Rising to the Sunset

Disclaimer:  I don't own these characters.  They belong to Marvel.

Chapter 4

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The assembled team now sat on the Blackbird.  Hank was in the pilot's chair, and Scott sat slumped in the co-pilot's chair, staring out the window.  He was still wearing all of the sensors.   The students sat in the back, a bit excited and nervous.  Kitty was carefully watching her data and Scott.  As they were getting closer to Alkali Lake, everything was spiking again.

"So how are you doing that?"  Rogue asked Kitty.

"I put some sensors on Scott, er, Mr. Summers," Kitty explained.  Rogue giggled. "He said I could call him Scott.  Anyways, the sensors transmit directly to my laptop and I monitor the results".

"Cool.  Ah wouldn't know where to begin with that stuff".

"All right," Hank announced.  "We are beginning landing sequences.  Everyone needs to sit down and buckle up".

The plane touched down lightly on a snowy meadow.  The second Hank released the back hatch, Scott grabbed his pack and bounded out of the plane.  The students went to follow him, but Hank stopped them.

"Now, there is a shut down procedure for the 'Bird.  Come here.  This is something we need to learn.  First you need to engage the obscuring nets.  These will keep radar from picking her up.  Then you need to press these three buttons to put the plane on low energy stasis.  Got it?" Everyone nodded, hesitantly.  "Good.  Let's go".

Scott stood staring at the lake.  It was so vast now.  The fractured remains of the dam peered slightly out of the water.  The afternoon sun glimmered on the water.  His head crackled with the static that had buzzed there for the last few days.

"Hey Scotty, get over here!"

Slowly, Scott trudged over to the group.  His head hurt like hell.  Until this morning the static and the pain or euphoria had not existed at the same time. But now he was alternately feeling the pain or euphoria, all while the static remained in the background.

"All right," Hank announced, when Scott finally reached the group.  "We will form two groups and search.  I will take Rogue and Bobby, and we will go upstream.  Scott, you…Scott!"

Scott broke out of his daze.

"You will take Kitty and Peter downstream.  Are you all right?"

Scott nodded.  "Let's go".

Hank headed off to the north, with Rogue and Bobby following him, holding hands.  Soon they disappeared into the trees.  Scott led his own group through the snow toward the water.  The snow made it difficult to maneuver the uneven ground, and it took a silent half hour to reach the shore.  Scott paused and looked out over the frigid water with trepidation.  Peter was smiling.

"This reminds me of my native Siberia".

Kitty smiled.  She was quite happy to have been paired with Peter.  They glanced back at Scott and then back at each other.  He was just staring out over the water, one hand on his head. 

"Which way, boss?" Peter asked.

Slowly, Scott turned in a circle, pondering that very question, then he led them down a path along the very edge of the shore.  They walked for a while longer, and the path turned into a steep climb, and got slippery. 

"Katya! Pay attention!"  Peter yelled, grabbing her arm.  She had almost stepped off the edge, as she was paying more attention to her watch.  "Why is that thing so interesting?"

"Well, before we left the Blackbird I downloaded Jean's brainwaves from my laptop, into the memory here…"

Scott spun around hearing this. "Are you getting this?"

"It's hard to tell because your waves had been so in synch.  I…I'm not sure…I don't want to give you false hope".

"But you're getting something?"

"Blips.  Yes".

"Well, tell me the second you get anything more".  With that, he turned back to the path.  They walked on a little longer, until Scott paused. 

"Let's take a short break".

He sat down on a rock and put his head down on his arms.  Kitty looked nervously at her watch.  She was concerned because his heartrate and temperature were increasing.  She took the opportunity to take the laptop out of her backpack.  She was starting to get more than blips. 

"Look at the sky over there Katya.  Look at the pattern the sunset is making.  It looks like a great bird".

Kitty looked up.  Peter was right.  It did look like a bird. "Fiery orange and red.  It looks like a phoenix".

"A what?"

"A phoenix.  It's a mythological bird.  Burst into flames and was reborn from the ashes".

They stood there staring at the sky.  Kitty's watch bleeped violently.  Scott looked up.  His jaw dropped and he stood up, transfixed on the sunset.

"Uh…Scott…I'm getting fuller segments now, not just blips".

His gaze stayed up at the sky.  "Break's over".   They headed up toward the amazing sunset.  Scott's head was spinning.  It was buzzing, crackling.  He could feel her presence.  He couldn't explain it, but he could feel her. The longer he looked up at the fiery bird in the sky, the stronger he felt it.  It reminded him of her hair.  Their path seemed to be heading nowhere, however.  It took nearly an hour to climb up a rocky hill.  At the top they paused.

"Mr. Summers, sir, there's nothing up here," Peter commented.  "Are we going to continue?"

Scott looked around.  The feeling was stronger than ever.  "We're going to stay here for a bit".

He sat on the rock.  Kitty and Peter explored the edge a bit. 

**Jean! Where are you honey!?  I need to find you.  I know you're out there.  I don't know how I know, but I do. Jean!**

**Mmmm**

Was he hearing things?  Scott perked up.  He was almost positive they heard a mental groan.

**Jean, baby?**

**Mmmm…I…ugh**

Scott began to shiver with the discomfort she was projecting. 

**Where are you**

**…I…don't...ugh…dark…cold…**

**I'll find you.  I love you so much**

**Love…you…too**

Kitty's watch bgan to sound badly, nearly causing her to fall over the edge.  Peter grabbed her arm and steadied her.  Kitty stared at the screen. 

"What is it Katya?"

"I'm getting a real reading now.  It's a solid line…no breaks.  What ever he's feeling right now, there's a strong connection".

They looked over at Scott.  He was sitting on the rock, leaning forward, with his head in his hands, concentrating hard. 

"But where could she be?" Kitty wondered.  "There's nothing up here".

Peter got down on his stomach and peered over the edge.

"Kitty!" Scott called.  "I've made real contact!"

He stood up and ran over to her, his spirit more anxious than ever.

"And I'm starting to get a complete reading".

"It's a cave," Peter announced, standing up. "We're on top of a cave.  The river feeds into it.  I couldn't see a way in that doesn't have the river going through though".

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