Chapter 21: Ghosts and Demons

Muir Isle - Scotland

"You're not worried about meetin ma folks are ya?" Holmes asked as he and Rahne lay there together in her bed. They'd both finally slept through the night without waking up screaming or crying or both. Moira had looked in on them in the early hours of the morning, but she knew Rahne was sleeping with him because he made her feel safe. The fact that neither of them had waked when she opened the door was proof enough that they needed each other and she'd asked Xavier to look the other way if it happened again at the institute.

"A little..." she admitted as he kissed her and they continued to cuddle.

"Shuga, how could they not love you?" he asked.

"Ye nearly got killed trying to protect me..."

"Which must mean you're pretty damn special." he interrupted. "Don't worry, they're gonna love you, they already do...its not like you haven't talked to 'em before."

"Aye, but tha was before..."

"Stop worryin, everything's gonna be fine." He said, trying to reassure her. She smiled and kissed him, but she knew that while his body might be stronger, he couldn't bounce back from the psychological effects of what he'd endured so easily. They'd already had several heart to heart talks about what had happened and while they were both starting to feel a little better...she'd had to fight this battle once before and she knew that some wounds never completely heal. She still carried emotional scars from her past life and she knew she always would, but with the love and support of her family and friends, the old wounds didn't hurt so much anymore.

Logan had taken time to talk to Holmes about his similar experience with the Weapon X program and he had really helped him, especially when he'd told him that he couldn't do it alone either. Dr. Sampson had arrived to help too, but Holmes didn't show much interest in talking with him even though he had done so much to help Rahne after Moira saved her from Reverend Craig.

Yoshida Clan Dojo - Japan

"Raven Darkholme, to what do I owe this honor?" Kenuichio Harada asked as she entered his chambers.

"I've come for the girl, Harada." Raven answered tersely. "She is ready isn't she?"

"Why don't you judge for yourself?" he asked as a tall blonde girl suddenly appeared beside her; sword raised, ready to strike.

"Shit!" Mystique yelled as she narrowly avoided the blow and drew her pistols. 'So this is the infamous Ghost...' Mystique thought as she stared her down. 'Hard to believe this is the same little cry-baby Sabertooth and Frenzy pulled out of that mutant testing facility four years ago.'

"You can't shoot what you can't see Mystique..." Ghost said coldly as she disappeared again.

"Ever heard the phrase 'spray and pray' bitch?!" Mystique snapped as she switched to full-auto.

"Enough!" yelled Silver Samurai. Mystique holstered her pistols and Ghost reappeared in front of her master. "Your service to me ends now Ghost." Harada said as she dropped to one knee in front of him. "Magneto is your master now, serve him well..."

"I will master." she answered as she bowed.

Nagano - Japan

"Why are we here?" Ghost demanded as Mystique settled into the hot spring at the mountain resort where she'd rented their rooms for the night.

"What's the matter Natalie? Shy?" Mystique teased. Ghost had an incredible body, six feet tall with long blonde hair and a figure like a fitness model, except she wasn't well endowed at all and it was obvious from the way she was clutching her towel against her body that she was very self-conscious, especially around someone as well endowed as Mystique.

"Fuck you." She hissed as she dropped her towel and stepped into the spring. "And don't call me that, Natalie Watson died a long time ago...I'm Ghost now...I'd have thought you could understand that." Why had Magneto sent her Ghost wondered; they'd never liked each other, Mystique had been mean to her when she'd first been rescued by Sabertooth and it didn't look like her feelings had changed.

"I do understand." Mystique said darkly. "You weren't the only one who was treated like garbage."

"Well then get off my ass!" Ghost exploded. "I'm not that scared little kid you remember! and I'll be damned if I'm gonna be treated like shit by you or anyone else again!"

"You've really got to lighten up Ghost, you're no fun at all..." Mystique said calmly.

"I'm an assassin, this is as fun as it gets."

"Then have some sake, that ought to loosen you up." Mystique said with an evil smile as she handed her the bottle.

"This is pointless." Ghost grumbled as she tossed one back and poured herself another shot. "We should be focused on the mission."

"The mission can wait." Mystique answered. "I'm not coming all the way to Japan without sampling the best it has to offer." she added as she admired Ghost's physique. Ghost had to admit this was good sake and the hotel was first class as well; apparently working for Magneto wasn't all blood sweat and tears. After all the pain she'd endured through her brutal training, it was nice to relax for once, even if she did have to put up with Mystique.

"Maybe you're right..." Ghost admitted as she took another shot.

"Hey...Ghost..." Mystique purred as they both stumbled back to their room. "You wanna fool around a little before we turn in?"

"Hell no" Ghost said emphatically as she slumped against the door and fumbled for the key.

"Why not?" Mystique asked, obviously disappointed and provoked by her rebuff.

"Three reasons..." Ghost mumbled as she held up four fingers. "One, I'm straight...two, I'm not that drunk...and three, you're old enough to be my mom..."

"Bitch...you wouldn't be any good anyway..." Mystique grumbled as she sat down on her bed. While there had certainly been a lot of men in her life, she actually preferred women and the sight of Ghost naked had really put her in the mood to indulge the more deviant aspects of her personality. Her breasts might not be very big, but her pierced nipples were pretty hot and the rest of her was just incredible.

"Has this got the latest intel on the X-Men?" Ghost asked as she sat down in front of the laptop Mystique had brought with her.

"Knock yourself out..." Mystique muttered.

"They've got another Omega level mutant?!" Ghost asked as she clicked on the latest entry.

"Relax...Elixir is only a healer...he's not even a level one when it comes to fighting power." Mystique said as she yawned and lay back on the bed. 'I've got to remember this place...' she thought.

'Good...' Ghost thought as she continued to read through Josh's files. Storm, Jean and Xavier were all Omega level and Storm and Jean rated pretty high when it came to fighting power as well. In spite of her ability to bend light and her training as a ninja, Ghost knew it would be incredibly difficult to take them out if she was called upon to do so. The others would be easier to deal with, even the Alpha level mutants like this girl called Meltdown she was reading about...her powers might be powerful and flawless, but they had their limit and she shouldn't be too much trouble to take out.

Meltdown

Name: Tabitha Victoria Smith

Codename: Meltdown

Group Affiliation: X-Men

Mutant Power: Plasma energy projection- Alpha level mutant

Race: White

Blood Type: A

Age: 17

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 120 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Meltdown is an alpha level mutant whose powers give her the ability to create explosive charges of contained concussive power that she can psionically levitate, defuse and detonate on a delayed time cycle. She has also gained the ability to generate devastating streams of raw energy since she betrayed the Brotherhood and rejoined the X-Men. Although Meltdown is powerful, she lacks the courage to kill her opponents and should not be regarded as a significant threat.

"You shouldn't be concerned about the genetic potential of their powers, you should be worried about the powers themselves." Mystique told her as she sat up. "What good are Storm's powers if she never sees you coming? That Omega level of her's doesn't mean anything...you're only a Beta level, but you could take out any of their Omega's under the right conditions." She added. "But you'll be in real trouble if you run up against Wolverine or that new werewolf thats taken up with them."

"I know about Wolverine, but who's this new werewolf...I'd only heard of Wolfsbane." Ghost asked.

"He's called DireWulf...I've never seen him, but there should be something in here on him." she said as she leaned over Ghost's shoulder and began scrolling through the information. "There..." she said as she found his file and opened it.

DireWulf

Name: Matthew Michael Holmes IV

Codename: DireWulf

Group Affiliation: X-Men

Mutant Power: Lycanthrope - Beta level mutant

Race: White

Blood Type: O

Age: 18

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 185 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

DireWulf is a beta level lycanthrope whose powers include superhuman strength, the upper limit of which has yet to be determined, resistance to physical damage and greatly accelerated healing, heightened senses and reflexes, razor edged canines and claws, total psychic immunity and molecular adhesion in his paws. Despite his youth and inexperience, DireWulf is extremely dangerous and prone to bestial fits of rage, he should be engaged with the utmost caution. Energy based, ranged attacks or telekinesis seem to be the most effective methods of defeating him.

"Too bad he's not on our side...with that psychic immunity..." Ghost muttered, trying to hide her shock at seeing Holmes again; fortunately, Mystique was too drunk to notice.

"He had his chance...idiot." Mystique said coldly as she crawled back into bed.

"What happened?" Ghost asked.

"What the hell does it matter?!" Mystique asked angrily, she was tired of all these questions and since Ghost didn't want to have sex with her, she was done trying to be nice to her.

"Damn it bitch! Just answer the question!" Ghost snapped, drunkenly grabbing for her sword.

"He got tortured by the RIGHT trying to protect Wolfsbane...they nearly killed him and Wanda took pity on him, so she offered him a home on Genosha when she tried to recruit Phoenix and Cyclops...I think, deep down, he knows Xavier's wrong, but he's so in love with that mangy little hairball that he's willing to stay in spite of it."

"Thanks." Ghost muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome, now calm down and go to sleep you crazy bitch." Mystique hissed.

'Matt, how did you get involved in all this?' Ghost asked herself as she turned off the computer and crawled into bed. 'And how can you be on Xavier's side, don't you understand how serious this is?' she wondered as she rolled over and stared at the painting on the wall of two samurai fighting. 'I don't want to fight you...' she thought as her mind wandered back to the days when she'd had a normal life with Holmes, before she was a mutant, before Magneto and the Brotherhood. Their fathers had been in the same unit and they'd grown up together, gone to school together and been friends throughout childhood. Later, they'd become more than friends, he was the first boy she'd ever kissed and he made her feel beautiful even though the other kids picked on her because she was taller than almost all the boys in their class and all the girls were more developed than she was. Even though they were only fourteen, she knew she loved him and they'd been happy together; then his father had been hit by and RPG while saving her's and Holmes had moved away when his father was discharged. He'd tried to stay in contact with her, but she'd broken up with him when she manifested. Her father had rejected her and sent her away for "treatment" and thats when her life completely fell apart. Now there was nothing left for her but Magneto's cause; it was clear Holmes had moved on with his life and whatever his reasons, he was committed to the X-Men. 'But I'll do what I have to...this is war and you're my enemy now.' she told herself as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. The sweet, innocent girl Holmes knew had been replaced by a stone cold killer with no remorse and no mercy; she was consumed by anger and totally devoted to Magneto.

Westchester - New York

"It stinks in here..." Holmes muttered as he and the others walked through the front door of the institute. They'd had to walk back from hanger since the underground transport system was still damaged. Someone had made a lot of repairs since they'd been away and the smell of paint and cleaning solvents still hung in the air.

"I'm jus' glad its still standing." Rahne said, covering her nose.

"Heads up people, we got some company." Logan said as he and Holmes turned and looked up to see War Machine and several members of the M.R.D. Sentinel Force landing nearby.

"You got a lot of nerve showin yer face around here, bub." Logan said coldly as he walked up to War Machine.

"I didn't come here to fight Wolverine, I came to apologize for what happened. That's not what M.R.D. stands for."

"I ain't interested in yer apologies." Holmes growled as he and the others joined Logan. "Get out of here and take these things with ya...you're not welcome."

"Michael." Xavier said calmly, trying to defuse the situation. "Let me handle this."

"What's there to talk about?!" Danielle said angrily, "we're not here two minutes before a bunch of damn sentinels show up...could this get any worse?"

"I think it jus' did" Rahne answered as the long absent members of Xavier's original team stepped out to face the sentinels...Emma Frost was with them.

"Fuck this." Roberto grumbled.

"Hear him out X-Men." Bishop said as he came to Xavier's side.

"Thanks." War Machine said as he eyed Holmes and Logan coldly. "M.R.D. was formed to help combat mutant threats and prevent mutant hate crimes, not to hunt down innocent mutants...we're on the same side X-Men, all I'm asking for is a little cooperation."

"Go on." Xavier said.

"We want you to keep us apprised of your missions professor, we need to know what's going on and we're willing to help you on your missions so you don't have to put children in harms way." War Machine said.

"I have never put children in harms way!" Xavier said angrily. "The X-Men are all volunteers, I never asked any of them to fight!"

"You wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for us!" Scott yelled

"Wolfsbane and Shadow Cat are only sixteen!" How do you justify that?!" War Machine asked angrily

"Well I sure don't remember seeing you on Asteroid M; and where were you when Apocalypse nearly took over the world?" Scott asked. "Oh, thats right...you were running around helpless without your armor before Rahne, Sean and Kitty saved you from an extermination squad!"

"We had tae fight because there was no one else." Rahne reminded him.

"I don't seem to be able to do anything but make you angry." War Machine conceded. "Professor, all I'm saying is that I want to protect these kids as much as you do." He said. "I want to leave the sentinel squad here to protect the institute."

"We don't need, or want your help!" Emma said angrily. "How can you even suggest leaving sentinels here! They were made to exterminate us!"

"But they're here to protect you!" War Machine said.

"They're still sentinels" Sam said. "If I come burn a cross in yer yard and call it a night light, that don't make it any less offensive."

"I appreciate your concern Mr. Rhodes, but I will not allow sentinels of any kind on my property." Xavier said sternly.

"This really isn't the best time Jason." Bishop said as he took War Machine aside. "Give them a chance to cool off first...they've all been through hell."

"I know, and I don't want it to happen again Lucas." he said emphatically. "Times have changed and the days of you X-Men doing your own thing are numbered, you need to make sure the professor understand that." he added as he fired off his repulsor jets and flew away.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see all of you together again!" Xavier exclaimed as he the original X-Men gathered in the living room with his current group of students. For many, like Holmes and Sam, this was the first time they'd ever met the original X-Men and it was like a dream come true to meet their hero's face to face. Bishop, Sage, Thunderbird, Banshee, Northstar and even Emma, together with Wolverine, Beast, Storm and Xavier; it was a truly impressive sight.

"So I take it you're responsible for all the repairs?" Scott asked Bishop.

"I haven't forgotten where I came from, Scott." Bishop answered. As the director of the Bureau of Mutant Affairs, he knew sometimes it must seem that way to the younger X-Men, they all had a deep distrust of the government after Colonel Striker had attacked Emma's Academy and killed her students. "None of us have." he added as Forge walked into the room.

"Security systems fixed, a ghost couldn't get in here now." he said as everyone stared at him in awe. The last time they'd seen him, he just returned from Iraq, missing both his right arm and leg and confined to a wheelchair. Yet despite this devastating injury, Forge wasn't one to give up, the same fighting spirit that drove him to save the lives of his men, only to be maimed in the process, gave him the strength to carry on a rebuild his body. "Scott, if your offer still stands, I want back on the team." he said as he extended his new mechanical hand.

"Welcome back!" Scott said empathically as he shook hands with Forge.

"So what's th deal with th family reunion?" Sam asked Scott as he and Holmes came to welcome Forge back to the institute.

"Northstar, Thunderbird and Emma have all asked to come back as instructors." Scott told him.

"You're not seriously going to let Emma teach are you?!" Danielle asked incredulously. "For God's sake Scott she's the White Queen!"

"I was the White Queen..." Emma said as she approached Danielle. "I'm sorry for everything I did to hurt you Danielle, you and all the New Mutants..."

"Bullshit! You joined Magneto! You got the Hellions killed! All you care about is money and power, you never cared about them and you don't care about any of these kids either! You're only here because you're broke." Danielle said bitterly.

"Thats not true!" Emma protested. "I loved the Hellions and I wish I'd died instead of them! I'm here because I want to help these children!"

"I wish you'd died instead of them too! And I don't know how you managed to fool the professor, but you don't fool me, you don't believe in peace any more than Magneto." Danielle said coldly as she turned to leave.

"You didn't expect this to be easy did you?" Scott asked as Emma stormed away in disgust.

"Yer're makin a big mistake trustin her Scott." Sam said.

"Maybe, but right now we're hurting and we need all the help we can get." Scott answered, "Bishop and Sage still work for the government, they won't be around much and Sean's still working for Interpol...we won't be getting much help out of him either." he explained.

"I agree wit' Sam, yuir're making a big mistake." Rahne said as she and Holmes turned to leave.

Hammer Bay - Genosha

"Welcome home Ghost." Eric said she bowed before him. She had changed a lot in four years and he had to admit, he was impressed she'd even survived her training, let alone become the deadly warrior that now stood before him. She was far from the most powerful mutant in the brotherhood, but her unique powers and skills certainly made her a valuable asset and he was going to use her to her full potential. "Your work for Harada was most impressive, but now your true test begins...I hope you're ready."

"I am, I'll do anything you ask." she said emphatically.

"Excellent, because I'm currently planning a mission specifically for you." he said as Ghost's face instantly lit up, she was eager to prove herself to Magneto and repay him for saving her. She didn't care what she had to do, or even if she came back, she was prepared to sacrifice herself for the cause.

"What do want me to do?" she asked eagerly as he held up his hand and used his powers to open the doors behind them.

"Be patient Ghost, even you won't succeed without the proper equipment..." Magneto answered as she followed him out. "You ability to bend light will only get you so far." he explained as they rode the elevator down to the weapons development lab. "Guard dogs and some of the X-Men will be able to pick up your scent and anyone with an infrared camera or goggles will still be able to see you...which is why we've been working on this." he said as they stepped off the elevator into the lab. Ghost stared in awe at the special uniform they'd designed for her. It was a black, form fitting body suit designed to mask her body heat and with a special charcoal lining to help keep her scent to a minimum, complete with special boots to aide her natural stealth and the head piece contained the same material as Magneto's helmet to keep telepaths from detecting her. True, she couldn't use her light bending power continuously, but this suit would certainly help her remain undetected even when she wasn't invisible.

"Every warrior needs an ideal weapon my dear." he said as he handed her a sword wrapped in a black satin cloth. "Perfectly balanced, coated in adamantium and laser sharpened...it's the most perfect blade ever forged."

"I won't fail you master." Ghost said as she admired his gift.

Westchester - New York

"So...tell me about this new team." Bishop said as he and Logan stepped outside for a smoke.

"You're from the future, I thought you knew everything." Logan answered.

"All I know is what I read in books, you were all dead by the time I was born...except Gambit." Bishop answered.

"Yeah, I been meanin to talk to ya about that bub...a little heads up would have been nice, I know Holmes would have appreciated it." Logan said ominously.

"Logan, if I'd known anything, I'd have stopped this, believe me!" Bishop exclaimed. "This wasn't in any history book I ever read and Remy never told me about it either."

"Well maybe you're not changing the future for the better after all."

"Nothing could be worse than that hell I came from...and you can't be sure I've done anything to cause this, our history books were incomplete, this may have been left out."

"What those kids did back there should never have been left out." Logan growled.

"Exactly, thats why I'd like to know more about these kids, especially Holmes, he was barely mentioned in my books."

"Who cares who made it into your damn books?"

"You did." Bishop answered.

"He's a good kid, they're all good kids...most of them have been through hell because they're mutants, but they believe in what the professor's doing." Logan told him.

"But what about him?" Bishop asked again.

"He's not the one Bishop!" Logan yelled. "He nearly died trying to save Rahne and the kids!"

"I'm sorry Logan, but I have to find the one who betrayed and murdered the X-Men!" Bishop yelled back. "It's the only way to prevent my future from becoming yours!" he snapped, pointing at the M branded over his eye.

"How do we know you aren't the one!? How do we know you don't cause this "nightmare future" by screwing around with the past?!"

"I guess you don't." Bishop said as he threw his cigar down and stomped it out. Logan snorted in disgust as he watched Bishop go, he had never liked him, the way he thought he knew what was best for all of them, and he really hated the way he went around suspecting other X-Men of being the "traitor to Xavier's dream" who murdered the professor and killed off the whole team. Holmes probably seemed like the perfect candidate with his psychic immunity and psychological trauma, but Logan knew he couldn't be the one...his faith and his love for Rahne would never allow him to commit such an atrocity.

Later that Evening

"Thanks fer coming ya'll." Holmes said as he and Rahne walked into the briefing room, the others Hodge had captured had all gathered there, even Alex.

"What's this about Holmes?" Ororo asked.

"We have to decide what to do with this." Holmes said as he tossed an inhibitor on the table.

"Break the damn thing!" Piotr snapped as he raised his fist.

"No!" Kitty yelled, "that thing might be Rogue's only chance at a normal life."

"Exactly..." Rahne said as she sat down. "I hate tha' thing as much as any of ye...probably more, but Mike and I have been talking...and we think we should give it tae Forge and let him try tae use it tae help Rogue control her powers."

"Are you sure Holmes?" They used that thing to torture you..." Bobby asked.

"I know Bobby, I was there remember?!" Holmes snapped.

"He's right, that thing represents nothing but hate, evil and pain, maybe Piotr's right...maybe we should destroy it." Jubilee said.

"I'm not willing to take what might be Rogue's only chance away from her, because of what happened to me." Holmes said.

"We all take human contact fer granted." Tabitha said, "but have ya'll ever really thought about what it must be like fer her? I can't imagine not being able to touch Sam, let alone kiss him or...well..."

"I know, but..." Jubilee said.

"No, you don't." Holmes interrupted. "None of ya'll have lost something like I have, and that gives ya a totally new outlook on everything." Seeing he had their attention he continued, although he hoped what he was about to say wouldn't embarrass Rahne. "When I lost my arm and leg and ended up lookin so awful...I had to accept there were a lot of things I'd never be able to do again, or at least not do them very well and that scared the hell out of me. Knowing I'd never be able to have a normal physical relationship with Rahne was the worst part of all."

"We've made our decision, but I think this has tae be unanimous, tha' things hurt all of ye." Rahne said.

"I say give it to Forge." Tabitha said.

"Me too." Kitty said. One by one, they all agreed that they should use the inhibitor to help Rogue. Even after all the pain that had been inflicted on them, they could all agree that Rogue's happiness was too important and they couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"He almost seemed like himself for a while there." Kitty said as she watched Holmes go.

"I wish it were that easy for him..." Ororo said. "But there's still so much pain and anger in him...I hope Dr. Sampson can help."

Forge's Lab

"This is perfect Forge..." Scott said as he tried on the new visor Forge had made for him. "The targeting system is incredible."

"Its got built in night vision and I finally perfected the focusing lenses...you're gonna kick some serious ass with that thing." Forge told him. "And I finished your new uniforms Sam." he added as he opened up one of the many panels in the wall of his lab to show off his latest design. "Custom made for each of the New Mutants...hell, they look so good I even made one for me."

"Yeah, they do..." Sam sighed, "but the professor disbanded the New Mutants...we haven't told everyone yet, since Jamie and Jubilee have enough to deal with and we still don't know what he's going to do with Dani, Rob and Amara."

"He better put 'em on th front line with us, they've all proved themselves." Holmes said as he walked in. "And we'll be taking those uniforms Forge; ya did a hell of a job."

"Holmes, you and Sam are X-Men now and we wear blue."

"Well, I ain't goin on another mission without th' best protection, and that happens to come in red and black at the moment." Sam said as he tried on his new armor vest and jacket.

"He's got a point Scott, the nano-armor is stronger and it repairs itself, they're better insulated against fire, ice and electricity, they have more mobility and there's absolutely no metal for Magneto to control, these uniforms are as good as they get."

"And they don't look like clown shit." Holmes added, as he admired Forge's work.

"Ok, I give up! I'll talk to the professor the first chance I get." Scott said. "Holmes, I assume you guys have made your decision?"

"Yeah." he said as he laid the inhibitor on Forge's work bench. "We know you're busy Forge, but we want ya to take a look at this thing and see if ya can use it to design something to help Rogue control her powers...this might be the only chance she's got at having a normal life."

"I don't even like looking at this damn thing." Forge said, thinking about all the pain and suffering it had caused both the X-Men and the Genoshans. "But for Rogue, I'll do it." he said as he picked it up and began to examine it. "This is going to take a while." he said after a moment. "I'll be damned if I believe the design for this came from our time...The Fixer couldn't even come up with something like this if the Tinkerer was helping him."

'Just like those nano machines and the mind control implants, this must be some more of Apocalypse's technology...I wish we knew where the Genoshans got this stuff.' Scott thought.

"Well I can't do anything tonight...I need to pick up some more equipment and tools from my lab back at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ." Forge said as he turned out the lights and they all headed back upstairs, it had already been a long day and with the arrival of M.R.D. and the old team, there been too much drama.

"Ya need some help?" Holmes asked.

"Yeah...shouldn't take too long." Forge said, he'd been wanting to talk to Holmes ever since he'd gotten back.

"I'll let Rahne know you'll be gone fer a while." Sam said as Holmes pulled on his jacket and followed Forge out.

"That sucks about the New Mutants being disbanded..." Forge said as they sped through the night, back toward New York City.

"Yeah, but there ain't shit I can do about it, he's been wanting to shut us down for a while now..." Holmes grumbled. Sage had originally formed the team out of necessity to deal with the threat of Magneto, Apocalypse, and the Hell Fire club after it appeared the X-Men and Xavier had been killed defending Earth from the Phoenix Force. Once they'd returned, with the mysterious being imprisoned inside Jean, Xavier downgraded the New Mutants to a training squad with limited combat exposure, due to their age and limited experience. The New Mutants had already saved the world during the X-Men's brief absence and they were deeply offended by Xavier's actions, leading to a rivalry between the two teams. Now that there was a sufficient number of X-Men to handle any conceivable threat, Xavier felt it was time to put an end to the infighting. Even though they were considered inferior to the X-Men, Sam and company took pride in being New Mutants and while they were honored to be chosen by the X-Men, they wished they could still be New Mutants and they were all concerned for their former teammates who weren't yet X-Men and no longer New Mutants.

"I understand what you're going through, part of me misses the Marines and the brothers I left there, but things change and you've got to roll with it." Forge told him. "Be proud you and you're friends were chosen to be X-Men, they've done a lot of good for a lot of people."

"Forge, I don't have years of history and experience to fall back on to tell me I'm doing th right thing...th X-Men have been savin th world long before I ever put on th uniform, but what's it all been fer, people still hate us..."

"Saving the worlds not the same as changing the world Holmes...that take a lot longer." Forge answered. "I felt the same way after I got my arm and leg blown off, I'm sure your dad did too...you're not alone and its alright to feel the way you do. People piss me off...hell, sometimes I really wonder if they're even worth it..."

"Yeah..." Holmes muttered. "We save th world and fer five minutes we're hero's and everybody loves us...then we're back to being a bunch of stinking mutants putting ourselves above the law again...who th hell are they to protest us!? They're alive because of us!" he said angrily.

"I know..." Forge said. "This country's so damn fucked up, but its all we've got and its worth fighting for even if these mindless sheep don't appreciate it, or us."

"Th other X-Men are all I'm fightin fer anymore...all th rest is just bullshit." Holmes told him. Forge nodded in silent agreement, he knew how Holmes felt, he'd joined the Marines right after September 11th, speeches about honor and duty still ringing in his ears, but once they hit the ground and the bullets started flying...honor, duty and country didn't mean anything compared to the lives of the Marines by his side and despite the horror around him, he kept fighting for them, they were going to make it home even if it meant he didn't.