September 3, 1974

Warren and Jean ran up the stairs. They had been relatively fortunate: no one had noticed them. Warren could hear the sounds of a fight going on downstairs. He hoped that none of the students had been stupid enough to try to fight the soldiers. They didn't have the resources, had no training. He doubted that most of them had the barest idea of how to use their mutations.

He forced open a door to a room. Most of the walls were made of glass. Below them he could see sirens coming. He wondered how the soldiers planned on stopping them. However, they had just launched a full-scale invasion of a conference center. People who did that sort of thing had a plan for when the police showed up.

He saw Jean settle herself onto the floor and lean against a wall. She folded her hands in her lap and looked up at Warren.

"When I go out," she said, "I'm not going to be able to help you if anyone comes after us. You know how I get when I have to concentrate."

Warren took off his tie and shrugged off his sports coat. He'd figured as much. He began to unsnap his harness. He hadn't been able to wear a suit without it on.

"I can manage for a few minutes," he said, "You go and tell the Professor, okay?"

Jean nodded. She took a deep breath and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. He flexed his wings, straightening some of the feathers. Warren walked up to the door and took one of his cuff links off. He slipped it into the lock and twisted it until he felt the metal snap off. It was one of the first things that he'd learned, how to jam a door lock.

He stepped back and stared at the door. It was wooden with metal hinges. It would give if someone gave it a few good kicks. The soldiers looked more than capable of giving those kicks. It wouldn't hold forever, but he could fight them when they came if Jean still wasn't back up. Beyond that he could only hope that they were trying to take them alive.

Warren glanced back at Jean. Her head had slumped forward. He hoped that she was making contact.

Jean could feel everyone's thoughts pressing in on her. She could vaguely hear Warren's worry, hear the way he was gearing up for battle. She could hear the fear from the students below stairs, the calm confidence of the soldiers. Jean couldn't distinguish them very well, but they pressed in on her mind, sending sharp pains shooting through her brain.

She wanted to take a deep breath, but she was too disconnected to do anything other than her normal functions. She hated this sort of awareness, hated the way that it pressed in on her and forced her to be aware of everything. When she was younger it would happen sporadically. She would run to her room and throw her pillow over her head, burying her head into the mattress in an attempt not to hear anyone's thoughts.

Her parents had been at their wits' end. They knew she was a mutant, knew that her powers were different than anything they could understand. Jean had been worried that she would never be able to live her life outside of her house, afraid that she would levitate something without meaning to, of hearing far too much.

Then the professor had come and helped her. She had managed to keep the buzz down, to only let in what she wanted. She could levitate things at will, although it was becoming difficult for her now. Jean wanted that control though. She didn't want to let anything to rule her, wanted to know that she had choices.

Jean had to let herself drift away when she was in her current state though. She had to take herself out of the proceedings. If she didn't then she wouldn't be able to pull away from their area. Westchester was far away, and she needed to tell the professor what was happening. After that they could try to find Moira.

She felt herself drift slowly but surely away from the conference center. She knew that she was going in the direction of Westchester. It was her psychic center. The professor had told her that it was the place that she was grounded to, that so much of her memories were tied up in the school, that so many people she cared about were there.

Jean felt the thoughts of the people in the conference center die down. She could hear the thoughts of people travelling in cars, hear them complaining about traffic. Jean tried to urge herself to go faster. The thoughts hurt more when she did so, as though they were tiny needles being put into her head.

The professor had never had any of these problems when he used Cerebro. He could reach out to Jean from halfway across the world if he wanted to, and he never showed any signs of discomfort. She hoped that things would be better once she reached him. He was stronger than she was. He would know what to do.

Warren could hear footsteps in the hall. He pressed himself up against the wall and glanced at Jean. She was still in her trance.

"No one would be up on this level."

Warren forced himself to breathe quietly as he heard the soldiers walk by.

"Well, he told us to make sure the place was secure. The others have their hands full with the cops right now."

So they did have a plan. He saw the shadows move in the gap between the door and the floor. Warren tensed himself. Maybe they would pass by.

"Try the door."

So much for that. He watched as they jiggled the doorknob.

"It's locked."

"None of the doors are supposed to be locked."

"It's not like any of the students could have locked it. They're all mewling downstairs, cryin' for their mommies."

Warren gritted his teeth. He had seen the students downstairs. Some of them had been as young as fourteen. Warren had been fifteen when he had started training for the X-men. The professor had told him that the way of life that he had chosen was not for everyone, that some people would need protection because they couldn't fight back. They weren't soldiers, they were just people interested in living their lives from day to day.

It disgusted him to hear people who had chosen the normal, peaceful path that part of him coveted berated. He itched to fight the soldiers, but he had to keep hoping that they would pass by. Warren was good in combat, but he needed his team with him to take care of a large crowd. If there were more than five of them then he wouldn't be able to take care of them. And there had been a lot of footsteps.

"Best not take any chances."

"Come on, we're missing the action!"

"Do you want to be the one to explain that the sample size decreased?"

Warren frowned, uncertain at what that meant.

"Fine. I'll break down the damn door. Happy?"

"Pretty much."

He heard the footsteps retreat, probably to get a running start for the door. Warren felt his feathers unfurl. He was ready.

Jean could feel the familiar psychic territory of Westchester wrap around her like a blanket. She dived in, briefly feeling the different minds. Everyone's minds shone, their thoughts beacons. She knew them all, and the professor had told her once that it made their thoughts seem more appealing to her. It was difficult not to touch any of their minds, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay in them long if she did. She wouldn't be able to warn them, to tell them that Warren and she needed back-up.

So she continued searching. More minds called out, beckoning her. However, one called to her like a beacon. She could hear the pulse of his thoughts, even though they didn't have any substance. Jean reached out to his mind, feeling the shining circles of the professor's thoughts intersect with her own.

Jean?

She smiled, despite the situation.

It's me.

What's wrong?

She sobered quickly.

Some soldiers broke into the conference center, Jean thought, There are a lot of them, and they're well equipped. They've surrounded the building.

Are you hurt? Are you safe?

Warren and I are unhurt, and safe for the moment, Jean thought.

She could feel his thoughts tremble.

And Moira?

We haven't been able to find her. We were supposed to meet her for dinner, but then this happened.

His thoughts became shot with pain and fear. It subsided, but it was enough to make Jean slip on her already tenuous hold. She held on by her fingertips.

Professor, we need help. We need the rest of the X-men.

We'll be there immediately.

Jean let herself drift off. As she began to return to the conference center, she had to wonder on his choice of words. He hadn't said that he would send the X-men, or that Alex would be there. He said that 'we' would be there.' It could only refer to the fact that he was part of the X-men, but his reaction at hearing Moira was in danger told her differently.

The door broke inward. Warren grabbed the first soldier and threw him headfirst into the wall. He shot at him but Warren dodged and took to the ceiling. He had to keep them away from Jean. She was defenseless in her current state, and he knew that she would be dazed for several minutes after she woke up.

Warren saw that, despite that only two soldiers had spoken, there were easily four. He knocked the gun out of the hand of the first one and kicked him in the nose. The nose crunched in and blood dribbled down the man's chin. Another soldier shot at him and Warren flung the soldier in front of him, using him as a shield. The beam shot into the soldier's shoulder, burning it. He cried out as Warren threw him to the ground.

Another soldier grabbed him from behind. Warren threw his elbow out, catching him in the stomach. He tucked his wings in, allowing him to bring his leg around and kick him in the ribs with greater force. He saw a fourth one bring his gun around, only to be stopped when someone tackled him, bringing him to the ground and smashing his face in.

He saw the fifth soldier take aim at the man, only to have his gun yanked out of his hands. Magnetrix hit him over the head with his gun, bringing him to the floor. She threw the gun aside and kicked him in the face. Magnetrix adjusted her coat before looking down at the other man, who was still hitting the soldier in the face.

"Lance, stop it."

Lance stopped and got up, wiping his bloody fists on his pants. Warren felt his hands clench into fists as three other figures joined the first two, a girl with blonde hair, and two men he recognized as Senyaka and Toad.

"Archangel," Magnetrix said.

"Magnetrix," he said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Fighting," she said, "I thought that was obvious."

She looked passed him to where Jean was beginning to get up. Warren rushed to her side. He saw her eyes widen at the members of the Brotherhood.

"What do you want?" Warren said.

Magnetrix sighed.

"Look, I have a lot of respect for your teachers, so I thought you would be quicker on the uptake," she said.

"You shouldn't," Lance said.

"Shut up," Magnetrix said.

She walked up to Warren, her arms crossed. Warren placed himself between her and Jean, his eyes blazing.

"Listen, these people are attacking mutants," Magnetrix said, "And that concerns us. Right now neither of us has the back-up that we want. And as irritated as I am to have to do another team up with you a mere six months after the last one, we kind of need to do it to survive. Do you catch my drift?"

Warren looked at Jean, who gave a slight nod. He sighed.

"Yeah, I do," he said.

"Good," Magnetrix said.

She looked them over.

"Not exactly dressed for combat, are you?" she asked.

"We were here for a conference, not a mission," Warren said.

Magnetrix smiled. Senyaka gave a dry chuckle and the blonde girl blew a pink bubble. Warren helped Jean to her feet, still glaring at Magnetrix.

"That's the difference between the X-men and the Brotherhood," she said, "Everything's a mission for us."

"Then when do you get to live?" Jean asked, her voice soft.

For a minute Warren thought he saw a shadow pass over Mangetrix's face. Then she shrugged.

"This is our life."