Chapter Twenty: Stand
I won’t run, have to stare it in the eye
Stand my ground, I wont give in
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don’t make it, someone else will
Stand my ground
~Within Temptation
He shifted in the leathers covering his body, mind drawn back to the first time he wore them. Cyclops tossed the too-small suit angrily, obviously peeved at being overruled. The uniform chafed at his skin, metal plates stitched inside making movement difficult. And yet, there was something soothing about donning that signature black marked with an embellished “X”.
A symbol, he thought, catching his reflection in the mirror. The X-Men uniform symbolized everything they were. Logan wondered at this revelation, looking into the reflection until he saw Ororo in the mirror.
She smoothed the leathers over her body, hands pausing to flatten over her belly. Logan’s gut clenched, knowing she thought of the child snuggled inside. Lucas was just down the hall, but here in this room at the same time. Another symbol, a bright, shining light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. His son, their son.
Hell, he didn’t want her to go. In a perfect world where his woman did what he asked, he’d have immediately parked her butt on the sofa while he trotted off to battle. They risked putting unborn Lucas into battle, erasing him from any and all timelines. But how could he ask her to mind the store? She had just as much stake in this as everyone else.
She came up behind him, wrapping leather-covered arms around his torso. Logan closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her as gloved hands came up to grasp her arms. Storm smiled into his shoulder, fitting that familiar body against his as though the motion was pure instinct.
“We should gather the others.”
Logan nodded, turning his head. When his eyes opened, they met hers, locking immediately onto the deep chocolate irises.
“You ready for this?”
Her smile never faltered. “Going head to head with an insane Magneto? How can anyone be ready for that?”
Grunting his agreement, Logan turned slightly until he could place his hand over their unborn son. Hers covered his, completing the odd circle that was their budding family.
“He’s got two plates of metal that makes Kevlar look like aluminum between the bad guys and him. Not to mention one invincible daddy and a pretty powerful mommy. He’ll be fine.”
“Famous last words.” Logan kissed her quickly, soothing the fear in both of them.
“Be careful.” She whispered, leaning up to wrap him into her embrace, cape and all. Logan pulled her close, held on tightly.
“Back at ya, darlin’.”
With that, Ororo released him, turned, and strode from the bedroom in all her glory. He followed suit, falling in step behind her as they marched determinedly down the hall.
Two doors popped open, as though following some preordained script. Shadowcat and Iceman, similarly garbed, fell in behind Wolverine and Storm. Dazzler and Colossus stepped up beside their friends, moving just as quietly.
As they reached the stairs, lavender-clothed Psylocke and street-garbed Pyro stared at the assembled mutants with something like awe. Logan’s ears pricked up when Pyro spoke.
“Hang on, Bets.” He said to his companion. “I want to watch the superhero entrance.”
Snorting to himself, Logan glanced over his shoulder. Ok, he could see where Pyro got the idea from. They did look like something out of a superhero movie. A group of leather-clad mutants flanking the undisputed leader, ready to march into battle come hell or high water.
If he could slow it down, it would be something out of that Justice League movie Bobby was addicted to. The thought made Logan grin.
“Excuse me.”
Startled when Dazzler broke formation and nudged him, Logan turned to her. The slim blonde, however, was moving past him, slipping through the meager space between body and wood. Colossus swore under his breath as she clenched gloved fists, her face utterly calm. Logan realized what was happening a beat too late.
Standing toe to toe with Pyro “ Logan grinned when Psylocke flinched slightly “ the blonde singer drew back a fist and solidly decked their new ally.
“That’s for scaring Jim-bo!”
Her opposite hand flew out in a powerful left jab. Pyro’s already-bleeding face snapped to the side so hard, Logan thought he heard a crack of bone.
“That’s for trying to kill Mother Russia!”
She grabbed at his jacket, yanked him forward and brought her knee up sharply. The body-weapon struck true, hitting Pyro directly in the sternum. Wind rushed from the boy’s lungs in an ungraceful whoosh. His face turned the color of a ripe tomato and Dazzler leaned forward under the weight of his body.
“And that’s for me.”
Bobby and Kitty clapped at the display. Colossus shook his head, though Wolverine could see the grin threatening to overtake his face. Dazzler tossed Pyro aside as though he were nothing, wiping her gloved palms on the pants of her suit.
She flipped a lock of gold over her shoulder, grinning at the others. “Ok, now I’m ready.”
Wolverine regarded her for a moment, then glanced to Storm. His fiancée had an elegant brow arched, and amusement toying at her unpainted lips.
“All right. Lets go.”
~**~
They ate an early breakfast when Bishop and Shard appeared from the rooms above, but no one really tasted it. Most of the children were not awake yet; Angel and Jimmy were given instructions. No one wanted to tell the angelic mutant and his friend that one or more might not come home.
Somehow, they didn’t have to. The sorrow and fear were naked in Warren’s eyes. He clasped hands with each male, embraced every female. He walked them to the Blackbird, waited until the hangar doors closed.
As a unit, even with the addition of Psylocke and Pyro, they filed into the jet. Everyone strapped in as Storm took the pilot’s seat with Wolverine seated beside her. Normal seating rules were suspended and Ororo did not comment as everyone selected their partner.
Bishop and Shard were behind their mother, with Shadowcat and Iceman beside them. Dazzler and Colossus took their place in the rear, keeping watchful eyes on Pyro and Psylocke. Storm tried to fight a grin at John’s bandaged nose, but thanked Dazzler silently for not taking out more on him. Three swift blows were enough to get her point across, without using her mutation or real combat training.
On a rumble, the Blackbird’s engine started. Above, the basketball court vanished, leaving a gaping hole in its place. With technology similar to the military’s Harriers, the jet rose directly into the air, clearing the hole in seconds.
“Hold on.”
Logan grunted beside her, tightening his harness. Aware that the man she loved hated flying, she tipped the nose of the jet up gradually, easing up the engines until they screamed and the Blackbird was quickly slicing through the air. They left behind the mansion, banning together because out in the world, they were warriors.
After leveling the plane off, Ororo pointed it toward the coordinates provided by their newest allies. She looked over her shoulder again, nodding to Psylocke as the girl arched a brow in question. Yes, Storm trusted her information. What choice did they have? Sure, they could wait until Magneto attacked again, but at what cost?
Exhaling quickly, she addressed them all. “Stay strapped in. I don’t need one of you getting hurt now.”
“Mama? Any chance at an airsickness bag?” Shard asked, her color distinctly green.
“Head between legs, Lizzie.” Logan replied as he unsnapped his harness. “I’ll get one.”
Shard dropped her head between her knees, Luke calmly whispering to her soothingly. While her father rushed into the back of the cabin, Shard groaned with dismay. Amused by the display, though she tried to hide it, Storm watched her children carefully. Of course, it shouldn’t be so surprising. Logan hated to fly and quickly developed nausea if she attempted to use evasive maneuvers. Obviously more than good looks trickled down in their genes.
“Don’t you fly?” Bobby asked curiously as Logan returned with several bags.
“Yes,” Shard replied carefully. “But I’m in control and its not really flying so much as swimming.”
“If she hurls,” Dazzler chirped from behind them. “I won’t be far behind.”
Colossus handed her the laptop and an iPod, shushing her quietly. Storm glanced at her flock and grinned before turning to the controls. They were an odd bunch, one she couldn’t help but love with everything she had. Once Charles’ dream seemed impossible to reach. She told him, years ago, that if they took on the mantle of mutant freedom fighters, their lives would meld into one battle after another.
He sought patience, she recalled. How would they ever enjoy freedom, she asked, if things like love and family were to take a backseat to battle?
Storm looked to Wolverine as he slid back into his co-pilot’s seat. In some way, she thought, Charles was right. Patience provided the means to help build a better world. Bishop, her darling son, reared under his parents’ teachings breathed that dream. A better world. For everyone in it.
“Did I just see you put the Backstreet Boys on your iPod?”
Piotr was laughing. A hard smack leather on leather said Alison had whacked him for the comment.
“Oh, shut up,” the singer replied testily. “The beats are a constant….”
Everyone fell immediately silent. The Blackbird’s alarms were screaming. Ororo grasped the joystick and rolled the plane without comment. She didn’t know what was coming or even if it happened to be dangerous. Knee jerk reaction demanded she protect. End of commentary.
“Its Erik!”
Psylocke’s shout was drowned out by the whine of engines, the clamor of mutants to hold on while Storm rolled the jet expertly. Shard busily vomited into the airsick bag, with Bishop swearing under his breath. Kitty accidentally phased, but the hand clinging to Bobby’s kept her centered enough to come directly back.
“Where is he?” Storm demanded as the jet stuttered.
“I can’t shut him down,” Psylocke replied. “But…just there, behind us.”
“Pyro?” Their leader asked sharply, leveling the plane off.
“There’s not enough oxygen this high,” came the winded reply. “The flame’ll just fizzle.”
“But light won’t!” Ali cried, unbuckling her harness. “Piotr, come with me.”
“What are you doing?” Logan demanded, struggling to see over his shoulder as the jet rolled again. “Sit down!”
“Later!” Alison shot back. She punched a gloved hand into the emergency hatch release. “Everyone hang on!”
“Shit!” Jet spiraling Logan couldn’t so much as reach his harness as the centripetal motion fought with gravity. “Storm! Pull it up!”
“I can’t!” She shouted, yanking on the controls. “He’s spinning us!”
Wind whipped through the jet as the hatch opened. The others clung to their seats, each struggling to see what Colossus and Dazzler were getting up to. Unable to control the jet, Ororo turned fully, astonished to see the slender blonde and massive Russian holding on to the handle used for parachuting in case of emergency.
“I’m trusting you, comrade,” Ali shouted over the wind. “Hold on.”
“I will not let go,” he assured her while shifting into his organic metal form.
In an instant, Ali leapt from the jet.
“ALISON!” Kitty shrieked, fruitlessly reaching for her friend.
“NO!” Logan, Bishop, and Pyro shouted in unison, nearly mimicking Kitty’s panicked grab.
Immediately reminded of Rogue’s shocking trip into dead air, Storm and Logan both tried to stand. The jet spun precariously, teetering as though balanced on the tip of a toy top. Colossus, however, stood calmly, both feet braced, one hand clinging to the jet, the other holding a delicate black boot.
Sound seemed to dull, as though Ororo were suddenly suffering from acute hearing loss. She realized, after a moment, that Ali was drawing it into herself. Auditory absorption, Beast called it. She needed it to power her mutation.
“CLOSE YOUR EYES!” Colossus’ scream almost drowned in the scrambling air, but the command in his tone immediately snapped all eyes closed.
“Take this, you overgrown, purple-bellied fuckhead!”
Even through her closed lids, Ororo saw the flash of blinding light and winced. If Alison indeed used the jet’s engine noise for power, they might have seen it on the other side of Pluto. The light faded instantly and quite suddenly, Ororo found the jet’s deadly spin slowing. Sound returned in full force.
The hatch slammed closed, two bodies hit the deck. Ororo pulled on the joystick with one hand, the other fighting with controls to stabilize the very unhappy machine. In seconds, the jet leveled and she turned to look over her shoulder.
Colossus had Dazzler by the shoulders. “If you ever jump out of an airplane like that again, I’ll follow you. And then kill you with my bare hands.”
“Fair, ‘nuff, Mother Russia.”
They embraced, and Ororo distinctly noticed the tremble in Piotr’s hands.
“Hey, Luke?”
“Yes, Father?” Both voices sounded gruff and weary.
“Hand me a spare bag.”
~**~
With Magneto blinded by Dazzler’s converted sound, the X-men approached the base of his chemical operations more cautiously. Psylocke scanned the area continuously, reporting to Storm of any oddities she happened to find. All of them had a few choice words for Alison and Piotr, but most seemed willing to wait until it was safe again.
Bishop glanced at his still-sick sister, shaking his head. Shard could have flown out of the jet and done exactly as Dazzler had, without risking death. But as sick as airplane travel made his blonde sister, she was useless until her feet hit the ground.
Pyro actually seemed nervous as they drew nearer and nearer to the Iceland base. Kitty and Bobby fell completely silent after Dazzler explained that blinding Magneto only slowed him down. Had Bishop done the job, Magneto would be dead…but Dazzler, he learned, wasn’t prepared to kill.
That was fine, he thought while Mother consulted her telepath, until they reached the base. Their plan kept everything simple. Get in, destroy the Cure, get out. Bishop, of course, had plans he didn’t think his mother needed to know about. He and Father agreed that Magneto needed to be taken out. Permanently.
Forge impressed upon the young warrior that timelines shifted not because of major battles, but moments. Split seconds decided the fates of millions. Bishop understood this and had since his teens. Instants made up a life, a series of them. Shifting, changing with every decision made. It was impossible to effect one thing without setting off a chain reaction.
Saving young Jimmy was the stone, everything after merely ripples on the pond. Dazzler, Colossus, Rogue, Shadowcat, Iceman, Pyro, Psylocke, even his own parents were ever altered by that one life. Uncle Hank once quoted an old proverb that stated one man’s life, no matter how simple, affected countless lives.
Cause and effect.
Glancing to the others, Bishop realized that this trip, this battle, surrounded him with people who’s lives he’d touched. Uncle Bobby, in his timeline, was a bitter, haggard man with no hope. Aunt Kitty lived as though a ghost, never letting anyone close lest she be hurt.
Pyro, driven to madness with power, reigned as Magneto’s right hand. Psylocke hid away from the world, losing her sanity in the diseased and poisoned minds Magneto surrounded himself with.
Colossus and Dazzler never met, doomed to end their lives before ever starting.
“Head in the game, big brother.” Shard whispered, reaching to take his hand.
“I’m here,” he replied carefully.
“Always have been.”
He gave her a small smile, squeezing her fingers gently. At the end of this, he and his sister would cease to exist. But, he amended swiftly, no matter where they landed, the Munroe children would be together. There was infinite comfort in that single thought.
“There’s a rooftop about a block from the main center,” Mother muttered to Father.
“Why bother?” Father’s rough voice hinted at dark humor. “They already know we’re here.”
“So, land on the main building, hop out and what…? Wave?” Mother questioned shortly.
“I like to make an entrance.”
Shard and Bishop shared an easy, amused glance at overhearing the conversation.
They hovered for several minutes while Psylocke continued to scan the area for mutants. Dazzler had her iPod on already, the volume too low for Bishop to distinguish a song. The others fidgeted, many looking to their respective partners. Saying goodbye, I love you, be careful.
He knew this moment, the deep silence before the storm. It happened before every battle, most fearing that this time, they’re loved one might not come home. Bishop kept his hand in his sister’s unwilling to let go until he absolutely had to.
“We’re landing on the medical building,” Storm announced after a long pause. “Wolverine and Colossus will take point. I want everyone on their toes. Something moves, incapacitate it.”
Everyone nodded. Spines straightened, leather squeaked against leather.
“Storm?”
Psylocke’s voice was a soft, apologetic whisper as the jet landed with a soft bump. All eyes swung to the resident telepath.
“They’re waiting.” She lifted her chin almost defiantly.
Without prompting, each X-Man slipped out of his or her harness. They stood, moving into the wide walkway that separated the rows of seats. As one, they looked to each other, some smiling, as though capturing the image for posterity.
“Jesus,” Kitty groaned. “We’re all so morbid.”
The tension cracked as laughter rang through the metallic jet. Bobby slung his arm over her shoulder, kissed her hair. Bishop filed that moment, that image away, for himself.
Turning to his parents, standing side by side, he smiled slightly. “Let’s end this.”
Storm nodded, her white hair glowing in the brilliant light. “Dazzler, open the hatch.”
The blonde, whom stood closest to the hatch, jogged toward it with Colossus on her heels. She drew in a lusty breath, then slammed the release button. She was humming as it lowered, as Colossus stood at her side.
They didn’t need prompting this time as sound dulled. Alison thrust her hands out the moment she was able, sending blinding light through the hatch. Several human shrieks were audible through the open doorway.
“Man, I love my powers.”
“Yes, dear,” Piotr answered. “Now move aside.”
Wolverine slipped past the others until he and Colossus filled the open hatch. Steel-coated, adamantium-plated, the duo threw themselves out of the door, rolling down the steps. Dazzler backed them up with a concussion of sound.
Iceman and Pyro went next, fire and ice pouring from their hands. Shard, slipping into her light-based form, flew from the jet. Psylocke back-flipped out, her hands glowing with humming psi-blades. Shadowcat followed suit, phasing her body into flux to avoid damage.
Bishop cocked his plasma rifle, meeting his mother’s eyes.
“No matter the outcome,” she said as they moved toward the fight. “Know that I am proud of you.”
Unable to reply, he watched as his mother drew in the elements and called on lightning. What could one say to that?
Lucas held his rifle ready and stepped onto the ramp. The fight was impossibly quiet, enormously frenzied. Magneto’s swollen forces met the X-Men with fervor, but not training. They relied heavily on mutation to fight.
The X-Men, when cornered, fell back on teamwork and hand-to-hand. Dazzler, Shard, and Shadowcat worked as an odd team, felling four vigilantes before they parted to begin again. Wolverine and Colossus mowed over several mutants, backed up by Storm’s vicious weather cycles.
Sending sizzling plasma from his rifle, Bishop threw himself into the clash. One mutant with spikes coming out of his flesh caught his arm, but Luke broke it with a firm snap of his arm. There were screams of the injured, howls of triumph, roars of rage.
“Shadowcat!”
Iceman called for his lover, taking her hand and pushing her on an iceslide. She used her phasing ability to short-circuit electrical components in a nearby door, sealing it shut as even more of Magneto’s forces attempted to aid their companions.
A lull settled over the group as they stood amongst blood and dying. Wolverine, in his ferocious rage, took them all in at a glance.
“Where to?”
Psylocke’s beautiful face went blank, even as crimson trickled down her cheek from a wound. Singed flesh saturated the already dank air, creeping into Bishop’s nostrils as he awaited instruction.
“There are more forces below. Blimey,” the woman said softly. “He’s been busy. Below that is the containment chamber, where they’ve been creating the airborne Cure. Some of the scientists there are worried about radiation.”
“We will deal with that when we have to,” Storm cut in decisively. “Which way?”
She indicated to the three doors flanking them. One, of course, cut off reserves thanks to Kitty, but the others were innocently awaiting decision.
“Left,” Psylocke decided quickly. “The guards there are human, humans will lead toward the Cure.”
“Course,” Pyro chimed in. “No mutant wants to get near that thing.”
The X-Men jogged to the door, Kitty opened it with careful computer manipulation, leading the others into a wide, airy courtyard. Lush green trees and brilliant blooms bathed in white sunlight seemed eerily out of place here amid the destruction.
“LOGAN!”
Bishop turned on his heel, staring in infuriated shock as his mother was dragged toward the sky by an invisible hand. X-Men closed ranks, even as Shard took to the air in a desperate attempt to catch her mother.
Something flew through the air, tackling his light-shrouded sibling until they landed against a tall statue. It shattered, drawing some attention away as Storm vanished into the sky.
“STORM!” Wolverine screamed to the empty air. “STORM!”
“Rogue.”
Bishop’s focus left his mother and turned on the four young adults surrounding the unconscious Shard. Rogue was standing there now, ankle-deep in the man-made pond. Here and now stood the Rogue Bishop remembered. White-streaked hair awry, a sardonic twist to her mouth, eyes dead to everything but dark amusement, the mutant terrorist faced her former friends.
“Marie,” Wolverine attempted, his gaze still drawn upward. “This isn’t you, darlin’.”
“How would you know?” Rogue shot back, tilting her head almost curiously. “I wouldn’t worry none bout Storm. Erik’ll be done in a minute.”
That snapped Father back to the reality glaring at him from hateful eyes. “He hurts her, kid, ain’t nothin’ on this earth’ll stop me from guttin’ him and you.”
“Thought you’d look after me,” Rogue laughed. “Turns out, I can look after myself.”
Colossus moved first, taking one step and bringing a metallic fist against Rogue as hard as he could. Bishop winced when Rogue flew backward, her laughter still hanging on the air. A blow such as that from the mighty Colossus would kill many.
Rogue stood quickly, brushing dust from her yellow and green jumpsuit. “Aw, now, Petey. That tickled.”
She jumped into the air, twisting her body and thrusting both arms out with fists for hands. Colossus took the super-powered hit directly to the chest, landing some yards away while Dazzler fought to control herself. Bishop could see the concern, the rage, in her eyes.
“Got some new powers, eh?” Dazzler spat. “Wanna tangle with me, kiddo?”
“Oh, shut up, Sparkler.”
Before Rogue could continue her attacks, Wolverine stepped between her and Ali. The blonde seemed put-out by this, but took the moment he provided her to check on Colossus. Kitty and Bobby were helping the flesh-covered Piotr stand, the young mutant shaking his head as though to clear it.
“What are you doing?” Wolverine demanded. “We’re your friends. Your family.”
“I ain’t got a family, Logan.” Marie responded in an eerie, detached tone. “You all done turned your backs on me, sugar. Magneto was the only one who understood what I could be. What I am.”
“He’ll kill her,” Logan tried again. “I love her, Marie. She’s havin’ my baby. And you’re helping him kill her.”
Something, perhaps regret, crossed Rogue’s lovely face. “I loved someone once.”
Iceman let the pity, the loathing cross his features, even as he supported the injured Colossus with Kitty’s help. Bishop slowly lowered his rifle, wondering if Rogue’s seeming invulnerability would protect her from the futuristic blast. He glanced to the sky, searching quickly for any sign of his mother.
“You didn’t love me, Marie,” Bobby answered quietly. “We weren’t ready for love.”
“You! You can’t tell me what I feel!” Rogue screamed, but she allowed Logan to restrain her.
“No, he’s right.” Wolverine’s voice was thoughtful. “Kid, you don’t know what love is. How it changes you. You were too damn happy bein’ miserable, Cure or not. That why you came to Magneto? Punishment?”
“Shut up.” She demanded. But Logan held on.
“I’ll show you.” He said quickly. “I’ll show you what love does.”
“Daddy!” Shard struggled to stand. “Daddy, no!”
But Wolverine had already pressed his lips to Rogue’s unprotected forehead. Bishop reached for his father, not noticing how the skies above blackened and raged. Choking sounds broke the sudden silence and the Wolverine collapsed.
The clouds burst open, rain pelted the courtyard through the broken window. Rogue, whose eyes were filled with tears, turned her face to the sky and screamed.
