CHAPTER 185 — STONE AND FAREWELLS
(Someone will leave the X-Men in this chapter guess who, bub)
Xavier hunched over his console, eyes narrowed at the dancing lines. The monitor pulsed with a ripple across Earth's magnetic field. He adjusted the dials again, trying to rule out an error. The readings didn't lie.
"Such distortion… it can only mean…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Magneto."
---
The Danger Room echoed with clangs, rolls, and laughter. Nightcrawler flipped mid-air, tail flicking as he dodged a spring-loaded trap.
"Ha! Like the circus again!" He landed on the beam, arms out for balance. "I tell you, I envy Warren. Off with his beautiful Candy while I risk life and limb here!"
Thunderbird smirked from the floor, catching a falling weight with brute arms. "Yeah? Maybe if you had wings, elf, you'd get a girl too."
Nightcrawler wagged a blue finger. "I have charm enough! Also my sweetheart Amanda, Besides, wings molt."
Colossus barreled past, turning aside a spiked wall. "Comrades, focus! This is training, not comedy club."
Storm floated overhead, her voice even as her winds shifted the obstacle course. "Laughter builds spirit as much as strength. Let them have their fun, Piotr."
Logan crouched near the wall, claws out and retracting with a snikt-snickt as he slashed through a drone. He spat his cigar stub to the floor. "You call this fun? You all need new hobbies."
Kitty watched from the booth, chin in her hands, eyes big. "Wow…"
The room froze with Xavier's astral form flickering above them. His face was grim.
"X-Men. We have a mission."
---
Hours later, the Blackbird cut across cloud and ice, engines rumbling low. Inside, the team strapped in. The air felt heavier than usual.
"I didn't expect Magneto to stir again," Nightcrawler murmured. "After all this time."
Storm rested her hands on her knees, staring at the frost-lined window. "We go not to fight, but to discover. Clues may yet speak where silence reigns."
Logan's nose twitched. He leaned back, smirking. "Before we go sniffin' after Magneto's ghost, gotta deal with our little stowaway."
"W-what?" Kitty squeaked as Logan yanked her from behind a panel by the scruff of her sweater. She dangled like a kitten in his grip.
"Nice try, half-pint. Thought I wouldn't notice? No one gets past my nose."
Storm shot up, eyes flashing. "Kitty! How dare you! This is not a game—one mistake and you could kill us all!"
Kitty shrank. "I just wanted to help…"
Logan leaned against the bulkhead, lighting another cigar. "Ease up, Ororo. She's gotta get her paws wet sometime. Better here than in a real bloodbath."
Storm's anger turned sharp. "And you, Logan, stop playing the irresponsible father. Did you not smell her from the moment she entered?"
Logan exhaled smoke in her direction. "Course I did. Who the hell you think I am? Ain't nobody sneakin' past me." He smirked arrogantly.
Storm fumed, arms folded, muttering under her breath.
Kitty peeked at Logan, wide-eyed. He winked.
---
The Antarctic volcano loomed, jagged and half-sunk in ice. The Blackbird cut into the hidden passage—the same one Jean once clawed her way out of.
Inside, shadows dripped down crystal walls.
Logan froze mid-step. His nostrils flared, eyes narrowing. He raised a hand, motioning for silence.
"Ororo…" His voice was low. "You been blamin' yourself all this time. Don't."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
Logan turned his head. His claws slid out with a metallic song. "Come out, stoneman. I see ya."
From the dark, Garokk emerged—half stone, half crystal, eyes burning with hate.
Storm gasped, covering her mouth. "No… Garokk…"
Garokk's voice was gravel ground on glass. "Didn't expect to be found so soon. Magneto spared me from the abyss. But look at me now." He raised his jagged arm, glittering with crystalline veins. "This body, this prison—it's all thanks to you, Storm!"
Storm staggered back, guilt flashing across her face.
Garokk roared and leapt.
The fight exploded—Colossus slammed forward, metal fists clashing against crystal skin. Nightcrawler blinked behind him, striking quick before porting away. Thunderbird grappled Garokk's arm, teeth gritted as he was dragged across the floor.
Logan slashed, claws screeching against stone, sparks flying. "Damn rock won't stay down!"
Storm threw lightning, the chamber blazing white. Garokk reeled, snarling.
Kitty crouched in the shadows, fists clenched. 'They've got him! They don't even need me! But… I should help. I have to.'
She darted forward.
"Kitty, no!" Storm shouted.
Garokk's fist swung down, massive as a boulder. Kitty screamed—then her body flickered, slipping through the strike. Garokk howled in pain, his crystalline hand cracking where it passed through her phased form.
The X-Men seized the moment—Logan's claws plunged, Colossus struck, Storm blasted. Garokk collapsed, defeated, the stone in him fracturing.
Panting, Kitty stared at her hands. "I… I didn't mean—"
Storm's fury was sharp as the wind. "You endangered us all!"
Logan crossed his arms, glaring too. "She's right, kid. That stunt could've got you killed. Or worse—one of us."
Kitty's eyes watered. "I'm sorry…"
Storm's shoulders eased, guilt softening her ange and then ruffled kitty's hair.
The team regrouped, standing over the subdued Garokk.
"If Magneto saved him," Nightcrawler said quietly, "then Magneto moves still. Somewhere."
Storm nodded, resolve firming. "We must tell Charles."
They carried Garokk to the surface. The Antarctic wind howled, snow swirling around them.
Thunderbird's voice cut through. "I won't be coming with you."
The team froze.
"What?" Colossus asked, shocked. "What do you mean?"
Thunderbird's gaze was steady. "I'm done with the X-Men. I need to understand what it means to be a man. The Savage Land… it calls to me. I tried to ignore it, but I can't anymore."
Storm's breath hitched. "But—"
"I'm useless here," Thunderbird said flatly. "Can't match Colossus' strength, or Logan's claws, or your storms. Even the elf's teleporting saves the day. And Kitty… she's just a kid, and already she's pulling surprises. Me? I'm nothing."
Logan barked a laugh. "Stop, stop—you sound like a damn widow at a wake." He strode over and pulled Thunderbird into a rough bear hug. "You wanna go to Savage Land? Fine. Best place left on Earth close to nature. Just one thing—next time I visit, you better have a Savage Land beer ready for me."
Thunderbird cracked a grin for the first time. "Deal."
Colossus clasped his arm. "Brother, we will miss you."
Nightcrawler bowed, somber. "Auf Wiedersehen, mein Freund."
Storm's eyes brimmed. "First Sunfire… then Banshee, Jean, Scott… now you. Our family shrinks, piece by piece."
Logan nudged her gently. "Hey. Don't go drownin' in it. Families shrink. They grow again. That's the way of it."
Storm swallowed hard, then smiled faintly. "Then go with peace, John."
The snow fell heavy, the jet engines warming. Thunderbird stood tall in the blizzard, watching as the Blackbird carried his family away, toward their next war.