Most of the inhabitants of the Xavier Institute were sitting in the common room. Jean was flipping through fashion magazines and swatches of fabrics. Peter was sketching in his black sketch book with Kitty peering over his shoulder. Betsy was fingering Warren's hair as they watched TV with Scott and Ororo. Kurt hung upside-down from the chandelier with a book in his hand.
Emma walked in with her usual white outfit. Her hair was delicately curled.
"I thought we would've had more assignments or something," she announced, sitting at the table with Jean and Peter. "If we're going to be vigilantes, why aren't we springing to life every night?"
"Because there haven't been any threats to mutants," Jean responded, putting down her Italian Vogue.
"I'm with Emma," Warren said. "If we don't have anything to do, why aren't we down in the Danger Room, training?"
Kitty reminded, "We were just down there last night! Some of us still have bruises."
Bobby ran into the room, out of breath.
"Guys…Change it…to the news," he panted, clutching his knees.
Scott clicked the TV over to the news.
The pretty reporter was beginning to deliver her report. The banner beneath her read: AVENGERS ATTACKED LAST NIGHT!
"Thank you, Don," the reporter began. "This is Trish Tilby reporting direct from Avenger's Tower where Ms. Marvel was found in a comatose state this morning. Security cameras reveal several suspicious figures prowling the halls before they all went black. The Avengers have no comment."
The TV clicked off.
A wheelchair whirred and footsteps followed as Charles and Moira entered the room.
"I see you've all heard the news," Charles said, gesturing to the TV.
"You mean that was a mutant attack?" asked Jean.
"We really don' know," Moira responded. "Charles and I are goin' to Avenger's Tower te check up on Ms. Marvel."
"And we need to take a few of you with us to investigate the attack."
"Cool! I'm going!" Bobby cheered.
Emma asked, "And what are the rest of us supposed to do?"
"You're comin' with me," Logan answered, marking his entrance. "There's been a mutant activation."
"And we're off," Trish's camera guy told her.
Trish smiled and scratched her head.
"Thanks, Terry," she responded.
Someone called to her, "Trish!"
She turned around and found her boyfriend, Hank McCoy, running to her.
"Hank!"
She met him halfway and jumped into his waiting arms.
"I was just on my way to lunch and I wondered if you wanted to go?" Hank asked.
Trish adjusted her ponytail. "Uh, I think I've got some time to kill. I just wrapped up the Avenger's story."
"Yeah I heard about that. Anything change?"
"No. Ms. Marvel's still in a coma and the Avengers still won't talk. Not even Tony Stark the Media Whore."
"Well, let's go to lunch and we can talk all about it."
Trish told Terry that she was going to lunch as he packed up the equipment. Hank hailed a cab and they drove to a small cafe close to New York University, Hank's school.
"How were your classes today?" Trish asked over her burger and fries.
"The same thing that happens everyday," Hank droned. "I wonder if they're going to graduate me early?"
Trish laughed along with Hank.
Her laughter faded and she began to examine Hank's face.
"Are you letting your beard grow out?" she asked.
He rubbed his chin, feeling the thick stubble that he thought he shaved off this morning. "Yeah. I thought I might see how it goes."
"I don't think I've ever seen you with facial hair before." She chewed on a fry.
Hank smiled and picked up his milkshake.
"Did I ever tell you I love your big hands and feet?" she asked, rubbing his free hand.
He laughed, "All the time."
The scent of something burning wafted to Hank's nose.
"You smell that?" he asked Trish.
"What?"
"Smells like something's burning."
"I don't smell anything." She glanced at her watch. "I gotta go, Hank. It's time for me to go back to work."
"All right, I'll get you a cab."
He walked Trish to a cab, kissed her goodbye, and began walking back to NYU.
"Do you have the time?" someone asked him.
"Uh, it's twelve-thirty," he told them.
But when her turned around, he saw a man talking to a woman several yards away. He lifted his hand to scratch his head, but stopped once he noticed his skin was tinged with blue.
Anna sat on the roof of the facility. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched the people walk by. The creature in the back of her mind grew with the addition of Ms. Marvel.
You're a horrible person, the creature said viciously. How could you attack someone in their sleep. I misspoke. You're not a person, you're a monster. A monster like me.
"Shut up," Anna told the voice in her mind.
I'm sorry, darling, I can't shut up. You hurt us. You don't get to be free of us. You don't deserve it.
"'Us'? Who's us?"
She doesn't even remember.
"Let me see you, then."
No. I'm not going to make things easy for you.
"I wish I could reverse everything, put you back where you belong. But what's done is done. Please, just go away."
We can't do that, love. But I will help you. If you remember everyone you hurt, everyone of us trapped in here, then we'll be quiet. We'll be nice to you.
"Is that all I have to do?"
We'll talk about the rest when you remember us.
"How many?"
You can't even remember how many people you've killed. How many people you've absorbed? The creature laughed. We can't tell you. It'll make things too easy. But when you find out one of us, we'll show ourselves and move into the darkness of your mind.
"Okay, I know Ms. Marvel."
She's not a part of the deal.
"Why not?"
Because you absorbed her last night. She doesn't count.
"What're you doing up here?" a voice asked behind Anna.
She turned around and saw Wanda coming up the fire escape.
"Just...thinking," Anna answered.
"Well, Magneto called us into his throne room."
"Ugh, Ah hate that place."
"Tell me about it. And Magneto is really creepy too. He was staring at me and my brother like we were some prized show dogs or something."
Anna gave a small laugh. "That is creepy."
"What happened last night?" Wanda asked.
"What?"
"One minute you were there and then your mind shut off to us."
"Ah was on a side-mission."
"Which was?"
Anna looked at Wanda. She smiled and fell off the side of the building. Wanda ran to the edge. Anna rose back up into the air and landed on the roof. The two girls walked back downstairs together as new friends.
A shiny black car pulled up outside Avenger's Tower. The passenger door swung open and deposited Charles's wheelchair onto the sidewalk. Moira exited the drivers seat. Their small group of students, Scott, Emma, Kitty, and Bobby, get out of the backseat.
"While we go examine Ms. Marvel, you four investigate Iron Man's missin' Arc Reactor," Moira instructed.
"That's what they stole?" Scott asked.
Moira nodded.
"S.H.I.E.L.D is all over the building," Charles added. "Try not to get in their way. I don't want to have to bail anyone out."
His eyes lingered on Bobby.
"Why are you looking at me?" he asked. Kitty rolled her eyes.
They entered the building. A woman with long red hair was standing behind the welcome desk. She looked like a beautiful ballerina (which meant she was Russian).
"Charles Xavier," she greeted in a soft Russian accent.
"Natasha Romanoff," Charles responded. "It's been too long. How is Armando?"
"Fitting in nicely. I see you've been...recruiting again."
"In a manner of speaking."
"I suppose you want to snoop around upstairs?"
"Just my students. Moira and I have an appointment with Carol."
"Fine. I'll call Wisdom and have him come get your students. Ms. Marvel is on the third floor."
Charles and Moira nodded to the children and got into the elevator.
"I never thought Xavier would've reopened the school after last time," Natasha remarked with a small laugh. She began typing on a small computer.
"What happened?" Scott asked.
Natasha looked at him. "He hasn't told you." It wasn't a question. "Neither will I. But, if you ask the right people, you might just get some answers."
The elevator dinged and reopened. A tall man in a black suit with black hair and a black eye patch walked into the lobby.
"Hey, Natasha!" he called. "What's with the kids?" He was English and caught Kitty's eye. She wondered who was sexier, this guy or Peter.
"They're here for your tour," she responded.
"My tour?" he repeated.
"Yes. They're Xavier's kids, Wisdom. He wants them to help find out what happened here."
Natasha left the lobby through one of the side doors. Wisdom turned around slowly and looked at the four mutant teenagers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, but didn't light it after he placed it in between his lips.
"Hello, I'm Pete Wisdom," he introduced. "I believe this is the part where you introduce yourselves."
All eyes turned to Scott. He looked at the others before, unwillingly, standing.
"I'm Scott Summers," he responded. "This is Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake, and Emma Frost."
"You know, there's nothing better than a group of young mutants," Wisdom remarked.
Kitty asked, "How old are you?"
"Old enough, Love." Kitty blushed. "Well, I believe you need to see Iron Man's room."
"Where'd you get that eye patch?" Bobby blurted.
"When I was twelve, I melted my eye clean out the socket."
"How?" asked Emma.
"My mutation."
They stared at him in complete shock. They never met anyone with a mutation that backfired before. Scott prayed the others would find the new mutant in time before their mutation maimed them. Or worse.
Logan decided he was taking the kids on the subway. Jean's hand was throbbing as soon as they reached the station. Ororo had taken to squeezing the life out of it. She confided in Jean with her claustrophobia. Her other hand was in her pocket, clutching the only thing left of her family.
The large ruby she always kept on her was passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Her mother, N'Dare, told her it belonged to their ancestor, Ashake. Ashake was a powerful sorceress in ancient Egypt. When her life was threatened by a dark force, she placed a protection charm on the ruby and gave it to her daughter. Ororo always clutched the ruby for safety, though she didn't believe in magic.
This was one of those times.
As the train sped along, Jean muttered comforting words. Almost as soon as it began, it was over.
"We'll check the campus first," Logan said as they stepped out into the sunlight. "Cerebro ain't all that reliable."
"You mean we're going to a college?" Betsy gushed.
"Can we go to a party?" Warren enthused.
"This ain't fun time," warned Logan. "We're gonna find this kid, deliver our offer, then go home with or without him."
He began waving his hand to hail one of the many cabs.
Hank was sitting in the library with his lab partner, Calvin Rankin. They were having a small discussion as they wrote notes from the piles of books on the table.
"I'm not saying mutants aren't cool," Calvin whispered. "But radiation is so much better."
"You are so wrong. Mutants are born that way. The stuff they do is permanent. Who says someone can't just fall into another vat of radioactive goo and lose the powers they had?"
"I guess. But the Hulk—" Calvin began, but he was cut off by the feminine body pressed against him.
They looked up and came to the beautiful face of Anna-Marie.
"Hey, ya'll," she said. "Ah'm lookin' for Henry McCoy."
Hank was at a lost for words. No girl had ever come looking for him.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Anna smiled. "Ah'm here to offer him a—scholarship—to a very prestigious school."
Hank didn't believe her. She was too young to work at a school.
Calvin asked, "What school?"
"Ah'm under strict orders to tell that to Henry McCoy only. Where can Ah find him?"
"I'm Henry McCoy."
"Perfect. Mah associates will escort you out to the car so we can discuss your future."
A group of people around Anna's age stepped into the light. There was only one other girl and the youngest was a boy with blond hair who kept flicking a lighter. The most disturbing was the boy with green skin; Hank was afraid he was sick. But he knew the boy with the thick jacket and dark sunglasses was up to no good.
"I don't think I'll be accepting the scholarship," Hank said, turning back to his notes.
Anna leaned over the table. "Ah'm sorry, Darlin', but it ain't negotiable."
"I'd like to differ," a gruff voice came from the other end of the library.
Hank turned and saw a man with his own thick leather jacket and five kids and a shrouded figure behind him.
"Who are you?" Anna asked, straightening up.
"We're the X-Men," the pretty girl with red hair said.
"Ah don't think you wanna pick a fight with us," advised Anna, stepping over to her group.
"I think yer out numbered, girlie," Logan responded.
Calvin jumped out his seat and ran for the door.
"I'll see you in Chemstry!" he called over his shoulder.
Hank should've ran too, but he was glued to the spot. He looked around and the few people who remained in the library were watching as if a cagefight was about to start before their very eyes.
"Not as outnumbered as you think," Mortimer spat. His British accent thick and on the point of cogney.
Before anyone could say anything else, a large man stepped forward. He was wild in every sense. His hair was long and tangled, his fingernails needed serious trimming, and he gave off an odor that was not human.
"Long time, no see, Wolverine," the wild man said. His voice was like gravel in a blender.
Logan smirked, "Yeah. Been ten years, right, Sabretooth?"
The man laughed, displaying his horrible sharp teeth.
"Are we gonna fight or—?" Warren began.
Logan nodded. Warren dropped his duster and spread his magnificently beautiful white wings. The papers rustled in the room as Ororo rose into the air on a soft breeze. Peter's skin began hardening; the harder it got, the more his skin faded silver. The last to reveal their nature was Kurt. He removed his disguise of an oversized trench coat, hat and glasses. The students watching ran out as soon as Kurt stepped into the light.
The Brotherhood were frightened. Not only was there an actual man of steel, but the X-Men had an angel and a demon on their team.
"Rip 'em to shreds," Sabretooth ordered.
Anna hesitated, a good sign to Logan, before she and her team rushed in with Sabretooth.
Hank sat and watched the entire battle. He was most concerned about Logan and Sabretooth's fight. Logan had produced six long, sliver blades from the backs of his hands and he and Sabretooth were clawing at each other. But then, he noticed every cut healed almost instantly on both men.
Wanda was throwing red sparks at Jean who was levitating books, blocking the dangerous sparks. Ororo was blowing a powerful gale, trying to blow out the flames spewing from John's hands. Warren was chasing Pietro and Betsy was trying to break into Remy's mind, but it was too charged for her to get a good grasp. Kurt teleported behind Mortimer as he leaped around the library.
Anna flew into the air; she was left with Peter, the Steel-Man. Peter was trying his best to get a hold of the girl, but she was flying too high. When he decided to try to help Betsy, Anna got an idea. She slid her hand out of her glove and flew down to touch Peter. When her hand touched the cold metal that was his skin, nothing happened. He grabbed her arm and swung her around. He held her tightly in a bear-hug. Anna pushed on his arms and, miraculously, pushed his arms off her body. She flew back into the air with her new super strength.
Jean's head was on fire. She never lifted so many things so quickly. The smell of blood filled her nostrils, but she ignored the nosebleed. She focused on lifting book after book to block Wanda's attacks.
Focus Jean! a voice said in the back of her mind. Push her!
Jean tried to ignore the voice, but she was so close to passing out. No one understood how hard telekinesis was.
Do it, Jean! You have to push yourself by pushing her!
Jean dropped the book she was levitating. A bright red spark sped toward her chest. Her arm moved on its own accord and a shield of telekinetic energy deflected the spark. Blood trickled out her nostril. She was tired, but couldn't stop. Another spark flew toward her, she deflected that one, then another and another. With each deflection, she began to see the invisible shields take on an opaque pink color, but still invisible to everyone else.
Her head was spinning, her body swayed, but she continued to stand. Wanda was sweating and panting. It was Jean's turn. She focused on the air in front of her. A thin sheet of pink energy appeared in front of her. She pushed it toward Wanda and it collided, causing Wanda to fall hard onto the floor.
Pietro stopped running and noticed his sister. He was about to run toward her when his feet left the ground.
"Can't run on air?" Warren joked.
Mortimer leaped, lashing his tongue behind him. Kurt caught it and teleported in a cloud of darkness and brimstone. The smoke trailed along Mortimer's tongue until it coated his entire body. They appeared on top of a bookshelf. Kurt teleported again and again and again until he appeared beside the woozy Jean. Mortimer was unconscious and greener than ever.
Ororo sent all the wind she could create down to John, but he still had a lick of flame coming from his lighter. Then, she got the idea from a lesson Charles had given them earlier. She used the winds to spin her around in the air. She was almost a blur, but still didn't get dizzy. She pushed the new cyclone toward John, making sure to get him into the center. As she willed the cyclone to continue to spin, all the oxygen in the center dissapeared, causing John to choke and the fires to go out. She released the wind back into the air, leaving behind an unconscious John.
Betsy decided to stop trying to get into Remy's mind. Instead, she used the hand-to-hand techniques Logan taught her. She was good, but Remy kept touching things, causing them to explode. Her heart was pounding and he was getting on her nerves. She moved to punch and tried to break into his mind again. The purple butterfly appeared over her eyes again. It flew down her arm to her hand where it formed a purple blade of psychic energy. The blade pierced Remy's skull. He screamed in agony before crumpling to the floor.
Anna noticed her team had crumbled. She flew down and pushed Peter to the ground. She swooped back into the air and ran into Warren. He dropped Pietro, whom Anna caught, and fell to the ground. Anna placed Pietro back down and he ran around their fallen teammates, causing all the papers on the floor to fly into the air. Anna grabbed Mortimer, Remy, and John and tossed them over one shoulder before flying out. Pietro grabbed his sister and he disappeared as well.
Hank was still sitting in his seat though the table was crushed.
Logan walked over to his battered students, dragging Sabretooth by his hair.
"You're a mutant," he told Hank. "You need to be in a safe place where you can learn how to control your mutation. You can come with us or you can stay here and wait for them to come back for you."
The X-Men limped out the building. Hank followed.
Moira checked the pulse of Carol Danvers. It was steady. Moira couldn't see a reason for her comatose state.
Meanwhile, Charles tried to investigate through the mind. As he connected to Carol, he found there was hardly anything there. She was mostly black swirling mists. Charles had seen this type of thing once before.
"Her psyche was split in two," he told the Avengers as they assembled in Carol's room.
"Is there nothing we can do?" Henry Pym asked, his tiny wife, Janet, was clutched to his chest.
"This is a battle she must fight on her own."
"But thou art a psychic!" Thor accused.
"Yes, but I can only piece together fragments of a mind. There are no fragments. Her mind's like amoeba: it split in two and the part that functions left her."
"How long?" Clinton Barton asked, stroking his bow in sorrow.
"Oh, she'll live," Charles told them. "Until she figures things out, she'll just be a vegetable."
"I'll make sure she has everything she needs," said Tony Stark. He stroked his small goatee in thought.
"Anthony, can I please talk to you in privat?" Charles asked. "Moira, can you instruct the others on how to continue."
Charles and Tony stepped into the hallway. Tony pulled the door closed.
"What is it, Charles?"
"It's about you." Charles looked grim. "I don't want this to effect your future."
"What do you mean?"
"I know you've just gotten sober and the attack on Carol and your stolen Arc Reactor..."
"Don't worry about me. That was a long time ago. I'll be fine."
"Professor!" Scott called. The four of them were running up to Charles and Tony.
"What is it?" Charles smiled.
"We've got a clue," Scott announced.
Bobby began, "I found a fingerprint—"
"—And I ran it through the criminal database using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computer—" Kitty continued.
"—We found it belonged to Remy LeBeau," Bobby finished.
"There was also some slime in the hallway," Scott added. "When we tested it, we found it was the DNA of Mortimer Toynbee."
"I scanned the mind of the guard and saw that Remy LeBeau and a girl with dark hair came into the building," Emma concluded.
"You sure know how to teach 'em," Tony remarked.
"No. They're just great students," replied Charles. "Well, we should be off, Anthony. Hopefully, there's a new student waiting for us at home."
"I wish we could've came together on a better situation."
"As do I old friend."
John awoke in a part of the facility he had never seen before. It was pitch black and extremely quiet. He looked around and found Mortimer and Remy lying on cots beside him and Wanda was in the bed across from him. Someone was talking outside.
He slid off the cot, his feet touching the cold metal floor. The people talking were a good few yards away from the sick bay. He picked up his lighter and walked out, listening carefully to the talking. The accoustics of the metal palace were great. He flicked the lighter and allowed a small flame illuminate his path.
"None," the voice of Mystique answered someone's question.
John killed the light and listened closer to the conversation.
"Good. It won't be long until Charles finds something's amiss," Magneto responded.
"I made sure to cover my tracks."
"Yes, but he's good at puzzles, my dear. I have to cheat at chess with him."
"What about the mutant?"
"While our students were creating a distraction, I apprehended a better one. Did Blob and Omega do their jobs correctly?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Give me the piece. I'll have to visit with Mr. Jeffries. Oh, Mystique? See to it that Pyro gets back into bed."
John raced back to the sick bay and dove onto the cot. His mind drifted off to sleep as he thought about what Magneto was planning.