Kristi still didn't like being teleported interdimensionally. It made her sick to her stomach and as soon as she felt solid again was when she opened her eyes. She was on the floor and people were staring at her from on top. She waited until her eyes focused.
"Okay, where did I end up?" asked Kristi groggily. "Max, Tamera, are you okay?"
"Who are you?" asked a voice. Then her vision cleared. Had she changed so much in five years? Then it dawned on her, that to them, they were all ten years older because they had been gone five years and they looked five years older when they arrived back.
"That's for me to know and you to find out. Where's the other two people who came with me?" she asked.
"They are sleeping in beds in the neighboring rooms. Come on, don't force me to call you ma'am!" muttered Bobby.
Kristi sat up and shook her head because she had a headache. "That's what I get for teleporting transdimensionally. I need to see if they are okay."
Bobby stopped her by pushing her back down gently. "We don't know where you popped out from but you need to rest..."
"Bobby, if you don't want to be turned into a puddle, I suggest you get out of my way." said Kristi intently. Bobby jumped a little backwards at her remark. She knew his name, and his power, therefore, for all he knew, she could even go through with her threat! That is if he judged her correctly. Kristi didn't stay around long enough for him to protest, she teleported to the next room.
*
"Hey Max, wake up." said Kristi gripping him by the shoulders and shaking him hard. "This is not the reality where you can fall asleep any time you want."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Where's Tamera?" asked Max. Kristi snapped her fingers and they were in Tamera's room. She was pacing the room when they arrived.
"It's about time, Mrs. Lebeau! Where have you been?" asked Tamera exasperated.
"Give me a break will ya, teleporting does not sit well with me!" said Kristi with a roll of her eyes. They all sat down on the bed.
"Objective number one. We need to find Crystal. Wait! She's just disappeared too! Shit!?!?! We were too late! Okay, objective number one has just been changed to finding everyone." said Kristi. Max just sat there and listened.
"Wrong. People are coming down the hallway." said Tamera.
Kristi with a swipe of the hand made them invisible. "Don't make a sound."
*
Xavier walked in the door. "Who are you?"
Kristi raised an eye brow, "It's not often that I have to say this. But I, no, we need help."
"You still haven't answered the question." said Wolverine coming in from behind him, limping.
"What happened to Logan. It looks like someone canned you." said Kristi surprised. Then she realized that was exactly what happened. In an instant, she burst out in giggles.
It was obvious that Wolverine was not in a good mood. With a great leap, he tried to get to the intruder, but didn't get past a force field.
"Ohh. That had to hurt. This wouldn't be the first time I was accosted by you people here. If I remember correctly... I called you shorty, Logan. Then you stuck me in one of your omega containment cells and pushed the little red button that said 'Do Not Push'.
"You're that girl....?" asked Logan getting off the floor. "But, you were only a teenager..."
Xavier's eyes lit up. He had been sad that a powerful mutant had left, but now she was back. "Hello Kristi, nice to see you again. Although, I wish that you being here was for better circumstances."
"Hello Charles. Long time, no see! Yes, it is unfortunate. I have been forced to cut off all power to my friends and they are now helpless. It happened when for some bizarre reason they were 'removed' from my sight. We need to find them at once. Oh! Forgive my rudeness!" said Kristi forgetting to introduce Max. "This is Max Wiltshire. He is head of NATO in our reality. Max this is Professor Charles Xavier and we are in his Institute. Oops, I'll just take off the cloak."
She quickly took the cloak off the Tamera and Max and motioned for them to shake hands.
Max eyes widened and then he approached quickly, "Ooh! Ooh! I've always wanted to meet you! Ever since I was a little kid, I would read your comics. You are my hero, well, besides Remy, that is." Max shook his hand quickly, it was like he was in a daze. He just couldn't believe that he was shaking hands with THE Charles Xavier!
*
Crystal and Jubilee were going to go back to the X-manor, when someone hit Crystal from behind. It was quite a weak hit, because it didn't knock her out or down. She spun around to find Giles wincing because like a slapping of the hand, the pain was travelling back through his nerves. Jubilee had her hands out ready to blast him with plasma. While on the way to the bus depot, Crystal had taught her how to cover her gems. Therefore, she wasn't scared when she had pointed her palms at this attacker.
"Giles." said Crystal, she had known that he was up to something, "Okay... why don't you tell me why in God's name you did that."
Giles was never the fighter and decided to give in peacefully. He knew what she could do, so he didn't want to anger her. Crystal all of a sudden felt a jolt, she no longer had any powers!!! Man, one thing was for certain, she couldn't let Giles know, or else she was a dead duck, goose, moose, blue jay, or whatever bird or animal fits in with this phrase.
"It's a long story, I think you two better sit down." said Giles motioning to a seat. As he sat them down, he sat down himself in a seat right across from it. "I have belonged to a club called the Aluminati for many years now. Do you by chance know about the Hellfire Club? This is the cover for the Aluminati. Just recently, I was asked for information on the wild powers by someone promising me elevation in this group. But you see, there is an other side to me. I work for the government here in the US under the supervision the British government. They have worked in conjuncture on certain things and this is one of them. I have also been giving them information. They now want to shut down the Aluminati, but they need someone to help. We know that they have people of all kinds in this group, mutants, humans alike. Now, this is where you come in, we need your help to put them out of business. I know that you are a wild power. Who is she?"
Crystal knew that what he was going to say would involve this somehow, but how could she tell him now that she didn't have any power? Crystal felt something heavy on her. It felt like she was wearing a necklace, but then she realized that she hadn't been wearing one. She felt her chest, right below her wind pipe by her neck and found a stone. Again she wondered from where it came from, then she remembered that Kristi had somehow put one in each during the last battle. Within their own stones was a vast network of power that they could only harness if someone was in trouble and they couldn't access Kristi's power. Shit, this could only mean trouble.
"I'll do whatever I can. This is Jubilee, an X-man and wild power." replied Crystal. She had no reason to trust him or mistrust him. He wouldn't of told them as much as he had if he wasn't telling the truth. Because that wasn't like Giles. He smiled a big smile and motioned to a beautiful convertible waiting outside the school.
*
"Daddy!" screamed Colin who was chained to a wall by adamantium. He thought that if he kept on screaming his name, he would come and save him. He then used a technique his mommy taught him. He remained calm and then all of a sudden he knew that their love for him would save him. Yet, the room was cold and damp. He hadn't been fed in two days and he missed his ice cream! A tear rolled down his cheek as he pictured his mother's face. Would he ever see them again? He tried to sit down and bawl his eyes out, when a sharp searing pain ripped through his arms as they were pulled. He stood right back up and whimpered. He would be strong, if not for himself, then for his mommy.
*
Dustin was startled by the sudden appearance of his sapphire on his forehead. He then thanked his lucky stars that Kristi had thought of this contingency plan. He could hide it and it contained a limited supply of power. It wouldn't last forever, or at least he didn't think it did. He wasn't sure. But in case, he wasn't going to use it just quite yet. Also, this way, people couldn't find out who the leader of them were and if they chose wrong then all the power would be gone. He sat in his little sound proof room and he was quite happy to see Darien being thrown in. Yet, the way he landed must of hurt.
"Are you okay Darien?" asked Dustin rushing up to him.
"I should of stayed in bed!" moaned Darien feeling a big bump on his head, then he noticed Dustin's jewel. "I'm hallucinating. I know it! This has all been a bad dream! I am not seeing a sapphire the size of a fist in your forehead!"
Dustin quickly hide it.
"Yes, I guess you are, but if you were, would this hurt?" he asked innocently, as he twisted his right arm. He let out a howl of pain and winced and in that moment; Dustin hid his jewel.
"You nitwit, that arm is broken!?!?!?! They broke my arm when they tried to capture me!" winced out Darien, clenching his teeth to the pain.
"Oh. Sorry." said Dustin. What more could he say?
"What are we going to do now?" asked Darien as he rubbed his arm in agony.
"There is nothing we CAN do. This place is sealed tighter than S.H.I.E.L.D. could ever be and I have a really weird hunch." said Dustin.
"What?" Darien bit out.
"I think we are under water, remember I could be wrong!" said Dustin looking Darien in the eyes in which fear now filled.
*
Scott was wondering how he was going to face Jean after she came back from the wedding. He didn't feel sorry for himself though. He was shackled to the floor and couldn't move and inch. He deliberately kept his eyes closed in the device that was on his head to prevent headaches. Sinister was behind this. What did he want now? What he always wanted? Yet, something told him no. Pondering this thought, he heard someone enter.
"Who's there!" he screamed, turning his head. No one answered but he heard grunts and groans from someone as he heard shackles being locked together.
"Who's there?" shouted Scott once again hoping to get a response.
"Scott, is that you?" asked the stranger. Scott felt hope fill his heart.
"Is that you Remy?" he asked.
"Who else would it be? Magneto?" asked Remy.
"Actually, Joseph is now part of our team." said Scott. Then he winced before hand, so that he wouldn't have to as soon as Remy started screaming.
Yet, Remy did not scream. He himself had done things that he wasn't too proud of and Kristi accepted him, so he would do the same.
"I think it's time I told you something Scott... something that has been bugging me for a long time." said Remy, he took a deep breath. "I created the Marauders."
Scott didn't say anything. In fact he was too stunned to speak.
"You?" was all he managed to choke out. Remy didn't hear anything after that for a long while.
Remy finally heard a deep breath being taken. "Remy, we all have pasts. Like Joseph, you have also done terrible things. Yet, he put it behind him and so did we. If you like, we could do the same for you, but that would mean telling everyone else." said Scott slowly making sure his carefully planned speech. A tear slid down Remy's cheek. It was a good thing that the room was dark or else he would of felt mortified.
"Okay and... thanks." whispered Remy.
"Don't thank me yet, we still have to get out of here first!" muttered Scott.
"I can't use my charge powers. For some reason they don't work! It's like the very metal this room is made out of prohibits my powers!" said Remy surprised. He wasn't going to give away the secret that he could use his wife's power. He could still feel it there, waiting for him to use, but he wouldn't use it because he somehow knew that he should not reveal her secret. Although, he tried to make his wounds heal with the power, but it wouldn't work. Instead, in his forehead appeared a weight. He had no idea to what it was and there was no way that he could see it. What else could go wrong?
"I can't use my powers either, so are just a regular pair aren't we!" said Scott trying to make a joke and not succeeding. It was going to be a long day.
*
Kielle was chained to a wall in a room by wood. She had the worse pain of all, the pain of the heart. In her room was a two way mirror to Colin's cell and Angel's cell. She heard Colin's cries for help and she screamed and screamed hoping that he could hear her, but it was no use. She winced as pain kept on shooting up through his arms as he tried to sit down to relieve the pain in his legs from standing so long. Longing that the pain would be hers, all she could do is watch. She heard Angel moan as two people shoved Kellogg's Corn Flakes with saw dust down his throat. Slowly and surely, they were killing him. Kielle screamed and sobbed, because there was no way that she could help him. Angel was shackled by wood with spikes carved right out of the cuff's. The wood pierced his skin and there was nothing he could do about it. She had never felt so helpless in her life. Her most cherished, were being tortured to death and she could only watch.
She thought bitterly at all the fun she would have ripping the head of Sinister and killing him once and for all. Slowly, she felt a weight appear on her head. Bringing her hands to her face as if to scratch an inch she felt her stones at her temples. The shackles were just long enough to reach them and again she felt strong again. With the power of her blood red rubies she held off the effect of wood on Angel. She reached out to him, felt his pain and took it into herself. Literally, she was taking all the saw dust and transporting it into herself so that it wouldn't affect him. Angel's breathing eased considerably. Next was Colin, she took the pain away from his legs and chest from screaming and standing. He was then the picture of health. Kielle on the other hand, slumped down in pain. With the strength her rubies gave her, she ripped the wood from the walls and slumped down into a peaceful sleep hopefully to feel better after she woke up.