X-men: The Zen Chronicles (Redheadstemper)

[redheadstemper]

Logan stood there yelling at Stryker, while Kel tried to get him to move. It wasn't long before she gave up, muttering "this is gonna hurt" before she deliberately turned her bones to stone.

Lucky I keep spare painkillers in my ute, even if they aren't on par with the stuff Jean gives me

Kel lumbered around to the other side of Logan from the passageway, thankful that the soldier's attention was solely on Logan. That was probably justified, considering his awesome claws. Then, she started moving as fast as she could, ignoring the pain of flesh-and-blood meeting stone and attempting to work together, and used her extra weight against Logan, pushing him to the passage. As the soldiers were starting to react, she was glad to see that Bobby was forming an ice wall across the hallway.

"C'mon, you gonna make me push you all the way to the garage?"

Logan grunted and started moving on his own.

"And when we get there, get in my ute. None of those fancy cars Scott makes everyone get'll carry me, and I'll need what I've got stored there. Might need some help into the back, state I'm in."

As the kids packed into the ute, Wolverine helped Kel into the back and got the keys from her, before shoving Pyro into the back seat and starting up the vehicle.

As Logan drove out, they suddenly shot forward, and Kel had time to think s**t, he found the NO2 that Scott installed before she passed out from a combination of pain and hitting her head on the tray of her ute.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

I'm dreaming. God please we all know this is a dream! Faye thought as she walked through the park near her home in Brisbane.
'Well sort of you are.' Xavier appeared in her dream. He was sitting on the ground feeding the ducks and smiled at her. 'You see, while you're out cold I can explain all the things I never got to explain to you while we were both awake.' He smiled up at her inviting her to sit down. 'Oh by the way, I managed to get through to your parents, they know you're safe and sound and will be awaiting a call from you on the number we've been trying to contact them on.'

'Uh. . . thanks. . . I guess.' Faye replied feeding the ducks with a smile. Listening to him talk. At some point the sky went from not a cloud in the sky and sunny, to dark storm clouds. She felt pain radiating through her whole body and Xavier was expressing a high pitched squeal that put her teeth on edge. But as soon as it began, moments later it stopped. And Xavier kept talking like nothing had happened at all.  

[redheadstemper]

Kel came to some significant time later - it looked to be late morning, of what day was uncertain but hopefully it was only eight or so hours since she passed out. Sitting up, she saw that the house her ute was parked in front of was surrounded by police with drawn guns. Kel looked toward the house just in time to see Logan and the three kids exit, looking scared. Well, the kids were scared, and Logan had his claws out. As the police started yelling, Kel sighed and started trying to find enough rock to form a corridor to her ute.

I can't even trust them to stay out of trouble while I'm passed out, can I?

Then, having found the rock, she focused on the world around her once more to find everyone but Pyro on the ground, and Pyro attacking the police.

Damnit Kel started forcing earth up from garden beds and under the lawn to put out the fires, then spared a thought to shove John over using a wall of earth. "I don't know what's going on here and I really don't care," she yelled as she summoned up the stone walls she had been forming. "But John, you don't attack the cops. And cops should not be shooting at kids!"

Once the walls had formed, Kel went to pick up Logan, petrifying her bones as she did so, only to find him getting up before she got there. Turning to lead them to her ute, she was treated to the sight of the Blackbird landing in the street.

Better grab my stuff from my ute, I need those painkillers and the bags of earth will come in handy.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

The group went into the Black Bird together. "Where's Faye?" Storm asked as they took off.
"We don't know." Rogue said. "We don't know if she escaped with the rest of the school or was captured. We're hoping she escaped." Rogue looked away a little sad. The one who was most upset by the fact that Faye had not escaped with them was John who was also trying to get dirt out of his hair and clothing. "Thanks for the dirt shower Kel." He growled at the other.  

[redheadstemper]

"Wait, why were you asking where Faye is?" Kel had, until then, assumed that Faye had been able to get away along with most of the school. Then John grumbled at her and she growled back, "well, when you do something stupid like SET COPS ON FIRE and BLOW UP THEIR CARS you deserve a dirt shower. Is everyone in the Blue Mountains as stupidly aggressive as you or do you suffer from testosterone poisoning?!" Kel turned back to Storm. "So, what's the plan? I saw that my X-phone was gone, has one of you got that or do the cops back there have it?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"Well excuse me for defending myself and my friends but since you were taking a nap and they were shooting at! Us! I had no other choice!" He glared at Kel angrily. "I'm sure you would have been all 'peace and love' and all that hippie dippie BS you inbreeds from Bega preach! However I for one don't stand by and let my friends get shot at!"

"Would you two calm down!!" Storm roared.

"But she started it!" John sort of whined.

"I'm don't care who started it I'm ending it and if people start throwing their s**t around I'll start throwing it right back!!"  

[redheadstemper]

"Right, I'm gonna say don't piss off the weather goddess, right, Johnny boy?"

"Yeah, I'll go with that. So, why are we carrying these bags of soil around, anyway?"

"Mostly 'cause I paid good money for them and I didn't want to leave them to get stolen, but also I don't know that we're going to have time for me to get acquainted with the dirt around wherever we're gonna land, and we just saw what happens when I haven't had time to do that, haven't we? Which reminds me, where did we just leave my ute?"

Bobby spoke up. "Outside my parents house, in Boston. I don't know if they'll leave it there or get it towed, though."

"Right, I'm gonna have to take the cost of that outta the hide of whoever organised that raid ... Now, back to my original question of why Storm wanted to know where Faye is and, y'know, where she actually is? Did anyone see her get out with the rest of the kids?"

"She wasn't with them when I told metal-man to get them outta there, but she might have caught up with them in the tunnels. Gotta say, Chuck's got more sense than I thought, having secret passages all over the place."

"Yeah, well now my little sis is missing, so I'm not too happy with his external security right now." Kel grumbled quietly to Logan, before turning to Jean. "Have you been able to get a hold of X? Or your hubby?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone." Jean explained. "And I can't sense Faye at all, that's why we asked. It's not like someone to drop off the telepathic map unless they're dead." Jean and Storm quickly shared a look. "However I think maybe she's somewhere that Jean can't reach. But I wanted to double check in case any of you had seen her. Let's just hope. . ." The radar beeped.
"We got two birds on our tail." Jean said.

"Unidentified aircraft lower to 1000 feet and prepare to be escorted to the nearest airport."

"Well they sound angry." Jean commented. Storm turned a glare on John.

"I wonder why." She growled hoping to out fly the birds.  

[redheadstemper]

After the crash, Kel busied herself gradually raising a wall around the blackbird and the camp while the others figured out what was going on and what they were going to do about it. She had no pertinent information, and she wasn't part of either group. Kel pretty much planned to get in there, see if they had Faye, if so get her, and get outta there. Over the few weeks they'd been at Xavier's - well, back at Xavier's, for Kel - Faye and Kel had ended up bonding over the idiocy of most Americans they'd met, and talking about Aus. Kel had started to see Faye as a younger sister, and she was not going to let her little sis stay with whoever had tried to take the entire school.

She didn't think a wall around their camp would be needed, but she hadn't thought there would be soldiers attacking the school in the night either, so Kel sunk her senses deep into the ground to find enough rock to make the wall self-supporting - she really didn't want to be up all night holding it in place.

She came back to herself just in time to hear voices nearby having a conversation she was sure was supposed to be private.

"Look Jeannie, I'm still half in love with you, but you've married One-Eye, you say you love him, you've made your choice. We really hafta stop this flirting s**t. Anyway, I reckon I might just have the start of something good, so I've just gotta let go of something I know ain't gonna happen."

"A good thing? With Kel? Good luck with that." Jean replied with a chuckle. "But yeah. I liked the attention, but I've got to face up to the fact that it just isn't worth it if it's going to cause trouble with Scott. Now, I'd best get back to fixing the Blackbird if we're going anywhere tomorrow."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

John, Bobby and Rogue stuck together huddled around the fire. Bobby and Rogue were sitting on one side being all love struck, urgh, and John, well John was on his own side pining for Faye, hoping she was all right. He paused and intensified the flame. Like hell he was pining for her! He got up and turned away hoping for a distraction.

"Kel," Storm said sitting by the other's side. "We'll find her, don't worry. I'm sure she's okay." Storm handed Kel a hot cup of tea to keep her warm since the suits could only do so much. "She's a tough kid, I think she copied you in that respect."  

[redheadstemper]

"Thanks mate." Kel took a deep sip of the cuppa. "Yeah, I know she's tough, but it's worrying that the doc can't find her. Wait, can she find X? Or the other kids that didn't make it out?"

"She can sense them, faintly, and distantly, but she can't actually lead us to them unless they're very close. She can't even get more than a sense that they're alright, apart from the Professor. She said that the Professor feels strange, almost like he's in two places at once, which is, actually, possible on the astral plane. Or at least, she and Charles tell me that almost anything's possible on the astral plane."

Kel stood up and started to walk away, only to turn back. "Ororo, do you know why Jean would be skeptical of anything developing between me and Logan? Apart from the flirting thing they've had going on?"

"Well, I've been hesitant to tell her she's wrong, since it's none of her business either way, but somehow she's gotten the impression that you're a lesbian."

Chuckling and slightly shocked, Kel walked off to find Logan. He was sitting outside the Blackbird, staring at his knuckles. "I know you heard me and Jean talking earlier."

"Yeah well, private conversations aren't so private when you're just across the ramp of the jet from someone else. I know Jeannie knew I was there, so either she didn't care if I heard, thought I'd be lost in the earth for a while yet, or she completely forgot that sound carries better at night, and considering she's a pretty powerful mindwalker when she ain't holding herself back, I'm thinking the first. 'Sides, you didn't exactly ask me to leave either."

"So why did Jean sound so skeptical of us getting together?"

"Well, I just heard the answer to that myself, from Storm. Pretty funny actually, apparently missy mindwalker thinks I'm gay!" Kel laughed, trying to keep it down. Once she calmed down, she sat next to Logan. "So, wanna give it a try?"



Later that night, Kel was having trouble sleeping and decided to check the camp. She was was walking by Logan's tent when she saw Jean slipping in. Following her in, Kel grabbed her shoulder to turn her and hissed, "stay away from my bloke, b***h" before punching her on the sweet spot on the jaw. Kel was surprised to see Jean's form fade into a blue scaled woman. "What the ******** was Blue here trying?"

"I don't know, but what were you doing up?"

"Oh, just couldn't sleep, might have been a long day but I was knocked out for most of it. Anyway, I'll get rid of this b***h so you can get back to sleep, hey?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

'Faye. . . I can feel myself fading,' Xavier said. 'Something happening, I can't tell but I have to wake up fully now,' More squealing that set her teeth on edge. 'I'll protect you though, just, don't wake up.'

'Wake up?' Faye wondered to his fading form. 'What do you mean wake up?! Aren't I awake already?!' She cried leaning forward to grab a hold of air now. Storm cloud returned but they just rolled over her instead of raining or thunder storming like last time it just hung over her. She stared at it scared. 'W-What's happening?' She breathed, scared.  

[redheadstemper]

Kel fidgeted as the entire group waited for Mystique to let them in. "Wait, can you sense Charles, yet, Jean?"

"No, even that sense of him being in two places is gone. Last night I could sort of tell the two directions, but even that's gone."

"Damn, letting him know what was going on might have been useful. Actually, while we have a minute, I wanted to discuss something that was brought to my attention. Where the ******** did you get the idea I was gay?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Jean turned her eyes to Kel with a frown on her lips. "In all my years of knowing you, you have not once shown any interest in any male in class or in the school faculty. Mentioned no boyfriend back in Australia and had no posters of any male band in your room and showed interest in a lot of male things. And your thoughts showed no interest in any male person either. That's where I got the idea from." She said blandly with a matter of fact tone.

"I knew you weren't but you can't fault her logic." Storm replied then heard her cue to go in and start zapping people.  

[redheadstemper]

"Right. So the Professor's that way," Kel pointed, then moved her hand, "the kids are that way, and we can't see Faye with either of them. Let's get this done. Where do you need me, then?"

"You'd best follow Logan, I think, so that he has backup and we have a way of contacting him."

"Well, I could give it a go, but I couldn't keep up with him on my best and his worst days. Do you reckon I'll be needed in getting the kids out, or getting Xavier out?"

"Considering Kurt's power, I don't think Storm will have a problem, and I would appreciate some company I can trust."

"Coolies." Kel dry-swallowed a dose of her painkillers, knowing that this was going to hurt, and started looking for the closest large rocks, boulders, and faults in the area, deliberately allowing her bones to petrify as she followed Jean, Magneto, and Mystique to rescue Charles.

The trip through the halls seemed to be going well, until they came upon Scott. While Jean and Kel were distracted by trying to take him down without causing too much damage, Magneto caused a minor disaster and tried to knock them all out. Jean seemed to have injured her ankle, Scott was rather relieved at no longer being controlled, and Kel was very glad to have taken the painkillers and started turning her bones to stone. It took her a second to realise, "that b*****d wants ta reverse it! We've gotta rush!" Kel started running and pulling on the boulders she'd found so she could use them as weapons, not noticing that as she did so gradually turned completely to stone.

Kel arrived at the entrance to the second Cerebro just in time to watch it close behind Magneto and Mystique. Only seconds before that, she'd been writhing on the floor, and as she got up and started to run again, she had noticed her current stony state, and the fact that she was no longer actually hurting. That had to be put aside when she realised she was too late to get in, but she saw red. Magneto had the opposite problem to Charles - he had given up ideals in the interest of protecting those he thought needed protecting, ignoring the fact that people can be better than they were, even if you had to shove down their throats that they were acting like Nazis. He'd kill all the innocents and all those normal people, all the good, normal people, who wanted to live and let live. Seeing red, Kel started pulling on the boulders harder, forcing them up through soil to push on the concrete under her feet as she started pounding on the door with her rocky fists. She didn't even notice that Jean had arrived until Scott grabbed her shoulder and said, "can you get Jean to the Blackbird? We need her to get it closer, so we don't have to lift the Professor so far, but she can't walk on her own."

"Bu- right. Breathe, control, I'll get her there." As Kel carried Jean through the passages and tunnels, she passed Storm and Nightcrawler escorting the children towards Cerebro and Scott.