Kent hit the ground angry, he hadn't anticipated this kind of reception at Bard College. Of all the scenarios he'd considered this one wasn't even close. His friend and mentor was being attacked. His erstwhile Uncle Jimmy was in an up and close fight with a Warrior Woman. She was both blonde and beautiful, tall and special like him; faster and stronger than simply human. The Warrior Woman fought the man Kent recognised as James Logan, fencing away flashing claws, in one hand a long dagger, and in her other a sword. This woman wore armour that reminded Kent of classical Greek images. Kent acted instinctively, he turned, his eyes glowed red in rage and power. Kent projected a beam of heat between them.
Logan's eyes snapped around, a long second past as Kent saw no welcome flicker of recognition in the stubble covered face, instead only the stare of a man enraged. Both combatants interpreted his intervention as hostile. As they paused in the fight to stare at him, a stranger and a threat, Kent remembered how he'd come to be here.
Kent had left the Xavier mansion to protect Jean Grey, she had somehow drilled down into his memories telepathically, and he had reacted, his powers had almost broken out of his control. The thing was, Kent wasn't sure Jean Grey had been aware she could do any of this. Yet Kent felt sure that Jean had understood something; that Jean had seen the things she had made him remember - glimpsing the monsters from his suppressed nightmares, and at the same time there had been some kind of psychic feedback. Jean had given as well as received, and Kent had found himself overwhelmed by her own traumatic past. This more than anything had triggered his loss of self control.
Kent had seen her hidden memories, replaying the death of a little girl, Jean's friend Katherine under the wheels of blue sedan on the road close to her home. He'd seen how this trauma had caused Jean Grey's mutant abilities to manifest. He'd relived that moment. Experienced all of Jean's feelings of fear and guilt and had felt her sense of rejection by those she loved; her family. Driven to make sense of these shared memories, Kent had travelled across country to Jean's home at Bard, compelled to confront the people who had rejected Jean, even if this idea made little sense – it felt right.
Right now Kent understood that the man he recognised as James Logan didn't recognise him. This was like a punch to the gut, and was followed by another like blow to his head. Kent processed the detail of what he saw, the differences between James then and now. Details he only absorbed now he'd had second thoughts. Kent wasn't unsurprised at first by the expression of rage the hairy man wore, he'd experienced Logan's berserker rage before, but there were other changes, first and visible was his claws that glowed red like hot metal, not white bone. Kent stood in the small crater he had made, staring for a long time by his standards, fractions of a second ticked past, while he looked deeper at the hidden changes beneath the older man's muscle, right down to his metal bones. As Kent began to doubt his assumptions, question as to whether this man was in fact James Logan, but rather someone – even something else hit him.
He'd seen a girl out of the corner of his eye, she had used the available cover provided by the parking lot's various wrecked automobiles to approach. A tall young woman, maybe taller than him, jeans and torn t-shirt cropped around the waist revealing a flat stomach. Now she hit him like a semi-truck breaking the speed limit.
Kent realised she wasn't simply human either.
The force bowled him past Logan and into the lower floor of the history building. Kent knew this because it featured in the memories Jean Grey had shared. This was where her dad worked, now he'd been thrown through the wall, smashing stone and mortar, like a wrecking ball.
"Diana!" The Warrior Woman shouted. "Don't let that boy-thing reach Professor Grey."
The young woman followed him through the gap he'd made a moment before, she, Kent assumed this was Diana, and she was connected to the Warrior Woman who was fighting the man who looked like his once upon time uncle Jimmy.
The young woman hurled herself at him once again. Kent was ready this time, and he stood his ground before jerking away at the last moment. There was a whip cracking sound as he snapped to one side. Diana for her part collided with the far wall of the room, cracking it, raining plaster, before using it to alter her trajectory, fast. Kent dodged again, but this time his opponent was prepared for his speed, and with an outstretched hand she made contact, grabbing his arm, this anchor point pulled them together and they tumbled into the desk and chairs of what appeared to be a lounge come recreation room.
Kent found himself on the floor, straddled by Diana, she held his arms, and was doing a pretty good job of that.
"Look I don't want to fight you." Kent told her.
Diana's hard expression didn't soften any, but she did frown ever so slightly. "Shouldn't have attacked my mother then." She hissed between her teeth.
"Your mother?" Kent asked, "She's the woman attacking Logan."
"I think you have that the wrong way around." Diana snapped. "He attacked her."
Kent processed the implications.
"Who are you working for?" Diana demanded.
"I'm not working for anyone." Kent said. He decided she was younger than she looked, probably his age or thereabouts, even so he felt uncomfortable, out of his depth. It wasn't a feeling Kent liked or was accustomed too. Remembering his Pa's advice Kent stuck to the truth. "And okay I may have got it the wrong way around. I don't know why my friend is here." He admitted. "Even if it's really him."
"What do you mean?"
"The man outside with your mother, was... like an uncle to me. Thing is I haven't seen him for years, he was taken. Look it's a long story." Kent told her. "But if that's him something – someone has changed him."
Diana frowned. "You're not human, are you one of them?"
Kent shrugged, or he tried to, it was hard with Diana holding his arms. "Look right now your mother is fighting him, and she's having to contend with incoming fire from a group of what look like soldiers." His superhuman vision revealed to him the truth of what they were. Even if that didn't make any sense.
Diana glanced through the hole she had made in the wall with him as her tool of destruction. The chatter of automatic gunfire echoed outside.
"They aren't soldiers." Diana told him. "They aren't even alive."
"I can see what they are." Kent said pushing back for the first time, his arms raised from the floor just as she leant forward, there was a moment of impasse.
"Just what are you?" Diana asked through gritted teeth.
"Another long story." Kent replied. "They're not alive?" He asked. "The Cyborgs?"
Diana shook her head. "They aren't living things. I'm sure of it."
Kent could feel her pulse, hear her heartbeat. He was pretty certain she wasn't lying. Relaxing from the tussle he turned his head he let fly a burst of fire in the direction of one of the attacking cyborgs. His heat vision targeting the inhuman soldier through the hole in the building they'd made earlier. There was a loud bang as the mechanisms magazine exploded, the bullets superheated igniting the gunpowder. The man-machine staggered, its integrated weapons assembly was blown apart and both its mechanical and biological systems were damaged.
Kent smiled, it was still functioning if ineffective.
"Neat trick, but I'm not convinced." She said. "What do you want with Professor Grey, why do you want to hurt him?"
"I don't." Kent told her. "He's the father of my friend."
Diana's eyes narrowed.
"Jean Grey. We're at school together."
-'*'-
Jean Grey watched Raven Darkholme piloting Xavier's modified Bell 430 hybrid helicopter. The aircraft had travelled the seventy odd miles between the Xavier Mansion and Bard College in under ten minutes. Hank rode in the co-pilot seat, beside her in the passenger compartment was Scott, Angel and Bobby. Xavier was close by, present in their minds telepathically. The Professor also had a unique relationship with the aircraft's on-board electronics. Jean understood that telepathy was a form of electromagnetism. Thoughts being electrical impulses, the same telepathic nudge that could turn neurons on and off in the bio-electrical system - that was the human brain, could also work specially calibrated electrical switches, in this case the automated systems fitted to the Helicopter. Xavier could fly them remotely if necessary.
The Professor had identified Kent Logan's initially chaotic course using seismographs sited at the Mansion, the Professor was prepared for most eventualities, even Kent going wild. Once in the air the Xavier used the helicopters on-board military-grade tracking system to lock onto Kent's heat signature. The Professor had determined a few minutes into their mission that Kent was moving again, this time in a deliberate fashion – he had a direction. Even before Xavier confirmed it Jean knew where Kent was headed. It was her fault.
"Mystique." The Professor had asked. "A northerly heading if you will."
Somewhere over open country Raven had open up the throttles of the twin jets mounted inside the aircraft's short wings, at the same time the drive to the main rotor had slowed and the helicopter had effectively became an autogyro on the fly. Top speed increased from a shade under two hundred miles per hour to something approaching Mach one.
The Professor had continued to communicate. He briefed them all telepathically.
"I'm receiving data of a possible terrorist strike at Bard Campus."
"That's where Jean's parents are based," Raven had responded, "and it's also along Kent's extrapolated route."
Jean remembered how the others had looked at her full of questions.
"Correct. We should assume Bard College is Kent's intended destination." The Professor had told them all.
"Is there a connection?" Raven had asked.
"Unknown, it maybe a terrible coincidence, after all Kent is still moving, he hasn't reached Bard."
"Yet." Raven had noted. "Will we get there first?"
"Too close to call." Xavier had answered. "News blackout protocols are in place. State Police have cordoned off the Campus. Telecommunications are suspended.
Saying a moment or so later. "A military response is inbound, but you have a twenty minute window from your ETA to complete the extraction."
"Affirmative." Raven had responded. "Do you have a threat assessment Professor?"
"Situation is confused. There are multiple players present.
Hank had turned and looked at Darkholme with a troubled expression reacting to the Professor statement.
Jean had understood that things had taken another unexpected turn.
Xavier then told them "At least four persons involved are demonstrably meta-human."
Raven had shook her head, unhappy at this point. Jean had determined that her tutor was reluctant to continue, and then the Professor's news had only got worse.
"There is a large unidentified stealthy aircraft currently parked at altitude after placing ground forces in support of one faction. This vessel conforms to no known military design, but has demonstrated that it is armed with air to surface missiles."
"Sounds all too familiar." Raven had responded. "Charles, our kids aren't ready to take on Majestic Twelve. What the hell is going on there?"
"I am accessing data." Was the Professor's opaque response.
Jean had pictured Xavier seated in the underground computer control centre called Cerebo.
Despite her misgivings Darkholme had proceeded north.
"Correction two Meta-humans are expressing at Alpha level." The Professor's next statement prompted an immediate response from Darkholme.
"Surely Charles, we have to abort?" Raven had asked.
"I'm assessing what's a very fluid situation, continue on your present course and standby." Xavier had explained "Proceed as planned – for now." The Professor had told them.
Scott and others looked visibly deflated. They had come to the conclusion, Jean had thought, that the mission was going to be abandoned, and despite the danger ahead or perhaps because of it they were all, even her, excited for an opportunity to apply what they had learned.
After a further minute and sixty miles or so had passed the Professor had communicated once more.
"I have determined one Alpha combatant is ensuring the other; their fight, stays in open countryside, and away from civilians. The Airship has followed them. Given this situation – and the clear and present danger to Kent, this mission is a go."
Raven had nodded, her face had hardened with grim determination.
"My X-Men you are to avoid contact with Alpha Meta-humans, and the authorities. Good luck, and I'm with you every step of the way."
Raven Darkholme had been unhappy about this field trip even before their objective had descended into a chaotic battlefield of unknown superhuman combatants. Her expression said as much and more. In her tutor's mind Jean knew they were all still just children. Jean agreed that they were, both young and inexperienced, but no student at the Xavier School was just a child.
Jean watched as Raven cut the jets back and felt the rotor as it powered on. With a stifled scream the aircraft dropped down across the Bard Campus. Below them a sports field provided the open space Darkholme required to land. The Hybrid Helicopter's owl feather inspired composite rotors cut through the air far more quietly than standard alloy blades, and the modified No Tail Rotor design made the vehicle quieter still. Even as the bird set down on its landing wheels, the occupants felt the ongoing ground tremors. Vibrations rumbled across the land as the two demonstrably Alpha level Meta-humans fought their increasingly distant battle.
Jean knew this was the reason the mission could go ahead, it was still a dangerous situation, and Jean wondered what was so special about Kent Logan that he warranted such risks?
The doors hissed open on hydraulic assists and the X-Men exited their seats ready for their first field trip.
"Stay close to me." Raven told them. "This goes by the numbers just as we've practised. Masks on and code names at all times."
The face masks were tight fitting hoods, moulded from light weight composite, thickening around the skull, for protection. They were all pretty similar, bar Scott's which had integrated a special ruby red visor, a weaponised version of the simpler dark glasses he wore day to day. Xavier had provided them with fitted body armour fashioned to military style jump suits, coloured in grey and black pattern, effectively an urban camouflage, there were detail differences, mainly to accommodate their various body shapes, and unique abilities.
"Okay, this isn't what we were expecting when we left the school." Raven gestured to the chaos across campus at the history department. "But you all heard the Professor's briefing while we were in the air, so you know what is expected of you. Stay clear of the Alpha's. Remember we're here to extract Kent. Don't get side-tracked by what's going on, and don't think you're ready for anything like this – you're not."
"What if he doesn't want to be extracted?" Bobby asked.
Scott nodded as much to say he was thinking the same thing.
"That's my job." Jean told them. "At least I'm going to work with the Professor to reach out to him."
Scott was probably frowning as he said. "Isn't your trying to help Kent where all this started?" Jean couldn't see under the mask, but she knew.
"Kent's mind isn't wired like ours." Jean said, Bobby snorted, but she ignored him, and continued, that's why the Professor has a hard time touching his thoughts if he isn't close by, I'm just boosting the signal really." She shrugged. "But if you want to see it another way, Scott then sure I'm cleaning up after myself."
"Fine." Scott replied. "Let's just make sure Kent doesn't get any of us hurt or worse."
"Enough already." Raven snapped. "Let's move, Angel give us a birds-eye, everyone else on my six. The Professor tells me Kent is close to the parking lot. Move."