The Quartz Kidnap

A/N- Well, I'd been waiting for a spark of inspiration for months for an X Men fic, and here we are. After plenty of ideas that really weren't worth it, one is finally ready to show. I hope you enjoy it.

0-0-0-0-0

Logan sighed. Yet another Magneto foiling mission. He'd initiated another of his plans to make mutants the dominant species. Sometimes, you had to wonder why Xavier didn't just go with the flow, but then, he had a moral code- and a conscience to boot. Sometimes, you had to just abandon these things, but it just didn't happen with him- he was too good for his own good.

Also, Mystique, as usual, was posing a problem. You could get rid of every minion under the sun, yet she'd always be there, ready to morph into any mutant that could beat you. After the third time of healing himself in a row, they definitely needed a new plan- so he regrouped with Jean, to see whether they could work something out spontaneously. Spontaneous plans were always the best type.

Around a minute later, everyone in the group had received their part of the new tactics.

Each of the four had a specific part to play- from freezing the opponent to blasting them into oblivion. It was quite simple really, and Wolverine couldn't see how on earth it could possibly go wrong. All he had to do was get the lights, whilst Jean froze the target (a certain blue, female mutant) and Storm threw a lightning blast- for some light, after which one of Cyclops' (he refused to use his real name) optical blasts would at least comatose her, possibly worse. Or that was the idea, any way. Half way across the room, there became a serious problem. The lights went off without warning. As Storm threw a bolt of lightning into the air, to get some light into the room- she knew this wasn't the plan yet, but had to light the place up, a new mutant emerged. A girl, aiming straight for Cyclops.

Throwing her hand out in front of her, the lights flickered on and off repetitively- someone had either got hold of the switch, or it was done for dramatic effect, he didn't know. All Logan could see was something red twisting around the body of the unknown mutant, suddenly moving, and manipulating itself into a coffin around the man in front of her. Trying and failing to blast the crystal away, and growling when it didn't work, Scott began to attempt smashing out of the ruby prison, but as the encasing substance grew tightly around him, spiralling to a finish just above his head, his air supply ran out. The three remaining X Men watched him fall backwards- Jean distraught, before the lights went completely.

There was a scuffle, then silence. As Storm brought some light into the room, Jean collapsed, crying. There was no one there- no evidence of the skirmish, no crystal in sight, and most disturbing for her, no sign of her fiancé. All the mutants had miraculously evaporated into seemingly mid air, taking the crystal case (with perfectly preserved, if unconscious, mutant inside) with them.

Half an hour later, Jean was still sobbing on Ororo's now thoroughly soggy shoulder, as the jet wove through the sky back to the mansion. It was surreal to Logan- he'd seen Jean as a calm person, always able to cope with the latest calamity, but apparently not. Maybe it was just that she'd lost the add-on or that seeing someone you love encased in some kind of quartz that he couldn't blast through, and then run out of air.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck him.

"I thought Cyclops' eye beam, or whatever you call it, could destroy just about everything. What happened?"

Jean looked up, realised suddenly that she wasn't fulfilling her duty as co-pilot, and pulled herself together. Buckling back into her seatbelt and controlling the steering with her telekinesis, she answered.

"Well, if it destroyed everything, how would we still be here? Scott's beam can be subdued by ruby quartz and onyx, but that's about it, I think. Which means," she said, thinking about it, "that mutant that took him earlier," she sniffed slightly, before adjusting the controls slightly, "could manipulate crystals. I don't know what they want with him, but it can't be good."

Just as she finished, a communications system crackled into life. Xavier's voice could be clearly heard and a small picture of him emerged on a screen to Logan's right. He picked up a microphone, hooking it over his ear, whilst listening to the professor's question.

"How did we do? Is everyone alright, Logan?"

"We lost Specs." The answer was clear to him, but when Xavier registered what he meant; his face became much more serious.

"You've got 10 minutes of flight left. When you get back, I want an explanation." The screen blackened, and Logan frowned. Did the professor really like Cyclops that much?