Chapter 17: Back Up

Back at the mansion the professor had divided the X-Men and the Brotherhood into two teams. Team 1 consisted of: Scott, Jean, Pietro Blob and Toad. Team 2 consisted of: Magneto, Wanda, Kurt, Gambit and Lance.

The professor looked at them all and said, "This is very important. Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, Logan, Storm and Mystique are on the Hawaiian Island Maui. Their location is on the east side of the island in a large town called Hana. They arrived there yesterday as you were collecting the Kicking The X drug. They are at the base where the drug is being created by our friend Creed, or the leaders of The FOH. We do not know how much of Hana the FOH have claimed their own, so, team 1; I would like you to leave immediately in the X-Chopper."

"We're gone professor," Scott called out, and they rushed down to the hanger.

Jean punched in the coordinates. "ETA 14 hours! How are we supposed to help if it takes us fourteen hours?"

"Listen-your-prof-probbaly-had-a-good-reason-for-waiting-until-now. So-what-are-you-waiting-for-let's go!" cried the always impatient Pietro.

Scott and Jean put on their head sets and the five of them took off at full speed.

After twenty minutes Pietro asked, "Can't-this-thing-go-any-faster?"

"Not unless you want the propellers to snap," replied Scott.

"AHH! No, that's cool, this speed is great yo. I like this speed, how about you?" Toad started to ramble. The last time he had been in the X-Chopper he had discovered that it was made out of plastic. He remembered Wolverine's words clearly, 'Not an ounce of metal.' "I think I'm going to be sick."

Blob rolled his eyes, "Man Toad, relax. If you were any greener we'd have to call you Frog." He turned his attention from his winning friend to the second in command. "Hey Jean, is Summers' telling the truth, can we go any faster or not?"

Jean looked at all the dials and then at Scott. Their eta was still ten hours away. "Scott, we can push it a bit. You know the blades won't come off."

Scott looked at her and shot her a quick smile and then looked at their speed. "I know, I just wanted to scare the slime ball, but faster Jean, I'm not sure."

She sighed and then, "Do you trust Logan's handy work Scott?"

"Of course Jean, he takes care of everything in the hanger."

"Well you know Logan and his extra features. He always includes safety in them."

Jean was pleading with Scott to go faster, but he just didn't see how he could safely until, "Hey, is-that-like-fuel-Shades?" Pietro popped up front to study the controls.

"Hey, Pietro! Stay in the back. The X-Chopper is no place to be goofing around!" Scott was not thrilled with his team. 'Why did the professor pair me up with three of the looserhood gang? Well at least I have Jean.'

"Scott!" Jean's shout brought him out of his trance.

"What is it Jean?" Scott seemed worried. Her voice seemed somewhat shocked and yet excited at the same time.

"Pietro and I are right, look." Jean pointed to the fuel button and then showed Scott the Jets button. "Logan's handy work."

Scott looked and said, "Yeah, but Jean we don't know how they work. This is a feature we've never…"

"Screw that Scott! We have friends that are still more than nine hours away!" and with that Jean hit the "Jets" button and they heard something roar to life. They started gaining speed and from the back there was a high pitched girly scream. Jean smiled and said, "Better, much better."

Team two had left the mansion five hours ago in the metal orbs that Magneto had created for each of his team members. Gambit had been in them in the past, but Wanda, Kurt and Lance had not and did not realize the speed that Magneto could travel.

Kurt felt like he was flying and porting at the same time. He did not like the way he could not see out of the orb. When he ported he needed to see or know where he was going. Well he knew where they were going but he had to put his 'trust' in bucket head. 'Vell this iz just vonderful. I can not see vere ve are and I don't know how much longer until ve get to Rogue and the others.'

Lance was not one for flying, but in all the commotion between Rogue throwing the door of The Brotherhood wide open, learning of the Kicking the X drug, and finding out that Kitty was already at the base, he had forgotten this little factor until he was zooming through the air at top speed. 'Oh yeah, I hate flying. There is no way we are still nine hours away. Nine hours, oh god I don't know if I can last that long.'

Wanda could have cared less about the speed. She knew they would get there in good time. What bothered her was the space, or lack of it. She felt like she couldn't move, not that it was safe to move at the current moment. 'Why not just put me back in a strait jacket? God it's so plain in here. At least it is silver and not white. I think I'll tell Father that I hate his design.' Wanda's thoughts carried on about how the orb reminded her of the asylum in different ways and how that made her hate her father even more. It took everything in her not to hex the orbs.

Gambit sat still in his orb. He was angry at himself and angry at her. How dare Rogue leave and not take him. He had told her that he loved her and she had told him the same. She never told him that, especially in front of people. It was like she was saying good-bye. 'Non, Gambit no' gonna le' y' go Cherie. We be comin' t' 'elp y' now. Stay strong fo' Remy. Remy gonna blow de place apart.'

Magneto was furious and flying his team at full force. Why did Charles wait so long to share the information? 'This is the last time any foolish human will ever kill a mutant. I will crush them like the bugs they are and destroy every last one of them! Let Charles deal with peace.'

Through the chopper window Scott, Jean, Pietro, Blob and Toad saw the orbs fly past them. Jean blinked, "The professor was right. They will make it there before us even with the extra jets built in."

Scott thought for a second. "Well then why didn't we all just take orbs?" Jean rolled her eyes. Scott seemed confused. "No seriously Jean, if he can travel that fast why couldn't he take all of us?"

"Yeah, I could have taken one of those yo! Then I wouldn't be in this creepy creaking half chopper half jet thing man." Toad was getting ancy. He hadn't had a single fly in over twenty- four hours and it was starting to show. He had tried to hop out of his seat twice forgetting that he was buckled in. When the buckle didn't go any further he was yanked back and the seat belt snapped him causing him to screech in pain.

"Magneto-is-strong-but-not-that-strong." Pietro said.

Toad, blob and Scott didn't get it; "Huh?" was all they said.

It was Jean's turn to explain. "It is a mental ability. First Magneto reforms the metal with his mind. Then he uses Telekinesis to carry the orbs. Does that make sense?" Jean looked around. The boys still didn't get it. She let out a "Humph" and tried again. "All ten of us would have been too much for magneto to carry. He is using his mind to carry the orbs. I couldn't lift ten cars at once even if I had to."

"Oh," Scott, Blob and Toad said. Jean and Pietro just rolled their eyes.