Carving A Niche
Author's Note: I'm trying to put this story under all four characters: Iceman, Northstar, Jean Grey, and Emma Frost. But it only comes up in the search engine of Iceman and Jean Grey. For now it will stay under Northstar and Iceman. If anyone has advice on how to deal with this issue please comment with it! And to clear the air, this version of Bobby doesn't have that awful brown hair. It's short, blonde, and a bit spiky, I'm sure most of you can picture it. This chapter will take place from Emma's point of view. Views will alternate depending on what what's necessary to the story. Thanks for those who reviewed! I now have a beta! I also updated my profile should anybody be interested in that.
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or its characters. This work is entirely fictitious.
Warning: Slight AU. Eventual slash. Jean Paul/Bobby Drake. Emma Frost/Jean Grey. It also gets a bit more intense in this chapter. Not as lighthearted as before.
Chapter 2
Emma was on Genosha again, only this time there was something different about it.
The skies were a dim red, and the corpses surrounding her constantly leaked blood, forming a river of the substance which soaked the ground below her. A sense of foreboding and danger was in the air, making the hairs on Emma's neck prickle.
She followed the trail of blood, carefully maneuvering her way around the carnage, and tried not to look too much at the bodies, some of which were probably her former students. As she moved, the environment began to change. The wreckage surrounding her became more familiar, less tarnished, and clearer to Emma's eyes as the atmosphere thickened, the smell of salt, sulfur, and rotten flesh permeating the air.
Emma continued walking alongside the river. She followed it until it stopped in a massive trench in front of a large building, torn apart as if an explosion had recently taken place there. The telepath took in a sharp breath as the debris became recognizable—it wasn't from the facilities stationed on Genosha.
It was the X-Mansion, Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.
"Dear god…what happened here?" Emma whispered, horrified, tentatively peering down the trench. "That's impossible!" She cried out, becoming violently sick to her stomach, and quickly veered away from the trench to puke on the ground.
Emma wiped her mouth with a shaky hand and got to her feet unsteadily, clutching her stomach. She saw their bodies. All of their bodies.
"The Professor…Wolverine…Jean Paul, Bobby…the Cuckoos…Julian…Sooraya…Nori, even Jean," Emma whispered, choking down the bile threatening to rise up again in her throat.
A deep, sinister laugh tore Emma out of her disbelief. She whirled around, anger coursing through her veins as her body shifted into diamond form.
The man in front of her was at least six feet tall, with chestnut brown skin and black hair falling about his shoulders, and was immaculately dressed in a jet black suit. His handsome, chiseled features were marred by the feral smile spread across his face.
"What. Did. You. Do?" Emma demanded, eyes smoldering with white hot fury. The man simply smirked at her, the bloodthirsty gleam never leaving his eyes. He watched her with amusement, putting his hands up in mock fear.
"Giving you a little preview of what's to come." The man spoke slowly, his smirk widening. His voice was deeper than any person she's ever heard, almost inhumanly so.
Emma eyed him warily—something about this man screamed danger, and every part of her was screaming for her to get away from him. "What do you mean by 'what's to come'"? Emma asked carefully.
"You'll find out soon, Ms. Frost. And you're going to wish you didn't, because what you've witnessed here is nothing compared to what I will do," the man sneered, his tone malicious. Just as Emma lunged for his throat, the man clapped his hands and all went black.
Emma awoke with a loud gasp. She sat up quickly and took a deep, calming breath. Her skin was sweaty and clammy; she felt wetness around her eyes.
"What the fuck was that?" Emma muttered to herself, throwing the bed covers off and turning on the lamp by her bed before heading to her small bathroom. The blonde splashed water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror.
Her face was skull-like in the dim lighting of the bathroom, her blonde her framing it in thin, sweaty strands.
"I look disgusting," Emma thought, annoyed, and began to strip off her clothing while turning on the showerhead. Completely nude, she stepped into the shower and moaned in relief as the water landed on her skin.
As the telepath began to bathe, she pondered upon what had just happened. That was the worst telepathic disturbance as of yet. Instead of the bloody images that usually woke her up, someone delivered a mental manifestation to her.
Emma didn't mention the images to Jean Paul when they talked yesterday—she didn't want to worry him with exactly what disturbances were occurring, but that was something she would have to reconsider now that this had happened.
"At least we can rule out Jean and the Professor…but that still leaves the question of who exactly our mystery mutant is," Emma mused to herself, the hot water coursing down her back as she massaged shampoo out of her hair. She soon finished bathing and wrapped a towel around herself, then stepped back into the bedroom and glanced at the time.
"A quarter after five. A bit early, but I'm sure Jean Paul won't mind the interruption. I think my dreams are a bit more important than his wet ones at the moment," Emma thought to herself.
The blonde put on a silken, white pajama top and sweat pants, then slid her feet into white slippers and quietly left the room, closing the door tightly shut behind her. She padded lightly down the halls before she came to Jean Paul's room. Instead of knocking, she simply sent a mental probe to jolt him from sleep. In response, the psionic mutant heard a muffled groan and the sound of a body thumping on the floor.
Emma had to stifle a giggle. Sometimes being a telepath had its perks.
"It's Emma, let me in," She said mentally, already looking around to see if anyone awoke from Jean Paul falling out of his bed.
"I know. No one else would wake me up at this time in the morning via a psychic bolt. Merde, that hurt," The Canadian replied in annoyance.
"Quit whining. I know you wanted Bobby in his knickers to be at your door, but it's just me, so hurry up and open it." Emma rolled her eyes, her impatience growing.
The door opened suddenly and a shirtless, muscular Jean Paul stood behind it, a dark scowl on his face. "Emma, you need to stop making jokes about Robert, it's starting to get ann-"
"No, I need to talk to you about what just happened. I have some information about our new telepath," Emma interrupted, walking past him and into his room. Jean Paul raised his eyebrows skeptically, but closed his door and locked it behind him. He leaned against the wall and stared at the blonde woman on his bed.
"Alright, what just happened?" Jean Paul asked, watching her look over his room with an approving eye. "I really like your style Jean Paul. Then again what's to be expected, you aren't like the rest of these people we live among," Emma replied as she surveyed an expensive portrait of Jean Paul and his beloved sister, Jeanne-Marie.
"Emma, you said you had something to tell me," Jean Paul groaned, his frustration at being awoken beginning to show on his face.
"Oh it's better if I show you, dear," Emma said dismissively and replayed the memory of her dream to the mind of the Quebecois. Jean Paul's eyes widened, jaw dropping in shock as the disturbing dream unfolded inside his brain.
"Jean Paul, please do close your mouth. You're beginning to resemble an ape and I'm afraid that at any moment now, you'll start beating your chest like a madman," Emma observed, rather amused. Only the higher timbre of her voice gave away how much the dream had affected her.
Jean Paul promptly closed his mouth and began to apologize.
"Je suis desolee, Emma. I didn't mean to act like that after you just…merde." The Quebecois cursed at himself, running a hand through his hair. Emma waited patiently for him to calm down.
Jean Paul took a deep breath and looked at Emma gravely, his eyes dark with combined fury and apprehension. "So what do we do now?" he asked quietly, gaze never leaving the telepath's face.
"For now, we wait. I'm going to bring this to the Professor in the morning. If that yields no information, then we'll have to embark on our own investigation," Emma replied quickly, mind already calculating various options.
"Even if Xavier did know something, he wouldn't share it with a former Hellfire member, I doubt he'd even share it with one of his own X-Men. The man can be so damn secretive regarding some subjects… So when the visit with the Professor does yield nothing, we need to know where to begin," Jean Paul remarked, eyes narrowing at the thought of the Professor withholding information he didn't believe necessary for others to know.
"Well, I don't know where exactly. I have an idea…but in order to do that, we'll need to recruit some people," Emma smirked knowingly, causing the French-speaking mutant to eye her with interest. "Okay…go on. Who do you have in mind?" Jean Paul inquired, curious.
"Well, Annie, of course. We need another mind to bounce ideas off of, and I'm sure her position and expertise in medicine will be useful somehow," Emma stated matter-of-factly, Jean Paul nodding his approval. "Jean Grey is necessary as well. She's the most powerful psionic mutant in this facility, other than Xavier, and I'm confident that the odds will be that much more in our favor with her on our side. Plus, I'm confident the Phoenix Force won't allow her to die." The blonde finished with a smile on her face.
"But, wasn't she also dead in your dream? I do not understand." Jean Paul frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yes, but that was his belief of what's to come, with only his knowledge. The possibility of him having more knowledge than us regarding the Phoenix Force is highly unlikely. Jean barely knows its capabilities herself, only noting that it seemed reluctant for her to die. This also reveals a significant flaw in our mystery mutant: overconfidence." Emma's smile grew a few molars in triumph at her deduction.
"That's right, whoever you are. You want a fight, now you're getting one, and I won't roll over," the telepath thought, feeling a small sense of satisfaction.
"Alright, that makes sense," Jean Paul conceded, his eyes taking on a thoughtful look. "Anyone else or is that it?" He asked offhandedly.
Emma looked at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes—Jean Paul immediately felt himself get nervous. "Well, I was considering dear Bobby to join us as well. It wouldn't hurt for another Omega level mutant to back us up in this investigation…plus, I'm sure you'd enjoy the bonding time," she said innocently, unable to completely wipe the smirk off of her face.
Jean Paul's face became a storm of annoyance and irritation.
"Emma—" He began angrily, before being interrupted by the blonde woman.
"Listen, I'll leave that decision up to you. But just consider the options before making a rash choice based completely on your emotions," Emma said seriously, the playful tone fading out of her voice.
Jean Paul rolled his eyes. "Oui, I will. Now, is there anything else?"
"No, I suppose there isn't," Emma sighed, walking past her annoyed friend to the door. She was beginning to turn the door handle when she stopped, back facing Jean Paul.
"Jean Paul…things are going to change. I don't know when, but it's better to have done everything you wanted to before it simply becomes another fantasy in the past. You will regret it if you never take a chance, trust me," the blonde spoke quietly before walking out of the room, the door lightly closing behind her.
Jean Paul sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I know, mon ami, I know," he muttered to himself as he walked back to his bed. He only hoped he could go back to sleep, the image of his own corpse still burned in mind.
"Sorry Ms. Frost!" Cessily Kinkaid, otherwise known as Mercury, cried out as she nearly collided with the telepath in a rush to get her friends.
"Come on Ces! We're going to be late! The others won't wait for us!" Julian Keller yelled out, a good few meters ahead of the Irish girl.
The younger mutants were hosting a barbecue to end their extended weekend—Xavier had already approved of it as long as there were adult supervisors. Cyclops was at the grill and all of the students couldn't wait to chow down. Most of them, in fact, were curious how his renowned ribs would compare to Wolverine's signature hamburgers.
Emma nodded absentmindedly as the young mutant apologized again before running off to catch up to Julian. Normally, Emma would have been irritated or amused depending on her mood at the time, but right now she was more focused on how to approach the professor.
"This will be an…intriguing conversation," Emma thought wearily, knowing the Professor's habit of skirting around an actual answer. The blonde continued to walk to his office, taking a deep breath to compose herself before knocking.
"Who is it?" A voice called from behind the door.
"Emma Frost," she replied shortly. The door opened wide to reveal a smiling, older man in a wheelchair. "Ah Emma! What's brought you here?" He asked kindly, his demeanor very much resembling a beloved grandfather.
Emma was not fooled. She quickly moved passed him and sat in a seat, crossing her legs as she waited for him to roll back to behind his desk.
"We need to talk Xavier," Emma said haughtily, clasping her hands calmly in front of her despite her tone.
"About what?" Xavier questioned, his tone curious, a smile never leaving his face.
"Well, it all started…" Emma began to tell the Professor of her recent experiences, carefully skirting around telling Jean Paul or her plan to investigate. The headmaster's smile slowly shrunk until his mouth was set in a stern frown.
"I see…and you have told no one about this yet?" He asked carefully, his tone ringing alarm bells in Emma's head. "I knew it. I knew the old man knew something about this." She thought to herself.
"No, no I haven't. Not yet," Emma lied, keeping her mind protected so he wouldn't try a mental probe to make sure she was telling the truth. Thankfully, he didn't—he only nodded sharply, his mind obviously off in other places.
"Good. Please, keep it that way. All I can tell you, that I know, is that the mutant you're talking about is extremely dangerous. So dangerous in fact, that I'd rather look into the issue myself if you don't mind, Ms. Frost. I don't want to involve the X-Men…this mutant is beyond their current caliber. I will deal with this myself. Understood?" The older mutant replied, eyes narrowing at the blonde.
"If you wish, Xavier," Emma said while rising from her seat, her mind already exploring a variety of options on how to investigate this mystery mutant. She was halfway to the door when the Professor spoke up.
"By the way, Emma," Xavier called out, "could you please find out what's bothering Bobby? As I recall, I did ask you earlier since you do possess a degree in psychology. I would ask Jean, but she has enough to deal with since Scott's return." Emma rolled her eyes. She knew what he was doing; trying to distract her with other tasks so she wouldn't have time to focus on the issue at hand.
"Nice try old man, but I'm not that easy to shake," the telepath thought smugly. She turned around and smiled sweetly at him.
"Why of course I will, it'd be a pleasure to help out a fellow team member. I was just unsure on when you when you wanted me to start the sessions," Emma's reply oozed sarcasm.
The Professor beamed at her. "Thank you, Ms. Frost. It would be wonderful if you could start immediately. I'm quite glad you're already starting to bond with the team," he said happily.
Emma gave him a tight nod before turning back around and walking out, letting the door slam behind her. As soon as she left, the Professor's smile dropped off his face. Xavier sighed deeply.
"I never thought…I'd ever see that face again," he said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. The Professor knew he'd have to do something to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
But with a school to manage as well as the X-Men, the burden the powerful telepath had been carrying seemed to grow. The strain of it was getting to be too much, and Xavier, for the first time since he became bald, felt very old.
Emma could have growled from the sheer frustration she felt as she stormed away from Professor Xavier's office.
"That old man thinks that he can just order me around like I'm one of his X-Flunkies," the blonde practically snarled. "The audacity and ego of these people never fail to astound me. I swear if- Emma?" A voice interrupted her inner monologue. Emma stopped her rapid, angry pace and glanced behind at the person who called her. She nearly groaned aloud.
Bobby Drake was nervously fidgeting side to side, his fingers constantly twining and untwining in some sort of pattern. The only reason Emma didn't continue walking away was the determined glint in the younger mutant's eyes.
"Why…does whatever deity out there enjoy fucking around with my life?" She thought miserably. Not even trying to hide her displeasure, she sighed deeply and turned around fully to face the ice-powered mutant.
"What do you want, Drake?" Emma asked. The constant fidgeting was beginning to annoy her.
"Well…I was just thinking if…you c-c-could help me out, please?" Bobby stuttered out nervously, already beginning to feel as if this was a bad idea.
Emma gestured for him to continue. Bobby started fidgeting even more, looking up quickly into the older blonde's eyes.
"Can I tell you somewhere else? Like my room?" He asked quietly.
"Sure, now lead the way and stop wasting my time," Emma said exasperatedly, she was beginning to lose the last little shred of patience she had.
The younger blonde nodded quickly and began to lead her to his room.
Emma watched his movements with a bit of curiosity. His steps used to be confident—not an arrogant stride like Cyclops had or a slow, dangerous gait like Wolverine had, just self-assured and secure in himself. Now, he seemed more…tense. Iceman's steps were quick and uneven now, lacking the former certainty they used to possess. It almost troubled the older blonde.
"If I really wanted…I could always just take a peek inside his head. Bobby has always been easily susceptible to mental probes. Although that seems pointless, his nervous behavior earlier shows me he's ready to tell me everything," she mused internally, almost not noticing they had stopped in front of his room.
Bobby held the door open for her. Emma smirked at that.
"I guess chivalry isn't dead," she cooed before entering. Bobby allowed a half smile to grace his face before becoming nervous again.
The first thing Emma noticed about his room was that it was cold—not freezing, but definitely a few degrees less than most rooms in the mansion. That also ended up being the only thing she noticed, because Bobby chose to speak up at that moment.
"So…as you know…I've been pretty much a jerk to about everyone lately." He rubbed his neck in embarrassment.
"I don't really care about that. Honestly, I could care less about nearly everyone at this facility." Emma waved him off.
Bobby's face morphed into fury.
"Yeah, well I do care about what they think. And you should too! After all, we did take you in after Genosha. Remember that? You nearly died, a whole lot of your students did die, and your attitude to us ever since you woke up from the coma has been rude, cold, and condescending. Not even a thank you! God, why'd I even ask for your help?!" Bobby ranted angrily at the somewhat shocked telepath. The older mutant recovered quickly, however.
"Bobby, I'm going to stop you there. You asked for my help because you have been rude, cold, and disrespectful to all of your little friends," Emma said, putting emphasis on the word 'friends'.
"So right now this is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black. And to revise my earlier statement, there are some people whose company I do enjoy. Annie and Jean Paul for instance. I decided to hear you out due to not only a request the Professor made, but also because the mood around here has been terribly glum ever since you became…depressed? Whatever. In any case, the rest of my patience will dissipate if you ever mention the incident on Genosha again." Emma finished coldly, eyes gleaming dangerously.
The younger mutant visibly deflated in front of her. He looked rightfully abashed.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out like it did, it's just…well…God, I'm a dick." Bobby groaned and fell on his bed with a considerable bounce. Emma allowed a little smile to fall onto her face.
"Yes, you are. But not as big of a dick as some other people," Emma stated honestly. "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"
The younger blonde rolled over and sat up on the bed, legs crossed. "You know that in order to have a relationship, scratch that, to even have friends, you have to be…well…be warm. Ya know?" Bobby paused, looking at Emma to see if she understood.
"Not sure if I'm following you, but go on," she said, a bit confused, the ice-powered mutant obviously wasn't giving her complete answers. Bobby nodded and went on anyway.
"Well…during the battle with Black Tom, I got stabbed and…" Bobby trailed off, lifting his shirt instead to show her.
Emma's eyes widened. There was a patch of crystal blue ice on the blonde's chest. It stretched from just below his nipples to the top of his abs. The patch was almost transparent, organs and bones faintly visible beneath it. Thin, spidery lines spread out from the main patch, like blue veins coursing through the flesh.
Bobby looked sadly at it before sliding his shirt down. "In two weeks, it doubled its size…and it keeps spreading. Soon, I'll be nothing but ice," the younger mutant finished morosely, his voice barely above a whisper. Emma looked at him with understanding.
"And you're worried that once you do, all of your chances of holding a relationship…will vanish," Emma concluded, a frown on her face. Bobby nodded numbly, hugging his knees tightly.
"I'm sorry Bobby…I really am. But why did you tell me about this? Why not your friend Hank? He seems better suited to this type of thing," Emma inquired, a bit concerned.
The ice-powered mutant's face brightened up considerably.
"Remember when you took over my body and you were able to do all those things I didn't know I was capable of doing? Or when you helped me return back to human form because my powers were tied with my emotions and I just needed to control them. I was thinking that…I don't know…that maybe you could do it again?" Bobby asked hopefully, looking at the telepath for an answer.
Emma frowned deeper, thinking over the situation before responding.
"I don't know Bobby, maybe. Judging that Black Tom Cassidy gave it to you, my methods may not be of much help. I think it'd be wiser if you brought it up with Hank," Emma said a bit skeptically.
"I know…I was just hoping that…whatever. It doesn't even matter anymore. I can't even keep a girl. They either decide to turn into a star or go running into the arms of Alex Summers when given the chance," he said miserably, resting his head in his hands.
Emma saw a chance to not only bring up Jean Paul, but to also get Bobby to visit Hank.
"Well, maybe it's because you're not meant to be with women," Emma said carefully, watching the younger mutant's reaction.
Bobby's head shot up and he gave her a guarded expression.
"What makes you say that?" He asked suspiciously. The older blonde rolled her eyes.
"Darling, I've been inside your head. We both know that you're lying to yourself if you insist that you're still completely heterosexual. You have a ton of unresolved issues regarding your sexuality and maybe…it just may help with your dilemma," Emma suggested slyly.
Bobby's face turned beet red. He opened his mouth slightly, before closing it and looking away, thoroughly embarrassed.
"Even if I got rid of this thing, it's not like anyone would want me. Not when you have guys like Gambit around, basically sex on legs. I'm just Frosty the goddamn Snowman compared to them," Bobby spoke bitterly from experience, familiar feelings of heartbreak creeping up on him.
"I know someone already interested in you," Emma said lightly, enjoying the surprised look the younger mutant shot her way.
"W-what? W-who?" Bobby sputtered out timidly. Emma smirked evilly.
"I'll tell you, but only on the condition that you tell Hank about the patch on your chest," Emma said sweetly, causing Bobby to protest indignantly. After listening to a few feeble reasons as to why he couldn't tell Hank, Emma raised her hand.
"Then I suppose I can't tell you who likes you then," the blonde woman sighed dramatically, causing the younger blonde to pout. "Fine," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that?" Emma held a hand out by her ear.
"I said…fine, I will tell Hank about it. As long as we still work on my powers and you tell me who this person is." Bobby smirked, and Emma narrowed her eyes. "Damn, kid is smarter than people give him credit for," she thought.
"If that's what you want, then yes. But you need to tell Hank," Emma relented. Bobby grinned.
"Yeah, yeah. Now, who likes me?" Bobby asked curiously, excitement beginning to show on his features.
"Jean Paul." The telepath answered simply. Bobby gaped at her.
"Really? Him? But…he's so rich! And smart! Why would he like me? He could have any other guy he wanted! I just found out he was gay! What does he see in me? What should I do?" Bobby continued to babble.
"Robert. Do you like him back?" Emma interrupted, amused. Bobby itched the back of his neck.
"I don't know…I mean he's attractive. And he's been pretty cool since he got here. He's nice to me too. But, how much do we have in common? It turned out me and Lorna had pretty much nothing in common and you see how that worked out!" Bobby replied worriedly, beginning to work himself up.
"Just ask him out on a date then," Emma's voice cut through to Bobby's head.
"But…what if he says no and he doesn't really like me?" Bobby asked in a small voice.
"We all have to take a chance Bobby." Emma sighed. She walked over to the cross legged mutant and gave him a one armed hug, leaving the blonde man in shock.
"If it's of any help, that was meant to inspire you!" Emma called out from behind her shoulder as she left Iceman's room. Before she closed the door, she heard Bobby's incredulous voice shouting, "Did you really just hug me?!"
Emma shook her head in amusement. She had to admit she was beginning to become rather fond of Bobby. The telepath supposed she should warn Jean Paul that Bobby may approach him with an interesting proposal soon, but she quickly decided against it.
"No reason to spoil the fun of others," she thought wickedly.
Two voices arguing loudly broke Emma out of her thoughts. The blonde quickly descended down the stairs where she saw a large congregation of students and teachers alike being audience to the argument. Emma even spotted Xavier talking in hushed tones to Storm.
"Wow…I knew things were bad between them but never this bad," Bobby's voice came up behind her. He must have come down not long after she left. Emma nodded silently, too distracted by the spectacle in front of her.
"Goddammit Scott! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of you not talking to me, ignoring me, and treating me like the fucking enemy!" Jean Grey screamed at her husband, who was just as furious.
"What am I supposed to say Jean? That I wanted to be controlled by Apocalypse? That I wanted to not be able to trust you? What the hell do you want me to say?" Cyclops retorted angrily.
"I certainly didn't expect that when I tried to kiss you, for you to push me to the ground! Instinctively or not, I'm sick of this. I was part of the team that rescued you from him and you can't even open up to me about anything anymore!" There were tears streaming down Jean's face.
"It's not my fault Jean! I'm sorry for pushing you but you need to understand there are some things that you can't help me with! I just need to be alone!" Scott shouted in frustration.
Jean took in a deep, shuddery breath.
"Maybe, it would be wise if we could both be alone," Jean said quietly.
"What…what do you mean?" Cyclops's face blanched.
"Until we get it together, I want a legal separation," Jean said resolutely.
"You…you wanna divorce me?" Scott looked like he was about to be sick.
"No, I'm not sure… I don't know. We just need a break. I get to hear barely three consecutive sentences from you each day if I'm lucky. Since this month has been full of your decisions, this is one I'm making. It'll be good for both of us if we spend some time away from each other. Goodbye, Scott," Jean said in such a tone of finality, not one person questioned it.
And without the use of her telekinetic powers, Jean Grey made the crowd of mutants disperse before her and disappeared into the depths of the mansion, leaving many bewildered people and a very shocked Cyclops in her wake.