a way to safety, or did he want to be a part of something?
Time would tell.
The boy seemed distracted as he stared off into space, but he knew I was looking at him. Truth be told, I was curious. What kind of life had he led before Charles reached him? What he planned to do with his future?
Without looking at me, he asked, "Are you going to kill me?"
It was the same question that Rogue had asked me on the boat. She was a reluctant sacrifice, a last resort. I had not wanted to hurt her anymore than I wanted to hurt Mystique. Certainly I did not want to hurt him, is that what Cyclops and Storm told their students? Big, bad Magneto will get you if you misuse your powers?
Typical.
"No, of course not. What makes you think that I would?" the boy seemed surprised at my answer, as if he had expected an emphatic 'yes'.
He closed his eyes and let out a breath he had been holding in. He was a troubled young man, and at the moment I did not feel like adding to his stress.
"Would you like us to take you back to the school?" I asked quietly. He opened his eyes, and furrowed his brow.
"No." now it was my turn to be surprised.
"Why not? That's where your friends will be heading, don't you want to meet up with them again?"
Pyro took a minute to collect his thoughts before answering. "They...can't understand me. They hate me now for what I did at Bobby's house, if I went back to the school the teachers would label me as a loose canon. I don't want to go back if they'll just be suspicious of me."
I nodded. "I understand. Mystique and I made a similar choice, years ago, whether or not to stay at the school. Some may not think it was a wise decision, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
Pyro then asked me the question that he had been turning over in his mind since our short conversation on the jet. "Can I stay?" His voice was nervous, he expected rejection, but I would not reject a young fellow mutant who needed help. He would not be welcomed back at the school, thus he had nowhere else to go...except to me.
"If it suits you, then you can stay." I replied.
"Cool, whatever." He tried to keep his face indifferent, almost bored. The boy's eyes betrayed him, he was happy to be a part of our group. I glanced up at Mystique and saw her smile.
*****
Without stopping the flight, Mystique brought us all the way back to the island. It stood out proudly from the crashing waves, just as I had remembered it. She gracefully set the helicopter down, and cut the engine.
John-Pyro- was the first out the door. He started walking around the grounds, exploring his new home. I smiled slightly at his childlike curiosity, there was something almost heart warming about having him here with us.
Mystique apparently felt the same way as she sidled up to me. Her hand slipped into mine, interlacing our fingers.
"I'm glad you're back, Eric." She said quietly as she watched Pyro look out over the ocean.
"So am I, my dear Mystique." I replied as I kissed her knuckles.