This is a companion piece to Agent-G's AGU X-men Evolution Series.
It was nighttime, and all was quiet. Nothing was making noise. Surrounded by a huge fence, with a high-tech security system and tons of guards, stood a military base. There was a huge sign on the fence.
It read RESTRICTED AREA. KEEP OUT. The facility was keeping mutants captive because that they had betrayed their country. They were scheduled for execution tomorrow. They needed to be rescued tonight.
The guards patrolling the perimeter kept in contact with one another. Each guard carried an automatic rifle and several other deadly weapons. One guard stood in place and scanned the area for trouble.
Touching his headset, he checked in. "All's quiet at the north end. I'm going to continue patrolling this side. Keep a sharp eye out for trouble. Those mutants could be anywhere," He said before moving on.
He didn't notice his shadow detaching itself from him and jump over the fence.
Shadow used all of his ninja training to creep swiftly and silently to the base. Using his powers over shadows the mutant entered the base. Locating the security control, he used his shadow weapons to knock out the guards.
He quickly accessed the controls shutting down security in certain areas while at the same time running a search for the prisoners. He then spoke quietly into his communicator. "Area secured. Bring them in Blink."
A portal appeared behind him and out stepped Blink along with Mirage, Havoc, and Sunspot. All of them looked ready to go. "Have you located the prisoners' cell block yet?" Havoc demanded.
"Yes, there on level three section A. There are at least six of them. But there are also over twenty guards down there with an assortment of weaponry to take us out if we try to rescue them." Shadow informed him.
"We'll never be able to get to them if we take the long way. I suggest using my portal to appear just outside the room. That way, we can prepare ourselves for a fight." Blink suggested
"We're going to need some kind of distraction to keep the rest of the soldiers occupied outside, so they don't come in trying to help their comrades. Any ideas?" asked Sunspot.
"Magma, Husk, and Wolfsbane, are waiting outside for us along with Forge, who is piloting the Velocity. They could create a distraction that will keep the guards busy long enough for us to free the prisoners." Mirage said.
The others nodded, and a few minutes later, the plan, was set in motion.
Outside, Magma began burning down fences while Husk ripped off her normal skin to reveal a metallic one underneath that she used to take out the security cameras.
Wolfsbane transformed and took after the guards in an attempt to herd them away from the base. In a matter of minutes, everything had gone crazy.
Inside the base, the four mutants were in the middle of a fierce battle as they tried to free the prisoners and not kill anyone. They were outnumbered, but that didn't stop them from trying to complete their mission.
Havoc fired an energy blast from his hands, forcing the guards back while Blink used her lances to send the soldiers to other parts of the base where they couldn't cause any harm.
Sunspot and Mirage were tag-teaming together. She laid down a barrage of arrows while he used his powers to the cage in the remaining soldiers.
"We're running out of time. We need to get out of here now! Shadow free the prisoners. Blink; get an escape route prepared for us. Sunspot, Mirage, help me keep these guys back." commanded Havoc.
"Will do, boss. I hope you guys like a little sun because here it is!" Sunspot yelled, flaring up brightly, as he flew at them, disarming them of their weapons.
Havoc fired a shot to knock out their communications, keeping them isolated a little longer.
Creating a sword out of the shadows, Shadow slashed open the cages. Then he stepped inside to survey the prisoners.
They were a sorry sight to see. They were seriously malnourished with restraining collars on them to prevent them from using their powers to escape. "Come with me. I'll take you to safety."
They followed him through the portal, and the rest of the team was almost out. Havoc had called ahead to inform the girls to have Forge get the Velocity ready.
Mirage was covering their backs to make sure no one came after them. She turned to leave when someone grabbed her wrist hard.
"You're not going anywhere, you little freak." The soldier informed her, pulling her away from the portal.
Mirage screamed and pulled hard but couldn't break free. The portal was closing despite Blink's attempts to keep it open. The soldier was forcing her to her knees. "Let go of me right now. I said let go!" she yelled, loudly
Suddenly the guard fell to the ground in pain as nightmarish visions filled his head, but he wasn't the only one. All the soldiers fell to the ground.
Mirage kept screaming and trying to break free. Soon her teammates were on the floor in pain.
That's when everything disappeared, and the smooth walls of the Danger Room appeared.
Wolverine stepped through the doors. "Enough Mirage. The simulation is over. What happened? Your rescue mission would have been a complete success if you hadn't gone crazy."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Logan. I just panicked when he grabbed me, and I lost it. I really am trying to control my powers. Why do you think I volunteered for extra Danger Room time?" Dani told him as she looked down at the floor.
"You need to try harder, daydreamer. With everything we faced plus the dangers yet to come, we need you and the rest of you to have complete control of your powers.
"Hit the showers. We will try it again tomorrow." Logan told them gruffly as they trudged to the showers."
"That was one of the most strenuous sessions yet. I can't believe we have to continue with all this extra training now that school's back in session." Amara complained as she got into the shower.
"Well, after the summer we've had, do you want to be unprepared? I mean, we have Magneto's group somewhere out there ready to attack us. Then the Nephilim,who are also preparing for a global mutant takeover of the world."
"Not to mention our friendly Hellion neighbors who can't wait to eliminate us. I say that it's a good thing we are practicing so hard." Rahne replied.
"Well, it's nice to know that we can do something relaxing after these sessions to unwind. I'm going to join mom in the garden. Does anyone want to join me?" Clarice asked as she finished putting on her clothes.
"No thanks. Jamie and I are going to go work on our science project for school. We've decided to do it on the human body. I can't wait till we start explaining about the skin. That's going to be so much." Paige said, running out of the locker room as fast as she could go.
Danielle waited till the other students left before changing out of her uniform. She slammed the locker door angrily. This was the fifth time her powers had gotten out of control.
She had been at the Institute for a few months now. Why hadn't she gained any control over her powers?
Sighing, she left the locker room with her uniform and went back to her bedroom. She hoped her best friend, Kitty was there. Kitty was always someone she could talk to about anything that was bothering her.
She entered their shared room and was glad to see Kitty sitting on her bed with her pet dragon.
"Lockheed is in a cranky mood this morning," Kitty told her as Danielle sat on her bed. Small flames were issuing out of his nostrils, indicating he was in a foul mood. "So, what's up?"
Danielle sat down at the desk and looked at Kitty. "It's nothing. I just got out of Danger Room session, and I'm feeling kind of upset."
"Why what happened? You didn't get hurt or anything. Hey, wait a minute. Why were you in the Danger Room just now? You were not scheduled to be there until tomorrow." Kitty asked in confusion.
"I volunteered to attend the Danger Room sessions seeing as how I needed the extra training. The thing is Kitty, the whole session was going perfectly until I tried using my powers."
"I lost control, and everyone ended up on the floor in pain. We failed because of me." Danielle said miserably.
"Danielle, you have to give yourself a break. It was just a training exercise. You're still like learning how to use your powers and control them properly. It just takes time."
"I mean, when I first got my powers, I was phasing through everything. Now, like look at me. Near perfect control." Kitty tried to tell her.
"Time? Kitty, I wasted two years of my life in hibernation because of my powers! I know that they somehow saved me, but I don't know how they did."
"I liked to know how my powers worked, and I would like to have some control now, not later."
"If you're worried about it, maybe you should talk to Beast of the Professor about it. Maybe they can help you. Look, I have to go. I promised Piotr that I would like to pose for him in his room. We'll talk some more later." Kitty said as she got up to leave.
Danielle covered her face with a pillow and screamed into it. She didn't feel like talking to any of the other students. She knew that she shouldn't be feeling like this.
Every student had difficulties with their powers. That's why they were here to learn how to control them. Still, it would be nice not to feel like a failure.
After a few minutes, she picked up a book she was reading about dreams. Her grandfather had taught her that people's dreams had special meaning. They were images reflection of a person's innermost self.
She hoped that was true for her. She was on the chapter explaining what certain images meant when she heard a voice inside her head. "Danielle, could you please come to my office right now? I have something I like to share with you."
"Sure, Professor. I'll be right there." Danielle thought back to him before marking her place. "
I'm never going to get used to that. It's so creepy. I wonder what he wants with me." She asked herself as she walked towards Xavier's office.
When she entered his office, Xavier was sitting behind his desk talking to Beast and Forge. Forge was holding something in his hands. All three of them looked up when she entered the room.
"Ah, Danielle, please take a seat."
"Thanks, Professor. I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Danielle asked nervously.
Professor Xavier smiled warmly at her. "No, you're not in any sort of trouble. Danielle, it's come to my attention that you might be pushing yourself too hard to control your powers."
"Logan has noticed that you have been volunteering for extra Danger Room sessions, and you have been training extra hard before and after school as well."
"I'm concerned that your studies will begin to suffer, and you might hurt yourself."
"Professor. I promise I've got everything under control. Really, I would have thought that Logan would have been happy that I was training so hard. I want to have some control over my powers, sir." Danielle protested.
"I understand how you are feeling, Danielle. Your mutation is a difficult one to master. And I admit I admire your commitment to bettering yourself."
"However, I would feel better if someone was helping you. That's why I've asked Beast and Forge here to come up with a way to help you out." Xavier explained.
"The best way to learn how to control your powers is to figure out how they work then see what's triggers them. Your powers are mental in some ways but work on a different level than telepathy."
"I would like to monitor you while using your powers to see what we can learn." Beast told her gently.
"But if I use my powers, I could harm someone. Besides, I don't have much control over it. I can't just make it work always. Usually, I have to be frightened or something." Danielle pointed out.
"That's where my newest invention comes in. It monitors mental powers while the subject is asleep and then projects them onto a computer screen. We can analyze them. Since you create nightmares, it's reasonable to assume that your powers have something to do with your subconscious mind when you reach REM sleep."
"So we are going to put you in a controlled sleep phase. Then we'll see what happens." Forge said excitedly, holding out his helmet, which looked like a bike helmet with lights glued on it.
"Well, if you are sure nothing will go wrong, then I'm game. When can we start?"
"It will take us at least a half an hour to set everything up in the infirmary. So why don't you get something comfortable to wear and join us in a few minutes. We will meet you there in a little while." Beast said.
"Thank you, Mr. McCoy. Thank you, Forge. Thank you, Professor. You don't know how much this means to me. After spending two years in hibernation as a result of a mutation catching up is hard." Danielle told them all before hurrying to her room
"Are you two sure that nothing can go wrong with this experiment? I don't want any harm to come to her. I'm only allowing you two to do this because Danielle needs the help." Xavier said.
"Don't worry, Charles. She'll be safe. I'll have her monitored the whole time with the latest medical equipment, and if I see the slightest sign of danger, I'll end it." Beast assured him.
"I've tested, retested, and triple-tested my device. I've run every possible scenario and ran every kind of check I could think to do. This device is perfectly safe. Nothing can go wrong. It will do exactly what I said it would do."
"It will monitor Danielle's powers and project them on a computer screen. We can see how she does what she does. From the results, we get we can help her find a way to control her mutation." Forge reassured him.
"In that case, you better go set up. I have some work I need to get done, but I'll be down later to check on your progress. Call me if there is any trouble." He told them as they left his office.
Danielle was so excited she could hardly stop trembling. Finally, she was going to get the help that she came to the Institute for. She was a little scared by the procedure that Beast and Forge had described, but she was sure that nothing serious would happen.
It had been a while since any of his inventions had malfunctioned. Grabbing her uniform, she rushed to the infirmary, impatient for them to get started.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students and staff were busy with their own activities. Since school had started not that long ago, many of the students were busy.
They were doing their best to balance their social life with school and training.
Rouge was working on her calculus assignment while Vincent was trying to write a paper on world history. "Man, I hate doing math. Why do we have to know this stuff anyway?"
"It's important to be well rounded. You never know when calculus might save your life. Besides, I think I have it worse."
"I have to write a report on the history of the British and how they still have an effect on the world today in other countries."
"Sounds like fun to me. You want ta a break?" Rouge asked, stretching and yawning.
They had been working all morning and had skipped lunch to get caught up with their homework. It was time to relax.
"Sure, why not? We can take a quick nap if you don't mind sharing a bed." Vincent said with a grin.
Rouge smiled and pushed him on top of the bed. They started to make out, but soon both of them were fast asleep.
Kurt teleported into his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. He had just spent the last two hours giving fencing lessons to some of the other students.
It was hard work, and many of the students required more training before they were ready to compete in a competition.
He changed from his fencing clothes and put on something casual yet fun. He was going out a little later with Amanda and his friends, and he wanted to look his best. He started brushing his fur nervously and making sure everything was just right.
"Why am so nervous? It's not like anything bad is going to happen? Man, my shoulder aches. Maybe I should rest for a bit. There's plenty of time before my date." He said as he stretched out on his bed, falling fast asleep.
Scott and Jean, were occupied with other matters. Ever since they had been discovered having sex, Logan had made sure that they didn't do it as often as they had before.
Between college, teaching, and training with their team, there hadn't been a whole lot of we time. Now they were making up for the lost time.
"Jean, you're a wonderful person, you know that?" Scott asked in between kisses.
"You're sweet to Scott. I'm so glad that we've finally had some time to ourselves. It seems like ages since we've had sex." Jean moaned.
Their private moment was interrupted when they heard a knock at the door. Untangling themselves quickly from each other, both hastily put their clothes back on. "Yes, who is it?" Jean called out.
"It's Tabby, and you have a call from your family. You want to take it, or should I have them call back later?" Tabby yelled through the door.
"No, I'll be right out. Sorry, Scott, about this. I'll be back in a few minutes. Please wait here, okay?" Jean said, rushing out the door and hastily closing it before Tabby could see who was in there.
"Great, Jean. Leave me by myself. Well, I could get the bed ready for her return. I hope it's nothing serious." Scott mumbled to himself as he straightened the bed. The scent of sex overpowered him, and soon he was asleep on the bed.
Others were also falling asleep in the mansion and on the grounds. Kitty, who had just finished modeling for Piotr, had returned to her room to check on Lockheed.
Then she would check on her roommate. Her friend seemed so sad the last time she saw her. Modeling had taken a lot out of her. Soon was sleeping peacefully with Lockheed curled up next to her.
In the garden, Clarice and Ororo had just finished planting some new plants. They then watered the more exotic ones. The sweet smells of all the plants put them in light slumber.
While out on the mansion grounds, Logan and Sarah had fallen asleep, under a tree, after a difficult workout session.
In the entrance hall, Ray had dozed off in a chair. He had come home from a date with Pam. Each sleeper was peacefully dreaming.
Danielle was strapped upright to a table with sensors all over her body and the helmet on her head. An IV line had been hooked up, in case of emergency.
After sedating her, they watched her brain activity, waiting for her to enter REM sleep before switching on the helmet.
"Alright, she's just entered REM sleep, and she's sending out brainwave patterns. That must be her powers. Let's turn on the computer and get ready to monitor activity and analyze the results." "
Hopefully, we can come up with a way to control her powers." Forge said with a serious tone of voice.
"All vital signs are normal. There are no signs of distress. The computer is ready to receive images and see what we get. Turning on the device." Beast said, flipping the helmet on.
The device lit up and hummed quietly. Soon images began to appear on the screen along with information on brainwave activity.
"Hmm, according to these tests, it seems that her power works by projecting REM brainwaves into a conscience mind. It then triggers something that causes a nightmare to form." Beast said after looking over the results.
"I think you're right, but we still don't know how she was able to manipulate her powers in such a way that it kept her alive for two years while trapped. The only thing I can tell by these images is that her mind searches out the closest conscience."
"Then she manipulates it to her benefit. That would explain how she found Kitty while in hibernation." Forge pointed out as he worked on the computer.
Suddenly they both heard strange noises coming from somewhere in the infirmary. They both looked for the source of the sound and were shocked to discover it was coming from the helmet.
"It's overheating itself! The power coming from Danielle's mind is too much for it. We got to shut it down now!" Forge yelled, scrambling to turn off the device.
Sparks of electricity held him back for several minutes. The lights were going crazy, flashing all over the place. Suddenly a loud crack was heard as the device simply shut down from all the power coursing through it.
No one noticed when a pale blue energy stream shot out of the device. Beast and Forge were more concerned for Danielle's safety.
The energy surge pulsated throughout the entire mansion, searching for something. When it located anyone sleeping, it passed through the body. It caused a glow for several seconds before moving on to the next one.
It finally died after going through Sarah. The expression on the sleepers' faces changed from content to extreme pain as soon as the energy surge finished going through them.
Warren was walking briskly through the halls of the mansion heading for Vincent's room. Vincent and Rogue both had promised to join him for an afternoon flight forty minutes ago. It was unlike either of them to miss a flying session.
Warren wrapped hard on the door. "Vincent, Rouge you in there? Come on, you two. You promised to join me for an afternoon of flying. Guys. I'm coming in. You two better have a good excuse for me."
He flung open the door angrily and was startled by the sight that he saw. Both Vincent and Rogue were lying on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms. That wasn't surprising. What was that both of them had extreme looks of distress etched on their face and were mumbling incoherently.
"Wake up, guys! You're having a bad dream. Come on, you two. Wake up!" Warren said, shaking them. Nothing he did could awaken them. "Professor, we have a problem!" he shouted in his head.
Amanda was putting the finishing touches on her makeup and checked her outfit one last time. She looked beautiful.
Today's date was a special one because it would be a double date with her best friends. She hoped Kurt would relax long enough to have fun.
Wanting to make an entrance, she teleported into Kurt's room. "Surprise, Kurt! I hope you like my new outfit. I bought it last week for just such an occasion. Kurt? Kurt!" Amanda shouted, racing towards his bed.
Kurt was screaming and clawing his sheets. His tail was twitching all over the place. "No, get away! Stay away from me. I'm not a demon! Leave me alone!" He shouted.
"Kurt, wake up! You are having a nightmare. It's not real Kurt, wake up. Someone help me please!" Amanda shouted.
The door burst open, and in walked Piotr holding a trembling, babbling Kitty who was flailing all over the place.
"So it's not just my Kayta. I went to her room intending to show her my newest sketches and found her like this. I have tried everything I can think of to awaken her, but she won't. What about Kurt?" Piotr asked
"He's the same way. I don't know what the matter with him is. He seems trapped in a nightmare. Can you help me get him up so I can teleport us to the infirmary?" Amanda asked, struggling to prop Kurt up.
Piotr complied, and soon the four of them were gone in a flash of light.
"Yes, Mom. I'll call more often. No, nothing is wrong. Everything is completely under control. Tell Dad I love him. Okay, bye." Jean said, smiling as she hung up the phone.
She loved talking to her family, but she needed to get back to Scott.
Humming to herself, she approached her room when she stopped cold. Something was very wrong. She couldn't feel Scott through their bond. Rushing into the room, she gasped as she found her lover in a deep sleep trying to rip his sheets to his pieces.
"Scott! Scott, wake up. Come on, Scott. You have to wake up. Wake up!" Jean said frantically. She tried using her telepathy but was thrown clear across the room by a mental barrier. There was no way she could get through.
"Don't worry, Scott. I'll get you some help. I'm taking you to the infirmary now. Maybe Mr. McCoy can figure out what's wrong with you." She said hurriedly. Clearing her mind, she used her telekinesis to float his slumbering body through the hallways.
Amara was on her way out of the mansion when she tripped over something on the floor. "Okay, who was the jerk who left their stuff all over the floor where someone could trip?" She grumbled, standing up.
When she turned around, she spotted Ray sprawled all over the floor.
"Man, if you're tired, go to your bedroom and sleep. Get up before someone else sees you." Amara said, kicking him hard in the stomach. When she didn't get a reaction, she got concerned.
Amara looked him over, trying to find out what was wrong but didn't find why he was asleep. Hauling him up, she dragged him to the infirmary.
Professor Xavier listened to everyone's stories about finding people in a deep sleep that they couldn't awaken. He watched as the last victims arrived. Gale and Jubilee were bringing in Clarice and Ororo after being located in the garden.
Bobby and Sam were hauling Logan and Sarah onto a medical bed. The two had been quite a scare when they accidentally hit Logan with a ball of ice and didn't get attacked by him.
"What do you make of it, Hank? All of them are in a deep sleep and experiencing some type of nightmare, yet we can't wake them up."
"I've run several tests, and I'm confused by the results. When we sleep, we go through four stages of sleep. We then experience a change in our brainwave activity."
"We reach stage three, REM, after sleeping for about thirty to an hour and a half. But then we enter stage four after two hours. For some reason, they're all stuck in REM sleep with no way to pass to the next stage. So they can't wake up." Beast explained to him.
"Hmm, that is disturbing. Are the students in any danger of never awakening?" Xavier pressed. Beast shook his head, indicating he had no idea of when or if that would happen.
Sighing loudly, Xavier spoke, "Very well then, I'll try awakening them using my powers. I don't know how successful I'll be, but I must try. Jean was not able to reach Scott through her bond with him. That concerns me the most."
Placing a hand on Scott's forehead, he concentrated hard as he gently probed his mind. He found considerable resistance, but he continued to push. Finally, he managed to enter his mind. "Scott, can you hear me? Scott?" The Professor called out in his mind.
But he didn't hear any response from Scott and all. Xavier looked around, trying to decipher what was going on. But all he saw was fire and the sky falling rapidly around him. Eventually, he got forced out of his mind. "Ahh!"
"Professor! Are you okay? Did you discover what's wrong with Scott? Can you wake him up?" Jean asked anxiously
"No, I can't, Jean. I found the same resistance that you did when you tried to enter his mind. I couldn't reach him at all. In fact, it was like Scott didn't know me at all."
"One thing is certain whatever happened to them was not natural. I can't wake any of them up with my powers." Xavier said sadly.
"Professor! Beast! Come quick, please!" Gale yelled from across the infirmary. The three of them hurried over to Gale. She was standing over Vincent, taking his vitals, when a large bruise started to form on his arm.
"I was checking to make sure he was okay when I heard him screaming. Before I could calm him down, this bruise formed on his arm. I don't understand why."
"I do. It's my fault." Forge said, coming over with Danielle carrying the helmet. "My device malfunctioned when it overheated. Instead of projecting a control nightmare into the computer, she sent a controlled REM wave throughout the mansion."
"Anyone who was sleeping was placed in a hibernation state. Only they're stuck in their nightmares, unable to awaken."
"Also, it seems that they have no idea they're sleeping. For the sleepers, they believe they're awake. Remember, the mind is a powerful thing. If it believes the body is injured, it will respond to it." Danielle pointed out.
"That would explain a lot, especially their injuries. Professor, if anyone gets wounded or dies, there's nothing that we can do to stop it from happening for real. We have to wake them up soon." Gale insisted
"Yes, of course, but how? We can't wake them up by the usual means. Mental powers don't work either." Professor said at a loss.
"No choice then. We have to wake each one up, one by one. By going into their dreams and defeating the nightmare. Forge, can you fix the helmet so that I can enter their nightmares?" Danielle asked
"Sure, but you can't go alone. It would be suicide. I think I have a more plausible idea. I could rewire the helmet to interface with the Danger Room and transport you and a select few into someone's mind via an electronic link."
"I've perfected these armbands that will keep a team in tune with one another for just such an occasion. It would take about half an hour to set up, but we'll be ready to go for it. I'll need someone helping me monitor the Danger Room." Forge told them.
"I'll help you. With my powers, I can keep a better eye on the away team so we can pull the plug if there's trouble." Jean said quickly.
"I will need some people to stay behind and help with the victims. Beast and I can't keep them alive all by ourselves." Gale pointed out.
"Then I shall select the teams. One to stay here and help you with the patients, and the rest will go." Professor Xavier said
"Professor, I don't think you'll have to do that. Several of us have already volunteered for the mission. I want to go with Danielle and help save Sarah. Whatever she's experiencing, she doesn't deserve it." Paige said definitely.
"Count me in too. No way can I back down from something as fun and dangerous as this." Tabby added
"I'll go to Professor. Kurt needs my help, and I think my powers might be able to assist us in our mission." Amanda told him.
"The night is when a ninja is most comfortable. Fear is our ally. From my training as a member of the Shadow Clan, I believe I am a good choice for this mission Xavier-san. I gladly volunteer for this mission. I considered it a great test of my skills." Kai informed Xavier.
"Don't forget either of us. Were both ready to lend a helping hand." Roberto expressed excitedly. Amara nodded in agreement. Both teens were ready and rearing to face the unknown.
"Professor, the rest of us don't mind staying here and helping Gale and Beast out. Who knows, maybe our presence alone will help them out in some way."
"They say that coma victims can hear the voice of their loved ones." Piotr said, taking up a seat next to Kitty.
"Scott's has always been there for me. Now I'm going to be here for him." Alex told them.
The rest of them all took up positions near the sleeping mutants. They were ready to do whatever it took to help.
The Professor looked at each of them one by one. He thought hard about what they were asking. What Forge was proposing would place them all in considerable danger. But if they didn't act, they risked losing their friends. They had no choice.
"Suit up and prepare for departure. Forge, Jean, get to work on those modifications at once. Gale, help Beast prepare the victims for the procedure. Everyone else, start getting ready for an emergency." Professor Xavier ordered.
Everyone nodded and rushed off to where they were supposed to be going. Danielle paused for a moment gazing at her unfortunate victims. All of this was her fault.
If she hadn't been in such a hurry to control her powers, this wouldn't have was too late for regrets now. There was only one course of action. Danielle needed to focus if she was going to lead the team to victory.
"Professor."
"Yes, Danielle, what is it? I know that you think that this was all your fault, but I assure you that there is no reason to blame yourself." Xavier tried to tell her.
Danielle shook her head and gave him a hard look. "No, it is my fault, Professor Xavier. This mission is my responsibility to ensure that nothing happens to anyone on the team or the sleepers."
"I promise you that will make you proud. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go meet the others in the Danger Room," And without so much a backward glance, she left.
Twenty minutes later, the modifications were all done, and everyone was suited up. The sleepers had electrodes attached to their heads, connecting them to the helmet plugged into the Danger Room controls.
Jean was passing out armbands, which everyone slipped on. The bands would keep them all together in the same dream and work as their connection to the real world.
"Okay, I've modified the helmet to process one dream at a time and project it around you. Remember that whatever happens in the dream world is real. If you get injured or mortally wounded, you could die."
"Also, your powers might not work in the dream world because the person in charge of the dream has complete control. You have to earn their trust. My last reminder is to try to wake them up as quickly as possible. You understand all that?" Forge said over the loudspeaker.
"Understood Forge. We're ready. Fire away." Mirage said in a commanding voice.
"Okay, I'm placing you in Vincent's dream. Once done with him, I'll send you to someone else. Good luck." Forge said.
Pressing some buttons, the entire board lit up. In a flash of light, they were on their way.