Jean looked at the two boys, as they slept, from her vantage point sat in the doorway of the tent. Both were naked and touching. With a skim of telepathy, she could sense one, not two consciousnesses there, sharing the same dream. Ouroboros, a circle; no break between Alex or John; Ghost or Pyro. The pair were inseparable. Even the fact Alex was the telepath, touching proved they were both equal as there were no barriers, no secrets, only sharing and trust. The fact two underage students were in a sexual relationship was no longer a relevant problem. Not went the kids in question were closer than married. The events of the last few days had proved to all of them that they were going to have to fight to get back the kids kidnapped General Striker, to free the Professor and Scott. The same General, who had tortured Magneto, controlled Kurt and was now hell bent on removing the Mutant Problem permanently. She was no longer just a doctor or a teacher. The line had been drawn. She knew of the people who had controlled Alex. General Straker was cut from the same cloth as Alan Blunt.

The other students would be safe, split between safe houses. The escape plans had worked. Hiding in small groups across New York State. Jean exhaled and moved outside to think in the early morning. Her heart heavy at the loss of the school, her home since her gift emerged.

Alex pulled on his shirt, trousers, boots and moved outside. Pyro grunted and went back to sleep.

"It'll be OK, doc... Magneto is a wild card, but now is not the time to second guess ourselves. The plan is a good one, but you have to put the kids first. Attacking the school was only to get control of the Professor and his machine." Alex knew that in the bigger picture those after Cerebro had no need to hurt or kidnap the students at Mutant High. That had just been leverage.

"So you were all eavesdropping last night" the doctor said in tired exasperation.

"Well, it was the only entertainment going. We want to fight. I know we're kids... but Pyro and I have been fighting for survival for years. We can handle ourselves and we can follow orders. When we get to Alkali Lake, we can get the kids with Nightcrawler and you and the 'adults' sort out the bad guys and watch Magneto."

"Do you think Eric will try something?" Jean, too, in her heart of hearts knew how dangerous Eric Lehnsherr was.

"Yes... to him this only proves its all out war... no quarter given and none expected in return. We are little more than terrorists to those in power, even the kids. Maybe the Professor can sort out a truce and get things back to normal, but at the moment its us or them. I will try to uphold the higher ideals but I will meet force with force. They destroyed our home. They were shooting real bullets at the school."

"Its just a shock... I have spent years fighting for rights, for us to live in peace. I never expected anything like this to happen. Not here, not in America. Taking us away in the night... its like Eric was right all along."

"Human nature, Doc. Magneto has his own agenda... remember that. I think you are more on the button fighting for equal rights and peaceful co-existence rather than kill the opposition. We are different, not better or worse." Alex sat on the wet grass. He held Jean's hand. In such a short space of time, he had become used to the two telepaths and the easiness of sharing his gift. He passed to his mentor feelings of comfort and reassurance. They were a team. They needed to be, to survive.

...

Pyro got up to see Alex jog away and he went in the opposite direction, to the campfire and threw wood onto the smouldering embers. The damp wood catching light with the slightest touch of his gift. He went to the plane to sort out fresh water. Coffee was needed and some food. The MRE's were better than nothing. They would not be here long enough to need to hunt or scavenge.

He kept busy, earning himself praise from Storm for pitching in to help and weird looks from Rogue and Ice-man, as they expected their friend to be the last up and the most grumpy. Survival mode was in operation now. Live, eat and enjoy yourself in the moments of quiet and calm, soon enough everything would go to shit, then you fought, ran or hid.

The mutant shape shifter was say eating breakfast, pretending to be Alex. For a moment, Pyro stood completely lost as there was no connection. It was like Alex was there but not there, no energy. John knew at a basic level that she may look, act and sound like his beloved, but Mystique could never truly mimic what they shared. He got another cup of coffee and went to sit, very close to the doppelgänger. Anyone looking at the pair would think it was the young lovers, sat close, touching, as Pyro could not keep his hands of Alex. "Nice try, but Ghost is empathically bonded to me... we're like soul mates. He is the one person you can't use your tricks on... he's connected to the Doc er... Jean and the Professor as well. I think his touch telepathy-empathy thing has a strong latent link to it. So, with others it may work with, but not those he's connected to. Freaky huhh? Anyway, like Al said last night.. its cool to be obviously mutant. I wish, like he does, that I wasn't so normal looking."

Mystique paused from eating her reconstituted country eggs. "Most only see the exterior gifts. I too wish I could spend my entire life as myself not how others expect, need or want me to look." She smiled, but remained in form. "I'm glad you boys prefer my real self."

...

Alex stole across to the woods to observe the opposition, who were camped at a distinct distance from the plane and the remnants of the X-men. Magneto was sat with his dorky hemet on his head. The other mutant, Mystique was either still asleep or, like Alex, was off spying on the others.

In the quiet still morning, Magneto sensed the approach of the teenager, even though he was moving with stealth. "Good Morning, you must be the young empath."

"Ghost... I recognize you from all the crap in New York. You even made it onto the BBC news."

"So, Charles has taught you to control your gift?" Magneto had listened as Mystique had told him of the newest addition to Mutant High.

"Well... I kind of ended up twinned with Pyro when we touched... so like Rogue, I wear gloves. Anyway... I wanted to talk to you about Jean... Her gift, its bigger than the box the Professor created. She needs to embrace it, to be comfortable with herself. Don't push Jean. Let her coast and find her own way. I would not like to see the consequences if her barriers just drop. Mind gifts are different from power or energy manipulation; suppressing them is not a good idea. By the way... having several class five mutants together is such a seriously bad idea."

The tall mutant stood to appraise the teenager. "Can you sense other's gifts?" He wondered if he had been to quick to dismiss the teenage empath. The ability to sense feelings was not much use in a fight and telephathy requiring to direct touch was very limited. This boy may be the link to recruit others. A shame he was already under Charles' thrall. Maybe he could use his twin to entice him to the Brotherhood.

"Well, think of it like a light bulb... none of us here are lightweights. You, Jean and Storm... what can I say... almost headache inducing standing near you guys." Alex's frowned thinking just how different he really was, then he could not doubt he had a true home at Westchester. "I think breakfast is up, sir. Not much but better than nothing."

The miss matched pair walked in silence towards the X-plane and the others.