Xmen: Friends of Humanity

by Stormkpr

The first book in my trilogy. FOH are taking over earth and the X-men must fight back. WARNING - contains some disturbing scenes; not suitable for children. COMPLETED

21. Chapter 21

Leigh's Fanfiction Archive Stormkeeper's Fanfiction Friends Of Humanity Chapter 21

Friends of Humanity

By Stormkeeper

Chapter 21

"I have located one of the leaders of Friends of Humanity," the Professor said. "I have been able to learn some information about him and to pin-point where exactly he lives." He had shared with all of the X-men his frustration at working with the new Cerebro, how difficult it was to link up with anyone specific. They all looked around the table, excitedly.

"I do not yet know if our missing teammates are alive," the Professor continued, looking in the direction of Rogue, who was practically falling off the edge of her seat. "However, I am certain that General Thompson is high enough in their organization that he would know. Or be able to find out."

The X-men discussed what to do from there. It was soon agreed that Nightcrawler would teleport in to this General Thompson, and then teleport back with Thompson as a hostage. Once the FOH honcho was aboard Freedom, the Professor would then probe his mind in person. In close range with the most powerful telepath in the galaxy, Thompson would be able to hide nothing.

Wolverine doused his face with cold water. It was the first morning in the new cell that he, Gambit and Bobby had been brought to. He heard sounds of three guards walking down the hall, approaching their cell. He smelled the food they carried. Bacon strips, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and an assortment of fruits----mostly melons and strawberries.

"Eat up, you filthy dogs," one guard said as he placed the tray in the airlock. As always, heaping portions of food but no silverware or napkins. The three men silently divided up the food as they always did and dug in with their fingers.

Wolverine ate with one hand, using the other to rub at a crick in his neck. Sleeping on the floor every night was getting tedious, even for him. He knew what he really missed about sleeping though---he liked having a soft woman to cuddle up with. He remembered so many mornings of waking up next to her, rousing her and making love again. He shook his head and shook the image of Storm out of his mind. He might have had a goddess in his arms but it was the redhead he longed for and always would. It was easier that way, a lot easier that way. Better to not care about anyone and safer to love the one who was safely ensconced, light-years away. Wolverine silently reassured himself that it was only a matter of time before they escaped or the other X-men rescued them.

"Today's the big day," one of the FOH higher-ups said as he brusquely entered the room with a few other guards.

"What do you mean?" Iceman asked.

"Stand up!" the man commanded.

All three X-men did as instructed to this time, not wanting any of the others to have to face the torture of the collars. "We will miss having you as our guests here," the FOH man taunted.

"Where we going?" Gambit asked. A second or two after the words were out of his mouth, he, Wolverine, and Bobby were beamed off of the starship.

The second that the transporter beam had finished its work and we felt our feet back on solid ground, Wolverine, Gambit and I took battle positions. We still had those wretched collars on, of course, but we each assumed a combat stance.

Where the hell were we? That was my thought in the split-second I had. We were somewhere dark and warm. The walls seemed to be made of some sort of rock and----

Several uniformed men were standing around us. They were not FOH guys---at least they weren't wearing the stomach-churning FOH uniform. As my eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings, I peered at their faces. They didn't look quite human. Seconds after we were transported there, Wolverine leapt right away for one of the men. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the uniformed men press a button on a device he held, and Wolverine sank to his knees in pain. Great. Wherever we were, they had the collar control devices too.

Then I can't explain what happened. I guess it was all the stress I'd been under----the days and days of being cooped up in that cell, wondering about my fate and whether or not I was going to be killed or tortured. And now we were standing in some bizarre place with men who were clearly not human. I fainted.

When I came to, I felt groggy and dizzy. I also wanted to cry but I bit it back. I was so confused and disoriented. I held my head in my hands and just tried to breathe. After some time, I lifted my head and looked around. The room was empty. No sign of Wolverine and Gambit.

It was a different room than the one before, a large room. The walls again appeared to be made of some sort of rock, but they gave off a faint reddish glow. The reddish glow provided light. I didn't see any other light source except for a glowing bulb in the middle of the room. A rank odor was present but not over-powering ---it pretty much smelled like dirty laundry on bodies that were not washed as often as they should be. I was laying on what was basically a sleeping bag. I looked down at it. The blankets were tattered and had a musty odor. Several other such cots and sleeping bags were scattered throughout the room, but there appeared to be no furniture or nothing else of note in the room.

I kept craning my head around and squinting to try to see more, though I didn't rise from the sleeping bag. I was still physically weak and light-headed. Unlike the room we had been in before, this room was slightly cool. My thin T-shirt and pants weren't doing much to stave off the chill, so I wrapped my blankets around me. I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest and I wrapped my arms around them, hugging myself. I again put my head down and focussed on not crying. Instead my body trembled and I rubbed at my arms to chase down the goose-bumps.

I was thirsty and, as time went by, I desperately had to go to the bathroom. But I was too terrified to move. `I'm such a pitiful excuse for an X-man. I fainted. Now I'm terrified and I'm too scared to even get up!' At least I wasn't crying.

I heard something and braced myself. Two men entered the room. They walked right past me after just glancing in my direction. They were talking to each other, though it was in a language I didn't understand. A language I had never heard before. They continued talking for a bit, as if I didn't exist. They then slumped down onto their own sleeping bags and apparently went to sleep.

A few other men drizzled in like these had. I couldn't get a good look at any of them and they all spoke completely alien tongues. A few glanced at me but they basically ignored me. I again forced myself to breathe. Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth. Stay calm. Everything will be alright.

"Dere you are!"

"Gambit!" I said, smiling and jumping up to my feet. I almost wanted to hug him but held back. He looked basically alright, though his clothes and face were sprinkled with some sort of black smudges.

"You better sit back down. You don't look so good," he said. He helped me lower myself back down to the sleeping bag, and he sat next to me. "Drink," he said, holding what appeared to be a canteen towards me. "It's water." He put a comforting hand on my back.

I thanked him, and gulped it down. The water was cool and deliciously refreshing. My head started to feel a little better. "Remy, where the hell are we?"

"I wish I knew, mon ami. Wherever we are, we be a long way from earth. We in some sort of mine."

"A mine?"

"A mine. It seems we brought here to mine for some sort of rock. Dat's what Wolverine and I been doin' while you fainted. Dis here is our new apartment," he said, gesturing with an arm. "I'd say we have `bout 20 roommates."

He went on to share with me what he'd learned. He said it looked as if men from many different planets and civilizations were our fellow captives here. "Don't know how many slaves dey got here," Remy said. "From what I see, hundreds and maybe thousands. It's really well-guarded, too. Me and Logan try everythin' but the guards, dey all got the devices. We so much as look at `em the wrong way, dey zap us."

"Great," I said. I took a better look at him, and he did look….damaged. There is only so much of the collar-torture that one can take, and he had obviously been on the receiving end of more than his share that day. But he was so strong to be able to take all that and still be up and around.

Gambit went on to tell me more. The guards had explained how to do the mining by using a serious of gestures and grunts, as no one seemed to speak English. He described it as fairly tiring and repetitive labor but simple.

Gambit also said that it appeared our living quarters were a short walk from the mine and probably also underground.

Wolverine then joined us, bringing trays of food to us. "Damn shit-hole," he muttered, looking around the room. I took the food he offered me but the smell turned my stomach and I couldn't eat. Wolverine and Gambit gobbled it down, whatever it was. I didn't want to ask.

"I thought you liked workin' with your hands," Gambit said. I looked at him, wondering how he could be grinning and making snide comments at a time like this.

"Not for these pigs. We gotta find a way outta here."

"Can't we all like rise up and revolt?" I asked, looking around the room at the other men. Most were laying down on their mats, some were talking or eating or drinking. "You said there are hundreds or thousands of slaves."

"For every slave, it looks like they got two guards. And everyone has a collar on. But," Wolverine went on, craning his head in the direction of some of the men, "if we all jumped the guards at the same time and got a hold of the collar control devices…."

"Jus' one problem, mon ami," Gambit began. "We can't understand a damn thing the other people here are sayin'. And we ain't the only ones."

"I know," Wolverine said. "We got guys from a bunch of different planets here."

"We do?" I asked.

Gambit and Wolverine went on to explain that once you got a close up view of our fellow workers, you would see that they clearly represent a number of different alien races. Different skin colors, ridges on various facial parts, humanoids with three eyes….it was like something from a bizarre science fiction movie. "I'm no expert on inter-galactic languages," Gambit said, "but I t'ink I heard `bout 20 different languages today."

The three of us spoke a bit more about our predicament. We brainstormed other ways to get free but we really seemed to be stuck. On top of everything else, we were god-knows how many feet underground.

"Um, guys," I finally began, once my bladder had reached critical mass, "I really have to go to the bathroom. Is there…..?"

"I'll show you," Gambit said, standing up, and then offering me his hand. I gladly took it and he helped me to my feet. "You okay?" he asked, making sure I was steady on my feet. I nodded.

Wolverine followed us as we walked down a hallway. Well, what can I say about the bathroom? This bathroom was pretty filthy but I can't complain----it had actual toilets, sinks, and showers. I looked around and shrugged, "Well, it's better than the bucket."

The three of us laughed the desperate laugh. You know, once you've crapped into a bucket with two others in the same cell with you, you have bonded.

General Thompson lay slumbering peacefully in his bed. He slept the sleep of the contented. General Thompson was one of the highest ranking Friends of Humanity officers, bringing in a six-figure income as compensation for his tactical and strategic work with the organization. He lived in a huge mansion with his wife and three children.

FOH---once dismissed as a radical, fringe group----now boasted millions of members across the globe. FOH had overcome the stigma of its lunatic founder, Graydon Creed and had gone on to flourish. Training centers were now established throughout the world. Boys as young as 9 and 10 were being inducted into their youth program. It was beautiful. Their youth groups had nearly as many members as FOH itself. The next generation would grow up seeing mutants as they truly were----a plague on humanity, dangerous and evil.

And best of all, now 9 Mutant Containment Centers had been established across the globe, with three more scheduled to go up within the next six months. Mutants no longer roamed the streets freely, causing danger and destruction. They were now confined and contained. Those who weren't captives of the FOH scurried through the streets like the vermin they were, afraid to show themselves, knowing capture was inevitable. Just as it should be.

Confining mutants to these camps served so many wonderful purposes. The crime rate across the world was down, and FOH reaped all the credit. And the female prisoners provided such a great service for the troops. Last time General Thompson had forced himself on one of the female mutants, he had looked at her blank, soulless face and knew he wasn't harming a human being. There was nothing wrong with it.

Sterilization was now being rolled out at most of the containment centers. The males were having vasectomies forced on them, and the females were forced to undergo tubal ligation (hysterectomies took too long and required the women to be unavailable to the troops for an unacceptable amount of time.) This would work out so well in the long term, severely lessening the number of genetic mistakes roaming around the planet.

General Thompson was also cheered by the recent defeat of the X-men in Beijing. Those horrible creatures who had killed so many noble soldiers and stolen one of their best starships had effectively been pushed back. They fled after only stealing 55 mutants. Just goes to show you the power in numbers and in brute strength. Best yet, three X-men had been taken prisoner. The General had decided that, instead of executing them, they would be perfect for the Ceti III Project. It would work to everyone's benefit----FOH earns a little money, develops their relationship with the Cetians, and three X-men are permanently taken away.

Everything was going so well. The General smiled in his sleep.

Suddenly he woke with a start. Someone---or something---had suddenly appeared on top of him.

It wasn't Mrs. Thompson.

Before he knew it, the General was teleported out of his mansion.

"Good work, Nightcrawler," Storm said. It had been such a dangerous mission, she had feared sending Kurt on it. What a blow it would be if they were to lose another teammate. But it had worked like clockwork. Freedom de-cloaked, Nightcrawler teleported down, teleported back up with the General, and Freedom re-cloaked and fled----all in under 7 seconds. Too fast for any FOH ships to detect and intercept. As soon as she saw that Kurt was safe, Storm had gone up to her friend and shook his hand. She tried to contain her excitement and hope.

Moments later, Rogue peered into the large glass window of the room in which Thompson was held. "They're bein' way too soft," she grumbled. Northstar, standing next to her, nodded his assent. All the X-men stood outside the room, listening to the exchange via the intercom. It was set to one-way, so that they could hear the goings-on in the room, but they themselves could not be heard.

General Thompson sat in the chair, his arms and legs restrained. He tried to focus and stay calm. He knew the two people standing over him. Not only were they mutant scum, but they were the lowest of the low. Two leaders of the X-men. The bald creature in the wheelchair was Charles Xavier, a former multi-billionaire who had founded the X-men. The female with brown skin and white hair was known as Storm. How in the hell had they gotten past the security system and the guards who patrolled his mansion??

"I am not afraid of you!" Thompson yelled.

"Nor should you be," Storm said, simply. As always, her emotions were held in check. "All you need to do is cooperate with us."

"We simply want to know whether Wolverine, Gambit and Iceman are still alive. And if they are, we want to know where they are," Xavier said.

"You're some sort of telepath. Read my mind," Thompson said.

"I prefer not the enter the minds of others without their consent. However, I will do so if you do not cooperate."

Standing outside the room, Rogue yelled, her fists clenched, "C'mon, Professor! Just do it! Why waste time like this??" she knew she could not be heard by the Professor but needed to vent anyway.

"Well I'm not going to cooperate with you," Thompson said. "I shouldn't even be talking to sub-human filth like you two. I---"

The Professor tuned out the man's rantings as he then shut his eyes and concentrated. Almost effortlessly, he entered Thompson's mind. The man's thoughts, his actions, and his decisions were easily peeled away like the skin of an onion. The Professor had seen quite a lot in his lifetime, but he had to keep from flinching as he re-lived some of the reprehensible actions committed by the General.

Storm stood by, alternating her glance between the Professor and Thompson. After just moments, the Professor spoke, looking at Storm and at all the others clustered by the room's window. "There is a good chance that Bobby, Gambit and Wolverine are still alive. It was not in the plans of FOH to kill them."

Rogue and Jubilee looked at each other, and then grabbed each other's arms. Jeanne-Marie gave her brother Northstar a hug. Moira practically jumped when she heard Charles's words. Inside the room, Storm could not repress a smile.

Apparently FOH had been undergoing deep space exploration when they crossed paths with the inhabitants of Ceti III. The Cetians had a huge industry focused on the mining of their precious stone, benzite. The Cetians kidnapped and purchased slaves from all over the galaxy to feed the insatiable hunger of their mining industry. Purchased slaves would then toil away at these benzite mines. FOH and the Cetians were moving towards a tentative alliance, and FOH was testing the waters by selling slaves to the Cetians.

The Professor continued to search through the man's mind. He then asked, "Where is this Ceti III?"

The General did not answer. Charles resumed the scan of his mind. He could not find any specifics on where Ceti III was located or any details on how strong its defenses were. He found general information----the sector of the galaxy where the star system was located and the fact that Ceti III had a fairly strong armada. Was it one that the X-men and Freedom stood a chance of defeating? The mind of General Thompson did not know enough information----but he did know the names and locations of men who would know all the details.

The X-men debated for just a few moments what to do. Nightcrawler then teleported General Thompson back to earth, and then went down again to bring up someone who would be able to give them all the specifics they needed.

The X-men sat around the meeting room table, discussing their next course of action. They had learned a lot of information from the two other FOH higher-ups that they had brought on board. They now knew that they stood a chance at defeating the Cetians alone. A chance, but it would not be easy.

"I say we head over to this Ceti III right now!" Rogue said. "We gotta rescue our guys right away!"

"But we need to consider whether or not we are capable of defeating them," Storm said. "If we fail, we might end up as slaves of the Cetians ourselves."

"We might not have a choice," Beast began. "We have no guarantee whatsoever that Queen Marina will consent to assisting us."

Rogue nodded. "I doesn't make sense for us to sit around here, waiting and hoping that Marina might send us another ship or two when she might say no way."

"If we do that, we'll have wasted a lot of time," Jubilee said. "By the time Angel and Psylocke get within….telepathic range of Jean, and then come back within telepathic range of the Professor, it could be weeks! And the answer, after all that, might still be `no.'"

The debate continued on for quite some time. Many were uncomfortable with potentially placing the 55 rescued mutants at risk. But at last, most of the X-men agreed with the plan. They would not wait for word from Psylocke and Angel. They would proceed to Ceti III and rescue their people themselves.

Freedom was set to its maximum warp speed. The journey to Ceti III was estimated to take three weeks.

The next morning, as Freedom sped towards Ceti III, Charles and Moira were observing their daily ritual of eating breakfast together. Moira looked at Charles. He ate even slower than usual, the look in his eyes was distant. It was more than just fatigue.

"Okay, Charles," Moira began gently, "I dona possess your telepathic abilities, so I must ask you directly. What is wrong?"

She reached for his hand and held it. Her touch caused a jolt of pleasant sensations for Charles. Her soft skin, her warmth. Her touch caused such hope, such longing. And the emotions coming off of Moira were unmistakable.

However, this morning, Charles was not about to dwell on those sort of feelings. He shook his head. "I could hardly sleep last night. I just do not know if we did the right thing yesterday."

"You mean with General Thompson and the two others," Moira said. She had guessed as much at the cause of his mood.

Charles nodded. The X-men (Nightcrawler, specifically) had simply teleported each man back down to where he came from. "We returned them to earth," Charles said. "And we know they are simply going to go back to doing exactly what they had been doing before."

Moira nodded, and Charles continued. "I entered each man's mind. All three of them had tortured innocent mutants to death at one point or another. All three had committed countless rapes. And yet we let them return to earth, where they will pick up where they left off." The X-men had not spent much time debating what to do with the FOH officials. They were too eager to get the information they needed so their men could be rescued. "I think we made a mistake," Charles said.

"Charles," Moira began, "what else could we do? We cannot serve as judge, jury and executioner for them. And what you found from reading their minds is not exactly admissible evidence in a court of law."

"And killing them would not have been right," he said. Though as he looked back down at his plate, he asked himself, `Or would it have been? They have destroyed enough mutants' lives and they will return to destroy more.'

"And," Moira continued, "we couldna exactly keep them imprisoned on board Freedom forever. Feeding them and keeping them under watch would have put a strain on our resources." Moira gave his hand a squeeze.

"How do you feel about the decision?"

"Leading a moral life is never an easy thing, you know that," Moira answered. "There will always be such occasions with no easy resolution. I think this is one of those times. Letting them go might have been the best resolution among a list of unsatisfactory choices."

"I wonder if we could have taken them to An'zhina with us. Perhaps we could have worked with them and helped them to realize that their actions against mutants were wrong. Then perhaps we could have sent them back to earth and asked them to convince others in Friends of Humanity."

"That's quite a tall order there, Charles. I doubt they would have been receptive to that, since it would have involved taking them away from their homes and their families indefinitely." Moira tilted her head. "But it's not a bad idea. Perhaps we can think of a way to resuscitate FOH members, convince them that they are wrong. Of course," she said gravely, "FOH has millions of members, and countless supporters who are not members but who do not object to what they do. That is a lot of minds to alter."

"Changing the minds of millions of people is extremely challenging, but that is how social movements work. The civil rights movement, the women's movement, the environmental movement----virtually every movement for human rights began with what seemed like ridiculous ideas at the time and worked to change the way people thought about them." He silently added that influencing public opinion was precisely what he and the X-men had hoped to do, back when they lived on earth. Obviously they had failed on that one.

"Continue to think big, Charles. One way or another, we have to change the minds of people on earth. It might take decades, but it is something that needs to be done." Moira then smiled. "This is weighty subject matter for so early in the morning. You know, Charles once we get Logan, Bobby and Gambit back, I would like to plan a celebration. We will get them back."

Charles smiled at her attempt to elevate his mood. He wanted to say, 'Let us not count our chickens before they are hatched.' Instead, he told her he agreed with her. It was good to get his mind off more serious matters for once. As Moira spoke about her ideas for the celebration, Charles ruminated on his feelings for her. He also tried to estimate how long it had been since Banshee had been killed by FOH. He guessed it had been nearly a year now. He knew that Moira had mentally calculated the length of time since Sean's death several times now.

Somehow, I got used to mining. They worked us hard, but they fed and clothed us well. We got decent rest periods. They let me work alongside Logan and Remy, but they yelled at us and used the collar on us if we talked too much or even looked the wrong way. By the time I settled into my sleeping bag at night, almost every muscle in my body ached. We never got to go outside or see the sky. We worked every day too; obviously the concept of the weekend was not known here.

Gambit kept our spirits up. Although Wolverine told him a few times to "quit actin' like Mary Popins," Gambit kept reassuring us that we'd think of a way to escape or the other X-men would rescue us. I clung onto the belief that he was right.

At night, we slept alongside each other. Not touching, of course, but right next to each other. "Soon we gonna be back on board Freedom," Gambit whispered. "Rogue gonna be back in my arms and Northstar in yours."

"God I hope so," I said in reply.

"Trust me, Bobby, Gambit be right on this one. We outta here before you know it."

"What the hell are you smoking, Gumbo?" Logan, sleeping on Gambit's other side, muttered.

Perhaps four days after our arrival, we were in for a shock. All meals were eaten in one large, dark room. After standing in a cafeteria style line, we sat on crates at tables that appeared to be made of stone. During the mid-day meal, Wolverine gestured for Gambit and I to come over his way. All communications had to be subtle and nothing could be sudden----otherwise the guards would notice. Gambit and I noticed some indirect signals in Logan's communication, so we walked over to him as swiftly as possible without it looking unusual.

Banshee sat there! We were stunned. Moira MacTaggert had told us that FOH had sent her a letter stating he had been killed.

Noticing the four of us, two guards stepped forward to maintain a closer watch on us. We were allowed to talk, but intermittently and we had to make it sound like we were chatting about nothing in particular.

First off, Sean wanted to know about his wife and daughter. We told him that Siryn was safe on An'zhina. Explaining what and where An'zhina was provided another challenge. But he got the gist, at least, that she was alright. We also told him we thought Moira was probably safe. We explained about Freedom and our adventures during the past two years as best we could.

We were able to get information from Sean as well. He told us something we already knew----anyone who tried to escape or acted up in any way was tortured and killed. He said that three other mutants had been taken here along with him, but all had been killed by the guards---two because of an escape attempt and one for provoking a fight with another slave. He told us that he'd learned the Cetians' economy revolved around mining and processing this substance, benzite and that FOH was wanting to expand the trafficking of slaves here.

"I don't see much of a way to escape, lads," Sean told us. "This place is so well guarded. And these blasted collars. There is no way to get them off, and if you take two steps towards a guard, he reacts instantly and tortures you."

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

Sean shrugged. "Perhaps a year now." He looked horrible. Not physically, but mentally. He must have seen the look on my face. "Hearing that Siryn and Moira are safe is the best thing that has happened to me here. I thank you."

"We gonna find a way out of here," Remy said low.

Sean hushed him. "Quiet! Some of the guards are starting to learn English, I think."

So that was our reunion with Banshee. His assigned sleeping room was far from ours, but we were generally allowed to eat our meals with him.

Storm found Rogue sitting at the helm of the ship. "There you are," Storm said. She smiled. "Sitting in the captain's chair is not going to make our voyage any quicker."

"I can't believe we got two more weeks before we get there. I gotta rescue Remy now!"

"Rogue," Storm said, placing a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Relax. When the time comes to fight and rescue, we shall be ready. Think of the good news. Our X-men are almost certainly alive."

"I knew Remy wasn't dead!" Rogue said. "I would have sensed it if he was. We love each other too much."

Storm smiled. "I do worry, though, that you might be over-training. I think you've spent every waking hour in the Danger Room."

"Yeah," Rogue said, shrugging.

"Working your muscles to fatigue isn't going to do any good."

"But—"

"Yes, I know, you have super-strength and a stronger physique than almost anyone. But even you have your limits. You need to take breaks."

"What the heck do you think I'm doing now?" Rogue asked. The two women shared a laugh.

"Promise me you'll take it easier tomorrow?"

"Anything for you, Storm."

I did something that I'm not proud of. For a few days, I had noticed one of my fellow prisoners giving me unmistakable looks and gestures. He was from another planet and he and I didn't speak the same language, but his meaning was fairly obvious. So, a few times he and I had sex in the showers, a thin curtain shielding us from the rest of the washroom. Yeah, I know, say what you will. It had been more than two years since I'd had sex and I was desperate for some touch. I felt disgusting afterwards each time and it just made me long for my beautiful Northstar.

We weren't the only ones giving each other head in the bathrooms either. All the slaves were males, not a female in sight and some men, it seemed, had been here for years. Quite frequently you'd hear sounds coming from or see two pairs of shoes in the shower stall or toilet stall next to yours. When your life consists of nothing but endless labor, and eating and sleeping are the only activities in your life that are mildly pleasurable….well, some people will go seek out a third fun thing to do.

Queen Marina was angst-ridden. She blinked and glanced again at her view-screen, at the imploring looks on the faces of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Taking a deep breath, she tried to register the jolt of being woken up from a sound sleep and then this outlandish request. Their request was excessive. How could she do as they asked without facing the wrath of the Executive Council?

"Marina, I **beg** you," Jean said. She spread her arms. "I have nothing that I can offer you. All I can do is get down on my knees and beg you to help us." At the risk of looking melodramatic, Jean did just that. Scott joined his wife, getting down on his knees. The view-screen's camera automatically lowered itself so the couple remained in view.

"Please," Scott said. "Please help us. We know how much you respect the X-men. You surely don't want three core members of the team to die."

Less than an hour beforehand, Jean had woken in the middle of the night with a start. She had shaken Scott awake. "What's wrong, my love?" he asked, sitting up, fearing it might be something with the unborn child.

"It's Psylocke," Jean said, rubbing her temples. "She just contacted me. She and Angel are in a shuttle heading back here." It was now a couple of days past when Jean expected to be telepathically contacted by the Professor. She and Scott had been starting to get a bit worried. Jean relayed everything that Psylocke had told her. "Wolverine, Gambit and Bobby were captured by the FOH on the last rescue mission. The others don't know if they are alive or not. But if they are alive, they think that we need help from the Endarians if we're to rescue them."

And so, less than an hour later, Jean had called Queen Marina on her private line. The Queen gave her this communicator to be used in the event of an emergency. This was the first time Jean had used it. She knew she would be waking the Queen up from her sleep.

Marina rubbed her eyes. Her "associate" Baran had been sleeping next to her and immediately joined her, his hair disheveled and eyes sleepy. "You are correct that we have extremely fast starships," Marina finally said. She shrugged. "We have vessels fast enough that you could be at earth within a week. But we are very protective of our starships. We gave you a moon that no one wanted. It was no big deal to anyone----the planet Endaria is huge and sparsely populated and we have so many moons. But lending you a starship is an entirely different matter. Entirely different," she repeated.

"Please at least consider it," Scott urged.

"I will talk to the Executive Council tomorrow morning," Marina said. "It is too big of a request for me to make the decision myself. I might be a monarch but there is still a constitution and an elected Executive Council that I must follow." She paused and took a deep breath. "I will see what I can do. Many on the council owe me favors and I can pull as many strings as possible. I think, though, that half of the Council will consider me insane for even making this request. But I will do the best I can. Goodnight." With that, Marina turned the connection off.

Scott and Jean looked at each other. Jean then "told" Psylocke what had happened. Psylocke and Angel would continue, of course, to head for An'zhina.

Jean and Scott did not sleep anymore that night. Ironically, Charlotte slept quietly and peacefully, but the baby's parents just lay spooned together. Things had been going so well on An'zhina. The rescued mutants were bonding over the activities that Scott and Jean supervised----the building of the monument to the mutants who had been killed, the group healing ceremonies that Jean led, and the sessions where everyone spoke about growing up and went through exercises designed to help them learn to trust.

"I wonder why the others think that they might still be alive," Jean finally said. She loved the enveloping feel of Scott's muscular arms around her. His strong, solid physique allowed Jean to fool herself into believing she would be safe, she would be protected.

"Jean," Scott said softly.

"Well, really. Why would FOH keep them alive? They're X-men and they're partly responsible for the killing of the FOH soldiers on Freedom. Why wouldn't FOH execute them…..unless to torture them?!"

"Jean, please don't think that way. It won't do any good. The Professor, Storm and the others must have strongly felt there was a chance that they are alive or they wouldn't have sent Warren and Betsy this way."

Jean's head continued to spin. "Even if Marina says yes, we might be far too late. And even if Logan, Remy and Bobby are alive, maybe a starship or two won't do any good. Betsy said FOH pretty much overwhelmed them at their last attempt to free a mutant camp."

"Try to think positively," Scott said. "Maybe FOH is keeping them alive for some reason. If Marina is able to grant our request, we can free them. The Endarians have such advanced technology."

"I cannot stand this waiting and not knowing! Oh Scott. I can't bear the thought of Logan and the others being hurt….being tortured by FOH."

"Do not think of that, my love. We can't do anything about it right now. Think of good things. Didn't Betsy say that the others were successful in getting the picture of us to your family? Think of how happy your parents and sister must be now to know that you are safe."

Jean began to sob. "Jeanie," Scott said, holding her more closely.

"I'm feeling sorry for myself right now," Jean blurted out. "I'm wishing for a normal life."

"We all wish for that at times. But if we weren't mutants, you and I would never have met."

"We don't know that. You and I are fated to be together. I think we would have met one way or another."

"Perhaps."

"I'm never going to let you go, Slim."

Jean turned to face him and they kissed deeply. The couple began to slowly make love. Even as their bodies joined together, Scott's thoughts began to race. If Marina did allow them to use a starship, who would pilot it? Psylocke and Angel were still a week away from An'zhina. Maybe Jean would have to let him go, and soon…..Scott blocked out those thoughts and concentrated instead on his love for Jean, the pleasure they were bringing each other, the intimacy they shared.

After a sleepless night, Cyclops and Jean Grey waited for a reply from Queen Marina. They knew it would take some time for the regent to speak with the members of the Executive Council and have them reach a decision. So the couple went about their usual morning routine. Scott supervised a group of mutants as they worked on the monument to the deceased mutants. He watched Charlotte during this time and read to her whenever he could take a break. Jean's morning was occupied with a group counseling session and then several one-on-ones. By lunchtime Marina had not yet contacted Scott and Jean with an answer.

In the early afternoon, Jean had a scheduled check-up with an Endarian doctor. The doctor beamed in for the appointment, and the health of Jean and her unborn baby were pronounced excellent. Just as they were finishing up, Marina contacted both Scott and Jean. Within moments, the two X-men were assembled in front of a view screen.

"I was able to obtain one starship for you to borrow," Marina said, in her usual businesslike manner. "We call the ship the Valiant." As Scott and Jean exchanged smiles, Marina paused and sighed. "I had to pull quite a few favors to get this. I might," she began enigmatically, "ask for a favor in return sometime." She then returned to her normal efficient style. "However, I understand that time is of the essence for you and we can discuss this at a later time. The Valiant is on auto-pilot towards An'zhina right now and should be there in a matter of minutes. The top speed of this vessel is warp 10, so you will find it far faster than Freedom now. It has weaponry that greatly surpasses Freedom as well."

Marina went on to give the X-men a bit more information about the ship. She warned them that the vessel was not quite as user-friendly as Freedom and would take a bit more time to learn how to use.

As soon as the Valiant landed, Jean and Scott boarded it. They briefly inspected the ship.

"This shouldn't be so bad," Scott said, sitting on the main bridge. The bridge was about four times the size of Freedom's bridge. Jean looked around, almost feeling swallowed up by the spacious control center. Scott noticed Charlotte crawling towards a control panel, and promptly scooped her up. "I think we can learn how to operate this. The ship is more complex and can do more than Freedom, but the user-interface with the main computer is extremely user-friendly."

Jean turned her gaze to Scott. "So, what do we do now?" she asked. "Warren and Betsy are over 6 days away from here."

Scott began his reply, knowing that she already knew what he would say. "Well, I was thinking about that last night. Maybe I can pilot this ship out there to meet them. This ship is so fast, I can rendezvous with them in probably 2 days."

"I knew that's what you were thinking of."

"And I knew you wouldn't like the idea."

"No, no," Jean shook her head. "My emotional reaction to it is beside the point. It's the right thing to do. Time is of the essence. For all we know, Wolverine, Gambit and Bobby are already dead now." As she said the words, Jean knew she didn't believe them. Or at least, that reality had not sunk in. "But we must act as though they are not. It doesn't make sense for us to sit here and wait for Warren and Betsy to get here when there are lives at stake. For all we know, every day---every hour----counts."

Scott nodded. He reached for one of Jean's hands and held it. "We are of one mind here. As we always are, my love. I do not want to be apart from you and Charlotte and the other one on the way. It goes against what every fiber in my body wants to do. But…."

"But duty calls," Jean said. She said the words completely without bitterness. She understood and knew that he understood.

"Any of them would do the same for us. We need to do whatever we can so that our teammates have the best chance of getting out of this alive."

"Scott," she began, an idea having just popped into her head, "once you meet up with Warren and Betsy….can't you take their shuttle back here? They could continue on board this ship but you could return to me in their shuttle. That way, we would only be apart for a few days!" As she said the words, Charlotte crawled from her father's lap to her mothers. Jean held the baby.

Scott looked down. "What do you think, Jean? I—I guess I could. But the X-men could probably use me on the rescue mission."

There was a long pause as Scott and Jean looked at each other. "I know," he whispered, sensing her thoughts. They continued to grasp each other's hands. The last time they had been so far apart was during the grueling Phoenix saga. After that, they had vowed to never part again.

"Well, we survived that," Jean said. "If anything happens….perhaps we will find a way to survive that as well. It's just that….this will mean we'll be separated for weeks now. If we're lucky, it will only be a few weeks. It could be much longer." 'It could be forever!' she thought. If he met the same fate as Wolverine, Gambit and Bobby….

"Don't think like that, Jean. We have to be optimistic. Maybe nothing will happen on this mission. Maybe the other X-men have already rescued Bobby and the others and we are worrying over nothing." As he said the words though, fear was churning in Scott's belly. Looking back, he had no idea how he'd survived life without Jean during the Phoenix saga. He began to truly doubt whether he'd be able to live without her again. But Jean and Charlotte would be safe on An'zhina. **He** was the one who would be at risk.

"I know," Jean said softly, picking up on all of his thoughts. "And maybe I am not as strong as you are. Because I can't imagine being apart from you. And I can't imagine Charlotte surviving without you."

"Jean," he began softly.

She shook her head and quieted him. "You are right. We both know what we must do. We must separate---you need to go on this rescue mission."

They both knew they were wasting precious time. Scott picked up Charlotte and held her, gently cooing to her. "Daddy will miss you. Daddy will be back soon," he murmured. As Scott looked into Charlotte's blue eyes he saw, as he often did, such depth and he again had the feeling that she somehow understood everything. He kissed the baby several times. "I love you, Charlotte." The baby began to wail loudly, and Scott held her, soothing her, until she quieted.

Placing Charlotte down onto a chair, Scott and Jean stepped into a wordless embrace. There was nothing left to say. //How am I going to fall asleep without you next to me?//

//I was wondering the same thing.// It had been, well, years since either had to try to sleep without being wrapped in the other's arms. Not counting those awful nights they'd spent as prisoners of FOH, though neither had really slept then.

Scott stepped back slightly and placed a hand on Jean's pregnant abdomen. "I'll be back before our new arrival."

"I hope so. You have three and a half months." Jean then reached to kiss him. Their kiss lasted several long, sad moments. "Every day, every year we're together," Jean began. "I love you more and more."

"And I, you. My love for you and my respect for you grows constantly. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life."

Minutes later, many of the new inhabitants of An'zhina were waving goodbye to Scott via the Valiant's monitor. They would miss him. During the weeks together, Scott had really earned the respect of virtually everyone. Many of the younger men and women had been starting to view Scott as their surrogate uncle. Seeing tears in Jean's eyes, a few of the women moved to comfort her, eager at the chance to reciprocate. She had done so much to help them.

The faint reddish glow from the rock walls of the sleeping room never dimmed. The overhead light bulb was never turned off either, and guards continually monitored the sleeping room via cameras. Wolverine, Gambit and Iceman had their sleeping bags arranged in a row, as usual. Bobby had fallen asleep the second he'd hit the pillow, for once.

Many of the other slaves spoke quietly before preparing for bed or played games. Gambit lay on his mat, on his back with one leg crossed over the other and his hands behind his head. "The other X-men, dey rescue us soon. Jus' a matter of time."

Wolverine muttered an incoherent reply. Damn Cajun. Always blathering that they would be rescued "any day now." Logan grew more and more aggravated at how tight the security down there was. A few days ago, they had witnessed a slave attempting to escape. The subsequent torture and dismembering of the slave had not been pleasant. Although he was looking every second for an opportunity, the chance to escape without getting killed had not yet shown itself, nor did it look Likely to appear.

"Any day now my chere gonna be back in my arms," Gambit went on. "I miss her so much. I bet she and Storm comforting each other a lot now 'dough." Even as he said the words, Gambit knew he was attempting to convince himself more than anyone. The absence of Rogue was like a constant ache in his side. He also had to fight the gnawing feelings of guilt he experienced day in and day out, wondering if he had somehow dropped the ball or been responsible for their kidnapping.

Wolverine grunted something that sounded like, "Probably."

"Storm is good at dat kind of t'ing. She always good to my chere. God I miss my Rogue. I love her more dan anything." Gambit paused and turned his head towards Wolverine. "So what about you, Logan? You missin' Storm?"

"Of course I miss her," Wolverine replied. Where was Gumbo going now? After a while of being confined together, you run out of conversational topics and sometimes voyage into areas you wouldn't normally discuss.

"You love her?" Gambit asked. He honestly wondered. Rogue had told him what Storm had once told her: that Storm and Wolverine were lovers but not really in love, not a regular couple. Perceptive Gambit, though, wondered what their feelings for each other truly were.

"No."

"No? You really don't love Storm?"

Wolverine sighed. He was bored. He would indulge the nosy Cajun. "We're friends. I care about her. We don't got the love that you and Rogue got."

"Sometimes I t'ink I sense otherwise, mon ami."

"Well you ain't no telepath and you don't know shit about what I feel, Gumbo. Life ain't a fairytale."

"No, life sure ain't no fairytale. But Gambit t'ink that you feel for Storm more dan you admit."

"Ain't you the gossipy old woman today. I don't love Storm and I never will. Jean Grey has my heart. Always has and always will."

"Well, Gambit t'ink it high time you got your head outta the clouds. Jean ain't never gonna leave Cyke. You got yourself a beautiful woman who loves you. Gambit t'ink you crazy for not seein' dat." Several seconds passed and no reply from Logan. Remy continued, "But maybe you like it dat way. What's your deal, Wolverine? You like bein' miserable? You rather sit around mourin' the one you ain't gonna have rather dan go wit' the one who do love you?"

Logan reached for the blankets, and covered himself with one. "Shut up, Cajun," he said, though his voice didn't sound nearly as harsh as it could have. "I wanna get some shut-eye and yer keepin' me up.."

Scott tossed and turned in his bed. The sole living being on board the Valiant, his heart ached for Jean and for Charlotte. Being alone on a huge, alien starship hurling towards a potentially very dangerous rescue mission----Scott could handle that. Being apart from his wife and daughter, however, was another matter. Their absence was a gaping wound in his side.

Scott shifted his body weight towards a more comfortable position, trying to let his mind go and drift asleep. The sheets and pillows smelled of sterile cleaning materials, not of Jean's warmth. Scott was exhausted, having spent the last 10 hours reading and learning as much about this foreign starship as he could and practicing simulated battle situations. But there was no Jean to cuddle up next to. No smiling, cheery baby would be waking them up in the morning.

//I miss you too.//

"Jean?" Scott spoke the words, whispering inside the dark room. "You can still speak into my mind?" He tried to **think** the words into her mind but sensed it was not getting through.

//We'll be together again soon. Charlotte says hi. She misses your reading and playing with her. I love you, Scott.//

"I love you too, Jean." Scott fell back against the pillow, this time feeling calm and comforted. Her presence was still with him. It always would be. `Just a matter of time before I'm home.'

After a couple of days, Cyclops met up with Psylocke and Angel's shuttle. They docked the shuttle inside the Valiant.

"Are you coming with us, Betsy?" Cyclops asked. "Or would you prefer to take the shuttle back to An'zhina and stay there?"

"Why would I want to return to An'zhina now?" Betsy replied. Scott looked at her face and thought he detected some of her old spark, spark that had definitely been missing the last time he had seen her. "I'm an X-man and I want to take part on this mission." Scott noticed Warren's face had a slight smile on it as Betsy spoke those words.

The Valiant then warped in the direction of earth, under cloak. They would use Psylocke's telepathic powers to hook them up with the Professor and help them locate the cloaked Freedom.

You know, the living conditions weren't as awful as they could have been. I don't know why, but I kept trying to look on the bright side. Every day, our clothes were coated in soot, and we were instructed to strip them off, and then we were provided with a clean change of clothes. We had bathrooms and showers and halfway decent food. We had rest breaks. Gambit dearly missed his deck of cards, but the other slaves showed us a game that involved making lines in the dirt and moving sticks and stones around. It wasn't half bad.

I had good days and bad days. Despite our rest breaks, the physical labor was exhausting. My legs, back and arms constantly ached. Some nights, I cried myself to sleep, trying to muffle my sobs, overwhelmed with despair. Banshee had been a prisoner for almost a year---who knew how long we would be slaves and whether we'd ever be free. A few times during a crying spell, I felt Remy put an arm around me or otherwise try to comfort me. My eyes and my soul cried out for a glimpse of sunlight. We lived and breathed underground. I dreamt of the Paradise planet and wished desperately I was back there, basking in the cool waters. I missed everyone like crazy----Hank, Jubilee, Jean-Paul. Everyone. I would recall the sounds of their voices at night to help me feel better. Sometimes I despaired because I could not remember exactly what Jean-Paul looked like.

But a lot of the time, I was actually doing ok. Gambit kept saying that we'd either think of a way to escape or we'd be rescued, and we'd be back with the other X-men in no time. Most of the time, I just told myself that I had to believe him and that he had to be right.

We generally ate with Banshee at all mealtimes. He'd ask us to recount every tiny detail we might recall about Siryn and Moira, and how they were doing since Freedom had rescued them. He looked hopeful that he'd see them again. "Ever since you showed me that Charles Xavier and the X-men are still around and still active, I've known we'll be freed someday," Sean would say. "We just need to stay alive and stay out of trouble."

And Wolverine? Well, he was Wolverine. All things considered, he seemed to be holding up well.

Freedom raced towards Ceti III, perhaps a week away from it still. Storm had been supervising all of the X-men's training, ensuring they were all in peak condition for the upcoming battle. She knew it would be one of the most difficult ever for them. She had been almost relentless in monitoring their drills and training sessions. She even had convinced Panda to begin training as an X-man, though she would not be going into battle this time, as it was far too early.

"They're nearby," the Professor said, suddenly one afternoon as he and Storm were watching the other X-men train. He touched his hand to his temple. "Psylocke and Angel are on board an Endarian starship with Cyclops! And they are rapidly heading towards earth."

Storm's eyes widened. "Then Queen Marina did agree to help us!"

The Professor was silent for a bit. "I just gave Betsy our coordinates. She has them…..She believes they can be here in under 48 hours."

"That is one extremely swift vessel!" Storm exclaimed. "The Endarians must have an amazing power source."

The X-men cheered when they heard that the others had been successful in their mission to procure a starship from the Endarians. They continued to head for Ceti III, and the Valiant met up with them a scant 46 hours later.

The Valiant was perhaps four times the size of Freedom. When the two ships met up, the Valiant actually beamed Freedom aboard, inside one of its massive docking bays. It made more sense for them to do that, as waiting for Freedom to catch up with it would vastly slow down the mission, and it would be difficult to maintain the cloaking device if the Valiant were to cloak Freedom.

Once Freedom was secured inside the Valiant's main cargo bay, the large Endarian vessel then resumed warping towards Ceti III.

"It is so good to see you again, my friend," Beast said to Cyclops. They sat on the bridge of the Valiant with Panda, Cyclops having just shown Beast and Panda how to work the controls. Panda sat there, her eyes wide. She was glad Hank seemed to understand everything. The controls on the bridge of Freedom, she could operate----but the workings of the Valiant may as well have been in Greek. She could tell from looking at Hank that he was getting it, but Cyclops's quick explanation went straight over her head.

"Thank you, Hank," Scott said, sitting back against his chair. His back ached and he was exhausted. Ever since the Valiant had rendezvoused with Freedom, Cyclops, Angel and Psylocke had spent every waking hour trying to get the rest of the X-men up to speed on the workings of the Valiant.

Hank wanted to say more, say some words of sympathy for Scott since he obviously missed his wife and child. It had been evident from the moment Hank had seen Scott's face that Scott was not doing well, being away from Jean and Charlotte.

Scott looked at his watch. "If you'll excuse me," he said. "I promised Storm and the Professor that I would take them through another look at the engine room."

"Should I be there as well?" Hank asked. "A refresher might be helpful for me."

Scott shrugged. "If you want."

Panda placed a furry hand on her love's arm. "Hank, perhaps a rest would be helpful for you too," she said softly. "You might be brilliant but I think there's a limit to how much even you can absorb. And you've been at it all day."

Hank looked at Panda, felt his heart fill at the tenderness on her face. "There is wisdom in your words, my love. Perhaps you are right."

Cyclops watched their interaction, for once feeling the sting of jealousy himself. It was painful, so painful….going through every day, knowing that his wife and baby were halfway across the galaxy. As much as he absorbed himself in his work, not a second passed that his heart didn't yearn for them. He took his leave of Hank and Panda, and headed for the massive engineering room.

"Poor guy," Panda said.

Hank nodded. "But we must think positively. If our mission goes well, we will rescue Bobby and the others, and return to An'zhina in no time. Scott will be back with Jean and their daughter soon."

"You seem like you've been feeling better."

Hank nodded. "Yes. I have been feeling much more optimistic about our rescue mission since experiencing this ship. It is far more powerful than Freedom. Of course, we do not know what to expect from the Cetians…."

"Yes," Panda said. "Fear of the unknown. We don't know how powerful these people are."

"By and large, we do not. However, the we got an idea from the minds of the FOH officials that the Professor tapped into. We do not **think** that they will overwhelm us. Of course…" his voice trailed off.

"Of course we really don't know."

"All we can do is prepare to the utmost and hope for the best." Hank glanced at one of the monitors. "You know, someday I would love to really explore this area of space. We have never been in it before, as we are travelling away from Endaria and the Paradise planet. We are passing by many inhabited worlds. What I wouldn't give to study this someday," he mused. "Of course, our first order of business is rescuing our fellow X-men."

"I think it will go well. Everyone is so well trained. Before you know it, we'll have Bobby back."

Hank looked at Panda, and Panda saw the pain in his eyes. "I dearly hope so. I miss my friend so much." Panda put her arms around him. He went on, "I want to thank you again for everything you've done for me. You've been so kind to listen to me all the time with----"

"Hank, don't be silly. I love you, you big dope! What are lovers for??"

Hank smiled at being referred to as a 'big dope.' "Your attempt at levity was very helpful, my love," he said, returning her embrace wholeheartedly. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"We'll get Bobby and the others back….Just you wait and see!"

The Valiant entered the area of space that they knew was controlled by the Cetarians. Three X-men stood at their stations on the bridge and another two in engineering. Cyclops had been on break, but once the vessel entered Cetarian space, the Professor asked him to join them on the bridge. He was most skilled at the workings of this strange ship, though the others had been working diligently to become proficient in it as well.

"Looks like we're safe," Cyclops said, sitting in the captain's chair. "If they can detect our cloak, they're not showing it."

Storm looked down at her monitor. "No sign of any strange activity here, either." She looked back up, nearly disoriented for a second. This bridge was huge, unlike Freedom's bridge where more than a handful of people could not comfortably fit. On the Valiant, she practically had to shout across the room to make sure those on the other end heard her.

"Let's get in our places," Cyclops said, speaking into the intercom. "We're ready to execute our plan."

Several minutes later, Professor X, Moira, Beast, Panda, Shaman's wife and daughter, Jeanne-Marie's son and the 55 mutants who had been brought on board during the X-men's last rescue mission had been boarded Freedom. The cloaked Freedom ship then disembarked from the Valiant's cargo bay. Their mission would be to distract the Cetians from the other, larger ship. Hank would steer the ship and work the phasers, along with help from the Professor. Much debate surrounded the idea of having the 55 rescued mutants remain on board this vessel, but eventually all agreed that things would be much safer on Freedom than on the other ship.

With the Valiant leading the way, the two cloaked ships traveled closer and closer to the planet on which the other X-men were being held captive. Still no reaction from the Cetians, though one Cetian starship was visible in the immediate area.

"I sense them!" the Professor said via an intercom that transmitted to both ships. "I sense all three of them. They are alive and well."

Rogue screamed, jumping up and down, her fists pumping in the air. Similar cries of happiness could be heard on both ships. Hank and Panda looked at each other, Hank grinning with joy. "Can we beam them up from here?" Hank asked aloud.

At the same time Hank asked his question, the Professor gasped. "What is it, Charles?" Moira asked. Moira stood on the bridge, trying to remain as off to the side as possible.

"Another mutant is with them," the Professor said. He looked at Moira with an astonished expression on his features. The instant before he spoke, she knew what he was going to say. "Banshee."

"Oh dear God!" Moira exclaimed, her face turning white. She stood with her mouth open, stunned.

Storm stood on the bridge of the Valiant, focussed as ever. She heard the Professor and Moira's exchange, but she also had heard Hank's question. "I do not think we can beam them up from here," she said, her fingers working madly on her keyboard as she stared at the read-outs on her monitor. "The sensors on this ship can pick up mutant lifeforms, and it looks like the other X-men are…." Her voice trailed off

Storm and Cyclops looked at each other.

"Are what??" Jubilee asked, leaning over Storm's shoulder.

"Underground," Storm finished. "They are miles and miles under the surface."

Moira, still shocked, tried to kick her brain into gear. She heard Storm's words over the communications link up. "But they are still unharmed, right?" she asked, looking at Charles.

"Yes," the Professor answered, as stunned as Moira. "They are all four alive and in decent condition mentally."

"Our transporters can't penetrate that," Cyclops said, looking at the read-outs on his monitor. "There's some sort of rock that our transporters can't get through. We're going to need to go down there ourselves and get them out."

The transport of 10 X-men to the surface had forced the Valiant to decloak for a second. As expected, the second after the ship had decloaked, the Cetian starship moved in. A second Cetian starship decloaked and began to fire at the Valiant. They made no attempt at communicating with the X-men; they simply went in with guns blazing.

Nightcrawler remained on board the Valiant, fending off the attacking ships. The Cetians had potent weaponry, but so did the X-men.

Meanwhile, Beast sat on the bridge of Freedom, darting the ship around and returning the fire of the Cetians. As Freedom was still cloaked and extremely maneuverable, it proved a difficult target. Both Beast and Nightcrawler used their respective firepower to stave off the other two ships but were not shooting to destroy the enemy ships.

Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Angel, Psylocke, Jubilee, Colossus, Marrow, Northstar and Jeanne-Marie successfully reached the surface of this world. (As she had during the rescue mission on earth, Jubilee had left her daughter in the care of Elena. The Russian woman was happy to help.) "They're directly below us," Psylocke said, sensing her teammates. "But way far down from here."

"We got trouble comin'!" Rogue exclaimed, as ominous-looking aircraft approached.

Storm rose into the air, spread her arms majestically in the direction of the aircraft, and smiled as she summoned heavy winds to repel the fighter planes. With a great whoooosh, the planes were hurled back through the air before they could even fire their first shot.

Meanwhile, Cyclops blasted a hole in the ground----a large hole. "This should get us down there!" Their pathway to the mine was cleared.

"C'mon!" he said. In the space of a few seconds, Rogue grabbed Cyclops with one arm and Colossus with the other and flew down towards the mine. Storm hefted Marrow in her arms and followed. Angel then picked up Psylocke and sped down after the others. Jeanne-Marie and Northstar looked at each other and then at Jubilee. Northstar had only one arm, and Jeanne-Marie was not the physically strongest of people.

"Maybe, petit', you could sort of piggyback on me," Northstar said. "That might work but you will need to hang on tight."

"Let's try it," Jubilee said.

"Okay," Northstar said. Jubilee got behind the French-Canadian, hitched her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Remember, we go fast!" he warned.

"I'm ready," Jubilee said.

With that, Northstar and his sister vanished in a spilt second, using their mutant power of hyper-speed to descend the pathway that Cyclops had cleared. The brother-sister duo and Jubilee beat all the others down, as it took them less than a second. Jeanne-Marie, Jubilee, and Northstar then looked around. They were standing in some sort of mine. A loud alarm sounded and uniformed guards rushed up.

"This will stop them!" Northstar said, looking at his sister. He and Jeanne-Marie grasped hands. Another of their mutant powers gave them the ability to create a blinding light when they joined hands. Jubilee used her own powers to create the same effect. Several guards were incapacitated as the blazing light forced them to shut their eyes and stop in their tracks. Momentarily, the other X-men arrived on the scene.

More guards rushed to the scene as the alarm continued to blare. Cyclops shot out several stunning laser blasts, forcing the guards back. More guards ran up. Rogue flew over them, and grabbed three in her arms. She flew them over to a huge vat full of some liquid. Storm then used her powers to freeze the liquid over, thereby confining those guards. Storm then shot out lightening bolts at any other guards who came their way. The terrified soldiers retreated. Marrow snapped off a few bones and eagerly engaged in hand-to-hand combat with two of the men. She easily won. A third soldier, however, aimed a rifle in Marrow's direction. Jubilee spotted him and used her fireworks to force him to drop his weapon. Meanwhile Colossus fended off the remaining soldiers by changing into his invulnerable form. The blasts from their weapons couldn't harm him and as he continued in their direction, the soldiers screamed and ran. Peter walked up to and confiscated the weapons of those who were stupid enough to not flee the giant.

Psylocke touched her hands to her temple. "They're this way!" she exclaimed over the noise of the battle. "C'mon!"

The X-men raced down a wide hallway, following Psylocke. The guards didn't know quite what hit them. Some of them were called to the scene and tried to stop the X-men, but many ran away in terror. Those who did try to slow the X-men's progress faced Jubilee's pyrotechnics. Her fireworks sent several of them flying. Others were simply blinded. No one could impede the X-mens' progress.

Meanwhile, the prisoners didn't know what to make of the confusion. Several terrified men went scurrying towards their sleeping quarters. Others hung back in the hallways, watching the action. Most, however, made a run for the elevators and shuttles that would take them to the surface and to possible liberation.

The four X-men who were being held as prisoners had a very good idea what was happening. They ran in the direction of the noise.

Rogue spotted them first. They were disheveled and clad in sooty clothing, but Rogue ran right up to them. "Remy!" she exclaimed.

Gambit picked her up and whirled her around. "I knew you'd come, chere!"

"This is no time for that stuff!" Wolverine barked. Rogue wasn't listening, beyond thrilled to be in Remy's arms again. Too awed to speak, she simply stepped back and used her strength to snap off Gambit's collar. She did the same for Wolverine, Iceman, and Banshee.

At this point, the fourteen X-men comprised an unstoppable army. Nothing the remaining brave soldiers could toss at them would defeat them. A half dozen new guards rounded a bend and approached the X-men, but before they could fire a weapon, they were incapacitated by Banshee's wailing.

The only problem the X-men faced was in getting back up to the surface. It required a couple of trips, but they made it. Nightcrawler had his hands full fending off the Cetian vessels but Psyclocke "told" him telepathically when they were able to be transported up. Pressing a few buttons, the German beamed his friends back aboard the Valiant.

Wielding her tricorder, Panda pushed Gambit back onto his infirmary bed. "Hold still! And Rogue, would you please step away from Gambit for just a few seconds so I can take a reading on him??"

"Gambit's fine, Panda," Gambit said, sitting up. Rogue remained glued to him, her arms wrapped around his torso. "Got me all the care I need," he said, tilting his head towards his beloved. Rogue ran her gloved fingers through his hair, touching his face. She looked at him with total love in her eyes. Gambit lazily reclined into her arms.

Panda threw up her hands in exasperation, looking across sick bay at Hank. They exchanged a look. Wolverine and Banshee had similarly brushed off any attempt at a simple medical scan. Banshee was with Moira somewhere now.

Beast returned his attentions to Bobby, his one cooperative patient. Bobby obediently lay back on one of the infirmary beds and allowed himself to be scanned. Northstar sat in a chair next to Bobby's bed. "Other than the fact that your diet has not been the healthiest and you need to consume more fruits and vegetables and vitamin D, you are in fine health," Hank said, reading the results from the tricorder. Hank then looked tenderly at his best friend. "But how do you feel?"

"I'm tired. And I think I'm starved for some sunlight. But I'm okay," Bobby said. "I survived it."

Beast set his tricorder down and moved from his role as Dr McCoy to his role as Hank. He hugged his friend. "I missed you dearly. I was worried sick day in and day out."

"I missed you too. But I always knew you'd rescue us. Er----well, Gambit kept saying so. He made us believe it."

Hank felt Bobby somewhat limply returning the embrace. Northstar noticed it too. "You **are** tired, mon ami. Why don't you get some sleep now?" Jean-Paul asked.

"You are free to leave sick bay," Hank said. "If you need anything, please call me at any time."

"I think sleep **would** be a good idea," Bobby said, twisting his body and setting his feet on the floor. Northstar used his one arm to help steady him and escort him to his room.

"Can we go now, Hank?" Gambit called, from a few beds down.

'Yeah!" Rogue said. "Remy and I have some….catching up to do." She and Gambit exchanged a devilish smile, their eyes lighting up.

"You are free to leave sick bay as well. As you know, if you feel unwell, use your communicator to reach me," the doctor replied. "Do not worry about waking me."

"Gambit appreciates the offer but I t'ink maybe Rogue and I not going to talk to anyone else for a while tonight." Gambit then scrambled to his feet and, quick as a wink, swooped Rogue into his arms. "C'mon, chere. Gambit miss your lovin.'"

"I'll show you some lovin', sugar!" Rogue vowed. "We got lost time to make up for!"

"Gambit's up for the challenge."

As they exited the room, Panda looked at Hank and said, "Well, it looks like Gambit isn't suffering from any fatigue right now." The couple shared a laugh. Hank then returned to his reports. Panda watched him as he worked away at the computer, wondering if she should make a remark about following in the other couple's lead….but the moment passed and she lost her nerve. `Someday soon,' she told herself, understanding finally that it would in all likelihood be up to her to make the first move.

Although he'd been transported directly to sick bay, Logan immediately left the infirmary over Beast's protestations. Cyclops chased after him and tried to order him into letting Beast examine him "We just want to make sure that you're truly alright," Scott said, following Wolverine down the hall as the Canadian headed for the gym. "A simple tricorder scan will take two minutes!"

"Told ya, Cyke. I feel fine."

"Okay, but----"

"Hey, Cyke," Wolverine said, stopping and turning to face him. "I wanna thank you. For coming on this mission to rescue me and the others. I know you'd rather be on An'zhina with Jean. I admire what you did."

Scott was so floored that he stood there with his mouth open and gave up his attempts at cajoling Wolverine back into sick bay. "Thanks," he finally said.

Jubilee and Angel soon joined Wolverine in the gym, and an energetic game of basketball had ensued, with little Rory watching on the sidelines. An exhausted Jubilee and Angel left after the game. Wolverine shared a long hug with Jubilee. As she left his embrace, Jubilee knew he had been right to turn down her offer. Wolverine then remained in the gym, wanting an even more intense workout.

About an hour or two later, Storm found Wolverine working out in the Danger Room. Storm was not surprised to see him in the Danger Room, his face flushed, body clearly energized at being able to move and fight in the way he liked, able to use his claws again. Storm continued to silently observe him, quietly padding towards the sidelines of the gym. She watched her lover. His time spent as a prisoner had not dampened his reflexes at all. She mused that, although he did not look at her, he must know she was now in the room----his hyper-senses would give him that much. She had no wish to disturb him and wanted him to be able to finish his workout in peace.

Standing there on the sidelines, Storm's emotional state was taken back to the day on the Paradise planet when she had first asked Logan to become her lover. She had felt such fear and nervousness that her invitation would be soundly rejected. `Things turned out well then,' Ororo told herself. `Perhaps again today they will too. Perhaps there is no reason for me to again feel such nervousness.'

Wolverine completed his training session, sweat trickling down his face. As always, he had easily defeated his simulated enemies. He radiated pride. Wolverine strode towards the locker room, which meant he would have to pass Storm.

"Logan," Storm said, stepping towards him.

Wolverine returned her smile. "Good to see you again, darlin.' Thanks for the rescue."

"My pleasure," Storm said, stumbling over the awkward words. "We were all greatly worried over you and the others. And we are so amazed and delighted that Banshee is alive. I have never seen Moira looking so shocked or so happy." Storm realized she was perhaps beginning to ramble, something she rarely did. She tried to focus her words. "I, especially, am glad that you are safe." Her voice took on a more intense tone, "I-I missed you, Logan."

Storm looked at Wolverine's face and felt her heart drop. She observed the look in his eyes and it was more what she **did not** see than what she did. "I missed you too," he said, but said it the way he might say it to Rogue or to Hank. "Can't wait to get back to An'zhina. I hope Jean and the others are alright."

Storm forced a smile and nodded. There was all the information she needed. She was glad that she had not said any more. "Yes, I do too. I'm sure Jean misses Scott very much."

Wolverine turned his glance towards the locker room. "I'll catch you later, darlin.' If you want me tonight, just stop by my room."

"I may very well take you up on your offer," she replied, though with less enthusiasm than usual. Storm then turned her head and watched him head off to the locker room.

For the first time in months now, Charles Xavier's breakfast was not spent eating one on one with Moira. Instead, he ate in the mess hall with everyone else. It was hard to say which hurt worse----the absence of his morning ritual with Moira or the fact that he knew she did not miss it. All she could think about was Sean and the fact that they were united again.

During lunch, Charles kept quiet as he observed Moira and Sean eating together.

Getting ready for bed that evening, he sighed to himself. `Perhaps this sort of love has never been in the works for me. How foolish it was of me to hope for it.' He nodded though there was no one in his room to see the gesture. `Much better that I turn my attentions to mutantkind. We desperately need to free more of them. We need a long term strategy to change public opinion and defeat Friends of Humanity, so that one day mutants and humans can live together in peace on earth.'

As the X-men's ships passed by earth on the way back to Endaria, the Professor took the time to probe the mind of General Thompson, the FOH official who had been brought on board earlier. He learned that FOH had recently been in the receipt of a disconcerting----well, disconcerting to the FOH----memo from the Cetarians.

Parts of the communication from the Cetarians translated into such sentences, "Effective immediately, the inhabitants of Ceti III are terminating all relationships and negotiations with the earth organization The Friends of Humanity…..The `X-men' you sold to us brought nothing but disruption…..Over 200 slaves escaped that day….." The Friends of Humanity and the Cetians had negotiating for the sale of mutant women as sex slaves, but those plans were now halted too.

Thompson flew into a rage when he received that memo. One of his subordinates calmed him down by reminding him that the Friends of Humanity was still an immensely powerful organization on earth. "Maybe we were wrong to try to expand into space," the FOH member said to Thompson. "We still control earth. We still have 9 Mutant Containment Centers operating, 3 more in the works, a budget of billions, most of the people of earth supporting us, and no X-men on earth to oppose us…"

"You're right," Thompson said. "And we beat back the X-men last time they came to earth. We'll beat them next time they show their evil faces here too."

Chapter 20

Epilogue