Star slammed the door of her room behind her and,
for the first time since coming to the mansion, locked it. She flipped
on the portable psi dampener Beast had built for her and adjusted it
to include part of the hallway outside the door. She heard him as he
reached the top of the stairs and she psionically blocked the hallway,
preventing him from reaching the door. Abruptly she heard Gambit, then
Rogue, join him. She had to hurry.
"Mon amie, what de trouble?"
"I don't know exactly, but we have to stop Star.
She's built a barrier across the hall. I'll go adjust the psi dampener
in the lab so she can't reach it. You two get her door open, but be
careful."
"You bet, sugah." Beast bounded back down the
stairs. Gambit explored the invisible barrier with his hands.
"Nothin' here to charge, Chere, or I'd just blow it."
Beast reached the psi dampener in the lab, adjusting
the controls so the field would be just inside the walls of Star's
room. He turned it on. Wolverine and Jean lay where he had last seen
them, but Xavier seemed to be more aware of his surroundings.
"Storm, I need you in the med lab as quickly as possible."
"On my way, Henry." Storm answered immediately.
Star felt a shock as the second field overlapped the
first, cutting off her awareness of the hallway. She was out of time.
She turned on the auto centering function of the psi dampening field,
then, hesitating only a moment, she turned the locus of the field all
the way down in a single motion.
The barrier in the hallway abruptly disappeared,
allowing Gambit and Rogue to reach the door of Star's room. They heard
a cry, followed by a thud. Gambit kicked the door at the lock and it
flew open. Star lay on the floor beside the bed, one hand to her head.
Gambit quickly scanned the room while Rogue moved to check on Star.
"The kid ain't breathin', Remy, an' I cain't find a
pulse!" Rogue turned Star to her back. Star's hand fell against
Rogue's bare arm, above the glove she wore to protect others from her
powers. She flinched away from the contact. Gambit helped her shift
Star's body to ensure a clear airway. He glanced up at Rogue and was
puzzled by the odd expression she wore.
"What is it, Chere?"
"I touched her, Remy. An' I didn't get nothing."
Gambit looked down at the motionless body with a sinking feeling. The
girl's skin was turning blue.
"We gotta try, Chere." He bent and blew into her
mouth, her chest rising, then falling again. The memory of the kiss
they had shared came to him unbidden, and he felt a surge of grief and
helplessness overcome him. He suppressed it as Rogue counted while
giving Star CPR. He gave the girl another breath, then Rogue counted
again. Star's color was better, but she showed no sign of responding.
Gambit hoped Beast would return soon.
"Hank," Wolverine lifted his head, "where's the kid?"
"In her room. Gambit and Rogue should be able to get the door open now."
"Tell 'em ta hurry. She's gonna kill herself."
"What?"
"She let it slip when she linked with me. She thinks
its her only way out." Beast grabbed his emergency bag and dashed out
of the med lab and up the stairs to Star's room. He took in the scene
at a glance, opened his bag and removed a mask with a pressure bulb on
it. While Rogue counted once again, he put the mask over Star's mouth
and nose, at 'five' he squeezed the bulb, forcing air into her lungs.
"What happened?"
"Don' know, mon amie. Dere not a mark on her."
"Go get a litter, Gambit. We've got to get her to
the med lab. She's not responding and I may have to put her on life
support." Gambit hurried out of the room.
"May not ... do any ... good, ... Beast."
"What do you mean, Rogue?"
"I touched her ... an' I didn't ... absorb ... nothin'." Beast leaned back on his heels.
"Oh my stars and garters. Child, what have you done?
And can I figure it out in time to do you any good." He squeezed the air bulb.
Gambit entered the med lab and skidded to a halt. It
resembled a war zone. Cyclops lifted Jean and lay her on the bed Star
had so recently occupied. She was still unconscious. Jubilee hovered
near Wolverine. Storm was checking on the Professor.
"Star?" Wolverine demanded gruffly.
"Not good, mon amie. Beast send me fo' de litter. Say he might haf ta put her on life
support."
"I'll get the equipment ready." Storm told him as he
got the litter. He nodded and left the med lab.
"Any t'ing?" Gambit asked as he returned to Star's room. Beast shook his head.
"No response. You all right, Rogue?"
"Doin' ... fine ... so far."
"Good. Don't stop. Gambit, set the litter up here.
All right. Help me move her, on three." Beast counted as Rogue
continued with the CPR, his 'three' followed her 'five'. They moved
Star smoothly to the litter, he squeezed the air bulb, and Rogue
resumed the CPR without missing a beat. Beast turned the litter on and
it rose from the floor.
"There's a platform about ankle high, Rogue. If you
stand on that, you'll be able to continue as we move Star."
"Okay. I'm ready." Beast guided the litter out of
the room, the 'on' light of the psi dampener catching his eye as he
went through the door. He squeezed the air bulb, intent on keeping the
girl alive. Gambit guided the back of the litter through the door. The
hover technology built into the litter made negotiating the stairs a
simple matter. Soon, they entered the med lab. Storm took over the CPR
from Rogue and Gambit took the air bulb from Beast. Beast quickly
reconnected the sensors to the monitoring equipment. He was dismayed
by what he saw. All the readings were completely flat, including
Star's brain waves. But he couldn't give up.
While Beast connected the heart stimulator, Rogue
helped Wolverine to his feet. She steered him to a chair. Jubilee
still hovered anxiously. Professor Xavier moved his chair next to
Wolverine. Storm took the air bulb from Gambit when Beast switched the
machine on. Beast reached for the respirator.
"What happened, Chuck?" Wolverine asked. "She was doing fine, an' then..."
"When Henry warned us that she was becoming
overloaded, I put my shields back up, but she tore through them like
tissue paper." He shook his head, "Logan, I have never met a telepath
as powerful as this child has become."
"Neither have I." Jean said suddenly, from the bed
where Cyclops had placed her. "Not even you, Charles."
"Are you two all right?"
"Yes, Hank."
"Fine, now, Henry. How is Star?"
"That's what I need you to tell me. I have her on
full life support. She is simply not responding." Xavier moved his
chair closer to the bed where Star's body lay. He placed one hand on her forehead.
"I'm not sensing anything."
"I was afraid of that." Beast said dejectedly.
"No, you don't understand. Even when someone dies,
there are residual traces of their personality, their memories. With
Star, there is nothing. Nothing at all. Its almost like ..." he looked
up and his eyes met Beast's. "Like I'm being blocked."
"Of course, of course!" Beast said. "Gambit, the
dampener in Star's room, it was on. Shut it off, quickly!" Gambit
hesitated for just an instant, then bolted from the room. The dampener
was on the night stand next to Star's bed. It looked for all the world
like a table top radio. The knobs wouldn't turn, so Gambit snatched
the cord from the outlet in the wall. The light on the unit went out.
Carrying the unit with him, he returned to the med lab. Star's body was convulsing.
"I've got brain waves, now. Rogue, hold her!" Rogue
and Storm struggled to hold Star as her muscles contracted
uncontrollably. Beast injected a sedative into the girl's arm. It had no effect.
"I don't understand. It worked the last time I used it."
"Try somethin' ya ain't used on her before,"
Wolverine suggested. "Ya said she shakes off a sedative fast as I do.
Mebbe its somethin' more. Mebbe she makes herself immune to it." Beast
hurriedly opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a vial. He prepared
another syringe and injected Star. Her body began to relax at last,
shuddering to stillness. Beast turned off the heart stimulator, her
heart was beating on its own. He removed the respirator. Her vital
signs were all lower than normal, but she was functioning on her own.
Her eyelids flickered, then opened. Beast recognized her expression as despair.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why did you stop me? It was the only way."
"The only way to what, child?"
"To protect you. My friends." Her eyes closed as the
sedative completely took hold. She fought it. Beast, suddenly
realizing their danger, quickly adjusted the controls on the lab
dampener to surround her with the field. "I won't hurt anyone again.
Not ... ever." She lost her battle with the medication. She slept.
"I'm takin' her outta here tomorrow, Chuck."
"Logan..."
"I'll take her ta my place in the mountains. She'll
be okay there." Wolverine pushed himself to his feet, and moved to
stand by the sleeping girl, tears staining her face once more.
"She wasn't ready. She tried ta tell me, but I
talked her inta tryin' it anyhow." He turned to face Xavier. "We
pushed her too hard. When she's ready, I'll bring her back, but not before then."
"Perhaps that would be best. At least we determined
she can control her power, as long as she isn't overtaxed."
"Jubilee," Wolverine said, putting his arm around
the youngest X-Man. "Would ya pack a bag fer Star, darlin'? You've
been up there, ya know what kinda duds she'll need."
"Uh, sure, Wolvie." Jubilee frowned, "Do you think you'll be gone long?"
"No longer than it takes, darlin'."
[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 ]
-
Wolverine's Realm
-
Facts About Wolverine
-
Origins of Wolverine
-
Wolverine's Allies
-
-
Wolverine's Enemies
-
Picture Gallery of
Wolverine
-
Fan Art Gallery of Wolverine
-
-
Wolverine Fan Fiction
-
Wolverine Rumor Section
-
Current Wolverine Issue
-
-
Wolverine Issue Database
-
Sound Gallery
-
Wolverine Price Chart
-
Wolverine Chatroom
-
-
Wolverine Books for Sale
-
Wolverine
Poll
-
Other X-Men related links
-
Other
Comic links
-
-
Webring Membership
-
Wolverine Search
-
Mail Me!!
-
Guestbook
-
Feedback
-
©Copyright by Alan Quan. This printed article is ©copyrighted
by its respective author and has been reprinted with permission.