Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Thank you to Corrinth for the loan of Ilehana Xavier. Blaze is,
always has been, and forever will be mine, so there!
A/N: Don't forget to review!
Scene 17
"Ah, little Ilehana Xavier..." Magneto did not seem the slightest bit surprised to see the X-Man, whilst his degrading tone annoyed Ilehana to the core. "What can I do for such a lovely young lady?"
"Quit toying with me, Eric." Her tone was calm and even, her eyes sarcastic as she stared her Godfather down. "We both know why I am here."
"Of course. You are no doubt intending to appeal to my better nature, to call off this battle, seeing as your father cannot breach my defences?" He tapped a finger against the metallic helmet on his head. "You should know such appeals are useless. I know what I must do."
"I would not appeal to you for so much as the time of day." Ilehana sniped back cruelly. "I am here to make sure you do not attack the Friends of Humanity, you do not start a war that will mean death to too many."
"The war has already begun, Ilehana. You and your father's X-men strive to prevent the inevitable. Even if you should stop me today, what of tomorrow? Or the day after?" Magneto smiled altruistically at the younger Xavier.
"There will be no battle today." Ilehana stressed, ignoring his comments as too stupid for reply. "Already your opponents are scattered and taking shelter, their attack falling apart. With no ace for your troops, those ordinary mutants downstairs are losing heart, how can they possibly overcome trained troops by themselves? With every day that passes and nothing changes, your support will wane like the moon through the month."
"This banter may be amusing to you, Ilehana. But I grow tired of the bitter words of a child. Do what you must do, for not even the daughter of Xavier will keep me from my business today." Magneto smiled thinly as Ilehana's eyes narrowed. He knew as well as she did the nature of her powers. Whilst he wore that helmet, the only power she had was to meta-morph into an animal, a very time-consuming process during which Ilehana was vulnerable. But he had not counted on her endless training sessions with the Wolverine, not realised she was as strong in her human form as she had ever been. She attacked.
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Nightcrawler's strength faded a short three rooftops from the jet, Jubilee and Storm. He collapsed, exhausted leaving Logan, Colossus and Shadowcat stranded as a black BMW M5 screeched around the corner and stopped outside the building on which Storm and Jubilee were stood.
"C'mon, Kurt!" Logan snarled, forcefully lifting the blue mutant to his feet again. "That's Mystique and co, we gotta get movin'!"
"I cannot..." Kurt muttered, slumping to his knees again.
"There ain't no such thing as can't!" Wolverine snarled as Mystique and her cronies scuttled into the building like ants to anything sweet. Kitty shuddered involuntarily.
"Maybe...Maybe I could move one of you..." Kurt slurred, unsure. "But then I would be useless..."
"Whatever!" Logan near shouted, "Just get me over there!" Kurt took Logan's arm in a slack grip, concentrated for a moment, and then they were gone.
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Magneto froze as Ilehana charged him with a look like pure malice in her eyes. She landed two hard body punches before he regained composure, launching simultaneously a computer monitor and an office chair at the younger mutant. Vixen ducked the monitor, but the chair hit her hard on the back. She bit her tongue, not wanting to let out the scream she felt. Before she had time to attack again, a filing cabinet taller than she was slid quickly across the lino floor to try and pin Ilehana against the opposite wall. With agility she jumped into the air, twisted and pulled herself on top of the iron cabinet. A well-placed kick to Magneto's head from that height sent the helmet he so relied on to protect himself from telepaths flying as if in slow motion across the room. Ilehana made her mind ready to invade his.
**No, daughter. It is my responsibility. ** And so Vixen was forced to stand by in impatience as her father spoke telepathically to Magneto. At first it seemed as if Magneto would win through this ages-old contest of wills, and his cold smile crept back onto his face. But Xavier was not a fool, and the Professor had weapons a-plenty reserved for his old friend. Though Ilehana refrained from listening into what passed between them, she knew when Magneto's smile faded and his eyes filed with pain that her father had things well under control. She left without a backwards glance.
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"Stay there!" Logan shouted at Jubilee as she rushed forwards to help him with Nightcrawler. The blue mutant had passed out completely now, so Logan heaved him up onto his shoulder and deposited him in the Blackbird. Slamming the door control with a clenched fist, Logan sealed his teammate in as Mystique, Quicksilver and Avalanche appeared on the rooftop. The building shook.
"So this is all the powerful X-Men could raise to stop us..." Mystique spoke with contempt. "Two aging has-beens and a little child."
Jubilee looked from Storm who still tried her best to control and target the squall she had created, seemingly unaware of Mystique's arrival, back to Logan who held up his palm telling her to stay put. Swallowing hard she reacted in spite of herself as Avalanche again closed his eyes and caused the building to rumble.
"Hey Mystique, maybe you should tell your sidekick to stop messin' with the ground! This buildin' comes down, we all die!"
"Fair point, child." Mystique acknowledged, eyes yellow and cold. "Stop that Lance. And get rid of her."
Jubilee squeaked as Lance smiled and bared down on her, pounding one palm with his fist. She put her own palms foremost and let loose a blast of her power. Avalanche yelled as the bright light hit his chest and blinded him, knocking him backwards towards the edge of the building. Quicksilver saw he was needed and ran to catch his associate. He made it, just, but Jubilee put in an extra amount of energy for good luck, stepping forward and shutting her eyes tight against the intensity of it. Both young men started to fall; the edge of the building giving way after it had been weakened by Avalanche's misguided attacks.
"Looks like that 'child' done good, eh Mystique?" Logan snarled, "Lets do this."
They'd fought before, but never in such rain and wind and darkness. Never with so much riding on the outcome of their battle, the Wolverine and the shape-shifter. And when she shifted into the familiar form of a lost loved one, into Jean Grey once more, Logan roared his disapproval and drove his adimantium claws home each side of Mystique's head. There she lay, pinned to the roof with Logan leaning over her, knowing that for today at least it was over...
The jet's engine's started. Storm dropped exhausted to the roof, the bad weather died out suddenly. Kitty and Peter arrived on the rooftop with Ilehana as Kurt opened the Blackbird's door. Jubilee accepted the support of Kitty as Colossus scooped up Storm into his now-flesh arms and headed towards the jet. It took Ilehana's hand on the back of Logan's neck to get him to pull back from Jean Grey-Mystique. Ilehana didn't credit Mystique with a backwards glance as she guided her friend into the guts of the Blackbird. As they flew away, Ilehana at the controls once more, they skimmed past where Quicksilver and Avalanche hung on for dear life to the edge of the building. Nobody thought Mystique likely to give them a hand back to safety.
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Alex woke with a start, finding a drip attached to his arm and bandages caressing his wounds. Not knowing where he was, his first cry out was wordless, but nobody answered. Hesitantly he tried to speak normally, tongue swollen and head fuzzy.
"Hey, anybody there?" He gulped slowly, "Anybody?"
"Yeah." A sodden voice muttered in a depressed tone the depth of which Havoc had never heard before. "Keep it down will you?"
"Who's there? Where am I? What's goin' on?" There was fear in his voice that Scott couldn't put aside; he had to answer.
"Xavier School for gifted youngsters, you're in the infirmary, you're safe." Cyclops couldn't keep those words from sounding bitter. Safe? What was safe anymore?
"Is that? Cyclops, right?"
"Yeah." Scott rolled onto his side despite the bruises, looking through tinted glasses at the young man on the slab next to him. "That's me."
"I... I mean, I've been wanting to ask you...Shish this is hard..." Havoc shut his eyes and opened them again slowly, the bright light of the infirmary filling his vision with spots. "What's your real name?"
"Why?" Scott was confused; this kid must have hit his head hard.
"Just answer me okay?" Havoc snapped, anxious.
"Scott Summers." Cyclops provided, anything for a little peace and quiet. For a moment it worked, Havoc was silent.
"Scott?" He almost whispered, unsure and confused. "You're an orphan right? Scott Summers, your parents died in a plane crash?" Scott shut his eyes tight, trying to block out all too clear memories.
"Yeah." He opened his eyes again, tears running under his shades despite everything he did to contain them. He didn't think to ask how this stranger knew so much about him; the idea never crossed his mind. "Alex?"
"Brother..." Havoc muttered, reaching out and taking his lost sibling's hand in his own.
A/N: Don't forget to review!
Scene 17
"Ah, little Ilehana Xavier..." Magneto did not seem the slightest bit surprised to see the X-Man, whilst his degrading tone annoyed Ilehana to the core. "What can I do for such a lovely young lady?"
"Quit toying with me, Eric." Her tone was calm and even, her eyes sarcastic as she stared her Godfather down. "We both know why I am here."
"Of course. You are no doubt intending to appeal to my better nature, to call off this battle, seeing as your father cannot breach my defences?" He tapped a finger against the metallic helmet on his head. "You should know such appeals are useless. I know what I must do."
"I would not appeal to you for so much as the time of day." Ilehana sniped back cruelly. "I am here to make sure you do not attack the Friends of Humanity, you do not start a war that will mean death to too many."
"The war has already begun, Ilehana. You and your father's X-men strive to prevent the inevitable. Even if you should stop me today, what of tomorrow? Or the day after?" Magneto smiled altruistically at the younger Xavier.
"There will be no battle today." Ilehana stressed, ignoring his comments as too stupid for reply. "Already your opponents are scattered and taking shelter, their attack falling apart. With no ace for your troops, those ordinary mutants downstairs are losing heart, how can they possibly overcome trained troops by themselves? With every day that passes and nothing changes, your support will wane like the moon through the month."
"This banter may be amusing to you, Ilehana. But I grow tired of the bitter words of a child. Do what you must do, for not even the daughter of Xavier will keep me from my business today." Magneto smiled thinly as Ilehana's eyes narrowed. He knew as well as she did the nature of her powers. Whilst he wore that helmet, the only power she had was to meta-morph into an animal, a very time-consuming process during which Ilehana was vulnerable. But he had not counted on her endless training sessions with the Wolverine, not realised she was as strong in her human form as she had ever been. She attacked.
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Nightcrawler's strength faded a short three rooftops from the jet, Jubilee and Storm. He collapsed, exhausted leaving Logan, Colossus and Shadowcat stranded as a black BMW M5 screeched around the corner and stopped outside the building on which Storm and Jubilee were stood.
"C'mon, Kurt!" Logan snarled, forcefully lifting the blue mutant to his feet again. "That's Mystique and co, we gotta get movin'!"
"I cannot..." Kurt muttered, slumping to his knees again.
"There ain't no such thing as can't!" Wolverine snarled as Mystique and her cronies scuttled into the building like ants to anything sweet. Kitty shuddered involuntarily.
"Maybe...Maybe I could move one of you..." Kurt slurred, unsure. "But then I would be useless..."
"Whatever!" Logan near shouted, "Just get me over there!" Kurt took Logan's arm in a slack grip, concentrated for a moment, and then they were gone.
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Magneto froze as Ilehana charged him with a look like pure malice in her eyes. She landed two hard body punches before he regained composure, launching simultaneously a computer monitor and an office chair at the younger mutant. Vixen ducked the monitor, but the chair hit her hard on the back. She bit her tongue, not wanting to let out the scream she felt. Before she had time to attack again, a filing cabinet taller than she was slid quickly across the lino floor to try and pin Ilehana against the opposite wall. With agility she jumped into the air, twisted and pulled herself on top of the iron cabinet. A well-placed kick to Magneto's head from that height sent the helmet he so relied on to protect himself from telepaths flying as if in slow motion across the room. Ilehana made her mind ready to invade his.
**No, daughter. It is my responsibility. ** And so Vixen was forced to stand by in impatience as her father spoke telepathically to Magneto. At first it seemed as if Magneto would win through this ages-old contest of wills, and his cold smile crept back onto his face. But Xavier was not a fool, and the Professor had weapons a-plenty reserved for his old friend. Though Ilehana refrained from listening into what passed between them, she knew when Magneto's smile faded and his eyes filed with pain that her father had things well under control. She left without a backwards glance.
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"Stay there!" Logan shouted at Jubilee as she rushed forwards to help him with Nightcrawler. The blue mutant had passed out completely now, so Logan heaved him up onto his shoulder and deposited him in the Blackbird. Slamming the door control with a clenched fist, Logan sealed his teammate in as Mystique, Quicksilver and Avalanche appeared on the rooftop. The building shook.
"So this is all the powerful X-Men could raise to stop us..." Mystique spoke with contempt. "Two aging has-beens and a little child."
Jubilee looked from Storm who still tried her best to control and target the squall she had created, seemingly unaware of Mystique's arrival, back to Logan who held up his palm telling her to stay put. Swallowing hard she reacted in spite of herself as Avalanche again closed his eyes and caused the building to rumble.
"Hey Mystique, maybe you should tell your sidekick to stop messin' with the ground! This buildin' comes down, we all die!"
"Fair point, child." Mystique acknowledged, eyes yellow and cold. "Stop that Lance. And get rid of her."
Jubilee squeaked as Lance smiled and bared down on her, pounding one palm with his fist. She put her own palms foremost and let loose a blast of her power. Avalanche yelled as the bright light hit his chest and blinded him, knocking him backwards towards the edge of the building. Quicksilver saw he was needed and ran to catch his associate. He made it, just, but Jubilee put in an extra amount of energy for good luck, stepping forward and shutting her eyes tight against the intensity of it. Both young men started to fall; the edge of the building giving way after it had been weakened by Avalanche's misguided attacks.
"Looks like that 'child' done good, eh Mystique?" Logan snarled, "Lets do this."
They'd fought before, but never in such rain and wind and darkness. Never with so much riding on the outcome of their battle, the Wolverine and the shape-shifter. And when she shifted into the familiar form of a lost loved one, into Jean Grey once more, Logan roared his disapproval and drove his adimantium claws home each side of Mystique's head. There she lay, pinned to the roof with Logan leaning over her, knowing that for today at least it was over...
The jet's engine's started. Storm dropped exhausted to the roof, the bad weather died out suddenly. Kitty and Peter arrived on the rooftop with Ilehana as Kurt opened the Blackbird's door. Jubilee accepted the support of Kitty as Colossus scooped up Storm into his now-flesh arms and headed towards the jet. It took Ilehana's hand on the back of Logan's neck to get him to pull back from Jean Grey-Mystique. Ilehana didn't credit Mystique with a backwards glance as she guided her friend into the guts of the Blackbird. As they flew away, Ilehana at the controls once more, they skimmed past where Quicksilver and Avalanche hung on for dear life to the edge of the building. Nobody thought Mystique likely to give them a hand back to safety.
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Alex woke with a start, finding a drip attached to his arm and bandages caressing his wounds. Not knowing where he was, his first cry out was wordless, but nobody answered. Hesitantly he tried to speak normally, tongue swollen and head fuzzy.
"Hey, anybody there?" He gulped slowly, "Anybody?"
"Yeah." A sodden voice muttered in a depressed tone the depth of which Havoc had never heard before. "Keep it down will you?"
"Who's there? Where am I? What's goin' on?" There was fear in his voice that Scott couldn't put aside; he had to answer.
"Xavier School for gifted youngsters, you're in the infirmary, you're safe." Cyclops couldn't keep those words from sounding bitter. Safe? What was safe anymore?
"Is that? Cyclops, right?"
"Yeah." Scott rolled onto his side despite the bruises, looking through tinted glasses at the young man on the slab next to him. "That's me."
"I... I mean, I've been wanting to ask you...Shish this is hard..." Havoc shut his eyes and opened them again slowly, the bright light of the infirmary filling his vision with spots. "What's your real name?"
"Why?" Scott was confused; this kid must have hit his head hard.
"Just answer me okay?" Havoc snapped, anxious.
"Scott Summers." Cyclops provided, anything for a little peace and quiet. For a moment it worked, Havoc was silent.
"Scott?" He almost whispered, unsure and confused. "You're an orphan right? Scott Summers, your parents died in a plane crash?" Scott shut his eyes tight, trying to block out all too clear memories.
"Yeah." He opened his eyes again, tears running under his shades despite everything he did to contain them. He didn't think to ask how this stranger knew so much about him; the idea never crossed his mind. "Alex?"
"Brother..." Havoc muttered, reaching out and taking his lost sibling's hand in his own.