Part III

The shock on Wolverine's face was priceless. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped about two feet. Beast was also surprised, but he suddenly started to smile. Logan went to the girl's bedside still unable to believe what he just heard. "Wait a second, did you just say that Sage was your mother?"

The girl nodded. Beast stepped in, still smiling. "I have just spoken with Ororo and we have come to the conclusion that this young girl here came out of a time rip. She probably came from another dimension where she knew all of us, simply different versions that's all," he explained, busying himself by checking her vital signs.

"You spoke to Ro? How is she?" Logan asked a bit off track.

"She's well, but she needs rest. That's why I didn't alert anyone that she was awake," Hank finished looking at the readings from the different machines that were cluttered around the girl. "Now, how do you feel? Does anything hurt, or feel different?"

She shook her head. "No, I think that I'm all right now. Being here just kind of scared me at first. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went through that machine that Forge built. No one was sure where we'd end up if we went through, so no one tried it. I thought that I was going to be thrown into some pre-historic dimension," she laughed, very relieved.

Logan moved to the other side of the bed. "Well since you already know us, we should get to know you. What's your name?" he asked offering his hand for her to shake.

"Phoenix and I'm pretty sure you're Logan," she replied smiling and shaking his hand.

"Your name is Phoenix?" he asked, slightly confused. She nodded her head.

"Wolverine, maybe you should notify everyone that Phoenix has woken up. I'm sure everyone has questions that would liked to be answered," Beast said filling the awkward silence that had filled the room.

He nodded and stepped quietly out of the room. Logan wasn't one for taking orders, but he didn't have a problem removing himself from that odd situation. He stalked down the hallway towards the War Room. He needed to alert the X-Men.

"I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" Phoenix asked looking up at the blue doctor that was tending her. Beast shook his head but remained quiet. So unsure of herself, Phoenix remained still and silent with her hands in her lap. She fidgeted with her fingers, her mind racing with things that she'd done wrong. She was supposed to be asking them for help not pissing them off.

Looking around her environment, as Beast occupied himself with the computers on the other side of the infirmary, Phoenix evaluated her situation. She figured that this world didn't seem as bad as the one she was born into, so if she could survive that than she could survive anything.

"Phoenix, I'm sorry I was just running some tests," Beast said finally paying attention to the girl in the med lab bed. She nodded her head but remained quiet. She was going to ask him what kind of tests he was running, but she thought it best to let him finish. "Do you think you could walk?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, I think that we should move into the Briefing Room where we can talk in the open that way you don't have to answer the same questions over and over again. I'm sorry if you think that we're treating you like a prisoner that we've going to interrogate," Beast said helping Phoenix out of bed. She stumbled once but the feeling in her legs returned with the support of Henry McCoy.

"It's all right. I was actually expecting worse so I'm pretty happy to be here," she replied still leaning heavily onto Beast. They reached the elevator and he reached around her to push the button. They stood waiting as the rushing sound of the elevator coming down to get them filled their ears. "I would do the same thing if I were in your position."

Beast smiled, happy to know that she understood what was going to happen. With that, the elevator door opened and they stepped in.

…

Wolverine had gathered the X-Men in the War Room to tell them the news. "Well, I just got word from Hank that the girl's awake. I'm pretty sure he's gonna bring her up here so she can answer all our questions," Logan stated his arms folded across his chest.

Jean Grey and Scott Summers were seated side by side, holding hands. She nodded her head but contacted Hank to make sure he didn't need any help. She nodded and opened her eyes to look at everyone else in the room.

Ororo's seat was empty, no one wanted to take the seat of the second-in-command. Sage sat to Ororo's right and Bishop at her left. Cannonball was leaning against the wall nearest Wolverine and then there was Kurt who sat in his usual seat, speaking to himself softly in German. Kitty, Jubilee and Bobby were waiting outside the door, one of the girls biting her nails. Rogue was seated next to Jean and Gambit couldn't stop pacing the floor. Colossus sat calmly next to Scott. He seemed to be the most levelheaded one of all.

"Hank wants us to meet in the Briefing Room. He's taking her there," Jean said already standing up. "I contacted him telepathically," she replied immediately so that she didn't confuse anyone as she walked past Logan to the room on her right.

Everyone followed suit, too many questions running through their heads. They were greeted with the sight of Henry and the girl, who was already seated at the head of the table with her hands back in her lap. The only thing different was the blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders.

"Everyone," Hank began, waiting for everyone to take their seats so that they could get started. "I'd like you to meet my new friend, Phoenix."

…

The room remained eerily silent. The air was thick with confusion, unanswered questions, doubt and suspicion. Finally, someone decided to talk. "It's all right Phoenix just tell them what you told me," Beast whispered.

"Well, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"I have a question," Bishop spoke, leaning against the long, rectangular table. "How in the world did you get here?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Phoenix started.

"Well we've got all the time in the world," Wolverine interrupted from beside her. He was leaning against the wall like he was in the War Room. There was just too much energy in him to sit still for a long time.

"Forge built a machine that would transport us from dimension to dimension. It was supposed to be a time travel machine so that we could fix what was happening in our world, but Moira McTaggart was helping him and they 'accidentally' created something totally different. You didn't know where you were going, so know one had the nerve to try it out. Besides, there was no way to get back."

"That sounds a lot like Forge," Scott added with a slight smile to his face.

Bishop nodded but continued with his question. "So why did you try it then?"

"In our world, mutants are treated like slaves," Phoenix lowered her head. She had to stare at her hands so that no one could see the tears well in her eyes. "It started with the assassination of President Kelly. They knew it was a mutant and when they found out, all hell broke loose. They arrested all the mutants in the Mutant Registration Program and they were always looking out for those that walked around unknown."

"That's awful," Rogue murmured in a low voice.

"They started here," she whispered looking up at everyone sitting at the table.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"I wasn't born yet so I don't know. I didn't grow up in the Xavier Mansion but my mother did. I know all about Professor Xavier," Phoenix replied, finally showing her smile. It really changed her whole face to see her happy.

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you but he's away on business. He'll be back soon though," Jean responded reaching across the table to take one of her hands. Phoenix had placed them on the table after talking about the mansion. "I have a question. Why is your name Phoenix? That used to be-"

"Your codename," she finished, still smiling. Phoenix took a deep breath, but Wolverine's sensitive hear caught the hitch in her throat. "In my world, you died before I was born. I do know your daughter though, Rachel Summers. She's taken your old codename of Marvel Girl," she said obviously remembering a close friend.

Scott and Jean exchanged glances, but their eyes shone. In another world, they had a family. Logan didn't say anything but he lowered his head. He'd come to realize that he could never have Jean Grey no matter how hard he tried. He told himself that he was over her, and he actually was. It was just weird to see how even in other worlds, the fates were against him. It made him grin.

"My mother was pregnant with me when you died. She grew close to you because you were both pregnant together, so you could relate. She told me that when you died, she promised to name me after you because she wanted me to take on your qualities as a person. You sacrificed yourself for the good of the X-Men. She thought that was very noble," Phoenix answered, the tears making her eyes shine against the light.

"Can you tell us more about your world?" Cannonball asked. His hand came behind his head to scratch at the back of his neck. He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I mean, do you know what's happened to the rest of us?"

"She shouldn't have to answer that," Sage said, her arms holding her body. She hadn't said anything the entire time.

"Why not? She told us what happened to Jean and if it's as bad as I think it is, I'm sure that she's better off that way!" Cannonball replied, spitting venom.

"Hey! Knock it off you two!" Cyclops shouted, using his leader voice.

"I don't mind," Phoenix said quietly. "They started taking mutants and putting them in prisons. They had to wear collars to restrict their powers or else the guards would have been overpowered. When they were too full, the government had to think of something else. They created an island where the most useful mutants could be put to work. They still wore the collars but there was something different. They had to use their powers to do their work, so when the collars would shut down there was a sort of back-up system."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"If the mutants tried to use their powers to get away, then all the guards would have to do is push a button and the mutant would be injected with a serum that would instantly kill them. The government didn't see it as an expense because all they had to do was transport another mutant to fill the job. We didn't know exactly how many, but we knew that it was common to find a handful of mutants dead a day," Phoenix replied.

"That's genocide," Rogue said, her hands spread out on the table. When she lifted them up, the sweat from her palms remained leaving an imprint.

"Not to them. They don't care," Phoenix stated moving her hands back to her lap. She shivered, but Hank pulled the blanket tighter around her. She smiled up at him, but continued. "After Professor Xavier died, things just got worse. The X-Men fell apart. With both of them gone, it was hard for anyone to concentrate fully on the task at hand. People started going their own ways," Phoenix turned her head and smiled at Rogue and Remy who were sitting next to each other. "You two left. We think back to Louisiana but no one knows for sure. My mother showed me a picture of you. She said that she always knew that you would end up together."

Rogue didn't turn to look at Gambit, but her gloved hand slid into his and he squeezed it.

Phoenix turned her head to look at the man next to her. "I didn't know you either Beast," he shook his head like he understood. "They executed you when President Kelly was murdered. He was going to pardon you, you were going to get out of jail, but the government wouldn't allow a mutant to go. That's partially what started some of the mutant riots and revolts. They were angry that they didn't stand by their words."

Phoenix turned to Scott. "After Jean died, my father told me that you changed. I always knew you to be assertive and aggressive but he told me that you were once sweet and understanding. That you weren't always ready to kill at the sight of the government officials and the guards at the mutant prisons. He told me that you used to be like Professor Xavier."

Wolverine snorted. "One-eye, being aggressive? I doubt it. He couldn't even kill a fly."

Phoenix shook her head at him but smiled anyway. "That's why my mother and father sent me through the portal. She told me that she wouldn't see me die at the hands of those people. So I left," she took a deep breath and finished. "And I ended up here."

Wolverine pushed himself up with his foot that was resting against the wall. "And tell us Phoenix, who is your mother?"

Beast eyed Logan from his spot at her left. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You don't have to answer that Phoenix," but his hypersensitive hearing could have heard it all the way down the hall, perfectly.

"I think that she has the right to know that as well."

Phoenix looked unsure at Wolverine but his eyes were black and cold. What had she done to make him so mad at her? While she was in the infirmary he had seemed so nice and kind, but then he changed. She closed her eyes. "Sage."

Sage looked up, her red glasses hiding the shock in her eyes. "What?"

Phoenix nodded. "Remember that cloak I had on when I first arrived? That used to be yours," she explained. Now that she said it, Sage noticed that the coat seemed familiar. There were a few changes, but it was definitely hers. "And then there's this," Phoenix continued, fishing around her pockets. She pulled out the chocker that her mother had given her before she left. Sage gasped and touched her neck. There, sitting on her perfect white neck was the chocker with the red X-Men symbol on it. She'd had it since she was a teenager. The Professor had given it to her when she first started.

"Wait a second, if I'm your mother then who's your father?"

"Bishop."