"Why would they turn off our powers?" Ryan squeaked.

"Who'd know the difference with you?" Kitty said meanly because she was freaking out.

"I suspect they have some way to keep theirs on," Hank mused. "The work of Sinister no doubt."

"You know, him and Apocalypse are a match made in hell," Shine said. "But, this will not affect Wally and I."

"Yeah, but the entire fence just closing might." Wally was looking around the back window. "Can we portal out of here?"

"Too risky," Shine said. "I'm still tired."

"So now what?" Rogue said. "We can't fly. We can't fight..."

"There, in the fueling unit!" they hear someone yell.

"And they just found us," Morph said.

"It's been nice knowing you all," Ryan said.

Trinity gave him a weird look. Then she said, "Wolverine, do you have a lighter?"

"A lighter?" Wolverine said. "Yeah...why?"

Trinity picked up one of the fuel drums and threw it out the door. Gasoline sloshed over the ground in front.

The guards running up stopped, not sure what she was doing.

"Mr. West," Trinity asked, "can you get us all out of their line of sight without them seeing us?"

"Trinity, you are a mad genius," Wally said. "Hang on, we have to time this just right. Count to ten, okay?"

Kevin helped picked up another fuel container and tossed it out there also.

"I thought you were sheltered!" Ryan almost yelled at Trinity.

"Yeah, but my Dad and brother love action movies," Trinity said.

"It's just fuel, you idiots," one of the higher ranking guards said.

"We have a lighter, morons!" Quicksilver called.

"So? One of you Fruit Loops must be immune to fire. Go in there!" yelled the boss.

But apparently not all the guards were that confident about being immune to explosions.

"You can't blow that up without blowing yourself up," the boss yelled.

"Then we'll all die together!" Morph was warming to this strategy. "You might want to back up."

"Boss..." one of the guards said nervously, "that fuel is our only refill for miles... We'll be put way behind schedule. Maybe we should just let the crazy people walk out."

"I ain't letting no stinking rebels go free," the boss said. "I don't care. Shoot it, then. Blow them up."

"We don't carry guns," the guard answered.

He got gut kicked.

"I meant with whatever you have--lasers--one of you!" the boss yelled at them.

"And counting," Wally said.

Wolverine threw his lighter onto the ground out front, and it blazed up in a large line of fire.

The guards stepped back and started shooting blindly with lasers or spines of some kind.

Wally had everyone out before they even figured out what they were aiming at.

Finally one of them hit multiple fuel tanks, and the unit blew up like a chemistry project gone wrong.

The X-men, now hiding around the corner of a different building in the back, watched as the guards started trying to put out the fire.

"They're morons," Emma said. "That was an obvious trick."

"But they didn't expect it," Wally said. "But how do we get out now?"

"They don't know that we could run out of there," Shine mused. "Wait for it."

There was a beep, and the mutation-blocking thing went off.

"Hey, you," the boss cried to the people in line who were watching this (and some of them were laughing), "any of you who can control water or fire or something, get over here and help put this out. You get first pick of rations."

Several of them rushed forward like rats. Of course the gate was open to let them in.

No one even noticed the X-men hiding; they were all focused on the fire.

Wally and Quicksilver rushed everyone outside the plant and behind a building down the street.

"Freaking genius!" Wally hugged Trinity. "Did you see the looks on their faces? They thought we kamikazed!"

"They blew up their own resources just to catch us," Emma said. "That's not concerning to you?"

"Tells us one thing," Shine said, "they're more worried about rebels than they are about losing supplies. That fits."

"And we got the cases," Wally said. "So now what?"

"Now we just have to find someone who looks desperate enough to take us up on it," Shine said. "Shouldn't be too hard. These people look like they're starving. I bet these are just the lucky ones, too."

"One problem," Hank said. "Now that we've caused this disturbance, I'm sure some higher ups will be alerted to it. They will be looking for more trouble in this area. We'd best leave this city as soon as we get our information."

"Like we were going to stay," Mystique muttered.

* * *

They waited for several minutes while things calmed down.

They kept low, hoping no one would see them.

More guards...or perhaps overlords would have been a better word for them, arrived to inspect what had happened. Most of them could fly or else had mechanical, winged animals they were riding on--another mark of Apocalypse.

The common people were driven off by them, rather loudly. And mostly without the promised rations.

Some tried to protest and were beaten.

The teens looked away, frightened.

Wolverine wanted to go in there and help, but they held him back.

Finally, after about an hour, the people cleared off, told to come back tomorrow.

The whole plant appeared to be put on lock down.

"Well...now's our chance," Wally said somberly. Now that they'd seen more, this didn't feel like such a victory.

"If we win...none of this will exist, right?" Kitty said in a small voice. "These people won't really remember it."

Shine shook her head.

"We'd better win," Kitty said.

"Why don't we see any effects of the Merging?" Emma asked.

"I think we'd have to talk to someone to know that," Shine said. "It won't be something you can just see. It's not like that."

"There are some people moving our way," Hank said. "Shall we apprehend a few of them? We must be discreet, or they will alert--"

Logan sprang out of his hiding spot and pinned one person, who just looked like they were part fish, to the ground.

"--Or we could do that..." Hank said.

"I don't have anything to steal," the person, who might have been in their 20s cried, covering their head. "Please leave me alone!"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak," Logan said. "No one's gonna hurt ya, if ya cooperate."

"With what?" the guy said nervously.

"Logan, you're scaring him," Storm said. "Let him up."

Logan stepped back.

The guy got to his feet and looked at them askance.

Shine stepped forward. "I'm sorry for our approach. We just want some information. We have supplies here."

She pointed to the boxes.

"We just want to know where to find the Capital of this country."

"The Capital?" the guy said. "You mean the Temple."

"That swine dared to name it a Temple." Shine almost choked.

"Down, girl," Mystique said. "Yes, that, we need to know where it is."

"And how do I know you're not lying about the supplies?" The guy frowned. "Usually you are. This is some trick, isn't it? Sniffing out the rebels? Well, I ain't any rebel. I just wanted rations. And to stay out of trouble.

"Here." Logan used a claw to cut open one of the boxes and kicked it at him.

The guy looked at it. The food rations were in little containers.

They didn't look very appealing to the others, but he must have been starving.

He picked one up and opened it just to be sure.

Then he glanced at them. And took off running.

"I got him--" Quicksilver began.

"Wait." Storm held up her hand. "We cannot chase him down. He may start yelling. That was too exposed as it is..."

"So, what, we try again?" Logan frowned. "I knew I should have just interrogated 'im."

"And be like them?" Shine said.

"What does it matter? We're on a time crunch, literally. We have to do what we gotta do," Logan said.

"Hey," someone startled them.

A woman, or a girl really, who was yellow-skinned like a lizard and had pointed ears like a bat, was sneaking around the corner.

"I hear you want to know where the Temple was...in exchange for food?" she said in a low voice.

"Who told ya that?" Logan said.

"I can hear 10x better than the average person." The girl pointed to her ears. "Name's Sonar...at least that's my street name. You want rumors, I got them."

She looked hungrily at the food.

"Maybe I should just read her mind," Rogue said. "I think I might need more juice though..."

Emma shook her head. "I'm fine now."

"Let's just give her a chance before we do anything rash," Shine said. "Sonar, was it? Do you have a real name?"

Sonar shook her head. "You mean an old name? Nah, too young. They outlawed that ages ago.... You from out of country or something? Why don't you know that?"

"You could say that," Shine said. "And we have to find the Temple...or whatever the main HQ of the ruler of this land is."

"That'd be the Temple, all right, the Grand One," Sonar said. "All of us are supposed to go there once a year and pay homage to our all-powerful ruler. Never knew it was different for foreigners... I thought the whole world had to follow that rule." She rubbed her stomach. "I've only been once. Long time ago. I'm not powerful enough to be of that much concern, so I slipped through the cracks. Sometimes I get odd jobs spying. That's how I've survived, but that's about it. You'd want to find someone who's higher up on the totem pole if you want really good directions."

"Can you just tell us where it is?" Shine asked. "Like...what State it used to be in?"

"You've come the right person for that," Sonar said, arching her neck a little. "Most people don't know that, but I hear things: Some people say that 20 years ago, give or take, it used to be called D.C. And the weaklings they used to call humans, they had their leaders there, and some kind of kingdom, but it wasn't like this one."

Trinity frowned at her.

"Kingdom?" Emma said. "But--"

"Shh." Mystique elbowed her.

"I hear a lot of rumors," Sonar said. "They say there weren't a lot of exalted mutants back then, and that they fought each other, before our Lord Apocalypse brought peace to the world. But that's probably all hearsay..." She frowned. "Is that all?"

"If that's true, we're in luck--it's not that far away," Hank mused.

"You remember anything about the kind of security they have at this place?" Shine asked. "Just in case we forget our identification."

"Oh, you might as well turn back if you do that," Sonar said. "You got robbed, right? Happens all the time. You'd have to get in touch with someone who can replace that, one of the intelligence mutants. They live in the most well-protected houses in the city. Because they can't defend themselves against those big power type ones, you know?  No one who's not supposed to enter the Temple is allowed past the front gate. You just stand in the courtyard in front and worship the Lord Apocalypse. I never got no farther than that. I don't remember it that well either. If you get caught sneaking in, they'll take you to the war games arena and have you fight to the death as penance for it."

They all winced.

"Fight to the death?" Kurt repeated.

"Yeah..." Sonar said it like wasn't weird. "You should watch your step around here. Same thing might happen if you get caught sneaking around like this. I have to get a move on. I gave you enough, didn't I? You'll keep your word? Or was this just a trick?"

"You can have it." Shine slid the box at her. "But we have another one, if you had any more valuable information."

Sonar hesitated. "I can't carry that much..." she said slowly. "As it is, I have to use the sewer just to sneak this back. You want out of this city, you have to use the underground tunnels. Most of them have been closed off, but if you know the right guy, there's still a line of them that work. Look for Caliban if you get in. And that's all you're getting from me. If I were you, I'd stay away from the Grand Temple unless I was summoned there specifically."

She took the box, hid most of the containers in her clothes, and then scurried away into the shadows.

"We had best get more out of sight..." Storm said, eyeing the sky. "I'm sure I saw someone patrolling."

They shrank back to get as low as they could.

"So...D.C.," Morph said. "I guess that tracks."

"He's mocking humans," Shine said. "So, yes, it does... Hank, by car, about how long would you say that trip would be?"

"By the highway? About 4 hours, with good traffic," Hank said.

"Let's figure there's probably no highway," Wally said, "since there wasn't much of a road when we came in."

"And accounting for landscape changes," Shine said.

"Depending on how severe those changes are, I'd add another 1-3 hours," Hank said.

"We could make that today," Morph said. "Easy. As long as we get out of this city."

"Assuming there's no other cities we have to pass through," Shine said, "which we can't assume, but the journey itself is doable in one day."

"Should ve try to use the sewers to sneak out of here, then?" Kurt asked.

"Why did she tell us that?" Wally asked. "We didn't ask about it."

"She figured out we're not supposed to be here," Shine said, unequivocally. "She'd never have told that to anyone she believed was working for this regime. She was smart enough not to say it aloud, though. She's our angel. Logan, can you follow her?"

"Sure," Logan said. "But you're keen on trustin' someone we just met? She could take us right into a trap."

"She'd have told us to follow her then," Shine said. "And we have little choice about it. Perhaps she's our Rahab in Jericho. I've gotten help from unlikely people before."

"Remember that thief in the Stone Village?" Wally said. "Felt sorry for us? What was her name...? Ami?"

"And then her son joined our group," Shine said. "And he was a smart kid. I remember. There's been other times also. Yes, sometimes you have to try trusting people."

"At least she didn't rob us..." Jubilee said.

"If we're going, we'd better hurry," Mystique said.

"Then let's go," Storm decided it.

* * *

Logan traced Sonar through a few streets, and then they found a manhole cover that was hidden under what looked like an old AC unit built into the side of a house that was empty and filled with vermin, which they heard skittering when they came closer.

"The whole layout of this city is different. No one would build this over a manhole..." Rogue said, shaking her head.

"Smart to hide it there though," Shine said.

They had seen patrols coming closer in this time, but so far they didn't appear to have spotted them.

But then they heard a screech of metal just about one street away--and a sound like an alarm.

"Somethin' tells me that means they saw somethin'," Rogue said.

"Everyone in, hurry," Storm ordered.

"Yuck," Kitty muttered as they jumped down the hole.

She phased a few people through it with her, and Kurt poofed the last few, as the sounds got louder just in the 60 seconds it took for everyone to get inside.

Kevin was able to move the cover back, and the A/C unit, with a little maneuvering.

"Let's get away from the openin'," Logan said. "Who knows if they have trackers?"

"If they did, I think we'd have been caught already, but still, moving is good," Storm said.

It was very dark down here, and Logan's nose was about their only guide.

Kitty felt things run over her foot and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

The others were too on edge listening for something following them to care about that, except maybe for Ryan, who just shuddered.

Finally they all paused, leaning on the wall, and listened.

Nothing.

They sighed.

Storm lit up her hand with electricity and drew some deep breaths.

"Ya did great, Sugar," Rogue was proud. "Ya didn't start cryin'."

"I suppose I just had no time to think of it," Storm said. "It's not so small in here..." She glanced around nervously. "I can manage it."

"I keep forgetting you have Claustrophobia," Scott said. "Our Storm doesn't."

"She's lucky, then," Storm said.

"She also has no leadership skills," Emma said. "If it makes you feel better about it."

"From you, Emma, I will take that as encouragement," Storm said, dryly enough for her. "Logan, can you follow our little guide still?"

"For now, but if there's water down here, I might lose 'er," Logan said. "And we'd have to double back."

"Perhaps we can find another exit before then," Shine said. "I don't fancy this idea, but it beats capture. Everyone, stay close to someone else though. It's a maze down here."

"Logan and I will lead, then. We have the light and the trail," Storm said. "It may be too narrow to not walk single file in some places, so take care you do not lose sight of us. We must exit the city and get back to the road as soon as possible. I can't explain it, but I feel the Merging effects may get suddenly worse."

"I have thought so also," Shine admitted. "Sometimes it takes a while for things to set in, but we cannot hope to not be affected by it forever. Everyone, let us know the second you feel off about something."

"I just feel off in general," Ryan said. "How will I know?"

"You'll know," Shine said.

Ominous.

"And just when I was starting to feel slightly less freaked out," Jubilee muttered nervously.

Logan struck out forward, and they all followed.

Even with Storm's light, it was eerily dark down there, and the light was so sharp it made all the shadows look fearsomely distinct.

It didn't bother most of the adults that much--they were well used to real dangers, and didn't need to imagine any--but for the teens it was spooky and unsettling.

The others talked a little to distract themselves.

Scott, with plenty on his mind, pulled Shine to the back of the group.

"I have to ask something," he said, glancing ahead to make sure Emma was too far ahead to hear.

Luckily she was staying right behind the leaders, not caring to fall behind when she didn't have her telepathy to tell her if someone was sneaking up on her.

"Right now?" Shine wasn't sure she wanted to have a whole discussion right now--proof indeed that she was tired and nervous.

"I don't know when else I'll get a chance," Scott said. "And it might be too late later.... It's something Emma said...that she's hoping to stay behind when we return to our worlds..."

"Is that what you all were talking about on the bus?" Shine was surprised. "I thought it looked intense, but I couldn't hear it.... Wow...that's a bold move. But I see why she'd want that."

"In a way, yes, but...can she even do that?"

"Can? Well...I suppose she could. That's just two...shouldn't be a big deal. Assuming we get everyone else sorted back, and I doubt anyone else would want to stay behind. But can and should are two different things."

"Would you allow it?" Scott wanted to know.

"I wouldn't be the one to decide. Such things come from above." Shine pointed up. "But God does give us a choice sometimes which path we'll pick. For some people, it works best to just pray for wisdom and then use our heads. And that's how He answers. That's how some people just seem to know the right thing to do, always. Others get a direct answer from Him, and that's how. I don't have a problem with either. If Emma is using wisdom, I couldn't stand in her way. She has not asked me about it though. I can't believe she told you. She must truly be just about decided, then."

"I thought for sure she'd have asked you."

"Well, she doesn't have to." Shine shrugged. "She can stay if she so chooses and if it's allowed. She won't get a choice if it isn't. But I can't know that ahead of time. That's all I can tell you, Scott."

Scott's mood sank further than it already had. This was not the answer he'd hoped for...though he hadn't seen clearly what he hoped for till now.

Shine watched his expression--which was impressive, since he had his costume on.

"You don't want that?" she guessed. "That's why you're asking."

"Well, if it's what she thinks is best..." Scott said. "She had a lot of good reasons...but some didn't seem necessary. I just think she might be rushing into a huge decision like that. It's literally leaving the world. You can't just decide to do that on a whim."

"I have never known Emma to do anything on a whim," Shine said. "Have you?"

"No." Scott was short.

"You think I have insight into her personality on that?" Shine said.

"You know everyone so well, I thought you might," Scott admitted. "She seemed to think the X-men would blame her for all this, and that it's easier this way. Isn't that irresponsible?"

"Why should it be?" Shine said. "They sound like rather close-minded people from all I've heard from the two of you and Morph's odd remarks here and there. And the ones here once weren't so different either."

"Yes...she and Mystique did say that," Scott said. "They credit you and your husband with teaching them better."

"God taught them," Shine said. "He arranged for all this, you know. We're just His vessels. Tools, if you will. Living ones, but we don't plan it, He does. The Bible calls us living stones built into a temple for His presence. But the point is, they did change. But I think they weren't so far off, deep down, they just need to know how to direct their compassion more. People who intend to be good, Scott, rarely fail forever at it. People who intend to be evil never fail. But they don't always know whether they intend good or evil yet, on their own. Those of us who've been shown the way have to help them realize it, and that is what I do. Wally is my counterpart. He shows them what it looks like in action. The Word says to love in word and deed. So we fit together. I use words, he uses deeds. But where both are lacking, Scott, yes, it's pointless to try to go back and fix anything. Emma has judged that it's useless for her to try. Why is that? You know them better than I do."

Scott winced. "I have this idea that you're going to say it goes back to what you thought about us using her and not giving her a fair chance."

"I really do love how you actually listen to me," Shine approved. "And you're also 100% right about that. But you can do better, even, than me. You were there--you saw it. Trust your instincts a little more, Scott, and you'd see it for yourself. Surely you can think of when you sensed things were off just a little."

Scott admittedly could remember a few times disagreeing with Wolverine's handling of things...and sometimes the others.

"Still, I was in no position to argue," he said. "I had fallen apart."

"We all fall apart, Scott. It doesn't mean you don't know what's right," Shine said. "You know. Why do you think Emma is making a mistake?"

"Maybe she isn't," Scott said slowly. "Maybe anyone would want to do that. If they could."

"Not anyone. Someone who had nothing to lose," Shine said.

"It's a shame that that's the case," Scott said. "I can't imagine being so alone...at least, not since I was at the orphanage. She had family though."

"Take it from me, Scott, you can be very alone even if you have family. Worst loneliness there is is distance from someone who's close to you," Shine said somberly. "I'd envy you not having that. Though I don't envy you losing your family. But you don't consider that you found a new one because you knew what it was like to have one at all. Not everyone has that."

"I didn't think of it that way," Scott said. "Apparently I don't think of a lot of things."

"I won't hold that against you so long as you are thinking of them now," Shine said. "We all wear blinders for some time in our lives, but we have to take them off sooner or later."

She glanced at him meaningfully. "So what do you want?"

"It doesn't matter. Not my decision."

"No, but isn't it best to be honest?" Shine said. "You want something, don't you? She might as well know that, if only because it would be sad if she truly believed she could vanish forever and no one would ever care. I can imagine the desperation that would put on someone. We'd love to have her here, of course. I don't know how long I'll be around myself, but the others are okay with her now. But if I know Emma, she'd not decide just on that. She'll consider what it will do both negatively and positively. So she thinks the world is well rid of her. That is not a healthy reason to transfer worlds. I don't think my world can't use me when I leave it, it's just that someone else has a more pressing need. I go by that. Emma would also, I think. If you feel that's the case, you should tell her that."

"I don't know. I don't know what people should do with their lives. I just know what I would do. But then, I have friends...and a purpose. I didn't do it very well, but they still might need my help. I know at least they'd wonder where I am."

"Then you're blessed," Shine said. "So many people are friendless and alone. You know, once I had that, I wanted to share it. To draw more people into the circle that I had. I believe any healthy group does. But I'd don't believe in picking and choosing who you include just based on history alone. We must test them to see if they are ready to learn, to grow, and to compromise with others. If they are, I will allow them in. I don't know if you ever heard--we almost didn't allow Warren in. He barely was able to come to terms with the conditions we lived in, and who we allowed in. The X-men agreed with me on that when they saw how he would cause trouble. He swallowed his pride a little, but he kept to himself. Deep down, he still resented having to make that accommodation. He was learning a little, but he would have learned faster if he didn't have so much pride. I like people who have very little pride. Like Raven. You don't need someone to be flawless to work with them, you just need humility. Sometimes the worst people are the most humble. Good rule of thumb."

"Would you have let Emma join, then, if you were us?" Scott said.

"Not a chance," Shine laughed. "She told me how she acted--I'd have seen that betrayal coming a mile off. She was rather surprised it was dropped as soon as it was, despite her best efforts. I believe that, in a way, it was because what she wanted did change, under it all, and you all knew it. But it didn't work out so well in the end. Lying never does. I'd have let her come back though. Once the truth was out, and she was sorry, then there'd have been no reason not to. You see, people do change, Scott...but often only as much as you let them. It takes tremendous will to change when someone will not let you, and usually you have to get away from that person."

"It's odd that you just said that." Scott looked down. "She said that she thought she'd fall into old habits if she went back."

"Smart," Shine admitted. "It would be so easy, if she's not around anyone who'd expect any different of her. Maybe Emma's learned a thing or two about human weakness since she's been here. If so, good. She was always clever; I'm not surprised she did. But what have you learned, Scott? Isn't it time to ask yourself that? And act on it. I can tell you nothing more than that. We're near the end of our time together, one way or the other, and I've tried to help you, but you have to help yourself also...and anyone else who needs it. That's what's required of a man." She smiled. "And a woman. All of us. Don't you know already? I think you do."

Whatever he thought, Scott didn't want to acknowledge it to her. Not then. Not when she was waiting for it so avidly. [Human nature.]

Shine seemed to see it wasn't going to happen.

"Well, I'm not the one you need to talk to, anyway," she said. "So we'll leave that. Losing that link already began to clear your head, didn't it? I thought so... But no one can clear what's in your heart, except you. You have to choose what to do with it."

She shrugged and quickened her pace a little to end the conversation.

Perhaps wisely. Any more talking about it would have only confused things more.

Scott was glad also that he didn't have to answer her on that last part. Since the link was gone, he'd felt many different things, and he wasn't clear on any of them.

But if this new round of thoughts was partly because of it...because there was no other voice in his head right now...then it was impossible not to wonder just how much he'd been deafened before.