Avengers: Vengeance

The Clouds Part

When the young woman woke up she was met with two very abrupt feelings. One- the slimy body that had collided with her and torn her from the vines smelled terrible. Two- she wanted very much to return to the dream. And it was a dream, no matter how real it had felt. The wedding, surrounded by family and friends. The dream house. The children. She'd been making lunch for them when she'd been ripped from the fantasy.

Now, laying on her side in the warm cavern, she felt the luster of the fantasy wearing off. She was coming back to herself. False memories receded as the clouds shifted in her mind. The going was slow, but soon she was able to move again. The strength that had been leached from her body for so long was starting to return. She couldn't think of the film, but she suddenly recalled the scene where Uma Thurman was wiggling her big toe as she slowly escaped paralysis. She lay there on the ground, willing herself to not only reclaim her body, but also her mind. Frustration filled her as if something were on the tip of her tongue.

Enough strength returned that she was able to roll onto her side and prop herself up. She pushed off of the ground, her legs trembling from disuse. She stumbled and fell against the slick wall. Steadying herself, she looked into the sleeping face of the young woman resting against the wall. Purple hair clung to the woman's face, her beautiful features peaceful and at rest.

"Betsy," she whispered. Then she frowned. "How do I know who you are,  Betsy?" She turned away from the sleeping woman, her strength gradually growing.

Betsy. Betsy, Betsy, Betsy. Elizabeth. She stopped walking. Elizabeth Braddock.

The woman turned in a slow circle and stared at the rest of the people. As she took in everyone, their names came to her more quickly.

Warren. Kurt. Bobby. Emma. Ororo. Professor Xavier. Kyle.

And there were many others.  Her eyes fell upon the figure of a sleeping man in the distance and her heart leaped. She ran toward him, tripping all the way. She fell against him and ran her hands over his face. "Scott," she whispered. His peaceful face did little to soothe her as she took in the vines that pulsated against him. She pressed her hands against the sides of his head and...

The shy boy with red glasses smiling at her when she arrived at the school. Afraid of what she could do with her mind but safe in his company.

The rush of memories hit her like a freight train and she swayed for a moment and squeezed her eyes shut. I know who I am, she thought. Her eyes snapped open and narrowed as her expression shifted to one of anger. "And I know what you did, Magneto," Jean Grey growled.

Being a victim of Krakoa meant she'd need time to come back to herself completely; she would need time for her powers to return. So would anyone else she freed. She looked at everyone and weighed her options carefully. She knew releasing everyone could have fatal consequences. Krakoa would rage. And what needed to be done next couldn't be delayed by a fight with a monstrous island.

"So I can't free everyone," Jean whispered as she looked around.

The island had to stay satiated but she would need help for what needed to be done. She would need to be smart about what she did next. Psychics were the most obvious choice. After all, they were the first to be given to Krakoa. Magneto, with his intentions hidden beneath that helmet of his, had known his little scheme with his new friends could be foiled in an instant by the psychics.

Quickly, she began to tear vines away from Emma. The blonde muttered something as she fell into Jean's arms and was lowered to the ground. Jean didn't spare time to hear her, instead moving on to Betsy, then Xavier. She looked at the rest of them and felt guilty just knowing she couldn't help everyone.

Help a few for now.

She looked over at Kyle and suddenly began to recall the events that had taken place just after she'd been roused from her sleep. Magneto had given Kyle to Krakoa. Jean reached for the vines that clung to Kyle and tore him loose. Having only been snared for a short while, he recovered far faster than the others.

"Where are they?"

Jean smiled at her friend. "There are more important answers to find, Kyle."

Kyle frowned. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

Jean could feel her powers slowly taking shape again. The clouds were parting. And though her telepathic abilities were still awakening, she knew she could deliver him from the manipulation. She laid her hands on Kyle's head and entered his mind. As she worked, it was much like sorting through papers in a filing cabinet. Entire portions were out of place, hidden. But she could reorganize. And when she finished, it would be Kyle Hensley again. As Jean worked, Kyle's eyes widened. Realization was flooding him and with it came a sense of total disgust. When Jean finished, he stepped back and stared at her.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Kyle shook his head. "Fuck no, I'm not. Jean, they have to be stopped."

"I know."

"Then why are we wasting time? Let's wake everyone up and go..."

"We can't do that, Kyle," Xavier spoke in a fatigued voice as he lay on the ground and stared up at them. Emma and Betsy were kneeling at his side.

"Oh, are we back to not doing anything again?" Kyle challenged.

Emma stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you daft? Can you not see what's happening around us? The island is feeding, Kyle. And if we take away it's food source entirely, we'll have one rather large problem to add to our already growing list."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Kyle challenged.

"There's an entire world out there of people who don't remember," Xavier spoke weakly. "We need to get to them. Help them, the way Jean just helped you."

"Steve," Kyle said. "Where is he? He's not on the island, or at least I've never seen him here..."

"He isn't on the island," Xavier affirmed.

"Then that means..." Kyle didn't even want to think it. The rest of the planet was said to be a wasteland. If Steve wasn't on Krakoa...

"Krakoa isn't the only inhabitable place on earth," Xavier said. "That's just another lie Erik uses. Just another part of his manipulation. He and his allies bastardized reality, Kyle. They twisted it to their liking. In order to maintain it they have to keep up the facade however they can."

"Magneto has his adoring empire of mutants," Emma said.

"Loki and Amora have Asgard for themselves," Xavier went on. "Ultron has the majority of the globe. And Dr. Doom has an empire of his own. If Steve and any of the Avengers still live, that's where they'll be."

"Still live," Kyle repeated. "So everyone else could be dead." He didn't want to say it, but he couldn't tolerate anything but the truth now, no matter how harsh it may be.

"Yes," Xavier sighed. He read the despair that was reaching Kyle's eyes and smiled softly. "But just because they've altered reality doesn't mean it can't be mended."

Kyle's jaw tightened. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"The sooner we can restore everyone's sense of reality, the sooner we can stop all of this," Xavier said.

"Then let's go," Kyle said with a sense of urgency. All he could think about was Steve, maybe out there somewhere in all the chaos that existed beyond Krakoa's shores. "Let's stop wasting time."

"Awakening everyone will be a time-consuming task," Betsy assessed. "And they may not be the people we used to know. They could be resistant, dangerous."

Kyle shook his head. "I don't care. We have to free them. No matter what."

Emma smiled at him. "Thinking of that delicious World War II relic of a boyfriend?"

Kyle glared at her. "Mind your business."