Lady Katherine Pryde moved around the sanctum, making the final
preparations for the spell. "I'm sorry we have to do this," she said,
her simple dark blue bodysuit clinging to her body. Long brown hair fell
in a braid down her back, a golden clasp holding the end.
"I understand, ma'am," Rachel Summers bowed slightly, "with the
attack of Neron, it's just too dangerous having me here in this era."
The little redhead looked a bit nervous standing there, dressed in the
simple T- shirt and jeans.
Illyanna Rasputin walked in wearing her silvery body armor, her
long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. "This will be good practice
for you," she softly added, "we'll be accessing your latent temporal
abilities as well."
"So don't be too nervous," Katherine gave her a motherly smile
as she continued, "we won't bite, even in that era. Both of us had just
began our journeyman period of training, and your help would be
appreciated, I think."
"Right," Rachel squeaked nervously.
"And here," Illyanna handed her a simple golden orb. "Give this
to either me or Kitty and it will tell them who you are, all right?"
"Thanks," Rachel tucked the orb into her pocket.
"We're ready to go, I think," Katherine said quietly. She gave
Rachel a gentle smile before adding, "It won't hurt a bit."
Rachel stood in the center of the carefully drawn circle, her
pulse racing as she waited. Katherine walked around the circle, light
dancing around her hands as she spoke the incantation. The stepping disk
shimmered as Illyanna called it up around Rachel, there was a odd
sensation as the room disappeared around her...
... then there was a loud displacement of air, and Rachel
realized that she was falling fast. "Look out," Rachel barely managed to
squawk out as she dropped from the ceiling of the study to fall right on
top of her two masters!
Whump!
"How on Earth," Illyanna struggled up from the floor, helping to
pull Kitty to her feet before looking at the redheaded teen sitting on
the floor, "did she get in here?" She gestured and the Soulsword
flickered to life in her hands, silvery fire dancing along it's length.
"The defenses are still intact," Kitty checked quickly before
putting a hand on Illyanna's arm. "Put that away," she said softly, "she
looks terrified."
"Ah, hello," Rachel looked up at her suddenly younger masters
and gave them a nervous smile, "my name is Rachel Summers." She took a
breath, "I'm sort of your apprentice from about twenty years in the
future."
Both women stood there looking at her utterly dumbfounded.
"What?!" they finally blurted out at almost exactly the same time.
'Pretty much what the Masters said would happen, Rachel thought
as she got up, dusting herself off with a sheepish smile. "I'm really
sorry for this," she said. She pulled a golden ball out of her pocket,
"Here, I was told to give this to you."
Illyanna hesitated, then took it into her hands. There was a
shimmer of light, then before the three of them an image of two older
women appeared. Katherine Pryde wore a set of glasses, a few strands of
gray in her hair, while Illyanna had a single scar running down the side
of her face, almost as if she had been raked by a claw.
Katherine smiled slightly, "I'm not quite sure what to say..
this is Rachel Summers, she's our apprentice and the daughter of Scott
Summers and Madelyne Pryor."
"We can't tell you much about what's coming," Illyanna gave her
lover a frown, "for fear of contaminating the timeline. We've become
aware of a grave threat, one that has come seeking Rachel's powers, and
to protect her we're sending her to your era."
"I'm sorry to have to impose on you like this," Katherine
shrugged, "but it seems to be our best option right now."
"We'll retrieve Rachel as soon as possible," Illyanna said, "but
it may be a few weeks." With a grin she added, "Good luck!"
"Thank you again," Katherine beamed, then the image simply faded
away.
Kitty and Illyanna sat there a moment, looking at the golden
orb, then looking up at where Rachel sat. "When I meet my future self,"
Illyanna said with a frown, "remind me to kick my ass."
"Illyanna," Kitty scolded. She looked over at Rachel, "Sorry,
we're both a bit.. surprised by all this." She paused, "Why did they
send you back here, exactly?"
"It's complicated," Rachel sighed. She smiled wryly, "Lady
Katherine already blurted who my parents are, so I guess I can start
with that."
"Lady Katherine?" Illyanna raised an eyebrow, only to be shushed
by Kitty.
"Madelyne was a clone of Jean Gray, the Phoenix, who was created
by the villain called Mr. Sinister," Rachel said to them gravely. "She
and my Dad discovered this when they were looking into my Dad's
background. Together they fought against Sinister to save my big brother
Nathan from being manipulated by him and they won."
"Mr. Sinister," Kitty murmured, "I don't like the sound of him
at all."
"Wait till you get to meet him," Rachel said with a sigh.
"He's worse than he sounds?" Illyanna blinked.
"You have no idea," Rachel said with a sigh. She took a deep
breath and continued on, "My Mom was eventually able to learn to access
the telekinesis and telepathy that Jean had, but the Phoenix power was
blocked, somehow."
"Just before you arrived," Kitty said quietly, "I thought I saw
the Phoenix in one of the orbs. I take it you're not blocked?"
"I've actually never tried to call on the Phoenix," Rachel
admitted, "so we don't know for sure, but yes, the masters do think so."
"I'm feeling just a bit confused here," Illyanna admitted, "from
a time trip Kitty took into the future a while back, we saw a world that
was ruled by the Sentinels."
"No," Rachel shook her head, "that never happened."
Kitty had the oddest look on her face, staring off into the
distance. "I think I have a theory," Kitty finally said thoughtfully.
"What is it?" Illyanna prompted her impatiently.
Kitty puffed a little breath out, "The time trip I took was done
before you and I became Doctor Strange's apprentices, love."
Illyanna looked at Kitty in surprise. "One small thing like that
could have caused such a big change?" she finally said.
"You once told me," Rachel said softly, "that a single pebble
can change the course of a river, if it falls into the right place."
"Dr. Strange," Kitty corrected her.
"Eh?" Rachel blinked.
"Dr. Strange used that phrase on us," Illyanna elaborated. She
smiled slightly, "I guess your Masters never said where they heard it?"
"No, they didn't," Rachel agreed.
Kitty cupped the squarish amulet she wore, the center irising
open to reveal a shining gem. "This shouldn't hurt a bit," she said as
she bathed Rachel in it's light for a moment.
"Nothing?" Illyanna asked a moment later.
"No demonic influences," Kitty agreed. She gave Rachel a smile,
"You can probably guess that we had to check, right?"
"That's pretty much what your future self said," Rachel agreed.
Her stomach gurgled softly and she blushed furiously, "Sorry."
"I'm hungry, too," Kitty grinned. "Who wants a snack?"
"Two of them," Illyanna sighed as they walked to the kitchen
together.
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