[Author's Note: X-Men Characters In This Chapter: Gambit (Remy), Rogue (Marie), Nightcrawler (Kurt), Iceman (Bobby), Magma (Amara), Beast (Dr. McCoy), Storm (Ororo), Professor X (Charles Xavier), Wolverine (Logan), Shadowcat (Kitty), Phoenix (Jean), Cyclops (Scott), Boom-Boom (Tabitha), Multiple (Jamie), Jubilee, StormFireGirl's character Bio-hazard (A.J.), and of course my characters Panther (Emery) and the Shadow (Marcus Preed)]

Amara and Bobby were lounging in their seats in the Professor's small back-up jet. The Professor said he'd never had to fly it before, but since Wolverine took the first team in the jet, the back-up jet was their fastest option. Kurt was pacing impatiently, waiting for Rogue and Gambit to arrive. Their team wasn't smaller than the first, no, they had a couple more people. The difference this time was that overall, more people were more experienced with fighting. Not to mention that instead of one person to rescue, there were now seven.

Beast came bounding into the jet.

"Who else is the Professor choosing to come with us?" Bobby asked.

"He didn't say," Dr. McCoy responded.

"Just us I believe," Ororo said strutting into the jet, Tabitha behind her. Bobby's attention immediately drifted to Ororo's thighs. "And I suggest Robert, that you keep your eyes to respectful places," she added. Amara giggled and Bobby's face lit up in a blush as he looked at the ground in front of his chair.

"Any news from Rogue and Gambit?" Dr. McCoy asked.

"They should be here in about five minutes and then we can get this party started," Tabitha responded.

"Wonderful, I will prep the jet for take off then."

Emery sat reading the book Kurt had brought her. She was waiting for someone to say something over the communicator, but there was no sound coming from it at all. She guessed she would just have to be patient.

The Shadow was thrilled to have his body back. He hitched a ride on a train heading back in the direction of the Xavier Institute where he had found Emery. No one saw him catch a ride, and no one saw him take his seat. He just blended into the shadows of the cabin and looked like nothing more than part of the train.

"Remy," Rogue said, as Gambit sped towards the Institute.

"Yes cherie?"

"Promise me you'll be careful?"

"As long as chu promise the same thing."

They shared a comfortable silence, knowing that while both would try to be safe, both would never make a promise they couldn't keep."

They pulled into the driveway of the mansion shortly afterwards, speeding their way into the parking garage. They hopped out of the vehicle and made hast to the loading dock.

"Great to see you back!" Beast called to Gambit and Rogue from the cockpit.

"Where are we headed?" Gambit called strapping Rogue into her seat.

"Ah can do it myself!" Rogue complained.

"Allegheny National Forest, West Pennsylvania. Communicators are now online."

Gambit strapped himself down into the seat.

"Strap in! Take off is in 10!," Beast called back.

Storm and Tabitha strapped themselves in.

"9!"

The door to outside opened up, and the Professor came wheeling in.

"Door closing! 7!" Beast called.

Amara and Bobby spun around in their seats and pulled their seat-belts on.

"6!"

The Professor wheeled himself over to his wheel lock.

"5!"

The locks clicked on and held the Professor's wheelchair in place.

"4!"

The engines flared.

"3!"

"Kurt sit down!" Bobby yelled.

"2!"

Kurt teleported to his seat and clicked his seat-belt into place.

"1!"

The plane ejected from it's port and sped towards Pennsylvania.

Emery turned the page on her book. She'd heard the take off, heard Bobby yell at Kurt, but she hadn't heard Kurt's voice. She was worried about him. He was hers. He was hers wasn't he. She smiled a little. She had a bad feeling about them leaving though.

Jet number two touched down next to the first one a half hour later. The rescue team disembarked and the Professor followed behind them. They followed the Professor's directions to the place where their x-men comrades were passed out on the floor.

"Wow," Tabitha breathed. "A.J. went crazy in here."

They walked by the injured guard. Storm stopped to check for a pulse.

"He's still alive. Where is the government's rescue?" No one answered her.

Then they entered the cryogenics storage room. There was no trace of anything, no damage to anything. The only sign anything had happened in this room was the seven bodies laying on the floor and an empty cryo-container.

Gambit threw Wolverine over his shoulder. "Well let's get 'em out of here."

"Gambit be careful! They could be injured."

"None of them are injured. It wasn't Bio-Hazard that they faced," the Professor noticed. "They're all just comatose."

"Like ah said, let's get 'em out of here."

"Let us think rationally," Storm said. "There are only four beds a jet. Gambit, Rogue, Beast and Boom-Boom will take four of them to the jet that was left here. Magma, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and I will take the other three to the jet we came in."

"Well ah've got Wolverine, chere grab Jean there."

"Ah'm on it," she said picking up Jean with ease.

Beast picked up Cyclops and Boom-Boom scooped up Shadowcat.

"We're all ready to go!" Boom-Boom said.

"Yes, head on back to the Institute and help Beast set up the infirmory," the Professor said, using his telekinesis to raise each pair of people up through the hole in the ceiling.

"Aww look Jamie's holding A.J.'s hand!" Magma giggled.

Iceman knelt on one knee and grasped Magma's hand. "Oh don't let go, I'll protect you from this harsh emotional world!" he exclaimed over-dramatically. Magma laughed and drew her hand away before reaching down to pick up Bio-Hazard, but butterflies sparked in her stomach. Nightcrawler scooped Bio-Hazard out of Magma's hands and teleported to the jet. Iceman threw Multiple over his shoulder and followed Magma, who had picked Jubilee up, over to the Professor and then out of the facility.

"Who is this Marcus Preed? And where did he go?" Storm asked the Professor on their way out of the facility.

"I don't know, but Wolverine does. By the sounds of him though, we're going to need all the help we can get. This is not an adversary to take lightly."

During their excursion to retrieve their friends, the Shadow had arrived at the Institute. This would be easier than he thought, he realized when he noticed a good chunk of the x-men were not present. He fazed through a bottom floor window. He chuckled. None of the sensors went off. God he was good at this. He followed his senses until he reached an open door to the infirmary. And there she was, sitting on the bed and reading of all things. He could hear her fellow x-men talking through a communication device, but they weren't here. They wouldn't be able to help her. He glided over to her bedside and snatched the book out of her hands.

"Hello," he purred.

Emery pulled a bubble of plasma around her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Marcus Preed. But you can call me Shadow."

"Are you an x-man?"

"No, honey, I'm not."

"What are you doing here?" Emery started pushing her bubble outwards.

"Why, I'm here for you." He grinned his crazy grin and reached through her bubble. Before she was able to do anything, he grasped her head in his hands and sent a dark pulse through the contact. Instantly, she was unconscious. He scooped her up into his arms.

"Sorry honey, but I don't have time to fight you here, and you appear to be injured. I will just have to nurse you back to health and then see what you're capable of."

And with that said, he left the building the same way he entered, taking Emery with him.