xp_logs | Betsy and Nathan, late Wednesday night

In the middle of the night after the Great Disappearance, Betsy and Nathan do security rounds inside the school. Betsy doesn't like what she sees when Nathan lets his shields down.

It was too quiet. Even for past midnight, the silence was unnatural, and as Nathan walked beside Betsy, sending his mind ranging out over the mansion as far as he could push it - nowhere close to her range, certainly, but it didn't hurt to have them both at it - he felt the emptiness almost like a physical ache.

Betsy had been on alert status for hours and after sending Sarah back to the library, she met up with Nathan. They hadn't said much since starting their round and the silence was eating away at the both of them. She took a sidelong glance at Nathan, sensing his growing discomfort at the state of things. After their primary sweep, she still hadn't felt sure if he wanted to talk. Betsy broke the silence first. "Unnatural, isn't it? "

"Very," he said, his voice low. "Didn't notice it so much outside, but in here..." He shook his head almost angrily, concentrating on pushing his mind out further, straining to hear something, anything. "The air was strange, out where they vanished from. I mean, the air molecules felt odd."

"Really? Have you told...the Professor?" She hesitated for a moment. "I'm sure any information you can give might help us insight on what happened. Was it similar to anything you've experienced before?" She tried to keep the hope from her voice.

"Relayed it through Scott - Charles was still in Cerebro while we were out there," Nathan said with a sigh. "But no, it's not like anything I've experienced before. Some sort of disruption, obviously, but that could be consistent with a teleportation."

"Of course." Betsy nodded solemnly. She tried not to focus on the perimeter patrols, though she couldn't help making sure they were unharmed. During her first round with Sarah, she couldn't keep her eyes from following Scott and his progress. A few check-ins, idle conversation with Nathan, and feeling his frustration. Sarah probably knew what she was doing, but Nathan would know. Right, Braddock. Focus on the conversation at hand. "Thank you for accompanying me tonight, Nathan."

"You're welcome," Nathan said. "I'm better off on the move if we've got further trouble coming, anyway." He realized it had been a few minutes since he'd checked on Moira, and diverted some of his attention to the link, reaching out to reassure himself that she was still there.

"So am I. And right when I was hoping things would calm down a bit, something had to happen." Betsy stopped midstep, bringing her hand to Nathan's arm. "Do you think we'll find them? Or that whoever took them will bring them back?"

Nathan stopped and looked down at her. "We will have every single one of them back in this house safe and sound," he said, his voice quiet but fierce. "That's the way it's going to be. Noi'meynea gralis horrara - our thoughts shape the universe." He gave her a tight smile, forcing the Askani accent back out of his voice as he went on. "But we have to believe."

"I think belief is a rare commodity when mutants are concerned." Betsy removed her hand, regaining her composure, and resumed their patrol. "In my experience, Nathan. Belief gets you killed."

"Belief can also save you," Nathan said, following her. "In my experience. Even if it's something as simple as 'I am not going to die'."

"I don't share that sentiment, at least not anymore. I know that strength and practise will save you in the end." Betsy tried not to look deeply into the surge of energy within Nathan. The Askani? She had never understood what exactly they were, she had felt their influence through Alison. But anything that worked by possessing your being made Betsy nervous. She couldn't help but not trust them, and perhaps, she couldn't trust Nathan because of it. Betsy waited until the curious change in his signature returned to normal. She had seen what a person with multiple personalities looked like, fractures within the mind. Broken. It was an odd thing to see, even for a telepath. And at times, Nate looked like a crazy man.

His mind and Betsy's were both wide open as they searched, so he couldn't help but catch a little of that. #The brain-sucking parasites don't particularly trust you, either, if that's any consolation,# he sent sharply.

Her eyebrows shot up at that little message. "No need to get snippy about it," Betsy said sharply. "I'm sorry, but I've had a rather personal experience with brain-sucking parasites." She took a moment to settle the emotions she felt stirring. And she firmly began reestablishing her mental walls, if he couldn't take her feelings into account. So be it. "I can't help but be worried about their influence. And if I thought it was my place to say such things, I would've voiced them, instead of internalizing my concern."

The Askani roiled like some great inner sea, responding to his agitation, and he clamped down on his emotions ruthlessly, pushing it all down and away. "I'm not possessed," he said tightly. "I am still in here, more or less intact, and with a couple of brief exceptions, have been in control all along. But this isn't really the best time for this discussion." He threw down his own shields again, almost defiantly, and started scanning as they moved down the hall.

She continued the search with Nathan by her side. Shuddering, as his mind opened up like a lotus bloom. To her, it felt like being exposed to the sun. Instinctively, Betsy reinforced her shields. "There's never time for anything, anymore." She said cautiously. She knew she could conduct scans easily enough without having to open herself to him. Odd, how when in his presence a few weeks ago, Betsy had never felt much concern about her safety. Perhaps, recent events had taken their toll on her more so than she realized.

The Askani were... romping. The psis, at least, and Nathan blinked, a bit dizzied as he felt what seemed very much to be them pushing and shoving rather gleefully, trying to look through his telepathic senses. It struck him that this was the first time he'd dropped his shields completely since... well, since they'd moved in. #Have I kept you all cooped up?# he asked curiously, and his eyes widened a little as Askani's firebird-shape shifted through his mind almost joyfully. #Well, since you're all awake, any input would be welcome...#

Betsy blinked slowly, obviously catching the signs of light growing in bursts. She heard his voice, talking to --someone. She scanned the surrounding area. Moira was in the medlab, undisturbed. "Nathan, who're you talking to you? What input?"

"The two hundred and fifteen dead psis living in my brain," he said aloud, calmly. "Maybe they've seen something like this before."

Two hundred and fifteen dead. Betsy felt sick. She didn't want to know anything about any dead psionic, anywhere near her, or still within her. Whispers dancing on the tendrils of her mind, surfaced with eerie force. Come now, Elisabeth. We're not all bad. SHUT IT! You're not here, you're just a stupid memory. Go away! A familiar tug sent Betsy reeling. I could never leave you, Elisabeth darling. Never.

Outwardly, Betsy started backing away slowly from Nathan. A sense of fear welling up in her. "Nathan, don't. Please."

#We're frightening her.# Askani's voice was calm, and Nathan frowned a little, looking back at Betsy and tensing as he saw the way she was looking at him. #Back into the stars, children,# Askani went on. #Nathan, this vanishing is beyond our experience, as far as I can tell. We have no help to offer.#

He felt a sudden sense of loss as they shifted back into his mindscape, becoming stars in that inner sky once more. #All right,# he sent after them, the thought a little lost. It had been a while since he'd felt them coursing through him like that. "I'm sorry, Betsy," he said aloud, more gently, as he pulled his shields back into place. "But they're not her. Maybe sometimes you'll let them prove that to you."

"Don't." Her eyes still wide with fear, she looked hurtfully at Nathan before turning away. "We still have a few more hours before shift change." Betsy resumed her walk down the darkened hallway, at that moment, not caring if Nathan came along.

Nathan followed along behind her, feeling, surprisingly enough, only a moderate amount of guilt. He hadn't intended to frighten her, after all. Once he was sure the Askani were settled again, he let down his shields partway and started to scan once more. "Are you sensing anything unusual at all?" he said, his voice back to being professional. "Your range is much better than mine."

"No, there's nothing." Betsy replied tiredly. "I've scanned inside the school, outside the school, the immediate area. There's no sign of them. It's as if they've been removed off the face of the Earth."