"Who's all here?" Cyclops demands once inside the X-Jet, a fresh visor provided to him.
Rogue answers from the cockpit: "Everyone but Angel, Beast and* Magma."
*And Storm, by-the-way! Rogue doesn't mention this because Cyclops wouldn't expect her to be, being she's still off-continent doing things that will be covered in -you guessed it!- a future Issue set in the past! There was supposed to be some earlier in-story dialogue that would've made this clear. -out-of-story-clarifier-Tra
Cyclops, still with Xack in his arms, comes over to use the jet's communications to speak to the others: "Everyone return but Jubilee and Shadowcat-" Xack fusses over what else Cyclops tries to say.
Shadowcat: "Say again?"
BAMF
Nightcrawler dutifully returns.
Cyclops tries to settle Xack while commanding Nightcrawler: "Get everyone back here except Jubilee and Shadowcat, now."
BAMF
While Nightcrawler locates the others, we hear Rogue's voice over comm. relaying back to Shadowcat (though all can hear): "-Cyclops wants you and Jubilee to keep an ah' on everyone who's unconscious in there and see what they know when they wake."
Behind this, we hear Nightcrawler returning to the jet, and:
"Vhere is Jean?"
". . .she's gone."
Wolverine has happened across the scared, fleeing Saara Najhood when he hears this.
"I'm sorry! I-"
"You're comin' with me, lady."
Cyclops (CONT'D): "That's why we have to move."
Shifting a quieting Xack to his other shoulder, Cyclops begins instructing Colossus to reroute the jet when the newly BAMFED Wolverine interrupts: "What do you mean Jean's gone?"
Cyclops pauses impatiently; another explanation is necessary ahead of that one:
"Through our telepathic connection I can tell if Jean's close. . .I just lost her signal."
He just notices who Wolverine's got with him.
Scott looks Saara in the eyes.
Saara looks Cyclops in the visor.
Without taking his eyes off Saara, he finishes: "Colossus, coordinates:" listing specific ones off.
Colossus inputs them, though points out: "We saw no one leaving. If you just lost her, could she not still be in the building?"
"No. Now let's go."
He breaks eye "contact" with Saara to get settled in a seat with Xack.
Everyone else belts in, as well.
Sitting in one of the side seats, beside Saara, Wolverine turns to her once at altitude.
"So, how responsible do I hold you for Jean's disappearance?"
He slowly extends his claws to about an inch.
Cyclops: "Wolverine, save it." He's gotten up with Xack.
He looks at Saara. "Answer him."
While she does, Cyclops gets some rations out of a compartment and sits down in one of the seats opposite to feed them to Xack, who he holds securely with his other hand.
"I-I was involved- but I promise you I never knew she'd be taken anywhere- up until this morning I thought all he wanted was for me to gain your and Jean's trust- so you'd agree to include your son in our program. He told me that years ago, before most people even realized about mutants, he predicted incompatible cohabitation- he wanted to head it off- with a vision similar to mine. He said your family had been a key part of his program until a misunderstanding. . ."
Cyclops' face goes tenser than it was; a "key part" alright. . . .he alone, with no family to speak of. No consent either. He doesn't verbalize this.
"He convinced- no. I let him convince me, that things could be smoothed over, and it would all be for the best. I hadn't met anyone at that point who believed in my vision- just the opposite. I knew it was valuable, it had to see the light of day sooner than later and I- -I took a 'the less I know' approach--"
"You said 'up until this morning'?"
Saara nods, going on quickly: "When you wanted to take the genetic research out of house something changed. Suddenly he was setting up a trap I had to be party to, or he was going to make it like SynerGene's whole intent was to lure mutants into a false sense of security- he was going to euthanize every one who's come to us- that was threat enough to say nothing of what else would be destroyed and what might be incited! My hands felt tied. . ." Her eyes close. "But I drew a line in the sand when it came to your son. I would let him. . ." she draws a breath, opening her eyes though unable to raise them to meet anyone else's, "let him do what he wanted with you and Jean, so long as only I would handle your son."
"What did he want you to do to him?"
At this she looks up, staring once more into Cyclops' visor. "O-Only collect blood samples, I promise you."
That sounds too simple, not invasive enough for the creature they're talking about.
Cyclops meets her look with one that plainly asks: 'Why should I believe you?'
Just then, Rogue calls Cyclops to the cockpit. He takes up Xack and the rations, holding both in such a way that Xack can continue reaching into the bag himself, and goes.
"Go ahead, Shadowcat," Rogue states at once..
"You're right, Cyclops. Jean's no where to be found in here. I just phased through every level- there aren't even any hidden sub basements. Though I did find hologram technology on the top floor."
So the empty office space wasn't as it appeared, after all.
"What else?"
"Nothing yet. The guys you took out are only just waking up- with nothing to say by the sounds of it. I'll keep you posted."
And so she does, as they travel further towards their destination. What their detainees reveal, however, is nothing more than a mixed bag of innocent people thinking they were just doing their jobs, and less innocent people without knowledge of the scheme beyond their limited part in it.
Shadowcat also confirms, via video from the reliably present protestors, that nothing
else of note was recorded besides the optic blast and arrival/departure of the X-Jet.
Jubilee, though, has a small piece of valuable information to add: "It looks like they made at least one of their 'Mutation Modulators' into a pair of glasses. We found what are probably Jean's real ones in a lab coat in her department."
Cyclops is thinking something over.
Concluding the communication he has another question for Ms. Najhood: "Jean was tricked into putting on an inhibitor. Was that you?"
Saara looks away, actually closing her eyes as though she can close out this day: "Yes. . .then while she was distracted and, affected by it I...I drugged her. The modulator," she chances making the distinction, "isn't that strong on well developed mutations, so. . ." She shakes her head at herself- that explanation was pointless. "I'm sorry."
Cyclops has heard enough.
In relatively short time, they arrive at the specified coordinates:
The location of the facility where Cyclops was taken three and a half years ago*.
*a.k.a. Vol.#2: 'eXperiment'!
~Tra
Cyclops commands most of the team to join him in searching it, while Iceman stays back to keep an eye on Saara and-
"Watch him, please," Cyclops passes him Xack.
But after his recent ordeal, Xack is opposed to being parentless: "NO! Maaaaa-me!!!! Daaaa-dee!!!!"
Cyclops pauses with a sigh before walking back the few steps he'd managed to take.
"Go in my place."
Iceman takes off while Cyclops gets down on a knee in front of the seat Xack's been placed in. He softens his voice: "Alright, Xackie- look, I'm right here." He wipes away his son's tears. "I'm not leaving you."
Outside, the X-Man find it tricky to locate the underground facility's entrances, as they've been grown over. A hint of what they find inside: desolate abandonment.
Back in the jet, Saara chances speaking.
"You're showing remarkable self control."
Knelt in front of Xack still, Cyclops looks to her wordlessly.
"You seem a guarded man, but what your family means to you is clear. In the room back there, you actually had me feeling like the worst decision I made today was making any kind of move in front of you. . .With Jean gone, to say the least...I imagine you're still feeling like you'd like to blast my legs, or some other part of me, clear off."
Cyclops turns his head back in Xack's direction. . .answering at length: "Jean said you see us, mutants, as people first. She would trust you made wrong choices for the right reasons. . .I trust her. Plus. . .when you face me now all I can see is another person afraid of what a mutant's going to do to them. . That's not a statistic I like adding to."
Saara takes this in, making no other comment.
Soon, the others return.
Cyclops rises while keeping his hand on Xack.
Wolverine: "No one we're lookin' for's been here. I didn't pick up so much as a trace of Jean's scent, or what I wager was his."
The visored X-Man is perceptibly bothered by this outcome.
Wolverine looks down, noting the little reason why their good leader hadn't joined them for the investigation.
It shows less, but Cyclops is having a hard time with that reality, too.
He tries to think.
'Where would he go. . . ?'
Iceman: "It was a longshot. This is a pretty far distance for a teleporter to travel, assuming he also has one."
Nightcrawler: "I haf far extended my limits from my missions vith Volverine. It is known, too, there are different strengths to even the same mutations. It may be possible. It is the only thing that explains their vanishing."
Cyclops has taken on a dark look, like something else needs to be explained.
And there's nothing left right now but to drop Ms. Najhood off with a trusted teammate, and return to the X Mansion. Where Cyclops is quick to have a conference of two with Xavier.
Cyclops: "You let me believe Sinister was destroyed* along with his optic blast ray."
*also Vol.#2!
"I couldn't be certain that he wasn't."
"But you weren't certain that he was."
Xavier holds his gaze. "You nearly were obliterated yourself and needed to believe you could rest. I do apologize for not informing you afterward, however I took to conducting regular scans for his mental signature and had found nothing, until the residual essence I picked up now in SynerGene- which, unfortunately, gives no indication of where he's gone."
Cyclops looks like he was just about to ask that.
"-Somehow it exists no where but that shrouded lab on the top floor, and even then it's a weak signal. I don't believe Sinister ever set foot inside before today."
Distress just shows on Cyclops' face, but he's not the only one who's weary.
Xavier's attention turns to a couch in the room, where Xack seems on the verge of winding up.
"Perhaps, in light of these dead ends, you should concentrate for now on the member of your family who is present," he prompts gently. "I will make another pass with Cerebro."
Cyclops looks towards his son, but heaves a sigh.
Xavier regards him perceptively: "You may've just been able to get to Jean had nothing been there to impede you." A glance at Xack.
Instant guilt. Scott moves to comfort his son once again: "You said you haven't detected Jean's signature anywhere else, either. What. .if. ."
Xavier speaks with conviction: "I, and, I believe, you, would know without a doubt if there were nothing to find."
Scott seems reassured by this.
He takes Xack away.
Saving the time it would take to go back to the house, Scott takes him to an unoccupied bedroom in the Mansion for his nap, but Xack's too overtired and anxious to go down.
"Come on, Xackie," Scott tries to persuade in a whisper, "I know this isn't your bed, but-"
with a sigh, he yields; laying down with him.
Oh well- with precious little to go on all Cyclops can do right now is think, which he can do in any position. . .In fact, the comfort drawn is mutual as he holds his son against his chest.
The boy drifts off to sleep while the man runs his mind. . .eyes eventually closing behind his ruby quarts lenses so as to better concentrate. . . .
In time, an unbidden conversation comes through his thoughts.
His voice:
'We can stop being X-Men but we'll still be mutants in this world. That means-'
Jean's (with a heavy heart): 'How can we focus just on us?'
'The best life we can give him is one he's prepared for.'
'We can't be out of touch with all that means.'
Scott opens his eyes. They fall on the bedside clock which is displaying 12:00am.
Hadn't it been the correct time? He couldn't have slept that long.
In fact, he's positive he never dropped off at all.
The darkened room suddenly illuminates as though the sun is rising; he feels its warmth.
Gradually, the wood in the room greens over, as though it's blooming; wall sconces become flowers.
Scott becomes conscious of the bed feeling like one of soil . . .
Distant echoes of Jean's voice, as though she's speaking to Xack: 'Play hide-and-seek? It's Daddy's turn. . . . .'
The light falls now as though they've suddenly dropped beneath the sun, the room going cold, the bed now feeling hard as the green of the room turns into green metal, then a mix of black and gray. . . .
Then everything's back to normal; the clock reading correctly.
Xack, through all this, hasn't stirred. No light has penetrated his closed lids. No change in temperature has discomfited his sleeping body. No familiar, motherly voice has stirred him.
His gentle breaths are all Scott hears, as he tries to make sense of what he's just experienced. . . .
. . . .and we next find the pair in the Ready Room. Xack cozied up in the comforter on the floor while his Dad is occupied with the computers; displaying photographs and topographical maps of northern regions.
The thumb of his fist held against his lips, Cyclops studies the images, not exactly sure what he's looking for. . . .until he reacts as though he recognizes- no, as though something has triggered in his mind.
He promptly exits the Ready Room, knowing Xavier is in Cerebro.
As luck -or telepathic sense- would have it, he's just coming out.
Cyclops: "I know where to find Jean. Mobilize the X-Men."