The Labyrinth of Amagor

The Labyrinth of Amagor

Chapter 2: Friends in Need

Alex Summers stretched his long limbs and gave a sigh of half-amused frustration. He had come back to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters to spend the summer in refresher training. He and his lover Lorna had passed up the chance for a romantic few weeks in Bermuda in order to be chewed out by that psycho Wolverine, and then sit for hours in the Comms Room! He turned as the door opened, breaking into a grin when he saw Scott enter with two steaming mugs of coffee.

A stranger seeing these two would know in an instant that they were brothers. Both had the same rangy, powerful build, the same strong-boned face. There, however, the resemblance ended. Alex, the younger by two years, was blue-eyed and blond, while Scott was dark. His eyes, Alex recalled, were brown, but no one had seen them in years. Alex's face was open, cheerful, and always on the verge of a smile, but Scott's was closed, marked with lines etched there by responsibility and personal tragedy.

The most noticeable difference between the brothers was the heavy, ruby-quartz visor that Scott Summers, Cyclops of the X-Men, was forced to wear to restrain the powerful energy beams that would otherwise blaze uncontrollably from his eyes. Alex was also a Mutant; his body metabolised the still-mysterious force known as cosmic energy, and he was able to project it from his hands as bolts of great destructive power. Alex was the X-Man code-named Havok.

Scott smiled, handing Alex his coffee, and dropping into a seat. "How's it going, little bro?"

"Quiet everywhere, Scott. Nobody's attacking Mutants at the moment. I should've come here in the spring. I heard that's when the real fireworks took place."

Scott shook his head. "If you think fighting Sentinels and baby-sitting wizards is exciting, you need therapy!"

The brothers bantered for a while, then Scott left. Alex settled down to the rest of his shift. Suddenly, the console in front of him began to beep. "Uh-oh!" he said aloud, turning to the screen, "Emergency transponders, three of them." His fingers danced over the keyboard. A map of southwest England flashed up, showing three glowing dots. A sidebar presented three code names.

"Charm, Hawk and Hunter?" Alex scratched his head. "Never heard of them. Cerebro, identify!"

The computer responded in a pleasant, female voice: Charm: Hermione Granger; status reserve; usual location, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK. Hawk: Harry Potter; same status and location. Hunter: Ronald Weasley; same status and location.

"OK, doesn't help much. Hang on--those were the three kids who came here in the spring." Alex pressed a switch.

A moment later, the voice of Charles Xavier, principal of the school, came out of the speaker. "Yes, Havok?"

"Professor, I have three transponders lit, all in southern England. The names are Charm, Hawk and Hunter. Shall I try voice-comm?"

"Go ahead. Keep me informed."

Just as Alex began to send, the signals vanished. Alex's attempts to reach the three young X-Men through the satellite communication link prompted nothing but static. Either they were not carrying communicators, or something was blocking the signal. He contacted the professor.

"I understand, Alex," Xavier replied. "Remain at your post and watch out for more signals. I will try to reach them by other means."

Sitting in his study, Charles Xavier reached out with his telepathic mind to one of his students: Kitty?

Yes, Professor.

Do you still have the bracelet Harry gave you?

I'm wearing it now. Why?

Might be important. Come to my study, please.

Moments later, Xavier looked up and said, "Come," knowing that Kitty Pryde was about to tap on his door. It was a trick he liked to play on his students. Kitty - Ariel - responded in kind, phasing in through the door rather than opening it.

Typically, she began talking before she reached his desk. "What's the matter, Professor? Is Harry OK? Is he in trouble? What can I do?"

Xavier held up a hand to quiet her. Her agitation was understandable; she and Harry had had a brief but intense romantic relationship during the spring, and they were still very close. "I'm not sure, Kitty. Havok just reported that Harry and his friends have activated their emergency transponders. Alex lost the signal almost immediately, and has been unable to reach them with communicators.

"Now, your bracelet is magically attuned to Harry's mental wavelength. I want you to try to reach him. I realize the mental link is of short duration, but as soon as you pinpoint him, I will take over. Do you understand what we need to do?"

Kitty nodded, and then closed her eyes to focus on a memory of Harry's much-loved face. As she did so, she placed her right hand on the delicate silver bracelet decorated with blue forget-me-nots that hung around her left wrist. The sensation was like gliding through a silver mist, looking for something, then finding a golden glow that was both light and warmth - Harry!

Harry? Are you there, Harry?

Kitty felt a flicker of surprise from Harry before she heard, Kitty--You found me!

I'll always find you, Harry. Listen, the Professor needs to talk to you.

Oh. OK.

Both Kitty and Harry felt the immense power of Xavier's Mutant mind as he gently took over the link. Harry, can you tell me what's happening?

Not really, Professor. Voldemort, or his image, turned up at The Burrow. He's taken some of our friends hostage to lure us into a place called the Labyrinth of Amagor.

Harry went on to tell Xavier of the night's events and gave him the location of the ruin where they had entered the Labyrinth.

I understand, Harry. I will contact Professor Dumbledore at once. Exercise caution, remember your training, and stick together! I will contact you again as soon as possible. Take care.

Xavier broke off the contact, and turned to Kitty. "Thank you, Kitty. I must get in touch with Professor Dumbledore. You can go back to your friends now."

She didn't move. "What are we going to do, Professor?"

"We are going to do nothing, Kitty. This is a Wizarding matter; no doubt Professor Dumbledore will know what to do."

Kitty scowled. "Professor, our friends are in trouble. We have to help!"

"It's not our business, Kitty."

"Yes, it is! They're our friends." Flushed, angry and close to tears, Kitty spun on her heel and dashed out through the door. Xavier sighed and shook his head. Then he unlocked a drawer in his desk and took out an antique hand mirror. He looked into it and said clearly, "Albus Dumbledore!"

The mirror misted over, then cleared, revealing the face of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School. His expression was one of surprise and pleasure. "Charles! How remarkable! I was about to contact you with a question I hoped you could answer for me."

"Of course, Albus, if I can, but just now, I'm afraid we may have a situation."

When he set aside the mirror, Xavier sent out an urgent mental call, summoning the senior X-Men to his study.

***

Marie D'Ancanto - Rogue - looked up in surprise as her best friend came storming into the Rec Room. Kitty was clearly upset and angry, and making a beeline for Marie. The tall, southern girl straightened and laid down her pool cue. "What is it, Kitty?" she asked.

"Harry's in trouble," Kitty blurted out. "And the Professor says we're not gonna do anything!" Kitty stamped her foot and fixed outraged eyes on Marie. Marie turned to her pool partner. "Sam, get the others. Now."

Sam Guthrie, code-named Cannonball, nodded and went off without a word. Marie concentrated on calming Kitty. It was a pity things had to be so complicated, she thought. Kitty and Harry Potter had brought their short romance to a bittersweet end in the spring, acknowledging the futility of continuing their relationship across three thousand miles of ocean. They were still special friends, writing each other weekly, in spite of the fact that Harry was now dating the sister of his best friend. Marie knew Ginny Weasley from her own time at Hogwarts, and understood why Ginny and Harry were attracted to each other. Learning of this romance, Kitty had been a little weepy for a while, but had put aside her sadness when she discovered her own feelings for classmate Peter Rasputin - Colossus.

Rogue knew there was more at stake here than old love affairs. The exchange scheme between Hogwarts and Xavier's had forged more than one deep and loyal friendship. Marie herself remained close to her Hogwarts friends Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. She had also, through a continuing and regular correspondence, come to know Harry Potter. There were other issues, too, such as loyalty to teammates and Housemates. Rogue was an X-Man, and so was Harry, who'd been given the code name Hawk. For her own part, Marie was proud to consider herself a Gryffindor, so Harry was a Housemate, too!

Fortunately, this summer all the senior students had elected to stay at Xavier's for advanced training. By the time Kitty calmed enough to speak, they had all gathered in the Rec Room: fiery Roberto, determined Dani, shy Rahne, laconic Sam and gentle Peter. Also there were two, new recruits: tall, lovely Alison Blair - Dazzler - and the young samurai, Shiro Yoshida - Sunfire. Best of all, Marie's own lover, warm-hearted Bobby, who bore the ironic nickname Iceman, had taken his accustomed place at her side.

Marie said, "Tell us what's going on, Kitty."

Kitty explained that Hawk, Charm and Hunter's transponders had been activated and that Professor Xavier had contacted Harry via her enchanted bracelet. She told them what she had 'overheard' of the Professor's and Harry's mental conversation--how Harry and three companions had gone to rescue more of their friends and were now trapped in the mysterious (and probably dangerous) Labyrinth of Amagor. Finally, angrily, Kitty told the others that Xavier seemed unwilling to do anything except inform Professor Dumbledore.

"He said it was Wizarding business! But it's not; it's friends business!"

"More than that," put in Roberto hotly, "it's X-Men business. Cyclops said it himself; Charm, Hawk and Hunter are X-Men, and we don't leave our people in trouble!"

"It's also Gryffindor business," rumbled Peter, "and that concerns Marie, Bobby and me, even more than the rest of you."

Marie nodded. "You're right, of course, but it's not like they're being attacked by the Hellfire Club or Magneto. Kitty said that Voldemort guy was behind it. Professor X might not want us barrelling in and getting in the way of the Wizarding authorities--Aurors I think they're called."

"Yeah, right!" snorted Dani. "Since when did the X-Men ever bother about the authorities?"

"Kitty, you said that Harry had some of his friends with him. How many, and who?" Rahne asked.

"Well, there's Ron, Hermione and...and Ginny. The others? Let me think. There were the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, and Luna somebody plus two boys, Seamus and Neville."

Rahne nodded. "He's well backed up, then. Anybody crossing Ron is in a world of hurt!" During the student exchange, Rahne had become rather fond of the brawny, red-haired Gryffindor. Her boyfriend, Sam, also thought a lot of Ron.

"Let's not forget that Charm knows how to kick butt, too!" Kitty reminded them all.

"Ginny's a tigress when her dander's up," Peter put in, "and Seamus is hell on wheels in a fight."

"Lavender and Parvati can both handle themselves," noted Marie. "What about the other girls?"

"I worked with Padma and Luna the night of the raid," Bobby recalled. "They're both cool headed and smart as whips - Ravenclaws," he added, as if that meant something special.

"That leaves Neville," continued Marie. "And he--"

"--he's got two big, brass ones hanging there," Bobby laughed.

"Hey! Watch your mouth. There are ladies present," snapped Sam.

"Screw that, Sam," said Bobby flatly.

"Can it, both of you!" Rogue growled. Surprised to hear that flat, level tone from him, she shot an anxious look at her man. His tone could only mean one thing: Easy-going Bobby was mad as blazes!

They all were, despite their encouraging words to each other. They were worried for their teammates, their Housemates, their dear friends--and they were mad at Xavier for not doing what was so obviously the right thing. When Rogue next spoke, her voice had slipped into a distinct Southern drawl the others knew only emerged when trouble was in the air. "Ah reckon it's 'bout time we had a li'l word with the Professor!" She turned to Alison and Shiro. "Lookee here, y'all weren' on the team at the time. If y'all don' wanna take part in this, tha's fine."

Alison said, "I knew Hawk and the others, maybe not as well as you did, but I spoke with Ron once or twice, and I liked him. I'm in."

Shiro shrugged. "For me there is no issue. Honour requires that we assist our friends and allies."

Rogue smiled. "OK, then. Y'all folla me."

***

Xavier's summons to the senior X-Men had been answered with characteristic promptness. First to arrive, appearing out of thin air in a cloud of black smoke, was Kurt Wagner - Nightcrawler -- who took his usual place atop the sideboard. Soon after, a firm knock on the door announced the arrival of Scott, accompanied by the beautiful Ororo Monroe - Storm - and the blue-furred Henry McCoy - Beast. As they took their accustomed places, they were joined by the stocky figure of Logan - Wolverine - and Xavier's old friend Sean Cassidy - Banshee.

Last to arrive were Alex Summers and his long-time lover, Lorna Dane. A slender and attractive young woman with startling, natural lime-green hair, Lorna was a Mutant whose ability to manipulate magnetic fields had earned her the code name Polaris.

"Please be seated, all of you," instructed Xavier. "Our visitor should be joining us momentarily."

There was a resounding BOOM as Albus Dumbledore Apparated into the room, gaining an admiring look from Nightcrawler as he did so. Xavier quickly introduced the wizard to those X-Men he had not met, then said, "Albus, I think you had best tell everyone what you just told me."

Dumbledore nodded and began, "You must first know that Hogwarts School was founded, a thousand years ago, by four wizards: Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. At that time, each built a home, a private sanctuary if you will, some distance from the school. When the Four passed away, their homes were magically sealed, and have remained so until now.

"But, a fortnight ago, it appeared that Salazar's Keep had been opened. This news caused me concern, for when the Keep was built, a Talisman of Life Unending was hidden there, behind a barrier of 'deadly light' that no wizard or other living thing could pass. Investigating further, I found that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were responsible for opening the Keep. I believe that Voldemort is seeking the Talisman.

"I must admit to complacency at this point, thinking that the barrier would prevent Voldemort from reaching the Talisman, as it has all others. But, today, I received an urgent message from an American wizard. He witnessed the abduction of a Muggle by three British wizards who revealed they were taking this Muggle by Portkey to 'the Keep'. I can only conclude that they meant Salazar's Keep. The Muggle has been identified as a scientist named Dr Bruce Banner."

Reaction to Dumbledore's words was immediate and uniformly grim. There were gasps from Ororo, Alex and Kurt. Sean murmured, "Oh, dear God!" Lorna went pale. Hank closed his eyes and shook his head, while Scott sucked in his breath and Logan swore.

"I take it the man is known to you?" said Dumbledore.

Xavier rubbed his face with a hand. "Professor McCoy knows Dr. Banner personally. He can explain best. Hank?"

"Bruce Banner is one of the foremost minds of our time," said the Beast, in the cultured voice that contrasted so sharply with his animal-like appearance. "For years, he specialized in the study and utilization of various forms of energy. He had a particular interest in gamma rays, a form of radiation that is deadly even in small doses, yet Banner felt certain he could harness the power for beneficial purposes.

"Unfortunately, one of his experiments went badly wrong. His body was flooded with gamma rays. Incredibly, he survived, but he was changed. If Bruce Banner becomes angry, he transforms into...into..." The Beast held out his hands, lost for words.

Logan explained, "Banner turns into an eight-foot tall, 800-pound dynamo of raw destruction! They call him the Hulk, and he's pretty much unstoppable! I fought Hulk once, 'bout ten years ago. I was hackin' away like a madman with these!" Wolverine extended the wickedly sharp adamantium claws from one of his hands. "I can slice a battle tank into scrap metal, but I couldn't put a scratch in the Hulk's hide!"

"Sounds rather like one of our trolls," Dumbledore supposed. "Although they aren't nearly so rugged."

"I never met a troll," said Logan, "but 'less they can leap canyons and pry up buildings, they ain't even in the same league as the Hulk."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"The Hulk is an extremely powerful creature," Xavier concurred. "I can only assume that if Voldemort is holding Banner, he has found some way to control him. Should that control fail, the Hulk could wreak havoc on a densely populated country such as England."

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "This news changes things. I had been putting together a party to rescue Dr Banner, thinking that a small group of trustworthy wizards would be sufficient. To my knowledge, there are only a dozen or so Death Eaters at the Keep and no sign of Voldemort, as yet. It now seems a larger force will be needed."

"With respect, Professor," said Logan, "you'd need every one of those Auror dudes, every one you got, just to slow ol' greenskin down."

Xavier reached a decision. "Albus, the Hulk is the kind of menace I created the X-Men to defend against. You and I agreed some time ago that we would not intervene in the internal affairs of each other's communities, short of imminent disaster. Personal and cultural exchanges are one thing, but fighting each other's battles would only complicate matters for us all.

"In this case, I feel that I should send the X-Men to assist you. At the very least, they can bring Dr. Banner safely home. At worst, they could be of considerable help in containing the Hulk."

"This is most kind of you, Charles. I accept your suggestion. Now I must return to Hogwarts at once to assemble my people. Do you wish me to create a Portkey?"

"That won't be necessary. Our aircraft can reach the UK in less than two hours. I need that time to brief my team. But, there is one thing more I must ask before you leave: What is this Labyrinth into which Harry and his friends have ventured? My students are understandably anxious about them."

"Just so," said Dumbledore. "The Labyrinth was once the way in which young wizards were tested for competence, valour and virtue. But the djinn that controls it, Amagor, became powerful and irascible. After a near-disaster in the Fourteenth Century, the Labyrinth was sealed.

"The entrance is in a chapel, about a mile from the residence of the Weasley family. Once opened, the Labyrinth will remain so for three days, but no person over the age of eighteen can enter it. I have had Arthur Weasley place a Barrier charm around the chapel to prevent Muggle holiday-makers from going inside.

"Beyond that, we must place our faith in the abilities of Harry and the others. I cannot in all conscience send more students in after him. I am seeking a magical way to extract them; in the past, there were methods to permit the rescue of students in difficulty, and some of these means still may exist. At best, Harry may succeed without assistance. I have never found it wise to underestimate young Potter."

"I see. I'm afraid that Kitty may not share your optimism."

"Please try to reassure Miss Pryde that we are doing all we can at the moment. Now, I really must go. Mr Summers, I will meet you and your team at Hogwarts in a few hours."

Dumbledore left as he had arrived, Disapparating with another thunderclap. "And they complain about the sound I make teleporting!" muttered Nightcrawler.

Cyclops turned to Xavier. "Orders, Professor?"

"Your primary task is to bring Dr. Banner back home or to contain the Hulk. You should avoid becoming involved in combat between Albus' people and Voldemort's, if at all possible. Feel free to offer your advice in the planning stage, however."

"Rules of engagement?"

"You may defend yourselves, of course. I would prefer you not to participate in any battle. This said, you are the field commander of the X-Men. In the final analysis, you must act as your tactical sense and personal integrity dictate. You have my complete confidence, Scott."

Cyclops nodded. "Hank, Logan, go prep the plane. The rest of us better suit up."

A pounding on the door interrupted Scott. Before Xavier could speak, in burst Marie and the rest of her team. They gathered in front of Xavier's desk.

"So, Professor," Marie said eagerly, "when do we leave?"

"Leave?"

"To go help Hawk, Charm and Hunter."

"Marie, Professor Dumbledore is doing everything possible...."

"Good, but that doesn't get us off the hook. There are X-Men in trouble, Professor, we have to go help!"

Support for her argument came from an unexpected direction. Scott said suddenly, "Marie's right, Charles."

Charles Xavier studied Scott Summers. He had been Xavier's first student and the older man regarded him as a son. It was rare for Scott to unbend sufficiently to use his mentor's given name.

What are you saying, Scott?"

"I told those kids at the farewell dance in the spring that we'd always be there for them. Please, Charles, don't make a liar out of me!"

Xavier threw up his hands, conceding defeat. "Very well. Havok has the location of the last signal. The Weasley home is nearby; you can start your search there, Rogue. Drop them on your way to Hogwarts, Storm. Logan, brief Rogue and her team on what Albus told us about this Labyrinth. All of you - be careful!"

Behind the visor, it was impossible to see Cyclops wink, but from the quick grin he gave her, Marie knew he had!