X-Men: Civil War

Chapter 2: Back... Again

The institute, a home that will always be there because of the people who still live and who have died.

I get there in two hours and find the gate locked. I fly over and find no one on the school grounds. The door opens easily when I push on it and I walk in, drawing the attention of everyone in the foyer. The whispers are numerous.

"Who's that?"

"Where'd she come from?"

"Should we get the headmistress?"

Then silence, a force tries to push through my mental barrier and retreats.

"I have only ever felt a mind like that, and that was five years ago... " A feminine voice says and Emma Frost comes into view.

"Maxine..." She's surprised, and her hand is covering her gaping mouth. I walk forward and she runs and embraces me in a hug. My breath leaves me, I never thought that Emma actually cared about me.

"Uh... Hi Emma, is Kurt here?" She looks down at me again, this time biting her lip and wiping away her tears.

"Oh, Maxine, I'm so sorry, he died a year ago." No, I came back too late, he's gone, and I can't get him back.

"What about Nightwing?" This time she looks at me with confusion.

"I'm not sure who that is, but the team will want to know you're alive, so come this way." She pulls me along the whispering hallway, although it's not as full as I thought it would be. We enter a silver room with a table in the middle, of which the rest of the X-MEN are arguing over.

"I know what Stark said, but he is supporting this new law that enforces what we're against..." Bobby says while standing up.

"He's right, Hank, the 198 are being chased down as we speak, we'll have to do something to aide them," Warren cuts in and I walk up to the table.

"What's happening?" I ask the conversing group and I'm meet with silence. They're eyes all widen and they stand up with thousands of questions.

"Maxi, where were you?" Bobby asks and I shrug.

"I just opened my eyes and I was in Stark's lab."

"We thought you were dead..." Warren says and I cringe.

"I was, but there's been so much change, I thought that maybe... I could save him... By saving everyone else." I get confused stares and Emma gasps.

"Oh, Maxine, I didn't realize how much... I understand now, you have so much to catch up on." She quiets the team and starts to explain what's happened.

"There is a Super hero registration act and we have gone against it, but Tony Stark said that as long as we stay on the school premises we'll be left out of the mix," I nod my head and she continues," the only problem with this is that most of the world's mutants have lost there abilities on M-Day, and the 198, the rest of the mutants, were on their way here and are trying to hide."

Apparently, my face looked confused, so I got a dozen other versions of the story all at once.

"Thanks, I think I got the picture, but have you guys seen Nightwing?" Confusion is a very popular expression today, because no one knows who I'm talking about.

"Maxine, I don't think... That he's here anymore," I nod my head and there's somewhat of an awkward silence before Bobby breaks it with a slight cough.

"So are we going to do something about our situation... Or what?" He asks.

"Wherever you guys are going, I'm coming too." I state.

"I guess you can come, but we don't know how well you can fight anymore..." I cut Bobby off with my sword at his throat, I smirk and lower it.

"Hehe, yeah, you're coming." He scoots away with a nervous look on his face.

"It'll be good to have you back, Maxi," Hank says and pats me on the shoulder, "No matter how different the world is now, I feel like you've kind of renewed our hope of getting through it." I smile at his comment and reminded of something.

"When are we going, exactly?"

"Right now of coarse, we were already debating when we would go, and your appearance has helped decide." Hank says and I'm a little surprised at the announcement, but I'm ready for the action.

"Let's go then, do we have the jet still?" Amused faces peer back at me and I feel silly for being uninformed.

"No, we, uh, lost it a while back, but we have a jeep."