Save me

Regroup

Scott hit the ground hard enough to jar his vision, but he pushed through it quickly, forcing himself upright as he scanned the area. The compound stood behind him, silent and sealed, like nothing had happened at all.

"Jean?" he called, turning. "Kurt?"

For a moment, there was nothing.
Then a familiar rush of air snapped into place beside him. Kurt appeared, slightly off balance as he landed. "Scott," he said quickly, glancing back toward the compound. "I tried to return, but something is stopping me. I cannot get through."

Scott nodded once, already moving. "We find everyone else first."
They didn't have to go far.
A shift in the air drew Scott's attention upward just as Storm descended from above, her landing controlled but heavier than usual, like she'd been pushed further than she would have liked.

"I was carried out on a current that wasn't mine," she said, her voice calm but edged with irritation. "Whatever forced us out, it had control of the elements too."

"Yeah," Scott muttered. "Figures."

They spread out just enough to search without losing sight of one another. Hank was next, emerging from behind a ridge of broken ground, already adjusting his glasses as he took in the structure behind them. "Fascinating," he murmured, though the word lacked its usual enthusiasm. "We weren't merely expelled. We were placed."

"Meaning?" Scott asked.

"Meaning this was planned down to the exact landing point." Before Scott could respond, a flicker of movement caught their attention.

Jubilee jogged toward them, brushing dirt from her sleeves, her expression caught somewhere between relief and lingering adrenaline.  "You're alright?" Storm asked, stepping closer.

"Yeah," Jubilee nodded quickly. "I'm good. Just... confused."

"Aren't we all," Hank muttered.

A faint shift behind them made Scott turn again, already bracing. Instead of an attack, Raven stepped into view. She didn't rush toward them like Jubilee had. Her pace was slower, more deliberate, her gaze moving across each of them in turn as if confirming identities rather than simply recognising faces.

"Interesting exit strategy," she said coolly. "Efficient."
For a moment, the group settled into place, the tension easing just slightly as their numbers grew.

Jean arrived last.

There was no dramatic entrance, just the quiet sound of her footsteps as she approached from behind, her expression controlled but tight around the edges. Scott rushed to hug her as she returned the embrace tightly.

"I couldn't reach any of you," she said, looking between them. "Something's blocking everything from inside."

"It's still active," Kurt added. "I felt it when I tried to go back." That pulled their attention back to the compound. A brief silence followed.

Even with all of them standing there, something was still off. Jubilee was the first to say it. "Wait... where's Peter?" No one answered immediately.

Jean's expression shifted, something heavier settling in as she looked back toward the building. "I can't feel him," she admitted quietly. "Or... anyone still inside."

Scott's jaw tightened. "He didn't make it out."

"And Crystal," Storm added, her voice low. That landed harder than anything else.

Raven's gaze flicked back to the compound, her expression sharpening slightly, more thoughtful than surprised. "Then they weren't just separating us from each other. They were separating us from Peter" she said.
Kurt looked between them, unease clear. "Then they are still in there."