Encounters with an Icy Table
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Marvel does.
Chapter 3
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The mission was not going well. Scott's assertion that the base was underground proved correct. They had not counted on how large it was. The island itself was only a square quarter mile, but the base stretched on some 3 or 4 miles. The cavernous labyrinth weaved in so many different directions, and led to so many different dead ends, that they began to wonder if they'd ever find the right path. Finally, they came to a large open room, under the river. From this room snaked 6 paths, including the one from which they came.
"Okay, we need to split up," Scott decided.
"We'll take this path," Hank announced, still leading around Warren and Bobby.
"Uh…" Scott began.
But they never got the opportunity, from four of the remaining five paths emerged a member of the Brotherhood. Toad, Avalanche, Mystique, Blob. Blob was carrying Fred Griffin, a frequent speaker of the Friends of Humanity, and staunch mutant hater.
"Why do a buncha goody two shoes like you wanna save this asshole?" Blob asked, holding him up by the back of his jacket. The man looked frightened.
"We don't want to start a war. We want a peaceful coexistence." Scott told him.
"Sure you do."
"Give him to us, and I'm sure we can negotiate something"
At this Avalanche cracked up. "We're not playing by your rules." With that he forged a massive fissure in the ground. The room shook and the walls began to crumble. The sudden movement caused Blob to drop Griffin, who stood shoked, where he landed, trying to figure out which portal was 'out'.
"Angel, take him. Get him to the jet. Iceman, go with him. Freeze the river. These cracks are starting to leak. We'll take care of these guys."
Swiftly Angel picked up Iceman and flew over to where Griffin stood and picked him up, heading for the passage through which they'd come in. Blob and Avalanche advanced on the 3 remaining X men. The ground rippled.
"Are they aftershocks? Precursors? You'll never know, Avalanche cackled, throwing another massive fissure into the room.
This split Hank and Jean from Scott. It left them on the same side as the Brotherhood. Hank lunged at Blob, in a fury of blue fur. He was quick, much quicker than Blob, but Blob was far more massive than he'd anticipated. Try as he might, Hank dominate the fight. Jean tried mightily to hold back Avalanche with her teke as he continued his game of destruction. He raised his silver clad arms above his head, and threw down the most massive tremor yet. Jean lost her footing and rolled down the rapidly inclining rock. Hank caught this out of the corner of his eye and was about to give up his struggle with Blob to grab her, but Toad was quicker, lashing out his grotesque, prehensile tongue and grabbing her around the waist.
Scott took advantage of two rock platforms crashing together, and jumped over to where Toad and Jean were. From out of nowhere, Mystique came up behind him and launched a high kick at his head. He raised his arm to fire his visor, as she evaded with a quick round-off, back handspring. Scott followed her, shooting as he went. She maneuvered to the far side of Toad and Jean. Jean struggled to free herself from her slimy handcuffs. Neither her strength nor her teke were working. Scott charged. Mystique came out from her hiding spot behind Jean and he fired. Mystique, however, evaded with a high front tuck, nailing him squarely in the shoulder. He fell hard on his back. After a moment of shock, Scott looked up. Mystique had given up on him and was nowhere to be found. His gaze continued. Jean lay in a heap on the stony floor. Toad had let her go and made his escape with Mystique.
What had happened? As he scurried over to her, he realized. He had hit her. He fired and Mystique evaded. Jean was behind her. It hit her. Scott knelt beside her. She was breathing and her pulse was fairly strong, but she was unconscious. He clutched her to him.
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Scott knelt beside the cold, med lab bed on which Jean lay. She was hooked up to a number of monitors, that buzzed and whirred. In her left arm was an IV, a blood oxygen monitor and a blood pressure cuff. Everything was stable, and strong, but she still hadn't woken up. Their escape from the crumbling imbroglio was a blur. At some point Warren had returned, and flown Scott and Jean to safety as Hank raced alongside on the ground. When they returned to the mansion, Scott swiftly took Jean to the med lab, where Hank treated her as best he could, and hooked her up to various machines. Scott hadn't left her side. It had been six hours. He sat in chair on the side of her bed, his head resting on her stomach, brushing against her breast, when Hank and Warren came down to find her.
"Scott," Hank called gently. "The Professor wants you to come up and have dinner."
"No," Scott choked. He was near hysterics. Hitting someone he cared about, especially Jean, was the number one thing he was afraid of with his power. He was consumed with guilt.
"Scott, you're not going to speed anything up by staying here. You're going to hurt yourself. I still need to look at your shoulder…"
"I…need…to be…with…Jean." He was sobbing. His mutation had stopped his ability to cry, but that only meant he was incapable of producing tears. He clutched Jean's right hand firmly in his left.
"Scott," Warren began, "Come upstairs and have a quick bite to eat. Then you can come back to Jean. I know you feel bad about what happened…"
"You…don't…know…"
Hank and Warren looked at each other, trying to decide what to do.
"After the Professor talked to Griffin, he left nearly giving us his imprimatur. Only minimal 'persuasion' on the Professor's part," Hank told.
Scott didn't look up. He nestled his head further into Jean's stomach.
Warren pulled Hank to the side of the room.
"Should we give it to him?" he whispered.
"I was hoping to avoid it."
"Well, what should we do? The Professor doesn't want him to hurt himself. He's really worried. He knows that that's Scott's biggest concern; hurting someone that he cares about."
Hank nodded. "He needs to calm down."
"How long does this sedative take to kick in?" Warren asked.
"Twenty minutes."
"So we get him to take it, leave him be, and come back to move him in twenty minutes."
"Okay. That should work."
"We can put it in the bottom of that glass of juice."
"Do you have experience putting pills in the bottom of beverages?"
"Hank!"
"Just asking."
"I don't need narcotics to pick up girls."
"Okay, okay."
They placed the pill in the apple juice and brought the glass over to Scott.
"You, uh, look parched." Hank began, "Why don't you have a drink?"
Scott looked up, and after a pause, accepted the drink.
"If you change your mind about dinner, its pot roast. You like that."
"No thanks."
"Okay."
"Don't worry too much," Warren instructed. "She'll wake up soon."
Hank and Warren left the room, glancing back at Scott as he lay his head back upon Jean's stomach.
"I sure hope I'm right about her waking up soon."
Hank nodded.
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