The streets were crowded as Bobby and Hawk looked for Rogue. "Getting the cure so that you can go home to your mommy and daddy?" someone sneered behind Bobby. They turned to see Pyro there. This could only mean trouble. Pyro looked at Hawk. "Oh, that's right, you don't have any."
That set off the emotion spell that she was prone to when things like that were brought up. Hawk had lost her parents to a car accident and became an orphan when she was eight. It still hurt to this day, and if you brought it up in a taunt, someone was bound to get hurt.
She was about to wipe the smirk off his face, but Bobby stopped her.
"I'm looking for someone," was all Bobby said as he began looking again. Hawk did the same.
"Oh I get it," Pyro said. "You're girlfriend. Figures she'd want the cure. She's pathetic."
Hawk knew what Pyro was doing, and Bobby was taking the bait. As he sized Pyro up, his fists clenched and ice started to cover them.
"Bobby," Hawk said stopping him, "let it go. If anyone's going to take him out, it's me."
At the same time, Pyro lit his Zippo. "Come on, Iceman."
Bobby looked down at the flame, then back at Pyro.
"Bobby!" Hawk called. "Let's go. I think I see her up there."
Bobby looked at Pyro, then shook his head as he turned to join Hawk.
"Same old Bobby," Pyro taunted. "Still afraid of a fight!" Then, he launched a flame at the building, blowing it up.
Hawk and Bobby turned instantly and started to look for Pyro. "He's not getting off my radar that easily," Hawk declared as she telepathically searched for him. Then she snapped her fingers. "Shoot! He's too far for a clear attack." That was when she saw that a score of people were burning, clothes ignited by the outrush of flames. "Kriffing Stang," Hawk muttered. "Bobby!"
"I see 'em!"
But, even as they started to move towards them, a series of sharp secondary blasts shattered windows on the upper floors, sending a cascade of glass shards towards the crowd like searing-hot shrapnel.
Their responses were just as quick- while Bobby generated cocoons of ice to extinguish the folks who were burning, Hawk put up a large force-field to shield the rest from the flying glass. They could hear screams from inside the building. The fire had spread with fearful speed along the ground floor, covering the elevators and the stairwells, trapping everyone who was upstairs.
XXX
"Today's attack on your 'cure' was only our first salvo..." he said on the television.
Hawk looked up when she heard, then saw Magneto on the screen. She dropped 'the goblet of fire', and rushed to the door. Storm! Hank!
They both came rushing to her call. "What is it?" Storm asked quietly, joining her in the common room with Hank.
"Look." Hawk pointed at the TV.
"Oh, my..."
"So long as this so-called cure exists, our war will rage. Your cities wuill not be safe; your streets will not be safe; you will not be safe. You want a cure, we are the cure. And to my fellow mutants, I make you this offer: Join us or stay out of our way. Enough mutant blood has been spilled already.
"Yeah, whatever," Hawk said when he was finished.
There was silence. A silence that reigned for two or three seconds, before one of the younger kids stook out his forked tongue and delivered a rousing Bronx cheer.
He got the laugh he wanted- but only for a moment, before the broadcast switched over to the newsroom and began to present a series of reports around the country.
The incident in Lower Manhattan hadn't been an isolated attack, but part of a coordinated simultaneous strikes throughout the nation. There'd been no X-man present to protect the others and the results were ruin after gutted ruin, and a casualty list- including a body count- that made many watching weep.
Hawk quickly turned away and left the room, not bearing to take another second of this. Hank was about to follow, when Storm stopped him. "It's best if we leave her alone when she's like this. She'll calm down soon enough."
XXX
Hawk paced in the loft. Nightmares of Xavier exploding had left her in a bad mood. Storm saw this. "Hawk," Storm said, indicating that they should talk in her living area. Hawk followed, sitting on the couch with one leg tucked under her.
"Hawk, what's going on?" Storm asked gently, sitting down next to her.
"What do you mean?"
Storm quirked an eyebrow. "You know exactly what I mean. You haven't been yourself. You've been...I don't know...distant...ever since-"
"Don't mention it."
"Why?" Storm asked curiously.
"Just... don't." Hawk should've known that this conversation was going to pop up.
"Hawk, what happened? What did you see back there that you're not telling me?" She reached out to push some of Hawk's hair back from her face.
"I don't want to talk about it," Hawk said, getting up and going to the window.
"Hawk, we're going to talk about it whether you like it or not. Look at you, you're a wreck. Was it something in your nightmare?"
Hawk spun around in surprise. "Ho-"
"The weather went crazy last night."
Hawk looked down and clenched her fist angrily. It was rare that the weather went crazy with her nightmares; it was only when they were at their worst that the weather would respond to her emotions. Storm took a step towards her. "Hawk, please," Storm pleaded. "Tell me what happened."
Hawk couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "It was awful. It was like watching him explode from the inside-out. And Jean..." she shuddered. "She was ugly! Her eyes had gone completely black, and her skin was..." she trailed off, not knowing how to describe it.
"Can you show me?" Storm asked.
Hawk looked at her in shock. "Are you sure you can handle it? I mean this is you best friend we're talking about. Someone who was like a sister to you."
Storm gave her a cold stare. "Jean lost that right when she killed the Professor."
"Okay, it's your funeral."
Hawk brought up a freeze image that seemed to stick in her brain to her mind's eye, and projected it to Storm's. Storm gasped and Hawk stopped it immediately. "I told you it was bad."
"Yeah," Storm said a little shakily. "I just didn't realize until now how bad it was."
"Yeah, well, now you know what I'm stuck seeing just about every night."
She tensed a moment, sensing someone coming to the mansion. What does he want now? Hawk thought, after figuring out who it was.
"What is it?"
Hawk decided to take advantage of the moment. "Someone you probably don't want to see."
There was a loud bang from downstairs as someone threw the doors open. Both females got up and started going down the staircase, Storm first, Hawk next.
"Storm!" Logan called from downstairs. "Storm!"
"What are you doing back here?" Storm asked bitterly.
Logan looked to Hawk briefly.
"I did tell you not to expect a warm greeting from us."
"I need help," he said turning back to Storm.
"You found her," Storm said, assuming things hadn't gone well.
"Yeah, she's with Magneto. Locked at the hip, but I'm not sure they're walkin' the same road. 'Ro, she led me right to her. She knew I was coming, she wanted me there- but as soon as Magneto caught me, she walked away."
"I told you!"
Yup, she did, Hawk added. But no one ever listens to the girl.
Logan shook his head violently. "It's not that simple."
Storm shelved that argument for another time and her thought echoed Logan's. If we make it that far. "Where are they?"
"They're on the move. I know where they're goin'."
"You're saying you saw Magneto?" Hank asked coming in.
"Yeah, we gotta go now."
Storm and Hank looked at each other and turned to follow Logan. Hawk started to follow, but felt like someone was watching her, and went up into the air vents unnoticed.
"They're going to attack Alcatraz," Logan said.
"They are troops stationed on that island," Hank pointed out.
"Not enough to stop him."
"Let's suit up," Storm said.
Behind them, a certain Angel heard every word. As he turned around, Hawk was standing behind him. "Whoa!"
"What are you doin'?" she asked.
"How do you get in here?"
She pointed up. "Air vents are my specialty around here. I reign over all of them. Plus, my shape-shifting ability allows me to attain the abilities of the person I'm copy-catting, real or not." Then she crossed her arms. "Now you answer my question."
"I was wondering who it was that came in here screaming Storm's name... and incidentally heard the conversation."
Hawk laughed. "That's just Logan- aka, Wolverine. Has a healing factor and foot long adamantium claws. Not someone to mess with. Anyway, I'm not going to tell. I'm the ultimate eavesdropper around here."
"Has anyone seen where Hawk went?" Storm said.
"Over here, Storm," Hawk said, stepping out into the corridor.
"Let's go."
"See ya around, Angel," she said, dashing off to catch up to Storm.
XXX
"If Magneto gets a hold of that cure, they'll be no stoppin' him," Logan said as he and Hank walked to the Hanger
Logan rolled his shoulders, trying to settle his uniform more comfortably. He preferred not to wear it, so it had never been broken in. Not like Storm's, which felt like kid gloves. The others were suited up as well- Hawk was wearing a cape like Storm, except hers was black and removable; unlike Storm's, which was silver and stayed on her uniform.
"Can you estimate how many he has?" Hank asked.
"An army. And Jean."
"His powers have limits, hers do not.
"Kitty was grinning- she had obviously saved a quip for this special occasion. "Remember when you told Bobby and Rogue that our uniforms were on order?" Little girl, he thought, he weren't even flaimin' there! "Well, guess what just came in the mail!"
"There's only seven of us, Logan," Bobby said when they reached the hanger.
Logan looked from the kids to Storm, and back. "Yeah, we're outnumbered," he said, stepping toward Bobby. "I'm not gonna lie to ya. But we lost Scott; we lost the Professor. We don't fight now, everything they stood for will die with them."
Bobby was silent.
"I'm not gonna let that happen. Are you?"
Bobby shook his head.
"Then we stand together. X-men." He looked at Hank and Storm. "All of us."
Storm blinked.
Logan turned back to Bobby, who looked at the other three, then turned back to Logan. "Alright."
"Let's go."
Bobby nodded at the others, as they and Hank stepped through the doors that just opened. Storm looked at Bobby, then turned back as Logan approached her. "They're ready," he said.
"Yeah," Storm replied. "I know. But are you ready? To do what you need to do when the time comes." She stared at him for a long moment, then turned toward the hanger, only to see Hawk in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. "Hawk, get away from those controls, now!"
"Oh, come on..."
Logan stayed where he was for a moment then followed Storm.
The jet took off with a sonic boom. Then they set their course for Alcatraz. Storm in the pilot, Logan co-pilot, Hank behind Storm. The kids sat in the passenger seat. Bobby and Kitty took the first two seat, Peter and Hawk took the last two. Everyone was tense, no one hardly breathed.
Alternate scene #1:
A crowd waited at the entrance to the hangar: Bobby, Kitty, Colossus, Angel, even McCoy. Storm was a bit behind, waiting by the Blackbird with Hawk.
Logan rolled his shoulders, trying to settle his uniform more comfortably. He preferred not to wear it, so it had never been broken in. Not like Storm's, which felt like kid gloves. The others were suited up as well- Hawk was wearing a cape like Storm, except hers was black and removable; unlike Storm's, which was silver and stayed on her uniform.
Kitty was grinning- she had obviously saved a quip for this special occasion. "Remember when you told Bobby and Rogue that our uniforms were on order?" Little girl, he thought, he weren't even flaimin' there! "Well, guess what just came in the mail!"
"We're coming with," Bobby announced.
Logan snorted, his way of telling them in no uncertain terms, The heck you are!
"We trained for this," Peter said, backing up his friend. "We're ready."
"Best offense is a good defense, right?" Storm smiled from where she stood, clearly enjoying every moment of Logan's comeuppance. Hawk was enjoying it even more, from the way she giggled behind Storm.
Warren III stepped forward, visibly shy, but refusing to give in to his fear. "They say Magneto's going after my father," he said, his voice shaking with as much outrage as nerve. "My father! He may be wrong, sir, but he's not evil. I'm not going to leave him out there alone."
"Angel's right," Hawk put in. "I lost both of my parents because of a car accident, and I would do anything to know who caused it. I'd hate to see someone lose their father- or any parent for that matter- the same way I did."
Serious now, Storm added to what Angel and Hawk said. "This our fight Logan, not just yours."
He sighed. He didn't want them to learn the realities of his life this way. Or ever.
"This isn't going to be like class," he told them, looking one after the other in the eye, hoping they could see his face, in his eyes, what he was talking about. "Or the Danger Room. It's going to be real battle. With blood and tears... and death."
They were kids. Even if they thought they understood what he was talking about, they had no proper frame of reference- minus Hawk, who lost her own sister in a fight with Sabretooth before she joined the X-men when she was eight. Heck deep down inside they knew they'd live forever; that's why armies preferred their recruits young. Things like this could only be learned the hard way. It was a part of life that mirrored Worthington's cure, in that once you crossed this Rubicon, you could never go back. What you saw, what you did, would stay with you forever.
"As much as we've lost in the last few days, that's nothing compared to what's on the line."
Nobody moved, nobody even blinked.
"We get on that plane, we're not students and teachers anymore. We're not kids and grown-ups. We're soldiers."
"We're X-men," Bobby corrected. "All of us."
"No matter what age we are," Hawk added.
Everyone looked at her. "What? I'm the youngest one here."
They chuckled and the kids and Hank boarded, Storm and Logan hanging back. "They're ready," Logan said.
"Yeah, I know," Storm replied, her eyes going hard. "The question is will you be ready when the time comes to do what's right?" She turned toward the jet, seeing Hawk in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. "Hawk, get away from those controls, now!"
"Oh, come on..."
Alternate scene #2
"What the heck is that?" Logan asked Beast as he came out of the dressing area.
"My old uniform," Beast replied. "Still fits... mostly," he added chuckling.
Logan met up with Storm, who was waiting by the hanger. Hawk was standing next to her, and Colossus, Shadowcat, and Iceman were standing off a little ways further back. "They're not coming," Logan said to Storm. Hawk gave him one of her sassy "oh no" looks, and she looked like she was about to say something, but Iceman beat her to the punch.
"Hey! We trained for this."
Storm and Logan turned to him. Logan finished putting on his glove before he spoke. "This isn't the Danger Room, Bobby," he said, stepping towards him.
"Logan, we're ready to fight."
"Fight for what?"
Bobby didn't answer right away. He just looked at Logan and thought about his response.
"You better have an answer because you go to war, you may not come home." He indicated Kitty. "She may not come home, are you ready for that?"
"We're not kids anymore, we're X-men."
"What does that mean? Puffing that X on your chest?"
"It means we fight to protect those who ha-" Kitty began.
"Hate and fear us?" Logan cut her off. "Yeah, I heard that one before, but they're just words."
"No, it's not what it mean," Bobby said. "It means we're a family, all of us. And we fight as one or not at all. That's what it means."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Hawk said, "but I think he's speaking for all of us."
"Nice of you to join in, Hawk," Kitty said. "Why didn't you do it earlier?"
"Uh, usually when we have have a 'talk'," she pointed between Logan and her, then used her fingers as quotations, "it usually escalates. And right now, we don't have time for an escalated argument."
Logan looked from Hawk to Iceman. "You have no idea what's waiting out there; Magneto's got an army this time."
"And Jean," Storm added.
"His powers have limits, hers do not," Beast said. "If we don't stop them now, then no one else can."
"No offense to anyone," Hawk said a little tentatively, "but I think I can handle Jean."
Storm shot her a look, and she looked away biting her lip. "Shutting up."
"Well, then," Bobby said, "sounds like you're going to need all the help you can get."
"Let's go," Logan said.
"Yes!" Hawk said as the doors opened up to the hanger.
Storm and Logan hung back as the kids and Beast walked toward the jet. "They're ready," Logan said.
" Yeah, I know," Storm replied, her eyes going hard. "The question is will you be ready when the time comes to do what's right?" She turned toward the jet, seeing Hawk in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. "Hawk, get away from those controls, now!"
"Oh, come on..."
Alternate scene 3: Boarding the jet: Beast quotes Shakespeare
"We few," Beast said. "We happy few. We band of brothers. For he who sheds his blood with me this day, shall be my brother. And in this vile day, this day gentle his condition. And Ben and England, now are dead, count their manhood's cheap! They were not here with us, to fight with us on Crispin's day."
Hawk gave him a puzzled look, and- since she was a drama kid and all- she could only guess who wrote that. "Ease up on the Shakespeare Beast, there'll be plenty of time for that later."
"I'm surprised you know that, Hawk."
"Actually, I guessed."
"But we get the point," Logan said. "Let's go."
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Chapter End Notes:
Alternate scene #1:
A crowd waited at the entrance to the hangar: Bobby, Kitty, Colossus, Angel, even McCoy. Storm was a bit behind, waiting by the Blackbird with Hawk.
Logan rolled his shoulders, trying to settle his uniform more comfortably. He preferred not to wear it, so it had never been broken in. Not like Storm's, which felt like kid gloves. The others were suited up as well- Hawk was wearing a cape like Storm, except hers was black and removable; unlike Storm's, which was silver and stayed on her uniform.
Kitty was grinning- she had obviously saved a quip for this special occasion. "Remember when you told Bobby and Rogue that our uniforms were on order?" Little girl, he thought, he weren't even flaimin' there! "Well, guess what just came in the mail!"
"We're coming with," Bobby announced.
Logan snorted, his way of telling them in no uncertain terms, The heck you are!
"We trained for this," Peter said, backing up his friend. "We're ready."
"Best offense is a good defense, right?" Storm smiled from where she stood, clearly enjoying every moment of Logan's comeuppance. Hawk was enjoying it even more, from the way she giggled behind Storm.
Warren III stepped forward, visibly shy, but refusing to give in to his fear. "They say Magneto's going after my father," he said, his voice shaking with as much outrage as nerve. "My father! He may be wrong, sir, but he's not evil. I'm not going to leave him out there alone."
"Angel's right," Hawk put in. "I lost both of my parents because of a car accident, and I would do anything to know who caused it. I'd hate to see someone lose their father- or any parent for that matter- the same way I did."
Serious now, Storm added to what Angel and Hawk said. "This our fight Logan, not just yours."
He sighed. He didn't want them to learn the realities of his life this way. Or ever.
"This isn't going to be like class," he told them, looking one after the other in the eye, hoping they could see his face, in his eyes, what he was talking about. "Or the Danger Room. It's going to be real battle. With blood and tears... and death."
They were kids. Even if they thought they understood what he was talking about, they had no proper frame of reference- minus Hawk, who lost her own sister in a fight with Sabretooth before she joined the X-men when she was eight. Heck deep down inside they knew they'd live forever; that's why armies preferred their recruits young. Things like this could only be learned the hard way. It was a part of life that mirrored Worthington's cure, in that once you crossed this Rubicon, you could never go back. What you saw, what you did, would stay with you forever.
"As much as we've lost in the last few days, that's nothing compared to what's on the line."
Nobody moved, nobody even blinked.
"We get on that plane, we're not students and teachers anymore. We're not kids and grown-ups. We're soldiers."
"We're X-men," Bobby corrected. "All of us."
"No matter what age we are," Hawk added.
Everyone looked at her. "What? I'm the youngest one here."
They chuckled and the kids and Hank boarded, Storm and Logan hanging back. "They're ready," Logan said.
"I know," Storm replied, her eyes going hard. "The question is will you be ready when the time comes to do what's right?" She turned toward the jet, seeing Hawk in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. "Hawk, get away from those controls, now!"
"Oh, come on..."
A crowd waited at the entrance to the hangar: Bobby, Kitty, Colossus, Angel, even McCoy. Storm was a bit behind, waiting by the Blackbird with Hawk.
Logan rolled his shoulders, trying to settle his uniform more comfortably. He preferred not to wear it, so it had never been broken in. Not like Storm's, which felt like kid gloves. The others were suited up as well- Hawk was wearing a cape like Storm, except hers was black and removable; unlike Storm's, which was silver and stayed on her uniform.
Kitty was grinning- she had obviously saved a quip for this special occasion. "Remember when you told Bobby and Rogue that our uniforms were on order?" Little girl, he thought, he weren't even flaimin' there! "Well, guess what just came in the mail!"
"We're coming with," Bobby announced.
Logan snorted, his way of telling them in no uncertain terms, The heck you are!
"We trained for this," Peter said, backing up his friend. "We're ready."
"Best offense is a good defense, right?" Storm smiled from where she stood, clearly enjoying every moment of Logan's comeuppance. Hawk was enjoying it even more, from the way she giggled behind Storm.
Warren III stepped forward, visibly shy, but refusing to give in to his fear. "They say Magneto's going after my father," he said, his voice shaking with as much outrage as nerve. "My father! He may be wrong, sir, but he's not evil. I'm not going to leave him out there alone."
"Angel's right," Hawk put in. "I lost both of my parents because of a car accident, and I would do anything to know who caused it. I'd hate to see someone lose their father- or any parent for that matter- the same way I did."
Serious now, Storm added to what Angel and Hawk said. "This our fight Logan, not just yours."
He sighed. He didn't want them to learn the realities of his life this way. Or ever.
"This isn't going to be like class," he told them, looking one after the other in the eye, hoping they could see his face, in his eyes, what he was talking about. "Or the Danger Room. It's going to be real battle. With blood and tears... and death."
They were kids. Even if they thought they understood what he was talking about, they had no proper frame of reference- minus Hawk, who lost her own sister in a fight with Sabretooth before she joined the X-men when she was eight. Heck deep down inside they knew they'd live forever; that's why armies preferred their recruits young. Things like this could only be learned the hard way. It was a part of life that mirrored Worthington's cure, in that once you crossed this Rubicon, you could never go back. What you saw, what you did, would stay with you forever.
"As much as we've lost in the last few days, that's nothing compared to what's on the line."
Nobody moved, nobody even blinked.
"We get on that plane, we're not students and teachers anymore. We're not kids and grown-ups. We're soldiers."
"We're X-men," Bobby corrected. "All of us."
"No matter what age we are," Hawk added.
Everyone looked at her. "What? I'm the youngest one here."
They chuckled and the kids and Hank boarded, Storm and Logan hanging back. "They're ready," Logan said.
"I know," Storm replied, her eyes going hard. "The question is will you be ready when the time comes to do what's right?" She turned toward the jet, seeing Hawk in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. "Hawk, get away from those controls, now!"
"Oh, come on..."
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