Sensational X-Men
Issue #52 – The Search – Part Two
Deep Space – X-Men Strike Team
"I can't take it anymore," Corsair said as he walked onto the deck of the ship and took the captain's chair.
"What's that?" Havok asked his had as he glanced over his shoulder from where he and his girlfriend, Polaris sat in the pilot's seats.
"Wolverine and his daughter are making him nervous," Lilandro said from the char he sat at, not taking his eyes off the monitoring systems.
"First, do not ever read my mind or you'll suffer the same fate as your father and second, yes, they just sit there guarding Shaw just staring at each other and not saying a word. Dang, would rather they fight it out," Corsair said not taking his eyes off the back of Xavier's son's head.
"Sir, I didn't mean to. I don't invade one's mind unless I have to or if I need to defend myself. It is hard for me to shut down completely so I tend to skim impressions, which is what I felt from you when you walked in," Lilandro said in defense as he kept looking at the monitor and searching out for any signs of his father.
Lilandro didn't know how to feel being with this group. All his life he had been kept hidden in a room never to interact with anyone but his father and his secret best friend, Jean Grey. Almost all the mutants he felt like he knew them all but that was just from watching from afar. At the time he knew he was following his father blindly and not giving a second thought to what his father was doing or the secrets he was keeping. It pained him more to have kept the secrets from Jean, especially about her sister. He only did what he did in hopes of keeping his father's love and to one day earn the chance at freedom.
It wasn't till recently when he was discovered that he was allowed to walk free and to find out that his father had manipulated him mentally into thinking what he was doing wasn't wrong. Now with his father not near and he was able to walk free and think free he now knew better and felt guilty. Unlike the others, he didn't wish harm on his father, no matter how guilty he may be. Especially since he took him in when his mother didn't want him and had cast him out. There was a part of Lilandro that felt there was a chance that could be a lie as well. What if his mother didn't even know about him? That was why he had to go into space, not to find his father but find answers about his mom.
A part of him wished he had stayed on Earth though. He felt a comfort when he was around Jean, since they had been friends forever and to find out she was alive made him so happy. Of course, she wasn't the only person on Earth that had captured his attention. Dani Moonstar, the current Headmistress of his father's school. He had always liked since the day she had joined the school, but it wasn't till they met for the first time in person that she took his breath away. The fact that he couldn't enter her mind unless she allowed him to spoke volumes of how she was the one for him. Despite that, the thought he got the impression she liked him too, but there's Sam as well. If only he hadn't gone on this mission he could have the chance to find out, but maybe after this was all over.
"Fine, but just make sure you stay out," Corsair said tapping his temple.
"We've finally picked up a stronger signal. We are defiantly headed in the right direction," Archangel said quickly changing the subject.
Cell Block
"Don't you ever shut up?" Juggernaut asked as he looked at Sebastian Shaw in his holding cell and Loa, his newly discovered granddaughter on the other side, both who've just now paused from their endless arguing.
"Oh, dear Cain, would you rather we just stare at each other like those two?" Shaw asked with a smile as he glanced over at Wolverine and his newly discovered daughter, Shirubá-Shi.
"Whatever makes it quiet in here works for me," Cain said.
"I don't see what there is even to argue about," Darwin said as they all looked over at the mutant half-brother of Beast.
"How can you say that? He wants to kill his son," Loa said questioning Darwin.
"Don't you wish him dead too?" Darwin asked simply.
"Yes, but doesn't' mean I believe in killing him," Loa said, her voice getting a bit softer.
"Why, because he's your father? Trust me, he's my son and I can't stand him," Shaw said.
"Don't call him that," Loa said fighting the chill down her spine.
"Listen, darlin', whether you like it or not, the man is your father as is this disgusting man is your grandfather. Good or evil, they are your kin," Wolverine suddenly said.
"Yes, you can't choose who your parents are, but you can choose the relationship you want with them or lack there of," Shirubá-Shi added to everyone's surprise.
"Jamie, I had no idea. If I had known you were alive I would have been there. I never knew," Wolverine said looking at his daughter, Jamie Silverfox.
"Like my half-brothers?" Jamie asked showing no emotion.
"Like you, I never knew Daken existed. Xavier and Moira hid him from me," James answered.
"What about Erista? You knew all about him," Jamie countered.
"He was an infant and was clearly safer with his mother," Wolverine said.
"Seems like when you are not fighting and killing you are all about the woman but never the responsibility of the consequences of your actions," Jamie said staring at her father, both knowing she was also referring to the life-span of the woman he loved.
"She's got you there," Shaw said as Wolverine popped his claws and growled while everyone else were too scared to show their agreement with Shaw.
"I have those too, but doesn't determine if I'm right or wrong," Shirubá-Shi said as a long blade looking bone shot out from each of her underarms.
If there were any doubts she was his daughter, they were gone now. Wolverine knew she had inherited his rapid healing factor and heightened senses as well as the ability to generate bone claws. Him, he had three claws on each hand. His clone, X-23 had a claw on each foot as well as claws on her hands like him but only two claws. She didn't have Adamantium laced bones like him but her claws on her feet and hands were dipped in the stuff. His eldest son, Daken was just like him in every since when it came to mutant powers except his third claw on each hand comes out of his wrist and his bone claws have a strange dark coloring to them, a natural metallic coating that allows him to cut though most metals and material. His youngest son, Erista, has the healing factor but no claws. He has sharp claws that extend from his fingernails making him more like his uncle Creed.
Wolverine now watched his daughter. Thanks to Lifeguard, Beast and Forge they did a secret scan for him before they all went their separate ways. He knew she had a healing factor just like the rest of the family and heightened senses. She also had the ability to extract claws, but according to the scans and evidence of what he was seeing she could only do one on each arm and it came our of her wrist, but she could make it come out a lot longer than any of them could. When she wrapped her hands around them it looked as if she were holding swords. Scans had said there were signs of a secondary mutation or a mix of the effects form her mother's experimented genes that gave her a newer ability. Wolverine saw it as the blood coming from her hands were she gripped the bone blades start to shimmer and quickly expand and coat the bone blade making it now look like an actual metal sword.
"Nice weapons you have there," Wolverine smirked.
"They're not Adamantium but there isn't much these can't cut through and my bones may not be unbreakable but they are harder to break than normal humans," Shirubá-Shi said as she stood calm but ready to strike.
"Now this I'll pay to watch," Shaw smiled.
"Shut up," Loa and Cain said in unison.
"I know I haven't been there in the past, but if you let me, I want to be there now," Wolverine said as he retracted his claws.
Wolverine and his daughter kept eye contact as she slightly nodded and he watched as the coating around the bone blades melted away and the bones quickly shrunk and went back inside her underarms. She then sat back down and didn't say another word as he did the same. He knew they were far from being father and daughter but this was a close as a start as they would get for now.
"What was that?" Darwin asked as the ship began to shake.
"What's going on Summers?" Wolverine asked as he activated the comm. system.
"A large ship just came out of orbit and has placed a tractor beam on us. We can't seem to shake it, whoever it is, they're bringing us in and not responding to any hails," Corsair said as he patched the image down to them.
"I recognize the ship," Spirit said as Wolverine jumped, almost forgetting the quiet kid was with them.
"You do?" Cain asked his half-brother.
"It does have a familiarity to it," Darwin said looking at it.
"It's the same ship that attacked my previous ship and caused it to crash on Red's planet," Spirit said thinking back to the planet Scott's wife was from.
"Oh no," Archangel's voice came over the intercom.
"What is it, Warren?" Wolverine asked.
"It's the Others," Spirit, Darwin and Archangel all said at once.
"Who are the Others?" Shirubá-Shi asked.
"They're like demon possessed robots," Spirit said.
"Think, the terminator, but ten times worse, very strong and fueled with a fire like energy," Warren added.
"They must have been following us after we defeated them and liberated Red's planet," Darwin said.
"Well, get ready, they'll be boarding any minute," Corsair said as suddenly their ship went dark as it was swallowed into the large ship.
X-Calibur
Homecoming – Part Two
Braddock Manor
"NOOO!" Nils, the mutant known as Abyss shouted as he suddenly popped awake and his body began to unravel and grab both of Nightmagik's arms and hold her back from him.
"Let go of me," Nightmagik shouted as she felt herself growing week as the shadows of Abyss began to absorb her energy.
"What is going on?" Rachael said as she came running back in, Pete rolling in behind her.
"He just popped awake and knocked out my brother and now he's trying to swallow me," Nightmagik lied.
Rachel hated that she no longer had telepathy to read minds and know what really happened, but she did have her telekinesis. Her power flared as she grabbed hold of both Nightmagik and Abyss, pulling them apart and holding them trapped in the air, on far sides of the medical bay. After a few seconds Abyss seemed to calm and pull himself back together and looked like a slightly younger version of Nightcrawler.
"Nils, why did you attack your niece and nephew?" Rachel asked.
"My body reacted to a mystical attack. It caused me to wake up and see her trying to kill me and I was only defending myself. I don't know what happened to the purple boy," Abyss said as he felt fully healed after his brief contact with Nightmagik and absorbing her energy.
"That's not true," Nightmagik protested.
"Yes, it is," Purple Fury said as he stood up and everyone looked at him.
"What is going on in here? Every alarm has gone off," Brian Braddock asked as all of X-Calibur came rushing into the room to see Rachel holding two at bay while a third stood swaying in a wrecked area of the room.
"Curtis?" Nightcrawler asked looking at his son.
"Keep your mouth shut," Nightmagik warned.
"I can't, and maybe this is the only way to help you," Purple Fury said with sadness.
"Out with it," Psylocke said with a glare.
"I came in here and saw Margali preparing her magic to attack our unconscious uncle. I tried to stop her but she threw me across the room. As much as I know there is good in my sister, I know she has done some bad things as well. I don't know how, but she had some connection to the attack on our home here with the Darkpires," Purple Fury said, afraid to look his sister in the eyes.
"I can help with that. It's all clear to me now. Nightmagik agreed to help our brother and his Darkpires infiltrate your home here," Abyss said looking directly at Nightcrawler.
"He lies," Nightmagik said.
"I doubt that. What did she ask for in return?" Psylocke asked not needing telepathy to know who was telling lies and who wasn't.
"If he kidnapped and removed Cerise from the picture," Abyss said as multiple gasps sounded in the room.
"Margali?" Nightcrawler asked as a mix of emotions began to flood into his body.
"I wanted the chance to forgive you and I couldn't have the family I was meant to be if another woman stood in the way you and mom," Nightmagik said glancing at Amanda.
"What did you do to her?" Nightcrawler asked as he suddenly vanished and was on top of her daughter pinning her to the wall.
"Kurt!" Brian shouted as Rachel reached out and pulled Nightcrawler off of his daughter and put him in another corner of the room.
"Sorry, Nils, where is she? Is she alive?" Nightcrawler asked looking at his half-brother.
"She was placed in a cell. I don't know if she is dead or not, but I do know that our brother was keeping her alive because he wanted to kill her in front of your eyes," Nils said.
"Where is this cell?" Kitty asked as he placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Since our father was defeated the Brimstone Dimension has been closed off so our powers don't' work as they did before, accessing that place. That's why you can only do quick short distance teleports. Mine, I can still pull people in but they are placed in a very dark pocket," Abyss said.
"Is that where she is? Then let her out," Nightcrawler cried.
"It doesn't work like that. I can't just pull someone out. Once they go in they have to be physically brought back out," Abyss said.
"Then go in and get her," Shadowcat said wondering why this seemed so difficult.
"It's very dangerous in there and if I were to die then there is no coming back. Also, the longer I remain in there the harder it is for me to leave. As the longer non shadow beings or my kin are in there the weaker you get, even if I try hard to not feed off of it. Also, our brother kept us safe in there but now that he is gone I don't know what it's become like in there. If she is still alive, I can send someone in but must stay out here to be sure you are able to come back," Abyss said.
"Then how do we get out?" Brian asked.
"I signal of power light energy," Abyss said.
"That would be me," Molly said.
"Yes, you have enough light power that if you give off a surge, I will know you are ready to come out and I can come in and get you but would have to leave immediately.
"Then we go after her," Amanda said not liking the idea but felt the need to make up for her "daughter's" evil act.
"No, you must stay here," Nightcrawler said.
"But, Kurt," Amanda said.
"Kurt's right, Amanda. You're not up to full strength, but we need you here to help keep HER in check as well as having the ability to help get us back if something goes wrong and we need a rescue team," Betsey said as she glanced at the evil magic user.
"You can handle our daughter. I'll be back," Kurt said as he touched her face in a way Amanda knew that his heart belonged to another.
"Ok," Amanda said as Kurt walked up to his half-brother.
"Kurt and I will take point," Betsy said as and then faced their others, "Shamrock, Sunfire, Emerald Dragon and Purple Fury will come with us since you all have light based powers. Sorry, brother, this mission you have to sit out. You hold down the fort until we get back."
"Be careful," Brian said kissing his sister on the cheek while Abyss unraveled his body and pulled the six members of X-Calibur into his body before closing it back up.
"This should hold you till they get back," Brian said as he hit a button and a force field surrounded Nightmagik.
"The dampening field should render you powerless, if not, you got me to deal with," Rachel said as she smiled.
"Allow me, I may be weak but I have enough magic to tap into the Coven magic to temporarily help bind her magic," Amanda said as she cast a spell and Nightmagik suddenly found shackles upon her wrists with a strange white marking on them.
Inside the Pocket World of Abyss
"So cold," Kurt said as he saw they were in complete darkness.
"Allow me," Sunfire said as he ignited his body with fire to light up the room as did Shamrock.
"Well, look's like we're not alone," Emerald Dragon said as the light revealed dozens of Darkpires all around them.
Next: Issue #53 – The Search – Part Three & X-Calibur: Homecoming – Part Three
