(Author's note: way back when Inhumans vs. X-Men was announced in 2016, my friend Michel and I thought it'd be fun to imagine our own version of what the post-IvX landscape might look like for Marvel's Merry Mutants. We started writing in September of that year; when X-Men Blue and Gold was announced on November 28, we got a kick out of how many similarities the solits had what we were doing, and sighed with relief when we saw the differences. We started writing Issue #2 at the beginning of last year: I don't know if we'll finish it, due to time commitments, but for now, enjoy a glimpse of what might have been in what we've decided to retitle...)
X-Men: Another Shade of Blue and Gold
Issue #1
by Gokitalo and Michel Ascott
"Ladies. Gentlemen. Welcome to our new initiative. Some are returning faces. Many of you are not. You are all equally welcome to what will be a glorious new beginning."
Katherine "Kitty" Pryde couldn't remember the last time the skies above Westchester looked so… perfect. The sky was an even, flawless celeste and anything remotely resembling a rain cloud was in absentia. The grass and leaves from the bushes and trees were healthy and green. Between the grass blades were gorgeous flowers of the season, some of which, she had been told, had rather bizarre names: "Hydrangea Forever & Ever Together" is not what she would have named those lovely blue, purple and pink ones, for example. But well. Smart as she was, Kitty knew she was neither florist nor botanist.
The person she was on her way to meet with, however, knew a thing or two about plants. At least. After all, she was the one at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning with her own greenhouse. Not so surprising for a woman whose main power allowed her to interact with nature constantly. Specifically the weather.
Kitty's mutant power, on the other hand, mostly involved the exact opposite of interaction. She could walk right through things, as if they weren't there at all. A power that could often be quite useful, especially when dealing with the sort of things her work puts her through. Frying computer systems (okay, so maybe a little interaction!), evading punches and kicks and bullets and energy blasts— in short, not the usual sort of thing you need to worry about when running a school.
Usual, however, was the one thing the Jean Grey School was not. And neither Kitty Pryde nor her weather-controlling peer, Ororo Munroe, were your normal educators. They were mutants: humans born with a unique gene on chromosome pair 23 that gave them amazing abilities. Superpowers, to be precise. It was Ororo and Kitty's job—the Jean Grey School's raison d'être—to teach fellow mutants how to control their abilities, as well as how to use them for the benefit of humanity and mutantkind alike. While the school made a point of preparing its students for many potential future careers and avenues of future study, it did offer one opportunity that most other schools did not:
The chance to become one of the X-Men. An elite mutant peacekeeping force, dedicated primarily to combating threats to mutant-human unity. Yet over the years, the team had dealt with everything from alien invasions to demons. They were fighters, adventurers, or, to sum it up in a single word: superheroes.
Today was the first day of the new semester. Which meant that, in time, the X-Men might be getting a whole new group of recruits. Kitty smiled and picked up the pace as she began to hear the now-familiar murmur of young students-to-be, and they soon came into view. The incoming student body was standing en masse in front of a large dais erected specifically for the event. Kitty stepped onto the stage and her smile widened as she saw the school's teaching staff sitting in a row of metal chairs, waiting for her. So many familiar faces. So many friends. Had she the time, she would have given each of them a proper hug or kiss on the cheek, but one look at her watch revealed that a quick but warm wave would have to do. Ororo had already begun to stand from her chair.
"Wasn't it going to rain today?" she asked, grinning as she and Ororo embraced—at least Kitty had the time to greet her properly.
"You know it wasn't, Kitten," Ororo Munroe replied with a smile of her own as the two let go. "Although I have made a few… adjustments."
"Right, by about five degrees," Kitty said. "And I thank you for that! Not all of us have mutations to deal with the heat wave we've had lately."
"We've been having a heat wave? I've hardly noticed," Ororo replied, and Kitty knew she was only half-joking—being resistant to extreme temperatures was one of the many perks of Ororo's elemental powers. "Now, Headmistress Pryde…." Ororo motioned with her arm to the podium at the edge of the stage. "… shall we greet the new generation?"
Normally, Kitty would have bristled at hearing the word "headmistress" or "madam" or any sort of authoritative, scholarly adjective before her name that made her feel a hundred times older than she actually was… but hearing it come from Ororo somehow produced the opposite effect. Aside from having an oftentimes melodious voice, the "mistress of the elements" was to Kitty, in many ways, as much of a mentor as the school's former headmaster, Logan, had been. In her early days as a student at the Jean Grey School's predecessor, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Kitty had practically idolized Ororo, who, despite being only a few years older and a fellow "student," was already a full-fledged X-Man.
Kitty would have never imagined that, years later, they'd be running a school together. It felt surreal and, quite frankly… absolutely wonderful.
"After you, Headmistress Munroe," she said, beaming.
While this was going on, there were two more senior members of the X-Men, lazily laying on the grass, watching all the motions being made as people started to take their seats. A cigarette was in one of their mouths, smoke lazily circling around him. His red eyes were watching everything: old habits died hard with him. His partner coughed slightly at the smoke. "Mein fruend," the blue-furred X-Man known as Nightcrawler said, "Is this the same punishment I have been giving to people every time I teleported?"
"Qui." The red-eyed mutant known as Gambit said. "Stormy," he said, moving away from the conversation, "She has givin' perfect weather f'r today." Gambit leaned up and rested on his elbows, looking over the crowd. "Any of dem know what we be plannin'?"
Nightcrawler shook his head. "We're well hidden. Only Storm knows what we're planning."
Gambit flicked some ashes as he saw Storm and Shadowcat appear on the stage. "Stormy, she playin' dis on close to de vest."
Nightcrawler nodded. "Ja, but I'm not sure that I agree." He looked at Kitty and sighed, "I don't believe that Katzchen will approve."
Gambit smirked. "I get why I was asked, but why would she pick you?"
Nightcrawler closed his eyes and leaned back on his hands. "Well, she did pick two of the most interesting people for this mission."
"De thief 'nd de priest. Interestin' bed fellows."
"So, what is the cover story?"
Gambit shrugged. "Ain't exactly sure on dat front. Reckon Stormy will be tellin' us when it's time to know. I tink we'll be leavin' when everything is all said an' done."
Nightcrawler nodded as he stood. "Well then, I suppose it's time for us to pack."
In the audience, a purple-skinned alien in a red and black jumpsuit, blue cape and crimson sunglasses frowned.
"Bah!" Kid Gladiator barked. "I grow tired of waiting for this 'open-school assembly'! When will the punching begin, Warbird?!"
"I am excited to start the new year too, my lord," replied his bodyguard, a woman with, long, white, feather-like hair sitting next to him. She placed her hands on a black, nylon portfolio on her lap and smiled. "I'm looking forward to testing the full range of my deadly Warbird fighting techniques on the new students… as well as these new Terran art supplies I've bought."
Kid Gladiator began to rub his hands together gleefully. "Perhaps this will be the year I finally graduate!"
"I'll do my best to make sure you pass art, at least," Warbird reassured him. "Just remember what Majestor Gladiator has asked of us."
"Of course I remember! Father asked us to—" he was stopped mid-sentence by Warbird's gloved hand pressing against his mouth.
"He also asked us to keep it secret, Lord Kubark," Warbird reminded the young Strontian.
A few rows away from where Kubark and Warbird sat a young man whom both members of the Shi'ar Empire both knew well. Unlike them, the boy was human, although one look at him might make some think otherwise. His skin was the color of gunmetal, and his ocean-blue lips extended all the way across either cheek. Were it not for these distinguishing traits, one would have never guessed this otherwise average-looking teenager with a mop top and a body-type that landed somewhere between lanky and medium build was the clone of one of the X-Men's most powerful foes, Apocalypse.
"I'll be honest, I'm not sure how I feel to be back," admitted Evan Sabahnur. "I liked being with the other team of X-Men. Besides, I'm not sure if coming back to the school is pulling me farther from being the supervillain my old self was... or pushing me closer."
"You mustn't be so negative, Evan," said a creature beside him whose formal attire and round-rimmed glasses seemed to be at odds with his ferocious, red-eyed, fanged appearance. "I, for one, am happy to be back at the school, and I am positive that its teachers will instill in us the proper education and strong values needed to ensure that neither of us give in to the darker sides of our nature!"
"He's right, Evan," a girl sitting to the other side of the gray-skinned student chimed in. "Good or bad, it doesn't really matter what we do: we all share the same fate." She smiled and added, "Besides, you are two of the nicest people going to Hell that I've ever met."
Evan and Broo looked sideways each other and simultaneously uttered, "Err..."
"It's good knowing I'll have such nice company when my soul ends up there, burning in eternal flames," she continued cheerfully.
"I'm not sure I agree with your worldview, Idie," said a voice from behind the three students. "In fact, a few months ago, I think I would have argued that we are ALL capable of being saved."
The three spun around and their eyes widened.
"Warren!" Evan exclaimed.
"Yes, it's me," Warren Worthington replied. "I know I look a little different from the last time Broo and Idie saw me, but I hope I'm not too unrecognizable."
"Your new look is almost identical to your Archangel persona, but your costume is a bit different," said Broo. When the Broodling had last seen Warren, the latter's skin was a conventional, human pink, and his blonde hair extended well past his shoulders. At that moment, however, Warren's skin was now as blue as the sea, and the sclera of blue eyes had gone from white to yellow. The old school uniform Warren once wore, which had been similar to Broo's suit and tie, had been replaced by a decidedly more superheroic blue-and-white costume that covered his entire body, save his face. Whether his hair had changed lengths was unclear, as a blue skullcap covered the entirety of Warren's head. "Should we be calling you Archangel?" Broo asked.
"Honestly, I think Warren's fine for now," Worthington replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what I am. This... change is pretty new for me, too." He looked up at the podium. "Frankly, I'm hoping coming back here can help me learn who I am again."
"I am certain it will," said Broo, beaming. "I am sure this semester will be a wonderful journey of self-discovery for all of us! I can't wait for Miss Pryde and Miss Munroe to announce our new roles at the school to the incoming students!"
"I'm not sure I'm ready for it..." Evan admitted.
"Of course you are, Evan!" Broo reassured him. "You'll be a fantastic—oh! It appears the assembly's about to start."
The chatter of the crowd began to die down as Kitty and Ororo made their way across the stage.
"Where are Kurt and Gambit, anyway?" Kitty whispered. "I figured at least Kurt would be here."
Ororo's eyes narrowed as they caught a small cloud of translucent, white smoke rising from a patch of grass just out of view. "I believe they both had... prior engagements."
A not entirely satisfactory answer, in Kitty's view, but it made sense for Gambit, at least. Like Logan, the X-Men's resident Cajun was always slipping in and out to take care of "personal business." For Kurt, though, it was a bit unusual. Usually, the X-Men's blue "Fuzzy Elf," whose demonic-like appearance had earned him the codename Nightcrawler, tended to at least give advance warning before going on leave. Especially to Kitty, one of his closest friends.
Well, Kitty mused as she stepped up to the lectern to address the students. He probably would have told her what it was if it was something really important.
"Good morning, everyone," Kitty said, smiling warmly. "Welcome to a brand new semester at the Jean Grey School!"
The crowd burst into cheers. Ororo and Kitty looked at each other and grinned. Originally, they had agreed that Ororo would handle the introductions, but the silver-haired X-Man had later suggested Kitty could start things off and infect them with her "youthful enthusiasm." The students' reaction to Kitty's impassioned opening seemed to confirm that Ororo's instincts, as was often the case, were right on the money.
"Warms my heart to see you share our enthusiasm!" Kitty continued. "We'll first hear a few words from my friend here, who'll tell you just who we are and what we do here!"
She stepped back, and Ororo took her place at the lectern. "Good morning and welcome," she began, "to the start of what we hope will be a promising new beginning to a glorious new year at the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning. My name is Ororo Munroe. My X-Men name is 'Storm.' With me is Kitty Pryde: hers is 'Shadowcat.' Together, we will serve as your headmistresses this semester."
"We're coming together at a unique moment in history for our species," she continued. "As mutants, you have endured many hardships in recent years. Aside from the general pressures I am sure many of you began dealing with when your gifts first manifested, you, like every member of mutantkind, have had to deal with a massive depowering of our population and near-extinction at the hands of the Terrigen Mists released into our atmosphere. I am happy to say we have successfully found a solution to both of those problems. The former, as you know, was dealt with some time ago, and the latter was solved by the combined efforts of the brightest mutant, human and Inhuman minds the world has to offer… including that of our own Doctor Henry McCoy, alias the Beast." The clapping and cheering resumed again- from his chair behind the podium, a gorilla-like man covered from head to toe in blue fur smiled bashfully and waved at his grateful public. "A man who also tells me that mutant numbers have been on the rise ever since." More applause. "The nature of their collaboration is an excellent example of what we strive to achieve at the Jean Grey School: teaching people of different species to work together to solve problems. Now, more than ever, we must practice tolerance and unity, as the world grows more diverse by the day. An interspecies society deserves an interspecies approach. And while the school has traditionally had a predominantly mutant student body, we welcome all species within our walls. In recent years, we have had some of the most diverse group of students the school has seen in its long history. I am happy to see that this year's group continues that trend. It is my hope that together, we shall set the model that the world will follow."
She looked at Kitty. "I'll let Headmistress Pryde guide you through some of the specifics regarding what our school offers and what to expect… as well as what we expect from you."
"Hello again," said Kitty. "Let's get down to business. I know a lot of you newcomers are wondering how our X-Men program works, so let's start with that. Full X-Men status is given to our graduates, which you'll all be by the end of the year if you play your cards right… and do well in your studies!" she smirked as she heard the anticipated groans and grumbling among some members of the crowd. "That's right, we want good grades AND stellar performances in X-Men-related exercises! And speaking of the latter…" her hazel eyes seemed to scan the audience quickly, as if looking for something, "I'm happy to announce that we'll be reintroducing our mentorship program, a.k.a. X-Men squads! Many of our returning graduates from previous semesters, as well as staff, will be leading these squads, where you will be trained how to defend yourselves and how to use your powers in all sorts of unique situations. They're completely voluntary—we're not going to force anybody to become an X-Man—so if you're interested in signing up, please let your teachers know after the assembly during homeroom. They'll provide you the full details on squad leaders and how to register there. Homeroom's also where you'll get the chance to make your timetables and pick! Your! Classes! Dun-dun-dunnn."
While a large part of the audience laughed, one person in the garden stifled a yawn. Drone, drone, drone. He forgot how much old mutants loved to talk. It seemed like the perfect moment to intervene and fill the students' ears with something infinitely more interesting. He rose from his chair and casually began heading toward the stage. Instead of walking up one of the small staircases at the stage's side, he merely jumped up—the height was small enough—and walked straight over to Kitty Pryde, pushed her out of the way, and usurped her place behind the podium.
"Look alive, brothers, sisters and assorted members of mutant geekdom!" he shouted, grabbing the podium's microphone. "The greatest graduate of the Jean Grey School is back, and is ready to lead you all in glorious rebellion! Kid Omega has RETURNED!"
He held out his hands, smiling mischievously, waiting for applause. To his surprise, he received none. In fact, Quentin actually wasn't standing in front of the podium, but next to it, which was odd, because he swore he had been directly in front of it just a second ago. Instead, Kitty was there again, still talking, as if nothing had happened. In fact, neither she, Ororo, nor any of the teachers or students seemed to register his presence at all.
"Quire!"
Quentin spun around and saw an all-too-familiar redheaded woman glaring at him, arms crossed, while tapping her foot. "Gulp," the bespectacled telepath uttered.
"That'd better be the sound of you swallowing your words!" Rachel Summers snapped. "I was onto you from the moment you stepped foot in the Mansion! Your illusion-casting needs work!" She marched up to him and grabbed the nametag on his shirt. And 'Duck Boy'? You thought you could fool everyone into thinking you were 'Duck Boy'?!"
"Well, to be fair, the name tags do say 'desired codename' under where you put your inferior, homo sapien name," Quire pointed out. "And did you see how much I looked the part? Howard the Duck should be taking duck lessons from me!"
Rachel shot her index finger up. "I don't want to hear it, 'Quackus Platyrhnynchos'! You are walking off this stage right now, mister, and then, after the assembly is over, I'm taking you straight to Headmistresses Kitty and Ororo's office and you are going to tell them exactly what it is you're doing back here, other than starting trouble like you always do!"
Quentin suddenly let out a yelp as he felt an unseen force pull at his ear, and Rachel telekinetically dragged him behind her as she walked toward the stage's edge. "You can't do this!" Quire protested. "This is physical abuse!"
"Physical abuse?!" Rachel repeated. "If Logan were still headmaster, you'd probably have a CLAW through your ear right now! Assuming he wouldn't cut it off!"
"Hmmmm, like Van Gogh," Quentin mused before yelping again as Rachel mentally tugged harder on his ear. As they exited the stage, the only other person who seemed to have noticed Quentin's outburst and subsequent removal folded her arms and smirked.
"Next time, I'll hope you'll let ME do the honors, Rachel," Monet St. Croix said, telepathically transmitting her unspoken thoughts directly into Rachel's mind. "I have to ask, though, doesn't tricking the crowd into not realizing Quentin is here nor that you've left your chair on the stage a smidgen—"
Not NOW, Monet! Rachel snapped back with her own telepathy.
"Well, that's about it for me," Kitty said to the gathered students. "Anything important I missed, Ororo?"
"Not that I can think of, Kitty," Ororo replied, moving closer so her words would be picked up by the microphone. "At any rate," she continued, switching her focus to the students, "if there are any questions or concerns you may have, we and the faculty are more than welcome to address them. You need only tell us."
The light in the sky began to dim, causing a number of students and faculty to cock their head upward. A group of clouds had quietly coalesced above them. One look at Ororo's eyes was enough to make Kitty realize it was the former's doing: their irises had completely vanished, leaving behind only sclera. A telltale sign that Storm was using her mutant power.
"That concludes the assembly," Storm announced. "Great storm clouds have dispersed above us..." The sky seemingly objected with a soft rumble. "And a new dawn..." Ororo's hands rose upward and she swung them to either side, and the gray, smoke-like masses of vapor pulled away from each other, as if Storm had physically grabbed them and shoved them apart herself. The audience gasped and smiled and cheered as sunlight once again came down unobstructed upon them.
"... has begun," Ororo finished, beaming. "Carpe diem, children."
He was running from…something. He hadn't really figured out his life. All he knew was that his parents thought that he was the Dauphin, the missing French king. Well, they thought that they were royalty, and therefore, he had to be as well. His parents were clearly insane, but he loved them very much. But there was another problem with his life.
He was born deaf and mute. It took most of his life to understand what was going on in the world, and to see that his parents weren't normal really had an effect on Lewis Turtino. Well, that and his bigger concern that he found that he was a mutant. And actually, he was quite a powerful one at that: he was hydrokinetic. Not that it did him any good, but it did help him communicate with others. It was needed badly, as he could always read lips fairly well, but he could now write messages in water to communicate. His parents warned him that the world was not ready for his gifts, but he wouldn't listen to them. In fact, he was very open in his use of these gifts. Which is why he was currently on the run.
He couldn't begin to explain what it was that he was running from, but it was large and had laser eyes. He knew it was a robot, but he didn't have a name for it. He was told that when you had a name for the thing that scared you, you took power from it. So he needed to name it. "Death," watery words appeared in front of his face. His powers betrayed him. But that was an apt name for what was facing him, death. And it did nothing to erase his fear. Death was looming.
He cried. He couldn't help it. He didn't want to, but he was still young, just thirteen and when faced with something like this, he couldn't help but cry. He didn't cry when faced with bullies. It was the one thing that his father had managed to get across, never let them see you cry. But the local kids being a jerk to him didn't prepare him for this. He wasn't ready for a world that feared and hated him. A world of bullies, certainly he was used to that, but what this was, it didn't seem fair.
Life wasn't fair, and Sebastian Shaw could appreciate that. He had lived and died in a very similar matter. He had made something of himself, at one point in time, he was in charge of the Hellfire Club, a group that was considered the arch-enemy of the X-Men and, in fact, had bettered them more than once.
And now, look at him. Sure, he was the Black King, but the Black King of what exactly? Selene was never the most stable person, Emma had abandoned him and their feelings, Donald was a homicidal cyborg and maybe was dead again. Fitzroy had washed out. Magneto had left the group, and never really did fit in to begin with. Henry was dead. Even his trusted aide, Tessa, had betrayed him. Was there no one left to rebuild the fabled Hellfire Club with?
He hadn't thought so, and felt that they were destined to become a footnote in the X-Men's history, like the Reavers, the Marauders or a host of other people who felt that they were able to go toe to toe with the X-Men, but were now lost to the mists of history. But there had come an offer from a source that he was not as familiar with as before.
"Sebastian," the man who longed to be better in the world than he was said, "I am glad that you could join me here."
Sebastian sat at a dinner table that was both modest but commanding at the same time. Clearly, the man across from him was someone who should be respected, even though Shaw couldn't find out much about him. "Well, any time someone shows an interest in the Hellfire Club, I feel obliged to listen."
The man chewed his salad thoughtfully. Shaw thought it was odd that there was no meat on the table. Then he realized that the man must be a vegan. Given his power, it made sense. "So," Shaw said as he politely ate his salad, "What is the plan for the Hellfire Club?"
"That is simple," the man said with a smile, "We are going to save the world."
"Kledon Armas Perast," Shaw said slowly, "You certainly have my attention. Tell me more about how we're going to 'save the world.'"
The students and teachers in the audience began to empty their chairs, and Ororo and Kitty stepped back from the podium and walked together toward the other side of the dais, where the majority of the school's teaching staff awaited them.
"Kif speech, Ororo," said a man wearing sunglasses and a blue and yellow jacket that came down to his waist; a change from the big, long coats he used to wear when Storm had first met the man years ago. Like Ororo, his hair was gray bordering on white, but far shorter than the elemental's voluminous Mohawk; in reality, it was little more than a triangular tuft. Two large, black larvae rested on his shoulders. "The effects at the end were a real nice touch, though it got the girls a touch scared at first."
"Thank you, Japheth, and I apologize," Storm said. "I did not mean to scare Eany and Meany." The two creatures cooed as Ororo gently rubbed their heads.
"Least they still seem to like you well enough," Japheth said. "Most anyone else'd get their hands nibbled off if they laid a finger on 'em."
"Can you help it that my girl's a show-woman sometimes?" said a raven-haired woman in a yellow trench coat as she placed a friendly arm around Ororo's shoulder. "By the way, if you need a fireworks show for the next assembly, let me know!"
"We'll take it under advisement, Jubilee," Kitty said with a smirk.
"You do that, Miss Kit-Kat," Jubilee winked, letting a few sparks of energy pop from her index finger. "Anyway, better check to see how Shogo's doing. You sure Mr. Big and Scaly's got the babysitting chops to take care of my Shogs?"
"Don't worry, Jubilee," Kitty said, her eyes looking skyward. "I promise you Lockheed's GREAT babysitting material." High above the dais, a winged, purple dragon flew over the gathered assemblage. On the dragon's back, strapped onto its body with a harness, was a baby with black hair just slightly shorter than Jubilee's.
"Buh!" the baby cried out joyously, smiling from ear to ear.
"Whoa! Whoawhoawhoawhoa!" Jubilee waved her hands in the air. "Lockheed! Put Shogo down! I said babysit, not babysoar!" She nearly jumped off the stage to run after the dragon and her adopted child when she felt Kitty's hand touch her shoulder.
"Trust me, he's perfectly safe," Kitty assured her, offering a reassuring smile. Jubilee's shoulders sunk a bit, and she smiled back.
"Man, I'm turning into SUCH a mom," she said.
"We'd be worried if you weren't, Jubilation," Ororo said warmly.
"By the way, Ororo, I just got a telepathic message from Rachel saying she's busted a certain troublemaker trying to crash the assembly," Kitty informed her. "I'll give you three guesses as to who it is."
"A supervillain?"
"Nope."
"Magneto?"
"Does he count as a supervillain?"
"Who can keep track these days?"
"Fair point. Last guess?"
Storm paused for a moment and frowned.
"Quire?"
"Quire."
"One of these days, I'm going to lift the X-Men's code against killing threats and other general nuisances," Storm rumbled. "Where are they now?"
"Rachel says they're waiting for us outside our office."
"Tell her we're on our way." Ororo began to step down from the stage, with Kitty close behind her. "Everyone else, you are free to go to your classrooms. Your students await."
The returning students of the Jean Grey School- those who had not been in a while- couldn't get over how familiar and yet how different the man at the head of the classroom looked. The face was the same, save a few wrinkles. But his hair was as white as a cloud on a sunny day and cut short. REAL short. For the first time, it actually looked NORMAL.
He also seemed to hunch a little less. As if he actually wasn't looking around for things on the ground to stab. Not that anyone planned on testing that theory.
"Name's Logan," the man began. "Not Headmaster Logan: that was another guy. Long story. Anyway. Rules are simple. One: don't make me mad. Two: pay attention and don't talk unless you're supposed ta. And three: don't make me pop one of these." A trio of long, metal blades popped out from between his knuckles, cutting the air with a distinct 'snikt' sound.
"So future Wolverine's our homeroom teacher? Man! I got expelled by the other Wolverine!" groaned a teenager whose skin had been replaced by a pink, translucent, waxy substance. "Now I'm never gonna graduate!"
"Glob, chill out man," replied the classmate next to him, a young man made entirely out of granite. "You're a way better student now than you were then. 'sides, this Logan's already known you for a little bit and hasn't tried to get you kicked out yet."
"Yeah, I guess," Glob Herman sighed. "I still liked it better when Spider-Man was our teacher..."
A few desks away, five small creatures with scaly brown skin, glowing eyes- some red, some yellow- and flat, triangular heads looked excitedly at one another.
"Did you see the other Broodling in the audience?" one with a baseball cap and jersey inquired. "That's gotta be Broo! We have to meet him!"
"Did you see those big glasses he was wearing?" asked another with a pink dress and bows on the two protruded ends of her head. "I bet he's real smart!"
"Maybe he can help with our calculus," a third Brood, who wore a red sweater with the words "Kickers, Inc." on it, suggested.
"Glasses don't mean he's smart," remarked a fourth, pushing his own pair of glasses back in place. "But maybe he'll be our squad leader!"
"Assuming he doesn't think we're too young," noted the fifth, the smallest and likely the youngest, if her baby romper were any indication.
"Hey! No talking!" snapped a little girl whose face and hair looked several decades older than it was supposed to be. "Martha set up this Psychic Chat Room so we can help each other study and keep track of what Mister Logan says in class!" She turned to Martha, a bodiless brain in a floating jar full of liquid. "Not so we can think at each other about random stuff! We can't concentrate on what Mr. Logan's saying!"
"Thanks, Ernst," Martha told her. "Even when we're talking telepathically, it still feels like you're the only one who hears my voice sometimes."
"So if you wanna sign up for squads, just fill out the form and say which squad leader ya want from the list and… hey, why're you all quietly lookin' at each other all of a sudden?" Logan growled. "Are you kids usin' telepathy? Cut that out!" SNIKT!
Having Rahne Sinclair as a teacher couldn't help but make Idie Okonkwo a bit uneasy. Oh, the redheaded Scottswoman seemed nice enough- really nice, actually. Yet Idie had heard rumors. Whispers of Rahne having sired a child in sin. A child who turned out to be the beast of the earth, no less. And that the father had supposedly been from Asgard... which Idie herself was not sure she believed in, and certainly did not worship. As hard as she tried to keep an open mind, the young student from Nigeria could not help but ask herself the following: how could a Christian woman do these things and be a religion teacher?
"Morning, students," she began. "Pleasure meetin' all of ye. I'm Rahne Sinclair. Wolfsbane's what I call myself when I'm doing superhero things. Welcome tae 'Religion and Secrets of the Afterlife: A Firsthand Account'... well, it would be a firsthand account if your other teacher, Kurt Wagner, were here, but I'm not sure where he's disappeared to! Disappearin's pretty easy for him. But ye'd figure he'd leave a note or somethin'! Aye, well," she shrugged, "I just hope he's back in time for his German lesson!
"Movin' on, our goal in this course is to teach you about the various faiths that exist across the universe- from here at home to the Shi'ar galaxy! We'll also teach ye everything we know about the afterlife thus far, and the various heavenly and not-so-heavenly realms and entities we've encountered! There's much more than ye may think! Kurt and m'self will be rotating with Headmistress Pryde, and we'll have a few other teachers like Warbird and Magik come in for a few lessons to talk about their beliefs and experiences! We'll also have a number of guest speakers this semester, startin' with one who's very near and dear to my heart: Father John Maddox!"
A brown-haired man in priest's robes standing next to Rahne smiled and stepped forward. "Good morning, everyone. It's very nice to be here," said John. "I'll tell you a little about myself: I'm the last known dupe of James Madrox, who some of you may know as Multiple Man of X-Factor. My religious journey began when..."
Idie smiled. Her earlier preconceptions concerning Rahne were starting to seem overblown. She seemed so kind and honest, as did John, a true man of God. It was almost enough to make Idie forget the terrible fate that awaited all of them.
"So, are we ready to let him in now?"
In the office she shared with Kitty, Ororo placed her elbows on her desk, then rested her chin on her steepled fingers and sighed. "Not yet, Kitten. I'd like to see how things are going in the other classes just a while longer. Assuming things are going well, that should give me the strength I need."
"Right. 'Assuming things are going well.'" Kitty leaned forward, gazing into a small oval looking glass on Ororo's table. "Rahne's acing it, at least. This mirror Illyana's enchanted sure is great for eavesdropping, huh?"
"We did get everyone's permission," Storm noted. "A pity not all of them agreed to have one of Magik's stepping discs installed in the classrooms, as well."
"Hey, when getting stuck in a demon dimension's a very real possibility, I'd think twice before jumping in one without Illyana around, either," Kitty pointed out. "And some of our staff still isn't as ready to trust her again as I am."
"Trust takes time," Storm said. "Sometimes it takes even longer to regain it than to build for the first time. Be patient."
"Yeah," Kitty said softly. "At least she's still got... Peter and me." The Rasputin siblings always stirred up a whirlwind of emotions in her. Illyana Rasputina, alias Magik, was her best friend. Her brother, Piotr Rasputin, had once been that... and more. Their relationship had ended tumultuously, and while they were now on good... ENOUGH terms (a must if they were both going to be working together at the school)... maybe there was still a lot that they needed to talk about.
"Kitty?"
"Huh? Sorry, Ororo, zoned out for a second," Kitty admitted, quickly tweaking her facial expression from somber to chipper. "So, who should we spy on next?"
"Well, while we're on the subject of magic and nether worlds... what say we check in on Miss Cassidy?"
"Let's." Spurred by Storm and Kitty's willpower, the image on the mirror glass changed, replacing Wolfsbane with long, red hair that looked like hanging flames. Her skin was pale- too pale, some might say- and her body was covered by a skintight green jumpsuit with a black chest plate and shoulder plates that combined resembled a raven with outstretched wings. A golden belt was clasped to her waist- perhaps it WAS made of gold. She wore black gloves and black raven-shaped boots on her feet, and a golden tiara with a raven statue at its center. Her black cape was split into strands that looked like dark feathers.
In short, she looked terrifying. Like Wolfsbane, however, her attitude was anything but.
"Hello, everyone! I am the Morrigan! I know that must sound terribly frightening, but don't you worry. You may call me Theresa, if you prefer! I'll be your Music teacher this year! I know many of you were expecting, er, 'Professor' Doop, but after much persuasion... much, much, persuasion... he decided to let me have a shot. My goal is to teach you to use the power of your voice to create pitch-perfect song! Why, some might even find your voice hypnotic, by the time we're done! Which, with the right pitch, can be..."
"Hey, look, Genesis is there," Kitty said, pointing. "Who would've thought the clone of Apocalypse would have such a passion for singing?"
"Perhaps he subconsciously longs to be on one of those television talent shows," Storm mused. "After all, do they not also believe in 'survival of the fittest'?"
Kitty snorted. "I forget what a jokester you can be sometimes, Ororo. Anyway, Theresa seems to be doing fine. Who's next?"
"What about MISTER Cassidy?"
"Let's check up on Mr. Banshee, then," Kitty agreed. "Maybe Theresa's inherited her dad's teaching skills AND killer vocal chords."
Theresa vanished from sight, and in her place appeared her father. The family resemblance was obvious... but less so than it had been previously.
"How's Hank's attempt to try to revert Sean's body back to normal going?" Kitty asked.
"My understanding is that it's still a work in progress," Storm informed her. "The Apocalypse's Twins' transformation process is as difficult to reverse as their father's. Otherwise, Henry would have cured Warren of his Archangel persona long ago."
"Good point," said Kitty. "Anyway, should we start watching Sean in real time? Or do you wanna go back to the beginning?"
"It hasn't been long. I say start from the beginning." The mirror 'rewound' the image to the start of Sean's lecture.
"Mornin', students!" Ororo and Kitty heard Sean say. "Sean Cassidy, alias Banshee. Nice to be back teachin', I have t'say! The gray skin an' glowin' red eyes aren't a part of my mutation, by the way- it's a condition that I'm hopin' will improve over time, so don't be surprised if I start lookin' a wee bit different throughout the semester! Anyway, onta business. One thing I learned with my powers is how important it is t'have control over your unique gifts! Mine, for example, is sonic screams- if I yell too loud, I can break every window and glass o' water in the building! And that wouldn't be very hatchet, as I think the kids back home say nowadays!"
Kitty covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a guffaw. "You're so hip, Sean."
"Perhaps he should be taking lessons from you or Jubilee," Storm quipped. "As far as his class is going, I don't see anything we need to worry about. Shall we continue?"
"Sure," Kitty said. "Let's go with... M."
"I can tell that choice wasn't random," Storm remarked. "That class I think we DO need to see from the beginning." On mental command, the mirror switched to a woman whose body screamed confidence. Perfect posture. Hands comfortably resting on her hips. Brown eyes half-closed. One look at her would make a person think she'd been doing this her whole life.
"Hi. I'm Monet St. Croix. M, for those signing up to join an X-Men squad. I'm a telepath and a telekinetic. I have super-strength, a perfect memory and a genius intellect. I can speak several languages- I've almost lost count, frankly- and I can fly. In short, I have more brains and brawn than most of the people you'll ever meet put together. My job is to imprint at least some of my finer traits onto you. I demand perfection, but don't expect it. But try your best... then try even harder."
"Um... maybe we need to keep an eye on this for a few more minutes," Kitty said.
"Perhaps later," Storm said upon hearing a knock on the office door. "I'd rather not keep Rachel waiting any longer. And Kitty?"
"Yeah?"
"You may want to stop sitting on my desk before he comes in."
"Ah, right," Kitty said, standing up. "I can't help it! My name literally means baby cat! We like sitting on top of things!"
"No longer will we have to hide. No longer will we have to face the humans and their hatred alone."
"Man, I love listening to this! I mean, it's weird hearin' a voice talkin' to ya in yer head, but the stuff he's saying… it's getting me so revved up right now!"
"I know exactly what you mean, Big Man. I mean, Raven could give a resounding speech one in a while, but this… this is like hearing the voice of the Almighty himself. I'm ready to tear things up. Really make some noise and shove some good ol' fashioned mutant righteousness down some throats. Just like in the old days."
"Target's up ahead."
"Yeah? C'mon, mate, don't tell me this doesn't give you thrills, too! You've been quiet as a brick since the trip started! Don't tell me yer gettin' cold feet, although if you are, you know I'm just the guy to fix that—"
"I just don't need the speech, that's all. I'm ready. And 'cold feet'? When have I ever had cold feet?"
"… Kuwait."
"What did you just say?!"
"Whoa, whoa, mate, chill out, relax! Let go of the fabric! This is the first time I've worn this suit!"
"You know that Kuwait—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you didn't have a choice, alright? I was just messin' around."
"Yeah. Messing around. Right."
"Uh, guys, how 'bout we just take it easy and keep listenin' to the nice voice in our heads, okay? I don't wanna haveta sit on the both of ya. It probably ain't good for the mission.
At least the room looked nice. Quentin Quire gave them that. He wasn't expecting so many plants, however. One near the window, a bouquet of obviously carefully selected flowers on Storm's desk, a cactus on Kitty's—Ms. Pryde was into cactuses? Really? It had to have been a gift. (Then again, his adoptive mom liked cactuses also, which he never really got, either…) He looked at the shelves and was immediately struck by the fact that there were considerably fewer bottles of whisky in them than there had been when Wolverine had been headmaster. Looks like the current headmistresses weren't just dry personality-wise…
"So, do I pull up a chair, or…?"
"Siddown and zip it, Quire," Rachel growled behind him as a chair telekinetically slid between them and pushed against Quentin's legs until he lost his footing and found himself forcefully seated by gravity.
"So, mind telling us why you're back, Quire?" Kitty asked.
"You're asking me for explanations?" Quire replied. "That's funny. I don't remember Miss Munroe giving any explanations when she—heh—stormed into the Hellfire Club's Black Party almost a year ago and attacked everyone there. Including some of your students." His eyes shifted to Ororo and narrowed. "I lost my place in the Inner Circle because of you."
Out the corner of her eye, Kitty could seem Storm bristle slightly. Everything Quentin had said was true. During that time, Ororo had been one of several superhumans affected by an "inversion spell" that had altered her sense of morality. She had behaved in a way she deeply regretted.
Nevertheless, the mistress of the elements stood firm.
"You'll forgive me if I don't shed a tear," came Storm's cold reply. "I wasn't myself then, but I have no regret over interrupting anything organized by Kade Kilgore and his former cohorts. Now tell us why you're here."
"I thought I made my intentions pretty clear in my speech," Quire answered. "Oh wait…" he looked back over his shoulder at Rachel. "You didn't hear it."
Kitty's eyebrow arched up. "Anything other than 'Riot, riot, rah, rah, rah,' Ray?"
"Nope," Rachel replied.
"Then I don't buy it," Kitty said. "Logan always knew that deep down, you liked it here. That's why you're back, right? Because you missed us?"
"Oh, please," Quentin rolled his eyes. "I missed you about as much as I'd miss a toothache. The only reason I've come back is to save young mutant minds like myself from your 'let's hold hands with the humans' hogwash."
"Right," Kitty said. "And you thought that by showing up by yourself, you could single-handedly convince our entire student body—most of whom either don't know you or can't stand you—to take over the school from us helpless teachers."
"I'm a telepath, Ms. Pryde," Quentin reminded her. "I can make anyone join my cause just by thinking it."
Kitty looked at Rachel again. "Did he try using his telepathy on anyone, Rachel?"
"That's a double nope."
"Think he was he going to?"
"Congrats! You've just got a hat trick in nopery."
"I thought so." Kitty folded her arms. "Look, you may be good at hiding your thoughts and your feelings from us, Quentin, but as powerful a psychic as you are, you can't trick Rachel and she's not going to let you try any funny mind stuff on us."
"Is that a fact?" Quentin smirked. "I've gotten through her defenses before."
"Don't expect a hat trick," Rachel snarled. "Or even a second chance."
"Rachel," Kitty said firmly before once again addressing the younger—and more belligerent—of the two psychics. The last thing the current situation needed right now was a pointless bicker-fest. "You're dodging the subject, Quentin. Look, you don't have to tell us upfront if you don't want to, but we know why you're back. The question is…" her eyes shifted toward Ororo, whose face was etched in a glare that could cut through steel. "Should we take you?"
"You abandoned the school, joined the Hellfire Club and humiliated Wolverine," Storm said, her tone echoing her namesake. "You betrayed us and turned your back on our principles. Perhaps Logan saw promise in you, Quentin, but I don't have his eyes. Headmistress Pryde. I believe we should show Mister Quire the door. Thoughts?"
Kitty exhaled slowly. She put her hands together and looked right into Quentin's eyes. Somewhere behind that smug demeanor lied something else. She wasn't even sure Quentin was trying to hide it as much as usual.
"Quentin… Logan never gave up on you. Ever. He made you one of the Jean Grey School's first graduates because he saw so much in you. When you left and joined Kade and his bunch of crazies, he marched right after you because he didn't want to lose someone he tried so hard to bring out the best in.
"If you want to come back… if you really, really want to come back… then sell it to us. Make your case. Tell us why we should accept you. Because the only way I—and maybe Storm—are going to even consider it is if you can convince us you've changed enough so that taking you in again is not a total waste of our time."
For a moment, Quentin placed his hand on his chin and remained quiet. He then lifted his index finger.
"One: I'm an omega-level telepath and telekinetic."
"We've got a lot of those."
A second finger went up. "Two: I work well with others, when they're willing to acknowledge my usually superior intellect."
"You're not selling us here, Quentin," Kitty told him. "Try digging a little deeper."
"Fine, you want me to sweeten the pot? Three: I am LOADED with information about Kade Kilgore and his Hellfire Club. And I still have the money I inherited from the Phoenix Corporation, so if I chose, I could absolutely, out of the goodness of my heart, donate a few couple hundred thousand to keep the lights on or fix those Blackbirds and X-Wings you keep crashing…"
"Last we heard, Kilgore and his crew aren't even in operation anymore," Kitty said. "And if you DID get kicked out when you say you did, your intel's probably out of date anyway. As for money, we've got it. Want to move on to Number Four?"
In Sean Cassidy's first period class, a young woman with a veil covering where most people's eyes would be let out a gasp.
"Is something wrong, Blindfold?" Banshee asked.
"I..." Ruth Aldine paused, touching her head. "I'm not sure. For a moment, I thought I saw something... or someone... I saw... letters written in… in water and… someone running. Someone very afraid."
"Did you feel it too, Blindfold?" she heard three voices in her mind say in unison. "We heard it in Professor M's class as clear as day. Frankly, we're surprised none of the other telepaths have said anything. Perhaps they're trying to hide it from us to prevent a panic."
"Och, I used ta hate when this sort 'a thing happened with Emma," Sean muttered. He kneeled down and put his hands on Ruth's shoulders. "Don't keep us in the dark, lass! Can yae tell us anything else? Like who this person is and where they might be?"
"No-no, but… th-there's something else," Blindfold said. "I almost can't sense it—like it's trying to hide or mask itself—but it feels like something big and terrible is about to happen."
"We will not fade into the night like wisps of smoke from a dying flame. We will march with our heads raised high toward the promise of a new tomorrow of our making."
"Everyone get into position! The target's just up ahead!"
"Whaddoya say, mates? Think I oughta get things started by turning up the heat?"
"Or if you guys wanna, I can just body slam my way in there."
"No. No, you all just leave it to me. Let's give them a wake-up call they're never going to forget."
"… I can be a spy! A plant! Put me in the mutant terrorist group du jour and no one would ever suspect me!"
"Not necessary," Storm responded.
"Guys, he's really not getting it," said Rachel.
"I can be—" Quentin stopped. "Wait. Why is the ground shaking?"
Storm's eyes widened. "An earthquake."
"In Salem Center?" Kitty, Ororo and Rachel exchanged worried glances. "We have to get the students-"
Elsewhere, two figures stand at a grave that had the name Peter Quinn on it. The two figures couldn't be made out in the light, but the voices made it perfectly clear, that one was male and the other female. "And this will be our next recruit," the woman said softly.
"Peter Quinn?" The man said with contempt. "You really want to recruit Peter Quinn?"
The woman grinned. "You don't approve?"
"He's Peeper. His superpower is that he can see really far away."
"Everyone has some value. I had thought that was a lesson that you had learned."
"I understood Pyro. It made sense to get someone on the inside there. Heck, even some of these others have some logic to 'em, but this guy? I mean, what are we going to do, get inside information on what Mutant Force is up to? Here, I'll give ya a hint, 'Would ya like fries with that?'"
"Crude," the woman said slowly, "But you never had the vision that I do. Everyone has a part to play, and who are you to deny Peeper's role in life? He may yet have the biggest role of all of us."
"Don't go gettin' Dickens on me. Whatcha gonna do next? Ask me if I can tell which lives are the surplus? Sheesh, ya ain't gotta go on lay it on so heavy, y'know?"
"Perhaps, my friend. But Peeper will be useful. You may scoff at Mutant Force, but they may have a role the rest do not. Let's be realistic, no one expects anything from them. Which means they are the best suited to launch a successful attack. And that all starts with Peeper."
"I still say you are grazing the bottom of the barrel, but you are the boss. We'll do whatcha think is best."
"Thank you, my old friend." The woman turned to look directly at the grave. "Peeper, arise. Come back to this world anew and remember none of this. But when the time is right, you will betray your friends, you will follow my lead. After all, none can resist the charms of Aphrodite."
We stand united today…"
Once upon a time they had been a team, but just how far had these angels fallen?
"To celebrate the past…"
Gambit had lived with the guilt of what had happened in those tunnels all those years ago, but what he was unaware of, is that there was another future X-Man in there at the same time.
"To stand together in the present…"
Addison Falk was supposed to be an X-Man. He had a name picked out and everything. But he never got his call. Ever. But now, the Grey King was going to rise.
"And to ensure a positive future."
Marrow was unsure how she got here. But it was pretty clear, that the here that she found herself in wasn't the here that she was used to. The fact that there were giant Sentinels walking around seemed to really hammer that fact home.
"But do not think that we are criminals…"
He had often wondered if his orders were correct. But he was an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his was not to question his orders, his was to act upon them.
"To many we would be seen as heroes…"
He was new to his powers. He wasn't a mutant, but he certainly sympathized with them. He had no idea that his life had lead to this point, where he'd be forced to join the X-Men. But would that mean turning his back on the rest of his world?
"To others, we are the villains…"
Scalphunter was under no confusion about what he was. He was a mercenary, an evil man who did vile, evil things. But there may yet be a chance for him to prove himself a hero, if he wanted to go down that path.
"But we will no longer let others label who we are…"
Was Deadpool a hero? He was an Avenger, that much was for sure. But he was also a mercenary. Who was he? And did it matter?
"Deep down, we all know who we are…"
Could a person change? Was the path they on preordained? Angel needed to know that. He knew that the actions he took weren't the same as the ones that his older self took, but did it change his course at all?
"We can't hide from who we really are…"
She just wanted to be a doctor, honestly. Yet, somehow, Cecilia Reyes managed to find herself in these very dangerous situations. And now, she wasn't sure that they X-Men would be able to help her out.
"Though we may try…"
Scanner was worried. The Acolytes had fallen on hard times. And now, she was concerned that her entire life was void. But what did that really mean?
"But we are united in our beliefs!"
Sooraya Qadir, better known as Dust, was busy. She was looking for another young woman who may have understood her, but that would be a Marvel if she could find her.
"United in power!"
Calvin Rankin was unsure of what his future held. But he could feel his life growing more complicated. What he didn't know was that he was about to find himself stuck in a story he never wrote. Heaven help him.
"United in a vision!"
Adrian Corbo jolted awake. He had long ago lost the powers that had made him a member of Alpha Flight, but the dream he had, it was prophetic. And he wondered who else shared it with him.
"United…"
The gates of the Jean Grey School sprang from their hinges and flew across the campus grounds, landing not far from the entrance to the front office. In their place stood Pyro, Avalanche and the Blob. And they were far from alone.
"Ladies and gents, we have our orders," Pyro said with a Cheshire cat grin, firing two spurts of fire from the flamethrowers mounted on his wrist. "Shall we get to it, then?"
"… in loving Brotherhood."
End of Issue 1