Ultimate X-Men:

Issue 73

Magical: Part 1

Xavier sat in his study with his cat lying on his lap. He was sitting at the desk but he hadn't put his legs under it, but to the side. His cat purred as Xavier rubbed the top of her head and then around the ears.

"You've done well for me." Xavier said over his private cell. "I appreciate everything thus far. My assets are no longer frozen. It appears the Hellfire Club situation has been taken care of. I trust everything came through on your end as well?"

Syndicate was on the other line, "Our sister is doing well, thank you." The two heads said over the phone line. "Only she's now being investigated about where she got the money for the operation all of a sudden. It's always something.

"I can take care of that as well, Syndicate." Xavier said nodding his head. "Someone in a high place will learn that was an insurance policy on you since you are legally dead."

"You sure do have all the angles covered, Mister Xavier." Syndicate said with a slight laugh. "Really sir, we can't thank you enough."

"No thanks necessary." Xavier said looking at the clock on the mantel. "Anything I can do to help a fellow mutant, I'll always gladly do. Actually, I may have a new task for you. I'd like—"

Xavier stopped when the phone on his desk started to ring. He took a look at the caller ID and sighed. "Sorry, boys. That's my other line and I need to take this. I'll call you back later when I get a free moment." Xavier hung up one phone and reached for the other.

"Miss Pryde, it is so good to hear from you." Xavier said with a fake smile on his face.

"Wow, you really are psychic, Professor." Pryde said over the phone.

"Don't be so impressed." Xavier laughed. "We have caller ID here at the Mansion. What can I do for you?" Xavier asked trying to speed the conversion up.

Miss Pryde nervous laughed into the phone. "Well, I know Katherine has a new boyfriend, but I really don't know all that much about him..." She said. "She's usually not so secretive with me. Is this boy one of your students?"

"No, he is not." Xavier said into the phone, pushing the cat off his lap. The woman was wasting his time with this. "I've met your daughter's boyfriend before… he's a good young man. I promise you have nothing to worry about."

"It does make me feel better to hear you say that, Professor." Miss Pryde said, not sounding so sure of herself. "But if you could… would you keep a closer eye on her, for me?"

"I would be happy to." Xavier said reaching for a drawn and opening it to place his private cell phone into it.

"Thanks, could you transfer me over to her room? The automated directory you have is so confusing…" The woman really did sound relived.

"Actually, Kitty is in a training session right now." Xavier said locking his cell in the drawn. "It's best not to disturb her. I try to avoid all interruptions when she's learning to better control her powers."

"I understand." Miss Pryde said. "I hope you don't have her doing anything too dangerous. I worry about my little girl."

"I assure you, Miss Pryde." Xavier said, smiling to himself. "Kitty isn't doing anything she doesn't know how to handle."


New York City:

"Let's make this fast, X-Men!" Cyclops shouted as he jumped onto Iceman's iceslide. "Lives are at stake!" He slid down the slide in a crouching position. Shadowcat floated down to the site of the battle right behind Cyclops.

Charge and Phase were already down in the middle of the battle, Phase phasing his way through and punching every chance he got, Charger grabbing some cards out of her back pocket and throwing the charged pieces at the men they were fighting.

Kitty watched as Wolverine landed into the middle of a group of men and started his little dance as he kicked and punched with his claws extended. Storm was giving him back up by throwing lightning bolts at men who tried to get closer to the tiny Canadian.

Next came up Colossus and Phoenix, out of every one of the group Kitty thought that those two looked the best at what they did. The teamwork of the two was amazing. They have only none each other for a few months, but they seemed to have known each other for years. Kitty remembered the way that they clicked from the very beginning… she just knew it was a matter of time before they would start dating.

To bring up the rear Kitty watched as Magician brought himself and Rogue down lightly to the ground. Rogue threw some cards and jumped away from the man as he waved a hand and the men that charged at him disappeared.

Kitty rolled her eyes as she listened to Scott's speech. "The only lives at stake are ours!"

"You coulda stayed at home, kitty." Iceman said as he slid past the girl and froze some of the men that were coming up behind the girl. "We've got more than enough manpower to take out these losers… they don't even have powers!" He slid away and attacked another group of men.

"Don't underestimate our opponents, Iceman." Cyclops said as he shot a beam of red energy at two men started to fire guns at Colossus and Phoenix. "What these guys lack in super-powers they more than make up for in firepower!"

"How dare you interfere with The Friends of Humanity?" A man was yelling at the center of a knot of men. He was the only one not wearing a mask and was also the only one not firing a gun. "We will not be denied!" He waved a hand at the men around him. "Open fire men! Slaughter these gene-jokes!"

"I think that you are a very very angry man." Colossus said as he ran through a group of men and lunged at the pavement. He grabbed onto it and lifted with all his might. The fifteen men that were standing in front of him shook as the pavement below them shifted. With a roar Colossus lifted the pavement and threw it up into the air. "I believe your quest of hatred will require more than bullets."

"You freaks are attacking a hospital full of your humans because they offered to help mutant children get medical attention they can't afford?" Storm yelled over the mini tornadoes she had produced and sent flying to a group of men that tried to charge her.

"I just don't get it." Magician said, snapping his fingers and the pavement around him turned into liquid and it began to wrap itself around a group of men that were around him. "How does attacking a hospital in broad daylight get you anything but thrown in jail for the rest of your life?"

Magician snapped his fingers again and the liquid pavement turn solid as the men screamed in pain, not being able to move. "If we hadn't shown up it would have been the police or the Ultimates."

"Phase!" Charger gasped as a group of men over ran her and she fell to the ground. Phase turned around from his punching and phased through a group of men to get to her. When Phased finally reached the young woman, he turned solid and sent his arms in a circle motion, knocking all the men down around him and Charger.

"Leech some of my power, girl!" Phase told the woman he loved.

Charger shook her head. "No, I'm fine… I don't want too…" She paused as she pushed herself away. "Please, no." And before Phase could say anything Charger ran off in a different direction to help Rogue.

Wolverine charged into a group of men and slashed at one of them, the man's helmet split into two. "I swear, I'm gone a few weeks and the whole team is different!" Wolverine said as he back flipped towards Kitty who was phased as bullets flew through her. "Nightcrawler, Pete and Alex ain't getting along. You're dating that loser in the webs. And who's this new pretty boy on the team? Isn't one enough?" Wolverine said as he landed and looked over at Colossus and Phoenix, shaking his head.

"What's his name?" Wolverine asked as he brought his claws together deflecting a bombardment of bullets. "Wizardboy?"

"If you'd stick around for more than a few days at a time you'd be able to keep up." Kitty said as she mimicked Wolverines back flip. "New guy's Magician. He's nice. And I've been dating Spider-Man for a while. Where have you been?" She said as she phased through another group of bullets, and asked her questions with a sarcastic tone.

The men started to turn and run. Colossus plowed right through them. "Not going well, is it?"

"We've got them on their last legs, people!" Cyclops said as he hit more of the men that were trying to flee.

"You think we're defeated!?" The man at the center of the protective ring yelled at the X-Men. "You think this is all it takes to get rid of us? In case you haven't noticed the gene jokes are in the minority!" He looked around as the men around him began to flee. "You may have won the battle but the war is far from over!" He yelled as he threw his hand in the air.

"I can't believe he just said that." Kitty said, turning to Wolverine.

The man's eyes went huge and suddenly his head expanded.

"Whoa…" Kitty said taking a step back.

"What have you done to me?" He yelled as the rest of his body expanded and he grew twelve feet tall. "You've infected me with your disease! You've covered me in your mutant filth!"

"He looks like the Hulk…" Rogue said in awe as she looked up at the man.

"What?" Iceman said as he took a step back. "You can't catch being a mutant."

"You're the ones behind this!" The man yelled in a deep bellowing voice. "I'm not a freak!"


Westchester General Hospital:

Nightcrawler sat in Alison's room staring at the woman. He sat in his usual spot at the foot of the bed, in his crouching position. The girl moaned and moved her head. Nightcrawler's ears perked up as he focused on the girl.

"Oh… God." Alison moaned opening her eyes. "That twit stabbed me didn't she?" She looked at the man sitting on her bed and focused on him.

"Oh, hey, Elf. Where're the rest of Charlie's Angels? The hallway? At home having a party. You the only one? Is Warren here?" She said in a rush. She narrowed her eyes when the man didn't say anything. "Kurt?" She said again as he just started at her, his eyes wide.

Nightcrawler didn't say anything as he stared at the woman that had just woken up.

"Kurt?"


The Xavier Institute for Gifted Children:

Xavier wheeled himself into the sick bay room. He watched to woman sleeping on the bed. He sighed as he reached closer to Jean Grey.

What worried him at the moment though is what Phoenix did to… Phoenix, or Jean… it was all very confusing. "Are you okay?" He asked as he neared her. "How are you feeling Jean?"

"I'm fine, Charles." Jean said as her eyes popped open. She pulled the bed sheets closer around her, but didn't move from her laying position. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm not a danger to anyone. You don't have to keep me in here… Please?" She almost started begging.

Xavier sat in his chair and looked sadly at the woman. He shook his head and rubbed his chin. "This is for your own good, Jean. I know you understand that. I'm just keeping you here under observation."

"And what about Alex?" Jean said bitterly.

"Jean this is not about him, this is about you."

"I'm not a danger." Jean repeated herself. "You can't really think I'd hurt anyone here. I don't remember what happened with Lilandra, but I know it won't happen again."

"I have to be sure Jean." Xavier said turning away from the girl. "I'm sorry."

Jean's eyes glared at the back of the man's head. A dark expression grew across her face as Xavier wheeled himself out of the room. "I know. Just leave." Jean raised a hand and a green goblin appeared flying towards the button on the wall. More of the tiny little goblins formed around her as she watched the door close on Xavier. "At least you guys still listen to me."


New York City:

"Peter!" Phoenix yelled as the big man flew past him and crashed into a building. Phoenix flew over to him and landed next to the de-morphing mutant. His tight black leather uniform was torn in half and started curling up at the rips.

Phoenix placed a hand to the man's heart to check if it was still beating, when he felt it, Phoenix looked at the man's face and brushed some hair away from his forehead.

"Crap!" Kitty yelled as she ran to the two mutants. "I think his arm is broken! We've got to…"

The big human-monster stomped toward the group of mutants and slammed his fist into the pavement causing everyone to fly out away from the blast. The only people who were not affected were Magician who was standing next to the epicenter and Phoenix who had created at telekinetic shield around himself and Colossus.

"Is that the best you can do?" Magician said, cocking his head, his shoulder length hair draping behind his shoulder.

"Tough guy, huh?" The man said growling.

"Something like that. You may not recognize me. I've been on the news a lot recently but I understand…" Magician was saying as he back flipped away from the charging monster. "I'm still pretty new to the team. Let's get you away from them before you cause any more damage." He turned in the flip and started running away from the group of knocked out mutants.

"Where do you think you're going?" The monster said chasing him. "Is that your power, running scared?"

"Not at all. I'm Magician." He said, smiling and turning around to a halt. "I make things happen." He smiled as he thought about something, "Wait a minute!" Magician said as he jumped out of the way of another fist. "I've been going about this all wrong." He smiled as he back flipped again. "I was totally doing this the hard way." He reached out a hand and the monster suddenly became human again.

"What the…" The monster said as he looked around, his pants falling to his ankles.

"Impressed?" Magician said as he rushed toward the man and slammed a fist so hard into his face teeth flew out.

"Okay, team… are we all…" Cyclops said slowly getting to his feet. "We need to pull it together." He said as he surveyed the surrounding area. The monster did a lot of damage, especially to his team. "This guy is still out there and he's not going to be easy to take out.

"Relax, man." Magician said as he walked out of the dust carrying the man that they had just been fighting. "It's all taken care of. I got him." He smiled at Cyclops and then dropped the man.

Kitty smiled up at him, her hair dangling in her face. "This guy is totally sweet!"

Phoenix sent a fake smile to the girl, he still didn't trust the man, but what was he going to do. He was basically a new member of them and he couldn't put his two cents in until he proved himself. His attention was brought back to Colossus as the man moaned.

"Phoenix…" He groaned as he moved his head looking up at the teenager.

"You're going to be fine…" Phoenix said as he rubbed Colossus broken arm. The big man sucked in his breath and moaned again. "Let me try something…" Phoenix said as he put a hand to his temple.

With his mutant ability Phoenix reached out with his mind and touched Colossus's mind. He was searching for something… his pain sensors… "Found them…"

Colossus's moaning stopped as he looked up at Phoenix. "What did you do…" He said smiling and pushing himself off the ground.

"I'm not done yet…" Phoenix said pushing him back down to the ground. "And I turned off your pain sensors."

"Guy's, come on!" Cyclops said as he waved to the two men.

"Let me just…" Phoenix popped Colossus bone back into place and then lifted the man off the ground with his TK.


Xavier's:

"Kurt?" Xavier asked as he lifted his head from a book. He looked out of his study and saw the blue man walking past the doorway.

Kurt stopped and looked into the study. "Yes, Professor? What is it?"

"Where have you been?" Xavier said closing his book and placing it on his lap. "I've hardly seen you at the Mansion for the last few days and now the X-Men have had to go on another mission without you." Xavier looked concerned and wheeled himself to the doorway. "Is something wrong?"

Kurt didn't look at the man and leaned against the doorframe. "I have been dealing vith something personal… I prefer to be alone." Kurt said walking away from Xavier before he could reach the teenager.

"Kurt, please wait…" Xavier said reaching out for the man. He sighed as the doorbell rang and he wheeled himself down the hall. "Sometimes these kids…"

Xavier made his way to the door and opened it. He narrowed his eyes at the man that was standing before him. Nick Fury was a very formidable man, he was tall, bald, and well built. "Charles, we need to talk." Fury said with his hands in his coat pockets, looking like his face was carved from stone.

"What can I do for you?" Xavier said turning away from the man and wheeling himself into the entryway. "Come, let's finish this in my study."

"Nice and quite here today." Nick said as he followed the man down the hall.

"My students are out on a mission at this time." Xavier said not turning around to look at the man.

"You really think I don't know that?" Fury said taking his hands out of his pockets. "And keeping those new teenagers from me, really?"

Xavier finally turned his head and smiled at the man. "Of course you know. What is it you want to talk to me about, Fury." Xavier said, most of the patience leaving his voice.

"Right. I'll play your little game and act like I don't know you didn't already pull it out of my brain." Fury said pointing a hand at the man. "You really don't need that façade, Charles."

"I never enter a mind without permission." Xavier said, this time all the patience's out of his voice. "Now please, get on with it. You're trying my patience."

"This new recruit you have… Magician, the kid with the reality-altering power. I want him. I've seen the footage of him from New York. He's got potential. Real potential." Fury said leaning over Xavier's desk and look into the man's eyes.

"He'd do more good with my Ultimates. He'd be protecting the world, not putting out tiny race-related fires like he is with your little crew."

Xavier placed a hand under his chin and narrowed his eyes at the man. "Have you mistaken my operation as your personal talent pool?" The man said with no humor. "You'd think Wolverine was one of the Ultimates, as often as you send him on errands." He took his hand away from his chin.

"The answer is no."

"I wasn't asking." Fury said lifting himself off the desk and fixing his jacket straight. "He's still underage… barely… so I can't just outright claim the government is entitled to him. So I went to his parents. They didn't even know he was…"

"Parents?" Xavier interrupted the man. "When you brought Elliot here… when you turned him over into my custody you told me he accidentally killed his parents."

"Wait a minute." Fury said turning to look at the man in the wheel chair. "Back up. When I turned him over into your custody? What are you talking about?" Fury said crossing his arms across his chest.

"I never even heard of this boy until he started running around with the X-Men."

Xavier placed a finger to his lips, thinking. "Something is very wrong here…"


X-Wing:

Kitty stood up from her seat and walked over to the man known as Magician. She leaned over his seat and looked at him as he turned his head and smiled at her. Her long brown hair spilled over her shoulders as she looked into his eyes. "You did good out there, new guy."

"Thanks." Magician said, his white teeth sparkling.

"Maybe you could show me a few of those moves sometime?" Kitty asked smiling at the young man.

"Sure!" Magician said, his smile reaching his eyes. "Anytime, Kitty. Just say the word."

"Don't you have a boyfriend already?" Bobby asked rolling his eyes as the girl turned to glare at him.

"Shut up." She said walking away and back to her seat.

"Are you okay?" Phoenix asked Colossus as Kitty passed the two siting next to each other.

"Hmmm…" Colossus hummed; a gitty expression on his face.

"Is he?" Kitty asked as she took her seat across from them.

"I disconnected his pain sensors…" Phoenix said taking a quick glance at the big man. "After setting his arm I tried it again, but I couldn't find them…"

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked looking at him confused.

"When I reached out with my mind to connect the sensors back… I couldn't find them. But I think I accidently did something else…"

Colossus giggled again.

"Ouch." Kitty said.

Colossus giggled as his head rolled back and forth. Phoenix groaned as he placed his hand to his forehead. Kitty smiled at the two and shook her head. "I'm sure the Professor can fix it."

Up at the front of the X-Wing Scott raised his hand in the air. He pushed a button on his visor and began to speak, "Yes? It's done. We're on our way back to the Mansion now. Yes, sir. At present speed? No more than ten minutes. Yes, sir."

"What was that about?" Storm asked as Scott stopped talking.

"The Professor, seeing when we'll be back at the Mansion." Scott said. "That's odd, he never checks up on us like that…"

"Maybe something is wrong?" Magician said from over his shoulder.


Xavier's:

"They're on their way back now." Xavier said hanging up the phone and looking at Fury. "They should be here shortly."

"Should I call in my team?" Fury asked taking a few steps away from Xavier's desk and turning around to face him.

"I'm sure we can handle this without the Ultimates." Xavier said, rolling his eyes. "Just to clarify, you never brought Elliot Boggs to me. You never heard of him before you saw him on television… Is that what I am to understand?"

"Read my mind, Charles." Fury said bluntly. "I don't know what you saw or who caused you to see it but I have never encountered this boy." Xavier rolled away from the desk and meet Fury in the middle of the room. "One with his powers? I would have kept him for myself, which reminds me… you have been keeping those other students from me."

"The extent of his powers is the question here." Xavier said as he passed Fury and made his way towards the door, ignoring Fury's other question. "I released him from sedation… allowed him to become an active member of my X-Men… long before I should have." Xavier thought about what he was saying and started to wonder what he had been thinking.

"It appears he may be controlling our behavior. Maybe you did bring him here and you were made to forget."

"You're kidding, right?" Fury said following the man into the hall. "Trust me. I scratch my nose and I have to file a report. I could be made to forget something but there would still be a record." Fury shook his head. "No, I wasn't here. You saw something else."

"An illusion then…" Xavier said rubbing his chin. "This is very troubling indeed…"

Xavier thought about what was happening and shook his head. "So you bringing me Elliot Boggs here was some kind of illusion…"

"That's the best explanation I can come up with…" Fury said.

"We can't trust our own perceptions… and he seems to have some way of blocking my telepathy." Xavier said not looking at the man as the two walked toward the hanger to meet his X-Men. "There is no way of determining the extent of his powers. We are truly dealing with the unknown here."

"We can assume he doesn't have a hand in this conversion." Fury said placing his hands in his pockets, following behind the man. "That much at least seems certain. I am me and you are you." Fury nodded his head, thinking that he was very cleaver.

"So that gives us an idea of his range… possibly. Maybe he just needs to be aware of something to make it happen. If he knew we were talking about this, maybe he could stop it. We will confront him when he returns." Xavier said turning down another hall. "I don't sense the will to harm us in him. I am hopeful that he does not wish to injure us…" Xavier sounded worried. "And when confronted he will not try to hurt us…"

"I hope you're right…" Fury sighed.

Jean sat on the bed in the room that she was confided in. Apart of Jean knew why the Professor was doing this and she understood it, but another part of her hated it and resented the fact that she was locked up… after being so close.

But that was the problem, that wasn't her thought and she knew the Professor wouldn't let you go unless she figured out what was going on. Jean started humming and crossed her ankles.

Her green goblin friends slowly appeared around her. One hummed along with her and shook its head back in forth as if listening to music. Another floated around her head, smiling at her. She smiled back as she raised a hand and rubbed the creatures check.

Jean stopped her humming and brought her hand up; she created a small version of her Phoenix burst and smiled at it. Alex was another factor in all this. If the boy hadn't of showed up things wouldn't of jump started like this…

Wait… She thought as she crushed the bird in her fist.

Yes, child… A voice spoke to her.

Out of me head! Jean said as she mentally forced the voice out of her head

"I win." Jean said as she smiled and created another fire bird and crushed it again.

To Be Continued…