FicWad

X-men: Evolution of the Heart
Chapter 34: Day of Recovery

**************************************************

"This is your fault! You destroyed it all! Why!?" yelled an angry Scott as he and his fellow X-men stood before a triumphant Mystique.

She had destroyed their home...The only place that they could ever so much as call home. It was gone now because of her.

"You destroyed Asteroid M...I destroyed your home. We're even now. Don't ever think you can get away with humiliating and defeating me and my comrades. Consider this your long overdue payback."

"You're sick Mystique...You're fucking sick!" yelled Logan as he unsheathed his claws and prepared to tear the blue shape shifter apart.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Wolverine. If you hurt me, than you'll never find out where your Professor is. And don't bother trying to scan my mind; you can not beat my mental shields."

"She's right," said Jean as she tried to get in to her head for some answers, "I'm not getting anything."

All this seemed to send Kurt over the edge. His own mother had just destroyed his home and had done it without conscious. Now he felt the blood in his veins burn with raw anger.

"YOU EVIL BITCH!" yelled Kurt as he tackled Mystique to the ground and wrapped his hands firmly around her neck, ready to choke the life out of her. "YOU'VE ALREADY MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL, AND THAT STILL ISN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU???"

"That's no way to talk to you're mother...SON," said Mystique as she struggled to escape Kurt's death grip.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" yelled Rogue as she lunged forth and reached to grab Mystique with her ungloved hand.

But before she could make contact, Mystique was able to kick Kurt off her and send him crashing in to Rogue. The rest of the team wanted nothing more than to vaporize Mystique right then and there, but before they could she shifted in to a black raven and began to fly away while dodging optic blasts and spikes in the process. However, as she was leaving, she said one last thing to the enraged X-men.

"Fight me all you want...But I think that's going to be the least of your worries."

Kurt and Rogue were at a total loss for words now. Their own flesh and blood had destroyed their home. Anger gave way to guilt for being a part of this woman's so called 'family' when in reality she was never a mother at all to them. Before they could do anything else, a gentle shaking could be felt in the ground. And in the distance a large cloud of dust began to rise up over the horizon.

"What the..." began Logan, but soon it dawned on him and the rest of the team. "SHIT! It's the military!"

Then, a booming voice came through loudspeakers being wielded by a strong, ominous looking man in full military uniform.

"Attention! This is the army! By direct order of the Federal Government you are all hereby under arrest and are to be bought in for questioning!"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," said Scott as it seemed he and the X-men were going to have to fight once more.

Soon, canisters of tear gas were launched at the bewildered team of mutants. However, with Storm's help, it was blow right back at them.

"We have to get out of here!" said Storm as she and the rest of the group used the momentary cloud of gas over the front line of military vehicles to spread out and lead them away.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" said Evan as he followed his Aunt and Logan to find cover near some of the rubble along with the others.

This action only enraged the leader of the strike force.

"GET THEM! DON'T LET EM GET AWAY!"

The X-men took cover wherever they could as a wave of troops jumped out of their jeeps and scrambled to find them. Soon, gunfire and grenade explosions could be heard. It bought back some old memories of the streets for the young teens, but now was not the time to dwell on it. It was a life and death situation now. They had faced far too many of them in their short lives as it is, but now they were forced to face another.

"How are we gonna get outta this one?" said Rogue as she took cover with the rest of the team.

"We have to get back to the X-jet," said Scott as he fired an optic blast back at some of the jeeps, "We can't let them destroy it."

"Great plan...Any idea how we get through the damn army in our way?"

They all knew this was easier said than done because they had landed it on the other side of the institute and now they had to make their way through the trees surrounding the institute or risk being easy targets.

"I guess we'll have to improvise," said Beast as Scott and Jean were once again busy deflecting incoming projectiles.

Using this opening, Beast and Rogue tried to lead more troops away. However, they were soon pinned down by a line of rugged off road vehicles manned by heavily armed soldiers.

"We got em now!" said one of the men as they opened fire once more in an attempt to flush the trapped mutants out.

Suddenly, two figures appeared behind them. The startled soldiers turned around to see Kurt and Kitty.

"Gutan tag," said Kurt casually as he proceeded to kick some of the soldiers out of the vehicle.

Kitty then used this opportunity to short circuit the automotive mechanisms with her phasing powers. From that she went along the row of military jeeps and kept short circuiting the vital components that made them run. Some soldiers tried to shoot her, but she phased right through the bullets.

"What the hell?" said one of the soldiers as he unloaded what seemed like an entire magazine at Kitty.

"It's like shooting through air!" exclaimed another.

Just then, Kurt appeared right before the bewildered troops that had been shooting at Kitty.

"You're gonna regret doing that!" said an angry Kurt as he kicked the guns out of their hands and knocked them out cold with his fighting skills that he had learned from training in the Danger Room.

Upon slowing them down, Kurt and Kitty took cover with Rogue in the trees as they slowly made their way back towards the others.

Meanwhile Scott, Jean, and Logan kept fighting their way towards the X-jet. They knew they had to act fast, for if the X-jet was too heavily damaged they would be completely trapped.

"We're getting closer!" said Jean as the jet was now in sight. "I'll cover you!"

"How?!" yelled Scott as he fired another optic blast in to the hail of gunfire.

"I'll put up a shield around the whole thing! All you need to do is start it and get it in the air!" said Jean as she deflected another capture net that was launched her way.

"Have you ever even tried something like that before?!" exclaimed Scott knowing the strain such an action could put on his girlfriend.

"No time for debate Cyke!" said Logan as he fell back towards them, "Do it Jeannie!"

They were out of options and out of time. Jean didn't hesitate any longer as she put up a large telekinetic shield around the entire X-jet. It was a feat she had never tried before and it was on a scale that she never thought she could do, but with the help of the power surge she received from the Phoenix and Scott's psychic support she was able to keep it up. Scott and Logan didn't waste time as they scrambled on board the jet and started the engines. They knew Jean couldn't hold up the shield forever so they had to act fast.

'Can't...Hold it...Much...Longer,' said Jean through her link with Scott as more and more rounds of bullets and shells were shot at the X-jet.

'Come on Jean, you can do it! Just a little bit longer!' said Scott as the systems of the plane came to life.

"We're up and runnin'!" said Logan as the engines began to roar.

Just then, Kurt teleported in to the plane with Kitty and Rogue and promptly teleported back out to get Beast, Evan, and Storm. Jean still had the shield up, but it was starting to waver because of the strain. Seconds ticked by slowly as they waited for the rest of the team. The air was tense and the noises from the outside echoed loudly. Finally, Kurt appeared with Storm, Evan, and Beast and they were ready to take off.

"Everybody here?" said Storm as she and the others promptly strapped themselves in for a bumpy ride.

"Wait! Don't take off! Jean's still out there!" said Scott as he ran to the doors.

"Hurry it up kid! They're closin' on us!" yelled Logan as the noise around them only grew stronger.

Scott didn't waste time as he ran out and found Jean still standing near the doors struggling immensely to keep the shields up. She had gone beyond her pervious limits to protect their only way out and she was on the verge of passing out completely.

"Can't...Hold it...Any...More," stammered Jean as she tried not to pass out, however she soon found in impossible to fight. As her body collapsed from fatigue, Scott caught her and quickly carried her in to the jet.

"NOW LOGAN! GO! GO!" yelled Scott as the doors closed.

Then, the vibration of the engines could be felt by all as the X-jet rose from the ground and began to speed off through a hail of gunfire.

"Jean...Are you okay?" said Scott softly as he tried to wake her up.

The strain Jean had put on her mind was great, but she had done it. Slowly, the young mutant regained consciousness.

"Ow...My head," moaned Jean as she felt pressure in her head from the great deal of strain she had just put on it. "Did it I do it? Is everybody safe?"

"Yeah...Everybody's safe now. Don't worry Jean...Just rest for now," said Scott as he held her close and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Everybody breathed a collective sigh of relief, for they had made it out alive. However, it didn't change the terrible events that had happened. The Professor was gone, their home was destroyed, and the world was now a much more hostile place.

**************************************************

There was nowhere to go now that the world had seen them exposed as mutants live on TV. It now seemed that everywhere there were police cars and military forces scouring the streets. Every neighborhood seemed like a ghost town now. People were afraid to even set foot outside because of the fear that now gripped the country. This led the X-men to seek refuge in a dirty, dingy cave located in the heavily wooded countryside of upstate New York. By now, night had fallen over the land and most of the team had collapsed from exhaustion. They were all so tired after what had happened, that all they could think about now was sleep. They wanted to wake up from this nightmare that seemed so unreal, yet it couldn't it couldn't be escaped.

Despite fatigue and exhaustion Logan, Hank, and Ororo stayed awake and stood at the opening of the cave discussing what should be done next.

"Washington huh? You sure that's a good idea now that the cat's outta the bag?" said Logan as he heard of Ororo and Hank's plans.

"Yes, something has to be done in order to alleviate public fear," said Hank as he now dressed in a trench coat and a hat that was stashed in the plane in case the need for a disguise came up.

"Well what makes you think they'll listen to you? What if you get arrested or lynched?" said Logan not liking one bit of their plan.

"We have to try Logan...We have to do something to stop this madness. They now fear us because they don't understand. And we have to show the world that we are not to be feared...Or else Magneto will have truly won," said Ororo knowing that this had to be done.

Logan still didn't like the plan one bit...But in the end he knew Storm was right.

"But still...I think you should let me go instead."

"No...You have to stay here and watch over the students. They need us now more than ever Logan. And we must come through for them..."

Ororo's words had a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety, but it did not affect her decision. Logan knew this and could only accept it.

"Well then...Be careful out there. Ya hear?"

"Don't worry. We will," said Hank managing a smile.

"Are you ready Hank?" said Ororo as she started to kick up a small tornado.

"Well, I'm glad I skipped dinner...So yeah. Let's go!"

And with that the wind lifted them in to the air and they sped off back towards the mansion where they would pick up the X-copter. That is...If it was still intact. But they would get to Washington never the less, for they had to...Their survival depended on it.

**************************************************

Few words were spoken the next day as each mutant awoke from their slumber. Feelings of dread and sorrow ran through everybody as reality set in. This was no nightmare or dream...This was real. There was only a small ration of food stashed away in the X-jet, so hunger would definitely be a problem if they hid out too long. The dingy cave that they were staying in also did little to bolster their spirits.

Now, much of the team simply lofted about the cave in a dazed state, wondering what was going to happen to them next. Kitty had been trying to get a signal from a radio they had stashed in the jet, but the remoteness of the area was bringing nothing but static.

"Damn it...Still can't get a signal," said Kitty as she walked to another part of the cave.

"This far out, you'll be lucky if ya can get anything," muttered Rogue pessimistically as she rested her head against the hard cave walls.

"Yeah...Just like the good ol' days," added Evan as he watched the all too familiar situation.

"Ve've lived in worse, Evan," reminded Kurt although it did little to help.

"Yeah...I know."

Staying in the dirty, dingy cave bought back old memories of their struggles on the streets. The hard surfaces, the stale air, and the constant fear of total strangers out to get them was an all to familiar feeling that only made the hearts and minds of the young mutants sink further in to hopelessness. They had tried to forget the terrible time they had spent alone and scared on the streets ever since they had joined the institute. The feelings never left them, but they had learned to at least cope with them. Now they didn't even have that anymore. It was like starting all over again from scratch in their already sad lives.

Jean couldn't take it hearing all their thoughts of fear and despair, so she made her way outside to the entrance of the cave where Scott was leaning against the side lost in thought.

"Hey Scott."

"Hey," he replied simply.

"Where's Logan?" she asked as she stood next to him.

"In the X-jet, gathering whatever food is left so at least we won't go hungry."

"Yeah...I remember how bad that felt."

"Yeah."

Neither of them said much, for there was not much else to say. This whole situation had left every one of them speechless. They had seen so many terrible sights in their lives, but this was truly one of the worst. They had lost the only place they had ever been able to call home.

"So what happens next?" said Jean breaking the silence.

"I don't know...But the best thing to do now is find the Professor."

"Do you think he's okay?"

"I wish I could tell you he was Jean but...I just don't know. I guess we just have to have faith that he's still out there."

Scott just stood there besides Jean at a loss for better words. He wished he could do something more and knowing everybody looked up to him as the team leader he felt somewhat disappointed in himself, for he could offer no simple plan of action. Scott Summers let out a tired sigh as he leaned against Jean and pulled her in to a gentle hug. It helped calm the both of them down as they looked in to the empty distances of the northern expanse.

"Its kind of ironic isn't it?" said Scott as his gaze shifted back towards her.

"What is?"

"You know. How we've survived the streets, Magneto, and the Phoenix...Only to have everything fall apart from something like this."

"Hey, don't think that Scott. Everything hasn't fallen apart...There's still hope. If we can survive those things than we can definitely survive this," said Jean trying to stay strong despite the hopelessness of their situation. "We've all been through so much together. And every time I thought that I couldn't go on...You were there to help me. And I was there to help you. Even though we went through a lot to get to this point...You always told me to never give up hope no matter what. Don't let that fail you now..."

Scott pondered Jean's words briefly. He knew she was right. And it was strange that she was simply giving him the exact same advice he had given her all those years ago when they were faced with situations far darker than the ones they faced now. It was kind of funny in a sense that he had forgotten his own words...But thankfully Jean hadn't.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Scott managed to smile.

"I won't give up hope Jean...As long as you're here to remind me, I'll be there to remind you. Thanks."

Scott then placed a soft kiss upon her forehead to show his gratitude for helping to keep him strong. Jean managed to smile back as she simply rested her tired head against his shoulder. The couple simply stayed like this and for a brief moment helped them deal with this tumultuous time.

Soon, they were interrupted by a noise from the cave.

"Hey! I got a signal!"

It was Kitty, who had been fooling with a small radio for hours now trying to pick up any broadcasts that might shed light on what was happening back in Bayville. Scott and Jean rushed back in to listen in.

"Turn it up Kitty! I can't hear," said Evan as he leaned in closer to the speaker.

"I will if everybody stops crowding me!"

As Kitty turned the volume up, some choppy speech could be deciphered.

"And authorities are still on the lookout for the nine mutant suspects that took part in yesterdays unprecedented attack in Manhattan. Most of them have been identified as young students from the Bayville area. On the outside they look like normal teenagers, but as that now famous footage shows...Nothing could be farther from the truth. The military issued a statement a few hours ago, saying that the home of these mutants known as 'The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters' has been destroyed in what appeared to be a self-destruct mechanism. Most of the officials agree that this was most likely a tactic by the head of the institute to hide their escape from authorities. Local law enforcement has declared the inhabitance of the institute fugitives now and their whereabouts remain unknown."

The X-men tried to hide their shock as the radio continued to broadcast blatant lies.

"Criminals!?" exclaimed Evan as he listened to the disturbing broadcast. "They think we blew up our own home and now they're calling us CRIMINALS?!"

"Just like old times, ja?" muttered Kurt as he continued to listen.

"This is bullshit!" said Evan again as his frustration grew.

"Calm down Evan!" said Scott. "They're groping around in the dark. They don't know so they're making assumptions."

Evan choked back his anger as the broadcast continued.

"Principal Edward Kelly of Bayville High, the same school the suspected teens attended, had this to say. 'I always had my suspicions about those Xavier students. Now I know the truth and so does the rest of the world. I strongly believe that mutants pose a great threat to humanity and every one of them must be dealt with in order for the public to be safe again.' Capitol Hill seems to be sharing his thoughts as a special joint session is meeting as we speak to discuss the proper course of action to take against the mutant threat."

After that, none of the teens could take it anymore. Kitty let out a frustrated sigh as she dropped the radio and sat on the cold floor. Kurt sat next to her as a wave of despair came over the six teens. The worst had happened...They were lost, scared, and had nowhere to go. It was all too familiar as they felt as if the world around them had come crashing down.

"It's over...It's really over," said Kitty as she leaned against Kurt for support. "After everything that's happened...It's all gone."

"Guess this means we'll have to start all over again," muttered Rogue as she slumped back against the hard cave walls.

"Guys come on...Don't talk like that," said Scott as he stood up.

"Face it Scott...It's over. The Professor's gone, the institute's gone...Everything's gone," said Evan in a defeated tone.

"No it's not!" said Scott refusing to accept it. "We've lost everything before...And we've been in this position before. And if we just roll over and die right here and now...Everything we've worked so hard to gain will go with it."

"But vhat can ve do?" said Kurt desperately as he tried to grasp whatever hope Scott was trying to convey.

"We have to stay strong. We have to show the world that we're not dangerous...We're not threats."

"How the hell do we do that? I mean, how is this any different then last time?" said Rogue who didn't sound too hopeful.

Scott just sighed, for he didn't have all the answers. However, he would not except defeat.

"You're wrong Rogue. This isn't like before. Back then, we didn't have anything to fight for other than survival. But this time...We have more. This time, we have the power to take back what Magneto and Mystique took from us. We have the power to show the world who we really are. Come on guys...We can't just give up now. We're stronger than that...I know we are. We've been through hell once...We can do it again..."

Scott's words were too true for them to ignore. They had been through hell...But they had survived it. Through all this turmoil they had been dwelling how weak they were...And not how strong they had become. Their lives had been nothing more than a long streak of suffering, but in the end they had lived through it and persevered. This time was different...This time they had the power to change their lives. And they couldn't squander such a gift.

"You're right Scott..." said Kitty as she stood up. "We can't just sit around in sulk. We have to do something."

"Ja...If we had just given up all those years ago...We would definitely be dead by now," said Kurt as he rose too.

Rogue looked at Kurt and Kitty, and soon she found herself stand up as well.

"Yer right...Given up now just ain't our style."

This left Evan, who was still lost in thought...But not for long. Ignoring his own doubts, he stood as well.

"If you guys are still gonna fight...I'll fight too. We've always been a team...And I'm not gonna stray from that...Not now, not ever."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, hope could be felt throughout the X-men. They were going to keep on fighting for the dream Xavier had taught them and the ideas they had come to believe in. A new will had come over them as they began to face up to the challenges they knew were ahead of them.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rogue.

"We find the Professor," answered Jean.

Scott managed to smile back at her as a token of thanks, for she had been the one to lift his spirits.

'Nice little speech there Slim,' commented Jean through their link.

'It was inspired by you, Jean. Thanks for not letting me give up hope,' he sent back as she smiled back at him.

'Anytime Scott...Anytime.'

As the team prepared to leave the cave they were confronted by Logan who had a very disgruntled look on his face.

"We have to get outta here...The scanners on the jet just picked something up. We may have company real soon..."

As Logan said those words, the noise of helicopters could be heard in the distance.

**************************************************

In a remote train station on the secluded expanses of upstate New York, a large freight train stopped along the tracks. Rail workers began to open up the cars one by one to unload the heavy freight, but as one of the workers opened the side doors he was met with an unexpected sight.

"What? Who are you?" said the rail worker as he saw a huge, oversized man sitting casually on a crate.

The large man didn't say a word. He just got off the train and put a strange, bowl-like helmet on. The bewildered old rail worker took in the man's massive size. He had never seen muscles so big on another human being. He was so big that he cast a dangerous shadow over him as he stood before the cowering old man.

"Wait...You're not one of them mutants now are ya?"

The large man stared down at the small human before him and gave him a dangerous look. Then, he answered his questions with actions as he slammed his massive fists against the side of the train...Causing the whole thing to shake, tilt, and keel over.

"Yeah, I'm a mutant...The strongest mutant alive. I'm completely unstoppable. They call me...Juggernaut."

**************************************************

AN: Things are definitely heating up now! Stay tuned for the next chapter if you want to see the X-men versus the unstoppable Juggernaut! Can they beat him without the Professor? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. So what do you think of this story? I know it's starting to run very long, but I felt it was necessary. Please tell me what you think! Send your reviews to me at slickboy444@aol.com or post them on fanfiction.net. Well, thanks for reading and best wishes to you all!

SO...HUNGRY...NEED...REVIEWS!!!