Trapped In a Bottle

Chapter Twelve

Enjoy

X-_X-_X

"I do not like the feeling of this place, Charles," Ororo broke the silence, staring dissatisfied at the reinforced concrete walls and the titanium table they were seated at.

"Nor do I," Charles agreed, tiredly. They had been in the room for some hours now, and the man that had brought them there had not returned.

"It's beginning to feel like they didn't help us, but made the situation worse," Ororo replied. She adjusted her skirt and looked to the large glass segmented part of the adjacent wall with disdain. Her infinite patience was wearing thin.

The Professor furrowed his eyebrows. He was very close to agreeing again, closer than he'd like to be.

They had come out of their quickly granted congressional hearing to find themselves swept up by a mob. Mutant and human supporters alike sought to tear into one another, and Storm and The Professor had been in the middle of it. It was only due to several members of Congress also being caught up in the swarm that they too had been shielded by Secret Service members, and taken into protective custody.

They had been led to an underground bunker, unaware of where it was at first, until a military commander had met the group and had explained that they were underneath the Potomac river. Initially the compound was for Presidential use only, but the Executive Office had generously extended the compound for the use of the several members of Congress who were targeted by the mob, and inadvertently the Professor and Storm.

However, they had been separated from the rest, had been given accommodations for the night, and that morning when Charles believed they would be brought back above ground since feelings must have been cooled, they had been brought to their current room instead.

"It is nothing more than an interrogation cell," Storm's eyes clouded over in anger and Charles felt waves of frustration roll off her mind.

Charles sighed, "The several men watching us from behind that one-sided glass do nothing to convince us otherwise."

Storm's eyes widened in surprise "They are watching us?"

Charles nodded, running a heavy hand underneath his chin "From the moment we were put here."

"This is outrageous!" Storm stood from her chair; pushing it backwards "We are then being held against our will."

"I'm sure—," the Professor began, however Storm left his side and made her way to the glass, and Charles felt the air temperature in the room drop dangerously.

"You will release us and explain yourselves," Storm spoke clearly to the glass, and after a moment a wind that didn't previously exist began to pick up, sending her hair in disarray. "Or we will leave by our own means. You cannot seek to contain a storm."

The Professor narrowed his eyes; there was movement behind the glass. However the minds that he could sense were only the ones of those that were recording and voice documenting the interrogation room. Those that seemed to be in charge had a curiously strong mental block on each of their minds, and Charles was hesitant to use force to gain his answers.

X-_X-_X

The view that Rogue saw as she glared out of the Blackbird's fore facing windows, balanced over Logan's shoulder, was tumultuous to say the least. The protests in the nation's capital hadn't lessened over the days, and Rogue doubted that she saw any of the actual city below, everywhere she looked there were only masses of bodies.

They were flying below cloud cover, but it was at the risk of violating National Security. They had scant moments before any sort of flight security force realized that the Blackbird was a plane that was evading their radar. They would surely mount an offensive against the Blackbird, and its violation of national air space.

"Where in sane hell are we gonna' land?" Rogue asked aloud, dubiously eyeing the streets, promenades, and the Washington Mall full of people before them.

Logan was glaring down at the same image she was, preparing the Blackbird for landing by drawing back speed and adjusting wing angles. It certainly appeared that he thought they were landing. Rogue had no idea how though, unless they wanted to crush a few people in the process and start another national incident.

"We got a place," growled out Wolverine. He replaced his hands on the steering gears, and set his mouth in a grim line.

"Where?" Rogue responded, incredulous. It wouldn't pay for the man to finally go around the bend in this situation of all times.

"Let's just say," he replied, guiding the plane right "That you're going to get an up close look at the Washington monument."

Everyone had been listening to the Wolverine's words, anyone that could hear him at least, and in response to his last statement there wasn't just one shocked 'What?' exclaimed.

"You can't mean the reflection pool?" demanded Kitty, her voice on the soprano side with shock.

"Get back to your seat, stripes," Logan said, then louder to the rest "We're gonna' be dropping fast and hard, everyone who's smart brace yourselves."

Rogue took a step back, already having to use the seats to steady herself, and sighed and rolled her eyes "Can't wait."

When she had thrown herself back in her seat and strapped in Gambit leaned over and grinned at her "Wolvie likes t' make things interestin', no?"

Rogue snorted "If this is what you call interesting, swamp rat."

X-_X-_X

"Dan!" Nicholas screamed the name out, attempting to shout over the throng of steadily increasing violent people that had separated him from his brother. "Dan! I can't see you, where are you? Dan? Dan!"

Nicholas cursed and jumped futilely up into the air, expelling a gasping sigh when he landed again with no sight of Dan. He knew it was a bad idea for them to come. What did two country boys from Kentucky know about lobbying in D.C?

They were the only two mutants in their small town, a secret they'd been able to keep for years until a hunting accident. Dan had saved a man's life but it resulted in everyone knowing that the young man that worked at the grocer's store could swing from trees better than Tarzan.

After months of judgment back home Nicholas had let Dan and the threat of this mutant bill convince him to join up with some protestors heading to the nation's capital.

Now look where they were.

Nicholas was half a step from diving into the swell around him when he gave one more attempt "Dan!"

Nicholas felt his first real tendril of panic slip through him a moment before a hand clamped down on his shoulder. It made him jump but when he whirled around it was with relief that he saw Dan's shaggy brunette hair.

"Thank God," breathed out Nicholas.

"You can say that again," Dan was breathing heavy, it seemed like he'd had to fight against the crowd to get back to where they had been.

Nicholas was looking around them with trepidation when Dan grabbed his arm and mumbled "C'mere," pulling him through the bodies. They were moving as one organism now, as if they had an angry tribal beat to shout and push to.

Dan pulled them to the very edge of the protestors, and when Nicholas saw the clear water of the Reflection Pool, complete with the shadow of the Washington Monument, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were no longer in the middle of it.

"What do we do?" Nicholas asked. He briefly reflected that it should be he, as the older brother, that had the plan, but that was for later reflection.

"There's not much we can do, for now," Dan replied, clipped. He was eyeing the crowd wearily.

Nicholas followed his line of sight, from their vantage point they could see another crowd about to mesh violently with their own. "No…" Nicholas spoke, horror leaking from his tone.

"The humans," Dan said grim. "Damn it!"

Nicholas took a step backwards, nearly tripping into the reflection pool, but caught himself just in time to notice a large black jet swoop right over their heads, and right into the reflection pool.

X-_X-_X

When Rogue crashed down the gangplank of the Blackbird she was unsurprised when she realized that she was up to her knees in clear blue water. Staring for a moment at her reflection she shook her head, amused.

"Certainly a way t' make a landin', no?" Gambit's voice breezed past her as the man himself slunk down the gangplank and out into the open.

Rogue didn't have time for a reply before Wolverine was thunderously making his way out of the Blackbird "Alright, no time to waste!" He shouted.

He took a quick observance of the couple hundred faces staring at them from the rim of the pool before looking to where a conflict was taking place at the north end. Even the landing of a jet into a national monument didn't seem to be able to deter the thousand or so brawling bodies.

"Our initiative," Wolverine said to them "Is to rescue the Professor and Storm, but things are worse than they damn well seemed."

"It's not like we can take on an entire riot by, like, ourselves," Kitty replied "What're we supposed to do about this?"

"Why should we have to do anything?" Toad snorted, Pietro nodding beside him.

Wolverine turned quick to face the two diminutive ex-Brotherhood members. "We do it because it's our duty. I see Mystique and her tin can boyfriend didn't teach you punks about duty, did they?"

Toad raised his hands in a placating manner "Alright, alright, yo. Just being a little mutinous, you know it happens to the best of us teens."

Logan turned without another word. It was probably for the better, if he could get his hands around that idiot's neck he wasn't sure he'd be able to take them off again, and he had no time for distractions, or court appeals.

"Scott," Wolverine said "You're going to lead a group around the south end, and come up and around the other side of that melee, then—," Wolverine's speech broke off as a large shadow overtook them.

Wolverine looked up, expecting the weight of the entire U.S. Air Force to be breathing down their necks, but instead found a familiar friend looking worriedly down at them, and landing fast.

"Warren!" Rogue exclaimed in surprise. The man landed amongst them, easily keeping his large alabaster wings from dipping into the water. Gambit simply raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I see new faces," Warren said first, peering around at the Brotherhood members scattered amongst the congregated X-Men.

"More importantly," Logan said, cutting him off "What're you doing here?"

Warren straightened, and hurried to his point "I've been here since earlier in the week. I was hoping to use some of my father's corporate connections to bend wills concerning the Mutant Bill. I was less than successful when these riots began breaking out in true vigor…"

"Did you see the Professor?" Logan demanded "Or Storm?"

Warren nodded "Both of them. We spoke briefly, and I know what happened to him, it's why I've come to you."

Logan waved a quick, adamantium clawed hand "Well don't just flap your gums, what happened to them?"

"They got caught in a riot right outside of the Capitol," Warren looked around the reflecting pool, and then up into the sky, he was obviously nervous "They got swept out with a group of senators by the Secret Service, they were obviously taken into custody."

Wolverine gritted his teeth. "How do ya' know?" asked Rogue "For sure that they were taken in?"

"Because," began Warren "The entire thing was filmed by a nationally broadcasting news agency, and when the commanding officer in the unit that took them confiscated the film, the SUV that he got back into had a woman with all white hair, and dark skin, it was Storm."

"Fine," Logan growled "We have a goal, now we have to find out where they were taken."

"I wouldn't suggest remaining here," Scott said, more nervous than Warren had been. It looked like a few mutant protestors were climbing into the reflection pool, intent to make their way towards the X-Men.

Wolverine moved fully off the gangplank, shoving Avalanche off it as well on his way down. "Everyone step back."

Wolverine pressed his thumb down on a button of a controller that had been strapped to his wrist, and Rogue immediately raised her arms up in front of her face. The gangplank had receded, and the forward thrusters of the Blackbird were thrumming to life, creating waves around them.

"What in hell are you doing?" shouted Rogue, her voice whipping through the air created by the thrusters.

"Autopilot," Wolverine replied, flashing a quick, animalistic grin "We'll be able to have the Blackbird land wherever we need her once she's back in the air."

"Christ," muttered Rogue. The group, led by Wolverine, began to make their way towards the edge of the pool.

"Didn' know dat de Blackbird had dat," Gambit said from besides her.

Rogue rolled her eyes "Guess it's not unexpected…come on swamp rat, we're fallin' behind."

Logan briefly looked at Warren beside him before shouting back towards the group. "Rogue, Jean, you're with me. The rest of you, I want you to find your way out of this crowd, gather someplace, and damn well stay out of trouble!"

"Logan," Scott jumped forward, a quick growl reminded him of his place "Wolverine then, what do you expect us to do when we come across someone that needs help? We can't ignore all this violence that's going on."

Wolverine turned on a heel "Fine," he said, his eyes wild "All of you do what you can to try to keep the peace here, but all of you had better be gathered someplace within an hour, ready to go, or I'll bury you in the damn danger room."

Jean and Rogue hurried forward, the latter throwing a quick look over her shoulder to Gambit "Stay outta' trouble!"

"Never," Gambit grinned back. When Rogue turned back forward, and rushed into the crowd with Jean and Wolverine, he got his Bo staff out and, with the rest, faced the rioting crowd around them.

"What are you planning on?" Rogue pushed a body away from her and the three struggled to maintain distance with one another, heading towards downtown.

"All them high rankers are going to be driving motorcades out of here to their posh little Georgetown townhouses," Wolverine replied "We're going to catch one."

"Why?" demanded Rogue, her southern drawl a growl as she became frustrated.

"Because we're going to fine us a secret serviceman, and he's going to find us the Professor and Storm."

Rogue rolled her eyes "Great."

X-_X-_X

"That still does not explain, General, why we have to remain here," Storm spoke clipped; her words steady and toned with seriousness.

The Professor and she were still seated within the interrogation room. The man in front of them, a General McAllister, had appeared before them ten minutes ago, and the only clear message they'd seemed to glean from him was that for some reason they were not going to be released.

"Forgive me, General," Charles said suddenly. It was the only thing that he had spoken to the man since he had entered. Storm looked over at him, surprised at his interjection. "But, I have a question for you."

The general nodded his head, the men on either side of him rousing to attention. "Go ahead, Mr. Xavier."

"You have strong mental blocks," The Professor said simply "I noticed it earlier as well. You have obviously been trained by a telepath."

Storm turned to stare at the general; if it were true then their current situation could have many connotations.

The general gave a start, slapped a hand down on the table and then gave the Professor a wide eyed stare "How the hell can you even know that."

Storm pursed her lips, so the camouflaged man was admitting it in his surprise.

The Professor bowed his head for a moment, gesturing towards the general "Forgive me for startling you," he said "However I believe it's become a widely known fact that I myself am a telepath."

The Professor's statement sought to remind Storm of all sorts of things. The fact that the Professor's own mutant abilities had come under inspection and question had been a concern. When Charles had been able to lobby for mutant rights as a human it had been different, but in the months that he'd had to lobby as just another mutant they had met their share of resistance.

"A telepath can sense that kind of thing?" the general asked, his eyes sharpened.

Charles paused. He was willing to educate any person about the truths behind the fears of mutant abilities, however this general appeared shrewd. It wouldn't do well to continue their current train of conversation, especially since Charles had already received an answer.

The Professor smiled faintly "No need to worry general, as I myself never use my abilities without the express permission of the individual."

Storm hurried to continue deflection away from questions about the Professor's abilities. "When will we be released?"

The general turned his eyes back to storm but not without first pursing his lips and eyeing the Professor. "As I have mentioned before, Ms. Munroe we have—," he paused as the sound of grating metal gave way and another man entered the room, hurrying over to salute the general and then bend down to whisper into his ear.

The general nodded gravely before turning to both the messenger and the two men that had been flanking him throughout their conversation "You three are dismissed."

"Yes, sir!"

By the time the general had stood another man, broad shoulders and impeccable suit wearing, had walked through the door. The general moved to the side of his chair and stood at attention. "Mr. Secretary, please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Frank," Storm and The Professor watched with weary eyes as the man sat in front on them, not even caring to look their way until he had straightened his suit lapels and lain his hands flat on the steel table.

"Charles Xavier, Ororo Munroe," he said by way of greeting "I am the Secretary of Defense for the United States of America."

Charles nodded gravely, he had recognized the man. Ororo furrowed her brow and pursed her lips to keep her shock under wraps. The more she looked at the man the more she fought down a swell of anxiety as well; his visit could mean even more tumultuous times ahead for them.

"Mr. Secretary," Charles nodded respectfully "I believe it's come to be your duty to explain to us why we are still here after all this time, the general seemed not to have an appropriate response to our question."

The Defense Secretary grinned, baring a row of straight and perfectly even white teeth "I can see why you've concerned yourself in politics, Mr. Xavier."

"Don't be mistaken," Charles replied genial as always but with a touch of defensiveness "I have concerned myself in the affairs of our great nation because there are few that are willing to, for the need that we face in these times."

"Yes," The Defense Secretary sat back in his chair, "I can definitely see why you've done so well, lobbying for mutants."

"If you would answer our question," barked Ororo, more in defense of Charles than the true impatience that bled from her speech.

The interjection seemed to aggravate the Secretary, and he cleared his throat before continuing in a much firmer, less polite, tone. "You are here because you need to be."

After the Secretary didn't seem to elaborate any further Charles spoke "I'm certain that you are of course going to explain what you mean by that."

The Secretary grinned, smug around the edges "You, Charles Xavier, are the face of Mutant Rights Activism everywhere, and have been for quite some time."

"I have worked hard for the equality of people who have been equal in everything but name," The Professor replied to the man, conceding his point and winning another.

"You are the face of Mutantkind," the Secretary spread his arms wide, apparently trying to smile disarmingly. He failed to do so.

The Professor put a hand to his chin, his eyes weary on the Defense Secretary.

The DS looked from Ororo to Charles, and then dropped his hands…and his smile.

"I won't beat around the bush, Mr. Xavier," The Secretary's eyes narrowed, it was an unkind man that now faced them. "It is too dangerous for you to be running around free."

Charles arm dropped "In what way?" he demanded.

"Think about it," The Secretary leaned forward "Think about if something were to happen to you, if you were to be injured or assassinated by fanatics, the uproar from the mutant community would be tremendous, there'd be no peace."

"Forgive me for sounding arrogant," The Professor parried "But I have no intention of dying before I see my goals accomplished."

"Your goals are another thing!" The Secretary continued, ignoring Charles' statement "How can we be certain of you, Xavier? How can we be certain that your goals won't change?"

There was silence.

"You are insinuating," Charles clarified "That you fear that I will change my goals for the mutant community, perhaps change them towards mutant superiority instead of equality."

The Defense Secretary neither confirmed nor denied him "You're best friend and comrade for quite some time was Eric Lensherr."

It was a statement. However it was also an accusation.

"Eric Lensherr is dead," The Professor rebutted.

The Secretary's lip curled "You, and your friend here, are to be taken into custody. It is a risk of national security that I am not willing to take."

Storm stood immediately. "You will not!"

"I will," he replied calmly.

Storm took up a defensive stance beside the Professor, her eyes bleeding white. "You will not!" she roared.

The Secretary of Defense stood, and from behind him General McAllister moved forward, two flexicuffs held firm in his grasp. However, Storm refused to be captured, and she'd fight until all of her life breath was extinguished before she'd let the Professor be taken.

Bereft of the sky, far underground as she was, her powers were strained, however she still managed to summon a whirlwind of air and when the door to the room sought to crash open, with the General's men, she sent General tumbling back into it, and with the force of her wind kept the door closed, and the general pinned.

A round of laughter began to echo through the deep throngs of her whirlwind though. It was deep, it was smug, and after a moment both of the mutants realized it was the Secretary of Defense's.

He was standing across from the table, his hands dug into his pockets, his perfectly cut hair flying about him, but he was laughing. "You're everything I knew you to be, Xavier!"

The Professor was saved from the situation's repercussions for a moment by a stirring on the edge of his mind. It was a consciousness that he knew very well, calling to him, or searching for him.

"Storm!" he said, looking up at her "Jean is here!"

Storm didn't cease her wind, or change in any tangible way, but then Charles hadn't expected her to. Ororo was protecting them, on an almost instinctual level. Charles closed his eyes and concentrated.

He felt the consciousness of Jean Gray getting closer every second.

"My X-Men have arrived!"

X-_X-_X

Thanks for reading! As always, a many thanks to those that have reviewed thus far. This story's been ongoing for many years; however 2011 will be its last year. I had hoped to have it finished for its anniversary in November, but it will probably see March at this point.

The final conflict is reaching its climax!

AnimeSiren