It seemed to take forever to make it back to the blackbird. One arm kind of dangled to my side, it hurt, it hurt bad, but it didn't stop me. I had learned many of times how to deal with pain, how to put it somewhere in the mind, deal with it later. This time was no different.

But something had changed, too many variables, the lifeline of mutants was now on a steady plummet into the abyss. It took this incident to show me, that even a born soldier like myself, sometimes we need help. But who, my decisions could be the outcome for all of us, which lead me to only one man.

The man that started all this for us. The man that paved the road but has long since been pushed to the side. The man known as Xavier, Charles Xavier. " Something in this bird has got to patch me through." I kept looking, there had to be something. " Come on, I know Scott has to have a private line to him."

It took some time, but there it was, a secret line patched just to Xavier, no one else. This was too important to contact anyone else. It all relied on this. " Charles, Charles can you hear me, it's Nathan, there's no time to explain, but now you are her only hope, you are our only hope."

"Yes, I can hear you. What happened? Where are you?"

Charles Xavier's voice sputtered over the line to the Blackbird where Cable was now planning his next move.

There was movement in the background as Xavier seemed to vanish for a moment. "Cerebra is back online? Thank you, David," Xavier replied as he waited for further word from Cable.

TBC

" Charles, you're the only one now who can save the future, save all of us, every second now is crucial." Nathan paused for a moment to stifle a groan, looking down to his arm as blood trickled down his arm from several spots. " Whatever it takes, locate that baby, if she dies, we all die."

He had hopes Charles of all people would understand. He had watched his dream come crashing down before him, his children being torn apart by war and hate. And now nathan was trying to save what was left of their future or else there would be no future at all.

" In time it will all make sense, but you must locate the baby quickly, if I dont get to her, it's all over." The arm shot pain all the way through, making him clench his teeth in pain. Perhaps he hadnt even taken the time to realize how bad he was hurt.

Nathan slid down again the console panel of the blackbird. " Charles I need your help, I need it fast." The blackbird started up and lifted into the air. He had to be in the air, now he just had to hope that Xavier could locate the baby.

OOC: Cross-posted to Cerebra thread

IC:

Charles could tell Nathan was in terrible pain and had likely been injured in his quest to save this infant. "I will get on that task now," he said as he walked back into the Cerebra chamber.

"Thank you, David," he said as he sat in the chair behind the conosle and slid on the helmet. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the signature of that newborn child. He blinked for a moment as he realized where the child was now located. He quickly tapped out a set of coordinates and sent them to the Blackbird where Cable was now located.

The baby was on Muir Island.

Xavier then linked Cerebra into the secret line to speak to Cable. it translated his thoughts into audible sound.

"I have no idea why that came into play, but Godspeed. If you need further help, let me know."

TBC

Before a portal opened in the middle of the Blackbird, Charles sent a telepathic messgae to Cable to alert him of his impending arrival. He stopped as he saw Cable and then went to retrieve the jet's medical pack. "Let me see your arm," Charles said quietly as he started to work. "Before you give me the full story on what happened, can you tell me why you made the Sentinels attack us? If you did."

Charles showed Nathan everything that had happened at the mansion during the attack. "Domino found something that ties you to the attack. That does not sound like you, Nathan. You may be many things, but sloppy is not one of them."

Xavier continued to work on Cable's arm. He was glad the portal had closed behind him quickly. He did not want one of the students thinking it was a fine time to play "Follow the Professor" onto the jet.

TBC

Nathan watched the feed of what happened at the mansion while Charles worked on his arm. " I had nothing to do with that, I would not endanger the students." Nathan said as the jet continued to head to Muir.

Charles continued to work on Nathan's arm. " Your tactics lately would leave questions to such, why not come to us as you have many of times?" Charles questioned as he now was nearly done fixing Nathan's arm up.

" Charles if you ever trusted me before, now is not the time to question it, there are those even amongst us that would find a way to end that baby's life." Nathan turned to face Charles. " That baby is our only hope, if I fail, we all fail, and that is why I could not take any chances, even coming to you."

Nathan flexed his arm as Charles finished up. " Thanks." Nathan stood up at the jet began to come over Muir. " You've known me for a long time Charles, i'm not asking you to understand it, but you know i'll do what it takes."

Xavier weighed Cable's words carefully as the jet continued on to Muir Island. He could tell Nathan was sincere in every word he said. He had never known Nathan to lie in the past, and in his heart Charles knew that Nathan was not lying now.

"You say there is someone amongst us that is aiming to harm this infant, Nathan," Charles said as he looked at the view screen as they approached Muir. "Not amongst our enemies. Amongst us. Who is it, and how can we stop this person? Sinister, the Purifiers and other forces are all after that baby. They have been one step ahead of us most of the way. Is this person in league with any of them?"

As he thought about all Cable had said, Charles winced in pain as he felt a psychic wall slam down in front of him. "Someone is aware of our approach. I was just blocked from doing any scans. Are the jet's instruments being affected as well?"

TBC

Nathan looked out the fornt of the jet, Muir had been turned into a horror movie and a battlefield. That alone let him know that time was now more important than ever. While still in mid air, Nathan pushed a button as a hatch opened up, showing the sky as Nathan put on a pack.

" Charles, the time it would take to tell you, would likely be the time needed to save that baby, to save us all." Nathan started to walk to the opening. " Charles, you may not know now, but everything we knew is about to change." Nathan paused for a second. " Everything you've taught and lead, everything you've believed in, everything you fought for."

Nathan placed his hand on what looked like a zipline. " It's always been about them for you Charles, you built them and taught them to be who they are, you are more of a father to those fighting down there then they will ever know." Nathan stepepd to the ledge of the hatch opening.

" If you do one thing for me, don't leave this bird once you land, can't say much more, but do what you must to aid your children, but not with your physical being." With that Nathan leapt out of the blackbird, and headed towards Muir.

TBC- Nathan to a new thread in Muir