At Least I've Chosen a Side
Jean and Beast were very nervous as they examined the results of the battery of tests they had run on Rogue. It didn't take them long to come to a conclusion.
"Her vitals are within reasonable limits," Beast opined. "She's obviously under physical and emotional stress, but…"
"There's nothing to stop her from waking up," Jean agreed. "It could happen any moment."
"She's going to be okay?" Bobby asked anxiously from Rogue's bedside.
Beast and Jean exchanged glances. They had barely been able to get the boy to leave her side in order to run the necessary medical tests. The idea of asking him to leave so they could work seemed vaguely silly, and certainly on the wrong side of "impossible."
"There's only one more test we need to run," Beast pointed out.
Jean frowned. "I'd rather wait for the Professor."
"She could wake up any minute, Jean," Beast pressed.
"What is it?" Bobby asked anxiously. "What do you still have to do?"
Jean sighed, reluctant, but nodded to Beast who began hooking monitors up to both Jean and Rogue's foreheads.
"What is this?" Bobby repeated.
"Bobby," Jean explained gently. "We need you to leave the room. Any distraction could be…"
"What are you going to do?"
"You need to trust us."
Bobby sighed, but after squeezing Rogue's gloved hand once more, he nodded and left the room.
Beast nodded to indicate that he was ready to monitor both of their brainwaves. Jean took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reached out with her psychic powers.
xxxx
The tension in the briefing room was palpable as Jean entered. "She's stable," she announced, walking over to take her customary seat next to Scott. "She should be awake soon. Henry's monitoring her, and I told Bobby he could stay there."
It felt like a sigh of relief had passed through the room. Only Professor Xavier still looked at Jean expectantly.
"She did suffer a lot of psychic trauma from the experience," Jean said in answer to Xavier's unspoken question. "But her mind is strong. It'll just take some time to recover."
Xavier nodded gravely. "The powers?"
Jean shifted uncomfortably. "I think those might be permanent," she admitted.
"So she's Super Woman," Logan pointed out. "What's the problem?"
"Knowing Rogue," Xavier answered, his eyes suddenly taking on a distant look, "the constant reminder of the powers will make her guilt even more difficult to overcome."
Most of the positive energy that had accompanied Jean's good news about Rogue's physical condition faded, and once again everyone looked vaguely uncomfortable.
"Unfortunately, there are larger concerns right now," Xavier resumed. "Logan, will you please repeat the pertinent details for Jean?"
"Fury told us about a connection between Magneto and some company called Worthington Industries," Wolverine explained.
"Worthington? Working with Magneto?" Jean asked in surprise. Her expression suddenly darkened. "Emma Frost. He was a student at her school. I'm sure she's behind this."
"Perhaps," Xavier allowed. "But that's not our main concern right now."
"Worthington bought himself an island," Wolverine informed her.
"It seems likely Erik would use it as a base of operations," Xavier added.
Jean didn't need her psychic powers to know what everyone was thinking. They had been waiting for a lead on Magneto's location for months. There was no way they could afford not to follow up on this, even if they weren't at full strength.
"We were just discussing who to send on the mission," Cyclops added, as though in answer to her unspoken thoughts.
"I'll go," Jean volunteered without a second thought.
Xavier frowned. "I had thought you might stay behind to watch over Rogue."
Jean shook her head. "No. Hank can handle the medical side of things as well as me, and you're twice the psychic I am."
Xavier's answering smile was forced. "I grow less certain of that every day, Jean."
The unspoken reference to the Phoenix only increased Jean's desire to prove everything was back to normal. She turned to Cyclops. "You need me on this one."
"It's your team, Scott," Xavier deferred.
Cyclops sighed, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright. Jean, you're with us. Wolverine—"
"No way I'm sitting this one out," Wolverine informed him before he could even suggest it.
"You have a metal skeleton, Logan," Jean pointed out.
Wolverine almost snarled.
"He comes with us," Cyclops agreed reluctantly. "This could be a heavy combat mission, and we'll need all the experienced fighters we can get. Jean, Wolverine, Storm." They were all the veteran members of the X-Men. They were the Liberty Island team. The combination felt right.
"What about me?" Peter asked anxiously.
"No," Cyclops answered apologetically. "Magneto's just too dangerous, Peter."
Peter's hands briefly clenched into fists, but his voice was reasonably calm when he asked, "When am I actually going to be an X-Man?"
"Magneto is our most deadly enemy," Xavier defended Scott's decision. "You've yet to be on a combat mission. This is not the one to start with."
"Bobby and Rogue might need you," Cyclops added, trying to give Peter something to focus on.
Peter nodded. He was clearly unhappy with the decision, but did not complain further.
"This might be the most important, and the most dangerous, mission any of you have ever been on," Xavier addressed the other four. "This will not be like Liberty Island. Magneto isn't trying to start a war, he believes we already are at war." He smiled sadly, focusing particularly on Scott and Jean. "I know I don't have to tell you to be careful."
The four X-Men exchanged glances, then nodded reassuringly at Xavier.
"Good luck," Xavier concluded. "And come back safely, my X-Men."