Avengers: Vengeance

Finding Cerebro

With the rest of Krakoa in upheaval, Emma, with Xavier in her arms, was able to roam the corridors of Magneto's castle mostly unencumbered- aside from the host of guards who maintained their posts.

"We mustn't hurt any of them, Emma," Xavier cautioned as he unleashed a psychic bolt that collided with a group of guards as they approached him. Psychic pain exploded in their heads and they fell helplessly to the ground.

"So long as they don't hurt us," Emma chuckled.

A guard spun out from behind a distant corner and tossed a lance of energy in their direction. Emma turned around, giving her back to the projectile and protecting Xavier from harm. The energy blast hit Emma and ricocheted off of her hard surface. The explosion hit the roof and sent several chunks of debris to the floor. 

"Dammit," Xavier cursed.

Emma set Charles down on the floor. "Just a minor setback, dear," she said in a nonchalant voice. "Be a poppet and wait right here."

Xavier sighed in annoyance at his lack of mobility. He didn't often curse fate for paralyzing his legs, but times such as these certainly brought the ache to the surface.

Emma turned around and drew back a fist, then slammed it into the rubble. It burst into powder and she charged through the gap toward the attacker, who was now joined by two others. Blasts of varying types met her and her lips curled into a smirk.

"What's this bitch made of? Crystal?" one of the guards demanded.

"Crystal?" Emma asked in playful outrage as she closed the distance and grabbed two of the guards by their collars and lifted them overhead. "My taste runs far more high-end

 than that, darlings." She cracked both of their heads against each other and dropped the dazed men to the floor before turning on the last guard. "It's diamond, dearest," she finished before throwing a right hook that laid the last enemy out and left his head ringing.

Xavier smiled as Emma lifted him up and resumed the hunt for Cerebro.

"You're smiling, Charles," Emma observed. "Penny for them?"

"I think you may be the most expensive vehicle that's ever carried me," Xavier quipped.

"No price tag would be sufficient, Charles," Emma bantered.

"Emma, Professor!" Kyle shouted as he turned a corner from behind them.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked as Kyle slowed to a stop and stood before them, panting.

"Magneto just released these huge robots he called Sentinels," Kyle breathlessly explained. "The others are in trouble."

Xavier watched Kyle suspiciously. Mystique's ability to shapeshift into anyone of her choosing was powerful, and her ability to resist telepathic manipulation only made it more dangerous. "What are you doing here, Kyle," Xavier asked. "You were supposed to stay with the others."

Kyle opened his mouth to answer and Emma suddenly reached out and punched him directly in the face, tossing him several feet backward. She smiled down at Xavier. "Sorry, but we're a bit pressed for time."

Kyle flipped backward, landing in a crouch. His eyes  became an alarming yellow and a very out-of-place smile graced his features. Slowly rising to his feet, his skin began to flip like tiles until Mystique stood in his place. "Good one," she flippantly praised. "Aside from Magneto, I'm the only person who knows where Cerebro is kept. And you know you'll have a hard time extracting that little tidbit from my head," she said as she tapped her temple.

"Then I suppose beating it out of you will have to suffice," Emma sighed. "Inelegant but effective, nonetheless."

Mystique smiled and a ghost of hesitation passed over her face. "That's true," she said in a serious tone. "We could certainly fight each other. Waste a lot of time. Or I could tell you where Cerebro is."

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why not?" Mystique replied in a coy voice.

"Because, up until now, you've been Magneto's right hand," Xavier pointed out. "And now you expect us to believe you'd like to help us instead?"

Mystique shook her head. "The plan was perfect at first," she admitted. "But things have only spiraled out of control now. I'd say things have become irreparable at this point." There came a distant crash followed by a shockwave that shook the castle and Mystique smiled. "Wouldn't you agree?" 

"Which way?" Xavier asked.

"Follow me," Mystique invited.

Emma reached out with a free hand and grabbed Mystique's upper arm, her diamond fingers digging into her blue flesh. "If you mislead us you'll regret it."

"Then I'll be sure not to," Mystique said, pulling her arm free and running down the corridor.

Together, the three of them followed the corridor into Magneto's sanctum. Mystique pressed her palm against the biometric scanner and the doors slid open with a metallic whisper. The room slowly became visible as the automatic lights came on. Emma and Xavier followed Mystique into the large, egg-shaped room and stared in awe at the sight of Cerebro. There, just before them, was a way for Xavier to reach every mind on the planet simultaneously. He could free them all.

A horrible explosion rang out overhead and the ceiling buckled, then ripped open as two figures- one green and massive, the other metallic and imposing- tumbled down to the bottom of the room. They landed with a heavy, crushing thud and all three mutants winced as the two of them rolled across the floor, crushing Cerebro underneath them.

"NO!" Emma cried.

"We need to get out of here," Mystique cautioned. "We can't do anything here now- especially with those two duking it out!"

Xavier's eyes rested upon the broken machine as Emma carried him away from the room.  They escaped through another hole the Hulk and his enemy had created in the side of the room that led outside. 

"We've got to get down there and help them," Emma determined.

Xavier spied the fight in the distance, watchful of how the Sentinels had surrounded the others. Rogue flew up to the face of one of the towering cyborgs. She threw a thunderous punch into its face. The blow sent it staggering backward where Colossus sent a cracking punch to its legs, toppling it. Nearby, Kyle generated a massive burst of telekinetic force. He popped up into the air and hurled it into the face of another Sentinel, blowing a hole through its head. Jean reached out and gathered the earth nearby, pulling up huge chunks of it with her min. She raised her hands and the rubble floated up and was directed at a nearby Sentinel, bludgeoning it as it attempted to close in.

"They seem to be doing well," Mystique pointed out with grudging respect.

But even as she said the words, more Sentinels began to rise up. And this time, there were dozens of them. In that instant, Xavier knew what he had to do. He gripped Emma's shoulder, catching her attention. 

"Charles?"

"The only way we can hope to survive is if we wake everyone else up."

"But the island will wake up and do who knows what..."

"We can't worry about that now," Xavier said. "With all of us together, we stand a much greater chance than if we don't act at all. Besides, I have a plan."

Emma bit her lip and nodded. "If you say so."

Xavier shut his eyes and reached across the island and deep beneath its surface. One by one, his mind detected each and every one of his students. Then he gave one loud and powerful mental command.

TO ME, MY X-MEN!