Chapter 14: The Calm
Kitty, Rogue, and Alison were in the changing room with Jean and Storm. They'd already put the black leather suits on. Kitty's had blue surrounding the black, while Rogue's had white, and Alison's had pink. Jean and Storm's had red and gray, respectively.
"How far are we exactly?" Kitty asked.
"I'm not sure," Jean said to her. "You may have to ask Wolverine for that. I'm not sure if they're done changing yet, however."
"Oh, we're done!" called Logan from the other side of the jet. "You girls need to come out here! You might want to see this!"
Rogue looked strangely at Kitty, as did Alison. "What do you think it could be?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Kitty replied. "I hope it's a lead on the Professor. I really want to find him soon and get back to the school. It needs to be rebuilt."
They went into the cockpit of the jet. Logan, Scott, Piotr, and Bobby were waiting on them. Logan's costume had yellow surrounding the black, while Scott's had navy, Piotr's had the same light blue as Kitty's, and Bobby's had white, like Rogue's.
"I've got the jet on autopilot," Logan explained to the girls. "We need to talk about our plan to save the Professor and the other kids. Do you have any ideas?"
"Well, I was just wondering where you think the Professor might be?" Kitty asked. "In a facility?" She saw Logan nod. "Well, then, it seems I'd be the best person to go inside. I can phase through every wall and door until I find him and the other children. I won't have to deal with being attacked or hit by any soldiers or any of the Brotherhood."
"I would love for you to do something like that, Kitty," Logan began, "but we'll need you to help us deal with all those who will be attacking us as soon as we arrive. Is there the possibility you can phase us through all that in the jet?"
"No," Kitty told him. "I may be able to phase some of us, but I'd need a lot of strength to phase something as big as this jet. Frankly, I don't know how much strength I have left for anything since the mansion exploded. I still feel a little pain since that."
"Well, the good thing is, everyone here will protect with everything they've got," Logan said.
"Well, maybe not with everything we've got, but I'll definitely protect my sister until the day I die," Rogue said, patting Kitty on the back. "She's helped me before, and now it's time I return the favor."
"Well, I wouldn't be saying that," Kitty told her. "After all, you saved me from the Sentinel and you helped me get through my worst fear that one night."
"Kitty, you've helped us get through an explosion," Alison told her. "Just take it, okay?"
While Jean, Storm, Piotr, and Bobby were smiling at the girls, Scott and Logan were rolling their eyes. "All right, enough of that," Logan finally growled. "Let's go back to our planning. We're probably going to end up fighting the Brotherhood. There will be three big problems with that. The first is that Bobby will be going up going up against Pyro. The second will be with you, Piotr. Magneto can control metal. If you see him, then you need to get far away from him. He could easily defeat in a fight. And last but not least, Rogue."
"What about me?" she asked.
"The Brotherhood will be coming after you," he said. "I know you don't know too much about this, and the Professor had a reason for that, but it's time I tell you the whole truth. You deserve to know it. You see, some of the Brotherhood actually lived in your neighborhood when you were growing up there in Mississippi. Did you, by chance, know much of your school principal? And do you remember their name?"
"Yes," Rogue said. "Principal Darkholme. Her first name was Raven, but I don't know what that has to do with me, other than the fact that he gave me 'Raven' as my codename."
"Yes, I'll get to that a little later. Well, it turns out, Principal Darkholme wasn't normal. She is a mutant. One of the worst ones out there."
"'Is?'" Kitty exclaimed. "What in the heck are you talking about? You mean she's still out there?"
"Yes, and you all met her earlier," Jean said. "She is Mystique." She saw the horrified expression on Rogue and Kitty's faces, with Alison, Bobby, and Piotr having awed expressions.
"She learned of your abilities after hearing that your boyfriend, Cody, had been hospitalized," Storm explained. "She looked into it, as she was attempting to bring in new mutants for the Brotherhood at that time."
"Oh my God," Rogue whispered to herself. Kitty placed a hand on her shoulder and patted her back.
"To be honest, we never knew much of this until we found out more about you, which was only last year. We weren't trying to hide anything. We planned to tell you soon, but we couldn't find the right time," Logan defended. "I definitely wished to tell you much sooner than we were planning."
"I understand, Logan, and I'm not blaming you or anyone else. But right now, I am so badly horrified," Rogue told him. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say right now. I just want to get back to saving the Professor for now. I have a really weird theory, and I don't know where it came from. I remember when we were talking about the Sentinel, after we came back from the city and while we were helping Kitty. You mentioned they were made by William Stryker. But Mystique revealed to Kitty that she put the Sentinel out on the docks. That leads me to believe there's the possibility the Brotherhood and William Stryker are working together. It'd make a lot of sense, if you think about it, Logan, especially since all those men were in the mansion that night along with the Brotherhood. But that also means we're in a crapload of trouble now. It means we're going to have to fight even more when we arrive at wherever the Professor's been taken. So, do you agree with my theory?"
Rogue saw Kitty and Alison were nodding, with Kitty smiling as brightly as she could manage. Jean and Storm were blinking, as it seemed both were surprised that she'd come up with it all. Scott seemed to be thinking everything through, whil Bobby and Piotr had their jaws open, staring stupidly. Finally Logan was nodding.
"You're right," he said. "You're definitely right. There's no other explanation other than that. I would have never thought of something in such a way, and I wouldn't have put everything together the way you did. Great job, Rogue. Now we have the explanation for the Professor, although there's the possibility he's put everything together now. Speaking of which, do we have a lead on where he might be right at this moment, Jean?"
Jean and Storm hurried over to a monitor, obviously having forgotten about such a thing after hearing Rogue's theory. They clicked a few keys there. A map suddenly appeared on the screen. There was a small red dot. It seemed the signal from the tracker was coming from an island. There was another dot closing in on the island, which the Rogue, Kitty, and Alison took to be the jet. The name of the island was highlighted, they saw: Solvitoes.
"Where the heck did that island come from?" Kitty asked. "I've never seen that on any of the maps of areas around the United States."
"That's because that island never existed until a few months ago," Scott told her. "It was just recently created, and I know who might have done it. Hank McCoy and I were actually talking about this before he was taken. We found that area of the seabed—which, of course, is now the island—had a reserve of iron ore deep below. And do you know what that means?"
"Magneto," Bobby said. "I know he can control metal. So you're saying he created the island a few months ago? That's insane!"
"Exactly what I was thinking," Logan said. "This is deep crap. It seems we're going into a Hell that the Brotherhood created for us! They're probably waiting for us! And it won't surprise me if there are more Sentinels there. Holy crap, this isn't good!"
"Calm down, Logan," Scott said. "We're going to be getting through this. We've almost arrived at the island, and so it's all going to be cleared up for us. And there's someone we've forgotten to mention. Do you remember Bolivar Trask? We've read he's the man responsible for the creation of the Sentinels."
"Good point." Logan growled and slapped himself in the head. "Kitty mentioned that the night she and Rogue had the confrontation with one. She was injured because of it, too. Kitty, just how strong was that Sentinel?"
"I don't know," Kitty admitted. "It was Rogue who went up against the darn thing. I had been knocked into the river before she went up against it. You might want to ask her, but one thing I know for sure is that seemed to know what my powers were. When I attempted to phase through it, it was able to hit me. But it could have also been my fear. That's happened to me before. If I am too scared, or surprised, then I won't be able to phase. I had both feelings in me at the time. I was also really cold and shivering. I'm not sure what it was."
"It might have been one of those, but it most likely wasn't," Storm explained. "The Sentinel scanned both you and Rogue, and it learned your powers, your strengths, and your weaknesses. It went into a form that didn't allow you to pass through. We know they can do this because Hank McCoy, you see, went to the factory where they were being made so we could find out more about them. There is some sort of a material that can change in such a way, Kitty. But what makes me wonder is how Rogue was able to defeat the Sentinel with only one kick to the head."
"I think I might know how," Jean said. "I was teaching her, remember? I looked into your mind, Rogue, and I found that due to her ability, if she has anyone's abilities in her, no one will be able to fathom the infinite possibilities of what she can do with them in her possession. But that's just what I think. I don't completely know how she had all that extra strength in her, and we can only have theories on how that is possible, such as mine, but there will be explanations for that soon enough. For now, we need to go to what we will be doing with Mystique and Magneto when we arrive."
"I'll go after Mystique," Rogue volunteered. "I want to get even with her. She's done a lot to me, and I didn't even have to know her how I do now. She's nothing more than a bully. When I was there at school, which was closed down not long after she left and just before I did so, she persecuted me for things I didn't even do. Now I see that she might have been testing me. I guess I bursted her bubble a little."
"I'll go with her," Kitty said. "She's my sister, and I definitely will not leave her behind. I'll be there at her side no matter what happens." She looked to Rogue and smiled.
"I'll most likely be going after John, because I'm sure he's still alive," Bobby explained. "An explosion like that wouldn't have killed someone who can control fire like him."
"I'll go with you, Bobby," Alison said. "I know I have a good power, but it's not as good as Kitty or Rogue's. I'll help to blind John if he attempts to hurt you. It might help you to defeat him." Bobby nodded as she finished and smiled.
"During the raid, I saw the Juggernaut," Jean said. "We've been going after Cain Marko for a long while. It seems he's joined the Brotherhood, which I am not the least bit surprised at. I can possibly send him into unconsciousness if I can get into his mind."
"I'll provide cover for you all," Storm said. "You'll need it, because once we start fighting, helicopters might come and attempt to film us. If they see that we're attacking those who raided us, they might think we're just as bad as the Brotherhood, which isn't true. They don't understand sometimes, unfortunately, but sometimes we must deal with such things. I might help against Magneto, though."
"I'll just beat the crap out of whoever gets in my way," Wolverine told them.
"What could I do?" Piotr asked Jean and Storm.
"It wouldn't be good for you to go up against Magneto, since he can control metal," Jean explained. "Mystique might not help either, as she can shapeshift into Magneto, but Juggernaut might be the perfect match against you. Let's hope there aren't any other mutants like you there on the side of the Brotherhood. It most certainly wouldn't help."
Everyone looked over to Scott. "I'll help in whatever way I possibly can," he told them. "I wasn't expecting to go forward with this, however. I was hoping we wouldn't be having to fight anytime soon. After all, these are some inexperienced kids, Jean. I love you, but we need to be careful when it comes to this. You understand me, right?"
"I know what you mean, and everyone else knows, too," Jean told him.
"I don't," Logan commented.
"We must keep our heads up," Storm told everyone in there. "We are X-Men. We can do this. We will win, I am telling you. I have faith, and I pray you all join with me in that faith."
"I definitely do," Kitty said.
"So do I," Rogue agreed.
"And I," Alison said.
Logan, Jean, and finally Scott merely gave nods, but Storm knew they believed her and trusted in what she had just said.
There was a beeping sound suddenly. Jean and Storm turned to the monitors and clicked a few buttons. Jean turned to them with a solemn expression.
"We're over the island now," she announced. "It's time we get ourselves ready for what ever is about to come our way."
"Yeah, because all Hell is about to break loose," Logan growled. "You'd best make sure you say your last farewells to everyone." He smiled and winked at Kitty, Alison, and Rogue.
Rogue looked to Bobby. He held her hand and smiled. He finally sighed and said to her, "I know what you're capable of, and I'm not scared," he admitted lovingly. "I want to kiss you. I think it might bring me good luck when I'm down there and fighting."
Rogue was very apprehensive about this, and Bobby most assuredly couldn't blame her. He looked over to Piotr, who nodded, which let him know he wanted to see Bobby kiss her. Rogue looked over to Kitty and Alison, who smiled and urged her on. And finally, despite being apprehensive, kissed him. They did not stay in the embrace for long, as Bobby gasped in pain a little. When she and Bobby broke apart, Rogue sighed again, and realized she could now see her breath in the air. She now knew she'd taken some of his power. But he wasn't in a coma, she found. He was still sitting upright in the same position, smiling at her.
"And there we go," Bobby said. He then looked up at Piotr. "I think it's safe to say you should do it now, just to be even with me."
"What are you talking about?" Kitty asked. Then her eyes widened and the smile disappeared from her face. "Oh."
Piotr went to her and took her hand in his own hands. Her small hands weren't even half the size of his hands. "Kitty, I love you so very much," he said. "And if I die tonight in the battle, which I still very much hope against—," this brought a small, cute laugh from Kitty that made Piotr smile even more— "then I wish to know the girl of my dreams loves me back."
Kitty got to her feet. She looked to Rogue and Alison, who now urged her on. Her conscience told Kitty she was doing the right thing, and she had much confidence there in front of her.
"Piotr, you are the love of my life, and my love for you is unfathomable," she said. "I would be delighted to be your girlfriend."
Piotr literally had to pick her up off her feet to bring her up to his level. They kissed one another very passionately. As Rogue, Alison, and Bobby looked on, Kitty felt as if she were in Heaven. Rogue looked over to see Logan, Jean, Storm, and Scott. Storm and Logan had confused expressions on their faces, while Jean and Scott were smiling at them.
When Kitty and Piotr broke apart, they looked to Bobby and Rogue, as well as Alison. They all contined smiling at one another until Jean and Storm broke the silence.
"When we are in the right position, we will be jumping from this," Jean explained. "I'll be going with Scott. I can use my mind to levitate us down."
"Find someone to jump with," Storm said to the others. "I will be able to fly down, however."
"I'll go with Bobby," Rogue said. She looked to him. "You can get down to ground level without us getting hurt, right?"
"Yes," he said. "I can create this ice bridge we can ride down on. It'll be like a rollercoaster, sort of, if you know what I mean."
Kitty was up next. "I'll be going with Alison," she explained to Piotr. "She'll need someone to go with, because everyone else has some sort of a way. Your metal form will protect you from getting hurt when you hit the ground, right?" Piotr nodded. "Okay, well, Alison doesn't have a way to get down there, so I'll be jumping down there with her." She looked to Alison. "We'll be phasing through the ground and come right back up, do you understand?" Alison nodded.
That left Logan. He told them, "I have an adamantium skeleton. Even if I am supposedly injured, I will heal seconds later, just like I did when I was shot that one time. There's no need to be worrying about me."
With everything set, Jean and Storm nodded. "Then we're ready," Jean said. Then she and Storm turned to the monitors again.
Kitty hugged Rogue. "I'm scared," she admitted.
Rogue smiled at her and returned the hug. "I know, and so am I," she said softly. "But I'm going to stay by your side. As I said before, I'm not leaving you. You're my sister, and I'll never let anything happen to you."
With their fears mostly subsided, all they could do then was wait for the perfect moment.