At The Start: Part Two
"Time travel? That's ridiculous Erik. What does that have to do with this situation?" Iceman asked, angry that Magneto was putting ideas into his wife's head. She had a hard enough battle beating Sinister's tampering the first time.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Lorna yelled. She nearly leaped out of her bed. "I thought no one would even think of that."
Magneto folded his arms across his chest and nodded. I thought so. Something about you was different, but I couldn't' place it. Robert, I think she's telling the truth."
"Is that why you've been asking about Alex and X-Factor?" Iceman asked. The idea of time travel relieved and worried Iceman simultaneously. There was a chance his wife wasn't crazy, but then would she really be his wife?
"Exactly. I was tracking down a rogue mutant who had built a time machine. He obviously screwed things up," Lorna replied.
Iceman's nose turned up at his marriage being referred to as a screw-up. "Well, if anyone can help it's the Fantastic Four."
"Agreed. Take your team to Four Towers and give Susan your complete cooperation," magneto ordered.
"Look you don't have to talk to me like a kid. This is my wife's welfare we're talking about. Whatever bad blood me and Namor have won't be an issue," iceman said.
Magneto gave Iceman a teacher's stare. "Make sure that it isn't Robert. Charles and myself will be accompanying Wanda's team to Libya. We believe The Brotherhood may be there."
"Good luck. Don't let Charles try to do something rash."
"That's precisely why I'm going. Otherwise I would be with you. Susan is more agreeable with me," Magneto said matter-of-factly.
Iceman folded his arms across his chest. "Look I'll get to the bottom of this. You don't need to worry.
"You know he's gonna worry mate," toad said from the co-pilot seat as Iceman recounted recent events to him. Mortimer and Bobby had been best friends since they formed the X-Men's original team along with Lorna, Pietro, and Wanda. Toad knew his friend well enough o know that Lorna's plight was bothering him. He loved her more than life itself.
'I know and it's my own fault really. Shouldn't let Namor grate my nerves so damn much," Iceman said.
Toad looked behind his seat at Lorna, who was talking with Shaman. He squeezed his green lips inward and turned back to Bobby. "She is quite the woman. Can't blame the bloke for flirting with her."
Iceman glared at Toad. "He was married and he kissed her."
Mortimer shrugged. "Still, turning the whole kingdom into an ice cube was a bit much."
"I've heard about that incident enough times from Lorna already. Sheesh Mort! You're supposed to have my back here."
Toad laughed. "You know I'm here for you Bobby, but it's still funny as hell. Hopefully Sue won't bitch too much."
Bobby sighed. "It's not just that. We haven't been to New Orleans since Havok killed Lorna's parents. I'm afraid it might make things worse."
"So I'm taking it you don't buy the time travel bit eh?"
The X-Men leader shook his head. "It doesn't add up. Lorna called Susan the Invisible woman. How could this time traveler change the effect of the cosmic storm on Richards, Sue and the others? And if he was that powerful why is it none of us know about him?"
"Good points all. I just don't like heading back into UN territory. Those guys aren't exactly the X-Men's biggest fans," Toad said. They still had not quite gotten over the last time the X-Men were here.
Flashback Time!
"Havok! You're a dead man!" Polaris yelled as she magnetically lifted two cars next to her and threw them in Summer's direction. The people of New Orleans were running away from the battle at breakneck speed. Under normal circumstances, Polaris would have worried about the well being of the civilians, but Sinister's butcher had murdered her parents in cold blood. She would have her vengeance.
Summers saw the cars headed his way and turned them to metallic ash with two blasts from his fits. "It'll take far better than you to kill me X-Man!"
Iceman slid onto the scene with Gambit and Jubilee in tow. Rogue and M flew in with the former carrying Shaman in her arms. Bobby shouted out to his wife. "Lorna! Are you all right? Where's the rest of The Chosen?"
"Don't know. Don't care. Find them yourself."
"Chere ain't lookin too good right now," Gambit said as he jumped off Iceman's slide. "Angry as she is, Havok may actually have himself an advantage."
"Why I'm moving in," Rogue said calling on the power of Quicksilver and rushing forward to begin pummeling Havok with high-speed punches and knee jabs.
"LeBeau your girl just keeps getting herself in trouble," Iceman said of the X-Men's latest member. She had a tendency of throwing herself into a situation without thinking. Bobby heard of her rash actions when Gambit was leading the team, but he thought Sway had exaggerated. Never was he more wrong. Rogue was even more brash and impulsive than when she ha first joined the team against Apocalypse.
The sky began to grow black and lightning cracked through the clouds. Gambit chuckled at Bobby. "I t'ink my gal da last t'ing you need to worry about. Seems Havok's friends done arrived."
Iceman cursed under his breath. This situation was getting bad fast. If The Chosen were here the chances of this being a high damage battle quadrupled. "Positions people. We're about to have some company."
Lightning cracked between Iceman and Gambit, sending the two X-men flying outward. Bobby shattered against an antique shop's wall and Gambit smacked into a small blue Volkswagen. The rest of the X-Men looked upward and saw a descending Storm with lightning crackling from her fingertips. M sighed. "Do these guys ever just decide to take a vacation?"
A puff of sulphuric acid appeared and foot struck M across the face. A tail wrapped around Jubilee's throat and flipped her through the air in the direction of Gambit. Nightcrawler landed in a cat-like stance and said, "Doing that is vacation enough for me."
Jubilee landed in the arms of a recovered Gambit who said, "Petite you need to be more careful. Wouldn't want to hurt dat pretty face of yours non?"
Clutching at her throat, Jubilee replied, "Just be lucky you didn't have to save me from Wolverine."
"Naw, that would be Shaman's department," Gambit smiled.
Jubilee loved that smile because it was the same one he gave her when him and Avalanche saved her from the Trask Force and brought her to the X-Men. She owed her life to Remy and today just added one more debt to the list. "Too bad Dominic isn't here. It'd be like old times."
"You should invite him. Then I can finish gutting the sucker," Wolverine said as he steadily approached the two X-Men with animal bloodlust.
"Petite you ready to handle dis shrimp?"
Jubilee popped a bubble of gum and said, "Do you even have to ask?"
Back to the Present"Of course I can pilot this jet on my own. Do you even have to ask?" Toad said to Iceman, who had unbuckled himself from the pilot seat. Mortimer was going to keep the X-Men out of New Orleans airspace. Bobby would have his Lorna transport the team to The Four Towers. That would pacify the population and the United Nations' diplomats.
Iceman walked to the back of the plane and asked Lorna, "Do you think you can carry us to the ground? You up for it?'
Lorna cut her eyes at Iceman and said, "Of course I can. The faster we get there the faster we can prove I'm telling the truth."
Ignoring the venom in his wife's voice, Iceman said, "Ok people get ready to depart. Mort will be handling the White Falcon until we get back."
"Hopefully Secretary Kafka won't arrest us on sight," Jubes laughed.
M rolled her eyes. "Considering the number of times we've saved her behind from the threat of the week."
Polaris still had a hard time looking at the two women. She wasn't exactly best friend with either of them, but X-Factor did keep tabs on the various mutant groups so she had enough general knowledge to tell these weren't the women of her time. Just what had Greystone did in the past?
M was as beautiful as the counterpart that Lorna knew with the addition of glistening blue liquid metal skin. Jubilee had a crew cut, nose stud, fluorescent earrings, and flower tattoos covering her arms. Surprisingly, the person she was the least familiar with, Shaman, had been the friendliest and most understanding of her situation.
"Doesn't matter what Kafka has to say. We're seeing Susan Storm immediately."
Glad to see you too Robert Psi-Storm's telepathic voice echoed throughout the White Falcon.
