Cipher's Elegy

By Cypher

Chapter Fifteen: The Plan

"Kurt? Kurt!"

Douglas' voice seemed so far away, and for a minute, he wondered why. What...what's going on?

~Kurt!~

Kurt winced, recognizing the tone immediately. Jean? What's going on?

~I don't have much time, so just listen! Exodus has been awakened and he's using our minds to try and find out what's been happening while he's been in stasis! Logan's unconscious, but I think--AGH--I think he'll survive. Our powers won't really work, and if we don't find some way out soon, we're not going to survive!~

Logan's...down? Kurt felt blood drain from his face, even though the action wasn't visible through his fur. If Logan's down...this is serious. Wait, Jean, how can you contact me?

~Exodus is going through my mind. Outside of the cell our powers sorta work, so I'm holding him off to get this mess-~
A scream ripped through Kurt's head, and he fell over, clutching his temples as a new, darker, and definitely masculine voice entered his mind. ~Well, well. It appears I have more guests. Very clever, Ms. Grey, but they won't be protected from me for long. In fact, why don't we have a look at what's in this mind right now.~

Who are- Kurt's thought was cut off as he felt psychic claws dig into his consciousness. Without meaning to, he screamed.

Douglas winced and pulled away at Kurt's shrill cry. "I'm just trying to help!" When Kurt had fallen over, Douglas had immediately gotten to his knees to try and help the mutant. Unfortunately, it appeared the blue teen was either suffering from a psychic attack, or some sort of seizure. Since no blood was coming from his mouth, Douglas assumed it was from the former rather than the latter. But what can I do to help? Searching through his memories, he recalled Professor Xavier speaking about psychic shields. Douglas had thought it was mostly just some filler information, since his mutation acted as a shield. Maybe...maybe I can use my intelligence as a shield for Kurt?

As Kurt let out another scream, Douglas grabbed his face and steadied his thrashing. "NIGHTCRAWLER! Snap outta it!"

Then, as quickly as it had begun, Kurt stopped struggling, and seemed to relax, his eyes slowly opening. "Vas...what are you doing?"

Douglas abruptly let go of him. "What am I doing?! You're the one who collapsed to the floor screaming like a banshee! You owe me new eardrums, by the way!" He sat back and eyed Kurt. "What...happened?"

"I...Jean. Jean contacted me."

Douglas frowned. "But why would she hurt you?"

Kurt hunched over slightly, his tail wrapping around his legs. "It...wasn't Jean. She was being...tortured...by Exodus. And he found out she was contacting me...and he-" He swallowed, remembering the painful sensation that swept through his body at the intrusion. "He attacked me. He's going to kill them all, and kill us." He looked into Douglas' eyes, his own reflecting fear and a touch of panic. "We can't wait, Douglas. They need our help now."

Douglas bit his lip, unsure of what to do. "Let...let me contact the Professor. At least that way he won't be worried. And you," he hesitated, "you gather the explosives."

Kurt gave one sharp nod before turning away and heading for the back of the Velocity.

Getting into the chair he occupied earlier, Douglas began typing in a message, not wanting to communicate directly with Professor Xavier. He had a feeling the telepath would talk both of them out of this rescue plan. But Kurt...Kurt seemed adamant. The terror in his eyes...he's not lying. He truly fears they'll all be dead. Setting a time delay for the message, he memorized his plans for collapsing the temple. Actually, one thing worries me even more. If Exodus was in Kurt's mind...what made him let go so suddenly?

~*()*~

"Gah!"

Jean felt the yellow aura around her fade and she collapsed to the floor, only having the strength to close her eyes. While Logan had been interrogated, she had attempted to contact Kurt and Douglas. Unfortunately, the cell Exodus kept them in prevented her from using her powers outside of the room. So, against her better judgment, she volunteered to be interrogated next, hoping she could distract the crimson man long enough to send out a warning.

It had worked beautifully, until Exodus punched through her defenses and used her link to rape Kurt's mind as well. Kurt...I'm so sorry. She heard a growl, and forced her eyes open, focusing on Exodus clutching his head. Logan had survived his ordeal only because his memory was so long, and Exodus had grown bored of searching after World War Two memories surfaced. He promised to go back to the feral mutant, but was ready for someone younger. She knew it was her duty to protect Kitty and Bobby, which was the other reason she had volunteered to be next.

So...why am I alive? For that matter, why...why did he disconnect from Kurt and me? If...if I didn't know any better, I'd say he got some sort of...feedback.

"Damn that third mind." Exodus glared at Jean, his eyes burning bright yellow as energy gathered for another assault. "You'll pay for that."

Third mind? It took Jean a few minutes to realize he meant Douglas. He...must've tried to help Kurt, and Exodus picked up on it and, despite her predicament, she felt herself smirk slightly, and his mind was too confusing for him to stay linked to, and caused him to retreat.

Yellow energy once more enveloped Jean and Logan, and with a wave of his hand, Exodus had flung them back into the cell. "I will continue...later." He rubbed his forehead, obviously still smarting from his encounter with the complex mind of Douglas Ramsey. "And next time, you won't contact your friends." Waving a hand over the crystals, the room outside the cell went dark once more, leaving the captured mutants alone.

Bobby, bit his lip, glancing at Kitty, who was sitting by Scott's head. The elder mutant was still recovering from being flung against the wall, and Kitty hadn't left his side. I guess it's up to me to protect them now. He had figured out that while their powers were dampened, they weren't completely shut off. Lowering the temperature of his hand, he rested it against Jean's forehead. It elicited a small moan from the red head, but otherwise she remained still, unconscious. Okay Bobby. Just...keep your cool. So the X-Men were taken out easily. He looked over at Logan, the toughest man he knew, and audibly swallowed. Doesn't mean you can't ice him...or something.

"Like, what do you think happened? Why did he stop?" Kitty brushed her fingers through Scott's hair. She no longer had a crush on him, but in many ways he was an older brother, and she did care deeply for him.

"I don't know. Maybe Jean was able to attack his mind or something." He pulled his hand away from Jean's head, giving up on trying to revive her any time soon. "I think we should just pray it's enough time for Doug and Kurt to figure out some way to get us out of here."

"No, they won't rescue us." Kitty sighed and sat back against the wall. "Douglas knows his limits. A battle like this...it'd be suicide for him. And Kurt, well, he can't use his teleportation in here."

"So we're just supposed to sit here and die?"

"No. By now they probably know something's up and have contacted the Professor. Who knows, maybe Magneto will feel sorry and save us."

Bobby snorted and looked at the door, wondering if he could somehow force his way past the radiation shield. "Unless Exodus decides to leave us alone for a day, there's not going to be anyone left to be rescued."

Kitty twirled the end of her pony tail around her finger, knowing Bobby was telling the truth. "We can't just give up, though."

"Hey, I haven't. You're the one saying the room mates on the surface can't rescue us." Bobby looked at her. "Maybe you should give your boyfriend more credit, huh? He is a genius. Maybe he can find some way outta this."

"Maybe...but he can't stand up to Exodus."

"This is Doug we're talking about, Kitty." Bobby knelt by the doorway and ran his hand over the barrier. "His mind's too complex for telepaths to affect."

"This guy was a God, Bobby."

"He was worshiped as a God, but he's a mutant. And we have one main advantage over him."

"What?"

"We're from this time. Things have changed since he was locked away. We're modern heroes going against an old mummy." Bobby grinned and rubbed his hands together. "If we put our minds to it, we can kick his ass and get the hell outta here. Now get over here."

Sighing once more, Kitty got up and headed to the door, kneeling by Bobby. "Alright, what do you want to try?"

"We still have partial powers. He can't take them away totally. You try to phase the shield. If we get it open enough, maybe I can shatter a few of those crystal clusters and break whatever's forming this field."

Looking over the fallen mutants, she put a determined look on her face and nodded, pushing her palms against the shield. Douglas, I do want you to save us, but please, don't come down here.

~*()*~

Douglas ran his hand over the field surrounding the temple, watching as the surface rippled at his touch. The external crystals are forming the field, but it's not a natural change due to the energy flow. Something is directing the energy and reinforcing it. Natural radiation shouldn't be this tough to penetrate. Unless... "Hey Kurt, what does Cyttorak radiation do to normal humans?"

Kurt was resting by the entrance to the cavern. The mental attack had drained his natural energy, and teleporting the two of them and the explosives had taken the wind out of him. Pushing his hair back, he shrugged. "I have no clue. Herr McCoy theorized that it's harmless to humans. Magneto proved it affected mutants, but we don't know if he tested it on anyone without the X-gene."

So maybe the radiation is able to push us away because of the X-gene. It's somehow attuned solely to mutant DNA and can alter the physiological properties of the mutation. Kurt said Jean's powers were blocked. But Scott had his enhanced. Douglas rubbed his chin, making a mental note to do some research on Cyttorak crystals back at the Institute. So the radiation can be directed to do specific things. Rubbing the shield once more, he knelt and picked up a rock.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you doing?"

Douglas stepped back from the shield. "Just testing a theory." He threw the rock at the shield. It passed through harmlessly and landed on the ground, rising a bit of dust. "So the explosives won't be a problem. But us, on the other hand..."

Kurt stood and grabbed his own rock, staring at it. The rock passed through because...what? It wasn't alive? Or maybe the shield only blocks against biological things passing through. But if I teleport, I enter another dimension, and so I wouldn't be passing through, right? Smirking slightly, he walked over to Douglas and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hang on."

"What do yo-" Douglas' question was cut off as the two teens vanished in a puff of smoke, only to appear seconds later under the overhang of the temple. "-u mean?" Douglas blinked and glanced around. "Oh. Good thinking."

Kurt leaned against a temple column, panting a bit. "Ja, well...it seemed like a good idea. Mind if we rest a bit?"

Douglas nodded and peered into the open doors, trying to pick out any forms in the semi-darkness. Main chamber. Two on support beams should be enough. "Alright, we should work on our plan."

"There's a plan?"

"Eh, I'm making it up as I go along."

Oh, that's reassuring. Pulling himself up, though his tail dragged on the floor, Kurt walked over and looked in as well. "Alright, you find Kitty and the others. I'll plant the explosives."

Douglas shook his head. "Let's not split up just yet. We don't even know if your powers will work in here."

"And yours will?"

"Well, my theory is that our passive powers will work." Douglas took a tentative step into the building.

"Passive powers?" Kurt followed him, making sure he was no more than a foot behind the blond.

"My mutation is completely passive. Your agility, dexterity, ability to blend into the dark," Douglas looked around, his brow furrowed until Kurt touched his shoulder and he nodded, "thanks. Those are passive. Your teleportation isn't, though."

"I think I get it." He saw Douglas kneel down and realized he was planting some of the explosive. "Why there?"

"There's a support column here. Blow this and part of the building's integrity will fail." He glanced up at the German. "We have to plant these to not only destroy the temple, but to also make the Feng Shui of the ruins similar to how it was when sealed." Finishing, he stepped back and looked around the dim room once more. "It's a shame, though."

Kurt squeezed his shoulder. "We have to destroy it. We can't let Exodus out."

"I know. I just wish..." He hung his head. "Nevermind. Logan would want us to use what abilities we do have to our fullest. If Exodus is telepathic, he probably can't read my mind. So I'll plant the explosives. You use your blending ability to sneak around in the shadows and find the others."

Kurt bit his lip. Something didn't feel right about that plan. "But, if Exodus is telepathic-"

"Something in your mind caused him to leave. Let's hope whatever it was keeps him out. Besides, if he can't see you, he can't nail you, right?"

"Maybe..." Kurt's tail coiled around his ankle. He didn't like this. "Maybe we should stick together. I mean, the X-Men never split up pairs."

"We don't have time, Kurt. Just...trust me. We'll be fine. I'll meet you outside the temple after I plant the bombs and...distract Exodus."

"What?!" Kurt grabbed Douglas' shoulders and shook him. "Are you insane?!"

Douglas rested his hands on Kurt's wrists. "Kurt, I'll be fine. I have the impenetrable mind, remember? I'll let him try to get in, land one on his chin, and vamoose before he knows what's happened." He pushed Kurt's hands away. "Besides, for all we know Exodus is sleeping and we'll never meet him. I'll only distract him if he's awake and is trying to capture you and the others again."

Kurt frowned. He did not like this plan, not one bit. "Douglas..."

"Kurt, please. Our main concern is freeing Kitty and the others. You get them out, and don't worry about me. You have to take care of Kitty for me. Please."

Kurt looked into Douglas' eyes, seeing the worry and pain there, as well as something he couldn't identify. Right...Kitty. He's only worried about Kitty. And he's right. His mind will protect him. A small part of Kurt's own mind berated him, telling him that was a lie and he knew it. He simply ignored it. We have to get the others out of here. If he can disable whatever's blocking my teleportation, that will be invaluable. "Alright."

"And you'll take care of Kitty for me, right? You promise?"

That nagging in the back of Kurt's mind returned as he heard Douglas' tone. Something about it was off. Instead of saying anything about it, though, he simply nodded. "I promise, Douglas."

Satisfied, Douglas relieved Kurt of his explosives and headed off into the darkness. Kurt spotted a glow stick a few minutes later, and realized Douglas was gone, searching for places to plant the C4. Alright, time to hold up my part of the plan. Looking around, he noticed that the ceilings seemed bathed in shadows. Finding the nearest wall, he climbed up, pushing the voice of doom he heard to the back of his mind.

~*()*~

Cyclops wasn't sure what had happened. He remembered being thrown into the wall, and being unconscious, but when he woke up, he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming, or if the nightmare he was seeing was real. He had woken up to see Bobby and Kitty kneeling by the door, pushing against the shield. Jean and Logan were unconscious around them, but appeared unharmed for the most part. A blink later, though, he saw Exodus on the other side of the door. He tried to yell out a warning, to scream for the two young mutants to get away. But he couldn't, his throat was too dry.

Now Bobby was outside the field, struggling for breath as Exodus choked him with his hand, his eyes glowing. Kitty had been flung back, but she was now pounding at the shield, trying to phase through, trying to save to save Bobby. He swallowed a few times, and finally found his voice. "Stop." Exodus glanced at him, his eyes still glowing. Scott wasn't sure what that meant, but Bobby was clawing at Exodus' arm, gasping. "Stop."

Exodus sneered, but did as Scott asked, dropping Bobby unceremoniously to the ground. The young man immediately curled up and took in deep breaths of air. Scott felt better knowing he had managed to save Bobby for now. His relief was short lived, however, as he felt his body lift from the ground and get pulled through the doorway. Oh shit.

"You wish to take is place? So be it." Exodus clasped Scott's neck and held him still. Scott tried to control his breathing, tried not to think about how his life was going to end. It took him a minute to realize Exodus wasn't squeezing. In fact, he seemed to have a...puzzled look on his face. What's...what's going on?

Bobby, having caught his breath, took advantage of the Exodus' distraction and, taking a page out of Spyke's book, launched icicles at the Cyttorak clusters. Most of the ice formations shattered on contact, but one set managed to destroy the balance one set of crystals were on and knocked the cluster over. They didn't shatter when they fell, but Scott could feel something behind his eyes, something he now realized was missing. He reached up to release his visor, but didn't get the chance as Exodus shoved him back into the cell.

Smiling at Kitty as she helped him get up from the forced tumble, he looked out the door. Exodus had snapped out of his daze and was glaring at Bobby, who had gotten to his feet, though one hand was feeling his throat. He hadn't managed to ice up, but Scott suspected that was due to Bobby's near-death experience rather than some control from the crystals. "What's he doing?"

"With luck, like, breaking us out of here." Kitty had pressed her hand against the wall the instant the crystals had fallen. Unfortunately, her phasing was still down, but obviously outside of the cell, the powers were working full force again. "You can do it Bobby! Shoot another round!"

Bobby nodded, but failed to form any more ice structures. In fact, he seemed to be in a staring contest with Exodus. Something's not right. Scott's fears were confirmed when Iceman slumped to the floor. Panic ran through Scott's body briefly, before noticing that his chest was still moving. He's alive...thank God.

"He is only alive because I have not thoroughly probed his mind." Exodus glared at Scott as Bobby was thrown back into the cell by some telekinetic force. "At least one of your friends has dared to violate the sanctity of my temple. I merely needed to find out what I was up against. Now that I know, hunting him down will be simple." He glanced at Jean. "Especially since I've touched his mind before." Turning around, Exodus' white cape flared behind his gold leaves before he disappeared into a doorway off to the side.

Kitty looked at the crystals on the ground. "Why didn't he, like, put those back?"

"Maybe he can't. Or maybe he's afraid of what Nightcrawler can do." Rubbing his own neck, Scott stepped away from Kitty and knelt by Bobby. The young brunette was curled in a fetal position, breathing evenly, but the red welts on his neck spoke of just how close he had come to never breathing again. Great job, Bobby. When we get back I promise, I'll talk to Professor X about making you an X-Man. Or at least the leader of the New Mutants. He looked over at Jean. He wished she were awake. He had a feeling she could explain what had happened after he had passed out better than Kitty.

"Mr. Logan!"

At Kitty's cry, Scott's head snapped towards the feral mutant, and he smiled a little as the Wolverine shook his head, grabbing his forehead.

"Not so loud, Half-pint." Sitting up, Logan's gaze first rested on Scott, nodding just slightly, then on Bobby. He growled as he spotted the neck. "That bastard. When I get my hands on him-" He suddenly went straight backed, and his eyes narrowed. "Those IDIOTS!"

Scott had a feeling he wasn't talking about anyone in this room. "What is it?"

"They're here! The ventilation is thin, but their scent is in the air! Those two idiots came down here!"

Kitty felt an uneasy feeling grow within her stomach. "Who, Mr. Logan?"

"Cipher and Nightcrawler!"

Kitty closed her eyes, hearing Scott groan and trying to bite back her own. Douglas...fuzzy elf...I hope you know what you've gotten yourselves into.

~*()*~

Douglas wiped his forehead and climbed out from behind the pillar. There, that's the last of them And it only took twenty minutes. It had taken him nearly ten minutes to get a feel for the floor plan of the temple, as well calculate where the C4 would have to be placed for the best results. Fortunately, it can be blown from the first floor alone. He was very thankful for that. It was still dark downstairs, and he hadn't heard anyone thus far, which meant neither Exodus nor his friends were there. It also meant they were probably up the flight of stairs he had spotted. I hope Kurt's finding his way okay.

Standing by a tapestry, he held up his glow stick and ran his other hand over its surface. Somehow the fabric had been preserved perfectly, and he could roughly make out the story they told: Exodus' rise to power in Egypt. Apocalypse again. I don't get what the end of the world has to do with him. He sighed and pulled his hand back. Not now, Douglas. You've got to help save your friends.

He still didn't like that they were going to blow this place up, but he had designed the plan, and if Exodus was as bad as Kurt said, it had to be done. So as he went through the Temple planting the explosives, he had memorized as much as he could, planning to copy it down as soon as he had the chance. The find may be lost for eternity, but I can preserve at least parts of it. Entering an antechamber, he paused. He remembered passing through this room before, but he didn't recall the descending staircase that was before him. That was a wall a few minutes ago, wasn't it?

Really hoping Nightcrawler wasn't down there, he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. He had managed to hide it under the explosive he carried. He figured Kurt would argue not to use such lethal methods, but unlike the others, he'd read of Exodus' deeds. Yes, he was protected from telepathy, but if Exodus could lift a small palace and hurl it into the Mediterranean, Douglas figured he wouldn't stand a chance without some form of protection.

So, he had located a gun on board the Velocity. It wasn't an average one, rather it was an experimental weapon McCoy and Xavier had worked on. Instead of bullets it fired some sort of electromagnetic burst. It was designed to disarm Magneto temporarily, but the notes he read indicated if it was used against a mutant or human, it would fry the neural synapses beyond repair. The word 'experimental' was not lost on him, however. He knew if he fired the thing it was just as likely to short out and fry his brain, or worse, do nothing. Still, it's the only advantage I have.

Activating the weapon, he cautiously headed down the stairs, keeping his eyes open for anything or anyone. Good so far. Stepping off the bottom stair, he looked around the room. What the hell?! The room wasn't well lit, but there were faint auras coming from crystal clusters. That wasn't what caught his attention, though. Around the room there appeared to be a number of computer terminals, only they were incorporated into the structure, and looked like no computer system he had ever encounter. Curiosity burned inside him, and he took a step forward.

NO! Douglas shook his head and stepped back. Just...just add it to the mysteries that this place holds! You...you have to find Kurt. Kitty. You have to get out of here before it's too late! Gazing at the room another moment, he turned and stepped onto the staircase.

And found himself staring at a crimson face.

~*()*~

~*()*~

~*()*~

Author's Prattle: Muwahahaha! The plot thickens. Just two more chapters to go, now! Will Kurt find the others? Will Exodus be sealed? What will happen to our protagonist? Find out next time in chapter sixteen: The Price.

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution; or Exodus or Cipher. They're all owned by Marvel. I do own the plot, though. That's it. This is just a creative exercise for me for others to enjoy!

That's about it this chapter. No notes, no explanations, I'm just going full steam ahead. Chapter sixteen should be out in a couple days, followed by the final chapter. It really depends on how far I get with my human sexuality project. And do not fear! I have many plans for fics in the Evo verse. Many, many plans. As always, reviews are welcome, and enjoy!