Chapter Nine: Aftermath
The characters in this fic, by and large, do not belong to me. The X-Men, and related characters, are the property of Marvel Comics. GI Joe, and related characters, belong to Hasbro. The Delgado children (Althea, Brittany, Daria, Quinn, and Claudius), Xi, Sgt Snuffles, and the Eloi belong to Red Witch.
RogueFanKC, L1701E- Don't worry. The Marauders will get what they deserve, but not right away.
L1701E- You should have Craig take Sabretooth on. That would be a fight to remember! There are reasons for Polaris' behaviour, and they will be revealed by the end.
RogueFanKC- Yes, Willow is pretty tough, isn't she? I wasn't originally going to have her in the final showdown, but now I might. On behalf of the Eloi, thank you for the wreaths. Yes, the Misfits and the X-Men are gonna cool down the fighting in the future- but not completely. Not completely at all.
Students, report to the Danger Room immediately!
"It must be important," Scott said to nobody in particular. "The Professor hasn't sounded that worried since… I don't think I've ever heard him sound like that."
"Something's wrong," Jean said as the doors opened, and the students of the Xavier Institute walked into a nightmare. The Danger Room was full of people, most of them clearly mutants.
"Oh my God." No one was sure who said it, but it was the sentiment on everybody's mind.
"It's about time you're here," Logan grunted as he went up to them.
"What happened?" Scott asked.
"No time for that now. Listen to me- Charles and Beast at the Pit, helping Lifeline handle the ones who are hurt the worst. They want Jean and Psylocke to get there a.s.a.p."
"But what can we-" Elisabeth began.
"You'll find out when you get there. Get going." He handed them each a wristwatch. "The co-ordinates have been set. Just press the red button."
They did, and they vanished.
"Colossus, Cannonball- you're with me. The rest of you, stay here and help. Storm and Spirit are in charge, but you do what any adult asks you."
Logan grabbed Sam and Peter and moved them over to another part of the room. Storm quickly took his place.
"New Mutants, join the Misfits in setting up cots and tables for the wounded. When you're done, report to Spirit. X-Men- if somebody starts complaining of any kind of pain, try to help them. If you can't help, have Kurt or Pietro get an adult immediately. Rogue, Roberto- you're the strongest, so you're in charge of restraining anybody that acts up. Be as gentle as you possibly can. Rogue, if all else fails, you can touch them, but only do it if you have no choice."
Scott led the way through the crowd. He found Spirit kneeling over a young mutant with a broken leg. He was setting it.
"I know you kids know first aid. Now, I'm afraid you're going to have to use it. Do any of you know how to set a bone?"
"I do," Scott said quietly.
"Good. We've got a number of people with broken limbs. One is in the bunk next to me."
Scott took the hint. He got started.
"I don't know how to set broken bones," Kitty told him. Spirit looked up at her.
"Can you sew?"
Kitty nodded. Spirit pointed to another corner of the room.
"Shipwreck's with the people that need stitches. Help him. The stitches don't have to be too neat as long as they work and have been sterilized."
"I'm on it," Kitty said as she ran to her new post.
"Can either of you treat burns?" Spirit asked Kurt and Remy. They both shook their heads.
"Well, it's a good thing we don't have too many of those. Barbecue's handling the burn victims. Do exactly what he tells you, and with some luck you'll be done in time to help some others."
"I'm here to help," Kitty said as she joined Shipwreck, the Triplets, and Pietro.
"Good," Shipwreck grunted. "That's alcohol in the bottle over there. Put a bit of it on a cotton ball, and run it over a wound- and make sure you rub it everywhere. When you're done, throw the ball away. After that, get a needle, and dip it in that bowl of alcohol to sterilize it. The thread's right beside the needles. Make sure you sterilize the scissors too."
"Are we, like, gonna give them any painkillers?"
"Thanks for reminding me. See the syringes? Their loaded up. When you use one, put it on that tray, and tell Pietro if we're almost out. He'll get more fresh ones for us."
Kitty nodded, and got started.
"What happened?" She asked as she worked.
"It was bad," Pietro told her softly. "Very bad."
***
Logan, Sam, and Peter appeared in a clearing. It was very beautiful- if you ignored the blood, guts, and bodies that were everywhere. Low Light, Thorn, Xi, and Fred were there.
"You guys lived on farms, so you're used to death," Logan said shortly. "That's why you're going to help bury these people. We wouldn't have you do it, but a lot of the Joes are busy on another mission, and the rest are helping the wounded." He led them over to the other group, and the teenagers got to work burying, while the adults tried to figure out exactly how the attackers found them.
"What happened here?" Sam asked as they got to work.
"The Eloi were attacked," Xi told him simply. "They had no warning, and since the Outriders were patrolling, they were defenceless. Most of this had already been done by the time we were alerted. If the Outriders hadn't held them off, and if Mole was prevented from alerting us, the death toll would have been much higher."
Peter looked down at the body of a young girl near his feet. She wasn't much younger than Illyana was when she died. She went into the first grave Peter dug. He breathed a prayer in Russian, and when he was done, and started digging more graves. As he started, he caught a glimpse of Fred's face. There were bruises developing on it.
"Did one of the attackers do that to you?" he asked in surprise. Fred nodded. Peter whistled. The one that did that must have been truly strong indeed.
"If I ever meet that guy again," Fred muttered. Peter nodded, and for a reason he didn't quite understand he clapped a hand on Fred's shoulder before getting back to work. He completely understood how Fred was feeling, and he didn't even witness the fight, or the killings.
***
"So, what do you need us to do?" Jean asked nobody in particular. After they arrived in the Pit, they were sent to scrub and to but surgical gowns, gloves, and masks on. Then they were sent into the operating room. The Professor and Beast were already there, as were Lifeline and Bree, a man introduced as Doc, and a pair that neither of them had ever met before: a Scottish woman introduced as Dr. Moira MacTaggart, and her nurse, an Irish man introduced as Mr. Sean Cassidy.
"Jean, Elisabeth, what I'm going to ask you to do will be difficult, but not beyond your abilities," the Professor said as he operated. "Allow me to touch your minds, and I'll guide you through it."
The girls nodded, and gasped after a moment. What the Professor showed them was…
"It's not beyond your abilities," he repeated. "I wouldn't be asking you if it were. And everyone in this room is willing."
The girls looked at each other, and nodded. Given the number of people that needed surgery, they couldn't really say no.
***
Hours later, it was all done. The Eloi were resting in the Danger Room, and those who were uninjured (or mostly uninjured) were walking around the Institute and the grounds, looking shell-shocked.
The Misfits, X-Men, New Mutants, and Willow were resting in the Rec Room. They were too drained to argue amongst themselves.
"So how did Baldy get you guys to be good doctors?" Todd asked Jean and Elisabeth.
"The Professor had us read the minds of the other people in the room," Elisabeth said.
"He called it brainstorming," Jean added. "It's what you do when you need to do something quickly. It's not permanent, but it lasts awhile."
"And when you can keep 'refreshing' your skills, you can do whatever you need to for quite a long time."
"I wonder what they're talking about," Amara said to nobody in particular. There was a big meeting in Xavier's den. The teachers, some Joes, the Outriders, Mole, Mr. Cassidy, Dr. MacTaggart, and even General Hawk himself were there.
"Guess," Willow muttered. "All I know is if I ever get my hands upon those monsters again, I'll…"
"And you're not the only one," Althea said grimly. The other Misfits nodded.
***
"WOO HOO!" Blockbuster crowed as the Marauders returned to their HQ. "Even with those army pricks and those meddling kids, we kicked ass!" He high-fived Arclight. The rest of the Marauders were engaged in the same self-congratulation. Many were comparing and reliving the best kills.
"Indeed, you did, Blockbuster," a very quiet voice came from one of the chairs. The Marauders automatically shut up. Sabretooth, sensing the trend, became quiet as well.
The chair turned around, and a man got up. He could have been anybody. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build, very ordinary features… this man was the poster boy for Joe Q. Normal.
Sabretooth's ears perked up as he heard some of the Marauders whisper the word 'Master.' He'd come to respect these people, far more than he respected most of the other Acolytes. Sabretooth didn't even call Magneto 'Master.'
This guy had to be pretty damned powerful to earn that kind of fear.
"The first phase of the attack went better than I could have hoped," the man continued. "The presence of GI Joe and their juvenile lackeys was expected. In fact, I half-expected Xavier's disciples to have shown up as well. The next phase promises to be far more difficult, as the Morlocks will maim and kill in self-defence. However, I have discovered their location." He put a map down on the table, and the Marauders gathered around it. "I have chosen the best spots for an invasion. Our numbers are limited, but we will have the element of surprise. When they are disturbed, they will flee from their 'Alley' like rats fleeing a sinking ship." The man caught Sabretooth's eye. "And we all know what cats do to rats. And now that I'm on the topic, I hope that you've enjoyed yourself today, Sabretooth. You're even better than Grey Crow said you are. You may call me Essex." He pointed at the map. "Now, Scalphunter, this is where I want you…"
Sabretooth looked at Essex with respect which surprised him. He wasn't the hands on type, but he knew how to plan a battle. Magneto could be very cunning, but his plans lacked a certain degree of finesse. This plan was well thought out, and promised a lot of bloodshed. Even Magneto's bloodiest plans weren't anywhere near as bloody as the attack on the Eloi was, or the invasion of the Morlock tunnels promised to be.
Sabretooth began to re-think his allegiances.
***
"They came through a mountain pass," Logan explained, and he indicated it on the displayed map.
"All that time, and we didn't know it was there," Mrs. S scowled. "How the could we have missed it?!?"
"It was very well hidden," Low Light reminded. "Anybody could have missed it. It wasn't-"
"YES IT DAMN WELL WAS!" Thorn screamed. "It was our duty to guard the Eloi, and we failed! We-" He was cut off by a hand touching his arm.
"You have nothing to blame yourselves for, any of you," Mole said firmly, catching the eye of all the Outriders to emphasise the point. "You've guarded us for years. You've saved us from Cobra and other scoundrels many times over. If it hadn't been for you, none of us would be here now."
Everyone was silent. There was nothing to say. There was nothing to be said.
"Tell us about these mutants," the Professor said after a while. "I understand Sabretooth was with them, but tell us about the others."
"I know one of them," Thorn said softly. "He was like a brother to me, once. His name is Grey Crow."
"Grey Crow?" Logan and Sean exclaimed.
"You know him?"
"He's a bounty hunter," Logan grunted. "He'll hunt anything, human, mutant, or animal."
"That's why they call the bastard Scalphunter," Sean growled. "He's a wanted man in as many countries as I can name."
"I saw him last week in Madripoor," Logan said quietly. "He said he had business with Sabretooth. Now we know what it was. That's one more thing I owe him."
"Get in line, Logan," Thorn told him. "I didn't recognize any of the others, but I got a look at what they can do." He gave a quick description of the invaders. Low Light added that the green haired girl called herself Polaris.
"At first, I thought it was Magneto," Low Light told them. "But sending his Acolytes to kill a settlement of mutants isn't his style."
"Nae, he'd try to convert them," Moira added.
"You know of him?" Hawk asked.
"Oh, nae. I know him, or I thought I did." Moira took a sip of her coffee. "I used to call him a friend. A good one, at that."
"He doesn't have any other children, does he?"
"No," Xavier said. "Pietro and Wanda are his only living children- but that has nothing to do with the events of today. Is there anything else anybody knows?"
"Polaris sent you a message," Lifeline said. "Just when they were escaping. She said to tell you that Malice sends her love."
Xavier's face went very still. Logan shot Lifeline a sharp look, Ororo sat up very straight, and Moira gasped.
"Are you certain?" Xavier asked. The Joes and the Outriders nodded. Xavier hung his head.
"This girl- she called me a bald cripple, didn't she." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, she did," Shipwreck told him.
"Was she wearing some sort of necklace around her neck? It would have been very tight, almost like a choker. It has the picture of a woman's face on it."
"I didn't see any designs on the choker," Low Light said, "but she was wearing one." The senior X-Men, minus Hank, and Moira exchanged a look.
"It fits, Charles," Logan said. "The choker, the cruelty of the attack, the fact that she targeted innocents. She's alive."
"You know who this Malice is?" Spirit asked.
"It… is a long story, but yes," Ororo said, slowly. "Malice is-"
"In a way, Malice is my daughter," Xavier said quietly. That got everybody's attention.
***
Polaris quickly responded to Essex's summons.
"You wanted to see me, master?" she asked.
"Not quite, my dear." Essex touched the face on her choker. "Malice."
Polaris' eyes went vacant, and Essex turned to look into the mirror. Instead of his reflection, he saw the woman in the choker.
"I understand you couldn't resist taunting Xavier," he said, frowning to show his displeasure.
"And what if I did?" the woman challenged.
"That required you to exert more of your strength, and we both know it, Malice. You are the one that said Ms. Dane has a strong will, and as she is a fundamentally compassionate person, her horror at what she is doing may help her to overthrow your control."
Malice laughed. "The brat is under my complete control. You don't have to worry about dear, sweet Lorna waking up and buggering your finely honed plans."
"I'd better not. If she ever does, what Xavier and Haller did to you will be nothing compared to what I will do to you."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Malice sneered, but not before her expression showed fear. Then, she vanished from the mirror, and Polaris snapped to attention.
"Master?" she asked.
"I merely wished to review the plan, so that if anything does go wrong, you will be able to better adjust for it."
***
"So what did these attackers look like, anyway?" Scott asked Althea. It was the question that everybody wanted to ask.
Althea gave a brief description of them, with the other Misfits and Willow adding in details.
Unnoticed by all the others, Remy's face paled as she described the woman who made people dizzy, and got whiter with every following description.
When Althea was finished, Remy got up and left the room. He was unnoticed by everybody except Rogue.
"Remy? Remy what's wrong?" Rogue asked. Remy didn't stop. He didn't even hear her.
"I need you to gather a group of people like us," a voice from long ago said in Remy's mind. "It will be a force like no other. It just might save the world."
Remy stopped at the door to the study. He knocked on it.
***
Essex headed to a special area of the headquarters. It was clearly marked off as being restricted to all but his beautifully wicked Polaris.
He stopped in front of a cell door.
"I don't suppose our attack succeeded?" he asked the occupant.
"No, it didn't," a voice from inside replied. "The one he wants is still in the sewers, like I told you she is."
"Oh well," Essex shrugged. "The Eloi are no great loss. I've wanted to deal with them for a long time. And now I've not only done so, but I've gotten my troops warmed up for the real battle to come."
"You're so certain you will kill the chosen one?"
"Of course."
The prisoner laughed.
"Poor Nathaniel," she taunted. "So sure of the conquest that you deny the chance of defeat. You're attack will not go unopposed."
"Dear, dear Irene," Essex purred. "Not only do I know it, but I'm counting on it." He walked down the corridor. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a war to plan."
In the cell, Destiny smiled. The over-confident fool! The chances of him succeeding in killing one of the four chosen were slim indeed. But no matter the outcome, the attack would have ramifications which would affect the fate of all mutants. The many possible futures agreed on that much.
***
"Oh my God," Lifeline breathed as Xavier finished his tale.
"I remember
that case," Cover Girl said. "I always thought it was some sort of cult. I
remember that it just stopped, and now I know why. What happened to the kids?"
"I managed to have them released without any mention of the incidents on their permanent records," Xavier sighed. "I had to call in a lot of favours, but since I had connections in the justice system, I finally did it."
"Well, it's not like they were going to do it again, the poor kids," Mrs. S frowned. "And your son? Is he still catatonic? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
"No, he isn't- most of the time. When he isn't, he has the mind of a young child."
"What about his mother?" Roadblock asked.
"She takes care of him. You'll all be meeting them very soon."
"You're gonna ask her to live here again?" Logan asked.
"Under the circumstances, I doubt she'll say no," Xavier replied.
"Indeed," the Blind Master agreed.
"I would like to ask that this remains in this room. I don't want the students to know yet."
Everybody agreed. He had every reason to want this kept secret, for now.
"What will happen to this Polaris girl if we ever free her?" Hawk asked.
"I'm afraid of what she'll be like," Xavier said, before being cut off by a knock at the door. Logan answered it.
"Something wrong, bub?" he asked Gambit.
"Yes, something is very wrong. Those people, the one's that attacked the Eloi… I know who they are. They call themselves the Marauders."
"What?" More than one voice asked the question. Behind Gambit, Rogue gasped.
"Come in, Gambit," the Professor said.
"Stay outside, Stripes," Logan told Rogue.
"Non, she can come in if she likes- if it's alright with the Professor." Xavier nodded, and the two took two of the few remaining seats.
"How do you know them, Remy?" Ororo asked.
"Well, dat's the thing, Stormy. See, Remy used to be one of them."
I wanted to end on a cliff-hanger. Did I succeed? The Malice story is coming later, but some of you may guess a bit of it. Let's just say that my version of David Haller is closer to the comics than to "Sins of the Son." What are the four chosen ones Destiny is talking about? Why does Essex want them dead? How did Remy once get mixed up with the Marauders?
The answer to the last question is coming up on "The Mutant Massacre:"
Chapter Ten: Gambit's Tale
P.S.- the concept of brainstorming is not mine. It has been used in Ultimate X-Men.