Issue 1 Downtime

THings hadn't been going well.

Mike had managed to keep his head about him, but the crowds... always the crowds, they were bad. but he had to keep it together, since... well, he'd found a problem in the mob.

Currently, he'd been hiding in a side room, more of a large closet under the stairs. And so far, he'd managed to yank in about twelve of the smaller children who'd been in danger of being crushed, as well as two older students who had mobility problems.

He could sense more of a problem approaching, though. And there was too much chaos for him to do anything about it. Not unless... Oh good. Thank God...

Opening the door again, his hand darted out and he pulled Sam inside.

Samantha was still shifting a bit as he pulled her in, her eyes wide with panic from having lost Becca in the crowd. Looking about in confusion, she finally focused on...

"...Mike?"

Mike nodded. "You okay?" he asked. By the look of him, he'd been handling the panic and chaos about as well as she'd been.

"I... I don't know where Becca got to... Usually I can find her even if she's invisible, but not with this many people..."

"Don't know... can't pick anyone in particular out, too much chaos, but... haven't felt anyone get hurt yet." he took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I need your help."

"M-me? But... I'm barely holding my own here..."

Mike nodded, his labored breath showing just how wearing this situation was on him, as well, without shifting features. "I know. I can't do anything. You can't do anything." He held out his hand to her. "But we can."

"Then... then we should," she said nervously as she took his hand.

Mike took her hand, feeling the effort to shield become incredibly easier as it was suddenly divided between two minds of considerable power. He sat down on the floor, closing his eyes, managing now to shut out the fear from the children he'd pulled in with them.

"Two heads are better than one. Just remember what Ms. Grey taught us... act together, work from different angles."

With their shields strengthened like this, it became much clearer that the kids had fled almost in time... because there were hostile minds coming through a hall toward the end of the stragglers who were fleeing the dorms.

Samantha nodded, and waited for the moment Mike had a hold of their minds, feeling for the flow of their thoughts, aiming to turn it back in on itself...

There was a push of power, and suddenly their thoughts were clasped, offered up to her, each separately to be set onto a looping path.

I... don't know, MIke admitted. I haven't done anything like this before, the stuff that's easy for me to do... He shuddered a little, body and mind. We'll have to hold them like that, I don't know if they can fall out of the loop if we let go. Even as he thought it, Sam would feel Mike's mental presence joining hers in holding the thoughts into the loop.

She could get the mental impression that he was nodding. I know... it'll be okay, though... just need to keep them held until X-Men get here.

As they held the mental link, Sam might be able, either through Mike or on her own, to feel the fear being drained off of the children hiding with them in the closet, and at the same time, the help in holding the loop she was getting from Mike growing stronger.

"Right. We just... we have to trust in the X-Men and the Professor. They've never let us down before."

With their minds in such close proximity, Mike would occasionally brush up against what felt like a wall in hers, as if she was holding back something. It wasn't even really certain if she knew she was doing it. It was a stronger block than she really had shown any indication of being able to construct, like a thick tangle of brambles. Beyond there were faint noises, like the calls of birds.

There wasn't really any coherent thought to accompany it, but Mike thought it a bit odd, wondering what Sam, of all people, could have blocked off. Had someone done something to her? The very thought of someone messing with her mind was simply hideous to him, as he looked closer at what was there.

At the same time, Sam would grow aware of a section of Mike's mind that he seemed unaware of, that seemed to be somewhat active, but never interacted with by his consciousness. The best way to manifest for it seemed to be a small, blackened area of a room that everything seemed to naturally flow around without exception, something it had to be aware of, but instinctively just ignored and avoided.