CHAPTER SIXTEEN... 

When the plane takes off and heads to Cuba, I almost puke over Erik's shoes. Despite Hank being incredible at many things, flying does not seem to be one of them. The jet jerks and shakes like a mother rocking her child to sleep, and everyone is queasy by the time Hank announces we're almost at the war zone.

My heart leaps to my throat as he says the words, and I look over to Erik, who is staring at me with a burning intensity I've rarely ever seen pass across his face.

"Are you alright?" he whispers so only I can hear. I look up into his eyes, and worry gnaws at my stomach. It feels like a hot drink is being poured down my throat, so I know it's not just my own emotions. Darkness clings to the side of my vision, and my face contorts at the blast of fear that overtakes my senses.

Hank swerves the plane, and when I look out the window, I can see the jet passing over crystalline waters disrupted by a dozen military ships cutting through the sea like a knife through butter. It's not my own fear that renders me useless for a second, it's the men on those boats. No one wants to cross the embargo line and start a war. They're just men following orders. For some reason, my blood boils at the thought.

They might be men doing what they were told, but they are also men that could stop a war if they only listened to their hearts.

I can feel it in their bones, in the way a thousand shadowy figures wail on their knees at the back of my mind. They are frightened and worried. They don't want any of this. They think they are about to die.

I look back up to Erik. "Yeah, I'm fine." I turn to look across from me. Sean, Raven, and Charles all sit in their seats, incredibly uncomfortable. Charles grinds his jaw and Raven grabs both sides of her chair. I guess everyone has realized that this trip is not going to be a comfy one.

The plane dips slightly, and my stomach drops. Instinctively, Erik reaches out a hand to his side, and I take it without hesitation. My headset digs painfully into my skull, and my thoughts are a spiral of darkness.

He's here, I can feel him, but I don't know where he could be.

"Looks pretty messy out there." Hank says over the headset. His voice is a vibrating baritone in my head, and I take my other hand to keep the headphones from falling off. Erik and I both look to Charles, and the man places a tentative finger on his temple. We all wait in silence as Charles searches through the corners of each mind. By habit now, I place a wall of shadows around my thoughts, as impenetrable as a brick wall. No one could see into my mind even if they tried their hardest.

Charles gasps slightly and opens his eyes once more, his expression pained. "Crew of the Aral Sea are all dead," he says slowly. "Shaw's been there." my blood turns to ice. I knew it.

"He's still here, somewhere." Erik replies, and I nod my head in agreement.

"Erik's right." I say, my voice small and barely audible over the roar of the engine.

"He set the ship on course for the embargo line." Charles says, then turns to Moira.

The woman frowns from where she's perched near a set of strange gadgets I can't begin to understand. "If that ship crosses the line, our boys are gonna blow it up." I think I might throw up. "And the war begins." Just like Shaw said it would.

"Unless they're not our boys." Charles replies. We all look at each other, unease masking our features, a veil of troubled glances. My head swims. I can feel my forehead heating up. Sweat rushes down my spine, poking icy fingers into my back. This is it.

This is the time to fight.

"What's happening?" I ask.

Charles places his hand on his temple once more. "The US are getting ready to fire." he replies, voice grave. He then closes his eyes, and we're plunged into hopeful silence. The engine revs. Hank swoops the plane around. I close my eyes.

Suddenly, a loud boom shakes the plane, and I snap my eyes open. Ahead, through the window, a gleaming white missile launches straight towards us.

"Hank!" I yell, and the man-beast curses, pulling the steering hard to right. The world goes upside down. I scream. Erik and Alex both reach their hands out to keep me from falling forward.

"Hold on!" Charles yells. The plane twists in the air, and we all yell, faces turning red from the strain. An ear-shattering explosion rocks through the air, and when Hank is able to level the jet, I can see the Aral Sea shred into a thousand tiny pieces, flames erupting from the impact. We all sigh in relief, and I grip the armrests tightly. Maybe I don't like flying as much as I thought I did.

Hank turns back in his seat. "A little warning next time, Professor." Despite everything, I smile.

"Sorry about that." Charles muses. Alex and Erik are still holding me back, and I wrap my fingers around Erik's hands.

"You all right?" Charles continues, looking at each of us in turn.

Sean, who's gone ghostly pale, murmurs. "Yeah." while the rest of us sit in silence.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." I reply.

"That was inspired, Charles." Moira says, and I grin at the way the two look at each other. Charles' face softens and Moira beams. They look good together.

"Thank you very much, but I still can't locate Shaw." Charles says. My face falls at the words. I know he's here, somewhere, but what if we can't find him in time and he escapes again? No, I can't let that happen. We've come too far and suffered too much to have him slip out of our grasp once more. It's funny, I think, that the thoughts running through my head are the exact same ones Shaw has thought about me. I have escaped capture twice, and Shaw won't rest until he has his weapon back. We need Shaw, and he needs me. Now I'm really going to be sick.

"He's down there." Erik says angrily. "We need to find him now."

"What if I tried locating him through his emotion?" I suggest. They all turn to me.

"No, somethings blocking me from reading him, I can feel it." Charles replies. "Emotions are too close to thoughts, Leena. If I can't reach him, there's little chance you will. I'm sorry." I hang my head, but know he's right. I don't even know if I have the strength to pull off something like that. Besides, there are so many emotions clouding my mind right now, it would be hard to try anything as large as finding someone who doesn't want to be found.

"Hank?" Charles asks.

Hank turns to Moira. "Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?"

Moira shakes her head. "No, nothing." Charles grimaces.

Hank is the saving grace. "Well, then he must be underwater." It's ruined by what he says next. "And obviously we don't have sonar." Erik scowls. I look away. Sean sits right across from me, and I watch, puzzled, as his jaw sets and his eyes harden into determined orbs.

"Yes we do." he says confidently.

Charles pauses for a moment, and at the same time, both he and I realize the exact same thing. "Yes we do." we say together. Sean undoes his seat belt while Charles and Erik do the same. I begin to undo my own, but Erik holds up a hand.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"If Shaw is below water, he's probably in his submarine." I say, then look to Sean. "You'll need a boost to help you find it." Sean smirks, and Erik raises his hands up in defeat. I smile and undo my seat belt, then begin to clamber over to Sean and Charles.

"Hank, level the bloody plane!" Charles yells. Hank squares his shoulders, and the plane moves to the position it's supposed to be in. My feet trip over themselves, but I'm able to keep myself upright. Once I get over to them, Charles grips the bar above him and uses the other to keep me steady. Erik walks towards us, but Sean puts up a warning finger.

"Whoa!" he says. "You back right off." Erik grins but does as he's told, and flashbacks of when he pushed Sean off the side of the satellite swim through my mind. It's probably best that Erik stays far away.

"Beast!" Sean continues. "Open the bomb bay doors!" Hank frowns, but the doors to the bottom of the plane open slowly. Water rushes past us in a haze of sapphire and sky-blue. One step, and I could fall right through it, so I stick closer to Charles' side.

Sean and I look at each other, then I grab his hand and focus all of my energy into sending a rush of calm through his body. It proves more difficult than I thought, because we're both wearing gloves, but I close my eyes and grit my teeth, sending the energy bursting through my fingers.

It's not ice anymore, it's the warm sunlight on a summer evening, blistering my hand in it's fiery grasp. If Sean notices the difference, he doesn't say anything, only stiffens for a second, then turns to me and smiles.

"You good?" I ask.

"Never better." Sean replies. I smile and take a step back, letting Charles move towards him. The man grasps Sean's shoulder and points to his neck.

"Remember!" Charles yells. "This is a muscle! You control it!" He points to his head. "You'll be in here the entire time! We'll see you soon!"

I smile at Sean. "Good luck."

"On my mark!" Charles yells. "Three, two one!" Sean whoops and crosses his arms. "Go!" Charles claps Sean and the back while the boy jumps down into the freezing ocean. I rush to look at where Sean has fallen, and Erik comes to my side.

We stand watching as Sean twists and glides over the sea, then dives down into the water. Moira gets on her headset while we all wait for Charles to say something.

"Alert the fleet-- they may want to take their cans off." she warns.

We wait a couple more moments, Hank flying around the cluster of ships. Erik and I keep each other steady while Charles waits with his hand on his temple.

"Banshee's got a location on Shaw." Charles yells out suddenly. We all turn to look at him.

"What?!" I yell out, my voice hoarse and disbelieving. Charles looks at me, and a smile breaks out across his face.

"He's found Shaw." Charles repeats. The world gives way beneath me.

Found him. Sean has found him. I knew he was here, and now my thoughts have been confirmed. Erik comes up beside me, supporting us up by the elbow as my knees buckle underneath me.

We're going to do this. There's no turning back. We're going to find Shaw and take him down.

Charles moves to stand in front of us. "You ready for this?" he asks Erik. I look up at him.

"Let's hope so." he replies.

"You can't move the submarine on your own!" I yell. Erik looks down at me, and I up at him. "You need my help!" Erik shakes his head.

"It's too risky!" he says.

I raise a brow. "Erik." Erik is silent for a moment. The wind rushes through my pulled back hair, and several strands fall over my eyes. Conflict passes across his features, but I know in the end he understands. He needs my help, whether he likes it or not.

Erik grimaces and takes my hand. The jet curves and slows to a halt above the water. The wheels open up, and both Erik and I jump down onto the leg. We hold onto it with as firm a grip as possible. I place one hand up the side of Erik's cheek, as it's the only way to help.

I close my eyes while Erik reaches out his other hand to glide over the water. Erik pauses for a moment, and I try to boost his strength.

The greatest power lies between rage and serenity. Charles' words ring around inside my head, and I reach deep within the confines of my mind, trying to find the emotion I held back at the manor. I try to find the memory.

Erik stiffens as the energy passes from my palm into his head. The images of his mother and him resurfaces, fragmented and shaded like a photograph. Despite the distortion, it's still his, and we can still see it as clearly as we did before. Erik's face begins to turn red from the exertion, his hand shaking. I send the emotion through my hand once again.

Between rage and serenity. Rage and serenity. Rage and serenity.

Erik continues to grunt, his breathing ragged and hoarse. I send it to him again and again, darkness swirling off my fingertips to the point in his temple, warm as a summer's day.

Rage and serenity.

Time seems to slow, and Erik's face slackens. His mouth curves upwards, hands as still as a lake in the dawn of morning. Raw power radiates off of him, pulsing through his fingertips, thrumming inside his heart. I sense the change, and lower my hand, gripping onto the wheel leg so tightly my knuckles turn white.

The water underneath Erik's hand starts to bubble, and soon, a massive white shape emerges from the sea. It's ivory steel and sleek design are recognizable anywhere, and my knees crumple.

It's Shaw's submarine.

The sub lifts through the air, gliding on nothing as it comes to be eye level with the plane. Water churns from around it's propellers, droplets spraying my cheeks and hair. The jet lurches forward, and I hold onto the pole. We fly next to the submarine for a while, taking it over to the land. Tan sands and luscious tropical forests await us, but all I can think about is who's inside the boat.

Does he know I'm here? Does he know that I'm only meters away from where he must be standing? Or is he not on the ship at all, and fled before the fight began?

I shake my head slightly. I mustn't think like that. Shaw is on the sub, and we're going to get him.

My excitement is short-lived, however, as the hatch to the sub opens and a man with long dark hair and a tailored suit steps onto the platform. I'd know him anywhere. Anger radiates off his form in aggressive waves that almost make me lose my balance. I will never forget the way he writhed and slumped against the wall all those years ago, dark shadows flitting inside his head. I will never forget his terrifying thirst for revenge.

Riptide stands atop the submarine and glares up at us.

"Erik!" I yell, trying to keep hold as all the wind seems to be sucked from the air. Riptide's hands are outstretched, and a spiral of grey begins to twirl around his palms. Erik doesn't seem to hear me over the roar of the engines and the blood rushing in my ears. Riptide spins on his heels, the air rising up around him.

"ERIK!" I scream again. My palms are sticky and slip on the cool metal. Erik's hands shake violently as the tornado rushes towards us. My hair loosens from it's knot and flies around my face like tendrils of seaweed floating in water. My foot slides off the rail, and for one dizzying second, I am walking on air. Then the steps collide with my shin, and I grab hold once more, my knee screaming in pain. The tornado rushes towards us, a cacophony of wind strong enough to split the jet in half if we don't move now.

Charles calls my name. "Leena, take my hand!" I'm frozen. Those tornadoes are all too familiar. A dizzying rush brings my head lolling to the side, and my vision goes blurry in the haze. I'm farther away from Charles, almost on the other side of the platform. Erik is closest to the oncoming tornado. If I go up first, he'll be taken in the wind.

I shake my head. "Get Erik!"

Charles looks at me like I'm crazy, but I give him a look. It says; trust me. Charles pauses, then turns to the other man. My fingers go numb from holding on to the rail.

Charles shouts. "Erik, take my hand!" Erik doesn't listen.

"ERIK!" I shriek his name at the top of my lungs, trying to get him to see the impact. If only he would let go.

It's too late.

The tornado hits one side of the jet full force, and the plane jolts uncontrollably. My forehead bangs against the metal, stars swimming in my eyes. The pain causes me to grit my teeth. Something warm and sticky trickles down the side of my forehead. Erik is struggling to keep hold, just as I am, only he's also trying to hold up the submarine. The wind continues to push me farther and farther off the edge.

The pressure is too much, and Erik drops the submarine. The giant sub lands on the beach with a loud crash, splintering the gorgeous trees and rolling over the sands. It flips once, twice, three times, then stops with a creak. The jet spins, chunks of plating falling off in the strain.

Charles reaches out. "Take my hand!" black spots line my vision as we get closer to the beach. I can't see very far ahead of me, and fatigue pulls at my limbs. The pressure's too much, I can feel my ears about to pop.

"Take my hand!" I don't know whether Charles is yelling at me or at Erik, but I can barely hear him over the roar of the wind. The plane spins faster and faster, and my limbs ache as I try to hold on. Blood gushes down the side of my head, and everything shifts in and out of focus.

Suddenly, one side of the plane explodes, red hot fire engulfing the engine, and the large piece of machinery falls into the churning waves.

Charles yells, and this time, I can clearly hear what he's saying. "Leena, grab onto my hand now!" I thought that by letting Erik go first he would be spared, and I would have enough time to get back up as well.

I was wrong. Erik grabs Charles' hand then reaches for me. I take one arm off the rail and reach for him, but the plane makes another move, and in one staggering moment, my other hand slips from the rail, and I fall into oblivion.

Time has slowed. My heart beats inside my ears like a drum. Thump, thump, thump.

I fall from the plane, my hands still outstretched, the water rushing towards me. Erik and Charles scream my name at the top of their lungs, their voices hoarse and faces stricken. I watch, helpless, gliding on thin air as the plane spins, flames devouring one side, then lands on the ground in an ear splitting crash. The ocean rises up to meet me, but I'm too powerless to stop it.

I fall from the jet, death rising up to take another life. I don't know how long it is, how far away the water is, but I cannot move. My body locks up, as if it's preparing to meet the end. My stomach rises to my throat, my hands go numb from the rush of air, and all I can do is watch.

Or so I thought.

In an instant, something tugs around my waist, wrenching me from the air. Hands wrap around me, and a shriek pierces my right ear drum. Then someone laughs, a sad, almost pleading laugh.

A voice I'd know anywhere.

"Banshee." I croak. I look up, and sure enough, come face to face with a boy of mischievous grins and messy strawberry hair.

"Alright there, friend." Sean says, gliding over the sands. I close my eyes and brace for impact, but the fall is nothing. We land beside the wrecked jet in a matter of seconds, the two of us rolling over soft beaches. I land on my back, the sky swimming around me. I raise one gloved hand to touch the side of my head. I wince as blood seeps from a gash on my temple. Sean comes over to me and helps me sit up. I grimace. He takes off one of his gloves and presses it to my wound.

"Leena, you have to hide, you're in no condition to fight." This catches my attention. Someone is shouting inside the jet, but all I can hear is Sean's words running over and over in my head.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. Sean moves my hand up to support my wound, then takes a step back, getting to his feet.

Three figures rush out of the broken jet. I sigh in relief as Erik turns to me. Once he sees where I am, the man rushes over. He falls to his knees and brings me up into his arms.

"Leena, are you ok?" he asks. A noise catches both our attention in front of us. Angel, Azazel and Riptide stand in a line outside the crashed sub. Alex and Hank are on the other side. Sean has disappeared.

"What's going on?" I ask, pulling away and dizzily getting to my feet. Erik helps me stand, placing an arm under my shoulder.

"Shaw's in the submarine." Erik replies. "He's making himself into some sort of nuclear bomb." If I wasn't already exhausted, I would have collapsed at his words. "I'm going in. Charles is going to guide me through there."

Without hesitation I say. "I'm coming with you." Erik looks down at me sadly.

"No, you're not."

"Erik," I practically growl. "I'm coming with you."

No, you're not, Charles' voice rings inside my head, it's too dangerous Leena, and you're too injured.

No, I'm not! I scream. Charles, I need to do this. I may not want to... but I need to.

Leena, please see reason.

Get out of my head, I think, my thoughts dark and laced with malice, talk with Erik instead, I'm not going to listen to you either way. The mental conversation stops abruptly, and I can feel Charles sigh. I bring up a thin wall of shadows. It will keep him from seeing my thoughts, keep him from controlling me, but it won't stop him frm communicating with me if he absolutely needs to. It will only take a lot of effort.

I look back up at Erik. "I'm coming with you."

Erik doesn't say anything, but I can tell what he's thinking just by reading his face. He knows he can't stop me, but he doesn't want me to go with him, either.

"Alright." he finally says. His words are strained, like he hates the taste of them on his lips. Erik grabs my hand and we head over to stand next to Alex and Hank, looking towards the other members of the Hellfire Club.

I shut all thoughts away except for getting into that sub. I can't afford to remember all the things Riptide and Azazel have done to me, all the times they watched as Shaw tortured me and never batted an eyelash.

Angel's wings sprout from her back and she flies up into the air. Tornadoes billow from Riptide's hands and Azazel goes into a fighting stance, his daggers gleaming in the beating sun. Alex shifts, and a ring of fiery light bursts from his chest. It hits Riptide straight on, and the man is flown back against the metal of the submarine.

A pop sounds to our left, and Azazel appears behind the two. Erik takes my hand and we move farther to the side while Alex and Hank battle the crimson skinned man. Azazel's tail wraps itself around Alex's neck, and the three disappear in an instant. I yell out, but can do nothing. I turn back to the sub. He's in there, I'm sure of it.

Once everyone's out of the way, Erik and I sprint to the submarine. I continue to grasp his hand, but Erik's other palm spreads out, and a chunk of the submarine is ripped from the steel walls. Riptide stands before it, and the hunk of metal lands straight on top of him, crushing the man. Riptide grunts, but won't be able to get up.

Good, a part of me thinks as we run over the metal and enter the submarine. Stark white walls adorned with buttons and gadgets await us. I feel like I'm going to faint. Harsh white lights assault my eyes, but I squint and continue on with Erik.

Make for the middle of the vessel, Charles' voice is fuzzy, but I can tell he's speaking to both of us. That's the point my mind can't penetrate. We have to assume that that's where Shaw is.

My knees wobble and my stomach churns as Erik and I race past the sub's controls. We come up to a large computer-like machine. Toggles and arrows behind glass make my eyebrows scrunch.

"What is this?" I ask Erik. He doesn't look at me, but shrugs slightly.

That's the nuclear reactor, Charles answers, disable it. Erik reaches up a hand and pulls one of levers downwards. I hug my middle as the door to my right swings open, revealing a classy lounge type room. Erik and I walk through it, Erik holding my shoulders as I stumble through.

Erik, Leena, you're there, Charles says. My throat catches. I can't breathe. You've reached the void.

"No," I whisper, looking around the empty room. "He's not here."

"She's right, he's not here, Charles." Erik says. "Shaw's not here! He's left the sub." we clamber to the center of the submarine.

What!? He's got to be there! He has to be! Charles' voice is panic-stricken and shaky. There's nowhere else he can be. Keep looking!

I break away from Erik and move to the desk on one side. Shattered glass is spread across on the floor. I place both hands on the mahogany, trying to keep myself steady.

"And I'm telling you he's not!" Erik yells. "There's no one here, God damn it!"

I walk closer to the far end of the room, my eyes scanning the broken shelves and shattered frames. I run a gloved hand over the far wall, my fingers shaking. It can't be it, he can't be gone. A noise jolts me from my thoughts. I turn to Erik, but he's facing away, shoulder's heaving and fists clenched.

I don't hear the door at the back open fully, nor do I hear the silent footsteps come up behind me. Only when one arm wraps around my neck and the other comes to cup my cheek do I jolt out of my daze.

My blood freezes in my veins as painful energy runs across my skin, seeping through my suit. It feels as if white hot fire is burning away at my flesh.

But that is not the thing that makes me freeze. The pain is not what makes my knees give way under me or causes tears to fall down my cheek.

The thing that makes my body shake is the voice that whispers in my ear. "Hello, Leena."

Erik doesn't look behind him. I whimper. I can feel the man's smile at the back of my head.

It's him.

Sebastian Shaw. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE...

OHHH MYYY GODDDD IT'S HAPPENING! These last action scenes are some of my favorite from the film, and I was so excited to write them! I hope I was able to do them justice. 

Be warned, next chapter is gonna have so many emotions I'm not even ready, it's going to be one hell of a ride. Since we're coming to the end of this first part I just wanted to say that I'm so grateful for all of the lovely comments you have been posting about this story, Leena is my baby and I hate torturing her like this but it's so necessary for her growth!

See you all in the next chapter! 

Love, Mal