Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Xmen Revolution. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Seek and Destroy; [Brotherhood, X-men, FOH]
Topic Started: Oct 2 2007, 04:11 AM (2,629 Views)
Lou
Member Avatar
Temperature manipulation/Life-force absorption/Fear projection
Lou ran after Colin to when Orbital called for back-up. She knew that her powers were working. The air felt perfect for the morbid atmosphere, freezing cold. She also knew those they would pass including her teammates were seeing their fears play. Little fears as they danced in their minds with no hope of them stopping. However, Colin made no comment that they were bothering him. Instead, after they found Roy mostly unharmed, he began to do the one thing he shouldn't have be doing in this situation. He was hitting on her.

"Oh really," the fear bringer muttered as Colin explained why he worked out. "That be mighty interestin' though I don't go for muscles," she stated with a raise of an eyebrow. As Roy and Colin began to banter back and forth one would notice that her expression finally fit. The building did look like some messed up horror show but it didn't phase her. She kept walking forward as though walking through blood was a normal occurrence.

Then Mina came from around a corner. Concern now flooded Hallow's face. For the first time she wondered if everyone was doing alright. Wasn’t odd that they hadn't run into anyone? Following behind the group at a slower pace she wasn't really paying attention. "Leaving so soon?" [Mystique] queried, her voice a low purr. "And I thought we were having so much fun."

The voice, it freaked Lou out so much the temperature began to fluctuate. She wasn't expecting it nor for whom had it come from. Of course she had heard of the blue-skinned Brotherhood mutant but never had seen her. Like Colin the dark haired woman stood on her tippy-toes to get a better look. Once more she played no head to the conversation or what the others were doing. The thing playing repeatedly in her mind throughout the mission so far had started another loop.

The gun wasn't seen. So when the bullets left its barrel she jumped back. The pupils of her eyes dilated but her own fear seemed to stop her powers from going to the next level. Totally, it was a good thing for not one bullet hit its mark. Sadly it was only a distraction.

Dark grey eyes followed the black sphere as it flew toward her. "What the-" the fear bringer uttered as Colin made his move. The idiot caught the bomb and was running as fast as he could to get it away the rest of the group. ~No,~ she thought slipping a bit before running at top speed after the rest of the team. The pink-skinned mutant was going to do one of two things: get the bomb away from the area or sacrifice himself.

The most feared thing of the fear-bringer was lost in the escalating situation. Chasing after Stretch wouldn't help. Her powers couldn't diffuse a bomb. But as her booted feet stepped onto the pavement one thought came to mind. Clearing the area...

Never before did Hallow pay as much focus as she did now. Focusing solely on removing the warmth from the air she had to scare the onlookers away. One more second, just one more second was needed and an explosion. The force of the blast took Lou's feet from under her. As though in slow motion she fell landing awkwardly onto her side. Colin didn't get away in time. "That stupid kid," she uttered through a breaking voice. How could he do such a thing?

It hurt to ease herself into a sitting potion but Lou managed it. The bleeding cuts on her hands, face, and just below the left ear went ignored. Even the shrapnel that luckily only grazed the area above her right ear wasn't heeded. She was hurt but still she pounded her fist on the ground. How could someone be so stupid to do something like that? No one could regenerate from anything that horrible. No way was there remnants of pink flesh moving along the ground.

Alright, the fear bringer had to admit that there were always wonders happening everyday, especially in the mutant world. So seeing the form of Colin beginning to come together she just shrugged and followed. "Now aren't we the Iron Giant," she smiled to Stretch reminiscing on the movie where the giant healed just as he was. "Glad you be mostly fine."

" ... What?" The Jersey mutant uttered to his gawking peers. "Ain't ya never seen a guy get blown d'fuck up before? I swear, for other fuckin' mutants, dat's pretty crass, peeps."

His utterance was Hallow's cue. Faster than before, she sucked the warmth completely from the air. The group wouldn't be bothered by civilians as they made their way back toward the jet. The moment any of them foolish enough to step within a ten foot radius of the X-men group a cold shock would flow down their spines. Before they released it wasn't their imaginations playing with them it'll be too late. The group of mutants would be long gone. Dropping the cold-like shield as soon as the Blackbird came into site, Lou walked in taking the same seat as last time. Her injures were ignored. Too bad they wouldn't be her only problem later… There was bound to be press coverage; something neither she nor X-men needed.
[align=right]
Posted Image
Fear should never be my pride[/align]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Jean
Member Avatar
Telepathy, Telekinesis
Jean turned and saw the remnants of a smile on Flux’s face as she entered the jet.

"What's the ETA on the others?" Mina asked and moved to sit in the co-pilot's seat beside (Jean).

She looked at Mina as though she’d gone mad - with blood and mangled corpses, coupled with the audible desperate screams of people who’d lost everything – what could she possibly be happy about?

Jean turned away to look back out of the windshield, “I don’t know, half the team aren’t answering.” She decided not to point out that Mina hadn’t either; it was a rookie mistake that might be expected from the others on their first X-Men mission, but in the middle of a fight, with some of their team missing, was no time or place to start reviewing evaluations.

Movement in the back of the jet told her that Angel and some of the others had also arrived.

“A few more back… now, all we’re missing are Polaris and Rock-Solid. Did you see them out there?”

Any reply Mina might’ve given was lost in the explosion of the building as it filled their windshield. Jean closed her eyes and clenched her fingers in a white-knuckle grip on the pilot-chair armrests. The force shield Jean erected around the jet had been too late for the initial blast, cement chucks clattered against their windshield and body of the Blackbird. However, Scott had taken special care in hardening his pride and joy for the riggers of combat and any damage from the debris would’ve been purely cosmetic.

However, Jean’s shield didn’t stop the force of the explosion and the Blackbird rocked violently, knocking those unlucky enough to be standing, off their feet.

In the confusion and turmoil of the blast, the first thing Jean thought of was Scott, he was out there… in that Hell. Outside, the dust had yet to settle and filled the air with a choking mist. Her first thought, the only thought that screamed in her mind, was the frantic need to get out there and find Scott.

Instead of climbing over people fallen in the aisle, she levitated out of her seat and darted for the rear exit. The rational part of her mind, which refused to accept the situation, regretted leaving the others, particularly the injured, in the jet but they would only have bumps and bruises, whereas Scott… and Jayson and Lorna, that rational part reminded her of the other two missing team members, were out there in Lord knew what condition.

Lorna had a powerful shield and Jayson was incredibly strong and durable; their chances of being uninjured were pretty good, but Scott’s…

:: “Scott!” :: Jean screamed, over the communicator and through their direct link. She flew to where the FoH building had once stood and hovered in the air, searching with her eyes and mind for any traces of life in a vain belief that Scott had miraculously found a secure crevasse to survive the blast.

:: “Scott!” :: “No no nonononono,” she murmured as Jean tried to cling to her last shred of hope but soon, the cold hand of fear squeezed her heart. Desperate tears welled in her eyes and trailed down her dusty cheeks as she looked down at the rubble beneath her, the last place she knew Scott had been alive.

Years ago, when Jean’s powers first manifested, Professor Xavier reasoned that that much power would be too dangerous and unwieldy for her untrained mind and put mental dampeners in place when she was young. When she’d mastered her powers, Xavier had explained what he’d done. There had always seemed to be enough time in the future for him to remove them safely and give her a chance to retrain with her new powers… and then the Professor was gone and the emotional devastation of losing Scott was snapping her restraints like dry twigs in front of a raging fire.

:: “Scott!” :: Jean’s rage and despair burst through as a yellow and red fiery energy, surrounding her in the image of a flame-bird screaming defiance to the sky.

The ruins in front of Jean shook, layer upon layer rising in the air until the debris field was much larger than the original building. Jagged chunks of concrete, bent rebar, mangled corpses, office supplies that looked like it had gone through Hell, only the building’s foundation remained untouched; all of it rose into the air and revolved in a slow cyclone over the crater where the Friends of Humanity Building used to be.

Energy flames licked her floating body as her gaze searched for any sign of Scott in the twisted wreckage. It wasn’t right that she and Scott had really found each other and he could die… just like that. Even though there was unspeakable sadness in her eyes, her clenched jaw and fists were clear signs of anger held in check by the thinnest of threads.

:: “Scott!”::
[align=center]Posted Image [/align]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Warren Worthington
Unregistered

Landing outside the jet, Warren moved up the steps quickly, entering the cabin space, his blue eyes darting around as he took a mental head count. They were still missing Scott, Jayson and Lorna, he noted with a tinge of worry. Scott would be the last to the jet after making sure everybody else was inside; he knew that, but he hadn’t heard any kind of communication from the X-Men team-leader since the evacuation order.

An inkling of greater concern, bordering on fear was beginning to grow within him. He pulled off the hooded mask and stowed his swords before walking towards the front of the plane, intending to begin pre-flight checks. The explosion came only a moment later, the whole jet jolting and knocking him off his feet. He was slammed into a nearby wall, managing to support himself instinctively with his arms so that he didn’t go over completely. A rush of dust and debris burst through the open ramp of the Blackbird, beginning to fill the air with an unpleasant haze.

He straightened quickly, moving to the open doorway, hoping with all he had to see their missing team-mates coming through the dust. Movement caught his eyes within the jet and Jean came towards him, levitating out the door. She barely even seemed to register he was there. That was definitely not a good sign. He walked back to the entrance of the cabin momentarily, knowing he had to move quickly to keep up with Jean.

“I’m going to help Jean. Everybody else stays on the jet and buckles in. We’ll be leaving as soon as we get back.” He told the others, his need for haste making his short and terse, unconsciously taking on a command position. He didn’t have time to waste though and he set off down the ramp. Through the communicator Warren could hear Jean screaming for Scott, and he felt his heart sink. If the telepath couldn’t find him…Warren took to the air, flying straight as an arrow towards the remains of the FOH building and Jean.

He saw the red haired telepath standing, covered in dust, in front of the wreckage. She wasn’t going to try and lift it was she? Warren questioned silently. There was a flash of what seemed to be flames around Jean, which burst into the shape of bird and Warren swerved, cursing before turning in a tight circle and coming in to land.

“So that’s new.” Warren muttered as his boots hit the ground. His glib comment hid the real worry he was feeling. Jean was immensely powerful, and this was clearly about to tip her over the edge. Who knew what damage she could do to herself and others, and there was no Professor to help, no one to keep her from losing control. He realised he had to be that person now, Scott and the Professor were not here to take on that role.

He swallowed and watched with an awed kind of fear as Jean started lifting layers of the rubble and everything in it, those flames still flickering around her. His heart was beating fast in his chest, unsure whether he should stop Jean or not. Part of him wanted to keep going in case she found Scott.

Deciding there was one main option open to him Warren took to the air again, straight into the maelstrom Jean had created. ::Jeannie, I’m going into look for him:: he told her through the telepathic link that still lingered, so she wouldn’t drop it all on his head.

The only way she was going to stop was if he managed to either find Scott or work out that his body wasn’t there. He wasn’t too confident the later would be true, as his friend would have reported in by now if he was okay. He could always trust Scott’s reliability, his responsible nature but right now, he wished that just for once, he could be a little sloppy and not report in.

There was no way he could be dead, Warren’s mind just shied away from that thought. His best friend…the impact of it had yet to fully settle in and Warren knew he had to focus his mind; Scott was alive, they just had to find him.

While not exactly a speed demon on the ground, in the air Warren had an almost unrivalled agility and so twisted and turned his way with a fair amount of ease through the cement, rebars, bodies and a rather incongruously; a lot of ball point pens.

There was the occasional object he couldn’t avoid and it made a stinging impact on his body or wings but he kept moving, his whole being focused on searching for Scott. His throat and mouth were coated with dust and grit, each breath sharp and dry, while a liberal layer covered the rest of him. He barely noticed though, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and abject fear for his friend was enough to push those minor discomforts far away

He felt the hope he’d held on to begin to die as his search ended in vain. He couldn’t see Lorna or Jayson either. He slowed to a halt in the air, looking up at the layers of rubble. The other option was to begin searching the bodies and that opened a whole myriad of ideas he didn’t want to confront. But nevertheless, he took a shaky breath and began flying again, checking as many of the bodies as he could, searching for a sign of the X-Men uniform. His stomach clenched tightly at the state some of the bodies were in. But no Scott, no Jayson, no Lorna.

His search entirely fruitless, Warren flew back out, flying near to Jean but keeping out of the flames that licked around her. “Jean!” he yelled over the sound of grating cement and metal that filled the air as she continued her desperate rescue attempt, his voice cracking on the dust in his throat. He hovered as best as he could, trying to remain steady.

“Jean, listen to me, I can’t find him. I don’t think he’s in there.” He told her. “You need to stop and put everything down. Please, just come back with me to the Blackbird.” Warren wished he could reach out to her, seeing the endless sadness in her eyes, her tear stained, dust streaked face. “Please Jean…” he added, his voice soft “We’ll find him. Scott’s not in the building, that means there is a very big chance that he’s still alive somewhere.” God he hoped that was true.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Quicksilver
Member Avatar
Superspeed/ Superstrength
Quicksilvers's song stopped as he heard the faint communication from Miss Grey's transmitter, and he frowned. Havok... "What the hell is that idiot doing?" he muttered, his voice harsh for a moment. His sister stirred and he turned back to her, "Forgive me, love," he said softly, "Our foolish travel companion is about to do something stupid."

X-Men began arriving and Pietro watched them without turning his head. He did not leave Wanda's side, but as they emerged from the chaos outside, he saw some of them glance their way. What must they think of them? Two very young, very wary enemy soldiers, covered in blood and misery, one clearly injured... or sick... or both... Pietro lowered his head, and closed his eyes in uncomfortable silence.

The explosion was a surprise, even though he had known it was coming from the transmission, and he knew just how powerful Havok's blasts could be. That stupid stupid fool. How had he been manipulated into such an evil act? Of course, had Wanda not drowned the town in blood, had he himself not crossed the streets in destruction? How had it come to this?

His power was speed, and so the shock wave of the explosion rolled towards him like the flip of a silken sheet in a gentle breeze. He adjusted his balance perfectly, his body accustomed to quick jolts of the unsteady surface of the earth, and he braced his sister, so that she was hardly jostled.

Almost before the rocking had stopped, Miss Grey was up, levitating in a determined panic, shooting out the rear hatch. He gathered there were team mates out still and she was on the hunt for them. The winged angel followed and Pietro got to his feet, coming to the field that seperated their cell from the rest of the passenger compartment. He watched them leave and frowned slightly.

He was positive that the Brotherhood was not looking for Wanda and himself.
Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Lorna Dane
Unregistered

JP BETWEEN POLARIS AND ROCK-SOLID

It was taking to long. There had to be a faster way to remove the rubble. Slowly Jayson began to realize they weren't going to be saved. With each piece of debris lifted her muscles ached worse than they ever had before. It wasn't taken notice until then but more injures riddled her body than one can see. They hurt the painful hurt which came in the instance when you know the events would not be forgotten.

“No Jayson, we have to get out of the building. Now” Lorna said firmly. The face that looked up at the senior X-men was not what she would remember. The stone-turner's mind had only one focus and that was saving the guards. Her face reflected it completely. It was desperation with hopelessness mixed together. Tears were beginning to well in the corners of her greenish-brown eyes. "No," was the only thing said. There was no way she wasn't going to save them.

And yet, Jayson allowed Polaris to ease her up. Some part of her mind at least understood the choice Lorna had made. It was hopeless. As before she knew the guards weren't going to be saved. Her breathing began to be irregular as she tired not to start crying. She was hurt and pain of knowing there was no hope rescuing anyone but themselves. This situation was hard to comprehend and, as her teammate lifted her into the air, she began to understand what it meant be an X-man.

Lorna's heart went out to the younger girl as she looked up at her, tears in her eyes. Jayson was beginning to understand that sometimes there is nothing anyone can do, and you just have to cut your loses however wrong it feels. Lorna put her arms around the girl as she levitated them both, one hand stroking the girl's hair as she supported them both.

"You did well" she told Jayson as they floated onwards, cocooned in their little sanctuary, green flickers of energy flaring out now and then as the shield repelled something.

"Being an X-Man is more than just fighting for the Professor's dream. It's about being a part of a team, it's about helping people, and with that comes the knowledge that you have to pick your battles. Everyone learns that at one point or another. It hurts but it is a vital lesson." she said, her voice soft and soothing. She wasn't even sure Jayson would really hear her words but she kept speaking in the hope of comforting her.

Her words, they did reach her ears. However, Jayson didn't give a sign that she had heard them. Trouble she knew there would be. Injuries were a given when dealing with others who had super human abilities. Helping try to save at least one part of the world was what she wanted. The X-men were a team of ordinary people trying their best to make everyday seem more hopeful. To her that was an X-man not this.

Rock-solid leaned her head into Polaris shoulder. For once she allowed someone to stroke her hair. The last person to do so was her mother many years before when she was only a child. "I know now," she mumbled into Lorna shoulder. A single tear fell down her cheek causing a streak to form on her dust covered face.

"Please," Jayson begged. "Come to the infirmary with me. I fear my friend may try to kill me." She had been an idiot by not telling Violey were she was going on the mission. When angered the aerokinetic was a formidable opponent. Another first was happening at that moment. The stone-turner was now beginning to understand how many consequences a single choice could have.

"Of course I'll come with you" Lorna assured Jayson gently "I wouldn't just leave you." she said, before moving her focus back to the task in her hand. While Lorna had a lot of raw potential, she had never explored the full extent of her powers and the strain of carrying both of them was beginning to tell. But the back exit of the building was in sight.

"If Scott was right, there is going to be a pretty big explosion very soon." she explained, thinking about the small amount of Alex's power she had seen demonstrated. "I can shield us both safely but I can't levitate as well. Once we're out of building, we'll find some shelter and stay there until the dust settles" Lorna informed the young woman leaning against her, deciding that this would be a safer option than attempting to make a run for the Blackbird.

"Thanks," Jayson muttered into Lorna's shoulder. This mission wasn't as she had expected. Even so she knew coming was a good thing though their actions may have been a bit too late. Once more she tried and failed to force her imagination to stop. At the moment those guards would awake either dead, dying, or... even if they were alive there was no way for them to survive the blast. A simple strained nod was all Rock-solid gave to Polaris that she understood the plan. But still, why were they doing this. In her mind the FOH and the Brotherhood wasn't separated on two ends of a spectrum. "What were they thinking?"

Lorna frowned slightly in confusion at Jayson's comment, what were who thinking? The green haired mutant had no time to wonder as they arrived outside the building. She dropped them both carefully to the ground, wrapping an arm more firmly around Jayson to hold her up.

She pulled them behind the wall of a nearby building just in the time. An earth shattering explosions ripped through the air, a wave of dust and chunks of concrete crashing around them. The force of it buffeted against the shield and she struggled to keep it together as debris blasted around them. She held the other girl close to her, keeping both their heads down, but her eyes were open and glowing with bright green energy as she watched everything.

After what seemed to be a long time, the world outside seemed to slow down, dust swirling in the air. Her heart was racing in her chest, breath coming in gasps as she sat up a little.

"I think it's over." she said quietly into the strange silence that followed. "Are you okay?" she asked.

She was thankful for Lorna’s arm. The moment her feet hit the ground Jayson began to sway. She would have fallen over completely if it wasn’t for the senior X-men. A word of thank-you was about to be said but before it could be uttered something entirely terrible happened. The ground began to shake.

The explosion, it was way worse they depicted in the movies. But it wasn’t the fiery ball shooting outward or the great magnitude of force threatening to collapse their haven… it was the rocking of the ground that made the stone-turner afraid. The teen held on to the older woman for dear life. A fear began to build into her making it seem if she let go all would be lost. How fast the explosion started it was over.

They were alive, the shield still together, and yet time stood still. It was so eerie in which Jayson continued to shake as though it were a winter’s morning. “I’m alright,” she barely managed to say. Right then and there she hoped not to experience such a thing again. “Where to?” were the only words uttered as her grip loosened from Polaris.

"The Blackbird" Lorna replied, quelling urge to release the near hysterical laughter that rose up within her. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to laugh about. Maybe just relief and being alive in all of this chaos.

She stood up cautiously, still feeling as if everything would collapse. She slowly let the shield around them dissolve, a steady weariness settling on her. Any need to laugh quickly vanished as she looked around at the destroyed building, the remains of not only the structure but the people and things inside it.

"We'd better move quickly." She said, as she helped Jayson to her feet. She reached to key in her radio and report in but got only static. She frowned, but knew that sometimes her powers could knock out her radio. It was unfortunate, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Jayson shuddered as Polaris gradually helped her to her feet. Her leg, her whole body felt weak. The stone-turner had taken it for granted on how much she could actually get hurt. She was stronger than most. Durable others would say. But this... but this was way too...

"To the Blackbird, then," Jayson attempted to declare in her normal zest. Though a shadow of a smirk had appeared, she failed in that aspect. Her red haired head began to bow but she refused to succumb to the pain. There was one thing that had to be done and that was to get back to the mansion. "Onward," the stone-tuner tried once more to sound better than she felt. It was to no avail.

Changing positions slightly so she was supporting Jayson's body against her shoulder, Lorna began to walk slowly towards the Blackbird, trying to keep at a pace that the injured younger woman could deal with. They went a slightly longer way around to avoid Jayson having to climb over the worst of the wreckage.

As the walked, the dust cloud began to settle, coating both of them and everything around them in a thin layer. it dulled the brightness of her green hair and entered her mouth and throat with every breath. Occasionally a spasming cough took over one of them but them kept moving forward steadily.

It wasn't too long before the Blackbird was in sight, and Lorna let out a sigh of relief. Jayson was a slender girl but she wasn't light, and Lorna had exerted her powers a lot more than she had in the last two years, leaving her tired and worn.

"Can I have some help?" she called out as they walked up the ramp and into the Blackbird, trailing dust. She took Jayson straight to the small medical room and helped her sit down before looking around for something to deal with the leg injury.
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Jean
Member Avatar
Telepathy, Telekinesis
At seeing Warren before her, one of her oldest and best-friends, the strain and worry on his face, her breath caught in her throat. After the building had exploded, and her world along with it, it was like living in a dream… or rather, a nightmare. How she got from the Blackbird to in front of this swirling field of debris, she didn’t know; it was all a hazy blank.

As she looked into Warren’s eyes, seeing in them a reflection of her own grief, the suspended carnage started to falter and clang together. Her gaze flicked to over Warren’s shoulder, suddenly seeing what was happening and unable to believe she was doing this.

“Warren,” she held out her hands to him and the fiery energy around them dispersed. Behind him, the chunks of building were being settled carelessly wherever there was room.


Warren couldn't help the slight flinch as the objects in the crazed maelstrom behind him began to crash together, but he remained steady, looking at Jean and not the chaos she was causing. She was really all that mattered, beyond Scott, beyond the people caught in this chaos, she was his top priority at the moment.

"I'm here. It's okay, Red." He told her softly as the flames faded around her, confusion obvious on her features, and she reached out for him. He steadied himself, finding it to be far more of an effort than usual with the gore than coated his wings, and grasped her hands firmly in his. Aching to see her like this, he steadily guided them down to the ground. As his boots hit the ground, he carefully, unsure of how she would react, pulled her a hug. "You okay?" he questioned, knowing it was an inane, ridiculous thing to ask but it was more a 'talk to me' plea than anything else.


She wrapped her arms around his torso and learned her head forward, feeling his throat against her cheek; the blood from him smearing onto her like war-paint. Even in the comfort of Warren’s arms, it felt like her heart was being squeezed inside her chest and she gasped to find her breath.

“It was them,” she moaned in anguish. Her mind dismissed the possibility Friends of Humanity have Scott; they wouldn’t be able to capture him. They were cold-blooded but they would hardly offer up their town to this kind of carnage just for the opportunity to abduct Cyclops, even though he was the leader of the X-Men in their eyes.

“His brother,” she spit the words as if they were a curse. Against Warren’s back her hands tightened into fists. She looked into Warren’s face, the upper half fairly clean but the lower half streaked with blood. “The last thing he said was that he was going after his brother…”

Warren rested his chin against her head, one gloved hand gently stroking her hair as he listened to the sound of her gasping breath. Her pain and desperation was obvious as she spoke and Warren’s arms tightened protectively around her. He thought of how many times she had sat up with him during the long nights after Candy’s murder, soothing him, helping him through the nightmares. Now it was his turn to look after her, but he hoped desperately that things wouldn’t end as it had with Candy. Scott was alive…he had to be.

He shifted, looking down at Jean, there was blood smudged on her face now making her look wilder and more fearsome than before. She named Alex Summers and the Brotherhood as the ones who had taken Scott and Warren’s anger sparked off hers against Scott’s estranged brother.

“What would they gain by taking him?” he questioned absently before getting down to the practicalities “Do you think you could find them with Cerebro, Jean?”


For over ten years she’d been an X-Man and choking off your emotions is something all of them had learned. You couldn’t help people if you bled with them for every injury they had or lost your nerve against every leering villain.

But her toughness came from more than that, she knew that sobbing into Warren’s arms would be easy and no one would blame her for it but it wouldn’t help Scott; also, in the back of her mind, something refused to allow her to give the Brotherhood the satisfaction of seeing her breakdown. Her face became hard and mouth tightened as she focused on the problem. Her hands tightened on Warren’s muscular arms and she stared into his eyes.

“Yes… I will,” she said through nearly bared teeth; there was no over the top bravado, no movie one-liner quip to her response but something dark and mean swam behind her eyes. “Every minute counts, War.”

Warren nodded a faint uncertainty showing in his eyes as he searched her face. There was a darkness there that had been hinted at in her actions with the building and the flames that had surrounded her body. He wondered briefly what would happen if they found Scott and he was badly injured…or worse.

“Of course. Let’s go back then. Hopefully Lorna and Jayson will have made it back and we can get out of this place.” He said, blue eyes moving over the carnage around them as he removed his arms from around Jean and prepared to take flight.

Jean paused once, letting her eyes scan the ruined building one last time and then dismissed it from her thoughts; Scott wasn’t there. It was time to track the Brotherhood down and pull them out from whatever rock they were hiding under.

As she flew back to the jet at Warren’s side, her gaze still noticed the bodies and blood below them but only distantly. In Jean’s mind, they were still on a mission and that focus wouldn’t change until Scott came home.


The short flight back to the Blackbird was conducted in silence as both Warren and Jean watched the devastation below them. Lost in his own thoughts, the winged mutant mused over the mission and the upcoming issues of reclaiming Scott from the Brotherhood. He had no doubt that they would manage it, but he knew they wouldn’t give up their prize without a fight.

Once landed, Warren moved up the ramp into the Blackbird, checking to make sure Lorna and Jayson had made it back alright. He walked into the main compartment, halting by the first row of seats to speak to the others.

“Okay. Scott is missing presumably taken by the Brotherhood. We’re going to head home, re-group and get him back.” Warren said briefly, glancing at Mina and giving her the chance to confirm or deny that course of action before he moved to take the pilot’s seat. Being the most experienced pilot after Scott, it was a natural role to fall into, he just wished he didn’t need to take it, he thought as he ran quickly through the pre-flight checks.

Jean entered behind Warren and took her seat behind the pilot’s chair. She radiated anger and her tense movements suggested the hair-trigger holding her in check. She spoke to no one, the muscles in her jaw flexing as she struggled not to urge Warren to go faster.




This thread is now CLOSED.
[align=center]Posted Image [/align]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Enjoy forums? Start your own community for free.
« Previous Topic · United States Archives · Next Topic »
Add Reply