Chapter Fourteen:
Alkali Lake

The jet had landed in Alkali lake, hidden behind snowy trees with a great view of the mountains and I thought to myself that I would have enjoyed it more if it were under different circumstances. It was beautiful. There was a sparkling lake, tall tree, as mention before, that reminded me of Christmas and I could have sworn I saw a deer darting behind a bush.

"All right this is the Topographic map of the dam," Ms. Munroe said and I turned my attention towards the floating 3D hologram she was pointing to. We'd all gathered around it, including Magneto and Mystique but they had kept to the back, away from the rest of us. They seemed so out of place standing there, looking on, unfazed. "This is the spillway. You see these density changes in the terrain?" She clicked a button and suddenly the holographic map changed into something that looked like a tunnel with white lines coming in and out of the spillway, "They're tire tracks."

Pointing to the map, Mr. Logan announced, "That's the entrance."

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, tongue sticking out a little as she changed the map once again. "And this shows the depth of ice that's covering the ground. Now, this is the recent water activity," and the entrance of the tunnel and spillway were all deep blue.

"If we go in there," said Dr. Grey, who was sitting at the front of the jet, legs crossed and hands on her lap. She looked a little weary but determined. "Stryker could flood the spillway," she pointed out, voicing everyone else's thoughts.

Turning to Mr. Wager, Ms. Munroe asked him, "Can you teleport inside?"

He shook his head, apologetically. "No, I have to be able to see where I am going… otherwise I could end up inside a wall," he added with a nervous giggle, looking down at his hands.

"I'll go," Mr. Logan volunteered. My eyes darted in his direction and I found he was also looking at me. He looked a bit strained from what I had done to him and I could still feel that lingering anger and fear that I had left behind. There was this pain in my chest as I silently begged him not to go. However, it seemed he was determined and wouldn't back down. "I have a hunch he'll want me alive," he added and I wondered if he was trying to reassure me.

Stupid macho complex, I thought to myself. He'll want to dissect you!

"Wolverine," Magneto spoke up. "Whoever goes into the dam needs to be able to operate the spillway," he said, walking through the hologram and I watched it dissolve and come together in fascination. "What do you intend to do? Scratch it with your claws?

The anger in Mr. Logan could not be mistaken, but he hid it well on his face as he stepped towards the older mutant and held his chin out a little. "I'll take my chances."

Giving Mr. Logan an unimpressed looked, Magneto said, "But I wont," and turned to look over his shoulder at his exotic friend, who was still standing at the same spot as before, and then everyone seemed to understand.

The corners of lips curled a little as her eyes scanned everyone's face and the stopped on Mr. Logan's and then suddenly she was taking on his appearance, strange hair and all. If I hadn't known she was a shape-shifter, I would have thought she was the real deal.

I looked away from the impostor, unsettled, and turned to the real one. He didn't look very happy to have someone else looking like him, but he seemed to understand that it was the best chance those kids had to getting them out alive and unharmed. "Fine," he said, turning away.

"Okay," Ms. Monroe said, turning the hologram off. "Let's get to work.'

Before leaving the jet, Magneto and Mystique shared a look that I couldn't decipher. There were also a lot of mixed emotions as well. Either way, whatever it was he was telling her with his look, she seemed to understand because she smirked a little and walked out of the jet and into the freezing cold. Despite everything, I hoped that she'd make it out okay and in one piece. Who knows what Stryker would do if he had a shape-shifter.

"Hey," John nudged me as he took a seat beside me. He had been sitting beside Mr. Wagner before, while Ms. Monroe had been talking. Now, the rest of the adults had gathered around a screen and seemed to be monitoring something. "You okay?"

I was tired of people asking me if I was okay, but I wasn't going to get snippy about it. "Yeah," I nodded, smiling reassuringly, but on the inside I was screaming. Being so close to where that man was, was driving me up the wall. "How long do you think it'll take them to go in and out?"

He shrugged, "Don't know, but they're pretty well trained. Shouldn't take very long."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I agreed, trying very hard to do so. I had to keep reminding myself that they were well trained and had a very good handle of their powers from what I could see. They were probably used to this sort of thing and I would just have to deal.

I looked at John and smiled at him and, to my surprise, he returned it. It seemed that whatever trouble we'd had at the start and been resolved and I found myself becoming very comfortable in his presence, despite his love of fire. We'd become good friends in the last couple of days. The talk we'd had last night was proof of that. I was still a bit tired from lack of sleep.

"Stryker!" I heard a voice shout from behind me. It was loud, echo-y and I realized that it was Mr. Logan's voice, only he was still in the jet. Mystique, I realized. "Stryker!" She shouted again and I bit my thumbnail.

"Move or your dead," said an unfamiliar male voice and I could hear the distinct sound of clinking and clanking, along with other noises. Then there were some hushed tones, followed by shouting. "Seal the room! Step away!" I could hear grunting and groaning. Gunshots rang in my ears and I shook. They'd found her out, I thought, horrified. They were going to kill her!

"Mr. Logan--" I began, but was cut off by Magneto.

"She'll be fine," he said.

I looked away from them and my eyes wondered. Bobby winched as he heard the sound of gunshots, Marie holding his arm. Mr. Wagner had bowed his head, muttering something, most likely a prayer as he thumbed his rosary and John just sat in silence. I shook my head and listened on.

"We have a metemorph loose," said a very, very familiar voice and my inside ran cold. Stryker. I could never forget the sound of his voice. "Could be anybody." Something that sounded like an object hitting someone's head and then a loud grunt echoed. Static and then, "I'm in."

"She's good," Mr. Logan said and I turned my attention towards him.

"You have no idea," Magneto smiled proudly.

"She made it?" Marie asked, walking up behind them to get a look over their shoulder, which was near impossible because she was just as tall as I was, maybe a bit taller, but still. "That was fast," she whispered to Bobby, who had followed her.

Ms. Munroe stood from her seat and took off her head-set and gave everyone a long look. "Here we go," she announced and then turned her attention to Marie. "Remember what I told you, okay?"

The younger girl nodded and we all watched as they left the plane, but before they left, I stood from my seat. "Please, be careful." I looked at Dr. Grey. "I have a bad feeling about this."

No one said anything, but they exchanged looks on their way down. I fell back in my seat, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

It wasn't long before they reached the base. John had walked over to the control area and turned on the radio so that we could, at least, hear what was going on. No one really complained and I didn't know whether to be glad to know what was going on or if I should turn it off.

I didn't move from my seat.

They were talking and soon decided to split up to save time. Ms. Monroe, along with Mr. Wagner, went after the kids who were in a holding cell one floor below. Mystique and Magneto were accompanied by Dr. Grey who were on their way to Cerebro and to find the Professor and Mr. Summers. While, Mr. Logan had decided to wander off on his own.

Stupid, I thought, angrily. Don't do anything stupid. Don't go after Stryker.

A suddenly blast jolts us all, making me jump and then a loud voice shouted, "Go! I'll take care of him!" It was Dr. Grey. "Scott? Scott!" There was another explosion and then…static.

We sat in silence, on the edge of our seats as we mulled over what was happening.

"That's it," John said, closing his lighter. The rest of us looked at him in confusion as he reached between Bobby and Marie to press a button and the ramp descended. He quickly grabbed his jacked and made his way towards it.

"Whoa," Bobby jumped from his seat and jogged after him. Marie followed. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm sick of this kids table shit," he said, putting on his jacket. "I'm going in there."

"John, they told us to stay here," Marie said, uncomfortable by his notion of going and a tad bit upset that he even considered going against Mr. Logan's demand.

Looking over his shoulder, John asked her, "Do you always do as your told?"

"Don't be stupid!" I told him, standing up as well. "You don't have a uniform. You'll freeze before you make it to the spillway," I said, arguing why he shouldn't go.

"Will I?" He asked, holding out his lighter. I suppose that meant he could keep himself warm for a while.

"John…"

He gave me a hard stare before he winked and walked down the ramp. Marie looked over her shoulder, towards the ascension control button and I knew what she was thinking. No one said anything for a long time and, against my better judgment, I grabbed my coat and began to follow him.

"What are you doing?" Bobby asked, grabbing my arm.

"I'm going after him," I said, pulling away. "I'll try to put some common sense in his head. I'll be back."

Slowly making my way down the ramp, holding on tightly to the banister, I realized just how cold it was and shivered. When my shoes finally touched the snowy ground, I looked back at the jet and, taking a deep breath, I followed John's footprints in the snow and was surprised by how far he had gotten in such a small amount of time. I knew what I was doing was stupid and incredibly dangerous. If I did come face to face with Stryker, I wouldn't be able to fight him off. I had a broken arm and a bad leg, but the chances of seeing him were slim.

"You could still go back," Voice said, sounding angry.

I shook my head. "Can't let him go. He'll be killed."

"It's his choice." It said.

"And this is mine."

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?! "

I didn't reply and eventually I caught up to John. His back was hunched, hands tucked in his pockets. I shouted for him before he got to far. "John!"

Hearing me, he stopped and looked over his shoulder and I could see the startled look on his face. It quickly vanished though, when I got close to him. "What are you doing here?" He asked, confused.

"I came to stop you," I told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him to me. "Please, let's go back to the jet. You don't know what you're doing."

It was the wrong thing to have said because I felt that I'd bruised his pride a little. He shook his head, "No, you go back," and turned to walk away.

"Please, don't go," I said, loudly enough for him to hear. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder again, confused. "Please don't go," I repeated. "Don't go with them."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, turning his whole body around and walked towards me. He looked genuinely confused about what I was talking about.

"I know, okay." I finally said, looking him in the eye. I always had trouble doing that, but found that when I really needed to, I could. "I know that what Magneto--" his face expression changed at the mention of the older mutants name. "--Said made you feel important and you are, but you don't need to go with them to prove that," I said, taking his hand. "Please. Don't. Go."

His gaze went to our hands. He felt guilty, but didn't show it and wouldn't be backing down. "I don't belong to the X-Men," he said, flatly.

"So?" I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. "You don't have to belong to them!" I almost shouted. I could feel that what I was saying wasn't helping very much, but I had to try. "You could belong to me," I added silently, surprised by what I had just said and apparently he was too. I didn't know where this bravery was coming from. Maybe it was because I didn't want him to go. He'd been such a good friend to me these last couple of days, it was almost safe to say he'd quickly become like a best friend and I really didn't want to loose him to them.

"What?"

"Stay," I said, squeezing his hand. "Stay with me."

John opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it and we stood in silence for a good while before either of us said or did anything. There was so much mixed feelings coming from him. I couldn't tell any of them apart and then suddenly he took a step towards me, eyes never leaving mine as he placed his hand on the side of my neck and pulled me towards him until our lips met and I swear I saw stars.

It wasn't my first kiss, wasn't even my second or third. No, that first kiss had been given away to some boy, I could hardly remember now. It had been sloppy and messy. This kiss was different from the other kisses I had ever received. It felt almost desperate, a need for me to understand. I wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when he pulled away, we were both gasping for air and my head was spinning.

"Come with me," he said, forehead pressed against mine.

I shook my head. "I wouldn't last very long with them." I told him, truthfully. "Please don't go," I asked him one last time. "You don't--" a cold shudder went through me causing me to stop mid-sentence.

"What's wrong?" John asked, concerned.

I felt my eyes grow wide as they met his. "Something's wrong," I said, shaking. I blinked. "Don't you feel it? Something's coming. Something-- AHH!"

I screamed in distress, letting go of John as a loud humming sound filled my ears. I lifted my hands to my head and pressed them against my throbbing temple as I fell to my knees. John followed after and I could hear him groaning as he rolled around in the snow. Whatever it was I was feeling, he could feel it to, I resolved.

It was painful, the humming. And it was accompanied by loud screaming in my head and when I closed my eyes I could see bursts of colors and images of people screaming. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of people screaming in pain and it was unbearable. I could hardly breathe, my sobs were causing me to choke on my own spit and my head felt like it was going to explode at any minute.

"Stop," I cried, holding my head tighter. I had squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to block out the world. Whatever it was that was going on, there were others, not just John and myself, who were being attacked by it. Far more and I could see them all, in my head. "Stop!" I shouted and, much to my surprise, it did, but I could still feel the pain.

"What the hell was that?" John asked, out of the breathe and unsettled. From my spot on the ground, I watched as he struggled to stand and his fear was so vivid, it was almost like I was feeling it myself. "Carolina?" He asked, bending down to touch my shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed and flinched away from him.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's me."

"I could feel them," I told him, sobbing lightly. I hadn't removed my hands from my head. "In my head, screaming."

"What?" He asked, face contorted in confusion.

"Screaming in my head," I repeated, through I knew I was barely making sense to him and then the humming started again, only this time John wasn't affected by it like I was. "AH!" I screamed. There were just so many emotions hitting me from left and right.

"Shhh, shhh. You're okay. It's okay, you'll see. It'll pass, just keep breathing. You'll be fine."

"What's happening to me?" I asked Voice, still sobbing and screaming. It was hard to stay calm with the assault to my brain.

"It's Cerebro," V said. "They targeted Mutants first, now humans, but you're not safe. You're an Empath, you'll feel everything."

"Gah!" I groaned, turning over to my side and curling up into a ball.

"What's wrong?" He asked, shouting over my screams to be heard. He was hovering over me, afraid of whatever it was that was happening.

"Ow, my head!" I cried through gritted teeth and teary eyes. It felt like someone was drilling a hole in the back of my head and was picking at my brains. Through the unbearable pain, John grabbed me and pulled me towards him. I could feel my eyes rolling into the back of my head as my body jerked and back arched forward when a shock of pain made its way to my head. I had barely noticed him pulling me into a tight hug to try and ease the pain. "It hurts," I told him, grabbing his jacket. "I can feel--I can feel everything!"

He pressed his lips against mine suddenly, I almost hadn't registered it. If my back wasn't so numb and my head didn't feel like it was going to explode, I would have enjoyed the kiss more. I could feel that he was trying to distract me from the pain, sadly it wasn't working.

"I'll come back for you," he promised pulling away.

No, you wont, I added silently. He began to shrug off his jacket, but I shook my head, "Don't."

"You'll freeze."

"So will you."

"Fine," he said, slipping it back on. He was upset that I had rejected his jacket and with one last fleeting look, he took off and only looked back once before he completely disappeared from my sight and I couldn't help but feel betrayed.

After another eternity, the humming stopped, but I was still in a lot of pain. I could still feel and hear the screaming as it lingered in my head a little longer.

I'm going to die here, I thought, helplessly. If I didn't freeze to death then the emotions and thoughts scattered in my head would do it. It'd never hurt this bad before, not because of my empathy. With a wince, I turned on my side and curled up into a ball, hoping to keep myself warm. I couldn't stop shaking, teeth chattering and I felt so tired, so sleepy.

I had read somewhere that freezing to death was almost like falling asleep…

Don't you dare fall asleep! Voice shouted in my head, adding to the pain. Someone is coming for you!

"No one's coming for me," I said, tiredly, shutting my eyes. "No one… and I'm… okay with that?" My words were becoming slurred and I felt bad and upset that I hadn't been able to talk to Gwen and Owen one last time.