"Something doesn't smell right." Logan answered and Remy nodded.
"You're feeling it to huh?" Remy asked then sighed. "So, what do you think it is?" Logan shook his head.
"I don't know." Logan said still growling. "But we better find out and quick." Remy nodded his agreement.
"I wonder if anyone else is feeling it?" Remy asked still walking with Logan. "There's only one way to find out." Logan said.
Sarabi slowly walked around the lower floors looking around. She walked into the hanger and let out a low whistle. A sound behind her made her turn quickly and lean against the wall. Kurt walked around the corner then stopped when he saw Sarabi. He gave her a small smile.
"I'm sorry Sarabi." Kurt said softly looking at the floor. Sarabi looked around and then at him.
"For what?" She asked and Kurt looked up at her questionably.
"For allowing them to get Rei." Kurt answered and looked at Sarabi. She laughed shortly and waved her hand.
"Oh! Yeah, well they were tough; I don't blame you at all. What could you have done?" She told him with a smile. Kurt made a face and rubbed his neck.
"I could have teleported her someplace else." Kurt said and Sarabi looked at him for a moment.
"Coulda shoulda woulda." Sarabi said with a shrug. "It's late to be worrying about it now." Sarabi walked down the hall away from Kurt leaving him there looking strangely at her back. He looked into the hanger then back down the hall in the direction Sarabi had gone. He stood there for a moment then disappeared.
"I agree, there is defiantly something wrong." Scott said in the lounge where he was sitting with Ororo, Henry, Remy, and Logan. They had all met to talk about the recent events.
"I don't understand what could be happening." Ororo said and suddenly the door burst open and Calypso came storming in. She looked madder than a hornet.
"Calypso?" Henry asked and she came to a stop and took a couple of deep breaths. "Sarabi." Calypso said then took another breath.
"Sarabi? What's wrong with Sarabi?" Remy asked looking at Calypso funny.
"There is something wrong with her." Calypso growled. Logan looked at Calypso and nodded.
"You're telling me." He said and everyone looked at him.
"She's seriously off." Calypso said.
"Probably nothing a quick use of the stones won't cure." Remy said and Logan smiled. He headed for the door and everyone looked at him.
"Logan?" Ororo asked standing and Logan turned still smiling and gave Ororo a look.
"It's time for Sarabi to get back on." He said and walked out the door. Scott smiled and looked at the others.
"This should be interesting." Remy said and followed Logan. He wasn't the only one. Logan found Sarabi in her office looking at the artifacts on one of the many shelves. He closed the door behind him and looked at her. Sarabi jumped at the sound of the door clicking to a close. She looked at Logan and smiled.
"Has the Professor found Rei yet?" Sarabi asked him and he shook his head.
"Not yet, but don't worry he will." Logan replied putting his hands behind his back and slowly approached Sarabi. "Are you feeling alright Sarabs?" He asked and she laughed softly and walked up to Logan and placed her hands on his chest.
"Of coarse I am. What makes you think I am ill?" She asked softly playing with his shirt.
"You're acting different then the norm." He replied looking at her then down at her hands. Sarabi softly pouted and looked him in the eyes.
"Rei has been kidnapped. How do you think I would act?" She asked and Logan looked at her funny. He reached up and took her hands off his chest.
"I think you should use the stones." Logan said coming right to the point. Sarabi swallowed softly and then gave him a smile and took her hands out of his.
"The stones?" She asked then walked to her desk. "Isn't that extreme?" She looked at him and fiddled with a pen.
"I don't think so." Logan said sternly. Sarabi looked at him and leaned against her desk and smiled seductively.
"I think," Sarabi started and reached out for Logan's hand then pulled him to her. "That you are just blowing it out of proportion. I am fine Logan. Trust me." Logan looked at Sarabi and gave her a smile.
"I know it hurts Sarabi, but why not be in top condition when we go get Rei?" Logan asked and reached up and touched her cheek. Sarabi shifted a bit and sighed.
"Logan. I am fine. I haven't felt better in hundreds of years." Sarabi replied reaching up and softly yanking on one of her curls. Logan smiled then leaned towards her.
"Then how about a round?" Logan asked and Sarabi cocked her head to the side.
"A round?" She asked then looked around her office. "Isn't it a little early for that?" Logan raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Sarabi made a face. "Besides we have important things to take care of, this is no time for a round." Sarabi commented with a smile. "There will be time enough after this is over." Sarabi went to move away from Logan's curious eyes and he grabbed her and pulled her to him. He stared into her eyes then pressed his lips onto hers. Sarabi pulled back and gave him a smile. "And there will be time for that later." She whispered and Logan gave her a look then left her office. He shut the door and looked at everyone standing around the door. Logan shook his head.
"Well?" Remy asked and Logan sighed.
"There's something wrong with her." He said and walked down the hall to the elevator.
"Why? What happened?" Henry asked with worry in his voice. The elevator door opened and Logan with everyone stepped inside.
"She didn't know what I meant when I asked her if she wanted to go a round." Logan stated as the elevator took them to the lower level. Remy looked at Logan and swallowed.
"Are you sure it's Sarabi?" Remy asked and Logan nodded.
"It smells like her." Logan replied and Ororo sighed.
"Only the Professor will know for sure." Scott said as the door opened. They met Charles in the hall.
"What's wrong?" Charles asked when he looked at them.
"There's something wrong with Sarabi." Scott said looking to Logan.
"She seems to have very little memory of things." Remy said softly. Charles looked at him strangely.
"What do you mean?" Charles asked seriously. Logan growled. "She didn't know what a round was. She didn't get upset when I kissed her either." Logan said and Remy's mouth dropped open.
"You kissed her and she did nothing?!" Remy exclaimed and then looked at Charles. "There really is something wrong with her." Charles slowly nodded.
"I did not sense anything strange with Sarabi. Or another Sarabi somewhere else." Charles said looking to Scott who nodded. "I also cannot get into her mind, but that's nothing unusual." Charles said with a smile. "There may have been something in what they shot her with." Logan sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Then why does she remember some things, but not others? If there were a memory-altering drug in it, wouldn't she not remember anything at all? And wouldn't she regenerate the drug out of her system?" Logan asked.
"Not if it's strong enough." A voice said and they all turned to see Dr. Cornelius and Remus Lupin walking towards them. Scott smiled and shook their hands.
"Dr. Cornelius, Remus." Scott said.
"What do you mean strong enough?" Remy asked shaking their hands.
"Sarabi is quite resilient to many drugs. But I had found out that it takes a very strong drug in order to affect her in any way. Like you Logan, she automatically regenerates any foreign substances that get in her body. Which is why neither of you get sick, or diseases." Cornelius explained then sneezed. Remus gave Cornelius a smile and patted him on the back.
"Did you ever create a memory altering drug that would work on her?" Logan asked and Cornelius blew his nose on his handkerchief and shook his head.
"Never. What we used on you was no drug." He said a little stuffed. "It was an actual machine."
"Would it be able to be transported?" Charles asked and Cornelius laughed.
"The machine was to big to be moved. And besides, it was destroyed when Sarabi brought down the mountain." Cornelius told him sighing. Remus gave Cornelius another smile.
"Why? What's going on?" Remus asked as Cornelius sneezed again.
"Sarabi isn't acting herself." Ororo said with a sigh. "And we're not sure what to think about it." Ororo quickly explained to them what had happened and Cornelius nodded.
"You wouldn't have any of those funny looking guns still would you?" He asked about the gun the men were carrying. Scott nodded and led Cornelius to the lab where it was sitting.
"Perhaps it would help to have a second heightened senses person to take a sniff at her." Remus asked trying not to laugh. "How are the animals reacting to her?" Everyone looked at eachother but no one knew. "Animals are going to be your big first clue." Remus said and they all headed back up to the upper level.
Sarabi walked into the security room and stopped. She looked around and raised an eyebrow. Calypso turned and saw her standing there and gave her a look.
"You know, you have been acting really strange lately." Calypso told her and Sarabi shrugged.
"Define strange." Sarabi said and Calypso watched as she walked forward to a console and sat down. She turned the chair so that she was facing Calypso and placed her feet up on the console. "Well?"
"You just haven't been yourself since this last attack. I don't know why you don't just use the stones." Calypso said and Sarabi smile then sighed.
"Simple." She replied and Calypso listened. "I don't know where they are." Calypso blinked at her answer. Sarabi looked at her carefully. "You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?" Sarabi asked and Calypso shook her head. Sarabi sighed deeply and dropped her feet to the floor loudly. "Well, in that case, you're just going to have to get use to the new me." Sarabi stood and began to head to the door. Calypso stood there for a moment then narrowed her eyes and looked at Sarabi.
"Sarabi?" She said and Sarabi stopped and looked at her. "I was wondering if perhaps you could help me with something?" Calypso asked and faked a little embarrassment. Sarabi shrugged and looked around the room. "Oh no, nothing to do with security. I was wondering, what do you think of Scott?" Sarabi looked at Calypso and then smiled.
"Scott?" Sarabi asked and Calypso nodded. Sarabi stood there and thought about it for a moment. "He's alright I suppose. Really takes on the leader role doesn't he?" Calypso nodded again. "Why?"
"Well because…I was just…" Calypso tried to answer and Sarabi began to laugh.
"You like him?" Sarabi asked walking over to where Calypso stood. Calypso shrugged a bit and looked at the floor. "So, why don't you go for it? He's not seeing anyone that I know of."
"You're sure?" Calypso asked looking up at Sarabi through her lashes. Sarabi shrugged.
"Why not? If you like him that much…" Sarabi answered. "Besides it's a good match. You're about as uptight as he is at times doll." Sarabi said and walked out the security room door. Calypso stood there then sighed.
"What's wrong with you Sarabi?" She whispered to herself. "It's not like you to not know where your stones are. Or to suggest that a hologram have a relationship with a human, mutant or not. And God help you if you ever call me doll again..." Calypso looked to a monitor and saw Sarabi walking down a hall. With a heavy sigh she turned her attention on other matters.
The elevator door opened and the first thing they heard was a half scream, half shriek. "Was that Sarabi?" Henry asked and Remy shrugged.
"I don't think I have ever heard her scream before." Remy said and followed Logan and Remus to the source of the sound. They all stopped and looked at Sarabi as she pressed her back against a wall. Sitting in front of her, giving her the strangest looks where the tigers Yin and Yang. The tigers turned and looked at the group and Logan watched Sarabi carefully.
"What's your problem?" Logan asked her and Sarabi stared at him in disbelief.
"You are kidding right?" She asked and looked at the others who seemed just fine at the fact that there were two giant tigers sitting in the hallway.
"It's just Yin and Yang." Ororo said carefully. Sarabi rolled her eyes but didn't move from her spot against the wall.
"Great they have names." She whispered. Remus walked up to Sarabi and looked at her.
"I don't see what your problem is Sarabs. They are your tigers. You are the one who rescued them and named them." Remus told her then made a face and turned. Sarabi stood there for a moment then took a deep breath.
"Right." She said softly and went to follow Remus. Yin purred loudly and went to rub her cheek against Sarabi's leg and Sarabi squeaked. Remus looked at Logan and mouthed the words `She has to be Sarabi. At least it smells like her.' Logan nodded and reached out and grabbed Sarabi by the collar. "HEY! What the hell!" Sarabi said as Logan pulled her towards him then slammed her against the wall. The tigers looked at him then to eachother.
"Logan?" Charles asked but Logan kept looking at Sarabi. Sarabi glared at Logan.
"Just what the hell do you think you are doing Wolverine?" Sarabi growled and Logan raised an eyebrow then leaned forward and whispered in her left ear.
"If I find out that you aren't really who you are you better pray to whatever gods you believe in I don't find you." Logan said and released the claws in his right hand. Sarabi looked down at them and swallowed.
"Nice hardware." She whispered which made Logan pull back and look at her. "What's wrong? Is your nose off or something?" Sarabi asked smiling and removed his left hand from her right shoulder. "If I wasn't me, you'd be the first to know it." She gave first Logan then the tigers and then everyone else a look then walked off. Remus sighed deeply and watched her for a moment.
"She is defiantly off." Remus commented and everyone silently agreed.
"Did you get anything off her Professor?" Remy asked still looking in the direction Sarabi walked off in. Charles sighed and shook his head.
"Nothing. Funny thing though…" Charles said and everyone looked at him. "I didn't detect her guardian either." No one said anything and they didn't know what to do.
"Logan, you need to get her to use the stones." Ororo said and Logan sighed.
"She doesn't know where they are." Calypso's voice was heard moments before she appeared. Logan gave her a look.
"What?" He asked. Calypso shrugged and crossed her arms in front of her.
"She told me she doesn't know where they are, and that I should pursue a relationship with Scott." Calypso growled softly and everyone looked at her.
"Anything else?" Henry asked and Calypso gave him a look.
"Yeah." She answered. "She called me doll." This brought a few chuckles from everyone and Charles shook his head.
"Whatever is going on with Sarabi will have to wait. I found Rei so we will need to get a team together to go get her." Charles said and everyone nodded still thinking about Sarabi. Scott and Cornelius walked down the hall and Cornelius sneezed.
"There's nothing in that gun that could have effected Sarabi in anyway. It's just a power gun that admits a very powerful blast, which explains why it had knocked Sarabi out." Cornelius said and looked at everyone.
"Did we miss something?" Scott asked and no one said a word.
"Scott, get the jet ready. You need to go after Rei before anything happens to her." Charles said changing the subject. "The thing with Sarabi will have to wait." Scott nodded and turned back down the hall. Cornelius blew his nose and gave the tigers a look before following everyone back down to the lower levels.
"Aren't those the tigers that were at the compound?" Cornelius asked to no one in particular.
"Yep." Henry answered with a smile. Cornelius just shook his head miserably.
"You know if you drink some hot tea, it'll clear that cold up." Calypso told him as they walked. Cornelius sniffed and looked at her.
"I do not think tea is going to help." He said and sneezed again. Calypso raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
"You've never had any of Sarabi's tea. Egyptian blend." She told him and he looked at her with hope.
"Really?" He said and she nodded. "Who are you?" Calypso smiled.
"I am Calypso. A hard light hologram created by Sarabi for security purposes." She answered him and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"You have got to be kidding me." He said forgetting about his cold. Calypso stopped and turned to look at him.
"I assure you, I am not." She replied and Cornelius began to walk again. After a moment of silence he looked at her sideways.
"Any reason why you act like Seven of Nine from Voyager?" He asked and she smiled.
"I was created before that show. I do not know why everyone keeps saying that." Calypso answered then sighed softly. Cornelius smiled at her.
Scott, Ororo, Remy, Henry, and Logan were all suited up and were heading to the jet when they all stopped in their tracks. Rogue, Bobby, Sarah, Kitty, and Kurt all stood beside the jet also suited up and they looked at the adults with their arms crossed in front of them.
"We do not care what you say. We're going." Rogue told them firmly leaving no room for argument. Charles chuckled softly when he saw them.
"Let them go." Charles said and the kids blinked and looked at eachother. After a moment they all smiled. Scott just nodded and again walked towards the jet.
"Where are you guys going?" Sarabi asked walking into the hanger. Charles turned and looked at her.
"They are going to rescue Rei." He told her simply. Sarabi made a face.
"Rei?" She asked then smiled. "Oh yeah, Rei." She said and started to back up. She turned and tried to leave but Charles stopped her.
"Sarabi." He said and Sarabi sighed. "You should go with them." Sarabi turned and smiled at him.
"Should I really?" She stated and looked over at the group watching her carefully. Rogue leaned over to Scott.
"What's wrong with Sarabs?" She whispered.
"We're not sure. She's been acting strangely since Rei's abduction." Scott told her and she nodded and looked at the others.
"Yes Sarabi you should. Perhaps this way you can find out what's wrong with you." Charles said watching her. Sarabi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I'll go. But I am not wearing one of those." She said pointed to Scott and looking at his uniform.
"Well, that hasn't changed." Bobby said with a grin. Rogue and Kitty softly laughed. Sarabi walked towards the jet. She stopped and looked at Logan, Remy and Henry. She gave a short laugh.
"Nice outfits boys." She said and just gave Scott a look. "Where's Calypso? Why doesn't she have to go?" Sarabi asked turning to Charles. Charles started to head to the door but he looked over his shoulder at her.
"Calypso is a hard light hologram Sarabi." He said and Sarabi looked impressed. "You of all people should know that." Charles had a little laugh in his voice. This memory thing of hers was getting ridiculous. Sarabi snorted and started up the ramp.
"Why would I know that?" Sarabi asked quietly and Kitty looked at her.
"You created her, that's why." Kitty told her and Sarabi just stared at Kitty.
"You flying?" Logan asked her as he walked by. Sarabi laughed and gave him a look.
"Yeah right." Sarabi said and threw herself in a near-by chair in the back. Logan gave her a look over his shoulder.
"Good." He replied and sat down in one of the front seats right behind the pilot's seat. Ororo sighed and took the pilot's seat and Scott took the co-pilot's seat.
"Somehow, I am not minding this part of her memory lapse or whatever it is." Scott replied and Ororo smiled at him.
"Scott really." She said softly and looked back at Sarabi. She sat there staring up at he pilot area. Ororo sighed and looked back to Scott. "I can't wait to get the old her back." Scott smiled as the jet started.
"Buckle up Sarabs, you never know what will happen." Sarah told her and Sarabi snorted and gave her a look. Sarah sat there looking at her and with a heavy sigh Sarabi grabbed the belts then looked at them.
"How the…?" She said and Rogue stood and buckled her in. Sarabi looked at Rogue as she sat back down and buckled her own seat.
Remy sighed as they flew towards Texas. Logan looked over at him and Remy glanced over his shoulder at Sarabi. Logan too looked over at her and Sarabi looked anything but pleased to be there.
"I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach." Remy said softly and Logan nodded.
"You and me both bub." He said and they both turned back around. Henry nodded across the aisle.
"And something tells me it has to do with Sarabi." Henry said and Scott looked back at them.
"The only thing we can do is wait and see what happens." Scott said.
"Prepare for landing." Ororo announced and Logan looked at her.
"I hope you can land this thing better than last time." He said then smiled. "And better than Scott." Ororo laughed softly at Logan's comment and landed the jet with no problems. Scott rolled his eyes with a smile and stood to follow Ororo out. Logan passed by Sarabi as she struggled to get the belt off. Logan smiled and hit the X in the middle and they released. Sarabi glared at him for a moment then stood and followed him. Remy closely followed Sarabi and she glanced back over her shoulder at him. They stood on the ground and looked around at the barren landscape.
"Where exactly are we?" Kurt asked swallowing and shifted uncomfortably in the black uniform under the hot sun.
"There should be something here." Scott replied and Sarabi looked at him.
"Are you really blind?" Sarabi asked and Scott looked at her. "There's nothing here but cactus and dirt. Lots of dirt." She said and Scott walked up to her and Sarabi actually took a step back.
"Rei is here somewhere Sarabi and we're going to find her." Scott said sternly and Sarabi shrugged.
"Have fun then." Sarabi said and turned and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Henry asked her and Sarabi lifted her hands and let them drop back to her sides.
"No where. Because that's where we are! NO WHERE!" She yelled not turning to look at them and kept walking. Logan growled.
"Perhaps it's underground." Ororo suggested and Sarabi stopped and turned her head to the side listening to them.
"That would make some sense." Remy said nodding. "But how do we get underground?" No one said anything for a moment then Scott looked at Sarabi who hadn't moved.
"Why don't you use the earth element?" He yelled to her and Sarabi smiled.
"And do what exactly?" She asked slowly turning. "Make really big holes in the ground? Announce our arrival?" No one answered her and Logan was quickly loosing his patience with her. Sarah looked around them then pointed at a large rock sitting in the middle of all the dirt and cactus.
"There." She said and they all looked. "That's how we'll get in." Sarabi laughed but it was a little forced.
"A rock?" She said looking at Sarah. Sarah nodded slowly and walked over to it. "How is a rock going to get us in?" Sarah walked around the rock looking at it carefully.
"There has to be a secret switch here somewhere." She whispered.
"You all are crazy you know that? And what's the big deal about this girl anyway?" Sarabi said and Sarah jumped when she came around it and almost ran right into Sarabi.
"Rei is my friend." Sarah said softly. "And she use to be yours." Sarabi leaned on the rock and looked at Sarah.
"You'll never find her." Sarabi whispered and Sarah's eyes went wide.
"You're not Sarabi." Sarah said backing away. Sarabi smiled then shrugged. She pushed herself off the rock and took a step towards Sarah.
"Hey! What's this?" Remy asked and Sarabi quickly turned towards him. He pushed a small outcrop of the rock and it rumbled.
"Damnit." Sarabi said under her breath as a part of the rock slowly lowered into the ground revealing a set of metal stairs going down. Sarabi watched as the group slowly descended the stairs. She followed them being the last to enter. She was softly growling to herself and Sarah had temporarily forgotten what she had found out about her as they came to a softly lit tunnel at the bottom of the stairs. Scott took the lead as they walked down the tunnel, Ororo behind him and to his right, Henry to his left. The kids were in the middle with Logan, Remy and Sarabi bringing up the rear. They walked quietly and Sarabi started to lag back a bit, but no one noticed. They came upon a cross section and they stopped.
"Well, which way?" Bobby asked. Logan got a smug smile and chuckled.
"What do you think Sarabi?" He asked dripping with sarcasm. He waited for a moment and when she didn't answer he turned. "Sarabi?" He asked but she was gone. There was no trace of her. Remy turned and looked at the empty space behind them.
"Where did she go?" Rogue asked and looked down the tunnel. There was no other way out of the tunnel besides they way they came in.
"It doesn't matter." Sarah said and everyone looked at her.
"Sarah, that's not very nice." Ororo whispered but Sarah shook her head.
"That wasn't Sarabi." She said and Scott sighed.
"Are you sure?" He asked and Sarah nodded.
"Positive. I have felt Sarabi before, and although that person looks, smells, and sounds like Sarabi, it wasn't. It was…something else." Sarah said then looked down at the ground.
"Then where is the real Sarabi?" Kurt asked looking at all the adults.
"Once we have Rei back we should be able to answer that question." Scott said then chooses a direction. They silently walked down the tunnel.
"She's here." Sarah whispered and Bobby looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can feel her. But she's in trouble." Logan shook his head looking down at his chest.
"If Sarabi was in trouble the stones would glow." Logan commented. And Kitty nodded.
"But that's only if she's in a life threatening situation. She can be in trouble, but not where her life is in danger." Kitty said and Logan rolled his eyes. Suddenly he stopped and told the rest to do so as well. He listened for a moment then growled. "Who ever she was, she just sent in the troops." The group readied themselves as a couple of men came around the corner. Scott blasted them with a couple of shots from his eyes. Logan released his claws but before anyone else could even react Bobby reached out and froze the men in their tracks. No one said a word as they walked around the frozen men. They came to a large circular room and looked around. It seemed quite empty, but as soon as they all had entered the door behind them slammed shut and the room filled with men carrying rifles all pointed at them. Sarabi, or rather the woman who looked like Sarabi, walked out from between the men with a smile.
"If you value Rei's life you will stand down." She growled and smirked. Scott's hand dropped from his visor and he sighed.
"Who are you?" Logan asked and she smiled even wider.
"I am Sarabi's clone. I was made to be her, and you have to admit, it worked very well don't you think?" She replied. No one said anything. Sarah stepped forward and made a face at her.
"I knew you weren't our Sarabi." Sarah said and she sighed.
"Yes, but I plan to fix that little problem." The woman told them and Sarah laughed softly.
"I can sense the different powers in mutants. In order for you to fool me, you would have to have the same powers as Sarabi." Sarah stated and the woman smiled evilly.
"Don't worry about that little one, I soon will have Sarabi's powers." She stated with a smirk then turned and looked at the men around her. "Take them away." Men grabbed each of them and dragged them off into another room. Each of them were placed against a wall and fastened to it with their arms out like on a cross. Their feet were fastened to the wall as well and then they were left there.
"So, what do we do now?" Rogue asked trying to see the rest of the room but it was too dark. Scott turned his head and looked at Logan.
"Can you break free Logan?" He asked and Logan's muscles flexed for a minute then he shook his head.
"No."
"Of coarse not." The woman's voice floated to them. She came into view as lights were turned on in the room. There was a metal banister about eight feet in front of them separating them from her. Behind her there was a simple wall that looked like it didn't belong where it sat. She smiled at them and leaned on the banister. She looked at each of them lined up along the wall like prisoners ready to be executed. On the far left was Henry, then Ororo, Remy, Scott, Rogue, Logan, Bobby, Kurt, Kitty and Sarah.
"Where's Sarabi?" Logan asked looking right at her and she smiled.
"You probably don't want to know." She replied swinging a leg over the banister and walked up to him. "Why don't you just forget about her?" She asked softly. "Am I not the very image of her? Do I not smell like her?" She asked and Logan laughed.
"You may look like Sarabi, smell like Sarabi, but you are not Sarabi." He told her and she smiled.
"Not yet." She said and pulled a remote out of a pocket and pushed a button. The wall behind her began to sink into the ground slowly exposing the rest of the room. There was no telling how large the room was due to large equipment and half walls scattered around. A large table sat behind her and there were multiple guns sitting upon it. Sarah swallowed hard at the sight of the guns and looked to the woman.
"You can not hurt Sarabi." Sarah whispered and the woman smiled at her.
"Not yet." She repeated and Logan didn't like the sound of that.
"What do you mean not yet?" Ororo finally asked and in reply the woman went back over the banister and a little deeper into the room. It was littered with light green light so they could easily see where she was going. She walked up to one of the half walls and pushed a button that lit a light right above it. Everyone gasped at what they saw. There was a large vertical tank sitting beside the wall. It had tubes and wires running out from the top of it and floating inside, among greenish liquid, was the original Sarabi. She looked like she was sleeping with her arms crossed in the royal Egyptian burial manner in front of her. She had a tube running from her mouth supplying her with air and multiple wires sticking out of her skin all over her body. She was still wearing a black tank top and black jeans and was bare footed.
"Sarabi!" Sarah yelled and the woman laughed.
"She can not hear you. She's in a deep sleep, thanks to the liquid surrounding her. As long as she is submerged in this liquid, she will sleep." The woman lightly tapped the side of the tank with a smile. "But, unfortunely I have a little problem." She said and walked over to another half wall turning on the light above it.
"Rei!" Sarah said and Rei blinked her eyes at the sudden light. She too was in a vertical tank, but it was void of fluid. Rei yelled but they couldn't hear a word she said. Rei quickly fell silent when she saw both Sarabis. She looked from the one standing next to her, to the one in the tank. Rei was clearly confused, but only momentarily.
"The purpose of Rei's capture was to get vital information from her about all of you as well as Sarabi. But, she doesn't know as much as I require. Like the whereabouts of the elemental stones." She looked back at the group and Logan swallowed.
"What do you want with the stones?" Kitty asked not looking at Logan. The woman smiled softly and sighed.
"They are vital to my plan if I am to become the Fifth Element." She told her and studied Kitty carefully. Kitty said nothing, instead she softly moaned inward.
"You needed a physic to tell you where they are since you are human. But Rei doesn't know. Only Sarabi knows and Rei can't get into Sarabi's mind." Sarah said then shook her head. "Even if you got the stones, there is no way you could become the Fifth." The woman walked over to them and again stepped over the banister and walked up to Kitty.
"Oh there is. And something tells me, you know that, don't you… Kitty?" She said and Kitty swallowed then tried to phase through the bonds, but she couldn't. "Each of your bonds are specially created to block each of your unique powers. Strength." She said and pointed at Logan and Henry. "Transfer." She said pointing to Remy. "Electrical." She pointed to Ororo. "Ice." She pointed to Bobby. "Transportation." She pointed to Kurt. "And phasing." She finished pointing to Kitty. "Lucky for us there are three of you who are of no threat as long as you can't move your hands." She said smiling at Scott, Sarah and Rogue. "And it's all thanks to our darling little physic." She said slightly turning to Rei. Rei hung her head and let it fall against the side of the tank. She sniffed softly, but no one but her heard it. Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped as she heard a familiar voice in her head. A voice she thought she would never hear again. She blinked back the tears and looked again at the scene before her.
"So, how's this plan of yours supposed to work with Sarabi napping?" Remy asked quite annoyed. She looked at him and walked in his direction. Logan didn't hear her reply as he watched an automatic gun slowly rise from the table and point itself in the original Sarabi's direction. And he wasn't the only one to notice. Everyone, even Remy held their breath as the gun clicked and then began to shoot up the tank making holes in the tempered glass allowing the fluid to flow out of it freely. Quite a few of the bullets hit Sarabi as well, but there was no worry from anyone about that. The woman turned sharply at the sound of the gun and stared at it for a few minutes before realizing what it was shooting at.
"NO!" She screamed and then the glass shattered sending shards everywhere. Sarabi, no longer being supported by the fluid fell out onto the floor, the wires tearing from her skin and the tube sliding out of her mouth and throat. She laid on her back with her eyes still closed as her body healed itself from the bullets, glass and wires. The gun dropped back to the table and was silent. The woman jumped over the banister and looked at Rei who stood there with her palms against the glass, mouth open and just staring at Sarabi on the floor. It was obvious to all that the gun trick was not the work of Rei from her expression. The woman looked at the group along the wall and shook her head. "But who?" She asked.
"I might just ask the same thing." Sarabi said standing shakily and leaning heavily on the table. She looked up at the woman and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell." She stated and the woman smiled and walked up to her.
"Just like looking into the mirror isn't it?" She asked. Sarabi could only stare at her. She breathed evenly as she looked at her from head to toe. "In almost all ways I am you." She spoke again walking behind Sarabi to her other side. "The only thing I am missing is the elemental powers you possess." She said in Sarabi's right ear. Sarabi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had never felt so weak in her life. She slowly turned and looked at the woman.
"So, what do they call you? Nala?" Sarabi snapped and the woman took a step back and Sarabi laughed. "You're kidding me." She whispered shaking her head. Sarabi looked at her twin carefully. "I suppose you plan on getting my powers then?" Sarabi asked and the woman smiled. "And what makes you think I will give them up so easily?"
"I didn't plan on you giving them up." Nala replied and then slugged Sarabi across the jaw. Sarabi hit the floor and coughed. The hit itself wasn't very hard, but Sarabi didn't have her full strength back yet. She looked up at Nala and growled. Nala laughed and squatted down beside Sarabi. "Feeling a little weak Sarabi?" She asked and Sarabi crawled up on her hands and knees looking at the floor.
"I won't be weak forever." Sarabi replied then shot out her left leg kicking Nala hard and sent her sliding across the titled floor then slowly stood up. Nala made a face at Sarabi and stood.
"Give me the stones." Nala demanded and Sarabi laughed.
"Sorry. Don't have them with me." Sarabi told her unaware of her friends bonded to the wall or of Rei in a tank behind her.
"Tell me where they are then." Nala said. Sarabi shook her head slowly.
"And if I don't?" Sarabi said with a smile. Nala looked at the wall and smiled.
"Tell me, or they die." She said and Sarabi looked at the wall then moaned.
"Wonderful." Sarabi whispered then smiled. "Why not start with the guy in the middle?" Sarabi asked giving Logan a smile.
"Wolverine?" Nala asked and laughed. "He's immortal, like you are, for now." She stated and Sarabi sighed. "I know all about your friends." She told her and Sarabi looked at Logan carefully.
"Apparently not everything or you would already know where the stones are." Sarabi said with a smile.
"What?" Nala said and Sarabi reached out her left hand toward Logan. Nala watched as something moved under Logan's uniform. The elemental necklace slipped out from under his uniform and unclasped itself and flew to Sarabi's open hand. The chain wrapped itself around her arm and through her fingers. The stones themselves laid on the mark on her wrist and didn't move. The stones glowed for a moment then the glow quickly went over Sarabi's body and she smiled. Nala couldn't believe what she saw and she glared at Logan.
"You knew all along." She growled at him and he just smiled.
"Like I said, I won't be weak forever." Sarabi said looking at Nala. She swallowed but lifted her chin and looked Sarabi in the eyes. Sarabi ran towards her and Nala prepared herself. Sarabi returned Nala's earlier favor by sending a right hook at her jaw. Nala stumbled and tried to swing back but missed. Sarabi stuck her foot behind one of Nala's and made her fall to the ground. Nala got up and faced Sarabi. She threw a couple of punches at her but Sarabi blocked them effortlessly. Sarabi caught Nala in the lip and it began to bleed. Sarabi smiled and grabbed Nala's shirt and pulled her close and licked the blood off her lip. Nala looked at Sarabi in horror and Sarabi smiled. "There's something missing from your blood." Sarabi said and Nala swallowed hard. "Apparently not all of my DNA can be cloned." Sarabi threw Nala away from her and when she hit the floor Nala scrambled away from Sarabi in fear. She was obviously no match for her. Sarabi smiled and advanced on her. Nala squeaked as Sarabi grabbed her foot and pulled her towards her. Nala laid on her back and looked at Sarabi as she grabbed her around the throat and picked her up. Nala's hands grabbed Sarabi's right arm as she slowly began to squeeze. "You will never be me." Sarabi said with a smile and pulled her face close to hers. "I don't know how they did it, but there's only room enough in this universe for one Sarabi, and that's me." Sarabi growled at her and began to squeeze harder. Nala couldn't say a thing as she gasped for air. No one said a word as they watched Sarabi slowly squeeze the life out of their captor.
"Sarabi, stop." A voice said and Sarabi blinked. She knew the voice, but there was no possible way she had just heard it so she kept squeezing. "Sarabi this is not you," the voice said again and this time Sarabi looked to where the voice was coming from and saw nothing but darkness. Sarabi stared as a figure slowly came out of the dark and Sarabi's heart skipped a few beats. "You protect life, you do not destroy it." The voice said again and Sarabi released an unconscious Nala and didn't even look when she fell to the floor. Sarabi slowly approached the owner of the voice with tears stinging her eyes. She looked the person over carefully.
"J…Jean?" Sarabi whispered reaching a hand out towards her. Jean smiled softly at Sarabi and took her hand in hers. "But…you're dead." Sarabi managed looking at where their hands touched. Jean smiled softly again and put Sarabi's hand on her heart. Sarabi could feel it beating softly under her hand and she looked Jean in the eyes. "How do I know you're not just a clone?" Sarabi said sadly as it could have been quite possible.
"Because the only two people that know about the little conversation we had about Logan and Scott in the X Jet on the way to Alkali Lake are you and I." Jean told her in her head and Sarabi stood there and blinked. Sarabi removed her hand from Jean's heart and placed it on the back of her neck. Jean smiled as their minds connected and Sarabi saw everything that had happened at Alkali Lake and afterwards. Sarabi pulled Jean to her and hugged her tightly.
"I thought you were dead." She whispered in her ear and Jean smiled over her shoulder hugging her back tightly.
"Not dead, just evolved." Jean said and looked at everyone on the wall. Scott had frozen at the sound of Jean's voice and didn't dare blink when he saw her. "We have to get out of here." Jean told her and Sarabi nodded and let Jean go. She stood there looking at Jean for a moment before her hair turned a brilliant red and Sarabi lifted her left hand towards Logan and let a blast of fire fly to the bond that was holding his right hand. It shattered and Logan had looked to his left when he realized what Sarabi was doing. He lowered his right arm and looked at Sarabi who had torn her eyes away from Jean to make sure she hit her mark okay.
"Thanks for the warning." Logan told her then released the claws in his right hand and easily cut the bond holding his left. Sarabi smiled at him with a shrug. The elemental necklace unwound itself from Sarabi's left hand and flew back to Logan and clasped itself around his neck again. Logan gave Sarabi a look and she shrugged.
"Don't ask me. It's done that twice now." She told him and he released his left claws and quickly released Bobby, Kurt, Kitty and Sarah from their bonds and then went to Rogue, Scott, Remy, Ororo, and finally Henry. Jean smiled as Scott walked up to her and took her in his arms holding her close. Logan only glanced in their direction as he retracted his claws. Sarabi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"We have to find Rei and get out of here." Sarabi said and Logan chuckled and walked up to Sarabi. With his right hand he reached up and grabbed her chin and turned her in Rei's direction. Rei shyly waved at Sarabi and Sarabi smiled. "Oh." Sarabi said as Logan let her chin go. She lifted her right hand and was about to blast the tank when Jean quickly grabbed her hand.
"Sarabi no!" She said and Sarabi gasped as she released the blast. Jean absorbed it without a flinch and Sarabi just looked at her and she smiled. "If you fire any sort of element at that tank it will suck it out of you." Jean informed her and Sarabi sighed. "That goes for any of us." Jean said to the rest of them. Sarabi had a smile on her face and Jean sighed. "Sarabi?" Sarabi didn't answer her but instead purred softly and walked toward the table. She ran her hand over a couple of guns and picked up a M-16 and looked at it. Rei's eyes widened again as Sarabi aimed the gun at her. Rei dropped to the bottom of the tank and covered her head as bullets flew above her. After it was silent for a minute Rei poked her head up and looked at Sarabi.
"Could you not find another way to get me out?" Rei exclaimed and Sarabi hadn't stopped smiling. She walked up to Rei and she jumped throwing her arms around Sarabi's neck. Sarabi pulled her out of the tank and placed her on her feet. Rei smiled warmly at Sarabi. "Took you long enough." Sarabi laughed and turned back to the table.
"Hey now, I've been here just as long as you have." Sarabi told her then looked at Scott and sighed. "What did take you so long?" She asked.
"You, well, your clone that is." Scott answered and Sarabi sighed.
"Speaking of which, couldn't you tell it wasn't me? I mean really." Sarabi said looking at each of them.
"The only difference between the two of you is what you know and your personality." Henry replied. Sarabi shook her head and looked at the table. With a laugh Sarabi picked up a holster with two guns and looked at them. She strapped them on and turned to face Rei and everyone else. Rei laughed softly and gave Sarabi a wink.
"How's it going Lara Croft?" Rei asked and Sarabi rolled her eyes. Sarabi stepped over the still unconscious Nala and then stopped and looked around.
"So, how do we get out of here?" Sarabi asked but everyone shrugged. Sarabi sighed. "How did you get in?" Sarabi asked and Ororo smiled and pointed to a door by the wall to which they were bound. Sarabi sighed and started to walk towards it but stopped and cocked her head to the side and listened. Logan watched Sarabi then began to listen himself. He heard a faint sound that he couldn't tell what it could be. Sarabi turned and walked deeper into the room following the sound. It sounded like metal and gears and soon everyone could hear it as they followed Sarabi in curiousity. Sarabi slowly approached a banister and looked over it to a floor below. Sarabi raised an eyebrow and looked at the mechanical device below them. Logan stood beside Sarabi and was watching it as it moved.
"What is that thing?" Logan asked softly. Sarabi moaned softly as she realized where she had seen it before.
"Haven't you seen the movie Tomb Raider Wolverine?" Nala's voice asked a little scratchy and everyone turned and looked at her. "It's my favorite role Sarabi has ever played." Nala continued, talking about the movie. "It's kind of like Simon from the beginning of the movie, and like that one, this one is programmed to kill Sarabi." She stated and Sarabi looked back down at it. The one below was quite a bit bigger than Simon from the movie and probably a lot more dangerious. Not to her, but the others around her which gave her an idea.
"What stops it from killing you?" Sarabi asked Nala turning back to face her. Nala smiled sweetly.
"It can tell us apart." Nala told her.
"How?" Sarabi asked and Nala just gave her another smile.
"It just can." Nala told her and Sarabi's nose twitched a little and without warning Sarabi ran over to Nala and grabbed her.
"Let's test that theory shall we?" Sarabi told her and then threw her over the side. At the last moment Nala grabbed Sarabi's arm and pulled her over the banister as well. Nala landed on Sarabi when they hit the floor. Sarabi's eyes rolled and she pushed Nala off of her. Nala quickly rolled away from Sarabi and stood watching her carefully. Sarabi sat up and popped her right shoulder back in place before standing. Sarabi looked at Nala and glared at her.
"Sarabi! You okay?" Bobby asked and when Sarabi looked up at him he was smiling. Sarabi just gave him a smile and looked back at Nala. Nala faced Sarabi and never noticed the machine stand up behind her. Sarabi's eyes quickly went to it as it stood on all fours. She couldn't tell whether it was looking at her or Nala. Sarabi slowly backed away and that's when Nala turned around and looked at it. She smiled and looked back at Sarabi.
"Go ahead. Take a shot at it." Nala said and Sarabi looked at her. "Everytime you use an element on it, it sucks the power from you." Everyone above her could hear Sarabi's groan. Nala was making damn sure Sarabi was indeed powerless. Something whirled behind Nala and the machine stepped over her and lowered a bit to get a good look at Sarabi. Suddenly all sorts of guns popped out all over it and were pointing at Sarabi. She sighed and ran forward, right at Nala. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Nala yelled as Sarabi tackled her to the ground and rolled. Sarabi quickly stood up as gunshots filled the air. Nala barely managed to get out of the way as the machine quickly flipped itself over and followed Sarabi.
"Get out of here!" Sarabi yelled at the others as she hit the wall and jumped off of it at the machine making it slide to a stop. Sparks flew as bullets hit metal and Sarabi slid down the back of the machine. Jean started to head to a door on their left and the others quickly followed. They found themselves on a suspended walkway leading to a large suspended circular platform and they all stopped when they reached it and turned back to the door. Sarabi had jumped up on some wooden boxes and managed to get back on the upper level without a scratch. "So, your theory is right." Sarabi said breathing hard. One of the machine's mechanical hands gripped the banister and ripped it off the floor. Sarabi took off for the door the others had gone through and got halfway across the walkway when the machine busted through the wall sending concrete everywhere. It reached out and grabbed at Sarabi's leg. It missed but Sarabi tripped anyway. She rolled over on her back and looked up at it. She sat up and before she could go anywhere the machine slammed one of it's feet down and Sarabi had seconds to spread her legs as one of the toes barely missed her by inches. Sarabi looked down at the foot between her legs and put her foot on its leg and rolled backwards away from it. Sarabi stood and pulled out the guns from the holsters and began shooting at it. `It worked in the movie.' Sarabi thought which made her smile. `In the movie, Simon was remote controlled.' Her mind reminded her. The machine recoiled at the bullets and Sarabi turned and ran across the platform and onto another walkway and out the door. Everyone followed her and when Rei caught up to her she smiled.
"Déjà vu?" Rei asked and Sarabi laughed.
"Yeah, except no one is going to yell cut." Sarabi answered as they ran across another suspended walkway. Sarabi took the time to look down through the walkway to see what exactly they were being suspended above. All she could see is darkness. The door ahead of them was shut and Sarabi positioned herself so she could hit it without slowing down. She hit it hard but was thrown back. Rei had just managed to stop before running into the door and she looked down at where Sarabi lay. "Ouch." Sarabi managed and glared at the door when she sat up. Rei went to touch the door but pulled her hand back and looked at it funny.
"It's warm." Rei said. The machine busted through the wall again and Sarabi sighed. She quickly stood and placed a hand on the door. Rei was right; the door was warm, but not hot. Sarabi cocked her head and sighed.
"There's lava on the other side, but it's not going to be a threat." She told them and turned looking at the machine carefully making its way to them. It was considerably larger than the walkway and had to step carefully to get across. Sarabi looked up at the ceiling and noticed that the bolts were barely holding the weight of the machine. With a sigh she pushed past everyone and faced the machine. Logan released his claws and easily opened the door. Rei took the lead and looked down through the walkway and almost stopped. Almost 100 feet below them lava bubbled and smoked.
"Don't look down." Logan told her with a smile and Rei focused on the door ahead of them. The group had almost reached the door when concrete fell around them. Everyone turned as Sarabi landed hard on the walkway and rolled. She came to a stop on her hands and knees and slowly picked herself up. Blood poured out of her mouth and the machine quickly followed Sarabi through the wall. It landed hard shaking the walkway. Sarabi stood and dodged an arm that came at her with a circular saw at the end of it. It went over her head and into one of the metal ropes holding the walkway up. It cut right through it and the walkway tilted. Sarabi turned and sighed as the walkway was in sections, and the group was on the furthest section away. The machine took a step closer to Sarabi and the other metal rope couldn't hold the weight and snapped. Sarabi threw herself down on the walkway and laced her fingers through it.
"Sarabi!" Kitty yelled taking a few steps towards her as the machine lost its balance and tumbled over Sarabi. The circular saw caught Sarabi's arm and she let go and started to slide down the walkway towards the lava below. Sarabi managed to get her fingers through the walkway again at the last second. She dangled by one hand then reached up with her right and got a good hold. She was about to swing herself back up when the machine grabbed her ankle. Sarabi winced in pain at the weight of the machine. Scott fired a blast at its arm and the machine reacted by producing a gun and aiming it at the group.
"NO!" Sarabi yelled then let go of the walkway just as the other two metal ropes gave out from the weight and the walkway began to fall into the lava.
"SARABI!" They all yelled, all but Jean who watched Sarabi fall and disappear into the lava. Kitty fell to the walkway gripping it tightly.
"Sarabi is fire." Jean said kneeling down comforting Kitty and Kitty looked up at her through tears.
"Lava is to hot." Kitty whispered but Jean shook her head and smiled as the lava began to bubble and smoke more than normal. Kitty stood and looked over the edge of the walkway. The lava bubbled up and a stream of it slowly rose towards them. It went up to the walkway, over the railing then splashed down and through it. They all turned and watched as the lava seeped through the grating of the walkway leaving Sarabi lying on it. No one moved until Sarabi coughed and lifted herself up. She looked at the group and Kitty sighed. Sarabi stood and the door behind the group opened and the sound of guns being cocked was heard. Logan turned to it and was about to release his claws when he heard one word in his head and ducked down grabbing Rei's arm just as a blast of fire flew over their heads and into the next room filling it completely. The heat from it was amazing, Logan and Rei both held up an arm to the blast until it smoldered out, almost as fast as it filled the room. Logan stood looking into the room. There was no sign of anyone in there, dead or alive. Logan looked back at Sarabi who looked very surprised at the force of the blast as she lowered her hand.
"I should swim in lava more often." Sarabi said. Logan sighed and Rei screwed up her face.
"Duck." Rei said as Sarabi walked by and Sarabi looked down at her.
"What?"
"It's duck." Rei said again. "Not goose." Sarabi smiled and laughed.
"Goose is what is said when you are chosen." Sarabi explained as they walked across another suspended walkway. "And they were chosen." Rei looked at Sarabi funny then looked down at a black spot. Sarabi followed Rei's gaze and sighed. "M-16." Sarabi stated. "Or what's left of it." Rei shivered slightly at the sight and counted ten of the black marks. The door in front of them stood open and Sarabi walked through it carefully sniffing at the air but all she smelled was burnt plastic, metal, and flesh. The room was dark compared to the light from the lava and it took Sarabi a second to readjust her eyes. One second to late. Unlike the previous rooms, this one was solid with no suspended walkways or platforms, and they had guns pointed at them not allowing them to take another step forward.
"I'll have to remember that little trick." Nala's voice said and Sarabi sighed. "I wouldn't try anything sweetheart." Nala told her and she didn't move. Nala stood before them grinning. Sarabi twitched her nose and smiled. Without a word she pushed Rei and Logan back into the others and again raised her arms, this time to her sides, and let fire flow freely out. It circled the room quickly, killing everyone inside, everyone except Nala. Nala stood there looking at the piles of dust and melted plastic now around her. She looked back at Sarabi as she lowered her arms and smiled at her.
"You and me." Sarabi said and Nala smiled then turned on her heel and ran. Sarabi smiled and took off after her before anyone could stop her. They both went through another door and were back on the suspended walkways, this one, like the first room, had a circular platform suspended in the middle. Nala was already on that platform and was about to head down another walkway when Sarabi jumped off the railing and using the air element landed right in front of Nala. Nala stumbled backwards but managed to keep her balance and turned to run the other way. There were four walkways leading off of the platform and Sarabi again jumped off the railing. This time she landed on the railing next to Nala and Nala turned and did the first thing that came to her mind. She pushed Sarabi off the railing. Rei slid to a stop when she saw this and tried not to laugh. Logan gave her a look and she shrugged as the wind began to pick up around them. Sarabi rose back to the walkway's level and looked at Nala. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she rolled her eyes at her. "Wind." Sarabi told her then landed on the walkway blocking off her exit. Nala took a step back and glared at her. Sarabi placed a roundhouse kick in her chest knocking her off the walkway. "Well that was easy." Sarabi said walking back towards the platform and tried to ignore the look in Jean's eyes. "I know, I know. Bad Sarabi." She told Jean but Jean wasn't paying attention to Sarabi anymore. Instead she was looking at something behind her. They all were. Sarabi turned around and laughed despite herself. Nala was hovering slightly above the group, but she wasn't using any powers, instead she was using a pair of large wings that Sarabi had seen before. Nala landed on the platform not to far from Sarabi. "So that's what I look like with wings." Sarabi commented with a shrug. "I knew I wouldn't like them." Sarabi took a step towards Nala but she raised her hand and Sarabi stopped uncertain.
"Sarabi." A soft voice said and Sarabi turned to see Sarah standing back on the other platform with a semi-automatic gun to her head.
"Perhaps you can't die, but I am sure she can." Nala snarled at Sarabi. Sarabi just stood there not moving as more men filed in around them. Sarabi sighed deeply and looked at Nala.
"What do you want." Sarabi demanded and Nala smiled tucking her wings back into hiding.
"To be you." She replied and turned away from Sarabi and walked down the walkway Sarabi knocked her off of. A man grabbed Sarabi's arm and pulled her after Nala. Sarabi didn't fight him and sighed when she saw what sat in the middle of the room. The others were dragged in behind her and they stood together with men around them with guns locked and ready. Logan stood beside Sarabi and looked at the very familiar table and four small stone pillars. He turned and looked at Sarabi. Nala stood by the table looking at Sarabi expectantly and Sarabi sighed and walked forward.
"Fine Nala, you want them so bad, you can have them." Sarabi told her.
"Sarabi." Logan said and Sarabi rolled her eyes. "You can't do this." He whispered and Sarabi looked at him.
"Like you really care." Sarabi said glaring at him. Nala laughed.
"You are really that blind are you?" Nala asked and Sarabi rolled her eyes and looked at Nala.
"What?"
"You can't see it?" Nala asked laughing softly. "Everyone can see it, and they've seen it for quite awhile now." Sarabi just looked at Nala.
"See what Nala?" Sarabi asked and Nala walked up to her and glanced at Logan.
"He does care Sarabi. He cares a lot." Nala told her and Sarabi just stared at her.
"What makes you think that?" Sarabi asked and Nala looked at Logan.
"I may not be a mutant, but I can always tell when someone is in love." She said and Sarabi sighed and walked towards the table. She stepped up on the table and stood there. She reached out for Nala's hand and after a moment of hesitation she took it and Sarabi pulled her up along side of her. Sarabi then turned to Logan and again reached for the stones. They came to her as before and with the same Egyptian words the stones came out and placed themselves on the appropriate pillar. Sarabi waited as some of the men opened the stones.
"Sarabi…" Jean stepped forward and a gun was raised to her throat.
"Don't worry Jean. I know what I am doing." Sarabi told her and glanced at a very nervous Nala.
"Just so you know," Nala said as soon as all the stones were opened. "If you kill me, your friends will die." Sarabi sighed and stood facing Nala her left side to the group.
"I'm not going to kill you Nala." Sarabi growled. "I'm tired of this so I am going to end it now." Nala still didn't look relieved at Sarabi's words. "Earth to Air, Air to Water, Water to Fire, Fire to Earth. Earth, Air, Water, Fire." Sarabi said and continued to chant the last four words over and over again until a square was solidly surrounding her and Nala. Nala looked around at the beams of light then looked back at Sarabi. "This is going to hurt though, I do hope you know that." Sarabi said as the stones hummed.
"It'll be worth it." Nala told her and Sarabi shrugged. The stones each shot a beam of energy into Sarabi as normal, but this time four colored orbs came out of Sarabi's chest instead of the one beam. The color orbs floated around Sarabi a few seconds then slammed into Nala's chest. Nala stumbled backwards at the force and gasped at the pain. The beams left Sarabi and the stones closed themselves quickly and returned to the necklace that Sarabi had dropped at her feet when the beam hit. Sarabi stood for only a moment then fell. Logan caught her and looked down at her. She smiled softly and looked at the inside of her left wrist and Logan saw the mark disappear. Sarabi then looked at Nala who only stood there breathing hard. Her wings were flexing open and closed. Logan placed Sarabi on her feet but held onto her shoulders. Sarabi took a step back into Logan and watched as Nala bent down to pick up the necklace but it floated up and out of her reach. Nala looked at Sarabi who smiled as the necklace came towards her and clasped itself back around Logan's neck. Nala looked at them strangely then growled. "Kill them. Kill them all." She said in an even tone and Sarabi glared at her.
"Wait." Sarabi said and no one moved.
"If you think that just because you gave me your powers I'm gonna spare anyone's including yours, life you are sadly mistaken." Nala told her jumping off the table and standing in front of Sarabi.
"What about Logan?" Sarabi asked softly and Nala smiled.
"I'll just keep him locked up I guess." She said and Sarabi shook her head and laughed, although she didn't feel much like laughing.
"He's the Keeper of the Stones." Sarabi said and both Logan and Nala looked at Sarabi.
"What does that mean?" Nala asked looking at Logan over Sarabi's shoulder.
"It means that he protects the stones." Sarabi said and Nala looked at her. "He controls whether they come to the Fifth Element or not. If he doesn't want them to, they won't move and you can't touch them without getting seriously hurt. Only the stones can kill the Fifth Element." Sarabi explained feeling tired. Nala growled and Logan looked down at the necklace. Sarabi stepped away from Logan making him release her shoulders. "I'll make you a deal Nala." Sarabi said and Nala looked at her. "You and me, one last fight, no powers, no guns." Nala laughed at Sarabi.
"I can kill you, you know." Nala told her and Sarabi nodded.
"I know." She said softly.
"And if you win?" Nala asked laughing at the thought.
"We leave." Sarabi said and Nala made a face. "If you win, you can do what you wish to them." Jean reached out and smacked Sarabi in the shoulder but Sarabi didn't turn.
"And what are we fighting to?" Nala asked and Sarabi again laughed.
"The death of coarse. What else?" Sarabi said and Nala smiled. Sarabi took off the guns and handed them back to Logan. He took them then dropped them and grabbed Sarabi's arm turning her to face him.
"Are you crazy? She can kill you, she will kill you." Logan told her and Sarabi gave him a smile and shrugged Logan's hand off her arm. Logan growled and Kitty touched Sarabi's arm lightly making her turn to look at her.
"He really does love you Sarabs." Kitty told her and Sarabi smiled and looked at Logan.
"Really?" Sarabi said. "Then how about a kiss goodbye?" Sarabi smiled and shook her head and began to walk away from them. Logan reached out and grabbed Sarabi's arm and pulled her to him. Sarabi glared at him a moment then he kissed her. Sarabi stood there in stunned silence looking at him after the kiss was over. She swallowed. "I'm still going to fight." Sarabi whispered and quickly walked away from Logan and glared at Nala who was smiling brightly.
"Told you so." Nala said and Sarabi punched her in answering. Nala held her nose a minute then slowly lowered her hand and giggled. Sarabi rolled her eyes. Nala ran at Sarabi and caught her around the waist and threw her to the floor, Nala went to jump on her but Sarabi kicked her feet out from under her and rolled backwards and squatted down looking at Nala as she slowly stood and glared at Sarabi. Nala ran over to Sarabi as she stood and slammed her fist into Sarabi's jaw. Sarabi stumbled a bit then looked at Nala and spit blood at her. Nala smiled and grabbed Sarabi around the throat and pulled Sarabi nose to nose with her. "Why don't you just give up? Why suffer with the pain?"
"I like pain." Sarabi said trying to swallow. "It let's me know I am alive." Sarabi placed her right foot on Nala's stomach and pushed her away hard. Nala lost her grip and her balance and Sarabi coughed roughly and knelt down to catch her breath. Sarabi stood and faced Nala as she came at her again. Sarabi blocked a punch and shoved her elbow into Nala's throat and tossed her over the table. She slid across it and knocked over one of the pillars. Sarabi jumped on the table and smiled down at Nala as she stood.
"Just because you have my powers doesn't mean I can't fight." Sarabi said then turned her left shoulder towards Nala. "I'm a United States Marine, and I learned to fight long before I had any powers." Sarabi smiled as Nala growled. "And you forgot one more thing." Sarabi didn't get the chance to tell her what that one thing was for Nala grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it. Sarabi landed on the floor and quickly rolled away as the table crashed onto the floor. Sarabi stood and gave Nala a semi-sweet smile. Nala looked at Sarabi.
"How did you roll away from…?" Nala asked in bewilderment. Sarabi walked over to Nala and hissed. Nala gasped when she saw Sarabi's canine teeth.
"You can take away my powers, but I am still a vampire. It's in my blood. And like I told you before, there's something missing from your blood that's in mine." Sarabi said and Nala punched Sarabi hard across the jaw. Sarabi glared at her as blood oozed out of a cut on her lip. "I may not heal as quick as I use to, but I still heal rapidly." Sarabi told her as the blood stopped oozing but the cut was till there. Nala swallowed hard and ground her teeth together.
"Vampires aren't completely immortal though, you can still die." Nala growled and Sarabi shrugged. Nala came at her again but this time she had a dagger in her right hand and Kitty gasped as Nala plunged it into Sarabi's chest right above her heart. The blade snapped in half after she had inserted the tip into Sarabi's skin. Sarabi didn't move and pulled the tip of the blade out of her skin.
"Didn't I tell you? My heart is protected by adamantium. It covers my left shoulder and part of my rib cage." Sarabi said with a smile and a shrug. Nala growled and held out her hand.
"Enough of this." She said and Sarabi swore as she dove out of the way of a blast of fire. Sarabi rolled when she hit the ground and glared at Nala.
"I said no powers." Sarabi growled and Nala shrugged with a smile.
"You really think I'd play fair?" Nala asked then laughed and sent a blast of water Sarabi's way. Sarabi rolled and with a sigh looked up at Logan as she laid at his feet.
"How are you doing?" Logan asked and Sarabi stood.
"Just fine." Sarabi said and Logan raised an eyebrow.
"Looks to me you're getting your ass kicked." Logan said and Sarabi wrinkled her nose at him. Sarabi turned as Nala launched another fire blast. Sarabi's eyes widened and she said a few Egyptian words under her breath and held up her right hand. The fire hit an invisible shield and spread across it then disappeared.
"What the hell?" Nala asked and shot at her again. The shield held and Sarabi's breathing became labored. Logan watched as cuts appeared on Sarabi's arms and across her cheek.
"Egyptian magic." Kitty said in total awe.
"What's happening to her?" Remy asked and Kitty shook her head.
"It's draining her." Jean said taking a step towards Sarabi. Nala finally gave up her attack and stood there looking at Sarabi. Sarabi lowered her arm and tried to breath. Rogue rolled her tongue in her mouth then walked over to Sarabi and took off her gloves. She swallowed and looked at Logan. He nodded and Rogue grabbed one of Sarabi's hands as Logan grabbed her other. Sarabi swallowed and looked first to Rogue then to Logan. Before they knew it, Bobby grabbed Rogue's other hand and Rei grabbed Logan's other hand. Henry walked up behind Sarabi and placed his hand on her shoulder. Remy and Scott both walked up and touched Sarabi's shoulder and Rogue's wrist. Jean and Sarah were the last to join the little group as they all poured their powers into Sarabi through Rogue. Nala watched in confusion as Sarabi's cuts and wounds slowly healed completely. Sarabi's eyes had closed shortly after Rogue and taken her hand but now snapped open and she let Rogue and Logan's hands go. She stepped away from the group as they gasped as the connection closed.
"So, you don't want to play fair?" Sarabi asked smiling. "Fine. Let's play." Sarabi watched as Nala shot another blast of water at her and Sarabi raised her hand and froze it before it even reached her. Bobby smiled softly at her. Nala ran at her and was surprised when she past right through her. Sarabi turned and kicked Nala in the side sending her into another pillar. Nala stood and picked it up and threw it at Sarabi, a corner caught her on her cheek and Nala watched in horror as it healed.
"NO! This can't be happening!" She screamed and Sarabi touched her temple with a smile and two red beams shot out of her eyes and hit Nala in the shoulder. She laid where she landed groaning in pain as she healed. Sarabi picked up a piece of broken pillar and looked at it for a moment then tossed it in Nala's direction. It exploded above her and she turned and glared at Sarabi. "You won't have those powers for ever." Nala growled and Sarabi glared at her.
"No, but I will have them just long enough." Sarabi told her in her mind and Nala swallowed. "I have the power of two physics in me, what do you think I can do with that?" Sarabi asked out loud and Nala ran at Sarabi in rage. She spread her wings out and Sarabi's eyes turned white and she shot a lightning bolt right at her metal wings. Nala screamed in pain and fell to the floor as the electricity ran through her body. Nala stood and looked at Sarabi then took off at her. Sarabi watched and Nala hit her hard. Together they hit the ground and rolled. Sarabi pinned Nala to the ground and Rogue reached out and touched Nala on the cheek. Nala gasped as Rogue started to drain her. Sarabi smiled and leaned down to Nala. "I guess the ability to block Rogue's power is apart of my vampire side." Sarabi whispered then stood and Rogue pulled her hand away. Nala laid there for a moment then rolled to her side. Sarabi was secretly wondering how she was going to kill her. She ran through her mind every power she currently had in her. Storm's weather control, Scott's eye beams, Henry's strength, Bobby's ice, Remy's transfer, Logan's healing, Rei and Jean's physic abilities, Sarah's ability to sense mutations, Kurt's transportation, and Rogue's ability to drain people. Sarabi smiled as she walked up to Nala and squatted down and grabbed her wrist. Nala gasped again and threw a fireball at her shoulder. Sarabi took it and ground her teeth together from the pain, but it didn't last long. Nala was slowly loosing her stolen power, and Sarabi knew what it felt like again to have the power of the elements running through her. Sarabi let Nala go and she just laid there gasping for breath. Sarabi took a step back and sighed.
"What did you do?" Nala asked looking up at Sarabi.
"I took back what is rightfully mine." Sarabi growled and Nala laughed.
"Really? Then why do I still feel the power? You don't have them back forever." Nala laughed and Logan walked up and stood next to Sarabi.
"Not yet." Logan said to her and the necklace slid off Logan's neck for the third time that day and softly glowed as it hovered.
"I'll kill them." Nala hissed at Sarabi and she nodded.
"I would like to see you try." Sarabi told her and spoke the Egyptian words and the stones came out and hovered around Nala, Sarabi and Logan. "Earth to Air."
"NO!"
"Air to Water." Logan said and Sarabi looked at him.
"You can't do this to me!"
"Water to Fire." Kitty said standing with her arms crossed in front of her.
"We're the same! Sarabi!"
"Fire to Earth." Sarabi finished and the stones were humming. Everyone was standing around the square of power and light.
"Earth, Air, Water, Fire." Sarabi said and she wasn't alone. Sarabi smiled sweetly at Nala.
"Friends are great aren't they?" Sarabi asked Nala as the group kept repeating the words around them. "Unlike your hire guns here, they all pretty much have taken off, my friends have stayed to help me. You see Nala, it doesn't matter if you look like me, or if you sound like me, it's what inside that makes all the difference. You can never be me. With or without my powers, you will never be me. And unfortunely, this is going to kill you, because you will be a mortal again, and well, I just can't have you running around trying to be me, kidnapping my students, and just making my life a living hell. That's what I have Logan for." Sarabi said and winked at Nala ignoring the glare she was getting from Logan. The stones released their energy and it hit Nala. Nala's eyes bugged as the pain tore through her. The colored orbs came out of Nala's chest and they swarmed around Nala for a moment then went around Logan and finally shot into Sarabi's chest. Sarabi stood there and her hair flared red and her eyes turned green. Fire wrapped itself around her and then water. The stones stopped humming and went back into the necklace and returned to Logan. Nala tried to scramble away but she was to weak. She looked at one of her men that had stuck around.
"Kill them." She whispered, but he didn't move. Neither did anyone else. Rei gasped and smiled as a large figure came out of the shadows behind Sarabi. Logan slowly turned and looked at the creature and quickly released his claws but Rei came up to him and grabbed his arm.
"It's Sarabi's mind guardian." Rei whispered to him and Logan looked down at her then to Sarabi. Nala stared at the creature as it seemed to purr at Sarabi and she reached out and softly stroked it.
"I guess this is what I can do with the power of two physics in me." Sarabi said and looked at the black creature. "Have you seen the Alien trilogy movies?" Sarabi asked softly and Nala swallowed but nodded. "Then you know what this creature is, more importantly, what it can do." The creature opened its mouth and its tongue slowly came out, at the end of that tongue was another mouth. Nala shivered and looked to Sarabi as she started to walk away. Everyone slowly followed her leaving the guardian alone with Nala and whatever men that stayed. Rei had paused for a moment and looked down at Nala. She quickly glanced around then slugged her in the jaw. Nala blinked at her as blood flowed freely from her lip.
"That's for kidnapping me." Rei told her then left the room. Sarabi shut the door behind her after everyone filed out; Rei looked at Sarabi and sighed.
"That is the stuff nightmares are made from." She told her and Sarabi looked at her.
"The Xenomorph?" Sarabi asked and Rei nodded. "Yeah, well, that's the whole idea behind the movies darlin." Sarabi smiled and walked across the walkway.
"Why one of those?" Scott asked and Sarabi shrugged.
"I didn't choose it. It's kind of built in." Sarabi answered and Jean smiled. Kitty saw the look on Rei's face and laughed.
"If you think just one of those things is nightmare material, I suggest not going to the temple in Egypt. It's swarming with those. And they're only the warriors! God the Queen, now that's nightmare stuff!" Kitty told her and Rei stopped dead.
"Are you telling me those things are real!?" She exclaimed and Kitty nodded.
"Where do you think they got the idea for them in the movies?" Sarabi asked over her shoulder then stopped and sighed. "Now how the hell do we get out of here?"
"How about a little Earth element?" Remy suggested and Sarabi smiled.
"Now, that's a brilliant idea." Sarabi said and her hair turned brown. The ceiling above them came down and they saw the twinkling of stars. Kurt smiled and they all grabbed each other's hands and quickly stood before the X Jet. "I'm flying!" Sarabi announced and Scott smiled at Ororo.
"She's back." Scott said and Ororo smiled.
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