The War Room was thick with tension as Gambit stared down the barrel of Bishop's gun, the accusation of being an assassin still hanging in the air. Bishop fired, but Rogue quickly yanked Gambit out of the way. On his way down, Gambit shot out a charged card, which collided with Bishop's chest. Bishop absorbed the energy, preparing for a second attack before Kitty quickly disarmed him. Alexis then got in between Bishop and Gambit, looking furious.
"What the hell, Bishop?!" she exclaimed.
"He's the assassin I came back to stop!" Bishop exclaimed.
"Who you calling an assassin?" Gambit questioned. "You're the one shooting people for no good reason."
"Don't try and turn this on me, traitor!" Bishop threw back. "Your actions lead to the future becoming a living hell!"
"Whoa there, Hoss." Rogue snapped, also putting herself between Gambit and the time traveler. "Remy's many things, but an assassin he ain't."
"She's right." Cyclops agreed. "Gambit is an X-Man. One of us."
Bishop still looked pissed, his eyes never leaving Gambit.
"Is that so?" he sneered. "Just how much do you know about this traitor? How do you know he's not some Brotherhood spy, or worse?"
"We know more about him than we know about you." Wolverine pointed out. "How do we know you're really on our side in the future, eh?"
"I showed you the badge!" Bishop exclaimed.
"Which you could have stolen from me, or taken off my corpse for all we know." Alexis challenged. "Sorry Bishop, but I'll take Gambit's side over yours any day."
Bishop just sighed in response.
"You know, I volunteered to come back because I was the only one that didn't exist in this time period," He told them. "But now I can see I'm the only one with the guts to pull the trigger."
"No one's pulling any triggers." The Professor declared. "However, a matter of this magnitude must be investigated further."
"Professor," Gambit let out, "You don't really think I-"
"Of course not." The Professor interrupted. "But if there is an attempt on Senator Kelly's life, we have to take action to stop it."
"Odds are, the attack will take place at the Senate hearing." Jean rationalized. "Considering how high tensions are right now, it's the most logical choice."
"Then you all best come with me when I make my address." The Professor decided.
"Whoa, whoa..." Iceman let out. "ALL of us?"
"We may be facing insurmountable odds." The Professor replied. "We will need everyone we can."
"Numbers ain't gonna mean much with this traitor riding your coattails." Bishop snarled, gesturing to Gambit with his thumb.
"Gambit is innocent until proven otherwise." The Professor told him. "He is coming with us."
"What about future boy here?" Wolverine asked.
"We'll bring him too." The Professor decided. "We could use the extra aid."
"Besides, I don't think leaving him here alone would be a good idea." Cyclops added.
"Seconded." Alexis agreed. "Someone needs keep an eye on him and Gambit. That way one doesn't kill the other."
"Then let's gear up." Cyclops declared.
...
Later, all of the X-Men were geared up and on the Blackbird, headed for DC. As they rode through the air, Alexis stared out the window in contemplation, instinctively holding Kurt's hand. She hadn't let go for some time, nor showed any sign of doing so in the near future.
"Are you doing alright?" Kurt asked.
Alexis paused for a moment, letting out a shaky sigh.
"I've lost my dad, my home..." she said softly. "Just the thought of losing you too..."
She tightened her grip on his hand. Kurt then wrapped his other arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close.
"Alexis, I can assure you I'm not going anyvhere." Kurt promised. "No matter vhat the future holds, ve'll face it together."
She looks at him, genuinely grateful.
"Thanks Kurt." she told him.
"Anytime." Kurt replied before kissing her forehead.
Bishop watched this from his seat and became irritable and mournful. He turned to Gambit, who was sitting with Rogue off to his other side.
"I hope you're happy with yourself." Bishop called out. "Because that happiness is gonna be destroyed thanks to you. She'll never be happy again, the only thing she'll have left is a charred rosary."
"Maybe you heard wrong about me being this assassin." Gambit suggested. "Cause Gambit assure you, killer ain't on his resume."
"Right, because you've never caused anyone pain just so you could get what you wanted." Bishop taunted.
Gambit flinched at the accusation, looking down. That's when Rogue took his hand, shooting Bishop the dirtiest look she could muster.
"Shut the hell up, or I'll put you in a coma until you return to your future the long way." she threatened.
Bishop stared her down for a minute, then decided to back off.
"Seems Gambit owes you one, Chere." Gambit noted.
"Don't pay him any mind, sugar." Rogue insisted. "We all know you ain't no assassin, even if future boy don't."
"As long as you believe in me, that's all I need." He told her, kissing her hand.
...
DC was in complete uproar, a massive demonstration taking place in front of the Senate building. People were shouting loudly, holding up signs denouncing mutants. Several anti-mutant slurs rang out as the police did their best to keep the protest contained. Across the street in an old brownstone building, the Brotherhood of Mutants were gathered, looking out at the crowd. Toad let out a whistle at the sight.
"Man, they're out for blood." He remarked. "Bet the X-Freaks are wishing they'd let us finish the job."
"Hopefully, we'll get the chance to finish what we started." Pyro replied.
"Indeed." Lorna declared. "Everyone get into positions. It'll be show time soon."
The others nodded as they headed out.
...
It wasn't long before the Blackbird touched down in D.C., just outside of the Smithsonian.
"Pitor, take the younger members and work the crowds." Cyclops instructed. "Rogue, take Storm, Gambit, and Bishop and check the south side of the building. Logan, take Alexis, Kurt, and Emma and secure the north. Jean and I will stay with the Professor."
Everyone nodded, then split off, taking their designated positions. Kitty, Piotr, Bobby, and Jubilee donned civilian disguises and slipping into the crowd easily. As they did, Jubilee glanced over at Kitty and Piotr, looking nervous.
"Hey..." she let out. "Do you… Do you think that Bishop guy is right? About Gambit I mean?"
"Not a chance." Kitty replied. "Gambit may be a bit rough around the edges, but he's no killer.
"Kitty is right." Pitor concurred. "Gambit is an X-Man. That is all. I'll trust my friends over some future man any day."
"Ditto, Piotr." Iceman declared. "You'll see, Jubilee. We'll clear Gambit's name, and kick the real assassin's ass."
"Alright then." Jubilee replied, now feeling a lot more positive. "Let's do it!"
...
Wolverine's group began taking positions on the north side of the building. Kurt was perched in a tree as Alexis, Wolverine, and Emma hid in some bushes. As they laid in wait, Emma took note of Alexis' helmet.
"Isn't that Magneto's helmet?" She asked.
"It's mine now, actually." Alexis corrected.
"Do you honestly think you'll need that?" She questioned.
"Well let's see, we don't know who or what we're up against today, and it's a helmet that blocks telepathic attacks." she listed off. "I'd say yes."
"Fair enough, I suppose." Emma relented. "Though I wonder what Magneto will think when he sees it."
"Do I look like someone who cares what he thinks?" Alexis deadpanned. "If I ever see him again, I've got a right hook with his name on it."
"Then far be it from me to stand in your way." Emma remarked.
Wolverine smirked, as did Kurt as they resumed their vigil.
...
Rogue's team meanwhile began taking their positions on the south side, doing their best to keep an eye on everything. This was proving to be difficult with Bishop not giving Gambit even an inch of leeway.
"Maybe you keep a lookout over there." Gambit suggested, gesturing to an area away from him. "Way over there."
"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight, you're even dumber than you look, traitor." Bishop snarled.
"And the thought never occurred to you that you might be misinformed about my treachery?" Gambit asked.
"Believe me, I know it's you." Bishop replied. "I've hated you my entire life."
"Alright you two." Rogue snapped, literally getting in between them. "Both of you knock it off. We ain't gonna be stopping no assassination with you two going at it."
"Indeed." Storm chimed in. "We have a job to do, and that job requires all of us.
The two finally relented and returned to the job at hand, much to Rogue's delight.
...
Inside the Senate building, Professor Xavier's hearing was in full swing. The crowd was in a tizzy, crying out for Xavier to be thrown in prison or worse. Scott and Jean sat amongst the crowd, more than a little uneasy by the general hatred of the room.
"Quiet!" Kelly called out. "Let's have some quiet!"
The crowd died down a bit before Kelly resumed his questions.
"Now then, Professor Xavier," Kelly resumed. "You say that you were being coerced into attempting to murder every human being on the planet?"
"That is correct." Xavier replied. "It has always been my philosophy that humanity and mutant kind can coexist peacefully, and I have spent my entire life trying to live by this code. I would never of my own volition commit such an atrocious act."
"I see…" Kelly replied skeptically. "Now then, is it true that your 'institute' is really just a mutant training facility for pro-mutant extremist?"
"Far from it." Xavier replied. "My school is a place for mutants to learn restraint and control regarding their powers."
"And is it true that you are the leader of the 'X-Men', a well-known mutant terrorist group?" Kelly went on.
In the back of the room, a snort sounded. Cyclops and Jean turned, seeing Pyro leaning against the wall, a trench coat over his fire suit. Avalanche was next to him, looking appalled by Kelly's accusation.
"Xavier a terrorist?" Pyro hissed. "Man Kelly's grasping at straws."
"Quite the opposite actually." Xavier replied. "The X-Men have done nothing but work to protect mankind. In fact, just a few months ago they aided the Avengers in stopping the Ellis Island attack."
"Ah yes." Kelly said, giving a slow nod. "How convenient that you and yours were there just in the nick of time to save the day. One would even say it was quite coincidental."
In that moment, the two Brotherhood members shed their trench coats, raising their voice.
"Ya know, as much as we hate the X-Freaks, I gotta say I don't appreciate what you're saying Senator!" Pyro shouted.
"You want Mutant terrorists, here we are!" Avalanche declared, summoning a fair-sized quake.
The quake disoriented everyone and sent them all into a panic. Amidst the chaos, Senator Kelly's assistant rushed forward, grabbing him by the arm.
"We need to get you out of here!" she insisted.
As she ushered him out, Pyro stepped forward and shot out streams of fire that transformed into demonic horses. They rode around the room, Jean used her powers to summon a fire extinguisher from the wall and spray it at Pyro, disrupting his fiery creations. Scott meanwhile blasted at Avalanche, knocking him back. The two Brotherhood members took the opportunity to make a break for it. Pyro blasted at a nearby wall, allowing them to leap out.
"Quick after them!" The Professor insisted.
"Right!" Scott called back as he and Jean took off.
Scott then shed his coat, revealing his costume underneath, as Jean discarded her own civilian attire, pulling the head lining of her costume over her head. As they rushed off to follow the two Brotherhood members, the Professor closed his eyes and sent out a telepathic call.
"X-Men, it's time to act!"
...
Outside, the other X-Men were alerted to the explosion and immediately sprang into action. From the crowd, Toad began whooping and hollering, making a general nuisance of himself. Blob joined him, grabbing protestors and throwing them like ragdolls. Piotr saw this and quickly steeled up, moving to confront him. He caught one of the thrown protestors, setting them down.
"That's not very nice." Colossus declared, reeling a fist back for a punch.
He then punched Blob in the face, causing the oversized mutant to stumble back. He snarled, then charged at Colossus, going for a tackle. As he approached him though, Kitty sprung forward and wrapped her arms around Colossus, allowing Blob to pass right through them.
"Can't tackle what you can't touch, fatty!" Kitty jeered.
Colossus turned back to Kitty as she kept her arms wrapped around his neck.
"Much thanks for the rescue." He told her.
She just smiled at him, then they focused back on their fight with Blob. Meanwhile, Toad was jumping around, avoiding Jubilee's attempts to blast him.
"Jubilee!" Bobby called out. "Lead him over here!"
Jubilee glanced over, seeing a fountain off to the side. Grinning, she began doing just that, firing at strategic points to ensure the wily mutant went where she wanted. As he landed on the fountain, Bobby quickly fired an ice blast at the water, which came up and froze around Toad.
"Hey!" he cried out indignantly. "No fair!"
"All is fair in love and war." Bobby remarked, high fiving Jubilee.
"Uh, guys!" Kitty called out. "A little help!"
The two turned to see Colossus and Kitty still trying to fight off Blob. Jubilee smirked, then lobbed a blast right at his head. Bobby then quickly iced the ground underneath him, causing him to fall flat on his back. Before he had a chance to get up, Colossus punched him hard in the face. He was out like a light, Bobby freezing him to the ground for good measure.
"You two just chill for a bit." Jubilee quipped, earning a grin from Bobby and a face palm from Kitty.
...
Meanwhile, Avalanche and Pyro managed to escape from the building. As they ran across the courtyard, a roundhouse kick from Rogue knocked Pyro to the ground, much to both of their surprise.
"Where you think you're going, sugar?" Rogue smirked.
"Through you, it seems!" Avalanche declared, sending a quake Rogue's way.
The quake knocked Rogue off her feet as Cyclops and Jean came running out. Cyclops immediately took aim at Avalanche, striking him in the back. As Avalanche fell to the ground, Pyro got back up and shot a stream of fire at the two of them. That's when Storm began hovering in the air, her eyes becoming full white.
"Sorry Pyro, but your pyrotechnics end here!" she declared, the sky darkening as rain began to fall in buckets.
The downpour seemed to overpower his flames, dousing them. Rogue took the opportunity to pull off a glove and touch Pyro's face, draining just enough energy to knock him out. Once she did that, she tugged at the collar of her suit.
"Woo, anyone else feeling a little hot under the collar?" she asked.
"Only when I'm with you, Chere." Gambit remarked, earning an eye roll from Rogue.
"Where's Senator Kelly?" Storm questioned.
"His Secretary got him to safety." Cyclops answered. "He's in good hands."
"Gambit ain't taking that chance." Gambit declared, running through the hole in the wall.
"Hey!" Bishop shouted, giving chase. "Get back here, murderer!"
The two disappeared into the building, much to the X-Men's surprise. After a moment, Rogue rolled her eyes again.
"I got them." She promised. "You go help the others. Something tells me these chumps ain't the only Brotherhood members here."
...
Meanwhile, Alexis and her team were preparing to move out when Wolverine suddenly found himself unable to move. Upon noticing that, the other three X-Men froze.
"Oh no..." Alexis let out.
"Surprise, X-Men." Lorna greeted as she floated down towards them. "I'm actually glad you're here. Now I have the pleasure of destroying you all myself!"
"Let Wolverine go!" Kurt demanded.
"I don't think so." Lorna replied. "In fact, I think I know just how I'm going to destroy you asswipes!"
Wolverine's claws slowly slid free of his knuckles, much to everyone's horror. She then had him swinging his claws at Alexis, causing her to frantically dodge. She pulled out her gun, aiming at Lorna. Lorna just scoffed as she summoned the gun right out of her hands, or she tried to until she realized it was made of plastic.
"Nice try, Lorna." Alexis chuckled before firing.
Lorna thought fast and moved Wolverine right in front of the blast, hitting him. He howled in pain as Alexis gasped.
"Sorry!" she apologized.
Kurt and Emma were about to move in, but they were suddenly picked up by the backs of their costumes by Juggernaut.
"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered.
Kurt quickly ported out of his grasp as Emma shifted into diamond form. She then punched him in the chest, though it did little good against him.
"Nice try, Frost." He chuckled before slamming her into the ground.
Kurt ported into the back of Juggernauts head, trying to undo the latches on his helmet. Juggernaut quickly grabbed his tail, pulling him off.
"Ain't gonna be that easy, chump." Juggernaut told him. "Besides, last time you tried that didn't work so well."
Alexis happened to glance over, seeing what was going on and immediately panicked. She let off a volley of fire at Juggernaut, determined to stop him. Juggernaut held up his hand trying to block the blast, but it gave Kurt enough time to port free with little more than a few bruises on his tail. Kurt then ported over to Lorna, knocking her out before she even got a chance to react. Wolverine dropped to the ground, fully mobile once again.
"Finally." he let out. "I hate it when she does that."
"Now we gotta deal with Juggernaut!" Alexis declared.
As they turned towards Juggernaut, the other X-Men came running, prepared to fight. Cyclops fired off a shot at his helmet, knocking him back. Jubilee managed to get a lucky shot, taking out one of the clasps. Bobby then started encasing his feet in ice, trying to keep him in place. However, Juggernaut easily shattered the ice. By the time he did though, Kurt managed to get a second latch open. Storm then summoned a massive bolt of lightning and hurled it down at Juggernaut, causing him to cry out. Momentarily stunned, Colossus rushed in, grabbing Juggernaut's helmet and ripping it off.
"Now!" he shouted.
Jean and Emma both used their powers to subdue Juggernaut. He stumbled for a bit, clutching his head before his eyes lost focus and he passed out.
"Nice work." Cyclops commended, walking over to Jean.
"Works every time." Jean responded.
"Where's Gambit?" Wolverine questioned.
"And where's Bishop?" Alexis added.
"They went inside the building to protect Senator Kelly." Storm answered. "Rogue went after them."
"Then we better go after them!" Cyclops declared, prompting the X-Men to take off into the building.
...
Inside, Kelly's assistant ushered the Senator into a back room.
"In here." she insisted.
Kelly entered the room, stopping short when he saw his assistant tied up on the ground, blindfolded and gagged. He gasped, turning around to see that the assistant he'd entered with was shapeshifting, transforming into Gambit.
"Surprised?" He quipped, kicking Kelly in the chest.
As Kelly fell to the floor, "Gambit" reached over to a shelf, grabbing a gun that had been stashed there. He then approached the bound assistant, removing her blindfold so she's be witness to the events.
"A little message from mutant kind." He told him. "Don't mess with the mutants, especially Gambit and the X-Men!"
Before he could pull the trigger, the door flew open, revealing the REAL Gambit.
"Well, this certainly explains a few things." He declared, charging up a card.
He then threw the card at the faux Gambit, blowing up the gun. The faux Gambit yelped in pain as the real one sprang forward and tackled him to the ground. As they wrestled with one another, Kelly rushed to his assistant's aid, untying her as quickly as he could.
"Let's get out of here!" Kelly declared.
The assistant ripped off her gag, watching the two Gambits continue to roll across the ground. The two made their way towards the door when Bishop arrived. They just ran past him as Bishop aimed his weapon inside. By this point, one of the Gambits had managed to get the upper hand on the other, lording over them.
"Guess you're not as tough as I look!" he jeered.
"Two of you?" Bishop let out, drawing both of the Gambits' attention.
"He's a shapeshifter!" Gambit told him.
"You're the shapeshifter!" the other Gambit snapped. "He's the one who tried to kill the Senator!"
"Better take out both of you to be sure." Bishop decided, aiming his blaster at him.
"Hey!" Rogue shouted.
He turned just in time to get a punch to the face from Rogue. He fell and she grabbed him again, slamming him against the wall.
"Nobody's taking anyone out, today!" she decided.
He went to fight her off, but she grabbed his wrist and flipped him. In doing so, she dislodged the metal bracelet on his wrist.
"My temporal transceiver!" Bishop let out.
"My, my, seems I stumbled onto something important." she mused. "I wonder what happens if I do this!"
She dropped the bracelet and smashed it under her boot.
"No!" Bishop screamed as he seemingly faded from view, the bracelet disappearing as well.
Rogue watched him go, then turned to the two Gambits.
"Alright, which one of you is the real deal?" she questioned. "Speak now, or wind up in a coma."
Gambit pulled out a card and charged it up. Rogue smiled in response as she turned to the faux Gambit. Realizing the jig was up, the faux Gambit delivered a roundhouse kick to Gambit sending him flying back. His own card exploded in his face, knocking him out. Rogue gasped, then faced the faux Gambit as he shapeshifted into Mystique.
"You!" Rogue snarled. "I shoulda known. Bad enough you tried to turn Xavier into a weapon, but now you try and frame Gambit for an assassination?!"
"Truthfully, framing Gambit was Lorna's idea." Mystique replied. "Besides, I don't think you're gonna hurt me at all."
"Really?" Rogue replied, pulling off a glove. "Cause right now, I'm thinkin of draining every ounce of energy out of that sorry body of yours."
"You won't." Mystique dismissed. "In fact, you're gonna let me escape."
"And why the blazes am I gonna do that?" Rogue questioned.
Mystique then began shifting once again, this time into an older woman with blonde hair and pale blue eyes.
"Because once, I looked like this." she explained, her voice laced with an accent exactly like Rogue's.
Rogue stepped back in shock, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Momma…" She let out.
"That's what I told you to call me after I took you in." Mystique told her, verifying that she truly was who Rogue thought she was. "What you called me until the day Charles Xavier took you from me."
Rogue was still reeling from this realization, her eyes never leaving Mystique as the shapeshifter took hold of her gloved hand.
"Now, are you going to help me, the way I once helped you?" she asked.
Rogue looked down at the hand before looking back up at Mystique, closing her eyes and nodding in response.
...
The other X-Men began storming the Senate building, nearly running into Kelly and his assistant.
"Senator Kelly." Cyclops let out. "Are you alright?"
"I'm confused, that's what I am." Kelly answered. "First a mutant tries to wipe us all out, then he claims to be the good guy. Now one of them tried to kill me while another tried to save me!"
"Guess mutants ain't as black and white as ya might think." Wolverine remarked.
"But the assassin is still back there!" the assistant cried out. "At first she looked like me, then she looked like someone named Gambit!"
"Mystique." Alexis snarled. "It's gotta be."
"She must've been trying to frame the X-Men for Kelly's death." Cyclops pieced together.
"Come on," Kurt let out. "Maybe ve can still catch her!"
They rushed to the room, finding Rogue carefully cradling an unconscious Gambit. His head was resting in her lap and she just seemed out of it.
"Well look who decided to take a nap." Wolverine remarked.
"Rogue, where's Mystique?" Cyclops asked.
"She… she got away." Rogue told him. "She's probably long gone by now."
"And Gambit?" Jean asked.
"He'll be sore, but he'll live." Rogue answered.
"Good." Cyclops replied. "What about Bishop?"
"Gone." Rogue answered. "Smashed his little wristband and I think it sent him back to the future."
"Then… it's over?" Jubilee questioned. "We saved the future?"
"Not yet." the Professor replied, shaking his head. "There's still one more thing to attend to."
...
Not that much later, Cyclops, Jean, and the Professor were heading to Senator Kelly's office, hoping to fully explain everything that had transpired. As they approached the door, there was a loud crashing sound, as well as the sound of Senator Kelly crying out.
"Stop!" he pleaded. "What are you doing?! No!"
Cyclops quickly kicked down the door, but was too late as Kelly was already gone, leaving a trashed office and a massive hole in the office wall.
"He's gone." Cyclops dreaded as Jean and the Professor entered the room.
"Magneto must have had other mutants on standby." Jean guessed.
Xavier looked around the room, surveying the damage.
"No." he corrected. "Magneto handled this personally."
"How do you know?" Cyclops asked.
Xavier held up his watch and dropped it to the ground. Just before it hit though, it stopped midair and clung to the side of his wheelchair.
"The entire area has been magnetized." He explained. "Only one mutant can produce enough magnetic fields to cause this big of a disruption."
"Magneto." Jean declared.