A/N: YAY!!! MONKEYS!!! I luv monkeys…*cuddles monkey beanie baby* ummm if you want to know what that was about go read my reviews. OK yes getting somewhere! The drug was supposed to be on for way longer but I got sick of writing everybody's issues, and if Scott puts any more holes in the mansion it'll collapse. Use your Imaginations (cue SpongeBob hand movement thingie) and figure out what happened to Rogue and Jubilee and Magma and anyone else who uses explosions…cuz I'm moving on!!! Review please please please! Even flames! Anything!
The mansion's excitement was short-lived. Sabere, Scott, the telepaths, and a handful of students seemed to be the only people who had recovered from the drug – and unfortunately, they were all hungry. So while Xavier retreated downstairs to use Cerebro, Scott (whose visor was now a melted dysfunctional wreck and had to use his sunglasses) drove downtown to get pizza. Sabere and Jean did what they could to repair the gaping holes in the mansion's walls, while trying to combat intermittent drug attacks from Bobby, who managed to freeze all the plumbing in the east wing, and a girl names Jubilee, whose power involved some sort of colorful, fiery plasma that Sabere didn't quite understand but didn't care about so long as it didn't burn down the mansion. Kitty was confined to a third-floor room that was as far from Cerebro and the X-Jet as possible, in case she fell far enough to hit either and cause thousands of dollars of rather sensitive electronic repair.
Sabere had managed to salvage the remains of her mattress and a few blankets which would serve as a decent bed. The rest of her furniture was ruined, and there was still a gaping hole in the wall between her room and Logan's that needed to be dealt with. She was currently rummaging through her broken dresser and trying to find at least one item of clothing that wasn't telekinetically shredded, burnt, or slashed by her knives. So far, it seemed like she would be wearing her uniform tomorrow.
She had finally recovered a shirt when Storm poked her head in the room. "Xavier found Kurt. We're heading out now. If you want to come, suit up and be at the jet in five minutes."
Sabere opened her mouth to ask for a plan, but Storm had already left. Sabere peered into Logan's room and found him sprawled on his bed.
"I take it you're not coming?" she asked cautiously.
"No," he snarled, still glaring at the ceiling. "Just because everyone else is better doesn't mean I am…no, I'll be lying here and cursing the Stryker sons for all they're worth. Go rescue your Romeo and don't get shot."
"Um…okay." Sabere stood by the door and happily gathered her knives with her fully functional powers, then ran down the remainder of the stairs to an elevator. Everything finally seemed to be turning around – the drug, for the most part, was off, Kurt was found, and they could go take out the bastard who had no qualms about killing them all.
Did I just say that? It was almost funny – two months ago she wouldn't have cared what happened to the world's mutants, just as long as she wasn't affected. Now here she was, incapable of being affected any further, and about to go rescue the exact person her college friend Jessi would have tried to kill herself. And kill me in the process for daring to talk to him, never mind fall in love with him…
She gave herself a mental slap as she struggled into her uniform, making sure knives and spikes were all in place. No time for that, she scolded. Keep your head on – this is probably your big test. Sabere could already hear the jet's engines revving as she opened the hangar door and raced up the rising ramp. Why was she always the last to get ready?
Storm and Scott sat at the controls with Jean, Rogue, and the Professor strapped in behind. The plane looked strangely empty with three of its usual occupants missing.
"So where is Kurt?" Sabere asked breathlessly as the jet lifted up out of the basketball court.
Xavier smiled grimly. "They took him to the very base we would have wound up at to find Stryker. It's almost too easy – with Kurt's help, we could have gotten into the base, but they just gave us an excuse."
"And what are we gonna do now that we've taken a political prisoner and hidden him in a very obvious location?" Rogue asked. "Move to the other side of the country?"
"With any luck, I can cover for us and make them think that the prisoner escaped on his own," Xavier replied.
"Yeah, and make the military think their mutant-restraining technology doesn't work, so they'll step it up and make it even harder for us to escape," Sabere grumbled. "Perfect plan."
"You have a better idea?" Scott interrupted. "We'll be lucky to get out alive anyway."
"So much optimism," Storm sighed. "We're coming up on the area of the base. Charles, you're going to have to help us out now."
"Don't bother giving us cover – they'll know we're coming anyway. But something isn't right…it's not as close as Cerebro made it seem…" Xavier peered out at the ocean, squinting with unfocused eyes towards the horizon.
"Are we in the right place?" Storm asked.
"No," Xavier and Jean whispered at the same time. Jean shook her head. "There's two bases – I can't believe I didn't notice that. There are two identical bases, a hundred miles apart, and there must be a concealed connector between them…the other is about ninety-two miles that way…" She pointed out to the east.
Scott adjusted the trajectory and the jet veered off eastward. Sabere clung grimly to the seat and wished she knew enough of her powers to be able to fly and not bother with motion sickness. The second base came into view almost immediately, and Scott cut the horizontal thrusters and set the jet down in the water a couple hundred feet away.
"Now what do we do, swim?" Rogue asked.
"Not at all. Jean and Sabere can carry us to the base."
"They can?" Sabere repeated. "News to me…"
"It's simple," Jean said. "The beauty of mutative powers is their ease of use. All you have to do is visualize."
"Think happy thoughts, and you can fly…" Sabere sighed, and pictured herself floating a few inches above the seat. She didn't move far because she was still strapped in, but she could feel their pressure as she lifted a bit. She released the straps and floated up even more. Panicking, she fell back in the seat.
"Not bad," Jean praised.
"I'm tired already," she protested. "How do I carry anyone else?"
"You have to portion your energy. I'd give you a better lesson later, but right now you'll have to go with your instincts." Jean faced the Professor. "Do we have a plan?"
Xavier pressed a button on the wall that transmitted a sketchy layout of the military base. "Kitty knows this better, so she'll be guiding the teams. Kurt is being held in this area – " he pointed to a semicircle of small rooms that opened into a larger rectangular room – "and your best entrance is over here – " he pointed to a small sewer drain on the southern side of the building.
"Let's be back there in forty minutes," Scott said. "Kitty, you go with Sabere and get ahead to the holding area. We'll be behind you to cover your exit. Everyone set?"
"Do we have a choice?" Sabere asked. "Okay, let's get this over with before I get nervous."
=You don't have to pretend,= Jean's mental voice admonished gently.
=I want to,= she shot back. =As long as you and the others don't trust me, I'll pretend all I want. At least until Kurt's back.=
=Suit yourself.= Jean broke the contact as Storm opened the hatch on the jet's roof. They all gathered on the roof, trying to ignore the chilling Atlantic winds. Jean and Sabere focused on their task, Sabere following Jean's lead as best she could, and the five flew slowly but steadily towards the base.
A/N: I'd write more but then I'd be here for another three hours. I wouldn't mind that but I have to go to school tomorrow (icky) so must sleep! Next chappie up asap because it's gonna be SO COOL! If I may say so myself…mwahahaha I luv being angsty. Tata… :-D