Chapter Eleven:
Outside the open hanger, Charles Xavier felt the unnatural shriek echo over the mountain. The sound was not something he heard only with his ears. The noise shook him, body and mind, a force powerful enough to break the sanity of a weaker conscious. It was emotion, hate and rage in a rolling wave.
Sid and Rogue looked around with surprise, unable to ken the shriek beyond what they could hear.
Mary stood in shock for a moment, before covering her ears with her hands and falling to the ground. She began to scream in pain, as the noise tore through her like icy knives.
Images flashed before her with horrible clarity. A dark man, searching for what he wanted...the ice...the cold...cold hate numbing everyone to what was really happening...blinding them with hate so they could not see as the children of the atom were taken...
Mary screamed again, and watched the future unfold.
***
They will fight...
Mutant against mutant...
Brother against brother...
Fire...oh, God, the fire is rising up...consuming everything...
An image flashes before her eyes...a madman...and a frail, wasted young man...
He is draining them of their power...their life energy...
He is drawing the fire out of her...tearing her power away from her...
Rogue steps towards the young man...
...Cody his name is Cody Weinberg...
...She reaches out to him... he does not see her... he is lost in the power...
...Touch...they both scream...
...One gunshot...and the world turns dark...before it explodes...
***
Mary's body shuttered violently against Sid's strong arms. He grabbed a hold of her as she began to seizure. Rogue crouched next to them, calling her name in terror.
Xavier cleared his mind of the echoing scream and focused on his student. The images he saw caused him to inhale sharply, but he was not able to interpret them as Mary could.
"Mary, can you hear me?" Rogue called for her friend with wide concerned eyes.
Sid looked up at the Professor, "What's happening to her?"
"She's having a vision," Xavier replied softly, "Hold her. Don't let her hurt herself..."
"What was that noise?" Rogue asked, and Xavier shook his head.
"I don't know..." he replied honestly, "Echoes of hate..."
Xavier's tone was thoughtful and distant, his mind quickly locking on Cyclops within the base.
Scott... he called in his thoughts, Scott, can you hear me?
Professor...a distant response reached Xavier, What's going on? We heard the...SHIT...
Suddenly, Cyclops thoughts were cut off. Xavier opened his eyes. Scott's use of profanity was like his use of violence, rare but warranted.
The X-Men were under attack.
Xavier glanced over at Rogue and Sid. Mary's violent attack was easing, she was breathing heavily but the shudders were passing. Her eyes were still closed, as if she was fighting against gaining consciousness.
"Mr. Malloy," The Professor said quickly, "When you can manage, take Mary aboard the jet. Rogue, you can set up one of the medical cots."
"Ok," she replied quickly and ran aboard. After she had entered the jet, Xavier looked firmly at Sid.
"Once she is secure, you and I will be entering the base," Xavier explained, "I must try to reach Erik or his people before this situation escalates any further..."
Xavier paused, searching for words and looked down at Sid gravely.
"...I'm afraid there is a greater power here than all of us."