Need

Jean woke immediately when she felt the tremors wrack apa apartment. Scott was awake and donning his sunglasses a second later. He vaulted out of bed and Jean was a step behind him. They ran out to the front room as the rumblings became more intense. Jean sent out a mind probe to Kitty and Rogue. Then mentally counted the minds in the building.

"The girls are awake and moving." She said, Scott nodded, exchanging his shades for his visor. He ran out into the hallways and headed for the stairs. Jean automatically put a protective bubble around herself and ran up the hall and began pounding on doors. She sent a telepatic message to the Professor, alerting him to the earthquake. She made her way down the hall and noted that the tremors seemed worse on one part of the building than another. Benenath her feet, the floor started to crack as she reached the apartment of Mark Blake, a thirty hear old man who lioved alone. He opened his door and she automatically reached out for his hand, grasping it and enclosing him in her shields as the floor gave way.

When the room firs began to shake, Kitty wasn't yet asleep. She tossed back the covers and leapt like a slingshot through her wall and into Rogue's room. Her roommate was already standing by her bed and reached for Kitty. Phasing herself and Rogue, Kitty pulled her friend through the door and they ran through the livingroom and into the hall.

"Here, give me a tap." Kitty said, holding out her hand. "Get to Mrs. Lawrence on the first floor, she can't walk well." Rogue removed her glove and touched Kitty briefly. Kitty felt a little dizzy, but ran for the stairs. She heard Jean's warning and went back in the other direction, knowing that Scott was already moving toward this direction.

She had a nagging suspicion that this wasn't a natural earthquake. She saw some of her neighbors coming out of their doors and shouted for them to get out the emergency doors. Shen she phased up to the third floor where she knew that a young couple lived. She made it into the apartment just as part of the ceiling collapsed on top of her. It passed through her harmlessly, but she moved into the bedroom to look for the occupants. Through the dust, she could make put an empty room and unoccupied bed. She figured they were gone for the night and went back to the livingroom. Before she reached the door, however, the floor gave way beneath her she she began to fall.

Kurt recieved the mental summons from the Professor. He was activating the emergency protocol. There was an earthquake in town and help was needed. He felt his stomach fall when he discovered where it was.

Jean lowered herself and Mark to the ground outside the building and looked around at the rubble that used to be the corner of her building. She looked for Scott and saw him move around the corner of the building carrying the elderly Mrs. Lawrence. Rogue was coughin beside him and herding a few other residents as well. They had made their way out the other side of the structure which seemed to be more stable.

Odd, Jean thought, The earthquake was very localized. Then she sent her mind probe out. There were a lot of jumbled emotions around her. Fear and panic for loved ones was foremost, but she caught the edge of an angry mind. There it was. She pushed past the drunken haze in Lance Alvers' mind and found him close by, watching.

"Where's Kitty?" Rogue asked, joining Jean.

"Wasn't she with you?" The redhead replied. Rogue shook her head.

"She loaned me some of her powers to get to Mrs. Lawrence, then she headed for the stairs."

Kurt appeared before them, dressed in much the same manner at the others. He wore pajama pants like Scott, but no shirt.

"What happened?" He asked.

"It's Alvers." Jean said. "I think he caused the quake to hurt Kitty."

"Where is she?" He asked. Scott who was walking toward the building was forced to jump back when the remaining supports collapsed, sending all four floors of the corner of the house crashing into the basement.

Rogue's anguished scream was echoed by the young German. He ran toward the site of destruction with his sister on his heels. Jean threw a shield over them both and ran behind. Scott, feeling the Professor's inquiry, told him about the situation.

"Kitty loaned me some of her powers." Rogue said with a cough. "She's not at full strength." Kurt appraoched the crumbled building, he called out to her frantically. He 'ported to the top of a heap of broken bricks, then to the standing structure and entered. Jean called to him , mentally and told him to help any people he found. She pushed all thoughts out of her mind of the possibility of Kitty being injured.

"She's a strong kid." Jean said to Scott when she saw the expression on his face.

Kitty was suffocating. She couldn't breathe while she was covered in rubble. She prayed that she was climbing in the right direction. She'd tumbled down ward and wasn't sure which direction was up. Her limbs were getting heavy as she tried to pull her self through the darkness. It couldn't be much further.

Kurt found two people who were trapped by fallen debris and got them outside before returning in his search. He moved through the more st par part of the first floor before he entered the disaster area. He began shifting some of pieces of broken walls and furniture and ignored the stabs of pain from the glass and other sharp objects that dug into his palms. He heard a frantic call from Jean in his mind.
~Another part of the wall is coming down. I can't hold the whole thing up.~