CHAPTER 68 THE SACRIFICE OF CHOICE
The shuttle groaned as it drifted free of the station, alarms still shrieking. The sun loomed ahead, swollen, its corona spitting flame. The solar flare boiled, a tide of fire swelling to swallow the sky.
Inside, the X-Men huddled around the cockpit. Every face pale. Every breath heavy.
Corbeau's voice trembled, "Someone has to fly... and shield us. But the pilot won't survive the radiation outside the life cell. It's suicide."
Jean stepped forward, her eyes fierce, hair wild in the flickering light. "Then it's my suicide."
Scott spun. "NO!" His visor flared, voice breaking. "Jean, I won't let you-"
"You don't HAVE a choice!" she snapped. Her eyes blazed, power crackling faintly around her hands. "I can absorb your knowledge, Corbeau. Telepathically. Every switch, every button, every trajectory. And I can shield the ship. No one else can."
Scott's voice cracked. "It'll KILL you!"
Jean stepped closer, her eyes soft for a moment. "If I don't, it kills ALL of us."
He shook his head violently, fists trembling. "We'll find another way, there's always another
Her hand touched his cheek, soft. "Scott. My love. There isn't."
Before he could answer, her eyes flared green.
A ripple of psychic force burst from her mind sharp, precise. Scott staggered, his visor dimming, his body collapsing limp into her arms.
"Forgive me." Her voice broke. "But I won't let you stop me."
Colossus stepped forward, torn between rage and grief. Jean looked up, eyes wet. "Piotr... please. Carry him into the life cell. Keep him safe."
The Russian's lip quivered, but he obeyed. He cradled Scott's unconscious body like a child, tears streaking his steel cheeks as he laid him inside the pod.
Storm moved next, her eyes shining like liquid silver. She seized Jean's hands, pulling her close, pressing her forehead against hers. "Sister of my heart... don't do this..."
Jean's smile cracked, trembling. "Someone has to."
Tears streaked Storm's cheeks as she pulled Jean into an embrace. Their bodies shook as one. "Then I will carry your spirit with me. Always."
Jean's voice was barely a whisper. "And I, yours.
They broke apart, hands lingering until the last.
Then Logan's shadow fell over her. His claws were sheathed, but his eyes burned hotter than any flame.
"You're a damn fool, Red," he growled, low and raw. "Always gotta play the hero, huh? You think dyin' makes you stronger? Makes you better?"
Her own temper flared, fire matching his steel. "And what would YOU do, Logan? Hide in the pod while the rest of us burn? If you had the power to save them, would you just SIT there?"
For once, he didn't snap back. He just stared, jaw tight, his breathing rough.
Then he muttered, "No. I wouldn't."
Jean blinked, startled by the softness in his voice. For a flicker, something passed
between them not fire, not claws, but something gentler, buried deep.
She turned away before it could bloom. Her
hands gripped the controls, her mind already reaching into Corbeau's thoughts, drawing every memory, every skill, every map of the stars. Knowledge poured into her veins like lightning.
She slid into the pilot's chair, shoulders squared, eyes blazing.
"Life cell sealed," Storm whispered, her voice breaking.
Jean whispered back, more to herself than anyone. "Alright, girl. Time to fly."
The sun loomed larger. The flare boiled higher. And the shuttle hurtled straight into hell.