Rita Valentine ~ X-Men

nine.

The future. A dark, desolate world. A world of war, suffering, loss... on both sides. Mutants and the humans who dared to help them. Fighting an enemy, we cannot defeat. Are we destined down this path? Destined to destroy ourselves like so many species before us? Or can we evolve fast enough to change ourselves? Change our fate?

Is the future truly set?

~*~

"Time's up." Blink said waking me from my peaceful slumber.

"Sentinels!" Kitty grabbed my arm and dragged me from the top bunk as we started to run. We ran through many objects as Bishop acted as our bodyguard. Blink came in when we were cornered and got us out of there, then she transported Bobby to us to buy us time.

We ran into a closed vault and Bishop shut the door after us, I quickly lay down on the table as Kitty started the process of sending me back. I felt a fleeting feeling of pain, and then I was back in my younger body, two days from now. "We need to get out of here." I said quickly as I sat up.

"When?" Bobby asked, not even questioning what I was talking about.

"Two days from now."

~*~

I felt him before I heard him. I gave Bobby a huge smile before I ran out. "Lucy, wait!" He shouted as he ran after me. I quickly opened the doors and ran into the arms of Erik.

"Why hello there." He said as he hugged me tightly, then I turned to the person I missed the most and flew into his arms, well more like hugged him awkwardly. It was the best I could hope for.

"I missed you so much." I whispered into my grandfather's ear.

He gave me a heartwarming smile. "I missed you too, you've grown, and you look so much like your grandmother."

"Bobby." Storm said, bringing my focus back on why everyone was here.

"Hey, Storm." Bobby replied, and then I saw Logan and hugged him.

"Hey, kid."

"Professor, you made it." Kitty said relieved as she walked outside, then we went in, so we could explain to them why we can do this.

"Whenever the Sentinels attack, Warpath spots them, then I send Lucy back to warn us of the attack before it happens. Blink scouts the next site and then we leave before they ever know we were there. Because we never were." Kitty explained.

"What do you mean you were never there?" Logan asked confused.

"She projects Lucy back in time a few days to warn the others of the coming attack." My grandfather told Logan.

"So she sends Lucy back in time?"

"No, just her consciousness, into her younger self. Her younger body."

"This might just work, Charles." Erik said.

"What might work?" I asked confused.

"The Sentinel program was originally conceived by Doctor Bolivar Trask. In the early '70s, he was one of the world's leading weapons designers. But, covertly, he had begun experimenting on mutants... using their gifts to fuel his own research." My grandfather explained.

"There was one mutant who had discovered what he was doing. A mutant with the ability to transform herself into anyone."

"Mystique." Bishop said.

"I knew her as Raven. We met when we were children, grew up together. She was like a sister to me. I tried to help her, but only succeeded in driving her away. She hunted Trask across the world. And at the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, after the Vietnam War she found Trask and killed him. It was the first time she killed."