"Stay close to me, kids," Alison held an orb of light above her head, taking stock of her surroundings.
"Where are we, Miss Blaire?" Anna shivered.
"Nowhere good, that's for sure."
They were in a shallow canyon, at the base of an enormous castle. Parapets stuck out from the core structure at every angle, no matter how seemingly impossible it would have been to build. The sky was a rusty gray and heavy with swirling clouds, punctured here and there by a rock spire several hundred feet in diameter.
"I think this is Limbo."
"We are not alone," N'Ezhno reported. From the rim on either side of the canyon came hundreds of creatures crawling, slithering, and scrambling down towards the mutants.
The pack of monsters surrounded them, clicking and chortling in half-human tongues.
"Everyone get behind me," N'Ezhno whispered.
"Not yet, Nez," Alison hissed urgently. "Play it cool."
The smallest of the bunch, a mottled brown creature with a long snout and a crooked hunch, beckoned them.
"Thisss way, prettiesss. To the Massster!"
Two larger demons behind Dazzler and company began moving forward, herding the group like sheep.
As the convoy traveled to the castle, the demons beat their chests and howled in almost rhythmic chants. Jubilee noticed more demons joining the procession as they went, crawling down the walls and burrowing out of the ground.
When they reached the gate, the ensemble gave a final cacophonous round of chants before falling silent. Then the doors to the castle slowly swing open. To the surprise of the mutants, most of the demons then quickly and quietly dispersed, with the brown demon and a few of his crew remaining. Their small captor grinned triumphantly, and they stepped into the main room.
It was long, with a number of torches in sconces providing light. A huge chunk of the ceiling and back wall was missing, allowing a commanding view of the castle's twisted structure beyond. At the end of the room was a wide, backless throne. Before the throne was a metal grate with two lengths of chain snaked up from an unseen chamber below.
Seated on the throne was a man with pink skin and a pair of horns on his head. A sharply-raised collar framed his auburn hair. When he saw the brown demon he opened his mouth as if to say something, only to close his eyes and purse his lips.
The imp bowed deeply and gestured towards the girls and N'Ezhno.
"Found the Child of Light, Massster!"
The man's eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Sym!" He suddenly bellowed.
A large pink creature with tusks lumbered over to the throne.
"S'right Boss," he said gruffly, then closed the distance between himself and the small demon with frightening speed. He snatched up the demon in a single hand and clenched his fist. The diminutive minion screamed in agony, then immediately burst into flame.
The man looked at Dazzler and company intently while this happened.
"Where are my manners?" he said finally. "My name is Belasco, and this is my realm."
"We know all about you, creep-lord!" Jubilee snapped. "You aren't going to use our souls for your blood-magic crap!"
"I suppose your soul would be pure enough…" Belasco mused. "Despite your attitude. But you still aren't her. You aren't my Illyana."
"My attitude?"
"That's enough Jubilee," Dazzler said. She looked at Belasco.
"Clearly your… former employee… mistook one or more of us for the person you seek."
"Good help is hard to find these days," the demon king shrugged.
"Then since you recognize that this is all a big misunderstanding, we'll be on our way."
"That's not quite what I had in mind," Belasco grinned.
"Where is Miss Pryde?"
Rachel, Triage, and Cecily found Laura and Hisako sitting in the landing at the top of the second floor.
"She hasn't come out since we got the news," Laura said.
"Dad - Cyclops - is taking a team into Limbo to go after Dazzler and everyone."
"Is he sure that's a good idea?" Laura frowned. "We know what happened the last time."
"This time we have Illyana, though," Cecily said. "She can open the gate at will."
"You're going, then?" Laura stood and faced her friend.
"You're not?" Cecily seemed surprised.
"I don't know… I was hoping that wasn't the plan, that's for sure. This particular Wolverine has never visited an alternate dimension before, and she isn't ready to do it today… I don't know."
"It's our job, isn't it?" Cecily held out her hands.
"I'm going," Hisako shrugged.
"If Warren is going, I'm going," Chris crossed his arms. He turned to walk to the backyard.
"It's personal, now. Besides, the Class C students may need healing."
"I'll be right back," Hisako said suddenly, following Chris. Rachel looked at the colors of Laura and Cecily's auras and decided to excuse herself.
"You've been a little… different since we visited your parents," Laura looked hard at the other girl.
"I don't know why it bothers you so much," Cecily sounded a bit angry. "I'm trying to be less sensitive about things."
"But that's not you," Laura said, exasperated. "You don't want to shut yourself off to things like that."
"It works for you," Cecily said quietly.
Laura turned around and scowled.
"Not as often as you'd think."
Chris, stop," Hisako called after him.
"What is your deal with him?" Hisako looked angry with the boy.
"Like I said, it's personal now."
"You sure you're not just jealous?"
"What? Why would you think that?"
"Ever since that first time I sat with him at lunch, you've been so against him!"
Chris's cheeks burned.
"Maybe I just didn't want my friend to get hurt," he said.
"What does that-" she started to ask, but Chris took off running again.
"Good, good. Keep them separated, so won't have any more accidents."
Belasco's forces were moving Alison and the students into individual cages.
"Oh, but in fact I know who you are, mutant. I've dealt with your kind in the past. A sad story, your species. Drawn to each other like moths to flame, with only woe to come from the union. But sorrow breeds great potential for people like me. My darling Darkchilde was born of such sorrow. Illyana is there, at your school."
Beneath him the chains began to pull as something in the dungeon stirred.
"I intend to reclaim what is mine."
"This is madness," Illyana shook her head.
"It's a profound risk, I agree," Storm stood behind the blonde girl.
Scott was unmoved.
"It was a risk last time because we didn't have a way back. But now we have her."
He pointed at Illyana.
"You told us your mutant ability connects you to Limbo."
"It does, but-"
"So you'll open the portal to Limbo, we'll go teach Belasco a long overdue lesson, and we'll make these last 17 years right."
Jonathan Proudstar addressed the group of mutants after everyone has arrived.
"Alright kids, here's the deal. Four of our number were abducted today by forces outside of this world."
A murmur went through the crowd.
"Today's operation aims to bring them back safe and sound. Cyclops will lead Class X into the rift. I will accompany them to track down the missing students. Chosen members of Class A and B will follow me."
Standing in a row behind him were Warren, Phoebe, Celeste, Mindee, and Remy.
Emma raised her hand to gather attention.
"I will remain here, in psychic rapport with my girls. Once you find the mutants and return to the entry point, they will contact me and Illyana will open the portal again. You go in, you get our people, you get out. And you be safe..."
Rachel stepped forward.
"Since the Cuckoos are handling long distance communication, I'll link everyone together for short range."
Cyclops shook his head.
"Actually Rachel, you'll be back here."
"What do you mean? I'm part of this team, too."
"Listen, it might make me sound bad, but I don't want to put you in danger."
"Then I'm staying too," Laura crossed her arms. "Didn't want to go on your suicide mission anyway."
"You're every bit as insubordinate as your father," Cyclops growled.
"If Kitty were here-"
"She's not. So I'm stepping up. And I say you're going!"
"A moment, dear," Emma pulled Scott over towards where Doug Ramsey, Kurt some of the other teachers were.
"Now, you know I love when you get all determined," Emma said softly, "But tensions are a little high right now. Everyone is in a bad mood."
"It's just pre-mission nerves," Scott said with a tone that suggested even he wasn't convinced. "I've seen it a hundred times."
"Scott," Doug put his hand on the man's shoulder, "Perhaps it would do some good if some of the more combat proficient mutants stay behind to watch the school. You're not going to war with all of Limbo. You're getting our people and going home. Like Emma said."
Scott turned to Kurt.
"You don't seem too affected by any of this."
"Nonsense. I'm trembling in my knee-high boots," he smiled.
"I'm just better at burying my feelings than you are. People have been telling me I come from Hell for a fair few years. Now my sister is down there somewhere, and it's up to us to get her back. Jonathan can do the tracking by himself, Laura can remain here to protect the students with the others. It will work out if we're all together."
Illyana cleared a spot in the lawn.
"I'm not keeping it open for long. If you have even a prayer of succeeding, you need to move fast."
There was a knock at Kitty's door.
"Go away, Laura."
A purple flash behind her prompted Kitty to turn and see Blink stepping out of a portal from the hallway outside.
"You look awful," Blink said plainly.
"Everything is going wrong, Clarice."
"And you're in here, hiding from the crisis."
"This isn't just some crisis, this destroyed the X-Men last time!" Kitty shouted.
"They had the professor, they had Jean and Ororo, they had Scott… and they couldn't do anything about it. Now we just have me, who can't control her own class and who can't keep her students safe. A loser, in way over her head."
Blink put her chin on her finger thoughtfully.
"I mean, I thought you were kind of a dweeb when were kids. Maybe you aren't cut out for this after all."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No, but I'm getting there. I just need…"
Another portal opened and Lorna staggered through, apparently teleported mid-stride.
"...a little more help."
"Damnit, Clarice, you can't keep doing that."
Lorna then realized where she was.
"Oh."
"Kitty here needs a pep talk. She's not feeling too confident in herself right now."
"Is this about you and Cyclops in the Danger Room earlier?"
"Super mature of me, I know," Kitty sighed. "I'm still the same stupid kid I was when I was 11!"
"It takes two to tango," Lorna shrugged. "If you two had drama, one of you could have told us. That means Cyclops too."
"But at least he's doing something," Kitty shook her head.
"I just let everyone down."
"Listen, Kitty. What you think of yourself is one thing. But remember, Xavier chose you as his successor. He must have seen something in you. Something we missed."
"But why did he choose me? Lorna, you've been watching over mutants with the underground for years. Kurt already had experience as an X-Man. I've been living in the normal world for my whole life. Why didn't he pick someone else?"
"I'll admit," Polaris shook her head, "I've asked myself the same question a lot since word got around that the X-Men were back. At first, I questioned whether he trusted me. Maybe he still saw too much Magneto in me to leave it in my hands."
"Oh, Lorna. I didn't mean it to imply-"
"I know. You aren't the only one with hangups. But as I thought about it, I realized that he passed up Jonathan too, and plenty of others. Then I came here, and I think I figured it out. He chose you because of that normal life you were talking about."
"A solid point," Blink nodded.
Lorna sat in the bed with Kitty.
"You have the context of both worlds that we don't. Nightcrawler would be caged if he spoke out on his own. His days of normal are long behind him. I was raised in my father's world. Normal for me didn't ever come. I didn't go to school, I didn't really have a home until I came to this house for the first time. You feel like you were stuck out there this whole time, but really it gave you your greatest strength."
"My strength is that I'm… normal?"
"No," Blink smirked. "You're one of us, you'll never really be normal. But if we're going to deal with humans some day, it won't help anyone if the leaders don't know what being human is like."
Suddenly a shriek rang out from the backyard.
"Girl talk is over," Lorna snapped to attention. "Blink, if you would?"
"Hey, guys?" Kitty paused. "Thank you. I needed this."
"I know," Blink shrugged. "Call it my secondary mutation. Now come on. It's time to go to work, ladies."
One portal later, the three women came running out to the yard. Illyana was crouched on the lawn.
"Illyana!" Kitty ran to her side.
"So much dark magic," she whispered. "It's him. The gate was open for too long. He's found me, Kitty. Belasco is coming!"