The week following the attack was tense to say the least. Everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And the tension was getting to some of the more excitable citizens of Haven. To relieve the tension Storm and Rogue announced at the Public Forum that they were pregnant. It had the desired effect and people started to relax. For Xavier however the relaxation was short lived. Donella had still not woken from her coma and he was growing concerned that she never would. He was sitting by her bedside talking to her and trying to penetrate her mental barriers when suddenly her eyes snapped open. She sat bolt upright and Xavier caught the tail end of her thoughts just as she dissolved into a puff of air and ghosted out through the vents. 'I'm going to end Derek once and for all.'
Xavier tried to reach her with his mind but her barriers were up again. Realization dawned on him. She had meant for him to hear her as she entered the vents. He left the infirmary pushing his chair faster than it was meant to go. He stopped before the sliding doors that barred the way to Cerebro. He used the retina scanner and was in. He relaxed a little in the familiar room. Donella had simply scooped the old Cerebro out of its place in the bedrock below the mansion and had transplanted it in Haven. He settled himself before the small console and put on the head gear. With a thought he was following Donella as she merged with the winds and sought out her brother. 'Donella, what are you doing?'
He couldn't see her face but he knew there was probably a small smile on her face. 'I'm finishing this.' She whispered to him.
Just then Logan and Rogue rushed in. "Derek has a nuke. He's just gonna blow British Columbia to bits to kill us." Logan managed before Xavier hushed him.
'Donella did you know about the nuke?'
'I know everything about what he's doing now. I am the wind, I am the water, I can become them, I can hear them, I speak to them and they know all for they are in all.' She replied.
Truthfully she had heard it in the whispered winds all around her while she'd been in a coma, hiding from the world. The air from the surface world had whispered to her of the goings on of the world. Of the threats they saw and a nuke was most definitely a threat to the elements air and water. It would fill streams and rivers with debris and dirt choking the water with pollutants so it could not properly fulfill its purpose. It would clog the air with radiation rendering it poisonous to anything living.
'What are you going to do?' Xavier asked concerned.
'I hadn't figured that out quite yet. I'm just going to stop him.' He could feel the wind against his skin as she flew with the speed of a hurricane wind.
Logan and Rogue glanced at each other then back at Xavier. He took the helmet off and looked at them. "Where is she going?" He asked.
"She's going to Montana. The Montana Militia got their hands on a nuke but couldn't figure out who to bomb first so they sold it to the highest bidder. The FoH had the winning bid." Logan replied.
"How fast can we get there?" Xavier asked.
Logan and Rogue drooped just a bit. "Three or four days. We don't have a jet anymore and we haven't got the space or resources for a hanger." Logan replied.
Xavier wanted to swear, his blood boiled for a moment before is normally calm nature reasserted itself. "Take your team to Montana Logan. You may be needed there. Use whatever means you must."
Logan sprinted out of Cerebro leaving Rogue with Xavier who turned back to the console and reached out for Donella. 'Why didn't you just tell me?' He questioned.
'No one would have been able to make it in time to stop the nuke. I can go anywhere faster than anyone else. I become the wind and there is no where I cannot go.'
Xavier wanted to pound his head into the wall. 'Is this why you remained in a coma?'
He felt her hesitation. 'No. I remained in a coma because I was hiding from the world for a while.' She paused for a long moment before continuing. 'I'm not as good as I seem Charles. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Done a lot of things I'm not proud of. I've been a despicable monster. I killed my brothers fiance and for that I bear his hatred willingly. And I killed my husband and I hate myself more than my brother could.'
Xavier felt his mind reel. She had told him her husband Julien died of cancer. She'd shared fond memories and told hilarious stories of their life together. 'You killed him? I though Cancer killed him.'
'Cancer started the job. He wasted away, eaten from the inside out. No treatment helped and nothing could ease the pain. In the end he begged for the pain to end. I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain. The last time he begged for me to take the pain away I did. I kissed him one last time and sucked the air from his lungs.' He could hear the raw pain, the guilt and the tears in her voice and knew that somewhere between British Columbia and Montana it was raining though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
'Logan brought up something that made you remember and you retreated to your mind.' He finished.
'Yes. But I'll be fine once this is ended. You don't need to worry Charles. I'll be back. I can only hope you still love me after what I've admitted.'
Xavier smiled faintly. 'Nothing could make me stop.' He assured her.
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Donella arrived at the compound in Montana a mere twenty minutes after she'd left Haven. Her conversation with Xavier had made her feel somewhat better but it still didn't ease the guilt she felt. She shoved it aside and concentrated on the matter at hand, locating her Brother.
She ghosted through the compound and it didn't take her very long at all to find him. He was standing next to the launch doors a remote in his hand. "I can feel you sister. Why don't you show yourself."
She slowly became corporeal though carefully keeping herself just a little less than solid, just in case someone shot at her. She really had no intention of dieing here. "I'm not surprised Derek. I figured you were trying to get a hold of me, your voice carried so loudly on the wind."
"It's time for you to die Donella. Time for you to atone for your sins." Derek smirked at her and waggled the remote. "Don't even try to kill me either. This is a dead mans switch. I die and the Nuke is launched. We have a vague idea of where your 'Haven' is so we've programed the nuke to drop at that site."
Donella glowered at him. "So what is it you want Derek? Why inform me of the Nuke? Why not just fire it? I know you will anyway."
"I want to kill you." He replied calmly. "I want to end your life myself then I will end the lives of those scuttling crawling creeping creatures."
Donella laughed. "You do love to hear the sound of your own voice don't you?"
He snarled at her and she just smirked. She floated towards him. "You're a petty, jealous, vindictive little man Derek. You have been since I was born. This my not be a movie but my kind will win. Because eventually there will be more of us than of you. She was within a few feet of him now. He held the remote up like a shield and she swatted it from his hand. The launch doors rumbled open and he laughed. "You've condemned your own kind!"
She smiled and there was an evil slant to it as she surged forward and engulfed him. He could feel the tornado force winds tearing at his clothing, hair and skin. Tiny pellets of water harder than a bullet seared his skin piercing his body. She tore him apart then left the whole bloody mess that had once been her brother laying on the floor. The Nuke suddenly roared up into the sky and Donella gave chase. She struggled to keep up with it as it climbed into the sky then turned and headed North.
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Wolverine, Cyclops, Angel and Kurt had managed to cross a days worth for ground in less than an hour thanks in part to Kurts teleporting and a new invention courtesy of Hank. The felt more than saw Donella passing over them and looked up to see a missile shooting towards Haven. They watched from the ground as a Tornado formed around the missile. The width and breadth of the Tornado was massive. Bigger than any on record though it never touched the ground. It formed a huge funnel around the missile which tried to follow it's programing but kept being spun in every direction. The tornado's force grew so strong that the X-Men on the ground could feel it tugging at them trying to drag them up and into itself. Then suddenly the Tornado was dissipating and they could no longer see the missile. A bright flash pierced their eyes blinding them momentarily, all but Cyclops who's visor shielded his eyes from the terrible light. He saw the missile detonate outside Earths atmosphere.
As their eyesight returned they each saw the figure falling like a stone from the sky. Angel sprang into the air and caught her carrying her unconscious form gently back to earth. She was a mess. He hair was tangled and matted, her face paler than normal and she looked half dead. "We'd better get back to Haven." Logan grumbled gruffly taking her from Angel.
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