Disclaimer: The X-Men are the property of Marvel. Golan and Cirrus belong exclusively to Star and are used with permission. Corrinth retains all rights to Ilehana Xavier and Ori. Lamby retains all rights to Blaze.

A/N: This story is a joint work between Lamby and Corrinth, based on Corrinth's X-Men the Movie fanfiction of the same name. Reviews always welcome.

08

Xavier could feel himself floating. Pain and distress couldn't touch him here, the poison that ran like floodwater through the veins of his body tied to that existence, could not cross over into the corporeal being that now was Charles Xavier. He could see himself, sat upright but head lolled forwards in the seat of a large helicopter not unlike the Velocity. The safety harness looked to be choking him, but Xavier couldn't find it in him to care about his own empty shell.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Pietro's voice, hazy as though heard through a bad telephone connection, asked in earnest. Avalanche elbowed Quicksilver sharply, hissing that he should shut up or Mystique would probably shut him up. Some part of Xavier cared about that, about what was going on here. His formless eyes scanned the helicopter's inhabitants curiously, but unafraid. Apart from the two Brotherhood boys, Wanda was predictably by her brother's side. Pyro was flying the vehicle, assisted by a strange woman, the sight of who sent shivers like insects walking over Xavier's soul. Somehow he knew that this was the mutant who had poisoned him.

Mystique was sat behind pilot and co-pilot, pouring over a computer laptop and systematically ignoring everyone else. Colossus was staring out of a window, face impassive as if he did not really see anything that flew by below them. Suddenly Xavier was aware of someone moving near his empty shell, of cold water sloshing against his unmoving lips and of himself fighting to breathe. He did not truly wake up, but no longer was he on the edge of leaving his body abandoned and cold.

"Ha." Mystique's cold voice cackled like some fairytale witch. "And I thought we'd cured you of your pathetic attachment to the X-Men, Gambit. Looks like I was wrong."

"You want him dead before we get anywhere?" Gambit spat back, standing sharply and pulling the bottle of water away from Xavier.

"Oh what a mind job that pretty little redhead has done on you." Mystique didn't answer Gambit's question, preferring to mock him to keep him in his place. She was rewarded by the dark look that crossed Gambit's face. So, he was still fool enough to believe both Rogue and Blaze had rejected him without help? He was more stupid than he looked. "Did you really believe the X-men could find a place for a thief to join them?"

"Why not?" Gambit parried her insult well, realising that Mystique didn't know what she was talking about. "They done it before." He was repaid by Mystique turning away from him in disgust, refusing to admit that she might not know everything. Her impatient wrath was thrown instead on Colossus.

"What are you looking so vacant about? Don't tell me a big strong mutant like you gets airsick?"

"You don't hear them?" The Russian goliath asked curiously, making Mystique and Gambit both look at him oddly. "The voices in the wind?"

"I am surrounded by madmen and children!" Was Mystique's response as she stormed forwards to join Pyro and Cirrus. "Have we reached the coordinates yet?"

"Just about." Pyro informed her.

"Then take her down. Its time we ended this."

Xavier found himself flinching back from the vehemence of her voice, his only comfort the strange voices that echoed around him, whispering, "Witness..."

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Ilehana left Beast in charge upstairs, to be assisted by Rogue and Nightcrawler as much as they could. Ilehana knew how badly the three felt about being left out of the picture, but they were superfluous to her plans, and she was driven now by the powers she had been adopting throughout her travels. Down on the lower levels, the others were preparing for yet another briefing, one that would change their lives forever.

"The Guardian of Thought, the one whose mind could move the world. The Guardian of Energy, whose eyes have the power to cleanse the world of evil. The Guardian of Metal, whose life was once forgotten. The Guardian of Water, who longs to prove his worth. The Guardian of Air, who was once a Goddess. The Guardian of Fire, whose desire to find her place burns within her. The Guardian of Earth, whose greatest strength hides within, and the Chosen One whose power grows day by day..." Ilehana addressed Jean, Scott, Logan, Bobby, Storm, Blaze and Golan in turn. "All shall come together when the time is right to join the Key who shall release the power of the Guardians, who shall not know his place until the final moment, at the Temple of the Guardians, where the Witnesses wait to greet them."

For a moment, there was a blissful silence. Each, in turn, was taking in what Ilehana had told them. How could a legend, or legends, know and predict so much about them? Logan had a horrible feeling that something was still going unsaid, something to do with Ilehana's role in all this...

#What are you thinking? #

#You know what I'm thinkin', babe. This is nuts. # He answered after a moment, gazing round the table. #I ain't no super-hero, born to protect the world. And there's somethin' you ain't tellin' me. #

#All in good time, darlin'. # She offered in her best American drawl, drawing a smile from him and successfully putting him at ease. #All in good time. #

She went on to show them a map on the laptop that showed the Chamdo Region of China, a red dot on the map showed the position of the Temple, in the middle of nowhere, roughly fifty miles north-north-east of the town of Batang.

"The area is dense jungle. We'll be able to fly the X-Jet as far as here, and from there we'll have to walk."

"What about Ori? How does he feel about the jet?" Jean asked, surprising both herself and Ilehana.

"He'll be fine with me. He's used to it." Ilehana answered. Was it the prospect of power that had mollified Jean's attitude? Ilehana didn't think so. She sensed from her fellow telepath a certain reserve, one that was almost admiration for the Vixen.

"Who is the Key?" Questioned Scott quietly, though he suspected that he already knew the answer.

"Gambit." Was the simple reply. "Likely as not Mystique's already got him on side. He'll meet us there like he's supposed to."

"That's what I don't get." Logan butted in. Since everyone else was askin' questions, he might as well too. "You've got these little quotes that fit neatly to each of us. Surely Mystique's mutants can't fit so well."

"Doesn't that tell you something?" Ilehana smiled indulgently. She let him think for a moment before continuing. "I suspect she's missed out on a whole load of information. Either that or she's discarded them, there was a lot of junk in what I came across."

"And when we return?" Bobby, who had been very quiet, asked.

"Nothing changes. You may be Guardians, but you will always be X-Men."

Logan frowned. Surely the last part of that sentence should have been "we will always be X-Men"? However, it seemed to put everyone else at ease, himself included. He didn't want no fuss when he got back, he just wanted things to get back to normal, with Ilehana at his side...