Notes: This story is odd in that it allows me to draw on elements of the movie, the comics, and some animated series. In fact, there will be a touch of X-Men: Evolution coming up soon…
Chapter 4: Nate: Exposed!
Piotr frowned. "Jubilee, please stop grinning like that. You're going to ruin the sketch."
"Sorry, Petey," Jubilee apologized, trying to sound sincere. "It's just…I can't help thinking about how things work themselves out."
"How do you mean, Jubes?" Kitty asked from where she sat next to Piotr on Illyana's bed.
"Don't you think it's funny? I mean, Petey and me were just on our way here to do the sketch, and we just happen to run into Kitty, who was in the last sketch. Isn't that just…convenient?" There was no attempt to stop the grin that spread across Jubilee's face this time.
"For whom?" Piotr asked warily, doing his best not to look at Kitty, who was doing her best not to look away from him.
"All involved?" Jubilee suggested. "I get yet another ultra cool still life, Petey gets to draw yet another cute girl, and Kitty…well, I'm sure she'll get SOMETHING out of the experience."
Piotr was studying his sketchpad, so he missed the conspiratorial wink that Jubilee and Kitty shared.
"I get to hang out with my friends," Kitty added, laying her head on Piotr's arm. "That's enough for me."
Piotr turned a spectacular shade of red, but it faded as he focused on his work again.
"Well, sure," Jubilee agreed at once. "Friends are very important. They're the building blocks of all successful relationships. I mean, how many…say, COUPLES…started off as friends?"
"Thousands?" Kitty guessed.
"Oh, I'd say MILLIONS, at LEAST," Jubilee disagreed sagely.
"You're right, of course. Isn't that funny, Piotr?" Kitty asked, nudging him with her elbow.
"…I am afraid I don't see the humor, Katya," Piotr offered apologetically. "Though I do agree that friends are indeed very beneficial."
Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Yeah, they are. Some might even make good WIVES some day."
Piotr's head snapped up. "What…?!"
Kitty looked fairly alarmed herself, but for a different reason. "Jubes, don't you think that's-"
"Oh, I give UP!" Jubilee shouted, jumping to her feet. "If you two don't start suckin' face soon, I swear I'm gonna-"
Her tirade was cut off by a loud knock at the window…which was quite irregular, since the room was two floors off the ground.
"Oh, look," Jubilee muttered sullenly. "It's bunch of ANGELS come to visit. Wonder if they've got any ARROWS that might make a certain muscle head FALL IN LOVE or somethin'…prolly not, with MY rotten luck." She made a big scene of storming over to the window and tossing it open.
"Hi, Jubilee!" Illyana shouted happily.
"…maybe we should introduce me later, Yana," Nate offered, noticing the sour look on Jubilee's face.
"Nah, I'm fine. C'mon in, munchkin," Jubilee sighed, plucking Illyana from his arms. "It's half your room, too. You're more than welcome to bring a cute guy up any time you like."
"Thanks…I think," Nate murmured uncertainly as he flew in after them.
"Snowflake?" Piotr asked, mild alarm in his voice as Illyana hopped in his lap. "What were you doing out there?"
"Maybe she decided to become a REAL snowflake?" Jubilee joked.
"Actually, Storm—er, Ms. Munroe—decided to take Yana's session airborne today," Nate replied.
"S'okay, you can call her Storm around us," Jubilee said. "We feel weird calling her anything else."
"Really? Me, too. I'm Nate, by the way…" He looked pointedly at Illyana.
"OH! I forgot!" Illyana began to point at everyone as she named them. "Everyone, this is my new friend Nate! Nate, this is my big brother, Piotr. And that's my best friend, Jubilee. And this is my other friend-"
"Kitty," Nate replied automatically. Noticing the looks he got, he continued. "We met. Earlier."
"On the roof," Kitty added absently before cringing at the look on Piotr's face.
"The roof?" he asked, perhaps a bit suspiciously.
"Um. We nearly collided during her morning run…flight…er…what do you call them, Kitty?" Nate looked to her for help.
"Flight's good," Kitty said quietly, not meeting Piotr's eyes.
"Right. Flight. And rather than try to kill each other, we decided to be polite. So we exchanged names." Nate smiled slightly. "It's amazing how much you come to appreciate normal greetings when everyone you see isn't trying to take your head off or use it in mad experiments."
"…yeah," Jubilee said slowly. "I can see you're REAL normal."
"Please. I'm willing to bet no one in this school is normal. It's boring, anyway."
"Agreed," Jubilee muttered, a slight smile on her face.
"So, what were you three up to before we barged in?" Nate asked.
Jubilee smirked. "I was posing, Kitty was flirting, and Petey here was trying to catch a clue. Failed miserably, as usual…"
Kitty blushed, and Piotr blinked slowly. Illyana, however, caught on right away.
"You mean Kitty likes my big brother? Cool!"
"I love kids," Jubilee confessed to Nate, patting Illyana's head. "Don't you?"
* * * * *
Ororo found it rather odd that, considering Xavier had summoned her and Jean to his office, he had yet to say anything to either of them since they'd arrived. She was beginning to wonder if there were lingering effects from his collapse a few days ago.
~"Charles is fine, Ororo,"~ Jean assured her telepathically. ~"Though, he is acting a bit strangely…"~
"As you know," Xavier said suddenly, "I generally follow certain policies whenever a mutant arrives here seeking shelter. But Nate's arrival doesn't really fit the usual cases. He has no apparent need or wish to stay here on a permanent basis, nor does he seem to want to learn anything more about his powers."
"Then…what does he want?" Jean asked slowly.
"The only thing he appears to want is access to Cerebro…which, of course, I could not agree to. While he certainly possesses more than enough power to use Cerebro, he could easily hurt himself or others in doing so. In addition, I know nothing of his immediate intentions, save for a desire—a need, according to him—to find a certain person capable of saving his life."
"I was under the impression he could take care of himself," Ororo said. "His power is enormous, Charles. I know how adjusted Jean is to her powers, but I've seen Nate do things that she still struggles with effortlessly…sometimes with little more than a thought."
"There is a great irony to Nate. For all his incredible power, it is the very thing he needs saving from. The power is literally consuming his body and life. In time, it will consume him completely, in a massive explosion that will decimate, according to his estimates, at least half of the planet."
"That is…hard to believe," Jean said at once.
"I thought so, too, Jean. At first. But there is…a lingering trace of death about the boy, and I can sense the strain his body is under. We cannot afford to ignore his plea for help…not when so many lives would be at stake."
"Then you think we can trust him?"
"I would vouch for him," Ororo volunteered at once.
Xavier raised his eyebrows. "You would?"
"Yes. I admit I know nothing of who he is or where he came from. But having spent time with him, I cannot believe there is any malice in his heart. In many ways, he still seems a child himself. If you had seen the way he played with Illyana, you would-"
"Illyana?" Xavier interrupted with some concern.
"Yes. According to Jubilee, she became fixated on Nate the moment he arrived. She reacts to him in much the same way she does to Jubilee. I must say this is the happiest I've seen her…ever."
"And how does he react to her?" Xavier asked.
Ororo smiled. "They haven't parted since they've been introduced. You'd think they were joined at the hip. I do not think we have anything to fear from Nate. In fact, I believe he may be just what Illyana needs to become her own person."
"Be that as it may, I would prefer to know more about Nate before we decide anything long-term. He has agreed to give us a more detailed explanation of his past tonight."
"And what does he want in return?" Jean asked.
"I have promised to assist him in his search…provided he agrees to at least give me a name to go on." Xavier shook his head slightly. "For some reason, he seemed to think I wouldn't be able to find them with Cerebro. He made it seem like only he could do it, but I have no idea why."
* * * * *
"I hope you don't hate me, Piotr," Nate said quietly. "Kitty and I just bumped into each other. We didn't even talk for three minutes. You can ask her yourself. Or I could show you what happened."
"Show me?" Piotr asked skeptically, studying one of his latest works.
"Something like that. I can display what happened in my mind's eye. It might be a little distorted, since you're not a psi like me, but it should still-"
"No. It will not be necessary. If you are willing to share your very thoughts of Kitty with me…then I have no reason to doubt what you say is true."
"So…you're not mad?"
"Mad? No. I suppose I am…a bit protective of my family and friends."
"I can appreciate that," Nate replied. "I think I'd be the same way. If I had a family."
Piotr eyed him curiously. "Then…your family perished, as well?"
"Yes and no. I only knew them as my genetic donors, and only met them for a minute. But they're definitely dead."
"I am sorry. I did not know."
Nate shrugged. "You couldn't have known. Not your fault they're dead. In fact, some of it's mine."
Piotr touched his shoulder. "Many children blame themselves for deaths of loved ones, but I do not-"
"I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it. But I know what I know. Everything happens for a reason, and my losing them helped me become what I am today. So I'm not…sad about it, really. I'm just not gonna let it happen to anyone else I know."
"An admirable goal. One I have adopted myself."
"See? We've got something in common already. Being roommates shouldn't be too tough."
Piotr smiled. "No, I do not think it will be, Nate."
There was a firm knock at the door.
"Our first visitor. Do you mind?" Nate asked.
Piotr nodded. "Be my guest."
Nate crossed the room, pulled the door open, and froze in his tracks.
Scott Summers stared back at him, but without the gaping. "Nate? It's time."
Nate didn't move.
Piotr placed his hand on Nate's shoulder. "My friend?"
Nate blinked and closed his mouth. "I…um…"
Jean suddenly appeared beside Scott. "Is anything wrong?"
Nate visibly relaxed, but only somewhat. "Uh…no, Jean. I'm okay." He attempted a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I didn't mean to stare. The…um…visor threw me a bit. Sorry."
"I get that sometimes," Scott admitted with a half smile.
Jean blinked a few times, clearly confused, but shook her head. "Whenever you're ready, Nate."
"Could you send someone to get Jubilee?" Nate asked. "I think she should hear this, too."
Jean nodded and smiled. "Of course. Right this way."
As Nate got a few steps ahead of them, Jean leaned close to Scott. "Scott, did you-" she began to whisper.
"You're going to ask how he knew I wore a visor on missions."
"Yes! He's never SEEN you on a mission! How could he…?"
"I don't know, Jean," Scott answered, adjusting his ruby red shades. "But he's definitely seen them—and me—before. I intend to find out where and when, too."
* * * * *
Despite the fact that he was the one doing the speaking, Nate declined to take the Professor's place at the head seat in the War Room. Instead, he opted for a seat along the side, between Jubilee and Storm. Logan had given up his own seat for Jubilee and didn't seem to mind standing.
"I've never really believed in reincarnation," Nate began. "But I do believe in past lives. Because it honestly feels like I'm in the middle of my second one. I'm not…from this Earth. It's the second one I've seen…because the first one ceased to exist."
"That is…rather hard to believe, Nate," Scott offered after a moment of silence.
"I can only show you images of what I've seen." Nate leaned forward and laid his hand on the table. Instantly, the holographic projector in the center of the table came to life, forming a sharp image of a glass, metal-encased cylinder. Inside, the face of a small boy was visible.
"My life began here…inside a nutrient bath, tucked away deep in a lab beneath an abandoned orphanage in Omaha, Nebraska. I've checked, and the orphanage is still very much active on this—your—Earth. No lab under it, though."
"So…you didn't have any parents?" Jubilee asked softly.
"Not in the traditional sense. I had primary genetic donors, but this nutrient bath was the womb, for all intents and purposes. The man who…created me was a brilliant—but twisted—geneticist who called himself Sinister. Before, his name was Nathaniel Essex. He named me Nathan after him…which is why I go by Nate instead."
"Did he…mistreat you?" Xavier asked carefully.
"Not directly. Like most mad scientists, Sinister had a one-track mind. He designed me to be an ultimate weapon. HIS ultimate weapon…but he messed up somewhere, because I've always been able to think for myself. In the end, that's probably what saved me from going down the wrong path. But it's also what drove Sinister to kill those who tried to help me…and, in turn, what drove me to kill him. I trust nobody needs to see that part?"
Nobody did.
"I know this sounds nuts. But the world I came from was nuts, too. It was known as the Age of Apocalypse…named for an all-powerful mutant of the same name. If what I've gathered from other is correct, that timeline was a freak accident…one that never should've happened, but did, all because one man wasn't there to stop it."
"Who?" Xavier asked.
"Well…you, Professor," Nate replied. "The day you died, the Age of Apocalypse began. Without your dream to oppose him, Apocalypse took over. But as overpowering as his rule was…there are some things and people that I recognize here…just, in different forms from the things and people I knew. For example, what could you tell me about a man that calls himself Magneto?"
"He's a total creep," Jubilee muttered.
"Really? In my time, he was the good guy, so to speak."
"Oh, I GOTTA hear this," Logan chuckled.
"It's not like he was born that way. It took the death of his closest friend for him to adopt a dream. Xavier's death was really an accident. The killer was aiming for Magneto, because he would one day be the direct opposition to Xavier's dream. But Xavier sacrificed himself to save Magneto. So you X-Men are nothing new to me. It's just, you weren't all the same people…and Magneto was your leader."
"Then perhaps there is still hope for Magnus yet," Xavier murmured.
"I wouldn't put money on it, Professor. My world was very different from this one. Mutant followers of Apocalypse ran the place, for one thing, and humans were enslaved."
"So how was it that you came here, Nate?" Jean asked.
"There are some details that are still unclear to me, but here's what I know for sure. Magneto had some sort of master plan to bring down Apocalypse once and for all. But the Big A was onto him, and captured Magneto and his infant son first. The X-Men staged one final attempt to get them both back, just as I decided to go along with Sinister's original intention and take out the Big A myself. It didn't end up that way, though. I ended brawling with his son, Holocaust, who was no slouch in the power department. I didn't know it then, but the world was literally collapsing around us…almost as if it knew our time was wrong, and was trying to wipe out the mistake. But at the last second, I grabbed a mystic crystal shard and stuck it straight into Holocaust's chest. Somehow, that saved us both—along with two others from our time—and brought us here. Everyone else and everything else in our time ceased to exist. Except for what's up here." Nate tapped his forehead. "While the crystal moved me here, several different faces flashed through my mind. My memories are really like scattered puzzle pieces because of that. I know faces and names, but not necessarily anything beyond that. It's…one of the reasons I knew to come here for help. There were some surprises, of course, but I think I handled the shock pretty well."
"I may be able to help…order your thoughts, so to speak," Xavier offered. "But it may take some time. I do, however, think it would be beneficial to all of us if you used the War Room projector to store images of your past. Some of the mutants you mentioned sound dangerous no matter what timeline they were in. It would be best if we prepared for possible altercations with them."
"I can do that," Nate replied as an image of a differently dressed Jubilee formed in the projector. "All of them weren't so bad, though."
"So you've…met all of us before?" Jubilee asked, staring at the projector.
"Not really. Some, yes. Others I just saw as I was tossed through time." Nate narrowed his eyes in concentration, forming an image of a short-haired Storm. "I've spent most of this life going place to place, seeking out the most familiar faces. It hasn't always worked out, some people are very different from the versions I knew." An image of Logan popped up next. "Some people don't really change that much."
"Guess you're timeless, huh, Mr. Logan?" Jubilee asked, grinning at him.
"Watch it, darlin'," Logan growled half-heartedly. Then he turned to Nate. "So. You ever met ol' One Eye over there?" he grunted, nodding at Scott.
Nate swallowed visibly. "You might say that." An image of a long-haired, one-eyed Cyclops and a short-haired Jean appeared. "They were together when I met them. I figured I should preserve them that way."
"So that's how you knew I wore a visor," Scott whispered, running his fingers across the projector.
"Yeah. Didn't mean to spook anyone…myself included."
Scott turned to him. "Nate…did I—did he…hurt you?"
"Not really. Why?"
"You seemed…afraid of me earlier. I wasn't sure if…"
"Guess I didn't expect to see you here. You weren't an X-Man in my time. There were other teams." Nate cleared his throat. "There's one other thing, too. Sinister designed me to destroy Apocalypse…but that's all he intended for me. I have too much power for my body to contain on its own. Some day, it's going to destroy me, and a good chunk of this Earth, too. That's why I need to find the one person I know that can change all that."
"Sinister?" Jean guessed.
"No. I wouldn't trust him to save me in any timeline. The person I mean was my first real friend here…but I made a huge mistake in leaving her behind. I thought I was protecting her, but I didn't know how big a danger I was to the whole Earth and myself then. If I could just find her again, I know she'd help me."
"She got a name, kid?" Logan asked.
"And a face to go with it." An image of a girl Nate's age appeared in the projector. "To save my life, I need Wanda Maximoff…the Scarlet Witch. I don't suppose anyone here knows her?"
"Wanda," Xavier whispered in shock. "It…can't be…"
"You know her, Professor?" Ororo asked.
"Yes, but…Magnus told me she was dead. When I last saw her, she was only a girl, but to see her grown up like this…" He looked up to address the group. "Wanda was—is Magnus's daughter…and I am her godfather."