Disclaimer: AU to X3! Not making any money from this. Corrinth owns Stifle and Vixen, Blaze and Shockwave are mine, Marvel retains all rights to all other characters, all knowledge of US military comes from watching Stargate SG1!
Above and Beyond: Scene 14Out on the deck, Blaze had a perfect view of it all. By turning her head sharply to the right so much that her neck cricked, she could see the harbour lights surging closer. Panic overtook the men on deck. They forgot they were supposed to be torturing her and ran to the bow to see what was happening. Blaze took her opportunity and melted the tethers that held her to the post. Dropping her arms she briefly rubbed her sore wrists, then used a burst of her power to dry her sodden hair and uniform. Instantly feeling better she made a barefooted break for the cover of a helicopter on the deck and lay down under its belly to watch what came next.
The whole ship shivered and heaved like it was going to vomit, still racing on until the lights of Seattle closed about them. The ship finally succumbed to the forces of magnetism accosting it. Ever so slowly, and to the accompanying sound of sucking water, the ship started to lift out of the ocean. Some bright spark let loose the anchor mechanism, trying to halt the ship. Not only did it have no effect, it also appeared to mildly annoy Magneto. The pragmatic mutant terrorist simply turned the anchor in the air and tossed the metal object onto the deck. Its crashing impact crushed two GRSO men who could not move in time.
Blaze could only marvel at the majestic use of what must be incredible amounts of power. She caught sight of Magneto himself only briefly as he called the ship to him, standing on a rooftop in his cape and helmet. He had his hand extended out in the air, and Blaze could just about make out an expression of utter concentration. The colossal vessel flew over the city streets, dripping water as it passed around taller tower blocks. Then, just as Blaze was beginning to think Magneto had run out of ideas, he put the ship down. It was difficult to land a million tonnes worth of ship gracefully, especially on top of a municipal court building. The building was crushed as Magneto presented his evidence to the world. The impact reverberated through the ship, knocking men to their knees. In the prison holding bay, equipment fell to the floor violently. Fortunately the trolley beds were bolted to the floor so their occupants were safe.
Still helpless to move, Wolverine waited as the side of the ship suddenly opened up like a wound. Fresh air rushed in to replace the recycled gases that served this low part of the vessel. The beds on which several Brotherhood members lay began to tremble. One after the other, Pyro, Avalanche and Quicksilver were removed unconscious from the gathering, the medical equipment ripped roughly from their bodies. Sabretooth followed, along with Blob on a large slice of deck plate, as he did not have a bed. No sooner had Blob been taken away than Logan found he could move again. He heaved a sign of relief, as the ship settled into a more natural position without the aid of Magneto's powers. All the X-Men were looking at him, bewildered and in pain. Shaking his head, Wolverine crossed the expansive room to examine Magneto's hole as a possible exit.
"Oh crap," Wolverine grouched to himself as he saw a crowd milling outside the ship. Make than less of a crowd and more of a mob really. Reporters, TV crews and who knew what else mingled as far as Logan could see. Their enthusiasm was undimmed by the pelting rain that now reached the streets. "Deja vu much…"
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General William Kincaid rushed back onto the deck like a flustered bull. His face was red, his nostrils flared, his breath panting and his mouth open showing a red tongue. Leaning over the side of the ship, he saw the Brotherhood cronies being tactically extracted by magnetism. He turned to yell orders at his men to open fire, only to find a warm hand over his mouth.
"If you so much as squirm like the worm on a hook you are," Blaze told him in his ear, "I will make Hell seem like a walk in the park on a mild summer's day for you, understand?" In case he didn't, Blaze put her other hand in the small of his back. Calling on her powers she made his uniform start to smoulder. She took her hand from his mouth to let him answer.
"Yes I understand," Kincaid snarled. Blaze didn't reply as she removed his gun from its holster and tossed it across the deck. Kincaid seized his moment, spinning round and lashing out at the young woman. He punched her three times to the stomach and chest, knocking all the breath from her. A blow across her jaw with his elbow knocked her to her knees. He started to kick her too, intent on murder. Blaze sensed when a kick to her ribs took him off-balance. She dropped and rolled on her right shoulder moving away from him. Letting her momentum carry her to her knees, Blaze raised her hands and blasted Kincaid with a flamethrower-like explosion of raw firepower.
The press didn't know whether to surge forwards or back away terrified as a flaming figure of a man plunged from the deck high above them. His fall seemed to take a very long time; flames trailing like a comet's tail behind him. Kincaid crashed to the ground with a loud thwack and a surge of flames. Wolverine snatched the moment of distraction, leading the X-Men from the ship and into the rain-washed streets. "Where's the jet?" Jubilee gasped, panicking. The confused faces of the X-Men turned this way and that, looking for their trusty safe haven.
"About that…" Logan started, getting a better grip on Iceman who he was half-carrying. Dell was supporting Scott whilst the rest helped each other.
"Over there!" Kurt exclaimed, pointing to a dark but familiar shape ahead of them; the X-Jet.
"How?" Logan asked, looking to Stifle who shrugged. #Ilehana?# Logan thought, and felt his partner chuckle inside his head.
#Not quite,# Professor Xavier announced over his daughter's mirth, #Ilehana is in Cerebro, where she was better placed to give you her medical opinion. She is also convincing our GRSO guards that I am still at the mansion.# The gangway of the jet was open for the X-Men, led by Logan and Bobby, to enter. From the pilot's seat Xavier turned his head to greet them with a warm smile, "Welcome on board."
There was a tender moment when Jubilee and Kitty embraced their mentor, Storm and Beast could be seen blinking back tears. Somehow for all of them, just being on the X-Jet and in the presence of Xavier was like a homecoming. It was an end to the nightmare. Logan and Stifle got everyone seats, before Wolverine took the co-pilot's seat.
"Between you and me Professor," Logan asked quietly, "Just how did you get the jet back? What with it being outta fuel and even I don't know quite where I um…landed it."
"An old friend returned it to me," Xavier answered. "Fortunately apart from being empty of fuel, the damage you did to it is merely cosmetic. Even so, I think Ilehana will have some strong words for you when we get home."
At that point, Charles looked out of the window, frowning at the gathered crowd of press under the shadow of the ship. The police had arrived and were trying to impose some kind of order. The flashing lights twinkled off the raindrops on the windscreen of the jet. FBI agents were just entering the schism through which the X-Men had just left. Ambulance crews were ready to take the rest of Kincaid's victims to hospital. Carefully Xavier encroached in each of the officials' minds. He encouraged their sense of duty, watering it until it blossomed. It would not be a permanent change of character, though he was well capable of such a feat, but it would for now override any immediate prejudices against mutants. He needed to ensure that every mutant the X-Men left behind would get all the treatment they needed to recover from their ordeal. As the emergency services went about their tasks with renewed vigour, Xavier was struck with a profound thought. It would take time, but perhaps what they found in that ship of horrors would teach them more about how mutants were still human than Xavier ever could.