Triptych: A Marvel: Xavier's Institute Novel (Marvel Xavier’s Institute) by Jaleigh Johnson

Author:Jaleigh Johnson [Johnson, Jaleigh]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: science fiction, media tie-in, action and adventure, superheroes
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2021-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Fantomex reached the hangar at a dead sprint, with E.V.A. right behind him. It was the closest exit to get to Cluster. As the hangar doors slid open, a blast of frigid air and swirls of snow surrounded them.

“How badly was she injured?” Fantomex demanded, as E.V.A. transformed into her ship form, the cockpit door already open. He jumped in, strapping himself into the pilot’s seat in seconds.

“It was impossible to tell from the video feed,” E.V.A. said, her voice tight with worry. “But Magneto said there was a considerable amount of blood darkening the snow.”

Fantomex swore under his breath. It was Weapon XIII. He just knew it was. That was why Cluster hadn’t turned up at the museum. Their darker half had gone after her first to take her out of the fight so he wouldn’t have to face two of them at once.

Somehow, he’d known Fantomex would come down on Cluster’s side in this strange conflict. A surprising bit of insight on his part, since Fantomex hadn’t known himself that he was on her side – until he heard she was wounded. He didn’t have time to examine that turn of events as they zipped along the white ground outside the Institute, dodging crescent-shaped snow drifts and sheets of ice that marred the barren landscape.

It didn’t take long to get to her. E.V.A. moved like a bullet, following the directions Magneto had given them. As they drew closer, Fantomex could see a body lying curled into a ball in the snow. Drenched in a puddle of dark blood.

He threw off the seat harness and ran to the door. “Let’s make this quick,” he said. “Will Triage be waiting for us in the infirmary?”

“Cyclops assured me he would be,” E.V.A. replied.

Maybe he should have brought the healer with him. But Fantomex hadn’t wanted to wait. The longer they left Cluster stranded and exposed to the elements, the greater the chance she might succumb to her injuries before they could help her.

The door in the side of the ship slid open. Fantomex jumped out before E.V.A. had even come to a full stop. He landed gracefully in the hard-packed snow. Out in the open, the wind was fierce, bitingly cold, and visibility was bad, but even with the blowing snow and failing light of the day, there was no mistaking the blood spot on the ground several feet away.

Or the figure lying in the middle of it.

He ran to Cluster, dropping to his knees beside her. Her eyes were slitted, her hand pressed to a deep wound in her left flank. She was shivering violently. He stripped off his jacket and laid it over her.

Her eyes popped open and roved over him tiredly. “Took you… long enough,” she said. It was difficult to understand her with her teeth chattering so badly. “I’ve been… hiking around… this frozen… wasteland… for at least an hour… without a proper coat… or a tourniquet.”

“The school’s hidden for a reason,” he said. He looked her over quickly for other injuries, but there were only some bruises and scrapes.

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