Jean's POV

One minute, the world around me is fuzzy as I'm dragged away. The next minute, I'm on the cold floor. I have a kink in my neck, and my eyelids are impossibly heavy. Scott kneels beside me.

"Hey there," he whispers, stroking my hair. "Those are the eyes I wanted to see. How are you feeling?"

He helps me sit up. I rub my neck, a wince twisting my face. I'm very stiff. "I'm supposed to be here rescuing you, not the other way around," I say. "How did you get out?"

"Rachel. She's here with Magneto," Scott answers. There is hesitation in his voice, and I know why.

My daughter, the child I am supposed to protect with every fiber of my being, was brought here by Magneto? The mutant who the Professor has claimed is very dangerous?

"How did this happen? Where is she?" I demand before reeling back when I realize something important is missing from Scott's face. "And what happened to your glasses!?"

"The collar prevents me from using my powers. As for Rachel, she left. I think she was trying to find a way to shut them off. We'll need them to get out of here. Well, I will. You are going with the non-fighting mutants for this one. You aren't in any condition to fight."

"Just give me a second to recover from those drugs they gave me, and I'll be fine," I insist. I'm on the verge of dizziness, and my limbs feel much heavier than they should, but I am hoping the feeling will pass.

He disagrees and looks rather frustrated with me for even saying it. "Jean, you shouldn't have even come. Look, I know I shouldn't, but I know that you're pregnant."

His seriousness confuses me. What sort of joke is this? Is this his way of telling me he hasn't been using a condom? "What!? I'm-"

He interrupts me. "For the baby's sake, please don't be stubborn. It's bad enough that we don't know what sort of harm these drugs did. Going into combat isn't going to do any good."

And of course, before I can even clear this up, Rachel's voice in our heads interrupts me. "Beware, you're going to get your powers back in 5...4...3...2...1..."

Scott squeezes his eyes shut. Minor chaos erupts in the corridor as other mutants gain their powers back as well.

Then suddenly, Rachel emerges from the crowd. "Listen up! Those who can fight need to follow me. There's a battle going on outside against the MRD. We need all hands on deck as they have called for backup. For the non-fighters, I am sending you all to the basement. There is a cafeteria there. You will lock the door from the inside and wait for me to let you out. If you are hesitant at all about fighting, go with the non-fighters. We cannot afford any hesitance on the battlefield. That is how you get yourself killed."

Before I even have time to register how impressed I am with Rachel's initiative, the two groups are divided. The physically stronger mutants follow Rachel, while the children and non-defensive mutants bunch together. There is no time to clear things up with Scott.

"Go with them! Keep them safe!" he orders me, pointing at the group of non-fighters. I roll my eyes, but considering I'm still feeling the side effects from the drugs, I decide that maybe the battlefield isn't the best place for me. I'll just deal with the pregnancy thing later.

The only thing I can figure is that he somehow found the pregnancy test I hid in my drawer for Ororo. But that would have to mean that Scott was looking in there for something. And that he even knows what a pregnancy test looks like. That man did not even know a tampon went inside the vagina for years, even after we started sharing a bathroom. He thought they sat between the labia like a hot dog in a bun.

"Here, I found this in the office," Rachel says, handing me a sheet of paper that contained the fire escape plan. "You can use it to get downstairs."

I nod and call for all the non-fighters to follow me. Then I turn to my daughter. "You be careful out there. And stay close to your dad."

She rolls her eyes at me before quickly wrapping her arms around my middle. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Rachel." I hug her back and kiss her on the head. Not wanting to let her go, I squeeze her tight, treasuring the calm in all this chaos. Then she's pulling away. I'm left with a tight feeling in my chest. I know she doesn't need my protection, but letting her run off into a battle with the MRD without being able to watch over her is painful.

I'm forced to watch my teammates run outside, my insides churning. I start leading the group of non-fighters down the flight of stairs when I see Ororo trailing behind the group. I Grab her by the arm. For the baby's sake, I hope she comes with me. She arches a brow. "Jean?"

"Are you sure you should be going out there?" I ask. When the rest pass, I whisper. "I don't think the baby will appreciate it."

Sighing, she follows, walking alongside me as we crowd the stairwell. "It feels wrong not going. They might need me."

"We're going left now!" I call to the group, the stairs ending. I wince when I see a dead MRD guard sprawled on the floor. Several mutants behind me gag as we pass it. I turn back to Ororo. "I feel the same way, but I think Scott found your pregnancy test and now believes it is mine, which is the main reason I'm down here and not fighting. So I'm going to protect your baby the same way Scott is protecting our non-existent one."

"That's my job. But I am starting to realize that motherhood is not going to be easy in this world."

We go through several halls until we find the double doors leading to the cafeteria. Inside, it's dark and dusty. The MRD never intended on using this room for the prisoners they've taken. There are round tables bolted to the floor with attached chairs. The concrete walls are cracked. Cobwebs hang from the burnt-out LED bulbs above us. The only lights illuminating the room are the outside lamps that shine through the windows and the dim glow of red emergency lights. The whole room smells musty, and the floor is disgustingly sticky. It appears that they spent all of their tax dollars on those electric cells and left this room out of the budget.

I lock the doors once the last straggler of the group is inside, shoving a chair under the handles for extra protection.

As everyone settles, I start to notice the array of injuries present. Blood, bruises, and what I expect are broken bones scatter the room. A group of young mutant children is gathered in one corner, crying softly.

Checking the fire escape map that Rachel had given me, I find a room marked as the infirmary. I wish I had thought to check before I locked us in, but hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. I turn to Ororo.

"I'm going to try and find medical supplies. Lock the door after me. I'll let you know when I'm back. Don't open the door to anyone until I'm back. We don't need any MRD soldiers getting in here."

She nods, although hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Some need medical treatment."

Without another word, I open the door halfway and slip out. I hear it lock behind me. The hall is silent, which makes my footfalls echo loudly. Each step I take sends a jolt of nerves through my body. I know that the battle is happening outside and that all the guards are out there, but if I am caught and they overtake me again, I have no doubt that there will be hell to pay.

So I keep scurrying around the maze of hallways until I find the infirmary. The contents inside are underwhelming, and it's clear that it has not been restocked since this was a regular prison. I grab everything I can and run out. The dark rooms would give me the heebie-jeebies even if my life wasn't at risk.

I reach out to Ororo telepathically, letting her know I am back. She opens the door, and I slip through, dropping the supplies on the nearest table. "If anyone needs medical treatment, I have supplies," I announce.

Many patients later, I'm cleaning and bandaging up a nasty cut. It was crusted over with dried blood and bright red from infection. I am almost finished when a sudden wave of telepathic energy washes over everyone. It is so powerful that it takes my breath away for a moment, and I have to hold onto the table to prevent collapsing.

"What was that?" Ororo asks.

I realize that power that strong and close could only be from the Phoenix. And the telepath controlling it. This realization sends a new jolt of panic through me. She should not be doing something so intense after she lost control yesterday! She could seriously hurt herself.

"Rachel," I answer her, my lip now bleeding from where I bite it from worry. "She's maxing out her powers."

To Be Continued...