Constellations

Chapter 5: Cygnus

Kurt dropped down to one knee and contemplated the water swishing and swaying down below. No matter how beautiful something looked on the outside, you can never truly understand it until you see it on the inside and unfortunately Nightcrawler had discovered that a little too late. He couldn't believe how blind-sided he'd let himself become. Now he was paying the price for it.

"It's no surprise you made it this far, Nightcrawler."

Kurt turned quickly around coming face to face with Magneto and the Scarlet Witch.

"But there's no escape. You're tired, wounded, and the journey home is too far for your powers to make. You'd be foolish to try," Magneto commanded while lifting his head higher.

"I'm no fool," Kurt spat and then teleported some yards into the ocean's blue, just to fall down a few feet and teleport farther away. He knew it was going to be a tiring and difficult venture but he couldn't take the chance of staying on Genosha and becoming Magneto's new prisoner. His only chance to save the people imprisoned on the island and himself was to reach the X-men. If he couldn't communicate with them through the communication center he would just have to go in person.

It couldn't have been more then a few hours but it felt like days. Even teleporting had its limitations and Kurt knew he was reaching them. The stormy wind and pelting rain didn't seem to be helping his journey or his energy either. What he wouldn't do for a steaming cup of hot chocolate right about now. He shivered slightly. If Kitty were here she'd definitely make it for him. She would put it in his favorite blue and green mug and he could just imagine it sliding down his parched throat… woah! He'd gotten a little too close to the water that time and he didn't like it. Kurt blinked unsteadily continuing with his teleportation fiasco and turned his attention back to the crashing sea below.

It felt like a massive amount of time had passed but he could just be so tired and delusional that he had no perception of time anymore. He looked forward and felt his heart jump a beat and felt his body revive somewhat. Was that land? Yes that definitely looked like some lush green grass and a sandy, rocky edge. He splashed down into the water and tiredly crawled up onto the rocks strewing the beach. As confident and sure he had acted on Genosha when challenging Magneto, Nightcrawler hadn't been at all positive he would make the journey back. It had been a hugely grueling test, but he was pleased nonetheless that he had passed. He glanced up the steep rock cliff where the Institute lay above, just one more time he thought wearily. Kurt sighed and teleported once more landing beyond the gates and falling to all fours.

"That you Kurt? I thought you were in Genosha."

Oh thank goodness, was that a friendly voice? The blue mutant practically collapsed on the ground he was so exhausted. Kurt couldn't have possibly asked for a better present right after reaching the land. He wheezed 'Logan' before a fit of coughing took over.

"You must… you must stop Magneto," Kurt attempted before another coughing fit took over.

"I'll get right on that bub," he heard Logan say before the world went black.

._._._._.

The pain radiating from his leg was the first thing to wake him. Then when he attempted to sit up the pain shooting through his head was enough to make him collapse back down. Then the shear exhaustion of what he had gone through set in and he promptly fell back to sleep.

He had no idea how much time had passed but on his second waking, he felt a little better. Exhaustion still wore on him but his body didn't ache as much. Kurt sat up slowly remembering his head and touched his temple softly. He could feel a scratch going from his temple area to the side of his eye, wasn't that just great? Then Kurt touched his thigh tenderly; that was definitely going to be a bruise if it wasn't one already. The mutant took inventory on the rest of his body and everything else seemed to be in satisfactory condition. Finally he looked around, but he didn't recognize much. In fact he didn't recognize anything at all.

"Feeling better?"

Kurt turned sharply towards the sound of the voice, and then quickly put his hand to his head. The swift movement had made all the blood swish in his head and now the side of his face with the scratch was pounding. He opened one sharp yellow eye to look up at… Wanda? Kurt's heart sank. He most obviously was back on Genosha, but how?

Wanda hurried over and dipped a washcloth into a basin containing warm water and touched it against his pounding temple. He replaced his hand with hers and put more pressure on the side of his face.

"How did I get back here?"

The Scarlet Witch looked thoughtful, "What do you mean?"

Kurt glared at her slightly, "I made it all zee vay back to zee X-men's base before I blacked out."

"What are you talking about? Father said you only made it about halfway, you fell on some rocks, hit your head and he had someone collect you and bring you back here," Wanda explained quietly.

Kurt raised an eyebrow incredulously. He knew for a fact that that was not what happened; he had definitely spoken with Logan… hadn't he? He looked at her again but decided there was no point in arguing. Magneto would tell her what he wanted her to know and that's what she would believe without question. She would probably just assume he was confused because he wanted to reach the X-men so badly if he tried to say anything else on the subject.

"Vhere am I?"

Wanda motioned with her hand, "We're in the underground cells on Genosha. Father wanted to keep you here until you were feeling better."

"I'm feeling better, so vhat now?"

"Kurt you know…" the Scarlet Witch started to say but she was cut off.

"Kurt, I'm glad to see you're doing all right."

Over Wanda's shoulder Kurt saw that Magneto had entered the cell. "Are you sure you're happy about seeing zat?"

"I never wished you any harm, Nightcrawler. I just wanted to stop you from leaving Genosha and spreading rumors that would inhibit mutant's ideas about the island."

"If telling zem zee truth about zee island vould inhibit zeir ideas zat vould be your fault, not mine. So does zat mean I'm not allowed to leave?"

"Nightcrawler, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like if you promise not to try to leave again," Magneto told him.

"Zat is somezing I cannot promise."

"Then I'm afraid I cannot let you out," Magneto stated matter-of-factly. He turned on his heel, pulling his daughter with him and the two left his cell.

Kurt slowly stood and moved to the bars. He saw the electricity running through them and buzzing movements that went up periodically. The blue mutant saw a meager meal on a small side table next to the bed he'd been laying on. He looked around and when he saw a guard walk past him going left, Kurt teleported out of the cell.

The second he was on the other side he saw Magneto talking to Pyro. Magneto saw him at once and before Kurt even knew what was going on he was shrouded in a circular metal ball. He felt it go up and lift, then shoot off in a direction.

"I wish I didn't have to do this Nightcrawler but you leave me no choice."

Kurt's hopes dropped dramatically. How was he supposed to get off Genosha and back to the X-men when he was trapped in something that he wouldn't be able to see out of?

._._._._.

Kurt sighed tiredly. He hated being trapped and more than that, he hated not being able to see anything. Had it seriously been a week already? He was absolutely bored out of his mind. He had been absolutely bored after the first day. If he had known this was going to happen he would have waited longer in the other cell and then tried to escape later. Of course his mind and been pretty fuzzy and he was a little confused and Magneto probably wouldn't have left him in a cell like that for much longer anyway, so he pushed the thought away. Inside this metal ball it was lonely. There was nothing to do but let thoughts and ideas circulate round and round in his head plus there was no one to see or talk to. Wanda did come visit him periodically but he had been giving her the cold shoulder. She deserved it. Continually he walked around the circle prison he was trapped in. Up and down, left and right, around, and sideways. What were the X-men doing right now? They couldn't know he was trapped at Genosha because then they would have been here trying to rescue him from the very start. But they knew he was here. He hadn't contacted them in a while so would they come to check up on him to make sure everything was fine or just think he was enjoying himself and not come looking? He regretted not going back when he had the chance. The hurt look Kitty had given him couldn't be wiped from his mind, no matter how hard he tried. And now he had all the time in the world to remember her expression, the disappointment in her face and the guilt racked him. The instant he decided to go with the mutants to Genosha he knew he had made the wrong choice; but there was nothing he could possibly do about it now.

Kurt closed his eyes slowly. If only he wasn't in this metal ball; or if he only knew where he was. He loved his mutant ability, he didn't think any mutant could not like it, baring Rogue of course, but every power had its drawn backs. Everything that was powerful had to have its Achilles heel. Sometimes it was so frustrating having to see where he was going to be able to get there. But he just didn't know where he was and therefore had no hope of teleporting to the outside. It's like being trapped within a black hole. You know you're inside it and know you have to get out, but it's just impossible to.

His only option or chance to get off this island was for someone to come looking for him and that wasn't too promising at the moment. How could he have been so stupid? Why did he let Magneto… Magneto of all people, talk him into something. How many years had they been pitted against Magneto and how long had he listened to the terrible tales the professor told them. He didn't know why he had just listened to everything Magneto had said when he knew he shouldn't have. Everything did seem to look fine on the surface, but it was terribly raw underneath. Kurt wouldn't deny the fact that the Scarlet Witch didn't have anything to do with it. When you looked the way you did and you had a pretty girl fawning over you, any sane man, mutant or no, would be a little distracted. Plus she had been very persuasive and kind, but was that enough to gain trust? It wasn't and Kurt didn't know why he had fallen for it.

"Kurt…"

Speak of the devil, Kurt mentally kicked himself.

"Is everything all right?"

"Just wunderbar," he replied tiredly.

"I thought maybe you'd let me read to you, just to pass the time."

Kurt sighed; like he really wanted to be read to at a time like this. It was probably better than doing absolutely nothing but if he had a choice he'd rather be outside under the moonlight and stars. Of course with the metal mania around that was an impossibility.

"Sorry not today."

He was tired of being chased, attacked, and eventually captured. It was exactly the least fun way to pass your time whether you were a former X-men or no.

"Then maybe we could just talk," Wanda responded closing the book and holding it close to her chest. She had really enjoyed the first day spent with Kurt and was disappointed in the fact that she couldn't recreate it. He had such a fun personality that no matter how hard she tried she was drawn back to his magnetic cell several times each day. She continued, "You know about movies or…"

"I don't zink so," he cut her off right away.

She attempted again, "Look I spoke with my father again, but…"

"Let me guess, he still refuses," Kurt spoke almost bitterly. It wasn't exactly like he expected Magneto to just let him go because of his daughter's probing, he was a former X-man after all but it didn't make him any less frustrated. He shouldn't be taking it out on the Scarlet Witch but at the moment he didn't really care and it's not like she doesn't have a say in the way the island is run.

"Kurt, its just that he knows what'll happen if he lets you out. You'll tell everyone about the prisons here and then mutants would stop coming to Genosha, mutants that should come. He knows what he's doing," Wanda tried to reason. She was speaking in practically a pleading tone but Kurt still couldn't let up or forgive.

Kurt heard her take in a breath as if to continue speaking but then she made a gasping noise and he was left to silence once again. He was confused for a moment not sure if someone had taken her or what. Slight panic reached Kurt and he questioned slowly, "Wanda? Wanda, are you still zere?"

Suddenly Kurt felt hands, it felt like more than one pair, grab his upper arms and pull him through a portal. He landed on his feet in the grass with trees surrounding him everywhere. This was an ominous sign as to the way his day was going to continue, he could feel the foreboding already.