Seven reviewers! A fantastic turn out so thank you very much for doing so! Without further ado, here is the next chapter!

- CHAPTER TWO -

What Was Left Behind

The sounds of zips squeaked quietly through the changing area as the four X-Men dressed in their uniforms. Wolverine and Storm had already departed from the room and had left the siblings alone. Gambit pressed his staff into his belt as he watched Siren pull on her gloves. She was stood with her back to him and continued to close the fastenings at her wrist. Gambit secured his staff before he let his brown trench coat fall closed over his hips.

Then, suddenly, Siren spoke, "You've been staring at me for the past five minutes. Is there a reason for this? It's unhealthy to look at a member of family like that." She peered at him over her shoulder with a jovial grin on her face, "Come on, frère. I can tell when there's something a matter."

Gambit gave a small smile in response, rolling his shoulders in a shrug, "Nah, chere. Gambit was jus' thinkin'. Jus' a lil worried about ya that's all."

This made Siren turn to face him. She cast him a quizzical expression before she raised her hands and placed them at the hips of her black uniform, pushing the opening of her forest green trench coat back. "Why?" she asked quietly, regarding Gambit with her bright green eyes.

Gambit shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, "You and Cyclops," he muttered quietly.

"Yes?" Siren pressed on with a warning tone coming into her voice.

"I don't know.. there's jus' somethin' about him that makes me feel all jumpy, Adrienne. Like I shouldn't trust him or somethin'."

"Well he's done nothing to prove that he is untrustworthy. He leads the X-Men, Gambit, surely Charles values him." When Gambit gave no reply, Siren sighed quietly, "You're probably just wanting to look out for me. But there's no need, all right? I'm fine and I couldn't be happier with Scott by my side."

"So ya relationship's official then?"

Siren gave Gambit an alluring smirk. She stepped forth to slip out of the door into the Jet Hangar, "Isn't it obvious? Not all broadcasting is vocal, Remy."

Gambit hurried over to the door, entering the Jet Hangar himself. "Yeah well, we'll talk about this when we get back," he called as he quickly descended the metal steps to the ground of the hangar.

Siren, who was climbing the steps into the Jet, cast Gambit a shrewd look, as she paused, "No.. because there is nothing to discuss." She disappeared into the Jet with a swish of her trench coat.

Clouds gently streamed by the windscreen of the Jet as it flew with incredible speeds across the bright sky. As fast as it was going, it was a smooth and graceful ride as always. However, the atmosphere inside the jet was tense and the four X-Men were sat in silence. It was no wonder. Alkali Lake didn't hold the best of memories of any mutants. Regardless of whether they were there when the dam burst. For that had been the first Government move of human retaliation against mutants. William Stryker had scratched the surface of a war that was just waiting to happen. The recent months of conflict between the X-Men and humans in particular was not helping matters. There was only so much tension laws could take before they were to be removed and changed.. for the worse.

A while into the journey, Storm spoke up from the pilot seat, "We're coming up upon Alkali Lake now. There's a clearing for me to land the Jet." Below them lay the startling white landscape of Canada. A gleaming strip of cold grey marked the lake of water that had burst from the Dam so long ago. It had settled to cause a permanent lake between the two slopes, which were vacant of many trees since they had been wiped out by the initial burst. This meant there was plenty of space to land the Jet, unlike before.

The X-Men held on as the Jet slowly descended upon the scene. It didn't take long for it's feet to make contact with the snow, and with a slight bump, it landed in the thick snow. Storm was the first to unfasten her seatbelt and rose to her feet to stare out of the window and across the lake that lay before them. Dark grey ruins stood broken further along - the original walls of the dam. Siren had moved towards a small console on the wall and had turned on the sound. Charles Xavier's voice filled the quiet Jet.

"Glad to see you arrived safely, X-Men. I have been monitoring the area with Cerebro whilst you were travelling and the output of the energy has not wavered once. From telepathic rebound sensed there, it appears some portions of the dam are still standing below the ground. Perhaps if you find the entrance you should take a look inside. Of course, if you feel up to the task, if not, scour the bankings and nearby woodland."

"We'll report to you when we get back the jet," said Siren into the mouthpiece she held on the headset.

"Very well. Good luck." And the signal turned off. Siren rose to her feet slowly as glanced around the Jet. The others were all looking a little hesitant to travel down the stairs that had just lowered. But Wolverine made a quiet grunt, cracked his neck and walked forth, walking quickly down the steps. With his lead, the rest followed.

The X-Men trekked through the thick snow at a slow rate. Because their walking took such effort they were covering less ground in the time they had. Wolverine was guiding them across the harrowingly barren landscape. The steel grey water lapped morosely beside their trail as they passed upon the sloping banking. The sheet of snow below them glared a blinding brilliant white from the shine of the overhead sun and it made the travelling all the more difficult for the mutants. But Logan continued to lead them towards where the dam once stood, now nothing but broken remains that had since been dotted by snow.

A small slope meandered by a naked fallen log and dipped into a small groove. Quick to spot this, Logan hurried on down over the snow, which flushed away it's powdery substance below his boots as he made his way down. Snow had built up against a square alcove in the ruins of the dam wall. Logan extended his hands and began to pull away the clumps of snow there. Getting the idea, the other X-Men moved forward and in silence the four scrabbled at the wall to dig away the built up snow. With their faces cold and numb, and their gloves wet, the X-Men eventually stopped as a door was revealed in the stonework. Logan glanced across at the others before his eyes met Storm. As leader, she stepped forth to the door, watching it carefully. Her shivering hands clasped the large metal handle slowly before she pulled it back. It scraped against the shallow snow that was left and pulled open so far before it got wedged in the pile. The gap was big enough to enter through, but first, Storm peered inside hesitantly.

With everything all clear, Storm slipped inside, beckoning her team to follow her. Within was a bare walled room which ceiling sloped beneath the surface of the earth. The foundations were cracked from the battering of the dam's previous unleash but it had still remained intact. The stone walls were a ghostly green, the only light being the reflected surface of the snow through the gap of the opened door. Cautiously, Siren walked forward, her boots sounding quiet echoing steps as she walked across the cold stone floor. Then suddenly a series of cracks sounded followed by a brutal snap. Siren quickly stopped walking and looked down. Rubble and dirt was below her feet, as well as shards of broken glass. She looked up slowly, peering through the darkness of the corridor like room. She extended a hand slowly as she looked curiously at the supporting column in front of her. Slowly her gloved fingertips ran down the rough surface and across a broken bracket on the wall followed by a groove of smashed rubble. She turned slowly, staring around at the broken debris that was scattered, mixtures of glass, metal pipes and scraps of ruined equipment.

"This wasn't even touched by the flood," she whispered softly, her eyes rising to look at the rest of the mutants, "what happened here?"

Logan slowly looked around at the wall that was nearest to him. His hand outstretched and he slowly brushed his fingers across three sharp grooves scarring the wall, "Me.."

Siren and Gambit both quickly stared at him with shocked expressions on their faces. They had only briefly heard of Logan's past. They never truly realised the horrendous carnage it was. A tense silence continued, only briefly broken as Storm walked over to Logan and placed a comforting hand on his arm. Logan slowly glanced to her, taking her smaller hand in his as he gave it a squeeze. He was about to speak to the group, when something caught his attention. It was a disturbance in the air, like a gleam of faint light. Then Logan felt a warm touch of a hand against his cheek, and with a gentle and tender motion, it pressed up against his jaw so his head was pushed back slightly and his eyes met the ceiling.

Immediately, the warm sensation vanished to be replaced by a flood of icy dread in the pit of his stomach, which clenched in a sudden panic. One of the columns that supported the roof under the colossal dam water was cracked and splintered. One crack weaved down the centre before breaking over to a sharp right. Bits of unfrozen dust spilt from it in a gentle cloud. Recent movement. Logan's hand unexpectedly tightened on Storm's hand.

"Everybody get outta here."

"Why?"

"The ceiling's gonna go. Move it!"

The four mutants burst into action, charging with desperation towards the door. Logan hung back, letting the other three out first. Out of all of them, he was the most likely to survive if it collapsed. Logan squeezed himself out lastly and sprinted up the slope of powdery slope after the X-Men.

"Make high ground!" he heard Gambit cry ahead of him, "Get away from the bankin'!"

With panting breaths, the X-Men scrambled up the mound of the banking, pulling on sparse tree trunks as leverage to help them move quicker. Behind them there was an almighty rumble followed by a deafening explosion. The snowy banking suddenly gushed towards the facility entrance and the water of the lake churned madly into the ground as the ceiling caved in. The force of the water reared angrily up the steep banking, throwing stone ruins upwards fiercely. The water tips tickled Logan's heels as he slipped on the sinking banking. As he lurched he was quickly pulled up by Storm and Gambit into the safety of the higher ground.

Logan quickly span his head round as he staggered to a halt, staring with heavy gasps of cold breath as he watched the lake slowly still once more as the water and the snow met once more to cover any evidence that there once was an entrance.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Siren, sounding shaken.

There was a general murmur of confirmation from Storm and Gambit, but Logan was still watching the lake surface with a pained looked in his eyes as he heavily breathed mists of air. This place held many bad memories for him, not just Stryker, but Jean too. And seeing the water's angry swirling wrath as it destroyed the standing remains only reminded him of the plummet of the dam, and how it took Jean's life. The sunlight still shone brightly across the lake surface, glimmering with such a pure innocence on a place that was scarred with invisible bloodshed. But it was then that Logan noticed in the very centre of the lake, the surface was somehow gleaming brighter. And it didn't seem to be the reflection of the sun. In fact, it seemed to be below the surface.

He had just motioned to tell the others this when there was an echoing crash of water, and Logan jerked, thinking something else had caved in. but in fact, the spot where there was light had just rose upwards. Something was exiting amongst the fountain like spurt that was falling back to the water once more. An undistinguishable shape, glowing with a heavenly light had just burst from the water surface and was flying directly upwards into the sky with trails of dancing flames. It moved so fast, that within seconds it had vanished into the clouds above.

Everyone stood in a stunned silence.

"What was that?" breathed Siren.

"I don't know," murmured Storm as she began to move. "Let's get back to the jet; we need to report to Charles. It could be the force he was reading in Cerebro.."

As the three began to descend the slope to make their way back to the jet, Logan stood staring at the sky where the fiery figure had vanished. A voice sounded across his head as he recalled something from a dream..

"I am currently not strong enough to take a physical form in the real world. I am growing stronger Wolverine, one day you will meet me in your dimension."

It was all connected.. it had to be. The being that had been helping him, that had been following his daily life, the force that had rescued Scott and the one that was apparent here had to be the same thing.

And whatever it was. It was stronger than ever before..

Thank you for reading the chapter. Got a bit of action there didn't you? Lovely jubbly. Please review!
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