Air Xavier, part 2

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

The X-Men reach Libya, and Nathan discovers just how difficult it is to be the one doing the waiting.


They were flying over sand. A veritable sea of sand.

Nathan stared out the tiny round window, remembering the last time they'd flown over the African desert. Libya was not Chad, however. Not that Chad had been fun, but there had been a certain ease of movement thanks to the country's lack of... well, cohesive political and military structure.

Libya was an entirely different kettle of fish. Inwardly, Nathan was raging at himself. Why hadn't he said more, done something... hopped on a plane? As soon as he'd known they were in Tripoli, planning something like this, he should have done something.

His common sense was busy pointing out that it was highly unlikely he could have gotten there in time to help. And that he was one person, and that the Pack had been managing quite nicely without him for most of the last two years.

There are better uses of energy than worrying. It was a whisper, barely audible. Nathan swallowed, knowing that it hadn't been his conscience. Or Jean.

Although it had been a woman's voice.

#Askani?#

Nothing.

Nathan closed his eyes. Starless skies and seas of sand, he thought. And his friends and eighteen children, somewhere off the south.

There were better uses for his energy. He focused on a basic meditative pattern, marshaling his strength.

--


Scott manages a picture-perfect desert landing.


Scott eyed the coordinates. "We're coming up on the depression now," he said. It was considerably lower than the rest of the desert around it. The best and most level spot to sit down, still. "Engaging VTOL," he said to Sam. "Landing gear down."

For a first-time landing on the desert, it wasn't bad at all. The 'Bird touched down gently, only the slightest jarring sensation accompanying its contact with the ground, and Scott breathed out slowly. "There we go."

They had just violated Libyan airspace and landed in order to help assist in kidnapping minors over international borders.

Oh, this was good to be fun. Scott shook his head, an odd smile playing on his lips, and put the Blackbird's engines into standby. "We're down," he said over the coms.

Sam didn't trust that smile. That was the smile of impending evil, as he liked to call it. When Cyclops smiled that little smile before a Danger Room session, you knew you were in for it. Sam covered by starting through his post-flight checklist, making sure all systems were ready for a quick takeoff if necessary.

"Let's keep the radar systems up," Scott said to Sam, over the noise of people moving around the cabin behind them and Alison giving orders. "I for one would like to know if we have company before they're on top of us."

"Already on it, sir," Sam replied. Advance warning of unfriendly contact would be a plus, yes. "Ah'm hoping we managed to get in under the radar. The less complications the better," he continued, wryly shaking his head. There were always complications.

--


Jean, helping get the children secured aboard the plane, helps two of the ex-Mistra Pack members, who've clearly been giving their all to save these children from the same fate they suffered.


There was a whole lot of scrambling going on. The Blackbird had been on the ground for all of five minutes, and there were already two kids aboard and secured. One of them was on the verge of hysterics and fought being strapped in, which took up Jean's attention for a precious minute. By the time she managed to soothe the girl and turn to head down the ramp to help the new arrivals, two more passengers were already aboard, a seven-foot tall gray-skinned man carrying a boy who couldn't be any more than thirteen.

Gavin Nash blinked at the unfamiliar redhead, swaying a little from fatigue as his mind tried to kick into gear. Strap the kids in, that was what Nathan had said.

"Over here," Jean said to the man, clearing the belt off the seat for the boy to be deposited into. "How you doing, sweetie?" she asked the boy, smiling gently.

"He only speaks Arabic," Nash said as he lowered the boy as gently as he could onto the seat. But the boy was responding to her tone, blinking up at her with more responsiveness than Gavin had seen in him the whole time he'd been carrying him across the desert.

"That's all right," Jean said, still smiling at the boy as she strapped him into his seat, checking quickly for any wounds. "You understand the important things, don't you? You're safe here. We'll take care of you. Protect you." The fact that she was keeping a constant projection of exactly that throughout the plane helped, too. "And how are you?" she asked, casting a professional look at the man.

Nash scratched anxiously at the scars on his face, casting a look back over his shoulder at the open ramp. "I'm fine, I--" Something was moving out there, blurring towards the plane. David or Carey, or... "Izzy!" he said sharply as Matsuda blurred up the ramp and promptly fell, managing to twist as she did so that she didn't land on the girl she was carrying.

Jean was by the woman's side in an instant, collecting the little girl and holding her close as she examined the woman. "Are you all right?"

Nash, tottering a little, was at Isabel's side only a few moments later. "We didn't have enough water," he said, half-lifting her. "She's been using her powers too much. She gets dehydrated easily. Hey," he said softly as Isabel blinked up at him. "I think we need to get you strapped in, too."

"Don't fuss, Gav..." Her voice was slurred.

"Can I, then?" Jean asked, three water bottles floating out of the collection they'd brought as she moved to strap the child in. "Have you got her?" she asked Nash.

Nash nodded, lifting Isabel up off the deck and over to one of the seats. "Idiot woman," he grumbled, stroking the hair back from her eyes once he had her securely strapped in. He reached up and took one of the bottles out of the air with the sort of assurance that only someone who'd worked extensively with a telekinetic would have. "Drink that."

"Bully."

"You're damned right."

"One of those is for you, as well," Jean said over her shoulder, her tone brooking no argument as she settled the two children. The water for them was already set out next to their seats.

Nash rose, taking the other water bottle and turning. "I'll drink it out there," he said, turning back towards the ramp. "Column's strung out. The kids were moving at different speeds."

Matsuda watched him clamber back down the ramp, and managed to raise her water bottle to her lips. Her hands were shaking badly. "There's pursuit, but it's several miles back," she told Jean. "David and Carey... they're our speeders... and I were moving back and forth to check. So long as we get off the ground soon..."

Jean nodded. "We will, don't worry." Catching another aproaching mind she moved to get the next place ready.

--


Nathan finds his very exhausted best friend in the desert and informs him of something.


"You are never allowed to go to Libya without me again."

Bridge laughed helplessly, handing over the girl he was carrying to Nathan. "No argument there, bro," he said, staggering a little. He cast a look back over his shoulder, spotting Dom and Ani coming in the distance. "Damn, this is a mess."

Nathan projected a whisper of reassurance to the girl, who curled against him with a tired little sigh. "Like hell," he said firmly as they headed across the sand, towards the Blackbird. "It is not a mess. I seem to see a large number of children who are in a considerably better place than they were yesterday."

"Day before," Bridge murmured, trying to keep up. Fuck, he was exhausted. "I didn't manage to make the call until yesterday, that's all..."

"I'm buying you some better communications gear for Christmas, then." Maybe Forge could be convinced to custom-design something. It was for the best of causes, after all. Nathan glanced sideways at his friend, and unsubtly projected the reassurance at him, as well. That, and pride. "We're getting them out," he said more quietly. "We'll have you all in Tunis before nightfall."

"I swear to God, once we get the kids squared away, I am so taking a vacation," GW said feebly. "Just going to sit by the Med for a whole..."

"Week."

"... two days, I was going to say."

"Workaholic."

--


Alison finds out that it isn't just the ex-Mistra operatives who are devoted to their new mission.


The next two figures that came down over the edge of the depression where the Blackbird had landed were not liberated children. Mina was leaning heavily on Lien, wincing with every step she put on her bandaged leg, but when she saw Alison waiting there to help them down the sandy slope, she managed a wan smile.

"Just a graze," she said at Alison's concerned look.

Lien snorted softly. "She's lying through her teeth," she told Alison. "She wouldn't let Theo or Gavin carry her because she thought they should save it for the kids."

A small shrug greeted that, even as Alison reached forward to take over, to free up Lien to go back since she knew more about the ground situation than Alison did. "I'd have done just the same thing," she said, glancing back towards the directions the faint scuff tracks in the ground seemed to come from. "Go on back, I'll join you soon as Mina is settled down in the 'Bird."

Lien merely nodded and dashed back in the direction she'd come. Mina gave a faint laugh. "Moved too slow," she said to Alison. "David will be berating me. None of the kids are hurt," she went on, her persona as the Pack's medic kicking in. "Dehydrated, scared out of their wits, but not hurt."

"Good." Helping Mina up the ramp, Alison turned towards the guts of the 'Bird, where Jean had already set up shop herself. "I expect you'll be lifted off your feet any second now anyway - don't be surprised if I light out then, mm?" Grinning faintly at that, Alison nodded towards the direction they were heading. "I'll let you brief her on what's needed and go help the others bring the kids in." She blinked a moment, eyes going a bit distant at the comm chatter going on.

Piers appeared behind them, quite literally carrying a young boy across his shoulder. "He saw the plane land and passed out," the feral reported through gritted teeth. "What I'd like to have done to the bastards at that camp... these poor kids."

Alison felt Mina being lifted up just then and stepped aside to ensure the woman could be carried through to where Jean was without interference, and then reached out to press a hand briefly to Piers' arm as he steadily followed Mina. "But they'll be safe soon," she said softly. "That's all that matters. I'll head back there myself to help with the evac." She turned and headed off towards the ramp, suspecting she'd be caught up with before she could make it twenty feet away from the plane or so.

"I am ridiculously sunburned," was Ian's announcement as he caught back up with her. "And you should see Ani. They're calling us the lobster twins." He peered ahead of them as they reached the top edge of the depression. "Okay, I'm still not seeing the Libyan army coming. I don't think we could have gotten that far ahead of them overnight..."

"Oh, you'll be nicely tanned by tonight, I'm guessing," Alison replied, smiling at bit at the bantering while still staring straight ahead. She shifted her gaze just a bit in the direction he was looking at, nodding shortly. "Not going to complain. Let's get them all packed up ASAP and beat it. I'll be just as happy not seeing the army at all."

--


Wanda meets Theo. The Libyan army decides that they're ready to catch up to the fugitives now.


Two of the children were huddled so close to Theo that when he clambered up the ramp and into the Blackbird, they nearly ran into him when he paused for a second to assess where he could put them to sit. "~It's all right,~" he comforted them absently in Arabic. One of the girls had a death-grip on his fur, which was a little uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to try and pry her off.

"Over here!" Wanda called out, strapping a sniffling child into the seat gently. She'd been asked to stay on the Blackbird to help coordinate the incoming children and Pack, which she had been more than willing to do. Ruffling the boy's hair as she stood, she looked up and then up some more, blinking slightly. And then grinned at him. "We've got some seats right here."

Theo gave her a huge, toothy grin. "Hello," he said, and then turned his attention to the children. "~Seats!~" he said brightly, in Arabic. "And probably water, too. Is there any water? We ran out. Weren't expecting to have to keep moving for this long."

"Water and food for everyone, yourself included." She squinted at him. "Lucky for you, we pack with Cain in mind so we'll have something that will fit your hands." Walking backwards, she waved at the children, montioning them to where they could sit down.

"~Strap in,~" Theo told them firmly, and checked to make sure they did. "They've been so good," he told Wanda as she came back. "Not complaining at all."

"Children are amazingly resilant," Wanda replied, handing out water bottles and food. Taking them all in, she took a deep breath and let it out. Doing this made her realize that this was what she was meant to be doing but it still tugged on the heart strings. Holding out his rations, she smiled at him again. "Scarlet Witch--Wanda--I do not think we have met."

"Theo. Grizzly, if you want. I think it's because I look like a bear," he said with an innocent look as he took the rations. "Mmm. Food. I'll eat as I go, I think. Need to go see if the others need help."

There was a blur that shot up the ramp and resolved into David, who was cursing a blue streak. "Grizz, come on," he said sharply. "Carey says the Libyans are catching up." He spared Wanda a quick look. "I need to tell the pilot."

Cursing in languages she was faintly positive no one else on the plane knew how to speak, Wanda moved aside and pointed to the cockpit. "He is in there," she said, turning around and starting to lock things down in case they needed to leave soon. She grinned at Theo over her shoulder as she slammed a lid down. "Either works, though I do like bears. But, alas, work now, flirt later."