The Uncanny X-Men -- Chapter 02 "THE MOURNING AFTER"
by Stephen R. Sobotka / 2006-2008 ©

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DISCLAIMER : This work is a fan fiction, based on characters and situations from the MARVEL Comics Series "X-MEN". All Characters within -- with exception to the ones created by the author -- are the ™ and Copyright of said licensees, and are used here without their permission. This is done without intent to gain payment or money of any kind. Please Do Not Sue.

AUTHOR'S NOTE : This story, and all subsequent chapters to follow, are part of a tribute to one of the unsung greats of Marvel -- the late Dave Cockrum; one of the instrumental team members who was responsible for the reboot of the X-Men back in the 1970's. The work he did, beginning with "Giant-Sized X-Men #1" was key to the genesis of this entire effort.

As such, this version of the Marvel Universe is a different take on what's been established before. Be aware, there are some major changes and differences ahead.

Enjoy! - SRS

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THE MOURNING AFTER

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Heading into the heart of Salem's Center, the long black car rumbled along the paved streets like a dark panther. For the most part, it went by without a second glance by the town's people as they went about their daily tasks.

Behind the wheel of the luxury car, a raven-haired woman guided the wheel with a sure touch . . . yet, inside her mind Tessa was far from assured about the sudden turn her life had taken recently. I've gone from being the assistant to the leader of the world's most powerful and influential mutants . . . to being outsted at a spy, by the very man who put me there in the first place!

Glancing up into the rearview mirror, Tessa stared at the silent form of the vehicle's owner, slumped in the back seat. Emotionally drained, Charles Xavier looked less that the man she remembered; the world's most-powerful telepath, her mentor and the man who trained her for her mission with the Hellfire Club.

Only now, the mission had been interupted. For the one reason that -- for all of Tessa's vaunted ability with her computer-like mind and perfect recall -- could not have predicted would come to pass . . .

Charles' students, the X-Men, were dead.
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O o O

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Xavier's Institute for Gifted Students,
Salem Center, Westchester County, New York,
Later That Same Day...

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Pulling up to the main gate of Xavier's private property, Tessa braked the car to a stop next to the stone pillar on its left side. Rolling down the window, she reached out and touched the pick-up button on the small security box mounted there.

Expecting the gates to open, she was mildly surprised to see a small door open on the side of the box, through which a small metal globe with a camera lens emerged. The camera tracked towards her face before stopping, and a female voice thick with a foreign accent emitted from a hidden speaker: "State yuir business, please?"

Tessa leaned out and said, "I am Tessa . . . I have Professor Xavier with me-."

"Charles!" The voice cut Tessa off, filled with surprise and worry. A moment later, the wrought-iron gates swung slowly open. "Bring th' car to th' mansion, Miss. At once!" With that, the camera globe retreated into the pillar and the door snapped shut.

Blinking, the dark-haired woman dressed in a long, dark overcoat turned to look at the man sitting in the backseat of the car. "Professor?" she asked, twisting further around as she held the wheel.

His bald-head bowed, Charles Xavier said nothing in response to her query.

Sighing, Tessa turned back and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "Well, there is only one way to answer all of the questions before me . . ."

Guiding the car up along the driveway, Tessa couldn't help but remember the first time she had come to this place -- one of the more prominent, majestic homes in Salem Center -- back when Xavier had brought her here to help train her in her mutant abilities. She had gone from her old home in a war-torn country, to this place called 'America', which held some note of promise of a new life for her . . . only to learn she was to be trained for another type of 'war'. A war that involved secrets, their keeping and their discovery for future use by the man who'd confided in her.

She frowned, turning the wheel as she let the limo coast to a halt near the front doors. I was so young and naive, back in those days! Tessa thought, as her eyes caught the terminus of the front drive and the smaller roadway that lead around the mansion house proper. Xavier planted me and left me to my own devices inside the Hellfire Club. What could he need from me now? He said his students were . . . dead? How? What students-?

Her thoughts were cut off by movement to her left; the front doors of the mansion opening wide, allowing a slim, brown-haired woman dressed in a lab-coat and frock-dress to appear. This stranger moved quickly down the front steps, her low heeled shoes clicking on the marble, while her face was pinched with worry.

Killing the engine, Tessa opened the driver-side door and stepped out. "Excuse me-?"

"Forgive me! Charles!?" The woman reached out and jerked the passenger door open, all but throwing herself into the compartment inside the limo. There was a brief flurry of movement, then a silence that went on for a span of several heartbeats. Then, the woman emerged, turning to stare at Tessa, giving her long dark coat and high-heeled shoes a once-over with an analytical eye.

A scientist of some sort? She has to be. Tessa thought.

"Yuir . . . th' woman Charles said was-?"

"My name is Tessa. Professor Xavier did bring me out of the Hellfire Club, Miss-?"

The brown-haired woman sighed, shaking her head briefly. "I am sorry, Tessa . . . I'm Moira. Doctor Moira MacTaggart. A friend." She looked back inside the car. "Canna ye help me wi' his chair? We need t'move him inside!"

Tessa blinked, but left the questions to wait as she moved to aid Moira in unloading the powered wheelchair from the car, then to help extract the still-catatonic Xavier and put him in it. "Will the Professor be all right, Doctor?" Tessa asked. "He's been like this since-."

"Come wi' me," Moira said, after she got the chair unlocked from it's powered drive, to start pushing it towards the access ramp to the side of the front porch. "I understand ye have questions, but until I get Charles settled . . ."

Following behind, Tessa just nodded. "I understand."

Together, the two women entered the mansion and Moira quickly guided her and Xavier through the large foyer, down past a large common room, past the mansion's kitchen and a few other rooms -- one of which Tessa noted was set up like a school classroom.

Studying the brown-haired woman, Tessa noted that Moira didn't pause or show any signs of being hesitant inside this place. Someone who knows of, or knew of Xavier, would have some knowledge of this place. she thought logically.

Moira continued walking down the hall, until she reached a rounded segment of the hallway's wood-paneled wall. Reaching up, Moira touched a small panel, and before Tessa's eyes the curved segment rolled back to reveal a stark, metallic chamber beyond.

"Access Level Two, please," Moira said, nodding for Tessa to enter the chamber as she pulled Xavier in behind her.

An elevator! Something Charles added, after I left? Tessa stepped inside, starting to open her mouth to query the Scottish woman, when the curved door slid shut quickly behind her. A moment later, the chamber dipped and she could sense the downward motion that vibrated through the floor beneath her.

"Where are we going, Doctor MacTaggart?" Tessa asked at last.

"Medical level," Moira replied. "I'll put Charles in the recovery ward, since . . . well, you'll see when we arrive."

Before Tessa could ask anything else, the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened up onto a long, stark looking hallway; with long light panels, which illuminated the metallic-blue metal plating on all sides. Moira pushed Xavier out of the chamber, moving briskly along the hallway without another word.

Stranger, and even more curious, yet. Tessa stepped out and followed, her dark eyes taking in every item and detail of this new place, even as she watched Moira turn into an open doorway a few meters ahead. Walking quickly to catch up, she noted a small legend of symbols on the wall nearby: with sigils that clearly indicated "HANGAR", "TRAINING ROOM" and "STORAGE".

"Charles has expanded this place," she said softly.

Entering the room beyond the open doorway, Tessa caught sight of Moira as she was easing the Professor out of his chair, and onto a medical bed nearby. Around the room, equipment and monitors as well as cabinets of supplies and other items lined the walls and, on another bed, lay a body of a man Tessa didn't recognize.

Moving closer, she studied the man's face as best as she could, considering it was half covered with bandages. Nearly a good portion of his arms and exposed chest were as equally covered, with a few leads and tubes affixed to him leading out to several monitoring machines mounted on the bed's frame.

"Who is he?" Tessa asked, taking note of the readouts on the machines. "He's been injured, gravely."

Getting Xavier settled, Moira turned and looked at Tessa, pausing with a frown before she said, "His name's Henry . . . McCoy, a guid man an' one of Charles' first students."

Tessa turned and looked at her sharply. "One of his latest students, since I was his first, to be truthful."

"Aye, yes . . . forgive me," Moira said. Sighing, she moved to stand on the other side of Henry's bed. "The poor man is barely clingin' t'life, but f'r now he's . . . well, as stable as I can make him."

Tessa nodded, her voice less harsh as she asked, "How did this happen to him? For that matter, Doctor MacTaggart, what exactly did happen here? The Professor said that his students . . . are dead?"

Moira nodded, her face pinched tight as she looked up at Tessa. "Aye . . . that is th' truth of it." She shook her head and added. "I'd better start from th' beginnin'."

Tessa nodded, her attention fixed solely on the Scottish woman.

"Charles had been discussin' wi' me in the past few years, about startin' a 'school' o' sorts," Moira explained. "A place so that young people who'd discovered they possessed abilities manifested by the mutancy gene. He never mentioned ye, by name, but not long after ye were released t'do yuir duty . . . he started recruitin' a 'class' of young people t'start trainin' here at th' mansion.

"The first students were a pretty small gaggle o' teenagers," Moira said. "Young Hank here, he was one along wi' three other fellows: Scott Summers, Robert Drake and Warren Worthington the Third. There was also a wee lass named Jean Grey, who rounded them out. Charles trained them exhaustively, makin' them learn th' large extent o' their abilities . . . an', eventually, they began to strike out as a team, t'use their powers as a means t'help people an' stop others that were attacking their fellow man."

Tessa cocked her head, raising one hand to stop Moira's talking. "These were Charles's 'X-Men' then?"

"Charles wanted them to have a unique name," Moira stated, her lips curling up with a half-smile, which vanished when she looked back down at the young man before them.

"I see." Tessa pursed her lips, filing this information away for later analysis. "How do you fit into this, Miss, and what happened to the others?"

Moira didn't look up from Hank's body. "I'm a geneticist by trade. Charles an' I knew one another, back when he was just beginnin' to explore the depth of mutancy an' it's effects, an' drawbacks. I've been advisin' him from th' sidelines . . . an', well, when th' tragedy happened-."

"Which was?" Tessa peered intently at her, gripping the side of the bed as she listened.

"Charles had . . . sensed a presence, somewhere out in th' wide Pacific," Moira said, her face falling into a dark frown. "He suspected it 'twas a new mutant manifesting on a huge scale, so he had th' X-men head out t'investigate. They came upon a lone island; uncharted an' untouched. They landed an' began t'explore it.

"At first, th' students could nae find a sign of th' source . . . until they discovered that it 'twas th' island itself that was th' mutant all along!" Moira shuddered. "Charles had been in contact wi' them, through telepathy, an' tried to guide them in subduin' th' creature. They tried somethin' -- what, I cannae say -- but from what I could get from Charles, th' entire island creature was blown off intae space . . . an', all but Hank dinae make it off in time!"

Tessa sucked in a breath, shocked to the core. "They were . . . killed, from either the pressure of sudden gravity-forces or -- for those who survived -- exposure to the vacuum of space!" Looking down at Hank, Tessa asked, "How was-?"

"From what Charles could tell me, Hank 'twas tryin' t'reach their transport craft, t'help them escape," Moira stated. "Th' upheaval was too great, and he was tossed out t'sea." She shook her head again. "It took both myself an' Charles, usin' his backup craft t'search and find him; adrift and nearly dead on the water."

Tessa looked up at Moira. "There's no chance-?" She stopped herself, sighing as she knew the futility of that question. "No. Charles would have been able to tell, if any of them were still alive."

"Aye," Moira said, crossing her arms as she looked over at Xavier -- still looking bleak and unmoving. "This has come as a hard blow t'him. Over th' years, the boys an' Jean . . . they became more than just students t'him. They were nearly th' children, well, that he ne'er had." Looking at Tessa, Moira said, "It's nae goin' t'be an easy road, but . . . Charles brought ye here, t'help him recover an' -- God's willin'! -- begin t'rebuild again."

"Rebuild?"

"Aye," Moira said. "Rebuild th' X-men. It 'twas as big a part o' his dream, as 'twas makin' th' world safe f'r all people wi' mutant abilities."

Tessa blinked, lifting one hand as she asked, "How can that be done, Doctor MacTaggart? Charles is in no shape to do much of anything -- and, believe me, I can tell . . . I have the means." She tapped the side of her head. "Besides, what use am I to him, or you? I can analyze, recall facts . . . but, beyond that?"

"Surely, ye can help t'train-?"

Tessa shook her head. "I trained to kill, back in my native homeland," she said coolly. "I doubt Charles would want me to teach that to any student he deemed fit to learn in this place." Looking down at Hank's comatose form, she muttered crossly, "Damn him . . . he should've let me stay!"

Moira started to reach towards Tessa. "Miss Tessa . . . I dinnae think that Charles brought ye here, even as one o' his firsts, if he didnae think ye had more t'offer-."

Just then, Hank's breathing started to turn ragged; wet and soggy, as the machines next to his bed began beeping urgently.

"Oh no!" Moira gasped, looking at the display screens. "He's gettin' worse!" She turned and started to move towards a cabinet. "I've got t'get him intae th' operatin' room! Tessa! Ye've got tae-!?"

Turning back, Moira was shocked to see that Tessa was leaning over the stricken young man; one hand bracing on the bedside, while the other was pressed down on top of Hank's chest. The dark-haired woman was staring fixedly at Hank; her eyes seeming to glow from within as she stood there.

"Tessa?! What in th' Devil-!?" Moira moved back to the side of the bed, one arm raised to knock Tessa off of the injured man-!

"No, Moira. Don't."

Gasping, Moira turned to stare in shock as Xavier -- now sitting upright on his bed -- was staring intently at the scene unfolding before them. "Charles?"

"Leave her be," Xavier said. His eyes wide, the bald telepath had no sign of the former apathy that had gripped him since leaving the Hellfire Club.

"But, Hank-!" Moira turned back towards the other bed . . . and was rendered speechless at the sight before her.

Tessa's hand, as well as the surrounding flesh on Hank's chest, was covered in a strange, orange-white glow that was echoed in the young woman's eyes. Hank's body was also contorting and writhing, while his jaw was clenched in agony. In moments, the glow began to spread, until the young man was covered from head to toe with it.

What in all th' . . . ? Moira was rooted to the floor, watching as the tableau continued to unfold. What's she doin' to th' lad?

A second after her last thought, Moria watched in awe as something emerged from underneath the edges of Tessa's hand: several tufts of deep, blue fur, sprouting from Henry's skin! Without pause, the growth of fuzz spread outwards, racing over Hank's chest like a runaway culture of spores. As well, the young man's muscles seemed to enlarge several times bigger than they had previously been.

"Nnnn-n-n-a-aaagh!" Hank groaned, his face twisting up as the blue swath crawled up his neck and face; which turned more bestial, along with several of his teeth lengthening into sharp, canine points.

Moira shot a look at Xavier. "Charles! What is happening here!?"

"Peace, Moira," Xavier said, raising one hand to calm her. "I believe . . . yes, it's nearly over."

"Over? What is nearly over?!"

Before Xavier could reply, there was a sudden gasp and a cry from Tessa -- who'd been standing there, trembling with the effort as she stood over the transforming body of Hank McCoy -- as she jerked her hand away from his chest, grasping it as the glow faded away into nothing. Panting, Tessa staggered backwards and leaned against another medical bed, blinking her eyes as she looked down at her hand.

"Tessa?" Moira started to move again, stepping towards the young woman. "Wha- . . . what did ye do tae him?"

Before Tessa could form the reply on her lips, a deep voice spoke from Hank's direction: "P . . . p-p-Pro . . . Profess-s-s-sor?"

Turning, Moira blinked as she stared hard at the prone form now lying there. "Henry!? God, man! Are . . . are ye-?"

"M-M-Moira? Is . . . that you? H-how did-?" The voice stopped, then started again, asking, "Where . . . am I?"

"Yuir . . . yuir back at the school, Henry," Moira said, trying to gather her nerves. "Charles an' I . . . we, well . . . we found ye, an' brought ye home again."

"Then . . . what happened to . . . the others?" There was a pause, as the body rose up and began turning to examine itself. "Dear . . . Lord! What . . . what happened to me!?"

"It was thanks to . . . a friend, Henry," Xavier said, nodding as he looked on. "She found a means to heal your injuries, and . . . apparently, it has done something, more, to you."

With Xavier, Moira and Tessa looking on, Hank looked down at his hands and gasped, seeing them now covered with blue fur and tipped with long, thick claws. Flexing them, the young man slowly brought them up to his face, where he felt the other changes that had been wrought there.

"Oh my, stars . . . and garters!"
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To Be Continued...