Author's Notes: It's been a long time in coming; the return of Allan Rutherford AKA Alain Desrochers' adventures on Earth 929, I had planned on holding off until I finished posting all the stories set prior to Of Spiders and Mutants, but I'm in the mood to resume sharing these wonderful adventures, though I may not update as often as I have the Star Trek stories in an effort to preserve suspense and my limited stock of written material for these adventures.

Anyway; if you'll recall from Avenger's Assemble, our hero just slew the Red Skull with his lightsaber and had to be healed after suffering a massive explosion at ground zero resulting in him turning into a Stalfos, so to speak. (And if you don't know what a Stalfos is then you haven't played nearly enough videogames with Legend and Zelda in the title.)
DISCLAIMER: I make no claims to owning these characters; Rogue, Kitty, Cyclops, Professor X, the Avenger's, Spider-Man, in fact all of these wonderful characters are part of the massive meticulously crafted universe of the Marvel comic books. Earth 929 is simply on of the vast amounts of alternates that exist from the Earth 616 universe most commonly featured in all their comics. The only character who belongs to me is Alain Desrochers alias Allan Rutherford, alias Kilowatt alias Shadow alias... Well too many aliases to count realistically speaking.
And so without further ado and some much needed preamble; I give you Chapter One, A Long Time Ago in A Galaxy Far, Far Away... No wait wrong franchise... Imagine that spiffy Marvel logo here from their movies.

Prologue

Once again I found myself regaining consciousness two or perhaps three days after the events that wound up giving me a near death experience and a long stint in stasis lock, this time at least I was in my own regeneration bed. And amazed to discover that my body was hale and whole, not the decayed remnants I knew it should appear giving how I had no access to the tools of the twenty-fourth century that would grant me a swifter recovery.
Propping myself up in bed I found the medical tricorder resting on the nightstand along with my lightsaber…My memories were limited, but as soon as I saw that cool pommel I lashed out; it clattered across the room and collided with the closet door. I had killed a man; ok technically speaking my soul was guilt free because the nanoprobes did all the killing, but I had still been the instrument through which a human being had died.
I shuddered at the thought of what I'd done; I had long since vowed to myself that I would never take a human life again, unless it was in extreme self defense… Perhaps in this instance many of my friends had indeed been suffering or would have died thanks to the Red Skull, but that was no excuse for killing him; my soul felt heavy with the remembrance of my actions. I turned over in my bed to try and drown my feelings in blissful slumber only to find that I was not alone in my room… Lying on a small cot in front of the dresser was Kitty; Illyana had spread her cot up against the wall near the entrance to my room while Jubilee was sleeping on the floor. Great I've picked up a trio of admirers and here I am a murderer to boot; wonderful, what else can happen?

"They were naturally concerned." The Professor's voice rang inside my head. "And you are not responsible for the actions of your body while your soul was locked away; you shouldn't feel so much guilt, you killed the Shadow King without qualm." He pointed out.

"The Shadow King was different; I terminated him because it was the only way to truly free Spider-Girl, this is entirely different no matter how much you try to deny it…" I stated internally so as not to disturb the three sleeping teenagers; it was rather early, and the sun had not yet risen. "I should have never bothered to bring this damn thing." I added levitating the lightsaber pommel back into my hand; with a small mental curse I prepared to crush it, but then thought better of it. "Lock it away." I requested floating both the lightsaber and the tricorder over to the dresser so that whoever the Professor sent would have no difficulty retrieving it without disturbing us. "I don't want to use that weapon again until my stay here is over…I am not The Punisher, nor am I judge, jury and executioner for all the madmen and women this chaotic force sends my way; seal it in some box and leave it in the depths of the mansions sub-basements." I finished falling back to my pillow and once again attempting to get some rest.

"I will respect your wishes, but I think you are too hasty to throw away such a useful tool as your tricorder." The Professor returned with a mental sigh.

"Indeed." I remarked sarcastically. "Fine leave the damn medical device, but get that weapon out of my sight before I reawaken." I requested snapping my eyes shut and turning onto my stomach; The Professor said nothing more, but I sensed his concern before he sealed our telepathic communication. I ignored it; my actions had led to something I no longer had any taste for, this was not ancient Greece, I was not attacked by warlords and thugs or had to live by the sword…I wept bitterly over my actions; as well as memories of a time long ago, when the ancient gods were petty and cruel. Eventually my tears ceased and I swiftly fell back into a dreamless sleep; Red Skull was a fanatic and deserved to die, but I was not a killer any more and my conscience reflected this.

Crisis on Earth 929
Rampage in NYC

"Wake up!" Jubilee cried an indeterminate amount of time later, tossing something at my head and missing. I growled low in my throat and buried myself deeper under the covers.

"You better get up, Jubilee doesn't like being ignored." A weak sounding Kitty warned from somewhere else in the room.

"I don't take kindly to threats." I mumbled electricity crackling at my fingertips.

"If you don't get up we'll kiss you silly 'til you do." Illyana threatened, I sat bolt upright my pulse quickening and a thin sheen of perspiration dampening my brow.

"You wouldn't." I exclaimed.

"Try us." Jubilee stated desperately trying to keep a straight face.

"All right I'm up, I'm up. What's so important you need me to get up anyway?" I griped flopping back into bed more to retain some hint of modesty then because I was tired anymore.

"Rogue promised to take us to the mall if we got you up and ready to come with us." She explained with a smile.

"Hmm, why's that?" I wondered closing my eyes indifferently.

"She said Scott was running out of old clothes to give you and it was high time you bought some of your own." Illyana replied timidly, that kiss remark must have made her very nervous.

"Sounds like a plan." I agreed. "As long as there aren't any super villains lying in wait. I need a few days, even weeks, super power free." I complained rubbing the back of my neck in agitation.

"Well hurry up and get dressed, we'll be in the foyer." Jubilee called before closing the door; I stretched lavishly like a cat and had a quick shower, it was then that I realized my wallet had been in my pants when I suffered that particular injury a few days ago. I slapped my forehead in annoyance; without warning a bright flash lit the room and a new wallet was sitting on my bed. With a gracious look to the heavens I slipped it into my pocket and made a hasty exit to meet up with my traveling companions.

"So I see you're finally getting the chance to acquire a wardrobe." Ororo remarked as I joined the group in the foyer tugging my shirt into place; I grinned openly and flattened my hair back.

"Yeah well I knew I couldn't be stuck here forever, living off of hand me downs is not my idea of a good time." I returned with a light laugh; Ororo smiled broadly at that and turned to leave just as Rogue stuck her head in the main entranceway.

"Come on the car's waitin'." She informed in annoyance; I surmised I must have taken a bit longer then she'd hoped. I quickly headed out after the girls shooting Ororo and Jean a farewell wave before I vanished from sight.

"You think he realizes they're all taking him together to check him out?" Jean asked the weather mistress as she picked up her gardening tools.

"If he doesn't; he'll find out soon enough." She returned with a grin before heading for the back entrance and the vast grounds of the mansion.

Twenty-five minutes into town and I was already feeling highly uncomfortable; say what you will about having a woman in your lap, it's entirely different when she's a fifteen year old girl who keeps fidgeting, trying to avoid actually sitting in your lap.

"Whose ruddy idea was it to use this car?" I grumbled knowing that I must have flushed cheeks considering they certainly felt hot enough to cook off of; Rogue shot me a glare through the rearview mirror.

"Ah happen tah lahke this little Viper." She stated loudly the wind whipping her hair around wasn't much help either, since a lot of it was flying into my face making it hard to see.

"Relax." Illyana began with a shy smile. "I don't bite… Much." She added teasingly; Kitty and Jubilee burst into childish laughter and I merely sighed.

"Don't play big girl games unless yah plan tah back them up." Rogue countered causing the Russian to blush openly.

"I'm not really worried, but if you don't stop squirming and just sit down already I'm going to scream." I explained as her hip dug into my thigh painfully; honestly you'd think after a comment like that she wouldn't feel so awkward about sitting openly on my lap. I was a gentleman after all; well ok they didn't know that, but it wasn't my fault… There were four seats and five of us, and Illyana was the one who volunteered for this assignment. Illyana sighed and planted herself firmly in my lap; her cheeks flared brilliantly as she did it, but after a few minutes of calmly sitting there she visibly relaxed.

"So, what are yah lookin' for exactly?" Rogue asked. "Ah mean; any particular style in mind?"

"Are you kidding? I'm a guy; anything light and airy will suit me just fine. If it's too thick I tend to overheat, my metabolism is a little wonky in that department." I explained with a slight sigh as the breeze flew across my face cooling my cheeks enough that they didn't feel like I was blushing anymore.

"Funny, you'd think you would have perfect body temperature regulation… Being a machine and all." Jubilee remarked, I smiled bemusedly and shifted a little so my wallet wasn't digging into my hips anymore.

"I may be the embodiment of perfection; speaking purely from the standpoint that my organic and mechanical bits blend seamlessly… But that doesn't mean I don't have certain imperfections." I explained with a laugh, the girls eyed me curiously and I shook my head exasperatedly. "It's sort of like a drill; you know one of the big kinds they use to bore into the earth when they're looking for oil. If the drill isn't properly cooled while it's in motion, it can overheat and go haywire." I elaborated my mind actually thinking about that particular episode of the Transformers when the Constructicons attempted to tap into the Earths' core with a big drill. "I have an internal cooling ability; however I have to make sure I don't overexert it otherwise I'll start to overheat, and I can't exactly afford to go haywire." The girls seemed to understand what I was trying to get across and settled down into silence; I was kind of bored so I glanced out to the side watching the cars whizzing past in the other direction. All of a sudden I caught a glimpse of a large red and blue tractor cab with a mostly grey trailer; the similarities were uncanny, but it couldn't be who I thought it was.
At least that's what I thought at first until I spotted the red old-style family van, black and white police cruiser and the ancient looking mostly red Trans Am trailing it. "Autobots." I whispered a giddy smile of childhood awe and joy spreading across my lips, Illyana must have heard me because she turned her head to see what I was looking at.

"How can you tell?" She wondered eyeing the convoy skeptically.

"Believe me I can tell." I returned forgetting where I was for the briefest of moments; and I was right, despite the impossibility of it all I instinctively recognized Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Prowl and Windcharger in their Earth based vehicle forms. Despite the fact that they looked just like every other car on the road; and there were apparently drivers inside each of them, but something about them must have tipped me off, or maybe my inherent Borg technologies had picked up their energy signatures?

"So do we get to pick out the clothes?" Jubilee wondered with a sly grin interrupting my train of thought; I turned from following the Autobots' path and eyed her knowingly.

"I suppose you can help; I'm not one for styles and the like." I replied. "But no funny stuff; I'm not along just to give you impressionable young teenagers some eye candy." I added with a knowing smile.

"We aren't children you know." Kitty retorted a little put off by my implications.

"And that's what worries me." I pointed out my smile spreading into a wry grin; Illyana laughed aloud and the others squirmed a little, I bet they'd been discussing the types of outfits I could be talked into before they tried to wake me up. I let out a tiny sigh of contentment and settled down to enjoy the ride; it had been only a week or so since my initial arrival here and already I felt like I was an unofficial member of the team; what with Logan's new nickname that seemed to have caught on plus the fact that no one had openly spoken about… Well no need to dwell on that; yes it was indeed a wonderful and carefree location; heck none of them even cared to comment on my singing to Amy a few days back. Speaking of music, it sure is boring when there's nothing to listen to on the radio; guess Rogue ain't big on listening when she drives.

"Man we need some tunes Rogue." Jubilee whined speaking aloud my inner thoughts.

"Can't, mah radio is on the fritz." She replied, I openly sighed as the others let out a collective low moan, if it's one thing I can't stand its being bored.

"Can't Al do anything?" Kitty wondered looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Sorry, only good for energy supply in an emergency; not a walking tool box." I returned as Illyana once again shifted in my lap trying to get her face out of the wind; Rogue should have put the top up if you asked me.

"I meant sing; you have a pretty good voice." She elaborated.

"Well now I'll see what I can do then." I stated closing my eyes and sifting through my collected memories in search of a proper tune; I knew a lot of Disney related songs, but they certainly weren't what the girls wanted to hear. I immediately discarded the Transformers theme from the movie, even though I wouldn't mind singing that out loud; it could draw unwanted attention. Finally I decided on a relatively familiar piece and something I could carry the tune of without musical accompaniment. Of course in retrospect I should have made a better choice, but I was a little nervous and in a hurry to get this over with.

"Ah don't think yah should be singin'." Rogue stated cutting me off before I could even start; the X-Teens, as I'd secretly dubbed them, voiced their protests with a collective moan.

"Don't like my voice?" I pried doing my best to sound offended.

"It's not that." She replied her face flushing.

"Oh then you like the sultry sounds emanating from my mouth." I teased adopting a low and husky tone that made me sound like Clark Gable or somebody from his era.

"Uh, yes… Ah, Ah mean no, oh." She stumbled over her response obviously flustered at my actions; her face was very red now and Jubilee who was sitting in the front passenger seat was staring in wonderment.

"I've never seen anyone get to Rogue like that before." She exclaimed eliciting a sly smile from me.

"You want to really see her frazzled?" I stage whispered, before either of the girls could answer or Rogue even attempt to discourage me, I reached out with my free hand and raked the fingers through her hair and slowly continued down her neck. She jumped, her foot slamming hard on the accelerator sending us flying off the Brooklyn Bridge, which we'd just pulled onto. Two thoughts raced through my head at the same time, the first obviously being big mistake, the second… Just where the hell did that come from, she hasn't even expressed any interest in hooking up in that way and I shouldn't be playing around as if we were going to.
Fortunately my mind runs about a billion times faster then your average human, one second we were about to plunge into a very murky looking river; and the next the car was gently levitated back onto the bridge proper. After several minutes of silence, in which I felt my face growing hotter by the moment, someone finally spoke. Though barely audible to those without audio sensors integrated with their ears.

"If yah ever do that again." Rogue began her fists growing white knuckled as she clutched the steering wheel; I figured she didn't wear her gloves while driving because she usually drove alone.

"I am so sorry." I apologized profusely loud enough so that it could be heard by the others, since I needed to apologize to them as well. "I, I have no idea where that came from."

"You touched her skin." Jubilee accused silent awe in her expression.

"And nothing happened." Illyana added, I let out a very deep sigh and slumped visibly into my seat.

"Yes, I know." I mumbled still embarrassed at not only my breach of protocol, but also the fact that I nearly got them all killed. I was lost in thought; Rogue had expressed attraction towards me, that was true, but she had yet to commit to a full blown relationship… And here I was the big dumb jock; for lack of a better term, playing around and messing with her emotions further. Yeah somebody definitely needed to give me a good thrashing; maybe I could talk Logan into a sparring match.

"But, that means…" Kitty suddenly spoke up cutting into my inner demons.

"What! It means what?" Rogue cried whirling to stare at the younger X-Man revealing the few tears that had begun to trickle down her cheeks; I slumped further into my seat at that, humility meter off the scale, guilt factor ten million plus, oh yeah I definitely think Logan and I need to go all out when we get back.

"Uh, nothing." Kitty quickly recovered turning away; she was no longer interested in making eye contact with the older woman.

"Hey, I truly am sorry." I whispered squeezing her shoulder by way of further apology, an action made doubly awkward by Illyana, whose presence in my lap made it hard to reach around considering I still had relatively short arms.

"It's not your fault." She began tilting her head briefly to show that she was putting it behind her. "Ah enjoyed the gesture." She admitted her face growing flushed once more. "Yah have a gentle touch, it's just…"

"I know, I know you're still undecided… If it makes you feel any better, I've decided to challenge Logan to a sparring match when we get back. No holds barred." I informed, though I wasn't too clear why I said that aloud. Rogue shook her head and smiled once again, I returned the gesture with a warm and friendly smile of my own.

"No need for that Sugah." She stated. "Yah don't need tah go beatin' yourself up over such an inconsequential matter." She added knowing exactly why I'd said that; with a deep sigh that seemed to alleviate my guilty conscience I sat back up straighter and enjoyed the sights of New York City… Start spreadin' the news…

In the back of a limousine hidden from prying eyes; two sets of eyes watched as the car made its graceful landing back onto the bridge, the female observer smiled and turned to her master.

"I told you it would only be a matter of time before he emerged, he has great powers." She informed her voice absent of the emotionless tone usually associated with her, in fact it almost sounded as if she cared for the man, in a father, daughter sort of way.

"Indeed you did my dear, quickly driver, do not lose him. I have a personal matter to discuss with this Mister Rutherford." The man ordered his eyes narrowing slightly, as the driver took longer then he cared for to gun the engine and start after them once more.

To Be Continued; Who's the mysterious man in the limo who wishes to speak with Al? Will he and Rogue ever stop beating around the bush and get together as tehy obviously are meant to? What could the Autobots have been up to in New York City? And what horrors await Al at the mall? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Crisis on Earth 929 Rampage in NYC.