Angelus nodded, "I do. Humans are horrible, flawed creatures but there's some out there that accept change and although there's always sacrifice, I think that we'll live long enough to see peace and acceptance." She replied, inwardly she felt as if what she'd just said was a lie but for the sake of the child growing inside her, she had to do her best to believe that.
It was Rei's own fault that he was here. If he didn't go snooping around and playing with things in the Danger Room then she would've still been at the mansion. These are the things Scott would tell him if he was more awake but alas he wasn't. "Someone get this thing moving so we can find Lilandra."
Jean took an deep sigh as she pushed an control up.It seemed to power the spacecraft.She looked over at Scott trying to hide that she had no clue what she was doing.She closed her eyes lifting part of the craft into the air.This was straining her.Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly.This gravitey was much more than Earths.Once in the air the flaring boosters in the back began to move the craft forward.Her eyes opened as she delt with the pain of lifting the craft.Her head was throbbing but she pulled back on another control causing the ship to head into space."Ok now buckle up people."This ride wouldn't take too long.
"I hope it comes fast.Been fighting this war for an while but the others have been for ages.Wait you are an X-men...I forgot that"
~Ok I think Jean would be able to lift part if not all of this ship since if the gravity is 2xearths it should crush every x-men.~
Wolverine sat in the ship leaning back in his chair, his feet were up on the top of Jean's seat, he was wondering when someone would fly the the damn thing. After a few minutes they took off do to Jean's TK, he wasn't looking but he didn't hear any controls touched or any thing starting up for a little while so he knew it. He looked over at where Scott was sitting and smirked. "Ey Summers, I thought you could fly anything?'
Santo had just finished his homework and walked out of his room, he looked around and saw that no one was really out which was odd seeing as it wasn't curfew yet as far as he knew. He walked around and began to think of what he should do. He debated going to bother to cuckoos (assuming they are there all ready) and hoped they weren't reading his mind so he could get the drop on them if he ran across any of them.
Emma sighed, rolling her eyes in a semi-bothered manner as she stood up from where she sat, walked past Scott and stopped at his side briefly, placed her index and middle finger over his temple and yanked the knowledge of flying this ship out of his head. She made her way to the front of it, where Jean sat in an attempt to get things moving. She placed her two fingers at the back of her head and implemented Jean with the knowledge on how to steer the spacecraft "You X-Men with your old school ethics and your good old fashion ways. We do not have time for courtesy, respect and self-sacrifice. Gladiator is a ticking bomb and if we do not find Lilandra soon, he will be bound by his ridiculous honor and be sent after us, the moment that bloody Empress is dethroned. Vulcan is bad, but I rather fight him than Gladiator" Emma turned and walked back down the ship to where she initially sat.
As she passed Scott again, she placed her hand on his shoulder and she cleared his mind of obstacles of no relevance. The human mind always focused on so much more than it had to, making mental fatigue so much more present. Emma put irrelevant activities in his mind to sleep, temporarily, activities that no common human would ever even know was missing but still activities that tired the human body and mind. By doing this, Scott would either have an easier time falling asleep, should he choose to do so, or he would simply in a more rapid pace regenerate his mental state to a vigorous stage. If nothing else, it would still make him able to focus more on the situation at hand.
Emma then let go of his mind and shoulder as she sat down behind him "If you do not snap out of it I will put you to sleep, Rei. You feel you are ready to be part of a mission, so prove it. Being an X-Men is as much about following orders as it is being good at what you do. You are given a chance now, a chance to prove your abilities by aiding the X-Men in finding Empress Lilandra. If doing what is best for not only Shi'Ar, but worlds beyond it is not good enough for you, then maybe you do not belong here" Emma said with a sigh and leaned back where she sat, resting her head against the back of her seat and closed her eyes.
* * *
Celeste, Esme and Mindee laid on their respective beds in their room in the X-Men mansion, staring on the roof of their room while discussing anything from school to boys and sport, while Sophie sat by the desk inside the room with a couple of books, reading them intently. As she did this, the pinches of knowledge she slowly attained throughout reading it was siphoned through telepathy to her four sisters. Sophie had always been the one most eager to evolve, and to learn new things, unlike her more casual and relaxed sisters. That of course did not make her the least reluctant to through telepathy implement them with all the knowledge she attained. She had no reason not to.
Phoebe on the other hand, unlike her sisters, sat restless on their drawer, dangling with her legs and beheld her sisters where they sat and laid. She gave out a sigh "Shoul-" she started but was immediately interrupted "No", voiced in perfect sync and Phoebe sighed with a smile. She did not really have to ask as she already knew their reaction, but she was bored enough to do so anyway. It was not always entertaining being a Cuckoo, so she did the best she could to keep things interesting. With a sigh, she jumped down from the drawer and walked over to the door "Have fun" She frowned with a smirk and exited the room, closing the door behind her as she walked down the hallway.
Rei sat back and felt the ship was finally moving barbarically by Jean using her telekinesis powers. It didn't bother Rei at all, the faster this mission was over the faster he can go back to her room. She glanced at Emma and looked away quickly half way threw her lecture, when she was done Rei just mumbled to himself how stupid Emma is. To Rei, Emma was asking her to sit down and follow orders which is do nothing and stay by the others side to not be hurt. How can you be a good teammate by doing nothing. Emma wants to take all the glory and lose any chance of Rei becoming a great reliable x-men.
Rei rested her head on the wall of his corner, she wanted to ask how long it'd take to get there. But then he would look impatient, one of the things Emma said she was lacking. He doesn't want to prove her right, so for now she stood quiet.
Santo continued moving when he heard footsteps ahead, he looked around and quickly hid around a corner. He peaked around it and saw one of the cuckoos walking down the hall away from him, he wasn't sure which one it was seeing as they all looked the same. He rubbed his stone fingers against his rocky chin as he thought of what to do, he wanted to do something cool but couldn't think of one. He sighed and decided to stick to the classics he only wished more people were around to see it. Sticking his arm around the corner he opened his hand, after the cuckoo got alittle farther away his hand and wrist shot off and flew at her. It reached her and gripped her skirt before falling to the ground causing her skirt to fall with it. Santo had now lost control of the hand that it fell and knew he would be caught. He peaked around the corner at her and chuckled lightly before going back behind the wall trying his hardest not to laugh loudly.
Phoebe yelped sharply as a weight got hold of her skirt and pulled it towards the ground. Rapidly did she squat to cover herself as Esme, the sister closest to the door jumped to her feet and dashed out into the hall. She noted how Phoebe was in the process of pulling her skirt up as well as the granite hand on the floor next to her. Esme growled as Celeste was next out the door "What?" She quickly asked, by which time Phoebe had pulled her skirt back up and now stood tall. Esme pointed at where Santo hid around the corner "Rockslide!" She said and growled as she exited the room and ran straight in his direction. Mindee was next out and had ran to the door once she heard Esme growl, only to realize she was in only socks and proved herself unable to stop in time to slide across the hall once she tried stopping by the door and impacted the wall on the opposite side "Don't be rash, Esme" She whined after having fallen on her butt.
Sophie sat by the desk and sighed, rubbing her temple. Esme had always been the most tempered one and sadly the one that most often had to be told to cool down. Sophie on the other hand, she did not want to join the flurry of emotions in the hallway. She felt Phoebe blushing rose red, Celeste being as curious as ever, Mindee concerned that Esme would do something silly and Esme herself being frustrated with Santo.
Phoebe bent down and picked up the granite hand and then dashed after Esme "Hold up, Esme. Leave him be!" She pleaded and Esme just about then reached around the corner and gave Santo a cold stare, her hands on her waist with her elbows pointing out in a fairly annoyed manner. Her eyes glew white as they always would when she intended to use telepathy "Rockslide"
As soon as Santo heard the yelp he burst into laughter not caring if he was spotted. Next time he would have to make sure that some guys was present when he did it to add to the embarrassment. He loved doing things like that to his fellow students, he was known as a bully around the school and had been since he first joined a year ago. He heard his name get called but decided to stay where he was, he was sure one of them would come to him after a few minutes. He was correct and turned his head to see Esmee staring at him with an angry look on her face. He didn't know which one it was so he just assumed it was the one he was messing with. "Sup cuckoo bird? Hmm you seem a little upset I think I know why also." he smiled and crossed his arms, and pointed his index finger on the still attached hand at her. "You're upset that I'm teasing you when you know that you can never be with this sexily chiseled hunk of granite. It's ok, its normal most girls feel the same way they just don't admit it." He was speaking in a serious tone even though it was an obvious joke to try to gte under her skin even more. He was bored and he would bother her or her sisters for as long as he could. But he was beginning to think he should go get his hand before making her too angry, there was nothing he hated more then having to take the time and energy to try to assemble a new body part by will. He hadn't mastered that yet and so far it only worked when he was completly destroyed on occasion.
"Disgusting" Esme uttered and placed one hand over her eyes, tilting her head to the side as her other hand pressed against his chest "We should make you think you are a rat for the rest of your life" She blurted in annoyance. Not long after, Phoebe pulled the hand Esme used to cover her own eyes with down and looked at her almost angrily "We should not, Esme" She commented and brushed away the hand of Esme that rested on Santo's chest and handed him his detached hand "Here is your hand, jerk" She frowned and turned as Mindee walked up behind her two sisters "Hello, Rockslide" She said calmly as she rounded the corner and looked at the three with her arms crossed "Do not hello this pervert, Mindee. You know what he did to Phoebe" Esme frowned "He is no pervert. He is a boy, he can not help it" Phoebe spoke in Santo's defense and looked at her sister, away from Santo.
Santo frowned when he was told that he could be made to think he was a rat, that was one of the few threats that he actually was worried about. A physical one he could eventually reform from but a mental one, he would never reach his potential or be respected by the mutant community. He smiled again when Phoebe disagreed and handed him his hand, he placed it on his arm and the psionic energy in his body reattached it after a few seconds. He was about to thank her when another one of the girls cam and said hello, he nodded at her and listened to her sister speak about what he did. They called him a pervert, a title that he deserved but he didn't feel he was being perverted when he did it. "Not all boys are perverted, well yea we are but I wasn't being perverted i was being funny. If I wanted to be perverted I would do something like this." He smirked and and fired his left hand off again as Phoebe turned away from him, this time the hand firmly planted it self on her behind clasping it lightly so it wouldn't fall off. "Now that girls, is perverted, so if you would just stand still cuckoo bird I can reattach my hand and be on my way." He said while lightly laughing as he took a few steps closer to her hoping he could just realign his arm. He knew that wasn't his best idea but he hoped if they did mess with his mind that another telepath would fix it before the other students woke up.
"That's it, pebble-brain" Esme snarled and her eyes lit up brightly as Phoebe yelped and jumped when the granite hand grasped her behind firmly "Rockslide! Esme!" Mindee called and placed her hands over Esme's shoulders, gripping them tightly so that she stopped Esme from walking up to Santo. Phoebe turned to notice how Rockslide seemed intent to reattach the hand where it was. She turned to face him and took a step backwards as she reached for the granite hand herself, pulling it to get it loose "Yuck" She uttered as she yelped once more when she pulled it loose and threw it on the ground of the hallway "You show him, Esme!" She growled, but was snapped at by Mindee then "No showing! Behave responsibly. You knock it of, Rockslide" She frowned and gestured with her hand for Phoebe to stop "Let me at him, sis"
Sophie rose from her desk in their room, sighing. She rubbed her temple as she walked up to where Celeste stood. She looked out through the door and beheld the drama at the far end of the hall "Esme at it again, I hear" She spoke softly and positioned herself next to Celeste who nodded "Afraid so. Rockslide is being perverted, that poor excuse of a stone" She said with a frustrated voice "Mindee is trying to cool them down"
Sophie sighed "Come on. Lets make sure that big thug does not end up a walking statue" She said as she headed for the drama and brought Celeste with her, holding her by the arm firmly. Sophie worried for Esme sometimes, as she had always had a temper and she always got herself in all kinds of trouble. Except for when Emma or one of the teachers was around.
Santo continued to follow Phoebe hoping to get his hand back but she moved away from him and throw it on the ground. He frowned and looked down at her "Geez, just because my hand wasn't in between your legs like you wanted doesn't mean you have to disrespect it. Rockslide has feelings to" He picked up his hand and reattached it once more as he was told to knock it off. "Hey I'm just having a little fun, besides you girls can't do anything drastic to my mind anyway. I mean you can but you will be in serious trouble, all I'll get is detention and a s speech on sexual harassment. So lets just continue to play nice ladies and maybe one of you identical girls with get lucky." He smiled and placed his hand on top of Esmee's head, he quickly moved his hand around through her hair making it more messy then the others. He turned around hearing more footsteps and saw the remaining to sisters showed up. "Wow the whole family is here, so which bird is which anyway. I mean i could make some guesses but they wouldn't be your names and they would be very inappropriate to say on a school campus." he said while quickly waving to them, this was going to be much more fun then he had initially expected. Now all he ahd to worry about was a random teacher messing it up by telling him to go back to his room or something.
"You're asking for it, porcine. He's asking for it, Mindee. Please let me at him, just a little" Esme snarled angrily and pulled where she stood, trying to walk loose from her sisters grip. Mindee wrapped her arms around her stomach to hold her more steadily as she pulled her back from Santo "He is not worth it, sis" She voiced quietly and held her tighter despite her struggle. Phoebe frowned "Pervert!" She reassessed and looked at him "Lets kill a stone with five birds" Phoebe said angrily but was abruptly interrupted in her thoughts by Sophie "Stop this childish bickering" She said calmly. It sure started to get crowded at this point, which was one of the downsides with being quintuplets. Before Sophie had the chance to continue though, she was interrupted by a growling noise from behind her. Celeste stormed past Sophie and at the same time transformed her hand into diamond, before slapping Rockslide across the face "CELESTE!"
Esme snorted in amusement as she held laughter back by sealing her mouth shut tight "Celeste!" Mindee said angrily as she still held Esme back. As Sophie took hold of her sisters wrist before she would get the stupid idea to do something more than just slap him, Phoebe gasped before she looked at Celeste and then Rockslide again "HAH!" She laughed and then looked over at Celeste who sticked out her tongue at Santo before turning her hand back to normal and taking a step backward.
Jubilee looked around.What on heavens name was going on."I'll be right back Angelus"Jubilee stood upand headed upstiars while pulling her shades over her face.Oh boy.these six again."So like what's going on here? I can hear you people downstairs.Oh Rockslide.What have you done now?I tell boys can be so lame.Let me guess.You tried to kiss one of these birds huh?"
Jean looked over at Emma."If your gonna do that at least give an heads up.Never the less thank you."Jea began to to press and move the controls as if she had done this before.She could also feel her tk returning back to it's normal state.The planet was now in view.
Scott jerked back at Emma's touch, he wasn't completely there so she caught him by surprise. He assumed it was Jean helping him and thanked her softly. It didn't take them long at all to reach the desolate planet that Gladiator sent them towards. He lead his team out of the ship and scanned the planet for any signs of life first. There was nothing that implied that life may still be on this planet and the ground was littered with decayed Skrull and Kree bodies. Scott moved along closer to Wolverine to give him his private orders "You already know to take care of the rest of the team if anything is to happen to me. I'm starting to feel a little better but I don't know for how long. Remember Gladiator's words and his warnings. If Terrax comes then call his name. In the meantime do you sense the scent of Lilandra anywhere?" He wasn't quite sure if Wolverine could discern her scent through the putrid smell of decayed flesh. Maybe Emma or Jean could tell if she was here. "Emma, Jean, can either of you sense Lilandra's presence on this planet?"
Jean stepped off the ship only to find her foot landing on the skull of what was an kree warrior.The sight was aweful.Enough to cause her to wonder when the Kree and Skrull would stop thiswar.Her eyes drifted along with Scott and Logan.After Cyclops had asked both her andc ould they find the Lilandra Jean closed her eyes trying to feel if Lilandra was here.Her mind raced across the surface of the planet.Since she knew that Lilandra should be the only living thing on this planet it wouldn't be that hard unless those skrull test subject were still active."I'm picking up something.Northwest of here.I think it's her.Faint but it's still here."closed her eyes trying to feel if Lilandra was here.Her mind raced across the surface of the planet.Since she knew that Lilandra shouldbe the only living thing on this planet it wouldn't be that hard unless those skrull test subject were still active."I'm picking up something.Northwest of here.I think it's her.Faint but it's still here."
The moon was beginning to rise and Nate decided that he should return inside the mansion. He heard the random conversations going on and he would have to say that he was intrigued by these so called Cuckoos and the way their minds worked together in unison but separately at the same time. A talk with them would prove interesting, however he wouldn't have the patience or mental capacity for hearing all five of them at once while completing each others sentences. Nate moved to living room where Angelus was watching her movie. He didn't care much for the movie or anything, he just felt like being in the presence of another for the moment.
"I too sense someone, but there is no empress within range for my telepathy. When I probed Gladiator, I picked up her specific mind signature. Unless some type of mental protection is involved, the one signature we sense is not Lilandra" Emma spoke calmly as she stood just outside the ship, looking around. The death surrounding her did not face her much. The stench did, but when it came to that, she was merely grateful she did not have enhanced smell. Emma was confident in her telepathy, but because she had never met Lilandra herself, she could only work with the mental signature she found in Gladiator's mind. She could be wrong, but never before had her telepathy failed her and she were not going to doubt it this time. A signature is a signature, regardless of mental protection. Was she shielded, she should not be sensible at all.