Legend: Thoughts = <>
Stray thoughts = ()
Flashback **
Com links []
Ok, guys, All the disclaimers apply, that means all thanks goes to Marvel for the X-Men, I'm just making the story. And I do read all the other stories, and they're great, keep up the good work. They inspire me!
Chapter 38: Leaving the pieces
I stood in the sand, by a play ground. The playground was dark and desolate and it felt dark. I felt the cold creep over me as I stpped forward. I shivered before I saw it...the kids, the blood, the teachers...
"You must surrender your power." Professor said, " Jean is the Phoenix."
"Then what am I?" I asked.
"Pane." Professor said, " Allow me to block them, there is only so much time before..."
"Then I won't be able to save you from Pla...ummm..voiox?" I asked, guessing the name.
"He is not real." Professor said, looking over at me, " He is made from your subconscious need to be the hero and the Hollow's need to be the main personality."
"Main Personality?" I asked.
"Mutants everywhere are in trouble." Professor Xavier said, " A new group of 'Purifiers' have sprung from their hiding. The threat that's been attacking all the mutants has finally shown its face."
"So, the alien invasion thing is..me? Humans are behind this?" I asked.
"We do not have enough time." Professor Xavier said.
I thought about it. I was pretty strong without the Hollow, but with it...I had to make a choice, " I will, but only after we save the world."
"It does not work that way, Pane." Professor said.
I nodded, " Then do it." I said.
Professor nodded and touched my temple and I screamed out in pain as a sharp, uncontrollable pain shot into my cranium! I felt the Hollow fighting and Professor faltering, then, all of a sudden, I put my hand to my head and there was calm.
I woke up with a start. I found Professor Xavier, Warren, Ororo, Logan, and Scott standing over me. I looked around and noticed that I was hooked up to a machine and that everyone had a very worried look on their faces. A breeze flew swiftly through the room and stopped.
"Glad to have you back with us." Professor Xavier smiled at me.
I sat up, " The Purifiers. We need to stop them." I said instantly.
"We?" Scott asked.
"The team." I said.
"That's a change." Logan said, " You mean it's not all about you?"
"Logan, it's always about me...but this is bigger than me." I said quietly.
"What is?" Scott asked.
"The part where they erase us." I sighed, " The part where we need other people to do this. I need other people to do this."
"I feel a speech coming on." Logan smiled.
"No. Not right now. We need Magneto, the Morlocks...any mutants we can find. Alone, we're all incredible, but together, we're legends." I said quickly, " Besides, this is the first place they'll strike."
"The first?" Ororo asked, worriedly.
Professor smirked, " I am glad that you have taken the first three seconds to think about it, but we have already alerted the other teams and we are preparing as we speak." he smiled.
"We also took the time to get you another suit." Warren smiled, pulling out a new X-Suit. The top part, above the pecs, was leather and red while the part below that was leather and black. There was a jacket on the outside, which was black and red and came as far as my pecs.
"That...is the coolest X-Suit ever." I said, stunned, " The red..."
"The Phoenix is still there, helping to keep the Hollow in line." Professor Xavier said wearily.
"There's one thing I have to do first..." I said gravely, " Hand me the suit." I looked at it quickly, trying to figure out how to get it on.
The hall was dark and unforgiving and waiting to see this boy. Or man. He was probably a man now. He was the last thing holding me to the past. After I'm done with this, my past will be behind me. I felt nervous. Not the kind of nervous that came by meeting a new person, but more like the nervousness of meeting someone I had known a long time ago. It was like I had betrayed him a long time ago. As I walked into the white room, I felt at home and oddly concerned. In the corner of the room, there was an untidy young man curled up in a ball.
"Are you Matthew Riseman?" I asked.
The boy jumped a little, then looked up at me.
"I guess that means yeah." I said, walking further into the room, " I, umm, I don't know if you remember..."
"You're the kid." his raspy voice said. Matthew looked up at me, his eyes filled with something I'd never seen before.
"That's me. The kid." I said slowly, " Do you remember what happened that day?"
"When you killed the whole school?" he asked.
"Yeah...about that..."
"Nobody believed me. They said I was crazy and that I made it all up. They called me a liar!" Matthew shouted, " But he believed me."
"Who?" I asked.
"Mr. Stryker." the boy said.
Immediately, a burning feeling shot through my head and I felt like I was going to fall. I looked at him and he smiled, standing. He was taller than me and I sunk to my knees.
"I'm sorry." I gasped.
Matthew smiled, " How'd I do, Dad, Mr. Stryker?" he asked, talking to people I couldn't see.
"You did fine." Stryker's voice said.
"I told you he would come." An unknown voice said.
"We have to hurry before the other come for him." Stryker said, bending down in front of my face, " I know this one. He's got friends."
"Too late, bub." Logan's voice came from the door.
I was still on my knees when I felt someone grab me, " Are you okay?" Warren's voice came to me and I squinted through the blur to see his face.
"NO! HE MUST PAY!" Matthew Jr. shouted from across the room.
I grabbed my head and stood wobbly, " Oh, you will." I said angrily. It was now that I saw Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Pyslocke, Gambit and Rogue.
"Are you okay?" Warren asked.
"None of you are okay! You're all an afront to everything God has made!" Matthew Sr. said.
"I think you should stop talking." Psylocke said quickly.
Suddenly there was an explosion and the whole building lurched! Pieces began to fall all around us and I felt constricted in my new suit. I slipped and fell, but someone caught me. I looked up, expecting to see Warren, but it was Scott.
"Bobby! Use your ice sled to get him out of here!" Scott shouted.
"No!" I said, causing him to stop, " We're all getting out of here."
"I thought you were done being the hero." Scott panted.
I nodded, " I'm trying to be a teammate." I said, creating a forcefield on the ceiling! I felt exhausted, more than I ever had and I found myself straining and I felt something drip out of my nose. I moved my hand under my nose to see to catch the blood dripping, " I don't know how long I can hold it. We have to go."
"You're not going anywhere!" Matthew Sr. said pulling out a cross and shooting something from it! It shot wildly into the air and hit Psylocke dead in the chest, causing her to fall! Warren ran to her, frantically and picked her up.
I fished through my mind, trying to use every bit of knowledge to hold my powers steady. I couldn't grip them and I was losing myself. I was fading.
I felt a gentle slap, " PANE! Stay with me! You can do this!" Scott shouted.
I closed my eyes, trying to focus and I did. I felt something strange in my mind.
Stryker (They will die together.)
My eyes shot up, " We have to go." I said quickly.
"You heard him, X-Men, move out!" Storm said.
Scott lifted me and we fled the Mental Institution, which crumbled behind us.
Well, if you liked it please tell me so I can start work on the next one.