"X-Men 2" Act Two

ACT TWO
Scene One; The X-Jet streaks across the Canadian landscape.
Scene Two; Jet Interior
(CYCLOPS pilots, STORM co-pilots, JEAN navigates.)

CYCLOPS
You certain you feel okay?

STORM
(Smiling.) That question is beginning to annoy me.

CYCLOPS
(Returning the smile.) It’s just that you look so . . . different.

STORM
They are just eyes, Cyclops.

JEAN
And the widow’s peak, Ororo. We’re not used to seeing that.

STORM
You would prefer I combed my hair down into bangs again?

CYCLOPS
Just want to make sure my team’s fit enough to handle whatever can put Wolverine in trouble.

JEAN
(After a beat.) If I didn’t know better, I’d say that sounded like you almost respected his abilities.

CYCLOPS
Yeah, I’m responsible like that. Okay, we have the base sighted. I’m going in on stealth mode. Storm . . . I think we won’t do the fog cover again. That proved to be as bad as a big black jet appearing over the horizon.
STORM
Why not land at a distance? I believe I can get us to the base a bit more stealthily than the jet or a bank of fog.

Scene Three; Mountain Pass clearing
(The X-Jet circles the Canadian base at a distance and lands.)

Scene Four; X-Jet exterior
(CYCLOPS, JEAN, and STORM disembark from the Jet.)

STORM
Jean if you can hold us together with your telekinesis I believe I can channel a jetstream to carry us.

JEAN
I thought you didn’t have that kind of control. You could smash us all into the mountains.

STORM
No . . . I'm feeling a greater affinity for the elements than I used to. Trust me.

(JEAN checks visually with CYCLOPS)

CYCLOPS
Are you sure Ororo? It’d be a shame coming this far just to end up a smear across the Canadian Rockies.

STORM
I am sure.

CYCLOPS
Okay Jean, you heard the lady. Brace us.

(JEAN concentrates, and STORM summons the wind. The three slowly lift. Gain acceleration, then rocket over the mountain range.)

Scene Five; Rogue’s bedroom
(JUBILEE and KITTY are reading various teen magazines.)

JUBILEE
Cho! BOR-ing!

(BOBBY, PETER, and little ILLYANA come in to check on ROGUE.)

BOBBY
How’s she doing?

JUBILEE
Oh, please, Bobby. Little Miss I’m-So-Important will live.

KITTY
Have a heart, Jubes. She’s been through a lot since coming here.

JUBILEE
She can take a number!

BOBBY
No need to go comparing battle scars.

ROGUE
(Waking) What happened?

KITTY
Don’t you remember?

ROGUE
Yeah, ah do. What’s the Professor going to do for Wolverine?

JUBILEE
Going to? Did. The teachers got sent as usual. Did Xavier ever consider sending one of us with? Or doesn’t he know some of our powers are just as good as theirs?

ROGUE
Where’d he send them?

BOBBY
Canada. To that funky base at Alkali Lake the Prof told him about when he left.

ROGUE
What about Fifth Avenue?

JUBILEE
Um, great shopping, cool museums, Central Park East, badass. What am I forgetting?

ROGUE
Unfinished business for Wolverine. (Begins to get out of bed.)

PETER
(Russian accent) Nyet, Rogue, you cannot go anywhere so soon.

ROGUE
Care to physically restrain me, Petey? Ah could use your powers to help me if ya want to try.

(They all step back from the bed as ROGUE gets up goes to her closet. She turns back to her friends.)

ROGUE
Ya’ll know ah wouldn’t hurt a hair on your heads, dontcha?

ILLYANA
I know you wou’int Marie! (Goes to hug ROGUE. PETER holds her back.)

ROGUE
(ROGUE looks profoundly sad, then squats to ILLYANA’S level.) Now you know ya can’t go touchin’ me or (ROGUE makes a scary face and suction noise.) Shhhlllp!!

(ILLYANA laughs.)

ROGUE
But you c’n hold onto this for me until I get back, okay? (Hands ILLYANA her teddy bear.)

ILLYANA
‘Kay!

JUBILEE
Where do you think you’re going?

ROGUE
Nuh-uh, sugah. What you don’t know, the Professor can’t read.

JUBILEE
Um, duh Rogue. Cerebro, hello? He found us all at one time, he can do it again.

ROGUE
I still get a little head start this way an’ you don’t get the guilts for ratting me out.


Scene Six; The Recesses of the Canadian Base
(STORM, CYCLOPS, and JEAN make their way through the base’s deserted corridor. Something ahead snarls.)

CYCLOPS
Jean, up ahead-what’s making that noise?

JEAN
I can’t get any organized thoughts from it. Just emotions . . . feral impressions. It must not be human.

CYCLOPS
Are we any closer to Wolverine?

JEAN
I can only scan so many things at once, hon-and I can’t determine distance.

CYCLOPS
Fair enough.
I don’t know how you two see the world, but I could use a little more light in here.
(Suddenly the corridor is lit from ball lightning dancing in STORM’S hand.)

CYCLOPS
You never could do that before.

STORM
I suppose this . . . my eyes, these new powers . . . I am still evolving. And you know-I believe that I like it.

JEAN
(Brief flash of sadness on JEAN’S face. Possibly jealousy. Then suddenly something she senses something) Heads up!

(A pack of wolves come into the corridor from both sides, surrounding them.)

JEAN
Dammit! How could I have missed them?

CYCLOPS
It’s okay, your concentration was too . . .

JEAN
No excuses, Scott. This is our asses on the line here. Unless you can shoot your optic blasts out of the back of your head, one of these wolves are going to get us.

STORM
Not necessarily. Cyclops, you handle the front. I will take the back. Jean, you may detain any stragglers.

CYCLOPS
There’s no open sky here to bring lightning down from, Storm.

STORM
I no longer need an open sky.
(STORM fans her fingers toward the rear corridor. Ball lightning encases her hands just before the electricity arcs out and blasts into the animals.)

CYCLOPS
Right.
Covering the front quarter.
(CYCLOPS pivots, dials his visor, and begins blasting the onrushing wolves.)

(JEAN successfully stops one wolf which escaped CYCLOPS’ blasts and CYCLOPS finishes it.)

CYCLOPS
Good job.
(They proceed and round a corner where, to their surprise, they find WOLVERINE huddled on the ground.)

STORM
Logan?

(CYCLOPS takes the lead, cautioning STORM and JEAN with a hand.)

CYCLOPS
Wolverine?

(CYCLOPS nears LOGAN, crouches and touches him tentatively.)

CYCLOPS
Logan, are you alr-

(LOGAN explodes with a shriek of terror and scrambles away from CYCLOPS. He goes cowering into a corner.)

JEAN
What’s . . . what is the matter with him? (JEAN approaches CYCLOPS and then goes beyond him towards LOGAN.)

(LOGAN looks like a hurt and scared. He snarls but the fear is raw on his face.)

STORM
Careful Jean. He is a cornered animal right now and very afraid.

JEAN
Meager as my talents are, Ororo, I can at least stop him if he charges. And after all, I am a telepa-!

(LOGAN charges, taking JEAN unaware. An optic blast from CYCLOPS knocks LOGAN unconscious.)

JEAN
Scott! (JEAN runs to LOGAN and cradles him. She gives an angry look back to SCOTT.)

CYCLOPS
What? You’d rather I let him tear out your throat?

JEAN
Logan would never do that to me.

CYCLOPS
(After a beat.) I’m glad you know him so well.