27 Soaring! Flying!

Later that night, J'Zaki and Ororo were dressed in skintight black clothes and hoods that hid the latter's distinctive hair color. They looked like modern-day ninjas. This wasn't the first time that had snuck into a location nor would it be the last.

The pair opened the window from their hotel room before being carried by wind thanks to Ororo. They flew all the way outside of the city until they reached the school in the suburbs. J'Zaki used his eyes to peer down below and find the perfect location where no cameras had any visibility. Using fog and clouds as cover, they could land in the school without alerting anyone.

Once they landed, it was a simple B&E. At least getting into the mansion was. When they took the private elevator to the basement where the vibranium was, things got much more complicated.

"Retinal scanners, fingerprint scanners, something that I am not even sure about what that does," Ororo was looking at what was locking them out the door that had all the vibranium stored behind it.

J'Zaki was about to ask if they could get through it without violence but before he could say anything, he saw two strands of energy rapidly approaching him and Ororo. Before he could even warn Ororo, it connected with her and her eyes became cloudy.

He tried to dodge to the side but it seemed like the energy was locked onto him because even after he dodged, the energy followed and connected to him. As soon as it connected, J'Zaki's vision blurred for a moment. The next thing he knew, he was inside an office. He was sitting in a chair while an older, white man was sitting in the chair across the desk.

J'Zaki glared at the man, preparing to chant a spell when he noticed that he couldn't say a word, let alone control the magical energy around him.

'What? I can't even feel the magical energy around me!'

"I'm sorry to do this to you and Ororo but without it, I am sure that my other students would struggle when dealing with you," the man seemed apologetic but J'Zaki couldn't take it seriously when he was trapped in a chair and unable to speak.

"You must have so many questions so I shall explain it to the best of my abilities. My name is Charles Xavier. My school is a place for youngsters like yourself who are born with mutations. Here, they learn not only how to control their gifts but also how to use their gifts to help all of humanity.

I wish to extend an invitation to both you and Ororo. You both have clearly learned how to use your powers but I believe that neither of you has tapped into your true potential. More importantly, you operate in such a small way, only helping locally. With us, you can help all around the world.

And it is not just me that wants you both here. Your father is worried about the civil war that might occur if you remain at home. Whether you like it or not, you are currently challenging your brother and father's authority. Your very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Your nation... your nation cannot afford catastrophe. It cannot afford the exposure that it would bring."

But J'Zaki was not interested in what Xavier had to say. All that was on his mind was that he needed to get out of the office.

'I am trapped in my mind. This is all an illusion. A continuous one but still nothing more than an illusion. I need to break out of it.'

Even though his mind was trapped, his eyes were not. They were able to see through the illusion and what was happening outside of his mind. While he and Ororo were collapsed on the ground, 6 individuals were approaching them. It was only a matter of seconds before they would be on them.

'Since magic doesn't work, let's try chi. Agh!'

J'Zaki unleashed his chi which instantly broke the telepathic connection. Xavier disappeared and he was back in the metallic basement. It was no longer two overlapping scenes but a single scene before him. The scene of a random person about to touch Ororo.

"Don't touch her! Bind!"

A vine appeared out of nowhere and tied up the brown-haired young man. J'Zaki's attention turned to the other 5 who put up their guard when they saw that J'Zaki was awake. A young man with a red visor put his left hand up to the side of the visor and it looked like he was about to press a button when a redhead stopped him. She was the only female in the group.

"Wait. Let's not do anything hasty! I'm sure you have many questions but we can..." was all the girl was able to get out before several rocks were fired at her and the other members of the group.

The visored teen jumped in front of her and let out a laser beam from his visor. The rocks were destroyed but created a smokescreen. J'Zaki used it as a chance to rush over to Ororo and use his chi to break the psychic connection.

"You good?"

"Hmm. Give me a minute. I'll create an opening," Ororo responded before her eyes turned white

J'Zaki nodded before he created a bow made of blue mana in his hands. It was loaded with several magical arrows.

"Fan Bolt!"

The arrows launched out and knocked all of the mutant students back except for the man with claws. J'Zaki quickly reloaded and fired all 5 arrows at him. This was able to send him flying. The man was apparently much heavier than one his size indicated.

While he was playing archer, Ororo was gathering storm clouds above. The lightning from all the clouds gathered into a single cloud, directly above their heads.

"J'Zaki! Barrier!"

Two small holographic mandalas appeared in his hands before he conjured a large spherical barrier around himself and Ororo. Once the barrier was up, Ororo unleashed the massive lightning bolt that she had been preparing. The massive bolt destroyed everything between them and the clouds. If not for the barrier, they would have been killed as well.

Once the bolt passed by them, Ororo grabbed J'Zaki by the waist and carried him into the sky. The pair flew back to their hotel and quickly grabbed their stuff before leaving it behind. Instead, they found the closest motel that they could pay in cash for.

Once the pair had settled, they lay on the bed and looked at each other.

"So what's the plan? Your father set us up? Although that guy said it was optional, I don't trust someone that plays with our minds," Ororo gave her opinion on the situation and asked for J'Zaki's.

"I know when I'm not wanted. The issue is that I don't care. Wakanda is my home. If other people have an issue with what I'm doing, they need to confront me about it. Not hide behind others and let them do their dirty."

As much as he avoided saying it directly, Ororo knew that he was talking about his father. And that the relationship between the pair had changed forever because of this.