World Without End

[StarChild]

Hi, Gang...here it goes...I am online and I finally have a chance to type to my heart's content. The disclaimer? The X-men are not mine, but I do hope to get published one day. Only the N'hilrain, their culture, and Elissa are my own creations. 'Nuff said? Then we're off!



World Without End


" What is beauty?
Is it something to be seen on the surface?
A state of mind,
Body or heart?
What is beauty?
Can it be seen or touched,
Felt like an emotion,
Or perceived like art?
Beauty is more than skin,
It is deeper than the heart.
Beauty is an expression of life
Lived beyond what is seen,
Or what is within or even apart. "
- Poet unknown

" History is destined to repeat itself, parallel itself,
even enfold upon itself no matter where you go. That
is because there are universal constants to human
nature."
- Henry McCoy
circa 2006


Prelude to a Future Passed Away

The tip of the French grip foil burrowed into the wall-mounted mat for the one hundred and twenty-first time, and, to his satisfaction, he found that he had not strayed from the mark even once. A fanged smile graced carved indigo features as he examined the mat closely; as a matter of fact he could make out the gymnasium wall! He offered the poor inanimate object a proper salute, and lowered his foil to reach for a hand towel to mop the perspiration from his brow. Swallowing some water, he pulled at his sweatshirt, which was clinging to him rather annoyingly by this point in time, and hefted his foil to resume his practice.

The gymnasium was empty, the sound of his bare feet slapping on the wooden floor echoed with each lunge in the large room. The light of the setting sun cast a golden glow through the huge, westward facing bay windows and made the cherrywood bleachers shine like flame. He was feeling curiously alert, not spent, the adrenaline pumping and his heart beating strong as he finished up his session. Though enjoying himself, he was aware of how empty the room was and how he could have wished for a sparring partner at that moment. He could call Logan down from where he was at in the den, but it was football night and the CFL was on, and he knew nothing would tear his friend away from his game! It was sometimes worse than when hockey season was going full swing!

Pausing once again, Kurt decided enough was enough, fairly shaking the perspiration from his lank curls. That was when he noticed a...well, scent...other than his own. He wrinkled his nose because it was not perceived without himself, but strangely enough, within. Placing the foil on the folded bleachers behind him, he removed the glove from his right hand and sniffed at the air again. No, he could only smell himself, yet the impression of roses, subtle and sweet, pervaded his mind.

" Finally! " A woman's voice; a warm contralto weak with relief. " Someone has heard. You must help me! "

It was an odd reaction to look without especially when the voice came from within, but he knew the signature of a telepath when he encountered one. He had too much experience with that particular gift not to know. " Who are you? " he thought. " Where are you? "

" No time! There is no time! They will kill me! Please, hurry! "

The solidity of the gymnasium was suddenly transplanted by another reality! He found himself running through thinning woods in an area he knew to be towards the mansion's northern perimeter because in the distance he could make out the fence that marked off the old rural road. He could hear sounds behind him, feel his heart beating hard and fast, see the branches whipping back at him and feel their sting against his abraded face, and torn clothing. He paused only a moment to look behind him and saw five armored men crashing through the foliage in hot pursuit, the two in the front using what appeared to be arm-mounted blades to cut through the brush, and one in back raising a wicked-looking, bulky right appendage. Somehow he knew what it was and what it could do, and what this brief look back was going to cost him. The arm cannon belched blue fire even as he turned to run. He wanted to teleport with all his might, but it wasn't him who was running. It wasn't his reality as the beam sliced into his left side, flinging him forward, staining the grass red, to land rolling onto the ground in a limp heap; but he could feel the sheer agony, and he screamed.

The vision fogged away, and Kurt dropped to the gym floor, clutching at his side, his breath coming in heaving gasps as he fought against the echoes of the pain. He tried to stand, the world swimming before his eyes as he fought
to regain his own identity; indeed, the sensation of his own body. He had never experienced anything that vivid before!

" Mein Gott," he murmured, licking suddenly parched lips. It was as if he had really ran all that way, had really been shot, he thought, as he lurched towards a wall-mounted intercom to palm it open. " Logan, can you hear me? " She had shown him where she was, but the very act could have cost her her life.

[Angelique]

Great start!

[StarChild]

Prelude to a Future Passed Away: (continued)

It seemed to take forever for Logan to respond as Kurt leaned against the wall of the gymnasium, trying to regain control of his body. When he finally heard the gravelly voice, he was almost inclined to kiss the speaker unit; " Whatta' ya' want, Elf? The Stamps are within twelve yards of a touchdown! This better be good! "

" We have an emergency, Logan, on the northern end of the mansion property near the old dirt road. A...," he swallowed, his mouth still weirdly dry,"...a woman...she's been injured. There are five armored men in pursuit. I am sorry to interrupt your football game, mein freund, but I need your help! "

The sigh that sounded from the speaker was the epitome of patient suffering, " It figures. Somehow it figures! I'll meet you there, Kurt. Find you by the fireworks!"

" Danke, Logan...I am on my way. Out! " He punched the intercom closed, and struggled to an upright position, denying the echo of the pain in his left side. He was at once grateful for the vision and disgruntled; grateful that he had a way to find the stranger, and disgruntled that it was such a painful roadmap! Imagining the glade, he leapt forward, propelling himself into and without the dimensions to emerge midstep near the boundary fence.

The sky outside was a mixture of gold and soft salmon clouds stained by the setting sun, and long shadows were being cast into the glade by the distant trees. The evening breeze chilled his perspiration soaked body and the grass was cool beneath his feet. Feeling far too exposed in the openness of this expanse, Kurt dropped low into the tall grass, and moved stealthily toward five figures some sixty feet in the distance near the treeline. He hoped they had not seen the telltale display that usually accompanied his trips, otherwise this would be a wasted effort. Keeping low, he approached the five, his attention moving to one small figure twisted in an unnatural position wearing the remainder of a tattered blue jumpsuit.

The five soldiers were of roughly the same height, and their armor identical to each other, save for two men that wore decorative sashes on their left arms, and small daggers in sheaths strapped to their left legs. Dome-like helmets concealed their faces and copper banding at the waist, elbow and knee joints broke the monotony of the silver-like suits. The other three soldiers carried seperate pistols in holsters and netting from their belts. The right arms of the suits were larger than the left, and he realized that these were the disruptor cannons that had hit the girl in the vision that was turning out to be far too real for his liking. Kurt found himself idly wandering if they only drafted men to certain height specifications so that they would not have to customize the suits.

Taking cover behind some shrubs, Kurt chanced a look at the gathered men, finally hearing them speak amongst each other in a vowel-heavy alien language. They pointed occasionally at the female shape, one laughing and toeing her unmoving body for emphasis. He hesitated, wondering what would be the best way to extricate the telepath from this situation; wondering if he should wait for Wolverine, when the decision was made for him. One of the dagger-wearing soldiers stooped to grab the girl's long golden hair, and yank her upright, while he pulled his blade free. Kurt could hear her moan as the man set the blade to her exposed throat.

That was when Nightcrawler revealed himself, rising up in the shadows, dressed in his black sweatsuit, only his yellow eyes glowing with a feral light in the growing evening shadow. " Guten abend, meine Herren. I would suggest you leave the lady alone," he said, and gave his most wicked and threatening smile.

The effect was perfect! The soldier that held the girl dropped her, the knife falling from his hand, and the other four turned to face him, arm cannons coming up to focus on him. A little too perfect, and a little too threatening! He had to lead them away from the girl, stall for time until Logan could arrive, or else he would find himself in the same predicament as the person he had intended to rescue.

Leaping high, he teleported five feet directly behind them and lunged forward to shove the nearest man; " Kommen und spielen, meine Herren! You're it! " He ran forward towards the glade and launched himself into another 'port, this time to reappear another fifteen feet away to stumble to a halt. Crouching low, he pivoted to see the five men running after him, their prey momentarily forgotten.

" Sehr Gut," he mumured with a small sideways smile, and began an evasive loping run to the fence line.

Icy blue beams of energy passed torturously close to his head, gracing the elegant point of an ear far too intimately with radiant heat, and sending him rolling and diving to the left only to have the turf dissolve before him by another blast. He was far too open here for his liking, he decided as he dove over the gaping hole and shouldered himself up to a crouch to check on his pursuers. He was roughly near the center of the glade by now, and they were still charging after him, one kneeling midstep to take aim. Giving a faint yet grim smile, he chose to 'port to avoid the gunblast, leaping forward into the dimensions as he exerted his will.

Teleportation was like taking a step with his normal feet, and for him it required almost as much concentration. He never got a clear vision of the exact nature of the dimension he traversed, but the sensation was always one of exhiliration as in one moment he was there and in next...he was behind his assailants and within four feet of the wounded girl. Quickly checking on the soldiers, he found it amusing that they were confused, looking in almost every direction but the right one for him: that is until one had the foresight to check his instrumentation and whirl about to point at him! Good things could not last forever, he thought, and dove to gather the fragile-looking body in his arms.

The blast caught the terrain close behind him, sending him flying forward, shielding the still breathing telepath with his body as they landed hard. Kurt tried to take the brunt of the fall, his left shoulder and side aching from the awkward twist, the warmth of her blood coating his hands. Grimacing, he struggled to get up, almost dropping her from the new pains in his own body, her head lolling over his arm.

That was when he heard the most beautiful voice in the world (not that he would ever confess that to Wolverine's face): " Hey, bub!!! That ain't a good idea!! "

Kurt glanced up to see the X-Men's one-man army standing near the mouth of the woods, claws fully extended and glinting in the remaining light that broke through the trees. He was definitely dressed for t.v. viewing, flannel shirt, tee shirt, and jeans: he even had a cigar tucked in the corner of his mouth! Logan, thankfully, knew how to make the most appropriate and dramatic of entrances, Kurt thought, as he watched his friend flick away the remainder of his smoke.

The soldiers looked up and to the south and laughed, one even pointing at the diminutive Canadian. An arm cannon was raised, another drew a pistol to take aim, while a third angled his weapon for Nightcrawler. They were five to their two! Their armor gave them the clear advantage! This would be over in a moment, of that they were certain.

" Elf, get on over here!" Logan ordered, and crouched to launch himself forward with a roar.

Kurt teleported to the point behind Logan, landing in a huddle to protect his new found charge, and just in time to avoid a disruptor blast that chewed up the ground where he had been a second beforehand. He looked up as soil pelted him to see Wolverine plough headlong into the lead soldier, and burrow a fist full of adamantium into his chest. Kurt winced to hear the synthesized scream of the dying man as sparks flew from the electronics in the battlesuit, bathing his friend's savage features in blue-white light.

Berserker rage; when it happened to Logan, it superceded all rational thought, and all he knew was the gut instinct of the animal. It felt good, natural, and it gave him an edge in combat that made him a formidable foe. When it was over, he sometimes regretted the outcome, but right now all he knew was that his friend was threatened and they were outnumbered. It was time to let the animal take control, and the expression on his face said it eloquently, as he literally lifted two hundred and ninety pounds of skewered soldier off his feet and flung him back into his companions.

" Surprise, bub! " He said and launched himself into the middle of the scrambling pack of men.

Kurt readied himself to join his friend, turning to settle the wounded girl to the grass, when he met glowing, amethyst eyes opened in bare slits in her cut and bleeding face. He felt himself frozen in a moment of time, entranced by he knew not what as a slender hand reached feebly to touch his face and fall back to the ground. There was a sensation of drawing, like his very consciousness was leaving him and flooding into those gemlike recesses, and his corporal form toppled over.

Logan half-turned, sensing a subliminal something, in time to see his friend fall. " Aw, damn," he muttered, and felt cold hard metal collide with his face because of his momentary distraction. Falling back, he touched the sleeve of his shirt to his face and glanced irritably at the blood that had been drawn. A low growl escaped his throat, and Wolverine braced himself to fight alone.

[Angelique]

Excellent! Just one minor nitpick. It took me a while and reading the first sentence a couple of times to figure out that the "he" in the gym was Kurt.

[StarChild]

I fixed it! I fixed it!!! Now you're just going to have to wait until I get home from work to type some more! Yeesh! I haven't even finished my prelude yet!!



Prelude to a Future Passed Away-continued



The four remaining soldiers had scant time to compensate as fury on two feet desended on them. The first man met his fate with a sweep of adamantium claws that ripped off the front plate of his armor, which was followed by the second hand plunging into his exposed chest and disembowelling him. One dove off to the right to get out of the way of the flailing claws, drawing his pistol from its holster. The other two dropped back, and drew their neural nets from off their belts. The pistol sounded with a hiss of compressed gas, and the soldier watched as the dart plunged into Logan's chest.

The force of the dart's impact pushed Wolverine back several paces, and he looked down at the dart in surprise. Whatever the serum was that was inside the thing, it was acting fast. He could feel his coordination going as he pulled the tiny invader from his body and tossed it away. He had to blink several times to clear his vision just as a net was thrown over him to add the additional insult of several hundred volts of electricity to the drug cocktail. Logan bit back the cry of pain, and fell to his hands and knees fighting to stay conscious.

One of the soldiers laughed as he passed the incapacitated man by, and kicked Logan for good measure, knocking him over onto his side. The other two followed their leader, pausing on either side of him as he pulled Nightcrawler's body off the girl. They watched as he grabbed her by her tattered clothing and yanked her off the grass, drawing his dagger to finish what they had started.

A synthesized gasp could be heard coming from the speaker grill on the man's helmet, and blood spattered the inside of the visor. The other two soldiers turned as one to watch their superior's knees begin to buckle, and, as he slumped, they could see the grim visage of the diminutive man they had thought was no threat as he pushed their dead commander off his claws.

"One: never turn your back on an enemy!" Logan plunged razor sharp blades through the chest of the man on the right, watching him fall as he met the stunned expression through the opague glass-like material. "Two: don't ever kick me! I ain't no dog!"

The last soldier backed away, raising his cannon arm reflexively, and shaking in terror. No one had withstood the neurotoxin darts before, and that, with the net, should have thoroughly incapacitated, if not killed him. He suddenly realized he was dealing with no ordinary man."Ahanaka ash nakai?" he forced out in his own tongue, voice quaking and wishing ardently that he could communicate.

Logan turned to the last soldier, glancing briefly at the bloody body of the girl, "Big man to hurt a woman." He lunged forward burying both hands into the man, and leapt back as the battlesuit spat fat, white sparks, and exploded. The man's shrieks came through without the aid of the now defunct synthesizer, and Wolverine retreated to watch him burn with a grim expression. “Didn’t understand you the first time, pal, but now I do."

Turning his back on the dying man, Logan bent to gather the girl in one arm and toss Nightcrawler over his shoulder. He looked back briefly to see the last soldier fall to the ground, his armor sparking and melting to his unmoving form. That tinge of regret again that he forced himself to shake off, along with a sensation of nausea that came from the smell. They were the enemy and they would have killed him, his friend, and the girl. He, too, was a soldier, and a soldier did what a soldier had to do in order to save lives. Facing south, and settling his burdens more comfortably in his grasp, Wolverine began the long march back to the mansion.





Will type more later....am exhausted...quite literally!:Z



[Edited on 19/3/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter One: Past and Present



Again Nightcrawler found himself in another place, but this time he possessed a sense of his own identity as he wandered through a seemingly infinite plateau of rolling white mist. He had been to New England before, Maine on a holiday, but the fog in this expanse would have rivalled anything the seaport towns of that place would have experienced. It held none of the properties of fog! He was not cold or getting damp; as a matter of fact, he felt strangely calm in this place and curious. One minute he had been in the glade, getting ready to help Logan, then the next instant he was here. He remembered meeting those unusual eyes, and the faint points of starlight that had seemed to occupy those black pupils, the drawing sensation, then...mist! Endless walls of fog!

"Hello?" he called, looking around for something, anything to focus on.

Then, like a gentle breeze, he caught the scent again: roses so faint that it was almost imperceptible. A woman's voice crying softly came from a distance, causing him to stop and look for the source of the sound, but it seemed to come from everywhere. The weeping touched his heart, and Kurt found himself wishing he could comfort her in some way.

"Fräulein, why are you crying?" he called to the open air.

He was having his suspicions as to where he was at, but it was to fantastic for him to even want to grasp. He moved forward, looking around, finding it astounding that there was even a sensation of walking on something solid. There were no walls, no ceiling, no barriers, and no sign of even a floor! It was almost frightening to think he was trapped within someone's psyche!

The weeping grew more poignant at his thoughts, and he could feel loneliness and fear. " Fräulein, I will not hurt you,"he summoned all the gentleness he could in an attempt to reassure her. "Don't be afraid. Talk to me?"

He heard the disembodied voice take a shuddering breath, then the world around him dissolved, only to reform in the blinking of an eye into a huge, poorly lit chamber filled with the sounds of human suffering and the smells of death. He did not know if it was the rapidity of the transition that made him nauseaus or the odor of the room. People hung from shackles on the walls and the four large pillars that helped support the tremendous room. Men, women and children of all ages occupied the floor space, some alive and the majority dead or dying. Before him stood a tall, slender woman with long golden hair plaited in a single braid that ran down her back. Her wide amethyst eyes were filled with terror as a single battlesuited soldier like those from the glade restrained her from behind. Something said 'mother' in his heart , of all places, yet this was not his mother! Beside her, kneeling on the floor, was a handsome, distinguished-looking man with disheveled brown hair, moustache and goatee that were in need of trimming. He held a little eight year old girl with golden curls who was crying in fear, and struggling to reach the older woman. He knew them by name, these three in their identical blue jumpsuits, which he knew was prison garb, and the manacles they wore that were actually tracing units that held their names and identity numbers: father, mother, sister. Renard, Talia, and little Kayla! His family, he thought, with a wrenching gut instinct that caused him to lurch against the strong metallic arms that restrained him.

"Please!" Talia begged, pulling against the soldier that held her."Let me go to her! She's frightened! She's just a baby!"

Apparently the arm cannons were detachable somehow, and he knew they were not worn on base because of their firepower, but only in the field. These soldiers held disruptor rifles, still powerful enough to dissolve flesh, and wore their armor because of its capacity to protect them from the power of the N'hilrain community: a community of telempathics that could persuade them to do or feel anything if it were not for their technology. Uniformed officers were lucky enough to have the implants, but these were grunts, infantry, and they wore the armor and did the dirty work.

One of those officers came into his line of sight, and Kurt could almost gasp at the jodhpurs, boots and avacado-colored shirt that reminded him of the Gestapo of old. No insignias, though. The only distinction of rank was a band of blue around the man's upper right arm. He ignored Talia, and looked at him (her?) coldly,"Where are they, Kyrian? Where are the rebels?"

He/she thrashed against the powerful metal arms, long, golden curls falling over his/her eyes,"Mother! Daddy! Oh, Kayla, don't cry!" The words were torn from his mouth, but it wasn't his voice he heard.

"Elissa, please!" Talia turned to her oldest daughter, finally pulling away to fling herself upon him, and Kurt found himself consumed in the vision, becoming the telempath, the woman from the glade. Tears came as she watched her mother pulled away by the soldier back to where she had been before, and Talia shrieked. " Don't let them kill your sister!"

Little Kayla stretched a tiny hand to her," Elissa! 'lissa!"

Renard gathered the little girl against his chest as she wept, and met the eyes of his eldest with a slight shake of his head. They both knew, in the Binding they both knew that this was pointless. Talia was so lost in her fear that reason had left her. Mother was always stronger in empathy, and the horror of what was happening around them and their helplessness was dominating her reason. If the last of the freemen were caught, they would be schackled too, and eventually slaughtered. The Hierarchy would win, and the threat they perceived the N'hilrain to be would be exterminated once and for all. The freemen had to be protected at all costs, or the genocide would purge Kanaris Five of them completely. She knew this, but it did not make things any easier.

The officer nodded to the soldier behind her, and her left arm was twisted painfully high. He/she gasped as the man leaned close to brush his lips against her cheek. "Tell me or you will watch your family die," he whispered.

Renard looked at her sternly, feeling her vacillate as she looked at her little sister and then to her mother. "Elissa, no. You are Kyrian..."

"Renard!" Talia shrieked, kicking and fighting against the metal clad man that restrained her.

The surviving N'hilrain in the room were huddling together, some protecting the children, others half-rising in impotent anger. Why, oh why was her father restraining his power? He was a shaper! He could destroy them all with a single thought! But then she knew as she stared into his obsidian eyes; she saw the 'dog'! It was what they called a N'hilrain who had been reprogrammed through drugs and special 'favors' to do the Hierarchy's dirty work. She saw the agonizing mental rape her father had endured at the hands of one of their own kind, and the psychic locks that had been placed on his mind. Why hadn't he revealed this to her before? So she wouldn't worry? There was only one way to sever those binds, and she realized that her father wanted this; he wanted to die!

"No!" She sagged against the man that restrained her, her eyes only for her father now. "Oh, Daddy, no..."

The officer scowled and motioned to people outside of her line of sight. Kurt watched through her eyes as two more battlesuited soldiers came into view, aiming their rifles at her family. "Kyrian, you are trying my patience," he said. "You have only a minute to decide."

The other soldier threw Talia to the floor and pointed to the nearer of the two men. A gun barrel was pointed at her head, and the older woman gazed imploringly at her daughter. "Elissa, please! At least we can be together for a little while longer! Daughter!"

The officer nodded, and the man fired. She gasped as her mother fell over, eyes clenching tight at the memory of the missing portion of her head. Bile crept up her digestive tract, and she wailed, her knees beginning to buckle.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Kayla shrieked, and the gathered N'hilrain cried, gasped and averted their eyes. Her death echoed throughout the community as though they had lost a piece of themselves.

The officer looked around at the fifty or so survivors, the dead and decaying corpses about the room. " Will you not persuade her? Look around you. Do you want your children to end up as these?" He turned to the girl," Speak, Kyrian Elissa. You are the only one who knows. Where are Baka and the other unmarked?" His backhand lashed out, catching her full in the face, and Kurt could feel her reeling from the blow.

"Daughter..." Renard's voice and presence reached her like a lifeline, and she looked to her father. " Do not give in. You know we are dead already." He held Kayla tightly, refusing to let her look at her mother's body.

Tears fell freely,"Daddy..."

His black eyes began to glow as he looked steadily at her," In life there is death..."

The officer's eyes widened as he realized what was about to occur, "No! Now...shoot them now!"

The ritual was as old as the N'hilrain, almost two hundred years since the Cataclysm that had birthed them as a species, and Renard spoke it with a force that echoed in the room;"In life there is death, and in death there is life! In the after, my daughter. In the after!'

It happened almost simultaneously! Kurt could feel the power and the presence of the older man suffusing him/her and overflowing from his/her mind, soul, and into the extremities. It was escastic, overpowering, and making him/her cry out in something that bordered on pleasure and pain. Then the guns rang out and her father and sister were murdered before her eyes, their blood spattering the floor, touching her face and clothing, the soldiers' armor; and she screamed in utter madness, the throes of death's dark shadow touching the edges of her perceptions.

"NOOOO...!!" the scream was guttural, the power released from her primordial, birthed from a rage and sorrow that overtook all reason. It cascaded into the room like a flood, and he/she could hear the screams of pure terror from every individual in the room, but so lost was he/she in a fury that would have rivalled even Wolverine's most basic instinct that he/she could see nothing but a crimson tide. When her/his vision cleared, he/she was aware that no one was holding her any longer. Her breathing came in heavy, distraught pants as she surveyed the carnage. Shards of armor and imploded soldier were everywhere; bodies, horribly mangled lay roundabout! Everyone was dead whether it had been friend or foe! The power was indiscriminate, unbridled, and merciless. She gripped at her lean middle and retched violently, then stumbled to the door to thumb open the hatch release. She knew what she had to do! Find help! Reach the planet her father had found, and it was Renard's memories that led her now.

No one could stop her as she lurched down the corridors. Any trooper or officer that crossed her path was obliterated without further thought. Implants may work against telepathy or empathy, but a telekinetic? That was external, not internal. Shapers were usually killed or controlled when they were discovered. Her father had worked for the Hierarchy for so long in this very installation hiding his power. She had no such compunction; it was kill or be killed. The death of her family, and the knowledge of her father drove her on.

The gateway control room was manned by only two uniformed soldiers. She flung them aside like ragdolls, their bodies crunching as they collided against the walls. Kurt did not want to see anymore, did not want to partake of any more acts of murder, but her fury, her purpose drove them on, as she locked the door behind her.

Renard's memories, his knowledge of the console, took over as she set the coordinates for Earth. Her father had discovered this planet years ago, and had shielded it from the knowledge of the Hierarchy, and the madman, General Correl. He had been arrested along with his entire family when the knowledge was uncovered during a systems check. That was when her father was thrown to the 'dog'. That was when they were all given the manacles, and that was when she had lost contact with Baka. Three years of her life lived in prison! Now it was time for retribution, but she would need the help of the other N'hilrain that lived on Earth. This world would have been her race's refuge; now it would have to be their savior!

The gateway vortex formed on the raised hexagonal platform in the center of the room, and she turned towards it, shielding her eyes from its coruscating light. Wind whipped the long, bloodstained tresses towards the center of the vortex as she stepped closer to her path to freedom.

Suddenly she saw the light of a cutting tool pierce the locked door! The vortex would stay open for approximately five minutes after she stepped through until it powered down all the way. Scowling, she leapt into the portal, realizing they would be right behind her!

The vision ended and Nightcrawler gasped, falling to the floor he could not see, his face wet with her tears. He was trembling, overpowered by the vision and its sensations, mourning for her and the little girl, the sister that was not his own, and, yet, in a strange, symbiotic fashion had become his own flesh and blood. It was the most bizarre feeling he had ever experienced!

A shape coalesced in the mist, the scent of roses lacing the air, causing him to look up. She was almost as tall as he was, slim of build, and dressed in a gown of purest white. Her features were a younger version of her mother's; a rich patrician beauty with a full mouth, those wide, lovely amethyst eyes, and long golden curls that cascaded over her shoulders. She extended her arms to him imploringly to reveal the manacles beneath the mandarin sleeves, her face wet with tears. Kurt felt at once afraid and spellbound, and backed away from her.

"Please," She begged, in a voice filled with exhaustion,"don't leave me. I am frightened too."

He caught her as she fell, knowing this was a psychic image, but the weight in his arms was all too real. He lowered her to the ground draping her across his lap, her head falling to his chest. Cupping her chin in one hand, Kurt lifted her head and looked into the tired eyes.

" I didn't mean to kill..." she whispered, "...and yet I did."

Her regret evoked a wrenching empathy from him," Shh...,what else could you do? You're safe now."

Her lower lip quivered as she stared into his eyes,"I don't want to die. My...my people..."

Pressing her head gently to his breast, Kurt did what he instinctively knew her father would have done: he rocked her in his arms like a little child. "You're safe, now, K-Kyrian. " He let himself say the unfamiliar title. " No one will hurt you ever again. I promise you."

As he gently moved back and forth, words came to his mind in a vowel-heavy alien language he had never known before; until now. He sang the lullaby Renard had sung so long ago when she was a little girl, and watched over her as she fell asleep in his arms.



And after all that typing I am taking a break!! More to come!;pant





[Edited on 27/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter One: Past and Present Continued-




Wolverine looked from one diagnostic bed to the other in the medilab, and cursed softly, unsure of what else to do. The walk back to the mansion had taken almost forty-five minutes; time enough for the girl's blood to saturate his clothing and force him to pause to turn his flannel shirt into an improvised bandage. That blasted arm cannon had taken a chunk out of her left side as big as his fist, and he was certain that she was going to bleed to death! As soon as he had gotten to the infirmary he had deposited them both on individual triage tables, then washed up and began to tend to the girl. He had cut away her clothing, bathing and sterilizing the wounded side as best he could, yet it still bled freely. He had to change dressings several times, and that worried him! Her face was cut and bruised, making him wonder about the possibilty of disfigurement, which would be a shame for any woman. He cleansed and dressed those wounds too, wrapping her face loosely with guaze, and wishing he knew how to do stitches. (Little did he know that lack of knowledge was a blessing in disguise for the alien female!) The manacles? They could not be removed; they were literally grafted to her skin, making Logan wonder at the barbarism of the people that could do this to another human being. He dressed her in a hospital gown when he was done and transferred her to a diagnostic bed in the infirmary.

Kurt seemed to be fine physically speaking. He had no extermal injuries outside of a slight discoloration to his left side and shoulder, (Nightcrawler's version of a bruise was a darker purplish-red mottling), and the majority of the blood on his clothing had come from the girl. Logan merely washed him and changed him out of his sweats putting him into a hospital gown as well, then placed him on a diagnostic bed next to the stranger.

That was when he noticed the difference; or, oddly enough, the similarity! Both the electrocardiogram and the hyperencephalogram units were identical in their readings! The pulse monitors were beeping in perfect unison! Even their blood pressure and breathing were exactly the same! Logan did one more test that not even the machines could accomplish: he sniffed first one than the other, and could have sworn their scents were intermingled! He had at first stepped back, totally flabbergasted, then tried again, and found that his animal-like senses had not betrayed him. Their bodies and their minds were operating as one, and he was stymied as to what to do. Should he let it continue or should he seperate them by force? And if he did, what would it do to Kurt and the girl?

He stayed by their bedsides for hours on end, watching with worry as their brainwaves hit highs and then lows, and their eyes roved rapidly beneath their lids in virtually identical R.E.M patterns. During the period of increased synaptic activity their heartrates elevated as though they were under physical exertion of some kind, then lowered again to relaxed levels almost thirty-five minutes after. It was then that he saw the smile on Kurt's face, slight and tender, and the girl quivered. His friend's lips parted and he mouthed silent words for a short period of time, then they both subsided into coma-like states; their bodies and their minds receding into low levels of activity. That was when Wolverine realized that he was going to require extra assistance, and a few people's vacation time were going to be cut short!

He made certain both his charges were covered then headed for the mansion's operations room, and the radio system. He thumbed several presets and sent out a general alert for anyone in the immediate area to return to the mansion as soon as possible. He made a special call to Henry McCoy's cellphone via computer link, typing out a message letting the X-Men's resident medic know they had an emergency brewing. That accomplished, he checked his watch, and, realizing it was two-thirty in the morning, and there was nothing else he could do but wait, Logan headed back to the infirmary. He took an empty bed next to Kurt and laid down, letting his body fall into an uneasy slumber.



To be continued...gonna' take a nap!:Z

[chicory]

Nice! I think you're doing well with this kind of story. I like all of the details - especially the relationship between Kurt and Logan - and I think that it has good flow. Just wondering, I have the feeling you're leading up to some high-adventure story? Am I right? It's okay if you don't want to give anything away

And, if you'd be so kind, I had a question about writing. It sounds from your comments as if you're able to sit down and type out each story part in one sitting. Is it like that when you write - that it all comes out beginning to end in one session? Do you have to do a lot of planning out before hand?

I only ask because trying to write has been so frustrating for me. I think I have an idea, but when I start my first sentence it just defeats me.

Anyhow, looking forward to reading the rest!

[StarChild]

Thanks for the compliment, chicory!:blush

Story writing for me is like, well getting an inspiration and going with the flow! Giving birth...youhave the first hint of something when the water breaks and....(aww,gross! Say it, gang! )...and the contractions start, get more frequent then...splorch...story! Then you mop up the mess afterward with revisions, only to discover you liked the baby the way he first came out!:D

H.R.Giger said art for him was to put paint on the canvas and look at it and let whatever he saw emerge. He is, of course, the creator of the Alien for the movie of the same name. That is what writing is kind of like for me...inspiration, then let the wind blow it where it may!

Adventure?? OH, YEAH! I have a planet to save, a madman to introduce, and a whole culture to explore.

My fanfic submission for Nacht in Fanfic #4 took thirty minutes to type, without any preplotting! It was just fun to do! I also try to type logical chunks from my handwritten manuscript so there is that continuity!

Also, after three revisions on paper, I am typing this story out with barely a glance at the manuscript because I know it so well!

[StarChild]

Chapter One: Past and Present ---continued



"Logan?'

Wolverine snorted in his sleep, and rolled over, grabbing at his blanket to cover his eyes from the offending light. "Go 'way," he grumbled.

"LOGAN!"

This time the shout was both verbal and telepathic, making him sit up with a sharp intake of breath, and glance to the left and right, then directly dead ahead to meet Charles Xavier's dark eyes. Behind him was Henry McCoy in a tailor-made Armani suit, examining the girl. Scott Summers stood beside Nightcrawler's bed, looking with grave concern at the monitors, while Ororo Munroe, regal in a long African daishiki gown of many colors, stood between them. Rogue, dressed from neck to toe in a layered jumpsuit and gloves, was at the foot of Kurt's bed, looking angry and impatient. Wolverine took a deep breath and shook the cobwebs from his brain, glad to see some company.

"Professor! What time is it?" There were no windows in this part of the medilab which was reserved explicitly for critical care patients. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and made a face at the cricks in his neck.

"A little after ten in the morning, Logan. We arrived twenty minutes ago, having to forego the last day of the symposium. Henry was right behind us." He nodded toward the occupied beds," What has happened here?"

Logan briefly related the events of yesterday evening, watching with interest as Beast discarded his suitjacket for a labcoat and began to scrub his furry arms. " The elf called me from the gym last night, said there was some action near the old rural road by the fenceline. He 'ported ahead of me, and I followed about five or ten minutes later on foot. Heard a bunch of weapons' blasts from a distance and stepped up my pace. There were five goons in metal suits ready to shoot him and the girl there when I intervened. Told Kurt to 'port behind me, and he did. I jumped the lead soldier, and that's when Kurt fell over. I ended up killing all five of 'em, Professor, then carried the elf and the girl back to the mansion. She was hurt bad, Hank...I'm surprised she's still alive."

Xavier raised an eyebrow, pivoting back in his wheelchair to study Wolverine through narrowed eyes,"You mean you committed five homicides, Logan?"

"Well, I couldn't bring all seven of them back, could I?" he growled back defensively.

The Professor's face grew harder,"Five homicides for the sake of convenience, Wolverine?!" He sighed heavily and covered his face with both hands,"And I suppose their bodies are still by the fenceline?"

Logan shrugged, his expression revealing his confusion,"Well, yeah! I couldn't leave Kurt alone, could I?" The unwavering sternness of Xavier's expression backed him in the corner again,"Aw, come on! I can't be ambulance, nursemaid, and gravedigger all at once, can I? Give me a break! Those two were my responsibilities, and it was the right thing to do! I am not going to have mercy on anybody that is trying to kill me or my friends!"

Beast was cutting off the guaze that loosely covered the girl's face, his gloved hands lifting it without any resistance whatsoever even though the evidence of dried blood would have indicated otherwise. Logan had applied no other dressing other than the guaze. By all rights it should be sticking and pulling open severe wounds, but what he found beneath was unmarked alabaster flesh. He reached for a pad and poured sterile water on it to mop aside the flakes of dried blood,"She is quite a lovely girl, Logan. I thought you said her wounds were severe?"

Wolverine half-rose, his eyes going round in amazement,"Holy sh...! Hank, she didn't look like that! I swear! Her face was sliced to ribbons! I didn't know how to do stitches, so I just...just...How?"

Henry McCoy looked at him from above his spectacles and gave him a small, reassuring smile,"Perhaps, it's good you didn't, Logan. You probably really would have scarred her. She has a healing capability!"

Xavier moved his chair closer to the stranger's bedside, peering at the stained strip of guaze Beast had deposited into a disposable container on the cart, then looked closely at the monitors over each bed."Well, that would explain much!" he said, suddenly intrigued.

Scott Summers, clad in a polo shirt and dress slacks, appeared thoroughly unhappy from where he stood over Nightcrawler. Emotions were always difficult to tell with him, thanks to the fact that the ruby quartz visor concealed his eyes, but his tone of voice was certainly masterful enough to convey his displeasure,"Yeah, like the fact that Kurt's trapped in some kind of psychic lock! Look at these readings, Professor!" he ran a hand through his brown hair in sheer frustration.

Xavier shook his head in an effort to discourage any negativity,"We are all aware of them, Scott. It is too early to panic yet. They are both perfectly healthy."

"She is getting healthier, you mean, Professor,"Rogue retorted stubbornly. "How do we know about him?" She pointed to Nightcrawler, mouth pulled into a frown," She could be doing anything to him for all we know! Like some psychic leech or something!"

Henry gripped her shoulder firmly, "My dear, we don't know that yet. Yes, there is a kind of symbiosis going on here, but there seems to be no apparent danger. Their bioreadings are stable and well within norms." He turned his focus back on his patient, lifting the blanket to see tho other area where Logan had administered first aid. He took his scissors and once more cut apart the guaze that covered the girl's left side. "Oh, yes. Most fascinating! Logan, come closer, please!"

Storm stood on tiptoe to see over Henry's shoulder, holding back her long, white tresses with one hand," That doesn't look right somehow, Henry. The flesh is all puckered and moist looking."

Wolverine approached the girl's bedside, his brows lowering as he saw what Ororo was observing, " That hole was as big as my fist, I tell you. She was bleeding to death!'

Henry showed the saturated pad to Charles," He is not exaggerating. You saw the floor in the triage room, which Logan will clean no doubt." He looked at the other man pointedly, then turned his attention back to the X-Men's founder, " This was a mortal wound, Charles. I am willing to hypothisize that she is growing new organ tissue, muscle and lymphatic tissue, skin to replace what was destroyed, and Kurt is providing her the extra strength she needs to do it."

That was enough for Rogue,"There! Confirmation! Professor, we don't even know if she is friend or foe. Should we let this continue?"

Ororo looked from Kurt's peaceful features to the similar expression on that of the stranger, " I don't see why not? They are not in any kind of danger, are they, Henry?"

"Not now," he replied, staring in frank amazement at the indented, wet-looking area that seemed to be gradually mending itself before his eyes. "My stars and garters! I believe thet is a capillary pushing its way forward!" He reached for a clean dressing, this time without the pad, "Scott, help me lift her, will you? I am going to bandage this loosely so the process is not inhibited in any way. This must stay sterile; but I so wish I could watch! A fascinating journey into anatomy is unfolding before my eyes, and I can't partake in it without injuring my patient!"

Scott moved to help Henry, gently lifting the girl by the shoulders to allow Beast the oppurtunity to wrap the dressing around her waist. He lowered her carefully after Henry taped it in place. " What do we do now, Charles?"

Xavier sighed, and wheeled himself towards the door, "We wait. They are both in capable hands with Beast, and I am certain he will advise us if anything happens. Ororo, will you stay and assist Henry? I am sure our new guest requires a more thorough bathing than Logan could have administered, and that requires a woman's touch." He gave Wolverine an admonitory glance," Isn't that right, Logan?"

"Sure, sure. Anything you say, Professor." Logan sighed; as if he hadn't seen enough female anatomy in his past!

" I think Scott and Rogue can help you with body disposal, Logan," the Professor suggested."Henry, I will be in my study if you need me." He glanced back at his old friend,"Everything is under control, isn't it, Henry?"

Beast gave a brief nod, "They're both stable, though the readings indicate a coma-like depth to their state. We have to wait. I will run I.V.s to both of them in order to keep them hydrated, and in the meanwhile run some tests on our alien friend to see if she will be compatible to our drugs and environment. I will keep you appraised of their status."

"Very good." Xavier looked up at Cyclops," Scott, you are in charge of the burial detail. Save anything of interest, including that armor Logan mentioned. We will study it later."

Beast waited until they left then turned to Storm, " Come, Ororo. We have much to do."


To be continued...I have twelve hour shifts for the next three days! Typing? What's that?:X

[chicory]

Adventure?? OH, YEAH! I have a planet to save, a madman to introduce, and a whole culture to explore.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear I'm in the mood for an adventure story

And thanks for the writing description! I always wonder how people go about getting the story from their imaginations to the page A complete story in half an hour? *envy icon*

(Also - thanks for calling Wolverine on his homocides. The X-men are forever being attacked at home, so it makes sense they would occaisionally have to dispose of bodies. Now I'm wondering about the sort of graveyards that must be on the property by now )

[StarChild]

Chapter One: Past and Present ---continued



The visor sang its peculiar whine, cutting a swath into the grass of the glade, and vaporizing almost as much ground as it kicked back. Scott turned it off, and took a step back to analyze his handiwork. It would be sufficient for a mass grave, he decided, and kicked some of the topsoil from his boots. He had changed into older work clothes for this particular duty, something he never enjoyed, especially after rigor mortis set in. Logan was definitely having trouble undoing the armor from the most intact of bodies, he thought. What a mess!

Rogue was feeling disgusted as she lifted the first of the corpses to carry it to the pit, "Y'all should be glad I was on my way back when I intercepted that call. Otherwise I would still be in New Orleans with Remy helpin' out."

She thought about Gambit, who had gone on his own personal recognizance to assist some old acquaintances in the city, and the argument they had before she left. She was getting bitter again as she tossed the armored man into the grave, thinking how much she was like him: dead inside and trapped in a suit, unable to touch the world, to laugh or love ever again!

Logan hadn't bothered to change, his plan was to get grubby first then finally shower. What was the point? It was going to be dirty work anyhow, and he was feeling rather singled out right at the moment. "Why was Chuck so mad at me, anyhow, Cyke? It's not like I haven't done this kind of thing before, you know!" He was using a single adamantium claw to pry at the hinges of the shoulder of a dead soldier's suit.

Scott smiled sardonically, and moved to grab an arm of a man nearest his improvised grave," That is too true, Logan. Charles just has a lot on his mind, that's all. The symposium was dealing on matters of human/mutant integration and the hero phenomena. Touchy subject matter. Umph...!" He stopped pulling on the body,"Great! These guys have to weigh close to three hundred pounds in their suits, and they are not very cooperative!"

Rogue chuckled, flinging her body into the pit with deceptive ease,"You poor men just need us lil' women, don't you?"

Scott laughed at the sugarsweet stressed cornpone accent, "What would we do without you, Miss Rogue? What would we do without you?"

She lifted the man Cyclops had been attempting to drag with one hand, emphasizing the ease," Have a lil' ol' hernia, sugah, that's what!"

Scott watched her go, shaking his head from side to side with a small smile on his face. That smile rapidly faded as he surveyed the last man who had perished, burned to a lump of fused flesh and metal, and Scott could feel his stomach churn. He looked at Wolverine irritably, "Never mind with that one! Help me here, Logan. Rogue can fly that man back whole. Henry can do an autopsy, and figure out the locks on that blasted armor himself!"

Wolverine gladly dropped what he was doing to join Scott, until he saw what he was asking the help with. His empty stomach lurched at the sight, "Glad I haven't had anything to eat yet."

Scott sighed, unsure of just where to pick up what had been a living being, and reached inside the back pocket of his jeans to hand Wolverine some latex gloves. Donning his own pair, he eyed his companion, giving him a grim smile, "You made the mess, big boy! Let's clean it up!"

Logan smiled sweetly, pulling on the gloves only to offer Scott his middle claw in an explicit salute, puncturing the latex on purpose,"Yes, Mommy."

Scott looked sourly at the dead men, and suddenly regretted the almost reflexive humor! This was all a little too much to handle, especially with the way this man had died. He made a decision then that when they finished with this process, they would hold a moment of silence for the unknown men. Whether they were enemies or not, they still did not deserve to die in such a harsh fashion as this one had.







Addition made...

[Edited on 25/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Two: Awakenings



Ororo emptied the red-tinged water into a nearby sink and sanitized the stainless steel basin with hot soapy water and alcohol before allowing it to airdry on a nearby cabinet. Cleaning her hands thoroughly, she moved to the girl's bedside while drying them, and stared at her thoughtfully. Rogue was wrong to jump to conclusions so! There was a peace that seemed to emanate from her that reassured the lovely African woman. She tossed the paper towel in a nearby receptacle, and gently reached out to straighten the wet and now clean golden locks, as she did so she glanced at Kurt. He, too, was strangely at peace, the monitors showing nothing amiss. It was just a matter of time now.

Storm bent over the quiescent female on a sudden impulse, holding back her long white hair with one hand to whisper in her ear, "Little one, it is time to wake up. Everyone is concerned. Come now."She squatted down, looking at the girl's composed features in anticipation, knowing that somehow she heard.

"Ororo, what are you doing?"

She straightened rapidly at the admonition in Henry McCoy's tone, almost leaping in surprise, and turned to see him enter the infirmary with a chart in his hand. She smiled softly, shaking off the brief feeling of a child being caught at mischief, "Calling to her, Henry. Somehow it just felt...right."

Beast felt a trifle mystified at the choice of terms, peering at her curiously,"Felt?" He set the chart down at the end of the bed, "Hardly the medically sound manner to wake an individual in a coma, Ororo. Can you justify this impression?"

Shrugging, she looked down at their new guest, her blue eyes sparkling with something akin to expectancy. "It just feels right, Henry. Like it's the right time. That she needs the push to bring her and Kurt back." She stooped again, taking the girl's slender hand in her's, and whispered,"Come, little one. Show him! We're waiting."


Kurt stirred on the misty floor, feeling her move in his arms, her golden hair tickling his chin and a single hand moving to rest on his chest. Opening his eyes, he looked down to watch her head lift to look at him curiously. He smiled, moving aside a few strands that covered her eyes, "I would wish you either good morning, afternoon or evening, but I have no idea what time it is here. How do you feel, Elissa?"

Two fingers came to rest on his lips, silencing him gently. She sat up, listening to something only she seemed able to hear, and a small smile grew on her full mouth."She is very perceptive, this Ororo. Very in tune with nature and the nature of things, is she not?"

Kurt sat up, crossing his legs to look at her, cocking his head to one side in fascination."You could say that, yes. What are you listening to, Kyrian?" She looked so beautiful, a golden, eldritch kind of Galadriel, wise yet impish with that listening demeanor and hesitant smile.

Elissa laughed softly, the sound like sweet music that echoed in the limitless, fog-filled void. " It is time for you to go now, Kurt," she answered him, and stared into his eyes.

He rose, caught a little offguard by her response,and drew her to her feet, feeling entranced again by the light that was deep within her amethyst eyes. White points like stars in black heavens, he thought, set in gems! He shook his head at the poetry she seemed to evoke in him. "Maybe I don't want to go yet. Maybe I want to stay a little while longer with you," he whispered, her hands still in his.

" I can finish what is left of the healing on my own now, Kurt. You have been here long enough." She averted her gaze for a moment," I...I have been selfish. Your friends are worried, and they want to see you." She looked up again with a small, wistful smile," Thank you for your help. "

She wrested a hand free to touch him over his heart, her eyes flashing briefly with a pure incandescence, " Go now, Kurt Wagner. I will see you soon."

He gasped, feeling a warmth flood his being, energizing him and filling him with the deepest sense of calm and well-being he had ever known. Kurt looked at her in new-found wonder as she stepped away from him, her form beginning to fade into the mist. " Elissa, don't go! Not yet...!"

She laughed again, the sweet scent of roses retreating with her," It's all right, my new friend. Everything will be all right! And don't call me Kyrian! You know me now, Kurt...in the Binding. You will see. Kyrian is too formal for a friend like you..."

Her voice faded away and Kurt reached for her, crying out her name only to experience the world abruptly shift again to the...


Medilab!

Nightcrawler's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, crying, "Elissa!"

Ororo caught his outstretched hand with a relieved smile, her premonition of his return to the waking world bearing fruit, " Welcome back, Kurt! How do you feel?"

He blinked, lying back down with a sudden wave of dizziness, " Ach, I wish she wouldn't do that! It is extremely disconcerting to move from one reality to another!" He touched his chest, still feeling the residual warmth from her contact, and his expression changed to smile of recollection. "Ich fühle mich wunderbar !" he said, and saw Beast cross his field of vision. "Henry! Wie spät ist es?" ( What time is it?)

Beast rolled his eyes plaintively heavenward as he checked the readings on Kurt's diagnostic monitors, " English, Kurt! Please! Not German!"

Kurt snickered, feeling slightly conspicuous," Sorry, mein freund! I was just in the most pleasant place with the most potent memories! It was a rather promising farewell." He watched his friend enter some data into a medical chart, then stole a glance at Elissa's sleeping features near him. His smile grew soft and contemplative as he remembered the quiet time in the misty place.

Henry noticed the expression on Kurt's dusky features and frowned, " Really?" He looked at the girl who was still unconscious on the opposite bed, " Somehow, I can believe it."

Ororo laughed, and leaned close to the girl to whisper," Thank you, Elissa," grateful that Kurt had mentioned her name. It was better than saying nothing at all! Then she could swear she saw her smile! "Henry, I just saw her mouth move ever so slightly!"

Kurt pushed himself up on his elbows to watch as his two companions examined the readouts above Elissa's bed, wondering himself what was going on. " I don't think she's waking up just yet. She has a little more to complete. It will probably be several more hours." Then he noticed his wardrobe," Hospital gown? Ach, I hate hospital gowns! How long have we been out?"

Henry turned with a bushy eyebrow ridge on the rise," Approximately twenty-nine hours, Kurt, and your diagnosis is quite accurate. She has had a momentary increase of brainwave activity coinciding with the, uh, smile Ororo just witnessed, and now she has subsided back into the coma she was in before. You seem to be a wealth of information, my friend. Praytell, how are you so well informed?"

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly, extending his right arm with the intravenous tube to his friend and physician," She told me. Would you mind, Henry? I am famished and my teeth need brushing."

Beast exchanged looks with Ororo, but she was of no assistance in this, merely giggling at him with a hand over her mouth. He snorted grumpily, and moved to comply with his patient's request, " Well, everyone present seems vastly more knowledgable than my humble self when it comes to the young lady." He placed a band-aid over the puncture point in the Kurt's arm," I am assuming then that you have had a most informative discussion with our new guest. Perhaps you can tell us all the things you have learned when I call Professor Xavier, and the others have finished at your battlesite?"

Kurt sat up slowly, letting his unused muscles get reaccustomed to motion again after the long confinement to bed. "Herr Xavier is here? How is Logan? I...I lost consciousness when she drew me into the Binding..." he hung his head in momentary guilt,"I wanted to help him, but..."

Henry was about to offer comment on the unusual term he had just heard, when he was suddenly interrupted by a gravelly voice; "But what, bub?"

Kurt's head came up with a snap, his eyes getting very bright, and a smile growing on his carved features as he spied Wolverine leaning in the doorway. " Logan! Guten tag, mein freund!" he rose quickly and extended his hand, anxious to greet his comrade.

Logan charged forward to take him by the forearm in a brotherly embrace and steady him simultaneously as he swayed." Whoa, pal! Good day to you, too, though it's more like late afternoon! Take it slow, huh? You've been out for a while." He helped him sit on the edge of the bed, and nodded towards the girl," Told you somethin' would drop out of the blue yesterday, didn't I?" He gave the same sly wink as the day before, " Didn't think I was a prophet, did ya'!"

Kurt chuckled, reaching out to clap his friend's shoulder, " I am only glad to see my prophet is unharmed! I had been worried, mein freund!"

"Ah," Logan dismissed it with a wave of his hand," it'll take more than five tin men to stop me! You know that, elf! "

Beast cleared his throat, "Sorry to interrupt this heartwarming reunion, gentlemen; but what about those 'tin men', Logan?"

Wolverine glanced back, jerking a thumb over his shoulder,"Four buried, and one waiting for you in the autopsy room. Cyke figured you could get that armor off faster than we could in the field without damaging it. Rogue is putting him on the table now."

Henry nodded, mentally planning his next course of action. " Very good. I will call Charles down here and check this soldier in the meantime. Ororo, why don't you fetch Kurt his toothbrush, some clothing, and some food? He and Logan can resume their little chat, then we will all have a little impromptu conference. Now, if you will excuse me? I will return momentarily."





[Edited on 25/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Two: Awakenings continued---



Storm watched Beast leave the room, a preoccupied smile on her face that faded quickly as she turned to the two remaining men. " Give me twenty minutes, Kurt. I'll be right back." She leaned close to administer a peck on his cheek," It's good to have you back."

Logan watched her saunter off with that characteristic feminine sway, and shook his head in amazement. He playfully nudged his friend,"You and females! If there were ever the day that a girl was outright terrified of you, I would drop dead!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, and nudged Logan playfully in return with sufficient force to make him lose his balance against the edge of the bed. "Do not use the word 'dead', Logan!" he admonished, and looked at the sleeping girl only to shudder." After what I have been a part of, I do not wish to see another battle for some time!"

He could witness the sincerity in Kurt's tone, and Logan sat down next to him on the bed to look at him in concern. " What happened, elf? What did you see?" he asked, clasping his hands between his knees and sitting back far enough to let his feet dangle.

" People...died at my hand...her hand? Inadvertently, mind you!" His eyes lost focus as he relived the memories, gripping the edge of the dignostic table as though he held onto reality itself. " The power...! It just exploded with the rage and grief! And...and..." yellow eyes clenched tightly shut and he trembled,"...the people exploded! Ach, Logan! I feel ill just thinking about it!"

Wolverine reached out to rest a hand on Kurt's shoulder, lost for words.

Nightcrawler's attention roved to the next bed, " All the people, Logan. The good and the bad. The old and the young." His voice drifted off, "She has lived with that memory, and the murder of her family." The eyes closed again and an edge entered his tone," Just because they were mutants like us! Her world is locked in a genocidal combat, mein freund, and I swear to you that the uniforms of those who are in leadership..." he looked at Logan steadily..."remind me of Nazi Germany! My own country!" His laugh was terse, shaky, " The sins of my nation's past are catching up with me on a parallel world! Oh the mimicry is not precise! But it is there! Along with the attitude! They mean to exterminate her people!"

Logan found himself taken aback by the revelation, and the self-loathing in the tone of his voice," Whoa, whoa! Kurt, slow down...its not your fault. Those are her memories, not your own!" he found himself wondering just how much unraveling Kurt's own psyche was going to need. " What happened exactly? How do you know so much? 'Roro too! it's like your both on another plane of awareness!"

Gathering the blanket around him against the sudden chill in the room, Kurt stood, leaning against the bed to face Elissa. His laugh was again brief as he examined his own perceptions of all that he had experienced," You could call it that, mein freund." The explanation came to him from knowledge that was still foreign, yet as intimate as his own memories. He wondered how much she knew of him as well?
" She was dying...she did what she had to. It is a ritual among her people; the N'hilrain in their native language. It means ' Starclan '. " His laugh was bitter, " I speak Kanaran now, did you know that? I also know their rituals! When the eyes meet they enter into the Binding, a kind of communal link. That is what happened when she looked at me back in the glade in her desperation, just as she would have sought another of her own kind to aid her in the healing..."

" Then she is a vampire! A damned psychic leech!"

Kurt pivoted about, recognizing the voice and the danger in the tone in time to see Rogue charging toward the bed Elissa occupied with fire in her eyes. He interposed himself between them, hands extended to catch his comrade by her arms. " Marie, no! Anna Marie, she is no threat! Logan, help me!" he glanced at Wolverine as Rogue lifted him to set him aside.

Wolverine was off the bed in a shot, catching Rogue's raised fist before a fatal blow could be dealt, " Rogue, stop! You haven't heard the whole story yet!"

The auburn-haired, white-streaked woman paused at the strength of Logan's grip, letting reason supplant outrage. She lowered her arm, and watched wide-eyed as Kurt planted himself firmly before the alien female, his tail thrashing beneath the blanket with irritation. "Ah'm listening, though this better be good."

Storm and Scott entered the room together, their expressions equally taut. They had heard the outburst from outside, and had been approaching the infirmary simultaneously only to discover the abbreviated skirmish.

" What's going on?" Cyclops demanded, looking at the three X-Men in turn.

Ororo moved to Nightcrawler, seeing the evident protectiveness in his demeanor as he stood guard before the girl. She looked into his eyes while offering him the bundle of clothing and grooming articles, " What happened, Kurt? Is everything all right? "

He took the proffered items, but his attention did not leave Rogue," A misunderstanding, Ororo, that requires explanation. Would you watch over her for me while I dress? I won't be long. Logan, explain to Scott, would you?"

" No problem, Kurt," he answered, and released Rogue with a hesitant smile. He watched Kurt head for the adjoining bathroom, then turned to Cyclops," Just a little overzealousness on Rogue's part, Cyke. I think we need to wait for the Professor and Beast to rejoin us. I understand some of it, but Kurt knows it better than I do. I think he should be the one to explain."

In the bathroom, Nightcrawler shuddered as he heard Logan's answer, and resumed washing his face. Explain it again, he thought in exasperation! It tore at him just to rehearse the memories even that once! He began the ritual of toothbrushing, pausing to look long and hard at himself in the mirror. Was Rogue right in a way? Was he under some kind of psychic spell? How much had she intruded into his mind? He understood the need that had motivated her to act in the manner she had; but did that make it right? Putting down the toothbrush, he touched his heart where the peculiar warmth still lingered and remembered little Kayla calling to him. Bracing himself against the sink, he began to cry for the children, all the children who had died at their hand; along with the young, the old, the good and the so-called evil.

Logan looked up as the bathroom door lock echoed in the room, hearing the gentle sobs of his friend. Exchanging looks with Storm, they both rested their attention on Elissa to behold the trace of a tear fall from the corner of her eye;" What's happening, Ororo?"

She looked helplessly from the bathroom door to the girl to Wolverine, and found no answer for him.

He had emerged fully dressed, dry-eyed and somewhat composed almost fifteen minutes later to find Professor Xavier, Beast, and his four friends waiting for him with unabashed concern in their eyes. He felt self-conscious, but managed to muster a smile as he moved to sit on the bed near Elissa.

"Guten abend, Professor. It is good to see you." he said with genuine warmth, but knew he was in the hotseat now. At least Rogue was silent! She seemed almost apologetic as she looked at him. Scott was standing silently directly behind her, inscrutable as ever with the visor in place.

Xavier moved closer, studying his long time student and friend carefully. " It is good to see you, too, Kurt. Now tell me everything you can remember. I hear it is quite a tale."

Kurt laughed sardonically, and almost felt like quipping; " 'In the beginning...' ", but he restrained himself from being so flippant. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, glancing back at the beautiful face resting on the pillow," Where do I begin...?" And he related to them everything that he had seen and learned while being a part of Elissa's mind, not withholding one shard of information or excruciating detail. He knew Charles was there, reading his thoughts, and he permitted him. He had nothing to hide, and as a matter of fact, he needed the support through some of the more rough moments!

"...and that's it, Professor!" He wiped at the tears at the corners of his eyes, and drew a deep breath. " She told me to go, and touched me, rejuvenating me in a way, and told me she would see me again. She is no leech, sir." He glanced at Rogue, who averted her eyes, " Yet at the same time, why do I feel such closeness to her? What has the Binding done? I...I know things I should not know, and speak a whole new alien language! It, frankly, scares me the more I contemplate it!"

Ororo handed him a tissue, " It is all right, Kurt. You know that." She squeezed the hand that intercepted the tissue," Trust your inner senses on this, trust your heart."

Xavier gave her an admonitory glance, " That may be, Storm, but he has much to assimilate. Kurt, imagine, if you will, a computer that has just been downloaded with an entirely new program. That is your mind right at this moment. That program with all its data has been opened, but it must be read and understood. You are suffering from mild psychic shock. I want you to have supper, then go to your room and rest. Do the things you like to do. Re-establish your own identity and gradually explore the elements of the memories. They are a part of you now, and there is nothing I can do about that; not unless you want me to tamper with your subconscious, and that is something I am loathe to do." He looked to the sleeping girl, and sighed in exasperation," And as for the young lady, if she is to remain then she must learn some proper boundaries, and how to repect the feelings of others. She is on a different world now where individuality is an attribute. She has much to learn."

" But, Professor," Kurt began to protest, " she did what she had to in order to survive. She did not mean to...!"

Xavier waved his objection away, "Be that as it may, Kurt, there are still things she is going to have to learn in order to thrive on our world. We are not like her people. Go now, everyone. Henry has tests to finish and an autopsy to conduct. I want to know everything I can about this species of homonid, my friend." He looked at Beast," I have decisions to make, and if we are going to rescue the remnant of a dying race, I want to know if they are going to be compatible to our world."

" I will have the reports ready for you soon, Charles," Henry responded.

"Very good," Xavier said, and moved for the exit.

Logan put an arm around Kurt's shoulders, discouraged by the long face he was seeing, " C'mon, pal. Let's get some grub. Everything is going to be all right, you'll see."

Kurt allowed himself to be led from the infirmary, but his eyes were for Elissa. Charles was wrong! Boundaries were not right for her! A part of him knew that without the intimacy of the Binding she would wither away. His heart felt stretched back to the hospital bed where she lay, bound to her by a thin, fine filament as strong as Logan's adamantium and as pure as gold.



[Edited on 4/4/06 by StarChild]

[Angelique]

This is getting better the more I read.

[StarChild]

Chapter Two: Awakenings



Henry McCoy cursed. shaking his finger and jamming the offended member into his mouth to suck at the sudden flow of blood. He set aside the pliers and walked over to the utility sink to wash the cut, while eyeing the piece of chestplate on his workbench with a dour expression. He had removed the entire battlesuit from the dead Kanaran some fifteen hours ago after the awkward debriefing with Professor Xavier, and now he was down to disassembling it so he knew exactly what it did. He still grimaced at the thought of how disgusting the task had been in getting it off the dead body in the first place. A conventional saw had been replaced with a fine bore laser, and it had been slow and arduous making the ensuing autopsy that much more difficult.

The intercom beeped for his attention, and Beast moved to the wall unit to thump it open, " Yes? "

Charles Xavier's voice was that of the cultured intellectual, each syllable said to perfection in that rich tenor, " Henry, have you finished your reports on the girl and that soldier yet? "

He stretched toward a first aid kit, popping it open while talking to apply a band-aid to the side of his finger. " The medical tests are complete, but the specifics on the armor are going to have to wait a bit. I am going to have to use certain microtools to break the seals and get at the internal components. Their fabrication methods are perhaps comparable to the Shi'ar some one hundred years ago."

Xavier's speculative sigh carried over the speaker, " Then they are advanced, slightly moreso than Earth. Bring your reports and meet me in my study. I would like to hear what you have so I can know how to proceed further."

Henry admired his handiwork on his index finger, " I will be there in ten minutes, Charles. McCoy out."

He made a face at the large pieces of armor before leaving the room.


Kurt paced the length of his bedroom, his hands behind his back and his eyes on the floor. Going on seventy-one hours! By six-thirty this evening it would be three full days since the episode in the glade! Three days and still she was unconscious! She should have been many hours ago. He knew something was wrong, and it felt like it was his fault.

There was an untouched tray of food sitting on his desk from tonight's supper. Storm had been kind enough to bring him something when he had insisted on some privacy to sort through the emotional rollercoaster of the past day, but it had long since grown cold, and he had not bothered in some time to rejoin the others. They had listened to his recounting of the time spent in Elissa's psyche and the visions with grave interest. It had even calmed Rogue's suspicions! The Professor had made hints of formulating a plan, but they were waiting on her; and the longer he waited, the more anxious Kurt was becoming!

Passing a hand through the thick blue-black tangle of curls, he came to a decision. He donned a t-shirt over the calf length pants he wore, and teleported to the infirmary.The lights were dim and the room empty save for Elissa still unconscious in her bed. He approached her with unnecessary quiet, looking at the monitors first that still spoke of the depth of her comatose state, then down to her face resting on the pillow. Ororo had painstakingly brushed her hair, arranging the length of curls over one shoulder, and had dressed her in a nightgown from her own wardrobe. The ivory satin complimented the alabaster skin, and her bare slender arms were arranged on either side of her on top of the white infirmary blanket. He touched one of the manacles on her wrists, silently cursing the way they were a part of her flesh and could not be removed without injuring her further.

She looks so peaceful, he thought, staring at the oval of her face and the high cheekbones. His hand shook slightly as he reached out to touch her forehead, "Warum wachen Sie, Elissa nicht auf? Why, oh, why won't you wake up? "

He knew what would happen at the point of contact, but it was still a shock to be translated again into that misty place of the mind. He gasped sharply, finding it cold here now, and the sense of withdrawal frightened him a little, but he stood his ground, knowing now that he did not have to wander about to look for her.

" Na, Kurt? Du verletzst mich. Du vertraust mir...nicht du glaubst ihre Bewertung. " ("Why, Kurt? You hurt me. You do not trust me...you believe their assessment.")

German! He laughed softly to himself and shook his head; he should have realized the exchange of knowledge even in that would have been mutual! But what mattered now is that his suspicions had been correct! She had felt his doubt of her, and had heard Rogue's words. She did not want to emerge, especially if her newfound refuge was suddenly hostile.

"Es tut mir leid, dass, Elissa. Ich hatte nicht vor, dir zu bezwiefen. Die Erinnerungen, die wir tielten, erschaken mich. Kommst du mit mir, liembem bitte zuruck?" (" I am sorry, Elissa. I did not mean to doubt you. The memories we shared frightened me. Come back with me,please, dear one.") he sighed, rubbing his arms against the chill, curious as to even the abscence of her mindscent. Had he offended her so badly?

There was a parting in the mist, and his eyes narrowed as he percieved a distant form materializing and walking toward him tenatively. He could sense it now, guarded and reluctant, a rose tightly closed, its fragrance remote. She looked worn, withdrawn and her eyes stayed downcast, afraid to meet his. That hurt him more than anything physical ever could, especially when he had seen her with trust so freely given. She still wore the favored white, butterfly-sleeved robe as before, her hair the same lovely cascade of curls over her shoulders. The masculine part of him was physically drawn by her beauty, he could not deny it!

Moving close, he reached out to rest a finger under her chin and lift her head, " When our eyes met." He intoned the vowel latent Kanaran tongue in the ritual, " Astala e ishta ki!"

She shuddered as she looked into his glowing yellow eyes, and reached up to touch the side of his face, " Als sich unsere Augen trafen." Her voice was a whisper as the points of light gathered in her pupils like stars in the night sky.

He laughed softly, but something yearned in him that he had to school firmly into submission. The rose had seemingly opened again, for the subtle smell of her persona was there just as she was. " What do I 'smell' like to you? What is my persona?"

She was just as entranced, her hand staying on his face as she strove to govern her own impulses. Her eyes lowered for a moment as she sought the words to describe it to him,"Like woods and moss, rich and magical." She met his eyes again, seeing something that he did not show on the outside," Perhaps because of this?"

Her hand lowered to his heart, then pulled back and...the Soulsword emerged against his will to fly into her open hand! Kurt stepped back in astonishment and watched as she curiously looked at the blade's opposing sides, not a hint of malice on her exquisite features, just simple curiousity.

"How...? It doesn't abide anyone unless...!" he was thoroughly dumbfounded.

She looked at him with a tiny smile," Unless they are pure of heart? Unpolluted? " She gripped the blade and turned the hilt to him," Thank the God of Earth and Kanaris that I am forgiven, then. Does he not see the heart? You have a psychic, supernatural heritage, Kurt. I believe that is why you heard me when I called."

Kurt took the sword in his right hand and caught her free one in his left, looking at her with a newfound respect. " I am sorry, little one. I know the Binding is life to you. I would not want you to die. I swore no one would hurt you, and here I am the first." His turn to avert his eyes, humilated by his reactions, " I doubted your motives." He lifted the Soulsword's shining mass," This confirms to me your heart."

She stooped a little, coming under his bowed head to meet his eyes, and rose with him. Her smile was warm as she touched his chest over his heart. "Ich horre, ich sehe, und ich kenne dich, Kurt Wagner." ( I hear, I see, and I know you, Kurt Wagner.)

He pulled her close, unable to hold the moment back any longer and kissed her gently. A feeling like fire coursed along his body in that moment, and he gasped sharply, his eyes popping open to find themselves in the medilab, the Soulsword's wan light casting bluish essence in the darkened room and her amethyst eyes wide with surprise beneath him. His arm was around her body and half lifting her from the bed. He looked down at her in amazement, " Mein Gott! What just happened?"

She smiled for his voice was as tiny as that of a dormouse, but she, too, was overwhelmed. " We...we do not kiss...where I come from. Our custom is..." she cleared her throat, her voice just as remote,"...our custom is the touch. Physical contact, flesh to flesh as versus spirit to spirit, stirs much..."

His smile was devilish as he struggled with his own impulses, " Boy, I'll say! Sheesh...!"

Someone else cleared their throat in the room, and Kurt looked up with a guilty start to see Storm leaning against the threshold of the door with an amused look on her face. Smiling in return, he lowered Elissa to the bed," Ororo...uh,...ahem!"

She straightened up and entered the infirmary, the smile never leaving her face," Would you mind terribly if I remove the I.V. line from her arm? Hmmm, Kurt?"

He replaced the Soulsword within his body and hastily stepped back to allow Ororo room to work. " No, no...of course not! " He stumbled slightly on a cord, then rallied himself to stand erect with a self-conscious grin. He gave a short bow, " Please, by all means, free the Kyrian."

Kurt and Elissa allowed their eyes to lock again and they both exchanged mischievious smiles, and an embarrassed chuckle. Ororo looked from one to the other and shook her head while she worked, " Bright lady! Like wanton children!"





[Edited on 25/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Two: Awakenings continued----



Ororo taped a cotton ball over the hole where the needle had been, and looped the intravenous tube over the hook on the side of the diagnostic bed. Making sure the valve was turned off for the flow, she carefully removed the needle itself and tossed it in the biohazard waste. She moved to a nearby sink and sanitized her hands, glancing behind her to watch Kurt approach the girl's bedside. " We should call Charles and Henry you know," she commented.

Kurt spared his friend a brief look, then turned his attention to the diagnostic equipment. Everything appeared to be absolutely normal, within the boundaries he knew to be for an average human being; " What did Hank's tests show, Ororo? Will she be able to survive comfortably on Earth? The indicators show virtually no difference to that of an average human being."

Throwing the paper towel in the trash, Ororo turned to completely face her comrade," He did not share the specifics, Kurt. All he said was ' Interesting', and left to work on the battlesuit. That was close to six hours ago. We should call him, you know."

Elissa reached out to briefly touch his nearby hand," Am I allowed to get up? Do I have my freedom? My father had said this world would be compatible to our's, so I do not understand why you require these tests?"

He leaned on the bedside, hovering over her to offer a reassuring smile;" Weil sich Ihr Vater in einigen Dingen geirrt haben kann. Wir wissen das nicht." ( Because your father may have been wrong about some things. We do not know this.)

Her brow furrowed, and she chose to answer him in like speech, though she wondered at his motives for using it in front of the one called Ororo." Ja, aber...oh, denke ich, dass ich verstehe. Ich werde tun, wie du sagst, Kurt." (Yes, but...oh, I think I understand. I will do as you say, Kurt.)

" Sehr gut, Fräulein," he said and squeezed her hand. He moved to where Storm stood watching them both in surprise, "You see the completeness of the exchange?" He shrugged, smiling back at the girl who watched them," And now I don't mind. The Soulsword came to her, tolerated her touch. That is sufficient for me to know that we can trust her. Call Professor Xavier, would you? We have to begin to plan now."

She nodded in agreement, and went to the intercom, " That does explain why I saw you with that blade. You came down to wake her on purpose, didn't you, Kurt? In spite of the risks in doing so. You know the Professor wanted you to rest from the psychic link."

He shrugged, moving back to her bedside, and helped her to sit up with a gallant smile. He covered her bare shoulders with the blanket, sitting beside her to allow her to rest her weight against him, " There is time for such things as rest later. I...hurt her feelings, Ororo. She was not going to come out voluntarily, so I chose to intervene."

Elissa smiled up at him tenatively, feeling not only reassured by his statement, but by his demeanor.

" You came looking for help, and we will help you, Kyrian," he promised, his attention for her alone.

Ororo watched the two of them together as she opened the intercom panel in the infirmary," Professor Xavier? Henry? This is Storm. Kurt is here with our guest. Elissa is finally awake."

In the study two floors above the medilab level, Charles Xavier and Henry McCoy looked up from the paperwork they were contemplating together towards the intercom on the huge oak desk. The two men exchanged glances before the Professor nodded to his companion to open the unit, " Yes, Ororo? That is good to hear. We will be down presently."

The dulcet tones of Ororo's voice were hesitant first in their response, " I don't know if you heard me the first time, Charles, but Kurt is here, as well."

Xavier's eyebrows went on the rise, and the glance he offered to Henry revealed his surprise." Indeed, Ororo? We will make all due haste then. Xavier out!"

Beast gathered the hardcopy of his reports, and replaced them in the file folder he was building for his newest patient. " I wonder what motivated Kurt to rejoin the young lady?" he said, falling into place behind Charles as they exited the study.

" I would like to attribute it to mild impatience," Xavier countered. " It has been a rather long wait, and I was wondering just when the young lady would choose to wake up myself. Intuitive knowledge on Kurt's part, or a by-product of this link? I am willing to believe the latter rather than the former."

They moved into the western wing of the mansion side-by-side, passing by students while continuing on to an elevator as Beast offered comment;" And since it is apparently the latter, Charles; What do we do? Obviously it is influencing him, but...?"

Xavier sighed as the elevator doors closed, looking up at his old friend and colleague with vast patience. " But what, Henry? You must understand a telepath. For this girl as well as for myself it is a form of communication as natural as the one we are indulging in now, but telepathy is far more intimate. Add to that the unique impartation of the empathy, which even Ororo has experienced, and you have a gifting that is both directional and binding. Nightcrawler can see things about this person that we are not privy to; even feel things! We are on a learning curve at this present moment, my friend. For now we place suspicion to the side, and get to know this girl who has, as Logan so aptly put it, ' just fallen out of the blue.' "

" I understand, Charles." The elevator doors opened, and Henry let the man he had known for so long lead the way out the door," But...?

Xavier glanced back at him sharply, " There are no buts in this situation, Henry. We learn and we accept." He continued on into the medilab, past the medical equipment and into the infirmary proper to take in the scene before him.

Kurt was still seated on the bed, the girl wrapped in her blanket and resting against his side nursing a cup of water. Ororo was seated on a stool before them, and all three looked up as if interrrupted from a converstion. Storm stood when she saw the arrivals, straightening her shirt and made room for the wheelchair-bound man.

" Hullo, Charles, " she bade him, as the leader of the X-Men positioned himself before the two on the bed. "Elissa was just sharing a little as to what her title means." She looked at the slightly smaller woman next to Nightcrawler, "K-Kyrian? Did I pronounce that correctly? "

Elissa nodded, but her attention was focused on the man in the chair. She could feel the authority in him, and sense the latent power of his mind that was like and yet not like that of her own people. Her father had assumed they were N'hilrain, but they shared none of the aspects of the Binding. She could feel a guardedness from this one, whereas Kurt was open and predisposed to supernatural things and Ororo was sensitive, this man was one of science and discipline. He protected his mind and his individuality with walls that she could not see or feel past, and that intimidated her.

"Yes, Ororo, " she looked away for an instant. "It means 'child' and is given only to the firstborn in a family. It designates both responsibility and position in the family structure."

Kurt could feel the echo of her fear in the recesses of his own heart, and he looked at Professor Xavier with a smile, " Elissa, this is the Professor. He is the founder of the X-Men."

Xavier leaned forward, studying her features carefully, and reading the hesitancy to open up and trust. He chose a measured smile, " Charles Xavier, but no doubt you know that already, Elissa?"

She nodded, straightening a little to meet his eyes, but there it was again; no sense of harmony or entry. A wall? None of the intimacy of the Binding! It was like a N'hilrain infant, born with the gift, but who had to be brought into the community with the ritual, and this one was an adult! She looked at Kurt in confusion, and felt the difference.

" I...I know through him who each of you are, but now I see the face to go with the names." She touched Nightcrawler's arm," I do not understand...my father had said this would be a place of refuge, yet..."

Kurt drew her closer, feeling her tremble, " Yet there is a difference, nicht wahr? I know, Elissa. I understand it better than you might think. People withdraw to their safe places, and they judge what they see on the outside world by appearances alone." He looked at Xavier," It was what I was trying to tell you, Professor. The N'hilrain are a part of each other. She doesn't understand what it is like not to have the echo of another. It is like..." he struggled for words,"...like being in a perpetual, subliminal link...being part of a body. They really don't know what it is like to be alone. That is part of what happened when their mutant race was born in the Cataclysm. Ach...," he felt the frustration rise up in him, and held her tighter to his side,"...there are so many words! So much in my own mind! It is hard to describe to you, but I know what she is feeling."

Xavier nodded, getting a faint grasp of what was going on, and settled back in his chair. He watched her as she stared back at him, and debated as to the next best course of action, " How can we help you, then, Kyrian? How did you find us when you arrived on Earth? What bought you to the X-Men? "

She looked up at Kurt, meeting his eyes to share in his strength before going on, " I think that even if we were successful in bringing what is left of my people here, we would even be different from the N'hilrain...no..." she struggled with the new terminology," mutants... of this world. We would forever be a community unto ourselves."

Kurt shook his head, " We'll deal with that eventuality later. Tell the Professor what he needs to know, Elissa. You can trust him."

She sighed, lowering her eyes, and drew within to relate what happened when she exited the portal and emerged on Earth. The exit into the town of Yorktown Heights; the realization that the populace would be in danger there if she remained for too long: and the long run into the woods surrounding the village broadcasting a telempathic plea to anyone within the region who could have heard her. She told them how they had unerringly followed her, the dart that had brought her down and when she had awoke the beatings and the subsequent interrogation she had received. There had been eight soldiers that had followed her through the vortex, when she had regained control of her powers two had been permanently disabled and a third left behind somewhere in the forest. She had continued to run, calling when she could as loud as she could. She had thought someone had heard in a place called Manhattan, but he had dismissed it as an illusion; then Kurt had responded; startlingly enough, from a fairly close proximity.

" And that is how I got here; blind chance." She shrugged, "There was no rhyme or reason, just the need to find help for my people. I did not choose you, Professor. I had no idea you existed, or Kurt." She smiled at him a trifle apologetically," But I am asking for your help, and I am glad you had the foresight to rescue the armor."

Beast leaned forward, intrigued that there was something there he may have missed, " What do you mean, Elissa? Is there something about the armor that can help us assist you in some way?"

She nodded, sitting up straight to draw the blanket closer around her, " The battlesuits contain a device that can open the gateway from wherever a stranded trooper may be. That is why you do not have to worry about those three men near the village, Professor. They are probably back on Kanaris by now. I can show you where the unit is located, and we can use that to get us back to my planet. Once there, perhaps your X-Men can help me bring Baka's unmarked back to Earth. Back to a chance for a new life here!"

" That's a tall order, babe."

She looked up to see Wolverine leaning against the door listening in, " This is your friend, Kurt?"

Nightcrawler smiled, and nodded a welcome," Ja. Come in and join us, Logan. We are having a little informal briefing."

" How do you find a bunch of people who do not want to be found on a world we know nuthin' about?" Logan asked pointedly, straddling a chair near the outskirts of the group. He looked directly at the girl, trying to get a feel for her and where she was coming from.

" I can be your guide, and now that Kurt sees, hears, and knows..." she began.

Logan pressed his weight against the back of the castored chair and pushed himself closer towards her, " And that's what bugs me...what makes you think...?"

Xavier waved him off, moving his wheelchair slightly forward in order to make his presence known, " Enough, Logan. Kyrian, you mentioned that the soldiers are able to track you? How?"

She extended a slender arm to reveal the bronze-like manacle that covered the entire area of her wrist. " Through these, Professor, but they cannot be removed. Not easily at least! They graft themselves to the skin of the wearer after several months. People have been known to bleed to death in the attempt to remove them unless there were healers present to intervene."

Ororo sat up straighter, her eyes going round as she deduced the probable outcome of that piece of information. " Then we can expect guests!" she announced, but everyone else's expressions said the same thing.

Xavier steepled his fingers as he pondered the alternatives, " Then we might not have much time to act. Kurt, Ororo, would you tend to the lady's more basic needs such as food and clothing. I believe we may have some leftover garments in one of the wardrobes. Henry, continue working on that armor and find the componentry she may be hinting at. Work as late as you can, though I am afraid we won't get much more done until tomorrow. I would like to meet with you again, Kyrian, and discuss your world further, and the origins of the N'hilrain. I have many more questions, but they will wait for now."

Kurt helped her to her feet, rearranging the blanket around her shoulders, his expression warm. At least Charles was sensititive enough to pick himself and Ororo to keep her company! " Kommst du meine Freundin. You must be hungry," he whispered, and gathered up Ororo with a nod to lead both women out the door.

Wolverine watched them go," So what do we do when those troops arrive, Chuck?"

Xavier met his eyes directly," We shall act in a manner appropriate to the situation, Logan. "

On his way past the smaller man, Henry rested a hand on his shoulder, " Come on, Logan. There is still time yet before we have that alternative to deal with. Let's get busy."





[Edited on 4/4/06 by StarChild]

[chicory]

You're making good progress on your story! It looks like it's going to be novel sized though - you haven't even gotten to the otherworld rescue mission yet!

(I know I commented on the Wolverine murders, but those scenes with the team digging mass graves was really disturbing (I mean, like I said, with the frequency that they are attacked it makes sense that they have to do *something,* but it's still very disturbing - I miss the days in my classic x-men books where they had a no kill policy ))

I liked the whole concept of the binding and the idea of the shared empathy allowing Elissa and Kurt to know what the other is feeling. And ah, looking forward to the swashbuckling adventures!

[StarChild]

Thanks, Chicory! Sorry if I handled the burial scene a little too flippantly...maybe a little solemnity would have been more in order? I added a few extra paragraphs near the end...still want to explain the Cataclysm, then...something's gonna' happen!!

The burial scene was an adlib...I had sudden thoughts as to the bodies I was leaving on the back 40, and I knew I couldn't leave them there. Also, as Logan said, he couldn't carry Kurt, Elissa, and herd five men in full armor back to the mansion...not all by himself! I let him get carried away...di have second thoughts about the death of the last soldier....even grossed out me! Eep!

Yeah it is getting to be novel length!

[StarChild]

Chapter Three: An Unplanned Trip



Soldier designate 119 lowered himself against the mansion wall in the gathering gloom, and checked his heads-up display within his helmet one more time. Yes, there was no misinterpretation! That was the biosignature of a N'hilrain amongst the other unique readings within the large and elaborate structure. His target was there, but he was alone and his battlesuit was damaged. He had his neurodart pistol and utility blade, but the disruptor cannon was non-functional, and his neuralnet had been long since lost in the journey to this place. It had been a long walk, and the filtration systems within the suit were only marginally functional. Exhausted, but confident in the fact that he had found his prey, he activated the broadcast link that would draw his brethern to him. it would just be a matter of time now.

Kurt watched as Elissa worked alongside Henry McCoy over the remnants of the battlesuit armor, enjoying the view from his particular vantage point.Dressed in jeans and an oversized sweatshirt they had found in the wardrobe, she still managed to look feminine even with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. He moved a little closer to watch as she concentrated on a panel of equipment, utilizing her father's knowledge and his telekinetic talent to peel back the metal and reveal the inner core of the suit. Kurt could feel her sudden wave of dizziness, and stepped up behind her to support her.

" You all right? " he aked, aware that Henry had put down his tools to face them.

She blinked, bracing herself against the table until the moment passed, " I'll...be all right. I am not accustomed to shaping. It is most disconcerting to ' see ' something on a molecular level, then attempt to alter its pattern."

Beast brought up a chair and made her sit down, " Shaping? To what are you referring, my dear?"

Kurt chose to answer, " That is what they call telekinesis, Henry. Third talents are rare amongst her people, and they are usually imparted in the Ritual when someone dies." He rested his hands on her shoulders and began a gentle massage, still a trifle concerned at the sudden weakness after a full day of rest. He could still hardly believe that it had been almost five days since her arrival! And most of that had been spent in the infirmary!

Henry shook his head, mystified by his response; "Ritual? Now you have lost me, Kurt. What Ritual?"

Elissa looked up with a contented smile as Kurt continued his ministrations, and chose to finish the explanation. " The Ritual of Passing, Henry, was also birthed out of the Cataclysm. It is a way that we share of ourselves one last time in death by giving our life to our loved ones. One or many can share in the life given in death. Ummm...that is very nice, Kurt! You can do that forever, if you like."

He smiled softly, " Now how many women have told me that?"

She slapped at his hands, and when he released her she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. " Too many, if I am reading these memories correctly, " she admonished, with a teasing smile.

Kurt shrugged at Henry, and watched her stand up to resume working on the panel. He took the abandoned chair, viewing her labors with fascination as she extracted one small, thin unit from the components. He knew what it was before she even announced that it was what they were looking for.

" This is it, Doctor McCoy! The main identunit for the vortex recall. It can be modified so anyone can use it, but at this moment it is geared to the Kanaran who wore this battlesuit." She placed it on a tray beside the tools, and offered him an apologetic smile," I am afraid we have only just begun in all of this. The process of duplication and fabrication..."

Henry waved her off, nodding to show he understood as he examined the unit further, " I am curious about the reasons why your people never developed starflight, Elissa? And this reference to the Cataclysm; while it is outrightly evident that something occured on your world of a catastrophic nature, you have yet to share as to what that was?"

Kurt repositioned himself to straddle the chair and folded his arms on its back to listen in.He, himself, knew the explanation quite well thanks to the time he had spent in the girl’s mind, but he was still interested in seeing how Henry would perceive it.

Elissa looked from one man to the other then shrugged before beginning her tale; " They are interconnected, actually! You see Kanaris Five falls within a detritus belt during her orbit around our twin stars, Athel and Kiva, a red giant and a cooler yellow star slightly smaller than your Sun. So every eighty years there is a greater than average incidence of meteoric and cometary bombardment. That is why spaceflight was never developed. The gateway technology was a much more viable method of travel than to attempt rockets simply because our surface is pummeled too often. "

She paused, and stretched, feeling a bit of an ache for her home as she recounted the memories; " The Cataclysm is not the first such disaster ever recorded in our history, but it is the one that gave the N'hilrain life, and motivated the Hierarchy's obsession with abandoning our planet once and for all. To leave and to maintain its genetic and racial purity! "

" It was a comet, Henry." She looked directly at him for emphasis," Not a large one, mind you, that approached our world almost two hundred years ago, but its trajectory caused it to pass sufficiently close to cause disaster. My world is governed by a caste system of government, and back then it was the rich and the poor; the haves and have nots, if you will." She paused, reaching for a glass of water, and was about to resume when Kurt took over the explanation.

" May I, Elissa? it will test my own knowledge, as well," he asked, and when she gave the nod, he plunged right in, almost hearing in his mind the lesson taught to N'hilrain schoolchildren in their first years of instruction. " There had been sufficient time to warn the planet of the impending disaster, Henry, but the Hierarchy only built shelters for its own caste. The poor?...they were left to make due with the cities' basements and surface structures. When the comet passed there were earthquakes, violent storms, and a portion of the planet's surface nearest the comet was hammered with a constant bombardment of shards. The cities were leveled and the animal population nearly went extinct. Afterward came the comet's tail, which bathed the surface in radiation for days on end. Millions died in the Cataclysm, and they were mostly the poor who dwelt on the surface. Fantastisch, ist es nicht, Henry? How people can be so callous to their fellow man?"

Henry snorted, glancing from one to the other, " It sounds almost like what we endured with Hurricane Katrina! The poor were the ones who suffered the most! But this does confirm that mutant aberrations spring from the influence of radiation." He looked at the girl curiously, settling a hip on the edge of the worktable and folding his arms across his chest, " Tell me why, then, you call yourselves the Starclan? Why not the children of the comet, or something along those lines?"

She stood, the racial memory rising within her along with the power and the pride as she chose this demonstration of her abilities over an explanation. Static electricity gathered in the air, causing the exposed hair on Henry's face and limbs to stand and Kurt's curls sway upright as if in a sudden breeze. She became lost in the moment, seeing it through her father's eyes as her own hair began to dance in the kinetic breeze; " Because, after the comet passed and the firstborn emerged from hiding, they looked to the heavens and the stars burned themselves into their eyes!" She looked up, and her amethyst eyes had been consumed by a raw white light like that of a million suns!

Kurt rose, astounded by what he was feeling in the Binding, and glanced at Beast to see that he, too, had risen from the table to stare at the slender woman in amazement. Something had…slipped…then, in that moment of recollection, that drawing on the ancestral, the racial mind of her people. He could almost feel something had subliminally shifted, and had been suppressed, and now something or someone else stood in her place!Kurt rose, astounded by what he was feeling in the Binding, and glanced at Beast to see that he, too, had risen from the table to stare at the slender woman in amazement.

Kurt saw Henry moving forward from the corner of his eye, and he raised a hand to keep his friend from going forward. " Alharan? Alharan Renard, is...is that you?" he inquired, finding his mouth suddenly dry.

The eerie, unearthly glow found him and the voice that spoke from her mouth was her own yet deeper, like another voice had been superimposed onto her own." I can do this but once. Your faith, man of Earth, and your power has opened the door. Help us rescue our people, and, please protect her. She is our one chance for survival, for Correl will kill us all."

Kurt took a hesitant step closer, Elissa/Renard's eyes focused on him with that supernatural light, never straying from him. It was an eerie feeling, like something out of a horror story about possession." I will, Alharan, but...?"

Her head shook slowly from side-to-side, " Your faith, Kurt...that is the key. It will open doors that no man can shut. You will understand my words when the time comes and you will see with new eyes. Help us..."

Then the light faded, along with the kinetic energy in the room. She swayed,a hand going to her forehead, and Kurt caught her before she could fall. " Elissa? Are..are you there?"

She blinked, bracing herself against his arms, and fought against the swimming world. " I... I think so..." she looked at him in confusion. " Daddy? My...my father...?" Then her knees buckled and she fainted dead away.

" What just happened? " Henry McCoy asked, reaching for the pulse point at her throat. " Who was it that just spoke?"

Kurt shook his head, just as confused as he was as he held her up against his chest. " I don't understand how or why it happened, but that was the Alharan!"

Beast stepped back when he found her pulse, but his brow was furrowed as he tried to digest the new term, " The who? Kurt, what just happened?"

" Her father," he explained less than patiently." Alharan means 'Father', Henry. It also signifies one who was among the first who witnessed the comet, and there are not many of those left alive. It must have been her use of his abilities, the Binding, and so soon after the Ritual. He is a part of her, mein freund. He must have wanted to speak that badly: but to me? Dast ist unglaublich!"

" Did you want to take her back to the infirmary?" Henry asked, still finding things confusing with the new terminology and cultural aspects of it. He also found it disconcerting that Kurt appeared to innately understand it all!

Kurt shook his head, staring at her composed face in concern, " Nein! Enough of that place. She just needs rest. I will take her upstairs to my room for now. Has Charles prepared that room for her yet?”

” Of that I am uncertain, and it is a little late in the evening to ask. Are you sure that is wise, Kurt?” he answered.

He sighed as he cradled her in his arms, “I only wish I had found out about the room! Trust me to be a gentleman as always, mein Freund! Gute nacht!”

Henry McCoy watched him go, his face a mask of concern as he turned back to the tableful of equipment and the quandary he had been left with. What, oh what would he tell Charles about what he had just witnessed?




[Edited on 26/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Three: An Unplanned Trip continued----




Kurt mounted the steps to the bedroom suites that occupied the third floor of the west wing of the mansion, glad that it was late so no one would ask him unnecessary questions, yet realizing that no one was probably awake to tell him if sleeping arrangements had been made for the girl. It had to be after midnight, he realized! He shifted her weight in his arms as he reached for the doorknob to his room, twisted it open and carried her in. The curtains were open and the pale light of the moon flooded the room with sufficient illumination to see what he was doing as he stooped to grip the corner of the quilt and turn down his bed.

She moaned in his arms, and he looked down to see her stir, her eyes fluttering open and her hand coming up to rest on his shoulder as he placed her head on the pillow. " K-Kurt...? What...what happened?" her voice was muddled, disoriented.

" Shh...!" he whispered, undoing the elastic from her hair and gently running his fingers through its mass to arrange it across the pillow. " You fainted," he said, and knelt by the bedside to look into her eyes. " Sleep now. It is late, and I know you are tired." He leaned across to grip the quilt's edge and pull it over her.

She nearly sat up again as she suddenly remembered, " My...my father! He...Kurt, he took control of my mind! I remember! What did he say to you?"

He gently forced her back down onto the pillow, and smoothed her golden tresses while smiling tenderly," He asked me to take care of you, to bring your people home. Don't you remember? "

She shook her head, confusion in her eyes.

The tenderness did not leave his expression as he bent to kiss her forehead. " Sleep now," he insisted. " Tomorrow is another day." he watched over her as her eyelids obediently lowered and the small smile of a trusting child slowly faded from her face. He waited until he was certain she was asleep, then set the hand he held on the blanket and rose up to head for the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. He grabbed an extra blanket from the foot of the bed and flopped into the lounge. Lifting the footrest, he covered himself up to his chin with the blanket, and watched her sleep in the wan moonlight, his eyelids slowly drooping shut as exhaustion caught up with him as well.


The blanket stirred almost eight hours later and popped off with a life of its own. Kurt blinked against the bright sunlight that flooded his bedroom, his tousled head almost comical as he stretched and yawned, smacking his lips against the wonderful sensation of morning mouth. Memory caught up with him then as he beheld the empty bed and the piece of stationery on the pillow.

"Elissa??" he called, looking around in the empty room, half rising before he remembered to check within himself to feel her echo within the Binding. Sighing in relief, he got up and walked over to the bed to read the note. " ' Made little noise as possible with the shower, and I borrowed some clothes that looked small enough. It is 7:45. I will be in the garden, Inheshta. Menest kai. Elissa. ' "

He smiled at the handwriting done in a right-handers slant and knew that 'Inheshta' meant' friend ', but carried the connotation of depth to it.' Menest kai ' was ' thank you '. Glancing at the clock's digital display, he saw it was 8:07 AM, and dove for the shower and his toothbrush, dropping the note to the bed.

It could have been the world's record for the fastest shower, he thought, priding himself on the inspiration of brushing his teeth while under the water stream. He toweled off his hair and selected a sweatshirt and jogging pants against the morning chill, wondering what of his clothing she had appropriated? He still outweighed her by a good sixty pounds, he thought, so whatever it was had to be loose on her! He grabbed the oversized sweatshirt she had worn from yesterday, and teleported out to an open area in the garden he knew of, ignoring the growl in his stomach.

The sunlight was bright, and the morning air made his still drying body shiver as he looked around the manicured garden in the rear of the mansion's grounds. It was a huge thing with cream colored brick walkways, short - walled areas sequestering floral arrangements, and a fountain in the center that burbled to life faithfully at seven AM, and was lit in the evening until ten at night. Benches were scattered about the fountain and in other spots near especially fantastic arrangements, or beneath the willow, oak, and pine trees that populated the grounds.

He shuddered, another memory returning as he looked back to the mansion; it was near this spot that he had met with Christine Palmer almost nine months ago, before seeing her off at the airport. Or almost seeing her off, he thought! Kurt felt the heartache like some old scar that made itself known in the cold. He made a conscious decision to turn away from looking back into the past, reaching instead into the present, and the curious echo of the Binding that drew him on.

Walking along the path, he saw her among the roses, and had to stop and smile. His green, midcalf pants did sash at the waist, and he had shrunk them in the wash, so the fit wasn't too bad! She did look a little cold though in his black X-Men t-shirt as she bent to inhale a red rose, her golden curls enveloping the plant like some lacy shroud. On a nearby bench, he spied two metal thermos cups, and a small plate covered with a paper towel. Breakfast? he wondered as he silently approached the engrossed girl, sweatshirt in hand, and his stomach growled again.

Elissa turned from the waist and smiled at him, " Yes, breakfast! Logan assisted me in finding..." she frowned at the word and its application, “...danishes?? Why do you name food after a people group? "

Kurt laughed as she straightened up, and tossed her the shirt, which she caught gratefully. " Obviously, there is no sneaking up on you! " he said, and lifted up a corner of the paper towel to examine the fruit-filled pastries, then reached for a mug. " Coffee? " he asked, watching her pull on the shirt, then noticed her feet were stuffed into the runners they had found yesterday, but without socks. " I hope you aren't too cold."

She giggled," Nein, aber ich wisse du Hunger habst!" (No, but I know you are hungry!) " Yes, it is coffee! And Logan said you like cream and two..." she made a face again, "...lumps? What peculiar terms you people use on this world! Anyway, yours is the mug on the right. I tasted it and decided cream was more to my liking. We don't have coffee on Kanaris, but I do like the flavor."

Kurt picked up the mug on the right, opening the spillproof valve to take a cautious sip. He sighed in contentment, " Ahhh, Logan is a true friend indeed! It is just right! As for the etymology of this world, I think lumps is more of a British slang term for the sugarcubes." He paused thoughtfully before pulling off a corner of an apple danish, "Or maybe it is an Americanism?"

She watched him chew the pastry happily, the smile never leaving her features, " He still doesn't trust me, you know."

Kurt sat on the bench and nodded for her to take the empty spot next to him. " He will, eventually. It always takes Logan a while to warm up to anybody. He is pretty much a loner. Besides, I do have a certain advantage in the knowledge area."


Off to the far side of the mansion, squad leader 277 bent over the body of the trooper, checking the diagnostics on the exterior of the man's suit. The man had died of extreme dehydration due to the malfunction of the suit's filtration systems. He rose to convey the information via comlink to the forty men behind him, then checked his head's- up -display. The manacle readings indicated that the prey was nearby. With a wave of his hand, he led his squad toward the position, motioning for them to stay low. Less than a thousand Terran feet, and they would retrieve their quarry.

[Edited on 26/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Three: An Unplanned Trip Continued---




Elissa hiked up her feet onto the bench and peeled at a danish, shuddering in a sudden gust of wind," Thank you for the shirt! I hadn't counted on it being so cold!"

He paused to look at her critically, "Well, they didn't exactly feed you well in that blasted prison, did they?" He lowered his eyes for a moment, " No one should be treated in such a fashion. It happened once before on our world in my own country of origin. It is nothing we Germans are proud of."

She touched his arm, her eyes compassionate, "You forget that we share memories, my friend? This Holocaust in your World War Two does parallel what is happening on my world. Isn't it tragic that two such different worlds could have such similar evil?"

Kurt laughed tersely, raising the coffee mug to his lips, "If you could multiply the word tra...gic..." his eyes went wide, and the cup suddenly fell from his lifeless hands. He could not believe what he was seeing, and he was refreshed again as to the meaning of the euphemism ‘his blood ran cold’. "Ach, du Lieber Gott!!"

Elissa saw through the Binding, saw through his eyes, and she rapidly rose to spin about and see the forty armored men rounding the corner of the mansion. She took several steps backward, glancing at her manacles, then up again, her face going pale. "No, no!" She felt Kurt's hands on her shoulders, spinning her around and shoving her toward the mansion.

"Call the Professor telepathically, Liebling!! Logan! Anyone! " he blurted, skipping along behind her, ready to teleport them both as his eyes stayed locked on the advancing platoon.

She stumbled around, backpedalling as she did what she was told, concentrating on the dark-haired Canadian she had found in the kitchen that morning. " 'Logan? Help us!! Logan!!!' " She cried mentally, sending the image of what she saw through the broadcast.

The leader pointed to the two figures attempting to flee and one of the other men beside him drew his neurodart pistol and fired.

Kurt dove for Elissa, meaning to 'port them to safety, but the darts caught him in the neck, propelling him forward and on top of her. He looked down into her frightened eyes, struggled to speak, but the neurotoxin was taking rapid effect. He dropped suddenly and seemingly lifeless, his body going numb, and lost consciousness.

Within the mansion, Wolverine was scanning the morning paper with a cup of coffee before him when the imagery hit him literally right between the eyes! He saw, just as though he were there, the advancing Kanaran soldiers, heard and felt the terror in Elissa's voice as she screamed for his help! Unaccustomed to such emotional and visual intensity, Logan gasped and rose, tearing the newspaper in two! "Scott!! 'Roro! Anybody!! The garden!!" he hollered, the paper flying as he dove for the bay window that faced the rear of the mansion.

He could see two hundred feet in the distance the advancing troops, the distant figures of Kurt and the girl, and knew what was happening. " Shit...oh shit!!" He scrambled out of the kitchen, the tails of his flannel shirt flying behind him." Charles!! Hank!!! Rogue! Anybody!! Trouble!"

Elissa tried to move Kurt's body, but he was like a deadweight! At least she could hear his labored breathing, and feel him in the Binding; but she had to move! She could also hear the motion of the encroaching troopers! She did not have much time! She found the darts in his neck and pulled them free. Three darts would be overkill for his physiology; she could only hope that the toxin's effect would be abbreviated!

Suddenly, his body was pulled off her, and, with round eyes, she beheld three troopers towering over her. A hand caught the collar of her sweatshirt, lifting her off her feet to eye level with the man. She could barely make out the face through the translucent helmet, but offered him a sneer anyway. "Hele nehet da!" ('Let him go!' in Kanaran).

The squad leader laughed, and spoke in Kanaran to the man behind him, ordering for the gateway to be opened. When he turned he saw the glow in her eyes, and realized his mistake.

She released the kinetic burst in a contained field this time, remembering the lesson in control she had learned the hard way back in the cell on Kanaris. There was no way she was going to hurt Nightcrawler; but this one? Her smile became grim; he would pay the price! Fist to open hand, she envisioned the channeling of the power, and unleashed it before he could even react!

Squad leader 277 shrieked as his helmet shattered, the durable material slashing his face as it compacted inward, making him vulnerable to the girl's considerable telempathic talent. He dropped her to the ground, his mind and body being taken over like a huge marionette, and his cannon arm came up to point at his own men.

One of the juniors was thinking though, and he blasted his own leader before he could turn on them, the disruptor killing him instantaneously. Another man liberated his pistol from his belt and aimed for the girl on the ground, while a third made the hasty adjustments on his suit to activate the gateway vortex.

It took Elissa a moment to orient herself after loosing control of the squad leader, but it was a moment too long. There were too many of them to deal with all at once!That was when the neurodart caught her full in the chest pushing her backwards near Nightcrawler. Fighting the effects of the drug for as long as she could, she rolled over to reach towards him, then succumbed, her hand falling just short of his.

"N'hilrain dahashtma!" one of the soldiers said, calling her a witch in the native Kanaran tongue, and kicked her unmoving form. He bent to pick her up off the ground when a bolt of lightning bit into the earth near him. He looked up to see a lovely black woman with white hair flowing behind her riding the winds. Within the confines of the helmet, his jaw dropped in amazement!

Ororo flew high above the fracas, her silk pajamas fluttering in the breeze as she looked down at the thirty-nine men left, while, behind her, Scott and Logan were charging towards the garden. She saw the portal opening to the left like some gnawing hole in the fabric of the air itself, its inward suction disturbing her flight and forcing her to concentrate on keeping aloft. She summoned the lightning between her outstretched hands as the trooper below bent to heft Elissa and Nightcrawler.

"Not so fast, gentlemen!" She chastised from aloft," Not if I have anything to say about it!"

The lightning arced down from her hands, catching two soldiers and being conducted through the metal of the battlesuits to three others. She would have to avoid the man that carried Kurt and Elissa because the lightning strike would kill them. As it stood with the Kanaran troopers that were affected, their suits sparked and caught on fire, and their pain-filled shrieks echoed in the morning air.

The underling barked orders for the squad to divide into A and B groups. He utilized Kanaran, knowing the Earthers would not understand him, telling A group to follow him and B group to remain and deal with the onrushing humans. Nineteen men peeled off with him as he got a better grip on the two prisoners, and they ran into the open portal in groups of four.

Logan watched in utter horror as Nightcrawler and the girl disappeared into the swirling miasma of light and darkness, and charged forward without thinking. His reactions were good!The animal in him was let loose in its full, ferocious glory! Slicing and diving, he rolled past the still organizing troopers and into the portal!

Scott Summers let loose with his visor; "Damn it, Logan! No!" The powerful optic blasts cleared a swathe before him as the gateway closed.

"Goddess!" Ororo cried from her position in the sky. "They're gone! Scott, they're gone!"

Beast made a late entrance into the foray, but in sufficient time to see the portal close. Stunned, he did not see the rising trooper pointing his arm cannon towards him, but the onrushing Rogue did! She caught Henry from behind, taking the brunt of the blast, and flying backwards into a nearby tree. He picked himself up off the ground, nursing a scraped shoulder, and launched himself into battle.

The Kanaran troopers had a bare amount of time to take formation, and they were rapidly being disorganized by the X-Men's onslaught. They were accustomed to their armor making them invulnerable to the N'hilrain's mental capacities! Rarely had they encountered outside invasive tactics like this, but they fought on, using their disruptor cannons' massive firepower.

Henry McCoy, however, liked to practice with Sentinel holograms in the Danger Room! These men and their toys reminded him very much of Sentinels, but on a more average-sized scale! He let loose with his full weight into the chestplate of the nearest man, bowling him over, then dove aside as Scott's visor sang. He scrambled to his feet in time to watch his opponent launched backward fifty feet to land in a smoking heap. Beast offered Cyclops a brief thumb's up before seeing what other mischief he could get himself involved in.

Rogue hauled herself off the ground, her clothing torn from the contact of the energy beam, and fury in her eyes. She flew towards a nearby man, both fists extended and connected with him at full speed. "That hurt!" she roared indignantly.

Another trooper got off a volley and crowed with delight as it caught Henry in the shoulder, twisting him up and back off his feet.

Ororo sent lightning down in response to the attack and watched in grim satisfaction as the armored man collapsed. She pivoted in flight and swooped down to Beast's side. "Henry? Are you all right?" she asked, gripping him gently to pull him into a seated position.

Henry McCoy's furry feline features were a mask of pain,"A shot of morphine, and I will be, oh lovely lady! I think I am missing a small chunk of my flesh here!"

Ororo held him against her, realizing he was slipping into shock and watched anxiously as Cyclops and Rogue took out the last three men without her assistance. She sucked in her lower lip as Rogue approached her, her breath heaving. "Henry's hurt. We have to get him back to the medilab."

Rogue stooped to lift the huge man easily," Ah'll take him. What happened to Logan, Kurt and that girl?"

Scott Summers sighed heavily as he looked over the field and the nineteen bodies, some dead and some alive. He looked at Rogue with a frown on his face and smacked a fist into his palm."They're gone, Marie! They are probably on Kanaris by now."

Storm stood, hugging herself against the morning chill and looked down at the broken and spilled mug of coffee as a napkin flew into the air. "No. Goddess, no," she whispered bleakly, and gazed up into the sky.




Off to work!:bamf Edited at 5:58 PM for spelling errors...boy, I was typing fast!

[Edited on 26/2/06 by StarChild]

[StarChild]

Chapter Four: Another World




It felt like being frozen in time the moment he had touched the periphery of the portal, all sense and sensation cut off with the brevity of a switch being thrown. Then came the stretching! Painful, somehow surrealistic pulling of every molecule of his mind, body, and spirit across a spinning vortex of light and dark, hot and cold that was punctuated with the sounds of his own warped shriek. It ended in seconds, as though someone had abruptly applied the brakes, and the rest of his molecular self caught up with him like metal fragments beneath a magnet on a child's toy.

When Wolverine could next see, he was in a large room on a hexagonal platform surrounded by banks of instrumentation, and heavy-duty feed cables on the floor covered by conduiting which led to the huge dais itself. Five Kanaran troopers stood in the forefront, pistols and arm cannons raised to point at him, and the other fifteen from the garden were beginning to disburse into the corridor revealed by a door wide enough for two regularly-clad people to exit through, but served adequately for one trooper in full armor. There were two technicians, or he assumed they were, in soft uniforms with jodphur-like pants and khaki shirts that lacked the traditional buttons of the clothing he was familiar with. They were staying out of the way as Logan raised his hands, and watched as Kurt under the arm of one soldier and the girl in another's were taken out of the room.

"Do you understand me?" Logan asked, fighting against the nausea from the translation across the vortex. "I surrender. I just wanna' go with my friends, all right?" And fight like hell later, he thought, governing his impulses to attack. He did not know where he was, much less where they were taking Kurt and Elissa. It was a gamble, but he was counting on the fact that he would get placed with them in the same cell; or with Nightcrawler, at least.

One of the soldiers pointed to his helmet to the other men, and spoke in perfect English! "Use the translation unit! This is no longer a combat situation!" he ordered.

Logan felt his jaw drop and irritation creep up his spine as an armored hand gripped his wrist and yanked him off the platform. It ached to submit to these clowns when he had the ability to wreak a little mayhem; but what were his odds like outside this room? He did not know the size of this place, much less where he was! The longer they made him wait, the farther away went his best friend and the girl!

"English?? You guys can speak English? Why didn't you do that before on Earth? What the hell is goin' on?" he protested.

The man who had communicated to him fell in behind the trooper that held him, pinning his arm behind his back with sufficient force to threaten breakage if he did not comply. Another soldier took the lead as they muscled him into a wide, grey corridor that banked smoothly to the right.

"As I said, it was a combat situation. Rules of war demand that no communication is given to the enemy that could potentially compromise a tactical environment. I can speak with you now, man of earth. You made the choice to pursue us. You will go with your friends, though you may not like the outcome of such a choice."

Logan kept a glum silence, analyzing the corridor before and behind him in an attempt to memorize where they were taking him. They came to a branch in the featureless environment, and he finally saw his first door with a designation above it, but it was in a scrawl that he did not recognize. Native lingo, he assumed with a derisive snort, but tried to bore the script into his memory. He wondered if the machinery for that blasted portal took up that much room? They had walked quite a way before coming to this first break in the grey monotony. No sign of the other group yet that had Kurt and Elissa, and that bugged the hell out of him!

Elevator, then! Spacious enough for three of these suits and a couple prisoners. They forced him around to face the front, and one of his captors spoke in Kanaran. The door obediently and silently closed and there was a sensation of downward momentum. Logan waited anxiously, but the grip on his arm never loosened, nor did that blasted dart gun from the epicenter of his neck!

The door opened agonizing moments later and Wolverine faced a long corridor done in the same metallic grey that stretched on for at least a city block before it branched off into a T-intersection. Doors were on the left and the right, but only a total of four of them. Whatever those rooms were, they were huge! Logan could feel his heart leap when he saw a small cluster of soldiers just outside of one door, and heard a commotion coming from with the unseen chamber. Tired, frightened voices of women and children and the occasional bark in Kanaran from a guard.

One of his captors gave a command to the men ahead and they disbursed from the doorway to make room for the newcomer. That was when Logan got his first view of the containment cell.

It was as large as Kurt had described it when he had told the vision back to them on Earth, save this one held only two support pillars in the center of it, and their shackles were thankfully empty. Mats were on the floor, thin but adequate for sleeping, strewn about carelessly for the thirty-two men, women, and children that occupied a room big enough for perhaps one hundred. There was another door in the far side of the room and Logan deduced that it probably led to the facilities. It smelled in here like vomit that had been inadequately cleaned, and he knew why when he saw the condition of the people in the room. Eleven adults, eight seniors, and thirteen kids; all thin, exhausted and hopeless.

And one fuzzy elf surrounded by two men and a woman! The girl was nearby, still held by one of the troopers, but Logan only had eyes for Kurt, and his fear was growing by the moment as he saw his friend was in respiratory arrest! That was when he finally tried to wrench free!

"Let me go to him, damn it! Let me go!" He shouted. How long had he been in that condition? He cursed again; there could be oxygen deprivation to the brain or worse!

The soldier released him, and Logan fairly tumbled forward to the floor. He scuttled to Nightcrawler's side, the three strangers making way, as he straightened Kurt's paroxyisming body. His friend couldn't breathe, his hands clenched in claw-like agony as he struggled for air. " Damn it! Damn it!" Logan felt panic like a knife cut into his breast; what was he to do?

The other trooper dropped Elissa unceremoniously to the floor, and joined his comrades at the door.

"Welcome to Kanaris Five, little man. I hope you enjoy our hospitality," one of the troopers said.

Wolverine glanced up to watch them file out of the room, lifting Kurt against his chest in the hopes that elevating him would clear the garbage from his lungs and help him breathe. "Wait, damn you! I need drugs or something! A doctor! He's dying!"

The last battlesuited figure paused outside the door to offer a brief and sarcastic comment,"Don't you know they all die here?" His laughter echoed even through the reinforced metal as the door closed behind him.

Wolverine felt a cold chill growing inside him as he looked down into his friend's stricken features! Kurt's eyes were opened in pain-filled slits, and one hand struggled to reach him as he became aware of who held him. "Hold on, elf! Hold on!" he pleaded.

A hand fell on his shoulder then, tenatively, and Logan glanced up into the golden and softly glowing eyes of a brown-haired woman dressed in a worn blue jumpsuit. He could feel something in the touch, a warmth that seemed to suffuse him and calm his fear, and communicate to him. "It is the neurotoxin. We can help, friend Logan," she said, in perfect English.

Logan held Kurt as her slender hand touched his friend's brow, and he watched the two men, both with the same amethyst eyes as Elissa, gather round Nightcrawler's twitching body to contact the areas above his heart and lungs. Their black pupils, the area through which light passes, sure did have light passing now! The light of a star field that when in conjunction with each other bathed them in a muted blue-white light. Wolverine could feel other presences gathering around them, and he took a quick glance up to see the majority of the room were clustering about them, their eyes likewise lit with the weird incandescence. He shuddered involuntarily, feeling the residual heat, and looked down at Kurt.

The hand that reached for him made contact, gripping Logan's shirt tightly, fearfully, then relaxed as the heaving gasps began to subside. There was amazement in Kurt's expression as he settled back into Logan's arms and took in the faces that surrounded him and the light that bathed him. He knew them; each one of them by name! Kurt felt the welcome in the Binding as a new level of depth was opened up, and he was soothed in the knowledge. The spasming airways began to open, and the fluttering of his heart calmed. He could feel a pleasant peace that made him smile as even wounded neural synapses were mended.

"Menest kai," he whispered in Kanaran, and drifted off to sleep.

The light faded from the gathered group, and the brown-haired woman caressed Nightcrawler's face like the way a mother would a child. "You are welcome...Kyrian,"she murmured.

Wolverine did not let him go, looking from one face to another as they withdrew to give him space. Only the woman stayed beside them, sitting on the floor cross-legged to admit a bright-faced toddler with rumpled brown curls onto her lap. She hugged the little boy to her, and that was when Logan noticed the child was unmanacled, unlike his mother and the other adults, and at least better fed.

The woman smiled as though she had read his thoughts,"Their one act of kindness. This is my son, Jaketh. I am Alena, a nurturer." She kissed the little boy's cheek as he worried over a stuffed dog-like toy," He gets most of my food, as do the other children from their parents." She nodded toward Kurt, "Your friend had a reaction to the toxin because of the overdose. We have seen it happen before. He will be all right now."

Logan looked at her curiously, finding a moment to smile at the questing glance of the toddler, who shyly returned to playing with his toy. "You called him the same thing she is called," he nodded toward Elissa, who was being moved by a man to one of the mats. "What does it mean?"

Alena smiled patiently to the one outside the Binding whom she knew through the memories of the one inside;"Kyrian is firstborn, Logan. Kurt Wagner is firstborn to us because he is the firstborn like us of Earth. It is an honor we bestow on him through custom."

Wolverine felt a little overwhelmed,"You know my name? What else do you know?"

Alena shrugged, accepting a cup made out of what looked like plastic with water in it and offered it to him. "Everything that Kurt and Elissa know of you. It is potable...drink."

Logan shifted the weight of Kurt's sleeping form into one arm, and took the cup to sip at the clear fluid inside. Water, a little tepid, but drinkable nonetheless. He dribbled a little onto Kurt's dry lips, smiling at an involuntary swallow, then drank the rest himself. Handing the cup back to her, he looked around at the small group that were settling themselves about the room,"So you're N'hilrain?"

She nodded, "Though not firstborn as the lady and Kurt are."

One of the golden-haired, amethyst-eyed men who was still nearby, and who had assisted in the healing, offered to speak, "I am Mastei. Welcome, Logan, for whatever such a welcome is worth. My wife, Ishta, is there with our daughters, Djini and Basta."

Logan followed the indicating arm of the lean, but muscular man to a slender, black-haired woman sitting on a mat with two girls aged roughly eight and eleven. He nodded towards them as they smiled back, and he was feeling a strange sense of portent as he met the children's eyes. He looked back at Alena,"Why are there so few Kyrian? So few firstborn?"

She shrugged,"The same reason there are so few Alharan...they are leaders. The old ones you see here are Alharan, fathers and mothers alike, but...but..." tears gathered in her golden eyes,"...surgeries were performed. They have no memories...and even the Binding is a remote thing to them."

Logan felt outrage rise up within him. His training in Japanese culture spoke of honoring the elders, not mutilating them! Once again he felt his hatred of these soldiers surge within him. "Why, Alena? Why do they do such things to you?"

The other man who had helped in Kurt's healing spoke up, the loathing in his voice evident, "Because, man of Earth, they mean to be rid of all of us so the Hierarchy will remain pure of our strain. We are the bait to bring the unmarked," he lifted his manacled wrists for emphasis, " to us in the hopes of capturing the last of our kind. Only the lady knows where they are. She keeps that secret from even us!"

Logan glanced to where Elissa lay on a mat, and noticed the clothing she wore, recognizing some of the elf's attire. He looked at Kurt with a fond smile before seeking Alena's eyes, "How is she, anyhow?"

"The Kyrian?" Alena glanced back to where her kinswoman lay, reaching into herself to ascertain that information, "The effects of the toxin will wear off soon. Kurt was different in that he is not Kanaran, and the drug caused an allergic reaction. We are only glad that the Binding extends to him, or we could have lost him."

Jaketh pointed at Kurt's ears and giggled, "Pointy, Mommy! Funny...!" He touched his toy to Kurt's sleeping face, and made licking sounds, "Doggie likes him!"

Alena and Logan laughed,and the single mother hugged her young child. The act of play and child-like innocence was a welcome relief."Yes, Jaketh! I think we all like him!" she said, and kissed him soundly on the cheek.



[Edited on 26/2/06 by StarChild]

[chicory]

I thought I commented about this before, but I guess I didn't... :

The scene where Kurt's so much in a hurry that he brushes his teeth in the shower was as was the scene where he spots the army.

Err, was the dead soldier the 119 guy? I thought that part was a little confusing...

Yay! I'm glad that Logan went along with them! That's the best team-up. Sounds like the:engarde is just getting started!

And the N'hilrains are such a nice people - with healing powers! What do the Kanarans have against them?

[StarChild]

Yep...the dead soldier is designate 119! He was the one whose armor was malfunctioning because of damage due to the earlier encounter with Elissa. Sorry if it was confusing, but instead of giving the soldiers names, I thought it better that they are numbered grunts, as it were. As for the Kanaran Hierarchy's dislike of the N'hilrain, it stems back to the caste system, and a certain other reason...more to come!!!

This is going to be a long tale...!

[Edited on 29/1/06 by StarChild]