Sun and Piotr continued east through the oldest part of the jungle.
Massive trees rose hundreds of feet overhead, their trunks so wide they looked like they had stood for centuries. Thick roots twisted across the ground like sleeping serpents, and strange flowers with deep red petals lined the narrow path. The sunlight barely reached them. The entire world had become green shadows.
For several minutes neither man spoke. The argument on the beach had cooled. Not disappeared. Just cooled. They walked side by side now, neither willing to fall behind the other. Both carried the same question.
Sun finally broke the silence. "Who do you think he would choose?"
Piotr looked over. "Storm?"
Sun nodded. "Yes."
Piotr thought for a moment. "I do not know."
Sun smiled. "You are lying."
Piotr glanced at him. "Perhaps."
Sun looked upward through the trees. "I believe he likes us both."
Piotr answered, "Perhaps."
Sun glanced over. "You say perhaps a lot."
Piotr replied, "It is safer."
Sun laughed. For the first time, the tension between them felt lighter. Not rivals. Not yet. Just two men trying to understand another man.
Sun finally asked, "You truly like him?"
Piotr answered immediately. "Yes."
Sun nodded. "Good. Because so do I."
The silence that followed felt different. Honest. Neither man became angry. Neither grew defensive.
Instead, Sun said, "Then perhaps we simply allow him to choose."
Piotr thought about it, then nodded. "Let the best man win."
Sun smiled. "Agreed."
The two men actually shook hands. The rivalry became official, but respectful.
And that was when both men felt it.
The air changed.
Sun stopped walking. Piotr stopped beside him. The jungle had become quiet. Too quiet. The flowers that lined the path began closing. Leaves slowly turned toward them. Several vines pulled themselves into the ground.
Sun's expression hardened. "We are being watched."
Piotr nodded. "For some time."
A breeze passed through the trees, but the wind did not reach them. Sun's hands slowly began glowing. Golden light reflected against the leaves. Piotr's skin began changing, steel spreading across his body. Neither spoke. Both listened.
Something moved overhead. A branch bent. Then another.
The entire jungle exploded.
Massive flowers erupted from the ground. Huge petals unfolded like mouths. Thick vines burst from the center, rows of thorn-covered tendrils shooting toward both men. Sun reacted instantly. Golden fire erupted from his hands. The jungle became daylight. Flames sliced through several vines. The flowers ignited. Petals burned. The creatures screamed.
Piotr charged. His steel fist crashed into one of the massive flowers. The entire thing exploded. Roots flew. Petals scattered. Another plant lunged toward Sun. Before Sun could react, Piotr tore it apart. Sun fired a wave of solar energy. The entire area erupted. Several flowers collapsed. More rose.
The island was fighting back.
Piotr punched another one. Sun incinerated two more. The fight almost became competitive.
Sun said, "I had that."
Piotr ripped another vine apart. "You nearly burned yourself."
Sun answered, "I did not."
Piotr pointed. "Your sleeve is on fire."
Sun looked down. His sleeve was, in fact, on fire. He quickly put it out.
Piotr almost smiled.
Sun pointed toward the destroyed flowers. "I destroyed more."
Piotr answered, "I destroyed bigger."
Sun said, "That is not how counting works."
Piotr replied, "It does in Russia."
A vine suddenly wrapped around Piotr's leg. Sun immediately burned it away. Another flower opened behind Sun. Piotr punched straight through it. Both men stopped, both breathing hard. The flowers retreated. The roots pulled themselves back into the earth. The severed vines slowly crawled away. The jungle healed.
The two men stood there.
Sun lowered his hands. Piotr's steel slowly faded.
The realization settled over both of them. There was no creature. No monster. No predator hiding in the jungle. The flowers belonged to the island. The roots belonged to the island. The ground beneath their feet belonged to the island. Krakoa itself had reached out and attacked them.
Sun quietly said, "Storm would have understood this immediately."
Piotr nodded. "Yes."
Sun looked toward the deeper jungle. "We should find him after this mission."
Piotr glanced over. "To ask who he chooses?"
Sun smiled. "Exactly."
Piotr actually laughed. The first genuine laugh either man had shared.
And somewhere far away, another section of the island began to scream.
---
Sean Cassidy and Kurt Wagner had been walking through the southern forest for nearly an hour. The trees here were enormous, but compared to the eastern jungle, this part of the island almost felt peaceful. Sunlight filtered through the canopy. Small streams ran between ancient roots. Bright flowers bloomed beside fallen logs.
Kurt teleported ahead. Sean followed. Kurt teleported again. Sean jumped.
"Will you stop doing that!"
Kurt grinned. "Absolutely not."
Laughter echoed through the jungle. Sean had completely abandoned stealth. Kurt had completely abandoned seriousness. They traded stories as they walked. Kurt asked about Ireland. Sean asked about Germany. Kurt explained teleportation. Sean explained his sonic scream.
Sean pointed at Kurt. "What exactly can you do besides disappear and frighten people?"
Kurt smiled. "I climb walls."
Sean nodded. "Very impressive."
Kurt pointed back. "And you scream."
"Professionally."
"Very professionally."
Sean finally asked, "You scared?"
Kurt's smile softened. "A little."
Sean nodded. "Me too."
For a moment the humor faded. Both men knew why they were here. People were dying. Friends were trapped.
The forest grew quieter.
Kurt noticed first. The breeze stopped. The water sounds became distant. The trees no longer moved.
Sean slowly raised his head. He heard something. Very faint. Very far away. At first he thought it was the wind. Then he realized there was no wind.
He stopped walking.
Kurt turned. "Sean?"
Sean said nothing. His hearing stretched outward. Past the trees. Past the roots. Past the mountain.
Then he heard a voice. Weak. Broken. Human.
Another.
And another.
Kurt saw the color drain from Sean's face. "What is it?"
Sean whispered, "People."
Kurt immediately straightened. "Survivors?"
Sean closed his eyes and listened harder. The voices were faint. Exhausted. Almost impossible to hear. But they were there. One voice crying. One voice groaning. One voice repeatedly saying something he could not fully understand.
Sean's expression changed. "They're alive."
Kurt's eyes widened. "The X-Men?"
Sean slowly nodded.
Then a scream tore through the distance. Pain. Agony. The sound exploded inside Sean's mind. His eyes opened. He stumbled backward. And for the first time since arriving on Krakoa, Sean Cassidy screamed. Not with his powers. Not as Banshee. Just as a man who had heard something terrible.
"SOMEBODY'S HURTING THEM!"
The jungle around them fell completely silent.
---
Sean stood frozen. Kurt was beside him in an instant, tail curled tight, one hand on Sean's shoulder.
"Sean? What is wrong?"
Sean placed a hand against his head. His breathing was uneven. The voices were gone. The pain was gone. Whatever he had heard had vanished.
He looked toward the trees. Toward the roots. Toward the darkness.
"I don't know."
Kurt studied him carefully. "You heard something."
Sean nodded. "Aye. But it stopped."
The jungle around them had changed. The warmth from earlier was gone. The air felt colder. The trees felt taller. The shadows felt deeper.
Kurt noticed it first. The forest seemed darker than before. Yet the sunlight above had not changed. The shadows themselves appeared to move.
Sean slowly turned. His hearing stretched outward again.
Nothing.
No voices. No people. No sound.
Only whispers.
Very soft. Almost impossible to hear.
Kurt noticed Sean's expression. "What now?"
Sean didn't answer. He wasn't sure. The whispers did not sound human. Hundreds of voices. Thousands. Speaking simultaneously. Some crying. Some laughing. Some begging. Some screaming. And none of them made sense.
The voices moved through the trees. Through the roots. Through the ground. Almost as if the island itself was speaking.
Sean slowly whispered, "Kurt…"
Kurt answered, "Yes?"
Sean said, "Do not move."
Kurt immediately froze.
Something passed between the trees. Fast. Too fast. A shadow. A shape. Gone.
Kurt turned. Nothing.
The jungle became still.
Then a whisper. Directly beside Kurt. He spun. Nobody.
Another whisper. Behind Sean. Nobody.
The roots beneath their feet began moving. Slowly. Quietly. The flowers around them closed. The leaves rotated. The entire forest began turning toward them.
Kurt's tail lowered. His eyes widened. "Sean…"
Sean's hearing suddenly exploded. Hundreds of voices. Thousands. Pain. Fear. Screaming. The entire island seemed to be speaking at once. Sean dropped to one knee, covering his ears.
"Make it stop!"
The ground suddenly erupted.
Vines burst upward. Roots exploded from the earth. Massive flowers opened around them. The island attacked.
Kurt reacted first. BAMF! He teleported Sean backward. Vines slammed into empty ground. Another root crashed through a tree. Sean regained himself. His eyes narrowed. His mouth opened. The sonic scream erupted. The forest exploded. Trees shook. Leaves scattered. Several attacking vines were torn apart.
Kurt teleported again. BAMF! He appeared above one of the massive flowers. His tail wrapped around a branch. His feet struck the creature. Another teleport. Another attack.
Sean released another sonic blast. The ground fractured. The plants recoiled.
But something felt different.
Unlike the other teams, the island was not simply attacking them. It was trying to silence Sean. Because he had heard something. Something Krakoa wanted hidden.
The whispers continued. Soft. Inside the roots. Inside the trees. Inside the earth.
Kurt landed beside Sean. Both breathing heavily. Both watching the jungle.
Sean finally spoke, his voice quieter now. "Whatever's down there…"
He looked toward the earth. "It wants to be found."
The trees began moving again. The roots slowly retreated. The flowers closed. The forest became quiet.
But not peaceful.
Never peaceful.
---
Cyclops, Thunderbird, and Sunfire followed the ancient stone path deeper into the mountain.
The entrance had been enormous. Ancient pillars stood on either side, cracked with age and wrapped in thick roots that had forced their way through the rock over countless years. Moss blanketed the walls. Strange vines hung over the opening like curtains.
Scott studied the entrance. He remembered it. This was where he had last seen his friends.
Without saying a word, he stepped inside.
Thunderbird and Sunfire exchanged a glance before following.
The cave was cool compared to the humid jungle outside. Every footstep echoed against the stone walls. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, the sound carrying deep into the darkness. Thin shafts of sunlight broke through cracks overhead, illuminating faded carvings etched into the walls. Some depicted strange humanoid figures surrounded by roots and vines. Others had been almost completely swallowed by Krakoa's living growth.
The deeper they went, the more unnatural the cave became. Roots grew through solid stone. The walls pulsed so faintly they almost seemed to breathe. The air carried a strange scent — damp earth, old blood, and something organic none of them could identify.
Scott scanned the chamber carefully. Every detail mattered. Every clue could lead them to Jean and the others.
Thunderbird knelt near the ground. He brushed away loose dirt with one hand. "Boot prints."
Scott immediately joined him. The prints were old, partially filled with mud and dust, but still visible.
"They came through here," Scott said quietly.
Sunfire walked toward the far wall. His eyes narrowed. Several deep scorch marks were carved into the stone. He ran his fingers just above them without touching. "Energy blasts."
Scott recognized them instantly. "Havok."
The realization tightened his chest. Alex had fought here. Which meant they had been close.
The search continued. Broken pieces of yellow-and-blue fabric were caught beneath a root. A shattered communicator lay half-buried beneath moss. One of Beast's damaged field scanners rested against the wall, cracked almost beyond recognition.
Everything told the same story. The original X-Men had fought here.
And they had lost.
Scott quietly picked up the broken communicator. For a moment, he simply stared at it.
John noticed. "You knew they'd come this way."
Scott nodded. "I just hoped I was wrong."
Sunfire stepped farther into the chamber. The cave opened into multiple dark passageways stretching deeper beneath the island. He looked down each tunnel. "They could have gone anywhere."
Scott looked ahead. "No." His voice was steady now. "They were taken."
The three men exchanged silent looks. There was no doubt anymore. This wasn't an expedition that had gone wrong. It was a trap from the very beginning.
Then a low rumble rolled through the cave. Dust fell from the ceiling. The roots growing through the walls began to twitch. A single stone shifted across the floor by itself.
Thunderbird slowly clenches his fists. Sunfire's hands began to glow with heat. Scott lowered into a fighting stance.
Something was moving.
Not inside the cave.
The cave itself.