~On the Blackbird II~
Ryan had not been this nervous since she got her first piercing. It was a combination of fright and excitement; her stomach was turning circles.
“You’ll be fine frail. Just remember what I told you, stay close to me and I won’t let anything happen to you.” Sabretooth said, clutching Ryan’s hand.
The whole thing came on so sudden, it seemed. He didn’t think he was ready to let her go yet. He momentarily thought about asking her to stay with him again, but put the thought aside. She deserves better then me, he thought.
Ryan took a deep breath and looked around the Blackbird. She saw the faces of all her new friends, and thought of how some of them may not make it home. She looked at Victor and kissed him passionately.
“What was that for?” He said with a goofy grin on his face. I’m gonna miss those kisses, he thought.
“I may not get the chance to say goodbye, so I wanted to do it now.”
Le Fae
"Though I find your romance interesting, Ryan, I need you and Victor to focus, please." stated Amanda.
"We heard ya, frail. Just keep talkin'. Yer gettin’ more preachy then Chromedome." growled Sabertooth.
Amanda glared at him, "I'll keep that in mind, Scooby. Anyway, like I was saying; Cara, Jamar, Leilee and myself are the only ones I want to go up against Anon. The rest of you will help Sammi defeat Sinister. Correct me if I'm wrong, Victor, but I have a feeling that Sinister will have his own back-up."
"Ya can count on it, frail." Victor confirmed.
"Right. Now, I know that none of us here are truly ready for this, but I know we can do it. We have to, there is no other choice. We need to work as a team and rely on each other." Amanda took a deep breath and continued, " The odds are that when we complete this mission, we'll return home. The problem is that when that happens there is almost a 100% chance that we will not remember any of this. I don't know if that's true, but we have to face that possibility. I know that is hard to deal with because, not only would we forget each other, but the X-men as well. We all knew that this was a possibility we might have to deal with when we started interacting with them, but we have to deal with it. It's tough not saying goodbye, but sometimes, it's better."
Amanda looked at the faces of her team, and knew she couldn’t ask for better friends. She knew they would make it and would meet again despite what happened. "Well, let's get ready to rock and roll, people." she said.
A.C.
Hope, sitting in the back of the Black Bird II, thinks of what transpired before this final leg of this journey.
It was rather fun helping to get even with the prankster, Jamar. The lighthearted play of the group was a good thing before going into battle, filling everyone with positive energies.
Hank laughed wholeheartedly when Jamar was dropped into the swimming pool full of whipped cream. He even didn't mind getting dropped into the lake. Hope was able to get Hank and herself dry. When the call came to meet up at the Blackbird II, Hank walked her to the plane and before she got on she gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, slipping a blue forget-me-not into his hand. At the same time she slipped the flower into his hand, he slipped something into her hand as well.....
Hope looks at the box she holds in her hand, then she opens it. Inside is a delicate gold necklace with a forget-me-not pendant made of sapphires. She puts it on, smiling. Hank is definitely not someone she will ever forget.
Hope looks out of the window at the sea below, listening to Amanda's plan.
***********
Maria looks around at the others of Vision X, holding onto the feather she had gotten in her dream/nightmare. Her other hand opens and closes in anticipation of the upcoming battle. She hopes that all goes well. She closes her eyes, going over what Sean had taught her. Things have certainly changed since she and Amanda first arrived in the X-men dimension. She smiles at Amanda, thinking of how much Amanda has grown, and how good a leader she has become.
Maria adjusts the black felt cowboy hat to a more solid fit. She tucks the feather in the hatband of her hat, then checks to make certain everything was in its proper place.
(Goggles on tight. Good, I guess I'm ready.)
She nods at Amanda and sits back to relax as best as she can.
Dreamweaver
Cara strapped herself into her seat, and looked around her. Sabretooth had taken his place in the pilot seat, working the controls, and Jamar was sitting in the copilot seat... Cara felt a little lonely without him. Cara watched as the rest of the team strapped themselves in, and the Blackbird II took off out of the hidden cliffhanger. She sighed...they had just begun their journey towards an unknown destination, and an uncertain future.
Amanda had told them they would probably not remember ever meeting the X-Men, or each other. Cara looked once more around her, her eyes lingering on all the faces of her newfound friends and teammates. They had been through so much together...battles, parties, newfound loves, deaths of loved ones, and their fond returns. How could she go on without them?
Cara looked once more at her own love...Jamar. When she had first come here, Cara had never in her wildest dreams believed that she would find love...but she had. If they survived this ordeal and made it back home, the possibility that she would no longer remember Jamar tore at Cara's heart. She almost wished that they wouldn't succeed. Almost wished that they could just fly off into the sunset, and disappear forever. Almost, but not quite.
Cara knew that completing this mission was imperative...and nothing, not even her own feelings would interfere with what she saw as her duty. She would put everything she had into this battle... and hope that they would win.
Cara thought back to that night, not so long ago, when she stood by the pool and first met Zeklos.
"You two are kindred spirits I think." Zeklos had said, "If he had not met you in this world, he surely would have met you in another."
/I hope you're right, Zeklos. I hope and pray that you are right./ Cara thought, as they flew over the wild sea below.
Rainfall
~HOURS LATER-SINISTER’S ISLAND~
Ryan leaned over Sabretooth to look out the cockpit window. The island was coming up fast, and the plane was beginning to land. Once again the butterflies came back to Ryan’s stomach. She watched nervously as they came closer to the island.
“You better take your seat, frail. We are going to be landing soon.“
“Yeah, sure thing, Scooby.” Ryan said, still staring at the island. She slowly turned and went back to her seat. The others all strapped themselves in and braced for landing on the island.
As soon as the Blackbird II landed, everyone filed out of the plane. Each one looking nervously around the island to make sure no danger was waiting for them in the shadows.
Victor sniffed the air. “All clear,” He said and placed himself in front of Ryan. Effectively making himself a shield for her in case he missed something.
“Alright, you know the drill people. Cara, Jamar, and Leilee, follow me. The rest of you are with Sammi.” Amanda stated, and then added “And please, be careful....”
The group headed in the direction they knew Sinister and Anon would be.
Le Fae
Cara and Jamar began to follow Leilee and Amanda, but Cara held back a little. She took hold of Jamar's hand, stopping him. Jamar looked at Cara questioningly.
Cara reached up and pulled Jamar's head down to meet hers, and she kissed him lightly. "For good luck, love." she said softly, then smiled and winked at him.
Cara took Jamar's hand, and they began to hustle to catch up with Amanda and the others. While they were running, Cara began to recite in her head, /Bonzai, Samurai...Geronimo, let's GO, and BLOW!/
A strange look crossed Jamar's face. /What was that?/ he asked Cara on the mindlink.
Cara blushed...she'd forgotten about the mindlink. /It's just a silly little war cry that I made up...sorry./ she answered back.
Jamar grinned, and they continued after Amanda.
Rainfall
The group entered the large building with little resistance. A few guards with pistols where not much of a match for the group, and everyone felt they were walking into a trap.
“This is too easy,” Sammi said, as she led the group down the corridor. Suddenly a rumble started below their feet, followed by the sound of gears turning. The floor opened up below and each member of the team fell down a separate shaft. In a flash, the entire team was separated.
Sabretooth, like a cat, landed on his feet. He growled low in his throat. He sniffed the air a little but couldn’t catch Ryan’s scent. Perfect, he thought, how am I supposed to protect her if I can’t find her. He began walking down the new hallway when he heard the scream.
“Victor, help me please!”
It was Ryan, he knew her voice and she was in trouble. He ran down the corridor to catch a glimpse of her being dragged off around a corner. As he turned the corner he saw a shadowy figure pulling her.
“Victor, please save me!” She screamed to him.
He ran after her, ready to kill whoever was hurting her. Ryan was pulled around another corner and then Victor heard a door slam. When he rounded the corner there was only one door. He opened the door and stepped in, his claws bared and ready to attack. The door slammed shut behind him and the room was pitch black. Victor sniffed the air and but couldn’t catch Ryan’s scent. He was tricked. A figure stepped out of the shadows and removed it’s hood.
“Look into my eyes,” The figure said, and as much as Victor tried to fight it, he couldn’t.
__
Ryan had morphed herself into a cat and was walking down the hall. She figured that it would be easy for her to get around this way undetected, plus her senses would be at their best. She sniffed and saw Victor standing by a door.
“Victor! I was worried that I wouldn’t find you.” She said as she morphed back into human form.
“You ain’t that lucky, frail.” Sabretooth said as he smiled in a rather Cheshire cat way at her.
“Lets go find the others.”
Le Fae
Sammi quickly did a tumble as she landed. When she got to her feet, she thought,/Last time I ever curse Michelle for making me take gymnastics./ She looked around and didn't see anything. /Damn, where did everyone go?/ She thought.
She tried to telepathically call them, but nothing. /I'm on my own./ She thought as she grabbed and tightened her fist around the necklace that Jonas gave her, and the one her father gave her.
She started walking down a dark hallway and thought, /Well, if this is a trap, then why don't I let them know where I am?/ She lit a spark on the tip of her finger. She didn't unsheathe her claws yet, /save them for later./ She thought.
The hallway kept turning, but it just kept going on. She heard a noise up ahead, and slowly walked toward it. It was a body on the ground. She tapped it with her foot and it turned. It was Wolverine!
/NO! It can't be. He's home. Its a trick./ She thought to herself as she reached down with one hand and felt for a pulse.
As her hand touched the body's neck, it hand quickly grabbed her. She quickly countered with a right cross and the head sank to the ground unconsciousness. /Serves you right./
She got up and quickly ran down the hall, but again it didn't end. She stopped in her tracks. /This is TOO much like Labyrinth. Maybe if I..? She thought as she turned to one side of the wall and felt along it. /There it is./ And she pressed the button on the wall and a passage door opened to reveal another hallway. She heard someone coming so she stood as close to the wall as she could til she saw the person.
**Jonas?** She telepathically sent to him.
**Sammi? Where are you?** He sent back.
**About five feet in front of you.** She said. He quickly found her and grabbed her into a hug. She kissed him and said, "Now we have to find the others."
He put her on the floor and asked, "How did you get here?"
"Sinister really has to work on his technique. It was a secret passage. Let's see, there should be another one around here somewhere."
jubilee_79
~Amanda’s Group~
Amanda was beginning to worry. She had telepathically lost track of Sammi's group. Worst of all, some of the brain wave patterns were slightly erratic at last contact. She knew she couldn't lead her team back, but she was still worried about them. She prayed that they were all alright.
"Everyone stay close. I know she around here. Are you ready, Cara?" Amanda asked.
"Yes." Cara replied and Jamar squeezed her hand.
"Leilee, are you clear on what you have to do?" Amanda questioned.
"Yes, but I don't see what that is going to do." she replied.
"Just trust me. I don't know what is going on with the others, but we have to succeed before we can help them. Now, Jamar and I will go onto the psychic plane to draw her out. Believe me, she wants to destroy us in person. I need you two to be ready when she does."
The two girls nodded. Amanda turned to Jamar and he nodded as well. Both slowly let their minds wander onto the psychic plane. Amanda saw the plane materialize before her, and saw Jamar besides her.
(What do we do now, fearless leader?)
(We get her attention. Challenge her skills. Be your annoying self.)
(No problem. Hey, annoying psychopath! Come and get me. Hey! Psycho-nut! Are you out here?) Jamar mentally shouted.
(I'm sure she heard you. She's here. I can feel her.)
(Do not let your guard down, fair lady.) advised Thanagar.
(Yes, lass. She is clever. She will use every trick possible to destroy you.) warned Azmaru.
Jamar looked at Amanda strangely before asking, (Were those the...?)
(Yes, now pay atten.....)
A psychic bolt came straight at the two of them. Amanda barely managed to block it with her psychic bow. Jamar jumped back and prepared for a fight .
Anon appeared before them. She was glaring at them. She knew they had come to destroy them, but she had other plans. She was going to destroy these two before she went after her sister's protectee. The physical form of Anon watched the two girls from above.
Well, we got her attention, Amanda thought. She quickly notified Cara and Leilee to look for Anon's physical form, and that Jamar and her would keep Anon busy. She only hoped that the two of them would succeed, because she didn't know how long she and Jamar could hold Anon.
Amanda once again ignited her weapon and attacked.
A.C.
Taking his cue from Amanda, Jamar lets loose with a volley of psychic arrows meant to keep Anon off balance.
"Well, we got her on the run now."
"I wouldn't be so overconfident, Jedi." Anon screams, unleashing a bolt of energy that pierces Jamar's shoulder.
"You okay!?" Amanda asks.
"PEACHY!!!" Even through the sarcasm, the pain is evident.
-------------------------------------------------
~ELSEWHERE~
Cara stops, dropping to her knees as she feels Jamar's pain.
/Keep going! I'm okay./ Jamar urges Cara through the mindlink.
Getting up, she continues to run full tilt.
Chaos
Maria looked around as she turned invisible. The long dark hallway felt eerie, with only a few candles lighting the way. Even in her invisible mode, she felt helpless since she didn't really have an advantage.
"Hello?" she whispered softly as she crept around.
"I hate this." she muttered as she felt around for a flashlight. "Here."
There was a click as she turned on the beam of light. "Okay, I'm lost and alone in a mad scientist's island and I'm talking to myself. Swell."
A faint flicker of color caught her eye as she saw a magazine on the ground.
"I didn't know Sinister read comics." she said to herself in amusement as she looked down at the cover. "Wait a second... X-Men?!"
She knelt down and flipped through the pages. It was the issue about the X-Men being lost in Skrull world.
"No, no.... no. Of course, if Sinisiter did enter our world, and accidentally saw this... no no... he might... would he even care?" She rolled up the magazine and ran off. "I gotta find the others!"
Maria Cline
Cara and Leilee continued running, searching for the elusive Anon. There wasn't much time left...Cara could feel both Jamar and Amanda weakening.
An evil laugh, beautiful but cold, sounded from above and echoed throughout the near-empty caverns. Cara and Leilee both stopped, and looked up. There, directly ahead and hovering in midair, was the cloaked figure of Anon.
"Were you looking for me? You fools, don't you realize? You are exactly where I want you...for my powers are one hundred times stronger in person, than they are long distance." she said in her cold silvery voice, as she floated down to stand face to face with Leilee and Cara.
Anon smiled a cruel smile behind her mask. Jamar's pain from the psychic blast, and the resulting fear from Cara and the others had given her just the boost she needed.
Anon spoke to Amanda and Jamar on the psychic plane, ~If you thought what your teammates saw before were nightmares, just wait. Because when I get through with them this time, they won't know which is the ceiling and which is the floor, let alone who are their real enemies and who are their real friends. And you won't be able to help them.~
*****
Sammi and Jonas opened another secret doorway, stepped through and began to follow the winding corridor. Suddenly, there was a disorienting flash...the world suddenly seemed to twist, turn and bend around them both. Everything around them began to waver, as if they were stuck at the bottom of a deep swimming pool. Manifestations of their teammates appeared, running alongside them both.
Sammi saw Cara run by, and grabbed her. "Cara, where's Amanda? What's going on?" she asked the girl.
Cara suddenly turned on Sammi, and said, "Oh, Hi SIS, I've got something for ya..." she said in a sarcastic tone of voice.
Then with an evil gleam in her eyes and a cold smile on her lips, she punched Sammi as hard as she could. Sammi went flying through the air, and slammed against a wall.
"Now for your boyfriend...Hey Jonas, here's a little present from me...sorry it ain't wrapped..." Cara said, as she let loose with a pink fire blast, straight at Jonas.
Sammi screamed, and lunged at Jonas, trying to push him out of the way. Sammi slammed into Jonas, and they both tumbled into a wall.
"Sammi! What did you just do that for? What happened?" asked Jonas in a surprised and shocked tone of voice.
"Cara just tried...just tried..." Sammi started to say, then she looked around her and realized that Cara was nowhere to be found. Had she just been an illusion then? But she had seemed so real! "It was Anon, she made me believe that Cara had just tried to kill you." Sammi replied as she rubbed her head.
Jonas hugged Sammi close to him...he'd been standing right there, and had not been able to protect her. He sighed...he would try all the more harder to keep her safe. Just then, Jonas stiffened...he could sense something was wrong. A mist rose up, and they both began to hear voices...the voices of their teammates, and they were all talking in unison.
"Boo! You fools! You're nothing but freaks...you're nothing special. Did you really think you could win this battle? As if. You know nothing of what you are dealing with. You two are rubbish; the trash that the rest of us are going to have to take out. You never should have been a part of the team. What a waste of good uniforms." spoke the many voices of their teammates.
Sammi and Jonas tried to block out the sound, but it echoed and reverberated throughout the corridor, getting louder and louder with each word. Suddenly, Jonas and Sammi both felt a presence behind them. They roared and snapped around, ready to take out whoever was there.
"HEY! Hang on, you two!" came the surprised voice of Maria. She became visible once again, and continued saying, "What's wrong? Why'd you just try to take me out?"
Sammi shook her head. The voices were still there, repeating the same words over and over, and she was having trouble concentrating on what Maria was saying. "What do you mean? Can't you hear them?" she asked, surprised.
"Hear what?" asked Maria. Other than falling down through the trap door and getting separated from the others, she had experienced nothing out of the ordinary. /Oh, I wonder...could it be because of this feather? Whoa, that means that it really IS protecting me. Cool!/ she thought.
"Hey, you guys, I want to try something...I want both of you to each put one hand on my shoulders...I know it sounds strange, but just try it, okay?" Maria said to Sammi and Jonas.
Sammi and Jonas did as she asked...immediately, the voices stopped, and the mist disappeared.
"How did you do that?" Sammi asked Maria.
"I can't say...let's just go see if we can find the others, okay?" Maria said. She knew that if she told anyone about the feather, then Anon would know...and be able to take it away from them. So she remained silent.
Maria clicked the flashlight back on, then she, Sammi and Jonas, continued on their way through the corridor in search of the others.
Rainfall
~ASTRAL PLANE~
"So what's the plan now fearless leader? She keeps pushing us back."
"We do some major damage!" She yells as psionic spears and arrows hurl at Anon and rebound off of her shield.
"This is useless. I'm outta here." Jamar says before disappearing.
"Where are you going?" Amanda asks, but it's too late... he's already gone.
"Ha ha ha hah! What's wrong little psion, scared? Your friend has left you... now you will die!"
"I don't think so!" Jamar says as he reappears behind her, shoving a psychic spear through her body.
"Did you kill her?"
"Nope... but she'll wish I had when she wakes up. Amanda, I wonder if there's a law that says super-villains must be cocky."
With the help of Amanda's protectors, Amanda and Jamar construct a cage for Anon's mind. Jamar and Amanda plop down in the middle of the Astral Plane, exhausted.
"How are the others doing?" Amanda focuses her attention elsewhere, picking up Maria, Jonas, and Sammi.
"Well Fire Fox, Sonique and Dragon are on their way to our last known coordinates. Mirage and Sabretooth are coming in on the opposite side of us. Echoes and Bliss are still searching for Anon's physical body, with no luck. Hope, Solitaire, and Teb are still unaccounted for."
"Let's go search for them."
Jamar begins to stand, his psychic form wavering as does the cage around Anon. Amanda grabs his hand and pulls him down.
"The best thing you can do for everyone is to rest long enough to heal yourself. I cannot maintain this cage without you, so we must hold on until Echoes and Bliss find Anon's body."
"What bugs me is where is Sinister while all of this is going on? I've got a bad feeling, and it's getting worse."
-------------------------------------------------
~ELSEWHERE~
A screen winks out as Sinister watches the members of VisionX scramble around the tunnels of his island.
"All is as it should be."
Chaos
Sammi, Jonas and Maria all walked down the hallway.
"Doesn't this ever end?" Maria asked.
"In a way, watch." Sammi said as she moved over to the wall.
She felt around, then found the button and opened the secret door that was behind them.
"See." She pointed at the door and Maria's jaw dropped.
"How did you know?"
"I've seen too many movies back home. This maze is like the one in Labyrinth." She led the way through the door. Immediately after setting foot into the other hall, Sammi smelled someone. She moved her hands to stop Jonas and Maria.
Sammi sniffed around, then she realized who it was.
**Teb?** She telepathically called.
"Sammi? Is that you?" Teb's voice wavered a little as she spoke.
"Yeah, Its me. Hold still. We're on our way." Sammi said as she, Maria and Jonas made their way to where Teb was.
jubilee_79
Teb did as she was told. Sammi followed her nose and opened another doorway.
"Teb!"
Teb turned around, "SAMMI!!!" She gave Sammi a hug "Jonas, Maria!, I’m so glad you’re here. Do you know where the others are?"
"We’re looking for them, and for a way out of this maze," Maria answered.
"Yea, I hate being lost by myself."
"Hey, guys... be quiet..." Sammi interrupted.
Teb stopped talking and everyone looked at Sammi.
"Do you guys hear that?"
teb
Sammi, Maria, Teb and Jonas rounded another corner...
"Damn, Sammi we are only rats in a maze here." Jonas said and stopped. "I bet Sinister is having the laugh of his life watching us running around his sick little game."
Sammi turned around, shocked at seeing Jonas this angry.
"Let’s do some serious damage." Jonas raised his hands, they changed color and his body turned into scales, with an easy strike, the wall gave away.
"Pick a direction... we are getting out of this, RIGHT NOW." Sammi smiled.
"Yeah, let's break the rules here." fireworks started to play around her.
Maria smiled and was ready to scream at the top of her lugs.
"Let's go." Teb said, and turned her hands into gigantic sledgehammers.
------
Sinister grunted, this was no fun. He enjoyed watching them, he didn't want to take them on just yet... he pushed a button and you could see a small army of his henchmen running into the maze.
Admiral
Hope finds herself landing on a pile of sacks in the corner of a room. A dim burning light casts eerie shadows on the wall, making weird distorted shapes. After cautiously looking around, Hope realizes that she is in some sort of supply room. Quickly she moves to the door and opens it very carefully, peering into the hall. Seeing that there isn't anyone nearby, she steps out.
/Wonder where the others are at. For that matter, where am I at in Sinister’s Hall of Evil?/ Hope looks left then she looks right. /Hmmnnn... I think I need a guide to get through this./
Hope rubs her hands together, like she is making a ball out of air. As she does this, she whispers,
Oh this hall is dark and grey
Little ball show me the way.Take me through this lonely site
Glowing, bluish, floating light.To the others, please do go
guide me from this place of woe.Hope blows gently in the palm of her hand, and a glowing blue ball of light forms. It moves from her hand, hovers for a moment, then it moves down the hall to the right. It rounds first one corner then another, going in an arc, then straight, moving through a couple of doors. There is a flash of light as she comes out into yet another hall.
"Don't you come any closer, Mystique, or I'm going to barbeque you." Hope hears a familiar voice.
"Athena? It's me, Hope."
"Hope???" Athena moves closer, hands at the ready to throw another blast.
Athena relaxes, seeing that it was indeed Hope. She looks over at the floating ball of light.
"What's that?" nodding over to it.
"Oh, that's my guide. Now lets see if we can find Sammi, Jonas, Maria and Teb, before Sinister's minions find us."
Athena nods and Hope whispers to the ball and it heads in the direction of their other teammates.
Dreamweaver
Cara gasped as the figure of Anon, standing before her, suddenly disappeared. Leilee touched her arm.
"That wasn't Anon...I scanned her mind, and couldn't find anything there...it was just an illusion." Leilee said.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that as well... I couldn't sense any emotions from her... not that Anon, anyway. Although, I am picking up some very strong emotions from the real Anon. They seem to be coming from this direction. Come on... we've got to hurry, Amanda and Jamar's control over Anon is slipping." Cara said, as she began running down a new corridor, with Leilee right behind.
"You know, this maze looks a lot like the one in Labyrinth...So, if you meet any worms that say to go one way, just be sure to go in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION!" Cara said, as she grinned at Leilee.
Leilee laughed, and they continued running.
*****
~Astral Plane~
"You fools...you can't keep me in this cage forever, you're too weak. None of you know my true power... but that will change. When I get through with you, I will feast off of your friends, and then the X-Men. After them, the entire world will feel my wrath...and your world as well." Anon said from her cage.
Just then, Anon concentrated, and let out a huge concussive blast of psionic energy around her, rattling and weakening the cage. Amanda and Jamar both cried out in pain as the wave of energy hit them. They both had to redouble their efforts and concentration to keep the cell intact.
/Cara...hurry...we don't have much time left./ Jamar sent a message through the mindlink to Cara.
*****
Cara and Leilee had rounded a corner, when an extreme wave of angry emotion crashed down on Cara. Cara gasped, and fell to her knees. The pain was so intense, Cara could hardly breathe.
/Cara...hurry...we don't have much time left./ Cara heard Jamar through the mindlink.
/Don't worry, Jamar, we're almost there... I can feel the emotions from Anon, they are getting stronger. We're very near to where she is... just hold on a little longer. I'm not about to lose you./ Cara sent back.
Leilee helped Cara stand on her feet, and they continued running in the direction that Cara felt the emotions coming from. They rounded another turn, and found themselves in a dead end.
"No, we can't have come the wrong way, there's got to be an opening somewhere..." Leilee said, as she began to search the walls. Cara helped her.
"Aha! Found it!" Leilee said, as her hand hit a hidden switch, located behind a loose brick.
Part of the wall from the opposite side of the dead end opened...revealing a small, dark corridor. Cara and Leilee stepped inside, wary that it could be a trap. They followed the long corridor, and it opened into a large spacious round room. The room was lit only by candles, giving it an unearthly tone. Cara tried to enter the room, but was thrown back from the opening...there was an invisible force field in place. Leilee helped Cara stand.
The two of them walked back to the opening, careful not to touch the force field, and they scanned the interior of the room with their eyes. Once their eyes grew accustomed to the limited light, Cara and Leilee focused upon Anon. In the exact middle of the room was a simple mat, surrounded by candles...and upon this mat, lay the cloaked figure of Anon.
Both Leilee and Cara tried to focus their powers on Anon, but their powers were blocked by the force field. Cara angrily slammed her fist against the force field, her punch harmlessly thrown off of it. They couldn't do anything unless they reached Anon, and they couldn't do that with the force field intact, and neither of them could remove it. They needed help.
/Jamar, we found Anon, but we can't reach her... there's a force field, and neither of us can remove it... is there anyone you can send to help us?/ Cara sent on the mindlink.
/Hang on, Cara, we've located Hope and Solitaire... they're close to your location... we'll send them to you./ Jamar replied. Cara could feel the tiredness in his telepathic voice.
Just then, Leilee stiffened, and grabbed Cara's arm. Cara looked at her questioningly. Leilee didn't say a word, she only pointed to a corner of the darkened room. Cara looked, and gasped. For what she was staring at was the Stone figure of Arac.
Rainfall
Amanda refocused her energy on her attack. At the same time, she sent message to her team explaining the plan. It was last minute, but it was all she could think of. Leilee and she would run defense and let Anon come after them. This would allow Cara and Jamar to strike as one and take Anon out. First, Amanda had to buy some time to get things set.
Focusing all her power into a ball as she had in the garden after Jonas's death. She fortified the energy... not with anger this time, but with love and hope. She thought of her friends, Charles, the X-men, and her world. She used those precious feelings of joy and love to increase her powers.
Jamar was trying to take on Anon, while the witch laughed at his attempt. She threw him away from her like one might swat a fly away. She turned to face Amanda, but she was too late.
Amanda launched the energy at Anon. She tried to shield herself from it, but the power of the positive energy was to much. Her psychic form disintegrated under the power. The effort left Amanda exhausted, and Jamar came towards her.
(Smooth move, oh fearless one.)
(Thanks, but that will keep her down for only a few minutes. We all have to be ready by then.)
(Do you think it will work?)
(It has to.)
A.C.
“Can you smell them yet?” Mirage asked, looking towards Sabretooth.
“Not yet frail. We will find them soon enough.” Sabretooth said, still grinning madly at Mirage.
“Would you please stop doing that? You’re freaking me out.” She exclaimed. Ever since they had been separated, he had been acting differently.
“Sorry frail. You just look so tasty.”
“Now is not the time.”
They continued down the corridor when Sabretooth stopped and looked at the wall. “Right here.” He said, pushing a button on the side. A doorway opened to reveal Sammi, Jonas, Maria and Teb on the other side.
“There you are. We have been looking for you.” Jonas said, relieved to have found two more members of the team.
“Yeah, glad to have you back,” Sammi said looking warily at Sabretooth. Something about him didn’t seem right; he seemed different.
“We ain’t alone frail.” Sabretooth said, pointing down the hall behind the group. “We are going to have visitors real soon.”
Le Fae
As Hope and Solitaire are following their "guide", and getting near to where they think their missing teammates are, Hope and Solitaire get a message from Jamar.
(Hope, Solitaire; Echoes and Bliss need your help. You should be near where they are at, please go to them.)
Hope looks over at Solitaire, "Looks like we are needed elsewhere. I hope everything is all right with Sammi, Jonas, Maria and Teb."
Solitaire nods. Hope calls their guide back to her and whispers to it. The ball flickers for a moment, then it moves down another hallway to another passage way. There are three doors to choose from, but the blue ball of light moves unerringly to the middle one. Hope tries the door, but finds that it is locked. Hope gets ready to cast another spell, but Solitaire stops her.
"Here, let me do it," says Solitaire.
Hope nods and moves away. Solitaire places her hand on the door and concentrates on it, soaking in the heat from the door. With precise accuracy, Solitaire aims at the door. The doorknob, plus the lock, turns a bright red then to white, and then melts away.
Solitaire then opens the door with her foot, finding yet another corridor but a short one, lighted by candles. The blue ball of light moves through the hallway, its glow adding weird strange shapes to the dancing shadows on the wall made by the candles.
Hope and Solitaire get to where Cara and Leilee are.
"Jamar said that you needed some help, what did you need?" asks Solitaire.
"We need some help in getting through that," pointing at the force field surrounding Anon.
"Do you think that you can do it?" Asks Cara.
Hope and Solitaire look at each other and then nod. "We sure can," They both say in unison.
Hope waves her hand and the blue light disappears. Then she calls upon her mystical powers while Solitaire concentrates, focusing on the force field.
Hope says to Cara and Leilee, "You may want to step back, don't want you to get caught in a backlash."
Cara and Leilee do so. Hope and Solitaire attack the force field at the same time.
Dreamweaver
