Author's note: School's starting in a few days. Pish. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed your holidays! Mine was nifty. Anyway, here it is, endgame! This is the second to the last chapter of my politically pompous, leftist platform!
Chapter 9: "Freedom"
"Are those guys for real?"
"What the hell is going on? Why are all those people out there?"
"Where are the teachers? They'll know what to do…"
"No way am I getting frisked by some fascist fucks!"
"There's so many of them!"
"Who do these freaks think they are?"
"Everyone's thinking too loud…" complained Mindee, while gripping her temples in an attempt to soothe the pain dealt by the student body's confusion. Though oddly enough, it seemed that out of the three, it was only she who managed to gain access into the multitude of minds in the institute.
"Those soldiers…their minds are empty…there's nothing where thoughts and consciousness should be…" Celeste mused, as she attempted to scan each one for any sign of weakness.
"Don't try to get into their motor functions. They may be booby-trapped." added Mindee.
"That woman…Lilah Graham. Her thoughts are shielded from tampering, but I can see her intentions like a big, neon sign. I think she's very self-righteous." commented Phoebe.
"She wants us to see her thoughts. She knows we're looking in." Celeste responded.
"…She knows we'll agree." whispered Mindee, her voice defeated and her shoulders slumped.
"No, you won't." interrupted a young man's voice. Mark stood silently in the med bay a few rooms away. Beside him was another student by the name of Joshua Foley, an omega-healer with blonde hair, and distinctly gold skin. It was the both of them who carried the still unconscious Chris, thanks to his recent attempt at hanging himself, to where he was now.
"Mark?" Mindee looked up. She usually separated herself from the mind-link that she shared with her sisters whenever she and her boyfriend had a telepathic conversation. But this time was different.
"You gave him the keys to our head?" Phoebe and Celeste both yelled, though their third sister didn't bother to respond.
"Hey ladies." the young man greeted.
"Three voices in my head are enough, thank you very much." Celeste said with a sneer.
"We can't risk entering a situation where we could get the other students hurt, Mark." Mindee immediately explained. "Lives are at stake here. We are in no position to- -"
"I overheard from your thoughts…about what the woman wants. Do you agree with her?"
"…No. Even though it sounds so…right."
"And how do you think the rest of us feel?"
"I don't know. But we can't make the decision for everyone."
"I'm not asking you to. Because doing so means we're no better than people like the woman outside. But what if you ask the rest of the kids about what they actually want? I mean…no one has…"
"…well, there's a first time for everything…"
Military Installation/ 17:00
"The school…?" Scott lowered his hand from his visor, as the horrific realization of his folly hit him like a two-by-four to the head. It was an opening that Nolan took no time wasting to expose. With the speed of motion blurring his body, he made a quick dash towards Scott, slamming his palm against the mutant leader's chest with stunning ferocity. The sound of bones cracking could be heard even without the help of enhanced senses. Scott landed on the back of his head after sailing across the air in twelve feet's worth of distance, further adding damage to his system.
"Scott!" Emma quickly got rid of the man blocking her way, only to be grabbed from behind by another. Two more flanked her from both sides, grabbing her arms. "Get off me you imbecilic cows!" the woman yelled, as she was dragged down to the floor by the men, aided by three more who now hammered their fists against her diamond skin. It may not hurt her, but it was still enough to prevent her from aiding Scott, who was now down on all fours and gasping heavily for breath.
"You know Mr. Summers…" Nolan started, taking the time to rip off the last remaining shreds of what was once his suit. "…you could have avoided all of this. You and your slut girlfriend simply needed to realize the gift you have in your basement. Mind control. Mind control on a global scale! You could have changed the world! Avoided all of this! You could short circuit the brains of dictators! You could end any threat to freedom! But no… " the agent quickly stepped forward, and kicked Scott in the side, sending the mutant crashing through a glass cylinder. "No! You chose to allow humanity to keep crapping in its pants, so much, so much that the stench is fucking unbearable! Why? Why let people die? Why not stop the problem before it even begins?"
"Because…" interrupted a hoarse, female voice from behind. Nolan turned to find Kitty, holding onto the fallen Cooper's remote weapon. "…we aren't gods…" she declared, firing a concussive blast right into Nolan's face. The blow sent the agent flying, landing a short distance away. "…and I never understood it until now."
"Cute…" Nolan muttered in a guttural tone as he got up, using the back of his palm to swipe the blood away from his eyes.
"Tell me about it." The young woman retorted, doing a quick one-eighty in order to blast an enemy that was ready to grab her from behind. She didn't know how much more energy her new toy could generate, but she knew that she won't let go of it unless it's completely useless to her. Perhaps Nolan read her mind. The very second that the Shadowcat turned to face the agent again, his face was already an inch away from hers. Kitty instinctively raised her weapon to fire, but was stopped as the agent grabbed the hand that she was holding it with.
"That ain't yours girlie'." Nolan sneered, raising her hand and crushing it, along with the weapon that she held onto. Her shrill cry was deafening. With a smirk on his face, Nolan let the mangled hand go, not even flinching at the sight of the torn skin and the metal that was now entangled with it. Kitty clenched her eyes tight, doing her best to ignore the searing pain from her mangled hand. She rendered herself intangible, trying feverishly to shake the solid shards of plastic and metal that were dug into her palm. Nolan stood over the agonized young woman, chuckling at the sight of her anguish. "That's gotta' hurt." The agent commented, turning around to resume his torture of the X-Men's leader, who was still recovering from being thrown against steel and glass.
"Now, where were we?" Nolan asked, cracking his knuckles loud just to get the Cyclops' blood rushing. The wounded mutant was already on his knees, using a torn off piece of metal to support his weight.
"…if I recall correctly, you were going to have a talk with Kitty's boyfriend…" the X-Man groggily responded. Nolan tilted his head, foolish enough to think that the Colossus was out of the game. A loud crack proved him wrong, as he felt an organic steel fist square in his back. The pain of the blow was so intense; it ended up muffling the agent's cry due to shock. The Colossus did not relent, as he raised another fist, and slammed it down on the agent, who was still down on his stomach. It landed on the back of Nolan's head with another loud crack. One could swear that it was the sound of his skull getting split open.
It gave Scott enough time to turn to his right and fire a wide-arc that blasted the five men off of Emma, which in turn gave her an opportunity to snap herself back up to her feet. "Anesthesia!" Scott then ordered, prompting Emma to telepathically remove the crippling pain that Kitty felt. "Done." immediately declared the diamond woman. "Good." Scott responded, turning his attention to Logan, who was now being helped by a recovered Beast to dispatch the remaining men who attempted to take the Canadian down. All the while Peter was still ruthlessly hammering his fists on the agent's broken body, each one seemingly more powerful than the last.
"Peter, that's enough!" Kitty yelled the moment she got her bearings. The man did not relent. There was an anger in his eyes that Kitty wished she did not see. "Peter, please!" she repeated, her plea much shriller than before. "No more killing!"
"…" Peter raised his arm over his head, ready to once more strike at the bloody mess at his feet. "He hurt you." he then muttered, his voice still seething with rage.
"But I'm fine now." Kitty responded, hiding her broken hand in the grip of her other.
"He isn't even human." Peter then remarked.
"Neither are we."
"…he's a monster."
"He's fighting for what he believes in. Just as much as we do."
"…"
"I sounded just like him, didn't I?"
"…We're done here." Emma interrupted, before Peter could give her an answer. "We need to get back to the institute. Now." But just as the White Queen finished her statement, a loud gunshot rung out. "…" Emma looked down, and found blood slowly began to puddle on the side of her stomach. The rest of the team looked on in shock, as Emma crumpled to the ground.
"Emma! No!" Scott sprinted to the aid of his lover, while the rest of the team focused their attention to the man responsible for putting a bullet through her. Agent Cooper rested himself against the far wall, a faint trickle of blood running down his twisted lips.
"You're never going to leave…" he hissed, revolver still in hand, before blindly unloading the entire barrel on them, and then scrambling off into the shadows. Logan didn't waste time in pursuing him. And neither did Henry. Kitty on the other hand, immediately knelt beside the unconscious Miss Frost. "Lay her down, Scott…" the young woman instructed, to which the he immediately complied. Without Emma's telepathy subduing her pain, the fire in her hand began to worsen. But that wasn't the point. All personal feelings aside, Kitty knew that she was in a team. And that helping others isn't as difficult as most people make it out to be. With a deep breath, Kitty turned herself intangible, reaching into the side of Emma's abdomen with her hand.
"Sorry for being such a butt-head." The young woman whispered, carefully fishing out the bullet from inside Emma. It was so small. Nonetheless, it wasn't enough to put Emma out of danger. And neither was it enough to wash the tension from Scott's face.
"…" Scott tore off the sleeve of his shirt, and pressed it against the entry wound on Emma's back. "Apply pressure." He then said, to which Kitty didn't think twice to obey, as Scott quickly got up to his feet and followed the two other men in pursuing the fleeing agent. But before he could gain any distance, a loud siren began to blare throughout the entire facility.
"That doesn't sound good…" Scott muttered to himself, as he found a nearby set of steel stairs, and immediately ascended to the second floor, where he last saw Henry and Logan headed.
"Scottie!" then rang out the Canadian's gruff voice. But before Scott could reach the direction where his voice came from, an automated one began to ring out. It was the voice of a woman. Announcing that they had three minutes to vacate the installation. Before it self-destructs.
"We gotta' go!" Logan then shouted, running out of one of the rooms. There was red blood stained on his claws. Human's. Scott didn't have to ask to know that the agent was taken care of.
"We weren't able to stop him fast enough. So as you can see…" Henry glanced up, referring to the automated voice that was announcing the installation's imminent destruction.
"Damn. I'm beginning to feel like I'm in that videogame…Logan, get the others. Hank, how big is this explosion going to be?"
"…it's something we can't outrun."
"Okay, then. Up on the roof."
"I doubt they'd leave their chopper behind…"
"It's not the chopper."
Cerebra/17:25
"So it's settled." declared the Stepford Cuckoos in unison. With the help of Cerebra, the three girls managed to consult with every member of the student body, all two-hundred plus, and finally reached a course of action. "That was quick." Mark commented, as he stood by the double-doors of the round chamber.
"..." Mindee gave her boyfriend a glance of hesitation, prompting the young man to nod at her in reassurance. He trusted her. And she knew it. And for some people, it was enough.
"Al right. Everyone!"
Women's Dormitories/-at the same time-
"This is the Three-in-One. After deliberating with each of you…we have come to a decision." the female students all glanced at each other nervously; a little uncomfortable that the hive mind would speak so clearly inside their heads. Beckah and Sooraya silently stood by each other's side. The latter's roommate, Noriko Ashida, stood silently against the doorway's frame. She was banging her metal gloves against each other in anticipation. Just outside were Sofia Mantega and Laurie Collins, known better as Wind Dancer and Wallflower respectively. "As you know, there's a small army parked in front of the institute. We've told you what they want, and you've told us how you want to deal with it."
MedicalBay/-at the same time-
"And it's been more or less unanimous." Elixir helped Chris sit up, speaking words of encouragement to the young man who had just tried to kill himself, while at the same time keeping his attention with the Three-in-One's telepathic announcement. "What they want is a breach of what we hold dearest to us. Our freedom. No matter how benevolent their intentions may be, we cannot allow them to succeed. We will be defending the institute. With our very lives if necessary."
Cafeteria/-at the same time-
"Everyone will proceed to the sub-complex immediately. That means snack time is over, Hellions." Julian raised an eyebrow, taking another big bite from a burger. Santo Vaccarro, a large young man made entirely of granite, sat beside Julian, grinning at the prospect of a fight. "We know that there are those of you who would rather not fight…" Kevin Ford bowed his head, and looked at his gloved hands. Cessily Kincaid, a young redhead by the composition, and name, of Mercury, watched him with sad eyes. "…that's why the Danger Room will be open to accommodate you, along with those of us who are far too inexperienced to be in the field. The rest of us however…"
Cerebra/17:28
"…the rest of us show these G.I. Joe rejects what two-hours of daily self-defense classes and advanced combat training means. The rest of us show them that perfection is earned…not engineered. That their vision of tranquility has too great a price to be allowed. Say your prayers people…this might be the last night we'll share."
"…" Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "…any word from the X-Men?"
"…Prodigy and Aero should be there to pick them up." Answered Celeste. "With the Shi'ar technology of the Blackbird, it will only take them a few hours for the return flight."
"We'll last." Mark quickly reassured her.
"I hope so. Now someone get me Plastique and a teleporter. We have work to do."
Blackbird/-at the same time-
"Get some disinfectant and find me some staples! Quick!" ordered Henry, who still literally had his paws full with trying to stop Emma from bleeding further. Aero and Prodigy, Cannonball's younger sister and an African American with psychometric talents respectively, scurried to do as she said. Peter sat opposite the bunker that Emma occupied, now back in his human form in order for his wounds to heal quicker. Kitty leaned by the doorway, staring at her bandaged hand. Behind her was the cockpit, where Scott was at the wheel, and Logan, who had three bullets stuck in his neck, silently rode shotgun.
"How long before we get there?" asked Logan in a raspy voice, as he pulled out another bullet from the hole in his neck. There was an intensity in his eyes; intensity that didn't come from the pain in his system, but from the knowledge that their adversaries had just crossed a line.
"Three hours at top speed." Scott replied, keeping his eye on the air, as it was.
"…and how long before we reach top speed?" Logan further inquired.
"Systems are still charging." Kitty chided, as she took a seat behind her Canadian teammate. "Ten more minutes."
"That's great." muttered Logan, before pointing at the radar on his console. "Think they'll give us ten more minutes?"
"Are those…?" Kitty turned to their teammates who were still in the sick bay. "…buckle up guys!" she shouted, while Scott increased engine thrust. Three F-22 Raptors were hot on their trail.
Xavier Institute/17:30
Lilah took one last glance at her watch, while small droplets of water slid silently across the glass. Thirty minutes. The wind howled from behind her, as if some dark force was intent on pushing her to her goal, while the soft drizzle that showered from the pitch black sky began to turn into a violent rain. Time was up, and there were no students in sight. "…hand me the megaphone." She then instructed, half-turning and reaching her hand for something behind. But before anyone could comply, the sudden appearance of psionic energy managed to return her attention to the institute's closed doors. The space in the middle seemed to slowly distort, then quickly began shifting impossibly until the figure of three young women appeared.
"Weapon IX. It's a pleasure." Lilah telepathically greeted, hoping that the three brought with them good news.
"Miss Graham. We have discussed your proposition with the rest of the student body…and have come to a decision." The three-in-one's eyes suddenly began to light up with energy. "We decline."
"…that is not a wise- -"
"We know. We know that what you want to accomplish seems shiny and new, but when it all comes down to it, you're only succeeding in showing the world how much of a bully you people are."
"I'm very sorry that you feel that way."
"Don't be. And please be reminded that the institute is covered in security measures. It would be foolish to send your men in."
"…it really didn't have to be this way." Lilah shook her head, and then snapped her fingers. The girls watched on as two men from inside one of the transport trucks carried a large, circular machine, and put it on the ground. "Last chance girls." Lilah offered, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a silver Luger just to show them that she wasn't kidding.
"…Bring it." Challenged the Three-in-One, disappearing into the air. Lilah turned to her men, and raised her hand. With a nod, the men opened a panel on top of the machine, and entered the command on a keyboard found within.
"God forgive me. But this is for the greater good." Lilah whispered to herself, just as the machine began to glow with light blue energy. It was an EMP. And in a fraction of a second, it sent a shockwave that disabled every electrical device within the institute, rendering every defense measure completely useless. It was powerful enough to reach the sub-complex, turning all the power off in an instant. Lilah could feel the students begin to panic.
Blackbird/-at the same time-
"Open a line." Scott instructed, as he shifted his gaze from between the radar and the path ahead. Logan flipped a panel open, and adjusted a few small knobs.
"Anything?" Kitty asked while peering over Logan's shoulder. A loud static came to respond.
"Looks like they aren't up for tea and cookies…" Logan mumbled as Kitty slunk back to her seat.
"Emma's still out, so there goes getting into their heads…" Henry chided from inside the sick bay. "Maybe we can use the fo- -" a loud beeping sound cut Henry off. It was the alarm. Scott cursed under his breath as he watched blinking, yellow dots appear on their radar screen.
"Mr. Summers? Are we going to die?" Aero asked nervously, clutching on to the bars on both sides of her seat.
"Of course not." Scott quickly responded. "Just hold on tight."
Xavier Institute/17:35
"…open those gates." Lilah then instructed, prompting a pair of soldiers to take out a black, battering ram from the back of the transport truck. They did not waste any time putting it to good use. "The world will be made whole again, children." Lilah muttered, to no one in particular, as she watched the men kept on forcing the gate open. Five military jeeps sped into the grounds, stopping just a few feet inside and positioning themselves around the broken gates, a makeshift barricade of sorts, in order to protect Lilah. "Yours will be the last sacrifice this sick planet need endure." The loud crack of metal against metal filled the air one last time, as the locks of the institute fell. Lilah turned one last time, gazing at the stone faces of her undead army. She closed her eyes, and raised her hand high over her head.
"This is where the soul ends." She whispered, as she gave her troops the signal to attack. And they did. A rumble of footsteps echoed along the weeping sky, as a sea of armed men stormed through the front lawn. Another crack of lightning. Canisters of tear gas were shot through the numerous glass windows. And the closed doors of the main building are broken down.
"We're in." one of the dead men reported into an earpiece, as he and the rest of his squad began to sweep the main lobby, while the rest moved in after them. "Clear." He announced, while a group of men went ahead to the second floor. Empty as well. The rest of the squads began to go separate ways, heading towards the dormitories with murderous intent. And as they searched the halls looking for moving targets, none of them noticed the small bulges that blended perfectly to the walls, scattered in areas where the foundation of the school was rested upon. They were small, barely noticeable. And with the dead men's attention on finding the children, they did not notice the bulges slowly grow. Slowly. Silently.
One of the dead men stopped and found his eyes drawn to the growing patch on the wall. He raised his hand, signaling for the rest of his squad to stop, as he curiously drew closer to it. Back outside, Lilah's eyes widened in horror, realizing that the students weren't as defenseless as she originally thought. "Get them out of there, now!" she yelled, only a little too late, as the dead man reached out, and touched the growing patch that clung to the wall. Another bolt of thunder streaked across the dark sky, a fraction of a second before the entire institute exploded in a shower of white light, splinter and ash. The shockwave it sent out forced Lilah off her feet, which was far better than how the soldiers who wandered inside the mansion itself fared. Now, only rubble stood of the main building, while grey smoke from the pulverized concrete drifted into thick smoke that filled the air.
Over the Pacific/-at the same time-
The Blackbird swerved forcefully to the left, avoiding the first two missiles, which promptly turned as well just seconds after. "Come on…" Scott whispered through gritted teeth, as he pulled the throttles in order for the Blackbird to make a quick descent. It didn't take long for the X-jet's belly to be just a few feet's distance from touching the ocean's roaring surface. "Incoming!" Logan shouted, as two more missiles from above were already closing in on their rear, while the first two that they managed to dodge earlier on were bringing up their right.
"Hang on, people!" Scott yelled, showing an icy calm that easily reminded the rest of the team why he was appointed leader. "Logan, maximum thrust, now!" he then ordered, pulling the aircraft upward. Logan hurriedly flipped a small switch by his console, which caused the turbines to fire at full strength. It left the missiles coming from the right and from behind to cross lines. "Just one…" Scott pleaded to some higher force. The first two managed to miss each other by barely an inch, while the second two however, struck each other hard. Its resultant explosion managed to engulf the first two which missed each other, forcing them to explode was well, causing a shockwave so strong, it created a wall of water that spiked to the air.
"We're not out of the blue yet…" muttered Logan, just as the last, fully-armed Raptor flew through the falling water, still in hot pursuit.
Xavier Institute/17:40
Lilah glared at the ruins in front of her, never in her life imagining what lengths mere children would go to in order to fight for what they believe in. "…is everyone alright?" she asked, even though she knew that pain was not an issue for her army of undead soldiers. Simon, her chauffeur, protectively took a step in front of her. The battle was just beginning.
"We warned you." boomed the voice of the Three-in-One.
"For the sake of billions." Lilah responded with an exasperated tone. "You will not stop us."
"That remains to be seen." the Three-in-One retorted, their voice disappearing with the howling wind and deafening thunder.
"Regroup! Regroup!" Lilah immediately yelled, as the rest of her small army reorganized themselves, taking the time to pick up the ones wounded from being blown into the lawn by the blast.
"Defensive formation, now!" she then instructed, as the soldiers began to line up in rows, pointing their automatic rifles at the debris in front of them.
"Shoot anything that moves!" she further decreed, while her chauffeur helped her back to her feet. Lightning streaked across the clouds. And Lilah felt her heart stop as she saw the shadows emerge from the smoke and ash. Figures of every shape and size, of hulking men composed of rock, and young women who walked on wind and danced on fire. Of young men and women who grew up in a world of violence, and knew nothing else but to resort to it in order to defend themselves. They were not children. Not anymore. Not in a world like this. Without so much a word or a battle cry, the students of the Xavier Institute charged forward. Forward for what they believed in the most. The single most important illusion that the human mind has ever conjured. Freedom. The right to choose. The right to love. The right to believe. The right to die in the way that will ensure you will forever live on. Children. They were children. And fifty heavily armed men stood in the way of their future.
Over the Pacific/-at the same time-
The last Raptor sped on, keeping his sights on the Blackbird, and locking it in his crosshairs. Taking the chance, the pilot opened the cover on the throttle and pressed the red button on top, launching both missiles at the target. "We've got blinkies." Logan noted, watching the yellow dots appear on radar once more.
"How long before we go on full power?" posed Scott, glancing over at the console in front of Logan.
"Not nearly long enough." answered the Canadian, as the missiles grew closer.
"Kitty, you strong enough?" asked Scott, half-turning as he addressed his team's youngest member. Kitty gave him a thumb up. "Just hold on to something…" she whispered, as she began to focus the remainder of her energy. The missiles drew closer. Aero and Prodigy had their eyes closed as they waited, while Henry held onto Emma's hand, while keeping another on a bar by his side. "Incoming…" Scott whispered, as he watched the radar. "Three…"
Xavier Institute/17:42
"Fire!" Lilah shrieked, pointing at the incoming storm with the barrel of her gun. And in no time, the sound of pounding rain was swept aside by the loud crackle of gunfire. The men on the military jeeps did the same, as they stood on the back of their vehicles with mounted M-60 fully automatics. Rocket propelled grenades zipped past Lilah from behind, coursing their way to the center of the small battlefield. A small smile crept onto Simon's face, as his eyes glimmered at the prospect of a good fight.
"…two…"
Danger Room/-at the same time-
The huddled students looked up while the distant echo of mortar and bullets rattled at them like haunted whispers. Sooraya held a hand over her heart, and with lonely eyes, said a little prayer for their friends above. A young couple holding onto each other with trembling hands was almost in tears. Beckah bit her lip and shook her head.
"…one."
Xavier Institute/-at the same time-
One of the rockets began to steer wildly off course, spinning into the sky and exploding harmlessly above ground level, thanks to the telekinetic manipulation of the Hellion who led the students' charge. The other one in the meantime, disappeared without a trace, thanks to the efforts of a nimble teleporter in their fold. Hisako and Rockslide, as well as the other students with means of invulnerability made up the front line of their attack, acting as moving shields in order to take the brunt of the soldiers' barrage. At the same time, energy wielders returned fire, with a volley of blasts and charges of every color and constitution.
Blackbird/17:43
"Kitty, now!" Scott shouted. Kitty nodded her head, and took a deep breath. "Everyone, hold onto the plane!" she yelled, as she focused all of her energies in order to stretch her intangibility onto their aircraft. If it were not for the X-Men's endeavors earlier on, the young woman wouldn't have had a problem with the task. But three fractured ribs and a nearly torn off hand made it much more difficult for her to concentrate. And it showed. A massive fire erupted from the rear of the plane, consuming everyone and everything on board. Kitty screamed...
Chapter 9, end
To be concluded...
Author's note: Well, I hope that one got you interested in this little story's last reel! Who will live? Who will die? Stay tuned true believers, because the end is near!