Authors Note: I worte the first chapter of this a while back and it really didn't go anywhere but over the last few weeks, this is what has been running around in my head. Thought i'd give it a go and see if it was any good.

Her hand lingered on the polished old-fashioned doorknob. Her fingers had been there for the past few minutes due to her hesitance to enter the room. It had been a few months since she'd been in this specific room and the last time was only for a few seconds as she placed something to remember her old mentor by. A couple of students passed in the hall and she finally built up the courage to enter the room. The curtains had never been closed and there was plenty of light in the room. As she walked through the room towards the desk in the bay window, she remembered the last time she and the professor had really talked.

Storm missed him so much, but she could still hear him giving her advice on certain situations in her head. She didn't know exactly what that was but she presumed it was just her subconscious helping her with her grieving. As Storm got closer to the desk, she noticed a white envelope on the desk with her name written on it. She instantly recognised the professor's handwriting. She tore open the letter and began reading.

Dear Ororo,

If you reading this, then what I suspected would happen has happened and I am no longer with you. But remember, I am still with you in mind as always. I know you will look after the school and the students while I'm gone. However, I have a couple of things that I would like you to look at. In a few weeks, I need you to go and see Moira McTagget at her medical facility in Scotland. She will have something for you that will be quite important. I also need you to do some recon work on a facility on the outskirts of Alaska. I have noticed a large amount of humans and mutants go into this facility and for them to disappear completely from Cerebro. They seem to vanish very slowly from me and they show a lot of pain. I have left details about this in Cerebro for you. Take caution with this Storm, I sense something dangerous about this place and I'd hate for you to get hurt.

And remember, I am always with you!

Charles Xavier

Logan snarled as he dug his claws into the stomach of another brotherhood member. He watched as his opponent fell to the floor with the three distinctive marks cut into his flesh, which were very quickly flooding with an all too familiar crimson liquid. The man then disappeared and so did his surroundings as the computer announced the end of the simulation. Logan turned to the line of younger people stood on the opposite side of the room.

"Class dismissed," The children gave him an awkward applause and began filtering out of the room. Logan walked over to a nearby bench and picked up a small towel that had earlier been flung onto it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and his neck before hearing the familiar sound of the metal doors opening behind him. He looked round and saw Storm enter the room very slowly. She had a piece of paper in her hand that she could not tear her eyes away from which had been silently crying tears since she entered the room.

"Storm?" Logan asked across the room. She did look up but only for a second as she ushered him over to her. When he was close enough, she handed him the letter and he quickly read it before handing it back to Storm.

"What do you think we should do Logan?" She asked, still trying to fight back the tears caused by the loving words written on the letter in front of her. Logan thought about it for a moment.

"You go to Scotland, Me and the kids will check out this facility," He said quietly. All she could do was nod her head and watch as Logan headed out the door of the Danger Room.

Storm relaxed into the first class seat of the AA185 flight from New York to Glasgow. She took another sip of her champagne and placed it back onto the tray in front of her before quickly glancing round the other passengers. Just the plain old first class passengers, business people talking about deals and even the few passengers who had forked out a little more money to get the better seats. There were quite a few empty seats but that just added to the luxury of the flight. She rested against the headrest and closed her eyes before gently falling asleep.

Logan walked through the thick forest covered in snow towards the facility that the Professor had mentioned in his letter. He looked over his shoulder making sure that the team was still behind him. Kitty was staying as close as she could to him, followed closely by Piotr and Bobby. Rouge was at the back just trying to keep up with the rest. She had voluntarily taken the cure but she had been regretting over the past few weeks as Bobby had become distant and spending a lot less time with her. Logan had asked her if she wanted to come with them and she had agreed instantly. Storm and Hank had decided it best for her not to be involved with any of the mission in case she got hurt. She had of course, argued that she would have gotten hurt even with her powers, both Storm and Hank thought it for the best. Logan sensed she had been a little stifled about not being a member of the team anymore, so he had decided she could come along if she wanted. Logan reached up and pushed a few branches away to reveal the facility a few hundred feet away from them. It was a dark and run down building with looked like it was abandoned a long time ago. Logan couldn't see anyone near it or smell anything. The others looked round him and also looked down at the facility before slowly heading closer to it. They were all on their guard as they cross the snow plains toward the building, making sure that nobody saw them. A very distinctive smell began to fill the air in which Logan stopped in his tracks. Death. The air stunk of death but surprisingly no smell of blood. Just death. Suddenly he was very reluctant to enter but forced himself inside.

He watched as the last one of them entered the building from his place among the trees. He moved the binoculars from his eyes before they evaporated into the air.

"Mutants," He growled.

"Think they'll be a problem?" She asked from the next tree.

"More of a distraction, I hope," He answered back.

"She is one of them, maybe that's why their here?"

"Either way, we have to get her out of there. I will not have them do to her what they did to me," There was a silence between them for a few minutes.

"Do you want me to come with you this time?" She heard him sigh. He always did that while he was thinking.

"No, I don't want you getting hurt," He dropped from the tree and landed softly in the snow. She looked down at him slightly disappointed and followed him to the ground. He looked back and saw sadness in those silvery eyes of hers. He walked closer to her and slowly reached for her hand. He pulled it up and kissed the back of it. She smiled instantly. "I'll be ok. I'll be back before you know it," They both smiled and he disappeared into the distance.

Kitty really didn't like this place. It reminded her of the escape tunnels in the mansion. Dark and very humid. She continued to walk along the quite corridors and finding nothing. They had split up into smaller groups and she had been paired with Piotr, which she was more than happy with. Colossus was someone who could be trusted and he was always honest with her. She and Piotr had been friends since they first met. Although he constantly towered over her and he was heavily built, he was as soft as a brush all the time. She looked back and saw him walking a few feet behind him, trying to silence his steps on the paved floor. They came to a corner in the corridor and found a few empty rooms that looked like detention cells with the rusted bars covering the windows and the doors. Kitty stopped and had a good look around one of the rooms. She noticed something in the corner of the room. Something that was newer compared to the rest of the room. Piotr stood in the doorway and watched as Kitty reached down to the ground and picked up a small doll from the floor. Because of the light she knew it was a doll, but couldn't see anything definitive about it until she got a closer look. As soon as she touched it, she noticed it was damp and pulled her fingers away. She looked at the tips of her fingers and noticed they were covered in a red liquid. Blood. Her eyes widened and she instantly dropped the doll. She had let out a little yelp just as the doll hit the floor. Piotr was straight to her side.

"What's wrong Kitty?" He asked. She hadn't taken her eyes off the blood on her hands.

"That's things drenched in blood," She quickly pointed to the doll. There was a scuffling noise behind them and they both instantly shot round but saw nothing except the darkened corridor. "What's going on?" She whispered to Piotr. She took a step back and stood behind Colossus.

"Oh this is not good," He said as he looked over his shoulder. "My powers aren't working,"

"What?" Kitty asked quietly. The cell door suddenly snapped shut causing them both to jump and face the front of the cell. Kitty then began to hear some very heavy breaths from behind her. She slowly turned and saw a set of red eyes peering at her from the darkness. A figure jumped from the darkness slamming into Colossus and knocking his head against the bars of the cell. Piotr was out cold on the floor and the figure stood and turned towards Kitty. She began to panic and sprinted towards the wall as she normally would to try and escape. Her hands slammed against the wall as she felt the rough grain of the brick against her fingers. She suddenly realised that her powers weren't working either. She could feel the figure watching her and she didn't want to turn towards it. She began to shake as she swallowed the saliva in her mouth. She slowly turned towards the centre of the cell and saw the figure was standing over her just as Piotr did. She began to cry and whimper as the figure's hand reached towards her.

"You're a pretty little thing," He said is a very dark and heavy voice. She felt the sharp edge of his fingernails cut into her cheek. I wasn't long before she felt her own blood trickle down her face. He leaned forward and opened his mouth when he got close to her neck. A single blade appeared through his chest stopping just a few inches from Kitty's nose. Her attacker screamed in pain as another figure appeared over his shoulder looking down at Kitty. She met his look and saw the most beautiful silver eyes. The blade twisted and it retreated back through his chest as he fell to his knees. Silver eyes then tilted his head back by the hair and placed a smaller blade across his throat.

"Alas ste deto?" Silver eyes asked without looking down. The man on his knees whimpered and said nothing. Silver eye's yanked back his head even further and raised his voice. "Fanos! Alas ste deto?" After a few seconds he spoke up.

"Drasta, sami som casta" Silver eyes lifted the blade from his throat and took a step away from him.

"Gactri hest," Silver eyes then picked him up and slammed him against the wall before pulling the sword from his side and digging in right through the mans throat. Kitty watched as the man gripped his throat before he began screaming. Kitty's eyes widened as he burst into ash and dissolved into the air. He placed his sword back into the sheave at his side and turned to Kitty. She was in shock. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her attacker had just disintragated into thin air and now there was no trace of him. Nothing. No body or blood. Nothing. She wasn't aware of the fact that she had slid down and was now sat on the floor. She was still looking at the empty spot on the floor when she realised he was speaking to her. "Wert hest ti?" Kitty looked up at him.

"What?" She asked quietly. He smiled at her to try and reassure her.

"Are you ok?" He asked. "Did he bite you?" He lifted his hand and lightly moved her head from side to side to get a clear look at her neck. He spotted the cut on her cheek and he knew a nail and not a tooth had caused it. "That's gonna leave a nice scar," She reached up and touched her cheek. He looked over at Piotr who was still down on the floor. "I'm guessing by your reaction to what just happened, that you had no idea what to expect when you came here," Kitty nodded as he reached down helped her to her feet. She brushed herself off and took a good look at him. He was tall and built. Not as built as Piotr but he still looked strong. His dark hair was gelled back and his once silver eyes were now a dark brown, almost black. He was wearing a black leather trenchcoat that looked brand new and underneath was a dark blue shirt. Not a T-shirt, a sort of dress shirt and his trousers matched it, as they weren't jeans or slacks. They were more like dress trousers. Kitty didn't know exactly how to describe them, as they were made of thin material like cotton. All she knew is that they were black and not jeans. As the rest of him seemed to be casual, the boots he wore, where of cause black but they were steel tip but on the outside. The metal had been formed round the outside of the boot and created flames a little down the side. At the very front of the boot was a little rectangle hole in the metal. She thought that it might be broken but why would it be on both boots. He must have sensed she was still a little apprehensive about him as he held out his gloved hand. "The names James," He said as he smiled. She gently took his hand and shook it.

"Kitty," He let go of her hand and looked down at the still unconscious Piotr on the floor.

"Who's your friend?" James lent down besides him and checked him over. "Sure is a big fella" Kitty closed the gap between them and lent down beside Piotr.

"His names Colossus," James looked up at her and laughed.

"Colossus? What's his real name?" He pulled something out of his pocket and pull off the lid before shaking it below Piotr's nose. Piotr instantly woke up although his eyes took a while to adjust so he could see again. He heard Kitty say his name.

"Piotr, Colossus is his codename," She was smiling down at him. The stranger next to her reached over and helped Piotr to his feet and made sure he could balance. Piotr looked up at the stranger and saw him shake his head before snorting a laugh.

"Mutants," He turned towards the cell door. "You guy's haven't seen a girl around 17 years with short brown hair with blonde streaks in it have you?" Kitty and Piotr looked at each other puzzled.

"No, we haven't seen anyone like that," He turned back towards the corridor with a sigh. "If you know were mutants, why won't our powers work?"

"These cells are infected with a neural energy that is suppose to make humans docile, unfortunately for the few mutants that get brought here, they lose control of their powers," When he was out in the corridor, he turned back towards them. "Your powers are still there, you just can't control them. If you come out into the corridor, they'll return to you in a couple of minutes," Piotr and Kitty both slowly crept out into the corridor and instantly felt the difference. James smiled at them as he saw the signs of relief on their faces.

"So what are you doing here?" Piotr asked as he felt his power return to him.

"I'm here for the same reason you are," Kitty and Piotr both looked at each other, once again in bewilderment. "To rescue the mutant who was kidnapped a few months ago," With that he turn back and began walking down the long dark corridor. Once again Kitty and Piotr looked at each other before following him down the corridor. "So what's with the leather outfits?" He said as he looked over his shoulder while still walking down several corridors.

"Their uniforms," Kitty answered.

"Uniforms? So mutants are going on parade now?" He answered as they stepped up to a heavy looking metal door. He looked at the hinges that were cast steel and began tapping them with his fingers while listening to the sound.

"No were X-Men," Piotr said from behind him. James stopped and looked back at them with a confused look on his face.

"X-Men?" He snorted a laugh. "Sounds a like an old comic book or an action movie or something," He went back to checking out the door. "Maybe a Saturday morning cartoon," He quickly glanced over his shoulder to see a not so happy Kitty with her arms folded over her chest while she tapped her feet obviously annoyed at his comments.

"Do you need some help with that door?" She asked in a stern voice. A smile spread across his face.

"Nah, I think I know a quick way through it," His eyes turned back into silver as he placed both hands on the door. He looked back at them and continued to smile as Kitty and Piotr watched him slowly phase through the door until he was gone. Piotr slowly looked over at Kitty whose mouth was hanging open. She had never met anyone with her abilities before nor heard of any mutant with the same abilities as her. When the Professor had come to recruit her to the school, he had called her unique and she had taken that to mean that her powers were one of a kind.

"Who is this guy?"

Kitty slowly reached for Piotr's hand and guided him through the thick door. The other side of the door was a completely different place. It was a lot newer than the outside. The walls were layered with silk white tiles and the floors were polished marble. The room was filled with brand new lab equipment and restraint tables. Scattered around were a few scientists wearing white coats. However they were all staring at James who was stood in the centre of the room. Some of them were shaking and but still holding their stares on him. James pulled the sword from his side and held it just before him.

"Alas ste deto?" He asked again in that tongue neither Piotr nor Kitty could understand. A few of the scientists looked at each other but nobody said anything. "Where is she?" He asked again, switching back to English. A young girl with red hair, who was stood just a few feet from James, lifted up her arm and pointed down a corridor on the far side of the room. "Good, everyone out," he pointed over his shoulder towards the door they had just came through. There were a few moments of complete silence before everyone started running from the room. James quickly grabbed the young red headed girl before she ran off too. "Not you sweetheart," He waited until the room was clear before he spoke again. "Show me the girl," He pointed down the corridor and she slowly began walking towards it with James just behind her. James signalled for Kitty and Piotr to follow him and they did without question.

The corridor was well lit along the sides as they continued to walk down it. "Why is this facility here?" James asked the girl who seemed to be guiding them somewhere.

"It is a research and development facility," She came to another metal door and she quickly entered the code into the nearby keypad and the door slid open. She stepped through it and into what looked like another cellblock. "We are in charge of developing new breeds of the species,"

"Still trying to play god then?" James asked as he stepped into the room. She looked back at him.

"They created you didn't they, A single being comprising of all three gene strands. All the strengths, none of the weaknesses. I think creating god's is a better description," She quickly smiled at him as only James shook his head at her. He took a few steps closer to her as Kitty and Piotr looked on. He stared down at her with a dead look in his eyes.

"I still have my weaknesses. I'm still bearing the marks of my cursed past, and you people made me this way,"

"I regret my part in the project now but you're still a great accomplishment," James let out a sigh when she had finished speaking. He glanced round the room at the silvery bars and began wandering round the room noting the different dogs that inhabited the different cells.

"What do you mean 'accomplishment'?" Piotr asked. The redheaded girl looked back at them and snorted a laugh. James passed each of the cells kind of like he was inspecting them. He walked past one cell and instead of a dog like on either side, there was young girl laid in one of the back corners of the cell. When he realised who it was, he gripped the bars and he used his strength to rip the cell door from its hinges before dropping it to the floor. Kitty stared at the slightly bent metal door that lay on the floor a few feet from her. James' strength was unbelievable. The door had come off as if it was never attached to the wall. She continued to watch as James stepped inside and carefully stepped up to the girl. She wasn't moving and her eyes were closed. James carefully pushed her onto her back and quickly glanced over her body. The light blue surgical gown didn't leave a lot to the imagination from the way it was a little too small for her. She looked about 17 and had the short brown hair with the occasional blonde highlight which came down to the start of her neck. As he looked at the slightly blood soaked tips of her hair, he then noticed the white bandage on her neck.

"Oh god…" He instantly knew what lied underneath but there was something in the back of his head that hoped that she had been cut trying to fight back or escape. He reached down and slowly pulled the bandage off to reveal the all too familiar blood soaked marks on her neck. "I'm too late," James placed the bandage back over the marks and slowly pulled her up before placing her over his shoulder. She didn't wake up and was completely limp. It wasn't until he lifted her that he realised what her mutation was. Growing out of her back was a small set of white-feathered wings like an angel only smaller. They were both about a half a metre long across the top. They were big enough to notice but James doubted they were too small to use to actually fly. Some of the snow white feathers were soaked in the blood just at the tips probably picked up from the floor while she was dragged back to her cell. He made sure he held his arm around her waist as he lifted her up and slumped her over his shoulder. He stepped out of the cell making sure not to hit her head on anything as he passed the metal bars. "When was she bitten?" He asked to the red headed girl as he pulled a clipboard from the nearby wall.

"About two hours ago," She answered as she walked towards a mounted box on the wall. She pulled a small set of keys from her pocket and picked out a smallish key to open the box. She pulled out some small vials containing a red liquid. She walked up to James and lifted the vials so he could see them. "This is a very powerful pain killer called Bandilzine. Inject her with it when she starts to convulse during the change and it should stop her from feeling too much pain," James looked at her hands that carried the vials.

"You're not a familiar are you?" James asked as she pushed the vials into his inside jacket pocket. As she pulled back her empty hands, she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a small tattoo above her wrist. Just a couple of lines and a few dots marked in black and red ink.

"I never asked for this mark, it was forced upon me when they murdered my family," She covered her arm back up and went over to a computer desk. James began to walk over and as he passed Kitty, he gave her a quick smile and passed her the clipboard. Just as James continued onto the desk, Piotr heard a garbled message in his ear. He lifted his hand to his ear in attempt to hear the message.

"Everyone fall back, we've been met with heavy resistance," Logan shouted over the comms. Piotr looked over at Kitty who gave the same response. "Rouge's already back at the jet and she's gonna fly low over the facility to pick us up," James stared down at the surveillance screens in front of him and saw the other group of mutants pulling back out of the facility and into the open snowy fields next to the facility. He looked over at Piotr and Kitty and smiled.

"Time to go," James quickly readjusted the young girl still draped over his shoulder making sure he would be able to run without hurting her. The red head stood up from her seat behind the desk and entered the code to open the door. The door slid open as she looked back at James who was standing between Kitty and Piotr.

"James, if it's alright with you," The girl with the red hair stared at the ground to avoid his gaze. "I'd like to come with you and take care of the girl. I've got to get away from this place and start new," Unaware she had began to pace backwards and forwards across the room she continued explaining the different reasons. "But I will need your protection. I'll be a traitor to them and I won't last long on my own. Plus I'm an expert on genetics; I could help you and the girl develop into your minds and develop your skills," Although she didn't fully understand the situation, Kitty felt genuinely sorry for the girl and looked up at James who's facial expression hadn't changed at all in the last two or three minutes. James notice Kitty's stare and gave her a quick glance to kind of ask her to try and shut the girl up. Although Kitty was concentrating on James, the girl was still nattering away. Eventually James sighed and threw up his hand to try and get her to shut up.

"If I take you, will you promise to shut up for a while," James said with a very serious look on his face. She stopped and a quick smile spread across her face. "What's your name?" James asked her as he turned to Piotr.

"Laura," She watched as James passed the unconscious girl to Piotr to carry. Piotr understood and carefully placed her over his shoulder. Once his hand was free, James pointed at Laura.

"Right, you go with them and make sure she's safe," James began to walk out the door. They watched for a few seconds before someone said anything.

"Where are you going?" Laura asked. James stopped and glanced over his shoulder back at them. All three of them were just staring at him.

"To do some damage and make sure they hear me," He slipped into the darkness. Once his figure had disappeared, Kitty and Piotr both turned and looked at Laura who quickly noticed their stares.

"How do you know him?" Kitty asked. Laura just smiled.

"That's a long story which I'll explain later," She turned and gave the girl slumped over Piotr's shoulder, a quick check of vitals signs before she turned back to Kitty. "But we need to get out of here before James gets us killed,"

Logan ran across the open plain towards the trees with Bobby just behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Bobby struggling to keep up. They had been running frantically for about 10 minutes. Firstly down a maze of narrow corridors and then across the field which was covered by about half a metre of snow. It hadn't snowed for days but the sheer coldness in the air kept the snow from melting. Logan was able to cope with the snow but Bobby wasn't as sure footed as Logan. His feet just continued to sink into the snow with every step he took. He's was practically exhausted and his breathing had begun to show it. Logan stopped and turned back muttering something under his breath.

"Come on Ice cube, we've got to get out of here," Logan said as he reached Bobby's side to try and help him. They both heard the shouting behind them. Kitty and Piotr were running towards them. The first thing Logan noticed was Piotr seemed to be carrying somebody over his shoulder. There was also an extra girl with them who looked no older than Kitty. Logan was quickly distracted by the groups of armed men wearing balaclavas that were following them across the snow. "Guys hurry up," Logan grabbed Bobby and quickly threw him over his shoulder and quickly ran towards the trees, hoping to lose the men who were following him. But the men just kept getting closer and they quickly caught up with Kitty, Piotr and other girl. Logan placed Bobby onto the snow and began to run back towards them, hoping to fend the attackers off long enough for the kids to get back to the trees. As he got closer to them the all too familiar sound of metal quickly gliding against metal flashed through the air as he extended his claws. He roared and jumped up in the air to attack the closest attacker, when his body was thrown back by a force. When Logan hit the ground, he looked up and saw the research lab in flames. The smoke rose into the sky. It blocked out the stars of a clear night. The attackers, who had also been thrown back from the explosion, were pulling themselves back to their feet. They all stared at the burning building for a few seconds before turning back towards Logan and the other X-Men. They raised their guns towards them as one of them began to speak.

"Palie stom reja, kiacan saljas," Logan watched as an arm quickly grabbed the man's shoulder and pull him back forcing a blade through his chest.

"Not them, me," James pulled the blade from his opponents back and he fell to his knees while James moved and stood besides him. James looked down at the huddle of mutants on the snow as they met his gaze. He quickly smiled. "You guy's need some help?" He asked jokingly. The man on his knees just didn't move. He seemed completely paralysed. The other men around them started to shake and breathe heavily. They all pointed their weapons towards him and gingerly took a few steps backwards.

"It's him," One uttered under his breath. There were six of them in total including the man on his knees who still hadn't moved.

"It can't be. He was killed years ago!" Another said from beneath their mask. James' smile spread even more as he looked at each one of his enemies.

"Sorry to disappoint you boys but I'm still here," James said as he put his arms down by his side. Logan watched as something quickly materialised in his hands. They quickly took the form of two modified Desert Eagles. They just appear from nowhere. One second his hands were empty, the next they weren't. He lifted the guns and pointed them at one of their attackers. The sound it made when he squeezed the trigger was massive. It echoed twice across the open field before the shot hit its target. The target was flung backwards, off his feet from the very power of bullet tearing into his body. Before he hit the ground, his body melted into ash and disintegrated, scattering small embers across the snow. A few more bullets echoed across the field before all that was left of the attackers was the one on his knees. Logan and the others watched as James pushed his guns into the holsters that were strapped to his leg, just above his knees. James turned to the last man and simply looked down at him as he stood over him. The biting wind that blew across the field was blowing the bottom of his coat up revealing two smaller guns placed on the back of his belt around his waist. The sound of engines filled the air and the Blackbird flew other head and quickly descended to the ground. The ramp lowered and Rouge quickly ran out.

"Is everybody ok?" She asked as she ran up to them. They all nodded and looked back towards James who was still standing over the wounded man. However James was looking at him but over him at the horizon. He seemed to be sniffing the air like Logan did. He closed his eyes so that his senses could concentrate better. For a few seconds he heard nothing. Then his eye shot open as he heard the faintest click as a twig snapped under the weight of their feet in the wood to south of them.

"You hear them don't you Guardian?" The voice came from the wounded man kneeling before James. He had apparently regained some of his body movement. "The cavalry coming over the hill," James turned to Logan and the others.

"We have to get out of here and quickly," They all quickly took his advice and began piling into the blackbird. James stayed on the ground until the jet was ready for takeoff. Laura stood right behind him and watched as he placed two fingers into his mouth and blew a deafening whistle across the field. Laura had to cover her ears quickly to block it out. It was soon blocked out by the sound of the jet engines powering up. He turned and pushed Laura onto the plane. When they were inside James forced her into a seat and then turned towards Piotr who was making sure the unconscious girl was secured into a seat of her own. James took of his coat and covered the girl with it when he realised how cold she must be.

"She's going to be ok," Piotr said as he finished putting on her safety harness. James quickly glanced at him and then back at her.

"I'm not so sure," James answered as he began walking towards the pilot seat where Rouge was sat. She was pressing numerous buttons and switches preparing for the flight. James lent on the back of her chair and lean in slightly closer to her. "I take it your flying this thing then?" Rouge stopped and looked at him. "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Rouge," She answered quietly. James gave an awkward smiled while his eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Ok…just for the record. Your way too cute to be living with a codename like that. Can you leave the ramp open while you're in flight?" He asked as he pointed to the back of the plane. She quickly nodded her answer to his question while trying to hide the blush from his apparent flirting. "Alright, get as high as you can as fast as you can, I just need to see who's protecting this place," With that he walked off towards the back off the plane. Rouge watched him from her seat as he disappeared down the ramp. She was smiling at his back when she caught Bobby staring back at her with a very offended look on his face. Rouge sighed and pressed one last button before the jet roared and lifted off the ground. It climbed higher and higher as James stood on the lowered ramp as he stared down onto the fields. He held onto the hydraulic pump that controlled the ramp to sustain his balance. He looked back down into the woods and saw nothing until that one face stood out staring back at him. He instantly knew who it was. That devil look, the blood red eyes, the scar on his left side of his face that James had given him all those years ago. "Demitri," James heard his response perfectly over the roar of the engines.

"James, you have something that belongs to us,"

"She doesn't belong to you yet," James answered. Kitty walked up behind him and watched as James seemed to talk to himself. "She still has plenty of time to reject the virus," After a few seconds, James turned back and saw Kitty standing just a few feet from him. He just sighed and shook his head. The bullet ripped through the air and his flesh penetrating deep into the back of his left shoulder. James was straight down to his knees, gripping the front of his shoulder and screaming in pain. Laura heard the scream and quickly unbuckled her safety belt before scampering to James's side with Logan just behind her. She quickly laid him down on his back and tore off the sleeve of his jacket. She rolled him onto his side and quickly examined the wound. Kitty and Logan helped her hold him still as he had begun to shake violently like a fit.

"It looks like a hollow-point round," Laura said as she rolled him onto his back before reaching for a nearby medical kit on the wall. "From the reaction he's having it must have been filled with either silver or a silver nitrate," She opened the kit and pulled out a needle and a small bottle. She filled the needle with the clear liquid before placing the bottle back into the kit. She tore open James' shirt revealing his stomach and chest. They watched as Laura quickly plunged the needle through his chest and into his heart. James stopped convulsing a few seconds later and didn't move for a while after.

"Get us out of here!" Laura shouted to Rouge behind the pilot seat. "We've got to get to somewhere safe," Rouge quickly raised the ramp and increased the Jet to full speed. Laura stood up as did Kitty and Logan.

"Is he going to be ok?" Kitty asked. She looked down at her saviour that seemed to just be sleeping on the floor next to her feet.

"He's going to be just fine," Laura said as she turned to sit on a nearby bench. The plane suddenly hit some turbulence, causing her to lose her footing and fall. As she fell, she cracked her head against the metal seats. Kitty quickly ran over to her and lifted Laura's head to find her also unconscious. She and Logan rolled her onto her side.

"Rouge, get us back to the mansion," Logan shouted. He turned to Kitty who was just making sure Laura couldn't swallow her tongue. "We have three people, all we know nothing about and all unconscious. Great," He slowly walked back to his seat. He obviously wasn't happy about having strangers in the mansion especially since Striker's attack on their home. Kitty sighed and looked back at Laura before making herself comfortable on the seat nearest to the two people lying unconscious on the floor.

The flight back to the mansion took around an hour and it was pretty much done in silence. Rouge quickly landed the Jet and began powering it down. Piotr undid his safety harness and stood up, stepping over to the unconscious girl that James had entrusted him with earlier. She hadn't woken up and was still as limp as before. He undid her harness and lifted her over his shoulder before carefully walking over to where the other mutants had gathered around the other two unconscious people lied just near the exit ramp of the jet. Angel and a few others of the students had come out to meet them when they had heard the Jet arrive back at the school. They were all stood over them watching Logan as he picked up Laura's limp body and placed it over Angel's shoulder and Bobby helped to keep her stable so she didn't slip off. Logan turned and bent down to try and move James when he noticed his chest wasn't moving. Logan watched for a few more seconds to see if James would eventually take a breath but he didn't. He quickly reached down to James' neck and pressed his fingers against the skin. Logan couldn't feel anything. He felt the familiar urge of urgency rush to his head as he lowered his ear to James' chest to listen for his heartbeat.

"Is everything alright Logan?" Kitty asked. There was an eerie silence for a few seconds before Logan burst into action.

"Kitty, go get Hank! He's stopped breathing and I can't find a pulse,"

Authors: Please R & R and tell me what you think.