Disclaimer: "May I offer you a chair?" "Certainly. May I offer you a fish?"
(An: Well, here we go, back with the evil mix of canon and cloth. Now we get a date for this story- it's after "Cruise Control", because I have need of Magma's earth powers. I did my best to keep up with the Magus's real-life powers... but, eh. Oh, well. BTW, I don't have the greatest knowledge of exactly how Warlock talks, so to spare myself the agony, he's going to use pronouns when referring to the Magus. Because "The Magus" gets really annoying to type after the seventh or eighth time. And I have NO idea of how the Magus talks... so... yeah... I've got nothing to go off for that.)
AT FORGE'S HOUSE...
Warlock (who was recharging in the corner) suddenly sat up with a jerk. "Oh, no," he whispered.
Forge (who didn't sleep) looked up from his current project. "Something off, 'Lock?"
Warlock gulped. "The... The Magus has arrived."
"...And..."
"And he's coming." Since Forge didn't seem to be getting the hint, he added, "If Self and Self-Friend Forge do not do something to detain the Magus, it means eminent destruction."
"Oh. Right."
There was a pause.
"Query: Are Self and Self-Friend Forge going to get going... soon?"
Forge shook himself. "Yeah, yeah, c'mon." He headed out his door and started off.
"Self-Friend Forge, the Magus is that way," said 'Lock, pointing in the opposite direction.
"We're not going to the Magus," Forge replied. "I'm a lover, not a fighter. But I know some people who are..."
AT THE MANSION...
As usual, Bobby answered the buzzer on the gate. "Heeeello, Xavier's Ice Cream Shop/Vomitorium, where you splurge and then purge, how may we help you today?"
"Just let me in, Drake," said Forge, clearly annoyed.
"Oh, sorry, Forge," said Bobby. The gates swung open.
"Newbies," Forge muttered.
Forge led Warlock into the professor's study. "Best drop the look, 'Lock," said Forge. "It'll add some credibility to our tale." Warlock reassumed his normal form, shrugging.
The professor came in. "And to what do we owe the pleasure, Forge?"
"I know it's late, but it's a little urgent." The professor raised an eyebrow and Forge gave him a rushed explanation of the Magus and its powers. "It's just that this seems like a very 'X-men' thing to me."
The professor nodded. "I'll gather the team at once."
"See, toldja," Forge whispered to Warlock. "The X-men are totally made for this stuff." Warlock didn't reply. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, looking increasingly nervous.
WITH MORPH...
Morph was half-asleep on the bench when he was awakened by a familiar voice saying, "There you are!"
Morph blinked. "...Ro-?"
Before he had a chance to say anything, a gloved fist was connecting with his face. "That," said Rogue, crossing her arms and glaring at the recovering mutant, "was for leavin' before I could yell at you."
Morph blinked.
Kurt sighed. "Please, Rogue, keep it down. Remember the last time you clocked someone in public? I thought you hated anger management."
"Yeah, but the look on the swamp rat's face was priceless," said Rogue, a reminiscent smile on her face. Then she shook herself and turned back to Morph. "But that's not the point. The point is, you ran off without telling anyone. Why?"
"Er... itchy feet?"
"Do you like pain that much?"
"No, no, please don't hit me again," Morph responded, shrinking a little. "The healing thing doesn't work as well on broken bones and stuff."
Rogue rested her fist on her hip again. "Ok, so then why did you really leave?"
Morph shrugged, avoiding her (extremely pissed) gaze. "I..."
That was, of course, when Rogue's communicator went off. She pulled out the cellphone shaped device. "We're gonna continue this later," she said, grabbing him. "C'mon, Kurt, we gotta get back to the mansion."
The trio disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
OUTSIDE THE MANSION...
The group appeared just in time to hear the tail end of Warlock's explanation to the other X-men. "...but Self does not wish to fight the Magus-"
"Because you'll probably get hammered into next Tuesday?" Bobby offered.
Warlock paused. "Well, there's that... but also, Self just does not like to fight."
"Amen to that," Forge muttered, obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"So... what're we supposed to do about it?" Jubilee asked.
Warlock considered this a moment, tugging one of his hairs absently. "Self suppposes that if Self-Friends distracted the Magus long enough, Self could reprogram him and revert the Magus to a less powerful state... but he would have to be weakened considerably."
Both factions of the X-men exchanged glances. "We can handle that," they all chorused.
"Can you lead us to him, Warlock?" asked Scott (who was obviously still grasping the 'alien' concept). At his nod, Scott added, "Ok, X-men, New Recruits, we'll take the X-jet. Move out!"
In the hangar, Logan caught up to Morph, who was blending into the ranks easily enough. He put a hand on his shoulder. When Morph turned, Logan held out his X-suit. "Think you forgot something, kid."
Morph took it, staring.
"Once an X-man, always an X-man," Logan replied, getting on the jet. "Move it!"
WITH THE MAGUS...
The Magus growled softly to himself, sliding along an alleyway. This place was alien to him, and like it or not, he'd have to find a way to blend in. He smirked as he spotted a human headed his way. It was able-bodied enough, and brimming with lifeglow- a perfect target. A few more steps and the human was gone, infected, drained, and its shape assumed by the Magus. (1)
The Magus stepped out of the alley and headed in the direction of his son's signal.
ON THE X-JET...
Kurt slung an arm around the newly-uniformed Morph. "Liberating, isn't it?"
Morph blinked, and raised an eyebrow.
"The whole returning-to-the-team thing. I screwed up when I started here too- but Scott caught up to me before I got too far."
Morph stared at him for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess so."
He didn't get a chance to say anything more, because that was when Warlock spotted him. "Self-Friend Morph!" Warlock slid over by him.
"Hey, pally," said Morph, grinning. "Assimilate anyone yet?"
"Bad joke, Self-Friend Morph," Warlock responded.
Morph shrugged. "They can't all be gems, pal. And besides, I'm having a revelation here. Those things really cramp my style."
"Query: what is a revelation?"
Morph facepalmed.
A BIT LATER...
Finding the Magus wasn't particularly hard, not with Warlock's help. The X-men landed away from the spot, Morph and Warlock leading the way.
"That's him?" Morph demanded of Warlock, when the Magus was pointed out.
"He's absorbed a human in order to conceal himself," Warlock replied. "Once he recognizes my proximity, he will drop the shape, however."
"This probably isn't the best place for him to do it, though," Morph responded, eyeing the small suburb of Bayville. "Let's book for a spot more isolated, hmm?" He glanced at Scott, who nodded.
The X-men quietly left the city and headed out into a quarry a good quarter mile away.
The Magus smirked to himself as he headed after his errant son.
ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER THAT...
Warlock gulped audibly. "The Magus is coming. He shall arrive any second now."
"Everyone got the plan?" Bobby whispered to the other New Recruits. There was solemn nods from all assembled. "All right, places, everybody."
There was a bang as the Magus appeared, in full alien form and about twenty feet tall, grinning rather nastily.
"Showtime!"
The senior X-men, Morph, and Warlock scattered, and the New Recruits stood in a tight knot behind Bobby. "Hey! Weird, black, and ugly! Come get me!" He made a very rude gesture at the Magus. The actual meaning was lost on him, but he got the point.
"Foolish," the Magus muttered. "Humans are so weak and yet so full of pride."
"You know, my English teacher said that," said Bobby. "But, then, I couldn't exactly do this in school!" With that, he powered up and blasted the Magus.
There was a cracking noise and the lines running over the Magus's surface flashed white for a moment. Then he let off a perfect evil laugh. (2)
"Can you do that?" Morph whispered to Warlock. "The laugh, I mean."
Warlock shot him a look.
"Sorry, nervous habit. What's up with daddy dearest?"
"If Self-Friend Bobby did what Self thinks he did... we are in trouble..."
"Why?"
"Technarchian powers are greatly enhanced by supercooling. It is much colder on Kvch than it is here."
"This is an 'oh, shit' moment, isn't it?"
"Probably."
"Humans are even stupider than it seemed," the Magus murmured, apparently to himself. He bent down towards Bobby.
"Hey!" Amara yelled, distracting him. When the Magus turned, there was a stream of red-hot melted rock waiting for him. "Nobody messes with us!" She pulled back the heat from the rock, and it hardened almost instantly. When the Magus pulled back, a good chunk of himself stayed behind. The blinding whiteness of his veins dimmed a bit.
"New plan!" Bobby yelled. "Pull him apart!"
"So, wait," Morph said, continuing the whispered conversation with Warlock, "if Bobby zapped you, that'd amp you up, too?"
"Well, yes," Warlock agreed.
While most of the New Recruits ran decoy as Amara, Sam, and Rob continued to yank off pieces of the Magus, Morph grabbed Warlock and ran over to Kurt. "Get us up by Bobby," he hissed.
"Why-"
"Trust me," said Morph.
Kurt blinked, and then grabbed them and bamfed.
"Bobby! Zap 'Lock!" Morph said, grabbing his arm.
"Are you nuts?"
"Just do it!"
Bobby stared at him for a second, and then froze Warlock.
Kurt, meanwhile, ran up to the Magus and began teleporting bits and parts of him away. This, combined with Rob and Sam stretching and Amara smashing, dimmed the Magus all the way down to yellow. (3)
"This is odd," said Warlock.
"Ponder that later, RLF now!"
Warlock took his advice and closed the gap, dashing up to the base of the Magus and doing something to the glowing veins on his body.
The Magus didn't know what to do. At his base, his offspring was reprogramming him, and at all other sides of him he was being battered and drained of lifeglow. Then there was a small beep, and a pop as the air rushed to fill the spot left by the newly infantile Magus.
"Wow," said Morph. "Nice."
Warlock shrugged. "It is the killing I objected to," he replied. "That is wrong in itself."
"Whatever, pally," said Morph.
The X-men pulled themselves together and all clustered around the Magus, which was about the size, shape, and apparent intelligence of a human baby. A very cross human baby, but still. "...What do we do with it?" said Bobby.
"Send it home?" Jubilee suggested.
"I wonder how much the postage would be for sending him across the galaxy," said Kurt.
"We could send him to Muir for study and containment," Kitty suggested, elbowing him. (4)
"Oh mah GOD," said Rogue. "Did you just come up with a good idea?"
Kitty glared at her.
(And that, as they say, is that. I hope to have the last chapter up soon... hopefully by Friday, but I can't promise anything. I actually think this second-to-last chapter doesn't suck as much as they usually do!)
(1) This is how the Magus learned about Earth in the comics; forcibly taking lifeglow is a complicated thing and we won't go into it.
(2) This is one of those comic things that is rather obscure but is supported by the T-O faq I use. T-O material is enhanced by cold. Iceman did the same thing to a Technarchian (of sorts, anyway) and he was stronger thanks to it.
(3) If you haven't figured it out yet, the veins running along all T-O creatures indicate their lifeglow levels. White is optimum, yellow is normal, and blue means they're very weak.
(4) I don't know what they actually did with the Magus in canon... oh, well.