Summary: Epilogue to the Marvel-X crossover Genetic Eclipse. The war with Apocalypse is over, but some members of the team have suffered a great loss. How far will Xavier go to stop his students from tearing each other apart?
Notes: I'm pretty proud of this piece... I wrote this over three years ago, and it reads somewhat like something I'd write nowadays. It can be slightly confusing to read if you haven't read the Genetic Eclipse crossover at Marvel-X Underground (mxu.rlk7.com), which is a sub-site for Marvel-X housing the X-titles. I write Uncanny X-Men at the site. Anyways, all the parts of the crossover are up at the MXU site if you want to check them out. The story shouldn't be too hard to get into, as I've been told it's good as a stand-alone and it's easy to understand the basics of what's going on without having read the whole Genetic Eclipse crossover. I would really love any and all feedback on this, no matter how miniscule ^_^
Cast: Professor X, Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast, Archangel, Iceman, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Dazzler, Rogue, Gambit, Marrow, Cecilia Reyes, Cable, Moonstar, Spark, Juggernaut. Is that enough? ^_^
Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Marvel Comics and are used in this story solely for non-profit entertainment purposes. Spark is an original creation by Jason Kenney and is used with permission.
Genetic Eclipse Epilogue
Chapter One
It's over. The long-dreaded war with Apocalypse has come to a close, but not without a cost. Some have been manipulated and tortured, some seriously injured. Some have even lost a loved one. Even in death, Apocalypse garnered a small victory. He took a life, and tarnished those of many others.
Now, in the aftermath of war, the X-Men face their greatest challenge - putting themselves back together again. But with so much venom between various members of both teams, that may prove impossible... unless one among them is willing to make a decision that will have dire consequences later on...
It's 3:19 a.m., and Jean Grey-Summers finds herself unable to sleep. It matters not that within just the past several days she's fought Apocalypse one-on-one, nearly killing herself in the process, and been infected by Omega Red with a deadly virus that rendered her comatose for a short while. Despite the fact that she needs lots of rest, time to regain her strength, her mental balance, Jean can't sleep; when she tries to close her eyes, they just shoot open once again, and the tears flood her eyes without warning. How can she rest? How can she possibly go to sleep when one of her children is dead and buried?
It was a horrible tragedy, one that occurred because of the mad tyrant Apocalypse. He had transformed Omega Red into the Horseman known as Pestilence, who then proceeded to attack the X-Men at their Chicago headquarters. Like his namesake, Pestilence infected Jean; the disease was designed to destroy the body's blood cells and prevent it from generating new ones. Although Professor Xavier, Beast, and Cecilia were able to work together and develop an antidote to save Jean, their success wasn't a complete one; one of the twins Jean was carrying was stillborn. Pestilence's virus killed it.
It's a pain so severe, one that Jean's never felt in her life. Yes, she's experienced death; her best friend, Annie, died when she was a little girl. The trauma of that event triggered Jean's telepathy, and to make matters worse she was inside Annie's mind while she died. Professor Xavier had helped her then; through intensive therapy and a temporary dampening of Jean's telepathy, he made her whole again. Unfortunately, that won't work this time. Losing a friend is one thing; losing a child is like having your heart torn out.
Jean is sitting in the rocking chair next to the fireplace in her old bedroom at the Xavier Institute. In her arms is the baby girl that did survive, the one that didn't succumb to Pestilence's virus. Although Jean is shattered by the death of one of her children, she is thankful to have not lost both.
Jean doesn't take her eyes off the baby cradled in her arms; she caresses the baby's cheek gently, as it wiggles its arms ever so slightly and makes a soft whining sound. Jean smiles; this child is the most precious thing in the world to her. She has dreamt of the day she would have a child of her own for as long as she can remember. And there is absolutely no doubt in her mind that this child, this baby girl she holds in her arms, is the child she's already met, the one she's destined to have. Appropriately, Jean named her Rachel.
Gently rocking in the chair, paying all her attention to her newborn daughter, Jean doesn't notice the door of her bedroom silently creeping open. The room is dark, except for the flames from the fireplace lighting the area in which Jean's sitting. Ororo Munroe almost blends into the darkness, save for her long ivory hair. At first, Jean does not notice her, but once Ororo gets past the bed and near the fireplace, Jean looks up to see the X-Men's weather goddess standing before her, draped in a green robe.
"Ororo," Jean says softly, acknowledging her friend's presence.
"I saw the flames' light flickering underneath the door," Ororo says, moving slowly towards Jean. "I assmued you might be awake. I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"I'm... fine," Jean replies hesitantly, moving her eyes back down to her daughter. She is feeling a bit uneasy around Ororo; since the X-Men's split several months ago, they've not spoken at all. They were once the best of friends, with a bond stronger than any other. Ororo wants that back; she wants her friend back, and so does Jean. Figuring out how to rekindle their relationship is going to be the hard part.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Ororo asks in a concerned tone, "Perhaps some tea? I..."
"No, I'm fine, thank you," Jean responds, still not looking up at Ororo.
Ororo shifts her attention to the baby. A beautiful child, she is. She looks so much like Jean; and she reminds Ororo so much of the adult Rachel Summers that hailed from the future.
"She is a beautiful child," Ororo says sweetly as she arrives at Jean's side. "I did not have the chance to tell you earlier, with everything that went on, but... congratulations."
"Thank you," Jean replies. "I just wish..."
Jean closes her eyes tight, trying to stop the tears; she can't. Although she feels great joy for having been blessed with a daughter, the pain of losing her other child, her son, is just as strong. Ororo knows this; she knows Jean is hurting. And she knows that now, more than ever, Jean needs her.
Ororo kneels beside Jean and extends her arm to hug Jean, being gentle enough as to not upset Jean's hold on the baby. Jean turns away from Ororo as the tears flow down her cheeks, then looks down and closes her eyes.
"Jean, please listen to me," Ororo says soothingly as she pushes Jean's hair back behind her ears, "I know you are hurting. You are angry. You have lost a child. And I cannot begin to imagine how that feels..."
"I pray you never have to, Ororo," Jean says between soft sobs, "because it's the most awful feeling in the world. I feel... almost empty inside. If not for Rachel... I don't know how I'd get through this. I'd just... shut down. I wouldn't be able to go on living."
"But you will," Ororo reassures. "You have your daughter. And although you will never be able to replace your son, you must continue on with your life. You cannot let his death be in vain; do not let Apocalypse win. He took your son from you, yes... do not let him take your soul as well."
Jean turns to look Ororo straight in her sparkling blue eyes. "You're right..." she begins. "I know I have to keep it together, I have to move on. For Rachel, and for my son. And for Scott."
Ororo winces at the mention of Scott's name, but not enough for Jean to notice. Ororo and Scott have been on rather negative terms for a while now, and Ororo has come to find that she's lost almost all respect for the man. But Jean loves him, and he loves her; right now, that's all that matters. Ororo refuses to even think about the division in the X-Men's ranks, or the apprehension she feels towards Scott in particular. All she cares about right now is Jean.
Ororo moves her hand to Jean's face and wipes her tears. "No more crying, my friend. You must try to overcome the pain and celebrate the life of your newborn daughter. It will take time... and yes, you will always miss your son. But you must honor his memory by being the best mother to Rachel that you can be. And I know in my heart that you will do just that. You will overcome this, rise from the ashes of your pain..."
"...Like the Phoenix." Jean concludes Ororo's sentence, then silences herself and wonders why she just said that. Ororo also wonders why she began the sentence Jean finished, however appropriate the words seemed. There is a moment of uneasiness but it quickly fades, and Jean looks down at her daughter once more.
"You should get some sleep," Ororo suggests after taking a deep breath. "It is very early in the morning."
"I can't. I'm just so afraid to let go of Rachel..."
Ororo smiles, then slowly begins to take the baby into her own arms. "Do not be, Jean. You sleep. I will sit here by the fire with Rachel, I will make sure she's safe."
Jean hesitates but then decides Ororo's right; she needs sleep. She needs to rest, regain her strength. Being a mother is going to be a strenuous task. "All right."
Jean slowly rises out of the rocking chair and heads toward her bed. Ororo sits down in the chair with baby Rachel and watches as Jean gets into the bed and pulls the covers over her body. Jean continues to look at Ororo and Rachel in the rocking chair even as she lies in the bed.
"Close your eyes," Ororo says, "I will be right here. Do not worry."
Jean manages a faint smile, feeling very much at ease with Ororo being with her. "Thank you," she says. And then she closes her eyes.
Scott Summers sits back in the metal chair perched in front of the War Room's computer console, staring at the file displayed on the screen before him. Though his eyes are covered by the ruby quartz glasses that contain his deadly optic blasts, it's not hard to decipher the expression on his face as angry and vengeful. The file on the screen is of the man who infected his wife and took the life of his child - Omega Red.
This isn't the first time Scott's lost a child. While he was a member of the government-sanctioned team known as X-Factor, Scott's first son, the man known today as Cable, was kidnapped by Apocalypse and infected with a techno-organic virus that would ultimately consume his body. Scott's only shot at saving his son's life was to send him far into future, into the care of the Clan Askani. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make, sending his son away to be raised in a hellish future. And although it was all he could do to save his son, Scott still felt as if he had failed his son. That guilt remains with him to this day.
However, this situation is entirely different. His second son did not even get to experience life outside the womb; he was stillborn. The virus consumed him before anyone had a chance to try and save him. This time, Scott's son won't be travelling back in time from the future. He never had a chance. And that enrages Scott beyond words.
Glaring at the image of Omega Red, Scott clenches his fists and thinks about how he hungers for revenge; killing Apocalypse wasn't enough. The once-immortal mutant may have been the source of the virus, but Omega Red was the one who physically infected Jean. He's got to pay; he's got to suffer. And Scott's going to make sure that happens.
"I know what you're thinkin'," says a shrill female voice from one of the War Room's dark corners. "You wanna kill the son of a bitch."
Scott nearly leaps out of the chair and spins around to see a uniform-clad Marrow walking out of the darkness and into the dim light, straight towards him. "He killed your kid; you want payback."
"What do you want, Marrow?" Scott asks bitterly, knowing that the Morlock-turned-X-Man is getting a kick out of his suffering. "Why don't you just go crawl back into the sewers where you belong and leave me alone."
"Ouch, insults from the spineless one," Marrow says mockingly as she inches closer to Scott. She grins and quickly pulls a bone from her arm, raising it so it's almost touching Scott's neck. She trails the edge of it down his t-shirt-covered chest and stops at his waist, taking a moment to look him over. "I understand what you're going through... Scott."
Scott glares at Marrow through his visor, becoming increasingly irritated with her. "That's Cyclops to you. Only my friends call me Scott."
Marrow grins once more, moving closer to Scott. "Can't I be your friend?"
Marrow begins to move the bone in her hand back up towards Scott's neck, but before she reaches it he grabs her arm with a grip so tight she drops her weapon. She doesn't tear away from his grip, instead embracing it; it hurts, yes. But she's used to pain. It's her way of life.
"I know you want to kill him," Marrow says. "He took one of your children from you. He took away part of your family. Just like Sabretooth, and the rest of the Marauders, took away mine."
Scott gulps, loud enough for Marrow to notice. She smiles; she's getting to him.
Scott suddenly releases his grip on Marrow's wrist. "Leave," is all Scott says.
Marrow sighs, then slowly starts to walk towards the door. She then stops and walks up behind Scott, positioning her mouth right by his ear.
"It's never going to go away... the longer you wait, the worse it's going to get. Your rage is going to consume you; you're not going to be able to move on with your life until he's dead. But X-Men don't kill... right?"
Without saying another word, Marrow turns and walks out of the War Room, leaving Scott to his thoughts, incoherent as they may be. She's right - his anger won't go away. Time doesn't heal all wounds. But could he really? If he hunted Omega Red down, could he do it? Could he kill him?
The answer to that is not what scares Scott the most. What scares him the most is that if he does kill Omega Red...
...Will the killing ever stop?
Warren Worthington III is angry at a dead man. Apocalypse was the one who had been responsible for tainting Warren's soul. He took advantage of Warren's weakness; his wings had recently been amputated, and Warren was emotionally vulnerable. Apocalypse used this to his advantage and transformed Warren into his Horseman of Death. In addition to his skin being tinted blue, Warren had organic metal wings grafted onto his back in place of the feathered ones which returned not too long ago.
The wings and blue skin are not all that Apocalypse gave to Warren. He warped Warren's mind, transformed him into a vicious killing machine. If not for his fellow X-Factor teammates, Warren may not have broken free of Apocalypse's control; and even after he did break free, there was still much to deal with. Warren felt violated... used... broken. He wasn't the same person he was before Apocalypse's machinations. That remains true to this day.
Sitting in a chair next to a bed in the mansion's medlab, Warren is watching over another who has recently been tainted by the evil of Apocalypse - Danielle Moonstar. He knows what she'll have to endure, how she'll have to fight to reclaim her soul, and how she'll have to deal with the guilt of having hurt her friends. Warren wishes he could do something - anything - to prevent those things, but he can't. All he can do is be here for her, to help her through the troubled times ahead.
'Damn you, Apocalypse! Dani's still so young... she's barely twenty-one. She didn't deserve this! This will be last person you manipulate... and I swear, if she doesn't recover, I'll hunt you down through the pits of Hell myself!'
Warren's mind suddenly shifts to thoughts of Scott and Jean, and the horrible loss they've recently suffered... because of Apocalypse. It enrages Warren that Apocalypse was able to take another life; he wishes he could have been there when Cyclops and Cable finished him off. He deserved to be. Though En Sabah Nur is dead, Warren still feels cheated.
Warren sighs and looks with saddened eyes at Dani. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. And beautiful. Her skin is radiant, despite being a tad pale... her lips soft and delicate... her hair a shining silky black. Not a flaw... not a visible flaw. The one flaw... Dani's very soul, tainted by Apocalypse... that's something entirely different.
Warren moves his hand from the edge of the bed and places it over Dani's, gently caressing her cheek with his other hand. He's concerned, very concerned. He feels it's his responsibility to take care of this poor girl. It's something he can't help but feel.
Warren's head rises as his eyes fix on the medlab's metal door as it slides open with a soft swishing sound, revealing the form of a man whom Warren has never been particularly fond of - Logan.
"Still down here, huh? Looks like you could use some sleep, 'specially after the way Threnody tore into ya," Logan says monotonely, trying not to act too concerned. He walks over to Dani's bedside, across from Warren.
"I'm fine, Logan. My wounds are practically healed all the way," Warren replies, not taking his eyes off Dani. "I don't want to leave her... I want to be here when she wakes up."
"If she wakes up." Logan's comment earns him a cold gaze from Warren, who doesn't appreciate the feral X-Man's input. "Just bein' realistic, Wings. Don't you think for a moment that I don't want her to pull through this." Logan pauses and eyes Warren suspiciously. "Why're you so concerned about Dani all of a sudden, anyway?"
"Because..." Warren takes a deep breath then continues, "Because I know what it's like, Logan. To have that twisted piece of shit play with your soul like it's silly putty... to be manipulated, turned inside out... to be broken. I know what Dani's going to have to face. I want to make it as easy for her as possible." Warren looks down, attempting to stop himself from getting too worked up; this is not the time or the place.
"Makes sense," Logan replies, sensing strong sincerity in Warren's words. "You know better than any o' us what Apocalypse is... was, capable of. You'll be able to help Dani in ways that the rest o' us can't."
Warren looks up at Logan with a slightly shocked expression on his face. Yes, of course Logan's right - no one can help Dani better than Warren can. But to hear Logan say those words... and to him... is shocking. In a good way.
"You mean that?" Warren asks with a hint of hesitation.
"Sure do."
There is a moment of silence, neither one of them knowing what to say. Warren can sense that Logan has something else to say... and that it's not something he wants to hear.
"I think you ought to talk to Chuck, though... see what he has in mind for treatment..."
"Forget it!" Warren says angrily, standing up as his blue cheeks turn a crimson red. "I don't need or want Charles' input; I'll get Hank and Cecilia to assist me. At least they won't..."
"...Betray you?"
Warren gulps as his breathing becomes heavier. Logan's referring to how Warren lost his company to Melissa Bennett... because of Professor Xavier. In light of a hefty drop in value of Worthington Enterprises' stock, there had been a board meeting, one that would decide whether or not Warren would stay on as the CEO of his own company. Xavier had the deciding vote, and he voted against Warren. On that day, Warren lost all respect he had for Xavier. He never thought the man who had virtually saved his life would have sunk so low and betrayed him like he did.
"I know yer pissed at Chuck... an' honestly, I can see why. But..."
"No 'buts', Logan. Professor Xavier had the intention of voting against me from the time the board meeting was announced; it was his way of getting back at me for taking Scott's side, for 'betraying' him. I can't imagine what could have been going on in his mind... I realize he was angry at me... but to let someone like Melissa Bennett swoop in and take my company from me? A company my father and grandfather spent decades building? I'll never understand that. I'll never forgive it, either."
Logan sighs; he knows he could try to argue with Warren, get him to see why Xavier did what he did, whether there's a logical explanation or not. However, it's almost 4 a.m., and Logan's not in the mood to argue.
"Fine, don't forgive 'im. But don't hold a grudge neither; it ain't gonna do anyone any good. Instead, maybe you should try to make the best of yer situation." Logan pauses, deciding carefully on his choice of words. "Yer free from Worthington Enterprises. Yeah, so you lost yer company; but think about it... did you really wanna be cooped up in that office fer the rest o' yer life?"
Warren considers Logan's words, not being exactly sure how to respond. "I... don't know. I loved that company, Logan... I did. I still do. But..."
"...But you had other things in mind. Other interests you wanted t'pursue."
"You could say that," Warren replies with a nod.
Logan turns to leave, not facing Warren as he utters his final sentence. "Well, here's yer chance."
Nathan Christopher Summers has lived a long, difficult life. A life filled with pain, confusion, betrayal, hate, and death. He was certain that once the tyrant that ruled his future timeline was wiped out for good, all of that would stop; he thought he might be able to find peace, to live a normal life... to be happy. That has proven to be untrue; although Apocalypse is dead, the man known as Cable is not even close to finding peace.
As an infant, Nathan was infected with a techno-organic virus by Apocalypse. Had his father not sent him into the future, into the care of the Askani, Nathan would not have survived. For a time, Nathan couldn't understand why his father had done this to him, why he had sent him into a hellish future where he'd be forced to grow up fighting for his life every step of the way. He understands now, though, that giving up his child was the hardest thing Scott Summers ever had to do.
His entire life, Nathan was told that he was the Chosen One, the one who was destined to destroy Apocalypse, and the one destined to gather the fabeled Twelve in humanity's darkest hour. One part of his destiny has been fulfilled - Apocalypse is dead. However, he's always believed that it was his job to gather the Twelve before the acsent of Apocalypse, to work with them to destroy the immortal madman. It seems that's untrue... and he can't help but worry about what evil, one far worse than Apocalypse, could be looming on the horizon that would warrant the gathering of the Twelve.
The future isn't the only thing on Nathan's mind; he's also thinking of the brother he lost, to Apocalypse no less. Omega Red, working as Apocalypse's Horseman Pestilence, infected Nathan's mother, killing one of the twins she was carrying. The girl, who's been named Rachel, survived; the boy did not. He never even had a chance to fight, to survive the evil of Apocalypse, like Nathan had. Nathan and baby Rachel lost a brother; Scott and Jean lost a child. And it's Apocalypse's fault.
If there's one thing that sets Nathan at even the slightest bit of ease, it's the fact that no one else will ever be harmed by Apocalypse again. Nathan's brother was the last to die at his hands, and Danielle Moonstar was the last to be used as his pawn.
Nathan sighs as he walks through the dark forest on the grounds of the Xavier Institute, slowly blinking his eyes as memories of the past several days flood through his mind. The one that he keeps forcing himself to relive is that of his and Cyclops' final battle with Apocalypse... the moment of Apocalypse's death is embeded deep in Nathan's mind. It will be for a long time to come.
"A penny for your thoughts, mein freund?"
Nathan looks up to see Kurt Wagner, the blue-skinned X-Man known as Nightcrawler, perched on a tree branch, dressed in his black and red uniform. "I'm sorry if I startled you, Nathan."
"No, not at all, Kurt," Nathan replies as Kurt jumps down from the tree to stand next to him.
"You seem upset," Kurt continues, as he and Nathan start down the forest path.
"It's that obvious?"
Kurt nods. "Yes. It seems you're no longer as good at hiding your feelings as you used to be... which is a good thing. It helps to be able to speak your mind, let out your frusterations. Talking to someone truly does help one feel more at ease, Nathan."
"That's what everyone keeps saying," Nathan responds, rubbing the back of his neck with his gloved hand. He turns to Kurt, who isn't shivering in the least despite the cold temperature and the snow. "Unstable molecules... great invention."
"Yes, indeed," Kurt replies with a grin, his face then turning more serious. "But not nearly as great an invention as those of God."
Nathan sighs, instantly knowing where Kurt intends to take the conversation. "Look, I'm really not in the mood for a sermon..."
"I know, my friend, and I do not mean to seem like I am imposing my faith on you," Kurt apologizes, "I merely want to help. My religion, my belief in God, is what has helped me through troubled times. I simply want to pass the option on to you."
Nathan stops, looking down on the snow-covered ground, then turning to stare Kurt right in the eyes. "Ever since being introduced to the concept of Christianity, I've never believed in God, Kurt. I couldn't. Not just because of all the things that have happened to me... but because of the world I was forced to grow up in. It was literally Hell on Earth, a place conquered by hate, war, poverty, persecution, and death. God is supposed to love all His children, to watch over them. That certainly wasn't the case in my time."
Kurt looks with sorrow into Nathan's eyes; he can't possibly understand what the man's been through, the kind of life he's lived. He wishes he could. And he wishes he could make Nathan see how God has touched his life, and helped him through the darker times.
"Nathan... I have no explanation for the bad things that happen. God works in mysterious ways, ones that perhaps we are not meant to understand..."
"How can you do it, Kurt? Put your faith in a being that may or may not exist, one that you've never seen? One whose motives you don't completely understand?" Nathan asks. "I could never do that. And honestly, if your God is responsible for inflicting so much pain on humanity... for letting them suffer... I don't know if He's even worth believing in."
The words from Nathan's mouth feel almost like an attack to Kurt. He doesn't expect everyone to see things his way; he knows people believe in different religions, or no religion at all. He respects that people have different ideas. However, he doesn't appreciate it when others outright attack his beliefs.
"Perhaps not to you," Kurt replies as he takes a deep breath, "but I believe that all things, good and bad, happen for a reason. I trust in God, and all He does."
"Well, I'm glad for you," Nathan says as he begins to walk away. "Hold onto that, Kurt... you're going to need it."
Continued in Chapter Two.