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A week later, Nikki moved into one of the girls rooms. She shared it with Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Theresa Cassidy. Every few days she'd wake up and begin dry heaving. Doctor Jean Grey believed it was a virus that would eventually go away with some rest and fluids. After classes, Nikki would do homework with John in the Lounge and then watch some TV with him.
After dinner, John walked with her up to the room; kissing her good night he slapped her ass. She squealed and chased him down the hallway. Pushing him against the wall they made out. She returned to the room after hearing the giggles of her roommates. They stayed up for a while giggling and gossiping until they fell asleep.
She woke up to mass chaos. Theresa, nick-named Syren, mind numbing scream filled the school. Kitty phased through her bed and ran through the wall and Rogue managed to slip out of the room somehow. Nikki panicked and ducked behind her bed. The intruders shot Syren with some sedatives and were proceeding to pick her up. They aimed at Nikki and she clenched her eyes shot for the impact, but it never came. She sighed in relief when she saw Peter come to the rescue. He picked up Syren and motioned her to follow, which she gladly did.
A group of students had begun to escape in through a secret door that led outside the school grounds. She spotted Lance and Ray but John was no where to be found. Her heart raced and she prayed to anyone who would listen that he was alright. Running down the damp tunnel in her bare feet she couldn't help but let tears roll down her cheeks. They reached the end and stepped into the woods that had surrounded the school. She looked down the tunnel, searching for John, Bobby, or Rogue to come running down but no one came.
John ran down the hallway with some other students, looking for the escape door. He knew Peter had heard Syren and went to the girls' room so Nikki would be fine. He stopped in mid sprint when he heard Bobby's distressed cry call out to him.
"John! Have you seen Rogue?" he asked, breathing heavily.
John glanced around quickly, down the hallway he came and towards the retreating group, then shook his head.
"Bobby! John! You guys alright?" Rogue's southern accent called out. The two nodded and almost jumped out of their skins when they heard the glass of the big stained glass window shatter to the floor. Soldiers swarmed in and charged down the hall. The trio ran down the hallway and slipped around the corner, to be greeted by Logan. He hushed them and listened for the near silent steps of the men. Suddenly, he stabbed one soldier through the foot with his metal claws.
"Are the other's alright?" Logan asked as they all ran down the hall way.
"I think so. We saw some of them get out." Rogue answered.
Bobby and John found the escape door again, John getting in first and Bobby pushing Rogue in.
"Wait! We have to help him." She said, meaning Rogue. The familiar pain of disappointment had stung into his heart but he knew he had to help. Logan was talking to a man whose identity was being concealed by the blinding light behind him. It appeared he was trying to lure Logan away from the trio. Bobby placed a hand on the wall and forming a thick wall of ice between the soldiers and Logan. Rogue ran up to him and pulling on his arm, beckoning him to come. He obeyed and they all slipped through the escape door, shutting the wall behind them.
They ran down the tunnel and into the garage. That's when that shiny midnight blue car caught his eye. He was grateful that Goggles (nick-name for Cyclops) hadn't decided to take this car. Rogue sat in the front passenger seat and Bobby behind her. John went for the driver seat but Logan placed a hand on the door before he could open it.
"Maybe in a few years, junior." He said, making John scowl but reluctantly obey and getting in the back. The car peeled out the garage and down the huge drive way, John looking back hoping Nikki was fine and staring at the silhouette of her car as it disappeared from view.
"Where are we going?" he asked, leaning into his seat.
"Jean and Storm said they were going to Boston, so I guess that's where we're heading." Logan said, eyes intensely fixated on the street as they sped down it.
Bobby's eyebrows furrowed and he looked up in realization, "My parents live in Boston."
"Great, that's where we will be making a pit stop then." Logan said. He played with a little gadget that was shaped like and X.
John fidgeted in his seat, the silence beginning to aggravate him. "I hate uncomfortable silences." He stated, leaning forward and pressing the button for the radio. They all winced in pain as "Bye, Bye, Bye!" from N'Sync came on, Logan scrambling for the radio button while muttering something about 'Goggles being a fairy'.
(In the woods)
The students found the X Shelter. It was a wooden shed that was located in what appeared to be a camping site. Peter put down an unconscious boy and looked inside. He smiled, stepping in and taking out some tents. The tents had plugs that went into the shed.
"That's not a shed," one of the students shouted out, "It's a power house!"
Peter and some of the guys set up the tents as Nikki helped some of the younger students. They were scraped and bruised but nothing too serious. Syren and the little boy woke up a little while after. Nikki noticed the four girls who attacked her about a week ago were no where to be found. She noticed that there were only about 15 or 20 students here also.
"Where are the others?" She asked, placing a slender hand on Peter's shoulder.
"The soldiers grabbed some of them while some of the other students went out different escape routes to different safety areas." He said, poking at the makeshift fire. She sat down on a large stone, staring into the small flame. Rubbing her upper arms, she began to cry. Peter rubbed her back, brotherly.
"Shh… it's ok. You shouldn't let the younger ones see you like this. They'll panic."
"I'm sure they know just how much shit we are all in by now." She said sniffling. "I just hope that John is alright…" She said biting her lip and picturing his face smirking at her. She could almost hear him telling her to stop acting like a baby and that he'll be fine. Lance came up to her, sitting next to her on her right.
"He'll be fine. Knowing John, he probably fried those bozos into oblivion." He said. She smiled at him, nodding and wiping the corners of her eyes.
"He's more worried about you then you are of him, most likely." Peter said. She watched the students start to settle in their sleeping bags and zipping up their tents. Peter and Lance said goodnight and went into there tents. Nikki stayed up pacing in front of the fire and rubbing her arms. Clenching her fists she began to get angry at John for not being there with her to assure her that everything would be ok. She shocked herself on how close she had felt with him over such a short period of time. He was her one and only love and nothing would ever change that. Not even death.
She went into the shed and found a radio and some batteries, plus some flashlights. She sat down with the radio in her lap, leaning against a tree. Placing the batteries in the radio, she fumbled with the channels, keeping the volume down so that none of the other students would wake up. Comforted by the music and the dwindling of the flame, she fell into a restless slumber.
John watched the sun rise up over the horizon. He felt anxiety building in his stomach. He missed Nikki's warm body curling up by his side. He remembered, about two days ago, they had got into there first argument.
(Flashback)
The couple were reading through a news paper looking for an article to do for there history assignment around midnight. It was a romantic scene, curled on the couch with two oil lamps. The room was just bright enough to read in. John had found an article that was debating on whether mutants were a 'red alert' danger or not. The reporter had questioned political leaders, celebrities, and just some random citizens. Majority wanted mutants to have some way of identifying, like a star on there license or a government list.
Nikki believed that mutants shouldn't have to hide, that mutants shouldn't have to be afraid of regular people. John argued saying that people gave mutants the right to be afraid of everyone else and that if they had to identify themselves through their license then things would eventually get worse, probably to the point where they would have to wear tags on their shirts. He got up and started yelling about how people and mutants just needed to learn how to live in peace. Anger was building in him and the flame from the lamps growing dangerously.
"You're sounding like the professor! Humans and mutants will never leave in peace! Don't you see? There is still racism going around. It's been centuries and has taken too long to get to this point with that! How long do you believe it will take for them to get 'used' to us!" He shouted, grabbing hold of her shoulders, his tightened hold growing with his anger. The flame roared over the glass of the lamps. The reflection was glistening against the fixed fish tank, and Nikki met his glare.
She grinding her teeth; sweat was rolling down the sides of her face from the flame circle around them. The fish tank shattered and the water met the flame, intertwining and extinguishing it, leaving the room in darkness.
"I'm sorry…" He said hugging her. She blinking and wrapped her arms around him. She never saw him like that and hoped never to see him like that again.
(End flashback)
He felt bad for blowing up on her like that, but it also showed him she could deal with it. He stared out the window, wondering if she was ok. He hoped she wasn't captured with the other students. He wouldn't know what to do if they tortured her like they did with Logan. Actually, he knew what he would do. He would kick down the door and BBQ their asses.
His thoughts were interrupted when they pulled up to Bobby's house. It was alright. Not too big and not too small. The garden outside looked professionally done. They walked inside; Logan stayed downstairs and searched the fridge while the teens changed out of their pajamas. John went through Bobby's clothes, which were mostly jeans and turtle necks, but he managed to find a long sleeved brown shirt. Bobby found some of his mother's old clothes and brought them to Rogue.
When the three were done they walked downstairs to see Bobby's family, staring at Logan as if his hair was on fire. Bobby pulled them into the living room he and Rogue sitting on one couch, his father looking out the window, his mother sitting in the chair next to Bobby, Logan leaning against the kitchen doorframe and John leaning against the wall flicking at his lighter worrying about Nikki.
His thoughts were interrupted when Bobby's mother glared at him and asked him to stop. Confused at first he looked down and did a mental 'oh…' then slid his lighter into his pocket. He grinned madly when Ronny, Bobby's younger brother, stomped up the stairs after finding out Bobby was a mutant. He wanted to torch the kid and the thought of his form running around in circles engulfed with flames made him want to laugh. He couldn't help but put in the fact that it's been scientifically proven that the mutant gene is passed on through the father. He smirked at the look he received.
Logan looked up at the sounds of sirens. "We got company!" They all stood up, John glaring at the staircase. Everyone knew it was Robert, or whatever the punk-ass kid's name was. John swore that if fate gave him a second chance and he ever saw that kid again he would torch him until all that was left was ashes.
"Come out with your hands up, mutants!" one cop called out from a megaphone. The four stepped out onto the porch, Logan made the mistake of forgetting to retract his claws. "Put the knives down!"
"I can't," he said calmly, "Look…" He raised his arms up slowly, and then retracted them. The cop on the right freaked, shooting by mistake but got Logan right between the eyes. Rogue screamed.
"Get down on the ground." The female cop commanded from her side of the porch, behind the bushes. Rogue and Bobby obediently dropped to the ground, lying on their stomachs. John stayed standing staring her down.
"C'mon kid, we don't want to hurt ya'"
"You know about the dangerous mutants on TV?" he said flicking his lighter and staring at the flame. 'This is for you, Nikki. I told you they hated us…' he thought to himself before looking up at the cops with his dark, hateful, eyes. "I'm the worst one." He grinded his teeth and in one fluid motion, shot flame towards the cop who shot Logan then turned and did the same to the second. Flame flew inside and blew out any one in its path. He blew up the cop cars parked in the drive way and the ones that were 'coming to the rescue.'
Suddenly, he felt his power being pulled from him, down into his ankle and out. He glared down at Rogue, who was holding his ankle with her bare hand and putting out the fires. The X jet landed in front of the lawn on the street, Rogue running up to the jet and was followed by Bobby, who looked back sadly at his family knowing it was probably the last time he would see them. John was shoved down the steps roughly by Logan, John not fighting back because he was astonished Logan was even standing, and so was the cop who stopped him.
As they took off, John was scolded for his behavior, but he wasn't paying attention. He was staring at the blue tailed mutant crouching in the seat behind him. The blue mutant smiled at him, just smiled at him, with a kindness so rare in mutants or humans. John turned back in his seat and thought of Nikki again. She would have been upset with him too. But she wouldn't have nearly sucked the life out of him to fix it. He wished she was here so badly.
Every ones' thoughts were interrupted by the sudden voice of an army pilot who was flying beside them, ordering them to take the jet down and land it. Either Jean or Storm answered, obviously refusing to give into the other pilots' threats. The two army jets fell back, everyone stiffened in their seats. Fear came over the mutants when the other pilots locked onto the X jet. Storm tried to escape by creating a storm of numerous tornados. She managed to get one pilot to evacuate but the other was persistent. The last pilot managed to get a target and fired two missiles before evacuating. Jean concentrated hard but only got one missile to blow up. The second hit the X jet, right behind the passengers' seats. Rogue wasn't able to get her seat belt on and was propelled out the gaping hole.
"ROGUE!" Bobby cried out. The rest of the passengers' mouths agape, either not comprehending the situation or not knowing what to do. John almost swore that Logan was shaking with grief. The blue mutant 'poofed' and disappeared then reappeared with Rogue clinging to him in his arms. Everyone was relieved for a moment, until the jet was hurdling toward the ground. The jet slowed then stopped about 20 or 30 feet off the ground and everyone stared down at Magneto and Mystique.
(Back in the woods)
Nikki woke up, screaming. She was breathing heavily and sweating. She regained her composure; other students realized she had woken from a nightmare. And what a nightmare it was. In her dream, everything was dark and she was alone. All she heard was maniacal laughter and flame circling her. She screamed out for help, but began to fall. She landed onto the soft grass outside the Xavier school for the Gifted Youth. She saw a young woman, around her age, turned away from her. She was talking to Rogue and Logan who were smiling happily and holding hands. She waved to them but they couldn't see her. Nikki walked up to them and waved a hand in front of their faces but they still didn't see. They smiled and pointed downward at the woman. Nikki looked down and saw that the woman was pregnant. She slowly looked up and saw that the woman's face mirrored her own; it was Nikki who was pregnant. Suddenly she was somewhere else, outside and it was lightly snowing. She saw a white helicopter taking off and saw John's face in the window. And that's when she woke up.
"You ok?" Peter asked.
"Yea you look pale." Piped in a small 13 year old girl. Nikki blinked and shook her head. She waved them away and told them she needed to take a walk. She found a small river, not more then 15 feet wide, with salmon swimming happily up stream. She sat down at the edge and formed a bubble around one of the salmon. It swam around in circles, searching for a way to escape.
"Life's not fair is it…? You see I, well I, might never see John again." She said, her voice low and mournful, "And you," she almost chuckled, "May never see your family again…Oh you…" She laughed about to throw the poor salmon clear across the river and meet its death on the dry rocks, but she stopped. "Why should you suffer for my scornful mood…?" She said, letting go of the bubble with her power and allowed the fish to splash into the water and swim away to join its brethren.