" The problem is that..." he hesitated to say this, and he felt his voice choke a little. "... that the Professor's... been kidnapped."
" What?!"
Those were the voices of Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, Jean, Jubilee, and Archangel. They had not known before this. The others, were the ones who had notified Scott. They turned their faces down to the ground, unwilling to face the questioning eyes of their teammates.
" What happened?" Storm spoke, and startled Cyclops. He suddenly realised that he had been lost in his own thoughts for a moment.
" We do not know the exact details. But Cooper was there when it happened. She'll be able to tell us what happened."
He saw Jean gazing worriedly at him. He knew that, of all the X-men, she was probably the most worried about the Professor. She was, after all, the closest to him in the team. Scott had wanted to tell her earlier; but had decided against it. He had wanted her to enjoy what was left of her day of relaxation while he and Beast confirmed the situation.
* Scott... why didn't you tell me?*
He had not wanted to face her. He hoped she would understand.
" Jean, I want you to try Cerebro."
It was an order, not a request, but she nodded.
" Let's try it then. There's a greater chance of our finding him if we try it now." But Jean had not waited for him to finish his sentence.
She reached above her head for the strange-looking helmet. This was the telepathic interface to Cerebro, the brainchild of Xavier himself. With the new Shi'ar technology, Cerebro had become far more sophisticated than when it had first been created. But its purpose had remained the same.
For today, its purpose would be to track the whereabouts of the greatest telepathic mind on the earth: the telepathic mind of Professor X.
Scott turned to the rest of the team. " Unless Jean can locate the whereabouts of the Professor, we can only wait for Cooper's contact." The entire team looked worried. And Scott could not blame them. Xavier was an important figure in their lives. To some, he was a mentor; to others, a friend; to still others, a saviour; and to a few, such as Cyclops himself and Jean, he had been the father they had never had.
More than anything else, he provided the X-men with a goal in life; a dream for which to commit their lives... and a home where they, outcasts of society, were welcome. Without him... Cyclops hesitated to think of where fate might have led them.
While Jean searched for the Professor, there was little choice for everyone, but to wait. Scott watched them fidget. Nervous energy had to be released, and the X-men, were masters of this very specialised trade.
Bobby built an ice-castle on the table. Archangel - Warren - stood up to stretch his metal wings, careful not to slice through any of the delicate equipment in the Room. Gambit flirted with Rogue; Beast occupied himself with fixing some damaged equipment. Wolverine was talking to a tensed and highly- strung Jubilee... " ... Kid, it's too dangerous out there..."
Only Storm seemed to be the calm in the middle of this hurricane of action. Scott smiled to himself. That description was ironic, considering her codename.
He shot a look at Jean. Her eyes were shut, her concentration focused.
He hoped she would find the Professor soon.
Waiting, in a situation such as this, was intolerable.