There are certain things Jubilee have learned during her high school life in L.A. First off, you kind of missed the thrill of being an X-Woman, not that she complained. In fact, she hangs out with her friends and spends time with her Aunt Hope. Yet she missed being an X-Man, but she wouldn't trade anything for this experience as a normal teenager, which only a few X-Men enjoyed considering most of them have experienced mucked-up teen hood. Second, it's only a few months away before she graduates high school and then goes to college. Aunt Hope encouraged her to halt her college plans for the X-Men or continue. Those were the choices that tore her apart, considering that she has been accepted at community colleges in both L.A. and New York. Third, she is now on her guidance councilor office, deciding that she will continue to offer her help to the other students. In fact, this gained her a lot of popularity from her peers and classmates. She knows Logan would be proud of her, knowing that the X-Man would visit her later on just like the last time. But, there was one student that has been on her mind since she met him.
Flashback:
Jubilee hears the door open and sees a young kid entering her office as she gives him a smile and looks at his file.
"Hey there…", Jubilee looks at his name on the folder, "Noah. Noah Emerson right?"
The young boy nods. Jubilee can sense he is somewhat nervous. "It's okay, have a sit. I won't bite or kick your ass", she jokes hoping she would lighten his mood. Noah smiles a bit and seats down.
"Okay Noah, can you tell me your problem?" Jubilee starts the session. Noah didn't speak at all.
"Noah, it's okay. It's just the two of us. Well, us and some ghosts…", she jokes in order to lighten the mood. But, Noah interrupts her with a startling revelation.
"Ghosts…I see them…" Noah stammered a bit. "I don't know how…I got them…I…"
Jubilee was surprised at this. She decides to ask him some questions. "Noah, listen, I understand your plight. I want you to answer my question, okay? When did you start seeing…ghosts?"
Noah looks at Jubilee and looks at her carefully. He can tell that he can trust her. "I…I was about 13…but it wasn't that…I started hearing voices inside my head. It's…I know I sound weird but…"
"Noah, listen to me. What you were experiencing back then was telepathy. You can read minds…" Jubilee tells him. "Trust me, I've hanged around with a lot of them."
"O-okay Ms. Lee. But the thing is…I still have my telepathy…and then all of the sudden, I started seeing things that aren't supposed to be there?"
"First of all, you can call me Jubilee since "Ms. Lee" sounds so old. Second, like you can see dead people?" Jubilee asks him, using the most overrated phrase ever.
"More than that, I don't know how to describe this…it's like your seeing things that aren't dead but at the same time, still can't be seen by the naked eye."
'Invincibility?' she thought. She lets Noah continue talking.
"I saw some of them, but I can't touch them", Noah continues.
Jubilee remained quiet for a while as she gathers notes in her brain. First off, he's a telepath. Second, he can see ghosts and people who aren't dead yet can't be seen.
"Noah, have you heard of mutants?" Jubilee asks.
Noah nods. "Yeah. I heard that there are some who go here."
'You're looking at her, kid', she thought. "I hate to break it you, but…you're one of them…or rather, one of us."
Noah widens his eyes with surprise. "What are you talking about? What makes you think I'm a mutant?" he begins to ask rapidly.
"Noah, the only ones who have those kinds of powers are mutants…that I actually know of. And yeah, rumors are true. I'm one of them. But on the brighter note, I am a member of the X-Men! Or was…" Jubilee revealed to Noah as she offers him a Cheshire smile, in hopes that everything will be okay.
"You're kidding!" he questionably spats out. "You're comparing me with those freaks? And you! You're one of them…freaks!"
"Hey! That word hurts. Think of a politically correct term like "genetically challenged" or "new people!""
"I'm getting outta here!" Noah said as he stands up. He's about to reach for the door knob when Jubilee stops him.
"Noah, listen! Look, I know what I said is a shock, but I know you are one. I know people who can help you cope with your powers", Jubilee offers him guidance.
"I know what you're talking about! I'm not going to that Looney Tunes freak show of a zoo!" Noah bitterly replied. "I don't have my parents around anymore and I barely have enough cash to start a living!"
"I can call them to help you", Jubilee tells him as a last chance to save him. But, Noah shakes his head and opens the door.
"I'm sorry. But thanks for the offer. Please don't tell anyone about me", Noah tells her and leaves as she watches him walk away to his next class.
A few days later, she learned from the local news that Noah had disappeared after he failed to show up for his job at McDonalds. His employer called up on his house but no one answered. Finally, he called the police to check on him. It was later learned that witnesses told them that he was last seen being chased by unknown men. Until know, there wasn't any lead in the investigation. Jubilee blamed herself for not helping Noah enough. She could've called the X-Men to help her, but she knows they're wrapped up on their own missions.
She opened the door to her home and clicks on the lights. She remembered that Aunt Hope and Brad are on a real business trip, so they won't be back until next week, Jubilee puts her stuff on the couch and heads to the kitchen to grab some drink. After drinking fresh orange juice from the carton, she decides to order a pizza when she heard the phone ringing. She grabs the phone and begins to speak.
"Hello?"
"Jubilee? It's me Noah!"
Jubilee was surprised at this. "Noah? Where are you?"
"I don't know. I've been kidnapped by some men and…and I don't know what to do!"
"Noah, listen to me. Where exactly are you? Do you know who captured you?"
"W-well, all I know is that I'm in Russia and I've been kidnapped by a company called Khrushchev. I…oh no! They've found me! Help me…"
"Noah? Noah?"
He didn't respond. It would seem that he dropped the phone and left. Jubilee doesn't know what to do, except two things. One, she could call the X-Men to help her save a mutant…or she could rescue him alone. 'Yeah, like that'll help a lot', she sarcastically thought. But, she was his responsibility and couldn't help blame herself. She did some thinking about this decision while looking at the clock, which is already 6:35. If she goes to Russia, she knows Aunt Hope will look for her by using her connections to find her. Jubilee goes to her room and begins to change clothes. She grabs her cargo pants, yellow hood, and black long sleeves and wears them. She grabs some clothes from her closet, including her trademark yellow trench coat. She checks on her wallet to see if she has enough cash. She grabs her phone and begins to call United Airlines to buy a ticket to Russia. After the call, she wears her sneakers and grabs her back. As she goes down stairs, she remembered that she doesn't know how long she will be in Russia. So, she grabs a Post-It note and writes that she'll be away for a while. Good thing also since it's Spring Break already. She opens the door and looks at her home for a minute. She had other choice. Professor Xavier had taught her about responsibility and if something happens to her, she'll blame him for that. For now, it's time to refresh her role as an X-Woman.
Rachel didn't know where she is, except she's in a very empty room with some stuff. Yet she senses something familiar in this room. Then, she sees a red bird flying around and then resting on the rail.
"Who gonna take care of him?" Rachel asks.
"It's a she. She can take care of herself. And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves?"
A female walks beside her out of nowhere. "Besides, it not like she doesn't need it in the first place."
Rachel looks at her and then grins. "What's going to happen, Madelyne? There is something I was supposed to do."
"Don't know", Madelyne Pryor replies as she walks toward the window. "Oh yeah, places to go, things you don't want to know. Miles to go. The all-knowing man, counting down the big 2-1."
Madelyne looks back at Rachel. "But then again, it's just me."
Rachel shrugs at this. But she notices that the red bird begins to burst into flames yet it doesn't kill her.
"It doesn't feel any pain…" Rachel finally speaks up.
"She's doing the whole Jesus-Lazarus thing: die and comeback", Madelyne states off-handedly. "But she's tired. She wants to rest, yet she walks down the lonely road. Her heart, broken and burned, yet a cold breeze will assure her everything will be alright."
Rachel strangely looks at her. "Riddles…"
"Sort of. You kinda feel the inner Dali Lama in you when you're not in the physical existence."
"Are you dead?" Rachel asks with concern.
"Dunno. I don't even know if…let's cut off the talk shall we? Something big is coming. I don't know what it is."
"How would I know when it will come after me?"
"You're you. You'll know when the timing is right. As I said, something big and evil is coming. I'm just playing the messenger here."
"Who sent you?"
"Don't know. Don't even ask about that. Let's just say I've been sent over by my wacky identical cousin from hell."
Rachel doesn't take this very well at all. She still has a lot of questions to ask. "Is this one of those dreams where you're supposed to understand the metaphor and totally get it?"
Madelyne chuckles a bit. "It's entirely up to you", she answers. She approaches Rachel face to face. When they looked at each other, she touches Rachel's left cheek. Madelyne tells her last words.
"Are you ready?"
Rachel opens her eyes after the dream. She groans over the bright lights at the medical bay. Needless to say, she developed a headache and feels the pains from her wounded areas of her body. All Rachel could do is to lie down and rest while she analyzes what the dream meant. Why did Madelyne made an appearance? What did that signify? And what does she meant by "something big and evil is coming"?
"You still tried your best, Hank. I don't blame you for my death."
"I know. But still, the guilt…it doesn't go away easily, unlike wet dreams sadly."
Beast and Psylocke are at the Danger Room control panel as they watched Wolverine sparring with X-23. It would seem that Logan is holding back as X-23 continues to attack while he dodges her attacks.
"She is good", Psylocke observes. "Considering the fact she and Logan are the same."
"Oh you know those crazy Weapon X projects. They bond by trying to kill each other", Beast tells her. They see X-23 hits Wolverine in the face. "Ow! That's gotta hurt."
"For Logan, it's like being hit by a pillow", Betsy teases. "You do know he has suffered worse."
"Yeah, from his adamantium skeleton ripped out of his body to crazy hundreds of ninjas attacking him, which would make him our resident Beatrix Kiddo. Oh yes, I heard Scott and Emma gave you a mission with Robert and Jean-Paul."
"Yeah. I kind of noticed Bobby has adapted the inner-bitchiness of a PMS woman. Rogue told me it's probably because of this secondary mutation. How do you feel?"
Beast contemplates on Betsy's question. He did admit to Wolverine that he thought he was devolving and that he couldn't considered himself as human any more. The cure is still at his lab, which made Hank a temptation to use it ever since the Ord incident in Benetech.
"How do I feel, Elizabeth? That depends on my days. In some cases, I feel like…I feel like I want to remove myself from this existence. My secondary mutation has its advantages but I can't go out to the public, except for missions. When I first became this, I have never felt so…low. You dead, Vargas getting away and me in my new form, what's not to frown and resort to self-pity?"
Betsy felt sorry for Hank. To his surprise, she gives him a peck on the cheek and gives him a hug. "Aaawww, don't feel bad. Did someone tell you that you're too huggable?"
Hank smiles at her. "Ah, Elizabeth. Even at these times, you manage to give me a smile. Thank God you're alive now."
Betsy smiles at him, indicating that their friendship will never be broken. Then another topic came into her mind. "Um, Hank dear? I heard Juggernaut joined the X-Men. Is this true?"
"Well, it's a long story. The short version is that Xavier trusted him and accepted him, though we were still wary of him. It wasn't until Havok's team learned that he played double agent for the Brotherhood and that he was actually at the X-Men's side at the end. Alex told me he got sucked at Xorn's head, long story for I'll tell you someday, with the rest of the Brotherhood and Nocturne from the Exiles for him to protect."
Hank's words were contemplated by Betsy. "Well, seems that he finally went to the Road of Damascus. But what's Emma's story? How did she become the head mistress of this school? And why is this that the mansion has become an actual school?" she asks. They didn't notice that Wolverine and X-23 are done with their sparring session and went to the control room.
"You got a lot of questions, Betts. Best that we'll tell you later", Logan replied. "Anyway, Betsy, this is X-23", he introduces her to X-23. "Another story I'll be interested in tellin' later on."
Hank and Betsy noticed that X-23 didn't greet them since she doesn't know what to make of Betsy herself. "Hey I'm not going to bite", Betsy jokes at X-23.
"Logan said that you were dead", X-23 bluntly tells her.
"Kid, so did Pete and you never had a problem with that…wait, you did have a problem with that", Logan said.
Betsy approaches X-23 and looks at her face to face. X-23 doesn't know what to make of this except that she releases her claws and swipes at her all of the sudden. Psylocke easily dodges the attack by jumping away 5 ft. away from her, which impressed Logan, Hank and X-23.
"Ya still got the moves, Betsy", Logan remarks on her action.
X-23, on the other hand, realizes her error. "I…I didn't mean to attack you…"
Betsy approaches her again. "It's okay, luv. I know how you feel. Do you have name?"
"I don't have one."
"They didn't give her any name at all. Just a code name", Logan answers Betsy.
"Well", said Betsy, "I insist that she must have a real name and new code-name. She's a warrior but she's also a child."
"We tried thinking about that", Hank explains. "Robert immediately thought of "Wolverina" but that idea immediately got thrown out of the window, which…well was followed by, um, Wolvie-Girl…"
Hank, Logan and Betsy remained silent for a while, contemplating over the lack of creativity over code-names.
"Wolverine", X-23 interrupts their deep thoughts. "I want to come too."
"No", Logan sternly tells her. "Not this time. Summers told me you missed a lot of classes."
"But, it's not like I can learn anything here!" X-23 protests.
"You will", Logan said. "If you want to be an X-Man, remember that everything's not about fightin'. Plus, I can tell you barely had any friends since you came here. You're too young, so sorry kid."
Betsy can tell X-23 is upset by looking at her face. X-23 immediately stomps off to the door angrily. After she left, Logan gave a tired sigh.
"You don't have to be so harsh on her", Hank reprimands Logan.
"I know, I know", Logan said. "But, she's far too young. She's a fighter, but her head ain't gonna save her from drastic measures. She doesn't have experiences." Logan cracks his knuckles to relieve some tension. "Hell, I might as well be a sugar daddy to young girls. Amiko, Kitty, Jubilee…and now her."
"As far as Kitty and Jubilee are concerned, they became better X-Men thanks to you", Betsy reminds him. "I can tell X-23 trusts you and she's somewhat disappointed of you."
"No offense, Betts, but I don't need some lectures Dr. Phil style."
Logan leaves Betsy and Hank alone as he searches for X-23. Hank remembers what Logan has done for Kitty and Jubilee.
"You were right Elizabeth", Hank tells her. "Who knew a wild man like Logan would teach everyone how to be better?"
"How's he holding?" Betsy asks. Hank doesn't know what she's talking about. "I mean about Jean."
"He seems to move on, but he's beyond unpredictable. I know he misses her", Hanks answers sadly. "If you want to know about your ex-boyfriends…"
"Don't", Betsy interrupts him. "Ororo told me. Warren has found love with a minor and Neal has Big Bird-looking half-human, half-Shi'ar. Sorry Hank, got to go. Prepare myself for a mission."
Betsy left abruptly, which leaves Hank contemplating how messed up the lives of the X-Men are.
After Forge gave the lost volume of Destiny's Diaries to Xavier, he went back to his hideout where Mystique is currently waiting for him. As he enters, he could hear the Eagles' "Most of Us Are Sad" blaring out the room. He checks out the living room only to see her watching "Once Upon A Time In America" DVD while slouching at the couch with her legs crossed and the champagne bottle on her hand.
"Hello, hello", Mystique gleefully greets her ex-lover. "You're just in time for some good ol' spaghetti western flick."
"Great, guess boredom got the worst of you", Forge sarcastically replied. He sits at his chair and decides to watch the film with her. Minutes afterwards, Mystique begins to speak up.
"So, how is good old Charlie? Still as lazy as ever", she asks.
"He's fine. He looks tired, with his complete attention with Genosha and all", Forge sardonically answers her.
"So he dumps his brats for Genosha? What a surprise."
Forge decides to ignore her comments and continues to watch his film. As a kid, he often watched western shows with his family. When he grew up, he managed not to miss watching westerns in cinemas. He stands up and goes to the kitchen and grabs a half-filled bottle of beer, then he goes back to his chair. He drinks his beer and continues watching the film.
"Forge, got a question for you", Mystique speaks up. "Do you miss being an X-Man?"
Forge strangely looks at her, wondering what that was all about. "What are you talking about?"
Mystique sips her champagne and then looks at him. "Come on Forge. Despite your under the radar status, you miss being with the X-Men, fighting for mutant rights, fighting the bad guys. I always wonder when you are coming back to them."
"You don't know what you're talking about", Forge spats back.
"Oh really? Please indulge me", Mystique mockingly gasps.
"And why should I tell you, Raven?"
"Forge, the thing between you and me is that I always have an inquisitive nature. That alone keeps me from being bored and suicidal…which ever comes first. We've been what, hanging around with each other for years?"
"Actually, it's been a year and a half", Forge corrects her. He doesn't know what to do but he has no choice but to participate in Mystique's story telling hour time. "All right. Do you know what? I didn't bother staying with the X-Men for long. I will still help them when the time comes, but I feel…useless to their cause."
Mystique was amused at his revelation. "Useless? You? Of all people? I can name some X-Men who are way useless than you."
"It's not that, Raven. It's just that…you get to the point that you feel tired of being an X-Man, amidst all of the chaos that has been going on. You just want to have a normal life instead of being a job of being a superhero. One would think that being an X-Man has its benefits. That's true, on some accounts. But, in most cases, you don't want to be in the heat of the battle. All you want to do is just stay in the background or not be involved at all. When I left the X-Men, I knew I want to start my life again but at the same time help Xavier when the need arises."
"So", Mystique begins to analyzes, "You're saying that you got tired of being a superhero and left the X-Men but still support them when it's an emergency? Guess you still are an X-Man, in a much comfy place and all."
"I knew they can handle themselves. But between you and me…"
Forge couldn't finish sentence because he felt something inside. He clutches on his throat as he figures out what was going on with him.
"Hey, Forge, you okay?" Mystique asks sincerely.
"I…don't…know…", Forge blurts out. He stands up and realizes his eyesight is weakening as his head is spinning and in pain. He feels weak and nauseous. It wasn't until he vomited on the floor that he realizes that the beer is poisoned. He looks at Mystique, who was acting like she was enjoying the show while drinking champagne and with a wicked grin.
"You…bitch…" Forge mutters.
"That's right babe. I AM one", Mystique grins. Forge tries to charge at her but he falls on the floor, gasping for air.
"Oh relax, you're not going to die and it ain't poison baby. Just a wicked knock-out pill that will put the whammy in you for about a day or two", Mystique replies with amusement. "Oh I forgot, I got some help from the other side, put I'm not going to say who."
"Why…?"
"You know this. I know this. Hell, Xavier knows that it would come into this, except that this isn't the scenario he's probably imagining, so these last agonizing minutes between us will be quite the scene."
Mystique finishes her champagne and puts the bottle on the table. She approaches Forge, who is still on the floor weakening, and climbs on top of him. "I have to admit, it was nice hanging around with you", Mystique said.
"F…fuck…off…you b-bitch", Forge growls angrily. Mystique kisses him on the lips before he loses his consciousness. She stands up as a mysterious figure enters the room.
"The poor man. Didn't know what hit him", the mysterious stranger replied.
"You're stepping on his vomit", Mystique comments.
The stranger look below him and realizes that she's right. He lets out an "eeww" and moves to the other side.
"You're sure you didn't poison him? He is vital to our-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't kill him, all right? As much as I want to", Mystique spats back. "Tell Sinister thanks for everything."
"You're not going anywhere", the stranger replied. "As an exchange for our rescue, you will help my comrade fulfilling his goals".
"Don't worry. He'll get my support…not in a physical way, right Omega Red?"
Lorna Dane realizes either she's dreaming or she's in one of those hallucinations where they make you think pigs fly and Britney Spears considered as the best singer. In a place where everything is clean and beautiful, she is wearing an old fashioned dress which dates back in the 1940s and is having a picnic with her father Magneto and her siblings the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who are also wearing the clothes from the same decade. Sitting on the ground with a blanket to cover the grass, the four of them were having one of those family moments in it they chat and laugh.
Polaris looks at the sky as she could see the dark clouds and hear the thunder rumbling. She senses an omen but the Scarlet Witch sense something is wrong.
"Lorna, are you okay?" Wanda Maximoff asks with concern to her sister.
"Nothing, Wanda", Lorna answers her good-heartedly. "It's nothing."
"Lorna", Magneto calls her. "You better eat or your sandwich will get cold."
"Yeah Lorna. If you don't want it, can I have it?" Pietro Maximoff asks good-heartedly.
"Pietro! You ate enough sandwiches already! Leave some for us!" Magneto scolds his son.
"No, you can have it Pietro. Here", Lorna gives her sandwich to her brother. Pietro is about to reach his sandwich when all of the sudden Wanda stabs him in the back with a knife. Lorna screams as Magneto tries to stop Wanda but it was too late as he too is stabbed on the heart. With both men down, Lorna scrambles back away from Wanda who looks at her coldly.
"Things aren't as they used to, sister", Wanda coldly hisses at her.
Lorna begins to run as fast as she can but she bumps into Wanda, who appears out of nowhere and in front of her. Wanda slashes her face, which made Lorna scream painfully. She staggers back and runs away from her while Wanda follows her calmly. After so much running, she reaches a dead-end in an alley. Wanda approaches her and the two begin to struggle. In the end, Lorna is on the ground lying with blood. Wanda crouches and begins to stab her throat.
Polaris screams out in horror, which startle her teammates. Upon her screaming, Rogue nearly jumped out of her chair and rushes to Polaris' side. She tries to calm her down but Polaris continued to scream and started acting hysterical.
"Hey Lorna! It's me! Ah'm not gonna hurt ya!" Rogue tries to comfort her. "Lorna! Please!"
"Lorna!" Alex yells out her name as he is still piloting the plane. "What's going on? Lorna! Rogue! Please answer!"
Lorna could not stop screaming. Gambit stands up and rushes off to aid Lorna.
"Lorna! Wake up! You were havin' a nightmare!" Gambit reaches out. But Lorna could not still stop screaming. Rogue was left with no choice but to slap her hard on Lorna's cheek. This stunt surprised everyone on board, including Rogue herself.
"S-sorry", Rogue blurted out. "Ah didn't mean to, but ah have to stop ya from tryin' to make our ears bleed."
"Chere", Gambit whispers on Rogue, "Good thing you didn't have your super strength or otherwise…"
"Ah know, Remy", Rogue interrupts him. "Ah might knock her out to kingdom come or break some of her teeth." She then looks at Lorna, who was now calm yet very nervous and edgy. "Ya okay Lorna? We were worried about ya."
"I'm…fine. Thanks", Lorna assures her. "No need to worry."
Gambit goes back to his seat. Rogue is about to do the same thing when Lorna calls her out. "Rogue, cab you come here for a minute?"
Rogue approaches her again. Before the southern belle could ask what she wants, Lorna slaps her on the face.
"What the fuckin' hell was that!" Rogue yells at Lorna.
"You slapped me hard!" Lorna raises her voice at Rogue.
"That was to calm you down from becomin' a screamin' banshee! You were havin' a nightmare!" Rogue spats at her.
"Oh, sorry", was all Lorna could say as if she just found out about this just now. Rogue was baffled at her behavior. Truth to be told, she wasn't there when her wedding was aborted by Alex and she became the bride from hell. She went back to her seat as Lorna looks on her window looking at the dark clouds, indicating that they will arrive at their destination at night.
In San Francisco, tons of corpses are lying around the ground. The scene was grotesque at its best. Some of the corpses' internal organs were seen out of their bodies. The police were at the scene along with the crime scene investigators but they could not find any lead on the killer. Soon, the corpses were collected and brought to the autopsy as the police continue to look for more clues.
The X-Men arrived at the scene while trying not to attract attention. As they arrived, they see a lot of people looking at the crime scene despite the only thing that was in their way is a yellow police tape and barriers.
"Oh God, gross", Lorna muttered in disgust.
"Gross is an understatement", Rogue tells her teammate.
Meanwhile, Alex has been trying to contact the X-Corps L.A. team, but to no response. They didn't leave a message or anything, which only frustrates Alex even more. Gambit noticing his teammate's frustration approaches him even though they're not that close.
"Hey Alex, what's goin' on?" Gambit civilly asks.
"I can't contact any of the members of the X-Corps", Havok tells him. "I've been doing so since we reached San Francisco."
"Bad timing for dem to take a vacation", Gambit jokes half-heartedly. Polaris and Rogue approach them.
"Anything?" asks Polaris. Havok shakes his head. "Great, so much for back-up help. Does this mean we'll be solving this case alone?"
"Looks that way", Havok said. "With the cops around, we'll be making a scene no less. Emma unfortunately forgot to give us any more details about the killer."
"So, does this mean we split up?" Rogue asks him.
"Seems like it…"
Havok is about to order the team their next move when a police officer approaches them.
"You guys the X-Men?" the officer asks them.
To their surprise, they nodded. "Thank God. Don't worry, I mean no harm. I'm a mutant too, except that my powers are pathetic compared to yours", the officer tells them in a soft voice.
"Do you know anything about this, officer?" Havok asks him.
"According to a few survivors, the killings started around 4 hours ago. This creature has a greenish reptilian skin, but the face, well, no one could see his face."
"Why did this bastard killed a lot of people?" Rogue asks the officer.
"No one knows. Everyone immediately suspected he's a mutant."
"Dat's a shocker", Gambit sarcastically comments.
"Some of the people who tried to hurt him physically had their flesh burned out. Besides, you guys aren't the only ones who were looking for him."
Now this caught their attention. "Excuse me? What do you mean?" Havok asks.
"A few minutes before you guys arrived, a group came by and asked some of the officers about the killer. They obviously didn't tell who they are, but if I'm right, their accents could indicate that they're from New Orleans."
Hearing this, Gambit decides to ask the officer questions that are connected to his past. "Excuse officer, but did one of them was a beautiful blonde woman?" he asks.
"Yeah", the officers answers. "In fact, she was the one who talked to me. I didn't know where she and her group went to afterwards. Anyway it's nice meeting you guys, though I always liked to meet Wolverine."
As the officer left the X-Men, Rogue looks at Gambit inquisitively. "Remy, what the heck is Bella Donna doin' here?"
Gambit shrugs. "Don't know, chere. This isn't like her at all."
"Who's Bella Donna?" Polaris asks Gambit.
"My ex-wife", Gambit answers her reluctantly. Rogue doesn't like where this is going.
It was then decided by Havok for the team to split up separately while looking for the killer. For Rogue, it was a welcome relief away from Gambit. Their relationship at the moment is at the point where she's not sure if she really want this relationship at all. Now, Bella Donna has appeared in the picture again. Right now, she wanted to get this mission over with, go home and get drunk. Unknown to her, a woman approaches her slowly.
"Hey Rogue."
Rogue turns around and, to her surprise, sees Alison Blaire a.k.a. Dazzler approaching her in a calm manner. She hasn't seen the former X-Woman for a long time and now, things happen as the two women looked at each other in front of a coffee shop.
"Ali? Is that you?"
Dazzler chuckled at her former teammate. Her hair has grown long and is wearing casual clothes. "Yup", she answers back. "Nice outfit Rogue. Heard you guys are now actually teaching young mutants at the mansion."
"Yeah. A lot's happened", Rogue uncomfortably answers her. It's not everyday you see a former teammate greeting you back. Rogue learned from Storm from Jean that the Mojoverse was destroyed and no one knew if Longshot was dead or alive.
"And I learned Emma Frost and Juggernaut's been on the team", Dazzler continues.
"Like Ah said, sugah, a lot has happen. So, how's your career?"
Dazzler hesitates for a moment. Rogue knew something's wrong. "Well…" Dazzler began to talk nervously, "I'm recording an album now. My manager told me not to follow the Jennifer Lopez route of a scandalous life so I somewhat laid low these past few months."
"That must be a bummer", Rogue comments.
"Actually it's not. I got to meet a lot of celebrities and…hey did you know Ashlee Simpson still continues to lip-synch up to now? As if she hasn't learned her lesson well", Dazzler scoffs.
"Ali, please don't remind me of that annoyin' tart. It's bad enough ah had to hear a lot of female students being corrupted by singin' her annoyin' songs out loud", Rogue painfully informs her.
Dazzler smiles apologetically at her. "Sorry. It's been a while since I saw you. Are you alone here?"
"No", Rogue shakes her head. "Ah'm on a mission with Remy, Lorna and Alex. We're tryin' to catch a mutant killer."
Dazzler was surprised. "Oh. I'm sorry I interrupted your…"
"Nah", Rogue cuts her off. "It's okay. You don't suppose have heard of this mutant killer."
"I heard recently. God, who would such a thing?"
"How about crazy, psychotic loser?"
Rogue and Dazzler shared a small giggle. It's been a while since they shared a laugh. However, their merry mood ended when the manager of the coffee shop opened the door to see Dazzler outside.
"Hey Alison!" the manager shouts. "What the hell are you doing here? You're 10 minutes late in your shift! Now get your ass here or you're fired!" The manager went back inside the coffee shop. Rogue now looks at the shame-filled Dazzler, who manages a fake smile.
"Hey, did I mention that I'm now a has-been pop star who has to work to meet ends?" she jokes.
"Oh Ali…Why didn't you came to us for help?" Rogue asks her dejectedly.
"I-it's nothing, Rogue", Dazzler scoffs it off. "I've got to go now."
Dazzler is about to leave when Rogue stops her. "Wait! What do you mean nothin'? Ali, what's going on?"
Dazzler hated this and she secretly wished that she hadn't greeted Rogue in the first place. "Rogue, if you are my friend, I would suggest you stay out of this."
"No. Ah don't leave my friends behind the dumps. Now, tell me what the hell's goin' on?"
For a few minutes, Dazzler is hesitant to tell Rogue her shameful secret. In any matter, she would've told them sooner. "My comeback wasn't as successful as I hoped to be. My single was a commercial failure; I've been dropped by the manager and recording company as a result. They wouldn't risk having me around since the music biz nowadays is a dirty war and survival is a must. The recording executive told me that I'm too old for the pop scene. Too old? Did he sleep with underage female singers? That moron, telling me that I'm too old. Then, my manager found a "better" singer, in his own moronic term, since she has more commercial appeal than me!"
Rogue could see tears flowing from Dazzler's eyes. "Why didn't you come to us? We could've helped you", Rogue asks her.
"I…I don't want to be involved with the X-Men again", Dazzler answers her bluntly. "No offense."
"But still…"
"I just want to have a normal life again. After what happened to you guys since the Professor exposed himself as a mutant, I though I would be safe from harsh life by disassociating you. But, since I've been upstaged by annoying and whiny bitchy tarts and nowhere else to go, well, you're looking at Allison Blaire, the waitress."
Dazzler quickly enters the coffee shop. Rogue follows her, forgetting the mission at the moment and enters as well. Dazzler began to ignore her, which hurt the X-Woman. But just as she thinks life is filled with surprises, she sees another familiar face from the past, sitting on the table, drinking a coffee.
"Carol Danvers?"
The woman looked up to see her once-adversary. "Rogue?"
"Hello Remy. Long time seeing you."
Gambit and Bella Donna finally saw each other face to face for the first time. The last he saw her was when Bella Donna was looking for him years ago pretending to be hunt him. Gambit can easily tell that his ex-wife is getting more beautiful than he has last seen her. It's definitely that he hasn't seen her for a long time or thought of her, until now.
"Hello Bel", Gambit greets back in his usual charming manner, cloaking his nervousness. "Long time as well. What are you doing here?"
Bella Donna gives him a chuckle. "Oh Remy, now you're getting serious? What happened to the old ex-husband of mine?"
"Scouting for a killer, Bel", Gambit answers back.
"Looks like we're looking for the same killer", Bella Donna responds. This statement confuses Gambit. Bella Donna notices this and decides to answer. "A few weeks ago, some of the members of the Assassins Guild were killed by the mutant named Krokos. If you're looking for him, he looks like an overgrown lizard. Based on our findings, he cannot be touched physically since his skin is made of acid. Unfortunately, he can blend in the background thus making him harder to trace."
"Why were you chasin' him?" Gambit asks.
"He killed one of our clients and stole a lot of money that was meant for us. What's your excuse?"
"He massacred tons' of innocent people, makin' it a public grotesque display for everyone t' see."
Bella Donna pauses for a while. "Are you sure we're looking for the same killer? Krokos doesn't do killings in public."
Gambit shrugs. "Maybe he decided for a career update. Was he workin' alone?"
"No, or so we believed. He was somehow workin' for a man who calls himself Unknown, who is…well, unknown to us", Bella Donna confirmed. "We can't be sure about this fact until we confirmed it."
"Bel, it would be best that you leave right now", Gambit orders her.
Bella Donna wasn't pleased at hearing this. "What are you talking about? I don't run away from my duties!"
"Bel, hearing those things…I think it's wise for you to stay here. You'll get killed!"
"Remy, give me one excellent reason why I should follow you? This mutant has killed my friends!" Bella Donna begins to yell at him. "We're not little kids anymore! I can take care of myself! In this age, we women can look for ourselves!"
"In dis age, you women can get killed by your impulsiveness", said Gambit. "Bel…"
"Oh", Bella Donna interrupts him. "Where is that girlfriend of yours? You know the one who you can't touch? The one who's…"
"You stay Anna out of this!" Gambit hisses. "Look, Bel, let the X-Men handle dis!"
Without a word, Bella Donna turns around and leaves. "Remy", she said without looking at him, "it was nice seeing you again. I had to admit, we've changed over the years."
Gambit watches his ex-wife walking towards the shadows and disappears. Bella Donna still has a place in his heart.
"Anything?" Havok asked Polaris. Earlier, after the team split up, he asked her to fly around the place to search for the killer.
"No", Polaris shook her head. "Couldn't find him. How about you? You look tired."
"It's all part of the mission, with the muscle pain, wounds and all."
"I contacted Rogue and Gambit and so far they couldn't trace him. This is San Francisco, Alex, where tracing a killer in one of the famous places heavily weighs against us."
"I still couldn't contact the X-Corps. There was still no response."
Havok and Polaris stand above the building to locate the killer. Truth to be told, everything between them is awkward right now ever since he ditched her at their wedding. During their mission at Antartica, Havok became jealous when Iceman comforted Polaris.
"What was that all about?" Havok began to ask. Polaris looked at him in a confused manner. "I mean your nightmare at the plane."
"It was nothing", Polaris scoffed. "And it's not your goddamn business."
Havok flinched at Polaris' last words. In fact, Polaris was surprised as well. "Alex…I didn't mean to…I…just…"
"It's okay", Havok told her. "We're all used to your sudden outbursts." Havok mentally kicked himself for saying that.
"Gee, thanks a lot", Polaris commented dryly.
"Lorna, I didn't mean to."
"Next, you're going to tell me I'm crazy."
"You're not. If you're talking about what had happened in Antarctica, I wasn't aiming at you directly."
"Everyone else in the X-Men thinks I'm crazy."
Havok narrows his eyes down. "I know what happened to you after Genosha. It's not your fault you being, um…"
Polaris rolls her eyes. "It's okay. Say it."
"Crazy. It's just that, ever since we met again at the Institute, you were different."
"Pfft. I was different when you ditched me for that Florence Nightingale reject at our supposed-to-be wedding!"
"Stay Annie out of this. It's not her fault. I chose her", Havok told her.
"Maybe her son has a 666 mark on his forehead", Lorna continued to bash. "I mean, he did manipulate you and…"
"Geez, Lorna, stop it! I know you're still angry but it's time to move on! For that, I'm sorry", Havok growled at her.
Knowing that this conversation won't get them anywhere, the two former lovers decide to keep quiet for a while. Annie was still a very sensitive topic for both Havok and Polaris, so one ever dared to mention her name in front of them, well maybe except Havok himself. However, Polaris somehow has accepted Annie as Havok's new love, with one bit of a problem.
"Do you even call her?"
Havok looks at her. It wasn't almost a question, but more of a reminder. "I had to respect her space, Lorna. I wanted to but…"
"What's stopping you then?"
Havok paused for a while. "We have our differences. I'm one of the leaders of the X-Men, she wants to live a normal life with Carter. I can't just barge in her life and…"
All of the sudden, Polaris bites her lips as she experiences pain. Havok managed to catch her as she nearly falls down to the ground.
"Lorna?"
"I…sense…s-some…thing…the-the magnetic fields…AAARRRGGGHHH!"
"LORNA!"
"North…from here…"
Gambit, like any other man, wasn't pleased with the sudden ambush Krokos had arranged. Despite pulling all his kinetic energy to defeat Krokos, the effort was futile. Physical harm meant nothing to Krokos.
"Ah, big yummy X-Man for mah belly!" Krokos shouted.
"Fuck, couldn't at least brush your teeth?" Gambit sneered disgustedly.
"Feh, you need a shave little man", Krokos growled.
Krokos begins to spit out a large volume of acid at Gambit's direction. The Cajun quickly dodges the attack, but it was too fast that it got the edges of his favorite trench coat. He isn't pleased with the result and attacks him more while trying to keep his distance away from the mutant. Krokos, on the other hand, begins to throw cars, trees and everything he could get his hands on to Gambit. Then, Krokos has an idea. He throws a large truck at the unsuspecting bystanders. Gambit sees this and tries to save them but Krokos intercepts him. Fortunately, Havok and Polaris arrived in time with the latter using her magnetic powers to hold it while the former saving the bystanders. Polaris then uses her powers to throw the truck at Krokos and successfully hits him.
"Nice work, chere", Gambit smiles at her.
"Now, I'm you're chere? Please", Lorna scoffs, but smiles at the compliment.
Havok looks at Gambit. "This is the guy we're looking for?"
"Big, ugly, smelly and acidic. Dis is our guy", Gambit tells him. "Where's Rogue?"
"Don't know."
"The X-Men are here. The second-best Summers brother and the Norman Bates of the year", Krokos taunts them. He was talking about Havok and Polaris respectively. The two didn't appreciate the comment.
"Look who's talking, you big, ugly…nah, I'll just settle with big and ugly", growled Polaris.
The three X-Men begin to attack Krokos as the lizard-looking mutant does his best to attack them. The problem is that Krokos is harder to topple down, despite Havok's full-powered blasts. Krokos finally throws a very expensive Mercedes Benz at the three. They dodged it but the way Krokos threw it seems that he has sent it across the street.
"Wow, ah feel sorry for you, Carol."
"It's hard if you think about it. Hawkeye, Vision and Ant-Man didn't deserve to die. How could we not know Wanda was responsible?" Carol Danvers contemplated over the recent tragedies that took place months ago. Here they were, Rogue and Warbird, two former enemies sitting together in a café, away from the battle that is occurring right now.
"What happen to Wanda anyway?" Rogue asked. Before Carol could answer, Allison approaches them with coffee on her tray.
"Here you go Rogue, just the way you like them", said Allison as she places the coffee over the table. Rogue felt sorry for her.
"Look, Ali. Quit this job and go back with us", Rogue tells her. "Ah know you don't want to be a waitress forever."
"It's not easy, Rogue. You don't know what I've been through", Allison reminds her. "I just want to rearrange my life, without the chaos and all."
"This must be the depression talking", Carol intervenes. "But I have to agree with Rogue. You're an X-Man. You don't want to take the same route as I did before."
"I remember. You were an alcoholic. But…I was a drug addict", Allison confesses. "That was one of the reasons why I kissed my career good-bye. Stupid me."
Rogue is horrified by Allison's confession. "Oh, Ali. Ah didn't know…why didn't you tell me?"
Just as Allison continues to talk, a very drunken man looks at the window and sees the car Krokos threw aiming towards at the café.
"LOOK OUT! HERE COMES BILLY JOEL!" the drunken man shouts. Rogue, Allison and Carol looks at the window as the car crashes in. Rogue quickly grabs Allison and dodges the car underneath along with Carol. The three land on the ground as the car finally hits behind them, damaging the counter. The three heroines get up and look at the scene. Rogue looks at her teammates desperately trying to defeat Krokos.
"What the hell's going on?" Carol asked.
"Big bad, 12 o'clock", Rogue comments. Bad timing for her part since she lost her super strength and flight but that would mean absorbing Carol again, which is the last thing Rogue wants to do again.
"So much for rest. Mind if I join in?"
"Sure thing sugar."
Just as the two leave, they are stopped by Allison's voice.
"Hey! Wait up!"
Rogue looks at Allison. "Ali…
"As strange as it sounds, I was inspired to join you guys again", Allison tells her.
"So, does that mean…"
Carol interrupts them. "Sorry girls. No time for chit chat. Let's kick that SOB's ass."
Krokos is weakening, but still in good condition to fight the X-Men. Havok, Polaris and Gambit are tired of the fight but they have no choice but to continue until Krokos is defeated. Warbird arrives at their side with Rogue and Dazzler, much to everyone's surprise.
"Sorry ah was late, but ah bumped into her", Rogue points out to Dazzler.
"Hey Alex, Lorna, Gambit. Been a while", Dazzler greets them.
"Ello, ello", Gambit greets her charmingly, much to Rogue's dismay.
"More X-Men! He didn't tell me about this!" Krokos exclaimed.
"He?" asked Havok. "Who's "he"?"
"Won't tell ya. Sir, however, has paid me good money to make a deal with those thieves", Krokos continued.
"Is it Sinister?"
"No. Sir told me his minutes will be done. Smart man, but sadly not too bright."
"So, it was you killed Bella Donna's thieves!" Gambit shouts at him. "Why?"
"To gain your attention. To make up your mind, as Sir told me."
Gambit angrily throws his kinetic cards at Krokos and it explodes at him. Krokos remain unscathed as Warbird lifts a car and hits Krokos, thus sends him 10 ft. away from them. Surprisingly, he gets up quickly and rushes towards them while he excretes tons of acids at the X-Men. Gambit grabs Dazzler and heads to the nearest car for protection while everyone else does the same thing.
"What the hell is that thing?" Warbird asked incredulously.
"His skin is made of acid, sugah. So, physical objects are outta the solution", Rogue answers her.
"I just want to kill that son of a bitch right now!" Polaris tells them.
Meanwhile, Gambit helps Dazzler recompose herself.
"You 'kay?" Gambit asks her.
"Never been better", the former singer muttered. "So much for my comeback. Does that thing have a weakness?"
"Dunno. It's best dat we drive him to hell. You still up to it?"
"Still am", Dazzler answered him immediately. On cue, the two come out of their hiding place and Dazzler blinds Krokos with her powers. She has to admit that she misses being in combat. Havok and Polaris continue to blast Krokos while Warbird flies to the gas truck and uses her super strength to lift it. Then she dumps the gas at him quickly before he recovers. Realizing what Warbird had done, Gambit grabs a lighter from his pocket, turns it on and throws it at Krokos.
"Everybody down!" Havok yells at them as they hide for cover. Krokos explodes into pieces but it also manages to destroy the area around him and the X-Men. Luckily, Polaris created a shield to cover everyone. When this was done, the X-Men, Dazzler and Warbird look at the scene. Fire covering almost everywhere and one could the destruction of buildings, cars, windows and everything else.
"I'm not cleaning this place up", Polaris comments.
"What about the acid that creep had?" Rogue asks.
"I don't know, but we better help the people. Mission's done, but why do I feel this mission wasn't completed yet?" Havok wonders.
"I don't know", Warbird tells him. "But, it's done, though I absolutely have no idea it would come into this."
"Thanks again, Carol", Rogue thanks her. Warbird doesn't know how to take this but she just smiles at her.
"I'm more way interested with "Sir". Dis guy's leavin' us open ended questions", Gambit tells his teammates. His mind tells him that it's not Sinister, but he knows that he is somewhat connected to him. His concentration is interrupted when Dazzler approaches them.
"So, um, is it too late to renew my membership?" she asks thoughtfully.
Gambit, Havok, Rogue and Polaris looks at their former member curiously. Rogue utters carefully, "Ali…you mean…"
"I know this seems sudden, but I want to join the X-Men again. I don't have a place to go."
Gambit grins at her. "Why not Alex? She seems to be in trouble and makes a good teammate, provided Cyke will put her in our team."
Havok nods at him. "Why not? But Ali, are you sure about this? What about your singing career?"
"It's over. I'm a has-been", Dazzler interrupts him.
The joyous mood is interrupted when they hear a gun shot. Everyone is on their feet, except for Rogue who fell on the ground.
Gambit is the first one to see her fall and is horrified. "CHERE!" The Cajun carries his girlfriend and searches for the wound. What he finds instead is a small dart at the back of her neck. Rogue, meanwhile, feels her world is turning black.
"Oh my God. Rogue! Wake up!" Gambit shouts at her.
"We better head back now!" Havok tells them.
Far away, a mysterious figure fixes his/her sniper after shooting Rogue. He/She looks at the X-Men helping their fallen teammate and walks away.
"I'm sorry if I had to turn to this, Rogue. But, this is for your own good. And soon, you'll thank me again, provided that you'll live."
UP NEXT: Storm encounters a familiar face during a mission and ponders on her choices as friend. The Astonishing X-Men encounters the last mutant they would rather meet.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
1. Two references from Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Rachel's dream (from Graduation Day Part 2) and Lorna's dream (from This Year's Girl).
2. I got the "Here comes Billy Joel" joke from Conan O'Brien. At the same time, the car crash is similar to Spiderman 2.
3. Some of the storylines will not be solved immediately. They are connected, however.
4. Expect Banshee to appear soon.