Chapter 7
"Professor, bad news. A sand storm has grounded us. To prevent damage to the Black Bird's engines we have landed on the outskirts of the squall to wait it out. It should only be a couple of hours at most."
Charles was not pleased with Hank's report and he knew they weren't either. It seemed the obstacles kept mounting, preventing them from reaching their friends. "Thank you, Beast. Let me know when the weather's cleared."
Jean looked to Xavier, noticing his clenched jaw. She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Professor, let's head out there. The storm should be over by the time we get there and we can have two planes searching for them. Besides, being that close, you or I could get a fix on them quickly."
"I had been thinking that, Jean. But the rest of the X-men are very capable of finding them in short order. I want to be here to prepare the sick room with what ever equipment they may need. We'll head out if they can't find them."
"But look at the travel time we lose if we don't go now. If we wait until they have trouble, it will be several hours before we get there."
Charles rested a hand on top of Jean's, "Have faith in your teammates. They will find Scott and Jubilee. Those two will be back here before you know it."
She dropped her head, wringing her hands, "I just feel so helpless."
"I do too. But suppose we are halfway out there and they need Cerebro's help? Besides your presence here will be the most important thing to Scott when he arrives. Who knows, they both may end up just waltzing in with no more than skinned knees. The X-Men will find them. That I am sure."
"Thank you, Charles," She sighed, then kissed him on the cheek. Although he hid it well, she could still sense his own inner turmoil at not being at the scene looking for them. If he could walk, she knew he would be pacing around his office.
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"Let me look at your wound."
"It's fine. I changed the bandage this morning just before we left."
"Well that was before we went through the dust storm from hell. I want to make sure it's still clean. And if you don't let me check it now, I'll just wait until you fall asleep. Which will probably be in a couple of minutes, anyway."
He looked at her then rolled onto his good side so that she could check him.
She cut away the wrap and saw the distinct lineation between his dirt encrusted skin and what was protected by the bandage. The gauze stuck to the wound and he winced as she gently tugged it off. Although it provided a lot of protection against the dust and dirt, the bandage was not completely effective.
"Don't complain about the use of water. I need some to clean your wound, it got dirty."
She worried when he didn't reply, "Did you hear me?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to complain."
The look of the wound nauseated her, but she held it back because this needed to be done. As she cleansed the area, she could feel the fevered heat coming off his body. He was hot to the touch even though the cave was comfortably cool. She fought back the sourness building in her mouth as she wrapped him in a clean dressing.
When finished, she offered him water. He took several gulps then signaled he was done.
"You hungry?"
"Uh, uh. I just want to rest for now."
She put her blankets down next to him and sat. There was nothing she could do at the moment until the dust settled outside. A tear rolled down her cheek as a mantle of hopelessness began to envelop her. Each passing hour saw his condition deteriorate and she wasn't sure if the others would make it there in time for him.
When the storm clears, she plans on going back to the ship to work on the radio. If they had been in uniform, she would have had a communicator with her. But the only link with the outside was the busted radio in the plane. She perked up a bit when she remembered that sometimes a uniform was kept in the aircraft. Maybe a communicator was with it. She stared out at the gale willing it to end so that she could go back and look for any form of communication.
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She awoke with a start. 'What time is it?' She looked through the opening and to her relief the storm had passed. But from the location of the sun, it was already late afternoon. If she was going to take advantage of the light, she needed to get back to the plane now. She turned to Scott to tell him that she was leaving and her heart skipped a beat. He was so still she was sure he had died.
She placed a shaky hand on his neck to check for a pulse. Thank goodness, he was still with her. There was one, albeit weak. She shook him gently, "Scott? Scott?"
When he didn't respond, she shook him harder, "SCOTT!"
Unable to revive him, she spoke to him anyway, "Don't worry Cyc, I'm gonna get us out of here. You just hang on. Do you hear me. You hang on dammit."
And she ran from the cave towards the ship.
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As Jubilee reached the half-way point, she slowed down then stopped. Nothing looked the same. The storm had altered the look of the surrounding area enough for her to not recognize it.
She looked back at the cave and made a mental picture of the new landscape. She wanted to make sure she could find Scott again. She studied the land ahead of her trying hard to decipher the changes. She had to go on. She knew she had to. And now with the scenery different, she couldn't afford to let it get dark. Knowing how late it was she took off at a jog again.
'ok…..it didn't take me this long the last time I came from the cave. Did I overshoot it again?'
She turned around to look at how far away the rock formation was. It seemed further than she remembered. A chill of anxiety crept up her spine. Where was the plane? Her eyes drifted over to the left a little and came to rest on a fallen cactus.
"It's the saguaro that bit me!" And she ran over to it. She remembered this one because it had a funny little kink near the top. She stood where she was the first time she came across this plant and looked back. 'Great! There's the rock that Cyc sat near. That means the plane must be over there somewhere.'
She turned to the left expecting to see the aircraft, but confusion hit her when she couldn't find it. Walking in the direction where it was supposed to be, she wondered what could have happened to it. Were the other X-Men here? Did they take it back already without looking for them? She stopped and stared at the new formation where the ship should have been, and slowly she saw through the mound, a shape. The shape of the plane.
"Oh NO! The storm completely covered it up." She ran over looking for something, anything recognizable. When she saw an indentation in the sand, she stared digging.
"Ouch! Dammit. Found the window."
She dug her way back into the cockpit area which was now pitch black from the lack of sunshine getting in. 'Oh, man, I should have brought a flashlight.' She shot a few fireworks into the air to illuminate the interior.
'I'm never going to find a communicator in this darkness. I'm not sure I can even find another flashlight.' Before she continued on, she sat down. 'Where would the other flashlights be located? I bet the cabinet next to the door and maybe in the supply cubby in the rear .' She threw a few more sparks into the air so that she could find her way to the door first.
The light disappeared as she fumbled for the cabinet handle. When she found and opened it, she tossed more sparkles and found a flashlight sitting on the shelf.
She flipped it on, "…and then there was light."
Sweeping it from side to side, she found every nook and cranny that could hide an extra radio. All she found of use were extra bandages and another lantern. She gathered that up and headed back to the front. 'Shit, it's already dark outside' she thought as she looked out the window.
After exiting, she held up the lantern and was relieved to see her footprints periodically in some places. She looked up at the night sky, the stars were brilliant, something she hadn't notice the night before. She shot a large bolt of fireworks to illuminate the desert, and after getting her bearings she jogged off.
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"Get this bird up in the air already Gumbo!"
"Hey. We not gonna do dem any good if we crash from clogged engines. Let Gambit do a t'orough checkup."
Logan snarled, "Well get a move on already. We only have about an hour of daylight left."
Hank looked up from his controls, "Wolverine, have no fear, we can find them even at night. Our thermal scan will pick up the body heat of any living creature."
"Yeah, if they're still alive by the time we find 'em!"
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Jubilee entered the cave and a knot instantly tied her stomach. She didn't think it could happen but Scott looked even worst. Once again she searched for a pulse. Although more difficult to find, it was still there.
"Scott? Scott? Please wake up. Just for a moment so that I know you're still with me."
She hung her head at the lack of reaction, tears leaving streaks on her dust coated face. She was sure that the others would find them, but now felt that that it would be too late. Even if they walk in the entrance right now, she wasn't sure he could be saved.
She was startled when a cold clammy hand nudged hers. He had awoken. "Scott."
His voice was no more than a whisper, "Anything yet?"
"No. I looked for another communicator on the plane but couldn't find any. The radio's shot." He smiled weakly knowing she didn't realize that what she said was literally the truth.
She continued, "That sand storm made a mess outside. It changed the landscape a lot. Almost got lost. I didn't even recognize the plane at first. It's all covered up."
He turned his head more towards her and croaked, "Covered up?"
It hit her like a brick. "They can't see it from the air! I've got to go back and brush off as much dirt as I can!"
"It's dark. Don't go. You'll get lost."
"I have to Scott. How else will they know where we are?"
"Stay with me. I don't want to be left alone." Then in a whisper she couldn't hear, "I don't want to die alone."