AN: Welcome back to X-Men: Standing Guard! This is Part 2 of the Season Finale and the penultimate episode this season! I bet most of you were assuming that Days of Future Past was going to be just like the movie. Boy were you wrong! We're doing some dimension travelling. I'm introducing a new character this episode, see if you can guess who it is. I recommend reading this while sitting down. I threw in an Easter egg (or teaser?) for you Young Avengers fans, see if you can spot it. Comment if you can! Also, in case you didn't know, I'm working on a second series based around Kate Bishop and the Young Avengers (I just finished the pilot!). Check out my profile for more information.
Thank all of you for your support this season! We have successfully achieved fifty reviews which means X-Men: Standing Guard is renewed for a second season and the Bishop pilot is given the green-light! The title and description for Episode Fourteen (the Season Finale) is out on my profile! For round-the-clock updates, exclusive sneak previews, and the early release date of the Bishop pilot, as well as the Season Premiere dates for X-Men Season 2 and Bishop Season 1, follow me on Twitter! (Link on Profile). Any questions from now until the Season Finale will be answered on Twitter. If you tweet about X-Men, use the hashtags: #XMENSG and #XMENSGFinale. Thank you and enjoy the episode!
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Kurt gasped and sat up, rubbing the back of his head, wincing in pain. His entire body was aching and sore, as if a thousand pounds of bricks had been unceremoniously dropped on him. He gasped, his stomach turning itself over and over. He felt as if he were going to puke. He turned and spit up the remainder of his small lunch on the pavement, heaving until it hurt. He glanced over at Kitty, who was lying on her back, staring up at the sky. That was when Kurt noticed where they were.
"Uh, Kitty…" he whispered, shaking her. "Kitty! Vake up!"
Kitty groaned and rolled over, pressing her face into the dirt.
"Kitty! Now!"
Kitty groaned again and rolled back over onto her back, wiping her face and staring up at the sky. "What Kurt?"
"Vhere are ve?" he asked.
Kitty sat up and immediately heaved, but managed to keep hers down. She, too, ached all over.
The city they were in was one they had never seen before. The towers and skyscrapers reminded them of New York City, but not quite. Several key buildings were missing and the streets were entirely unfamiliar, covered in dirt and grime. The duo had woken up in an alleyway. Trash cans lined the side of brick buildings and clotheslines hung above them, T-shirts, jeans, socks drying in New York's wind.
Kitty and Kurt stood up, wandering to the edge of the alley and glancing out at the street. The asphalt was cracked and broken up. A Sentinel head sat next to them and Kitty jumped when she saw it. Mutants roamed freely down the streets, strange and exotic mutations on display for all to see.
"Where are we, Mutant Town?" Kitty asked.
"I don't think so…" Kurt replied, gesturing at a billboard.
Wanda's face graced the dusty billboard. The text next to it read: Wanda Maximoff; Queen of the House of M!
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X-Men: Standing Guard
Season 1 Episode Thirteen
The Empty Coffin
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Mutant Town
Formerly New York City
[Date & Time Unavailable]
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"What the hell is this place?" Kitty asked, staring at the billboard.
"I don't know. Bad dream?" Kurt asked, looking at Kitty. She shrugged.
"I say we walk around and see." Kitty replied.
"But vhat if somevone notices us?" he asked.
"Kurt," Kitty said. "Look around, there are mutants everywhere! We'll fit right in!"
Kurt hesitated, hand hovering over his holo-watch, but he conceded and followed Kitty into the brightly lit street.
Their eyes had to adjust to the sunlight, its heat flowing down on them, warming their skin. They squinted their eyes and held up hands to block the warm light. The dirt under their feet stirred up small clouds of dust with every footstep they took. A gentle wind blew down the street, blowing right into their faces. The breeze was hot and dry.
Activity on the street seemed normal, as normal as any day in New York City, except for the appearance change. People moved up and down the streets. Some blurred past and other flew. Still others teleported door-to-door, leaving small pieces of bright paper on doorknobs.
"This is so weird!" Kitty exclaimed quietly.
Kurt agreed silently. Everything was exactly how Kitty and Kurt had wanted the world, and yet it felt so wrong at the same time.
A small crowd had gathered at the end of the road and were cheering, shouting, and wrestling to get to the front. Kitty and Kurt glanced at each other, then darted down the street towards the crowd, wrestling their way through to the front.
Tied up in cages and to poles were two dozen or so children. They were all between the ages of five and twelve. They were small, weak, and obviously mistreated. They were barely dressed in rags, some of which did a poor job at covering body parts. Over their left eye, each child was branded with a large "H".
In the middle of all of these children one mutant who looked like a large, purple fat-man stood with a six-year old in front of him, waving around paper and gesturing at the whimpering girl.
"Seventeen hundred for the human girl!" he shouted. "Do I hear seventeen-fifty? I have seventeen-fifty form the beautiful red-head in the front! Do I hear eighteen-hundred? Eighteen hundred? Going once! Going twice! Final chance…" No one spoke up.
"Sold! To the gorgeous red-head in the front. Come get your slave, sweetheart!"
The child was shoved harshly to her knees in front of her mutant master, who dragged her away.
"What the hell?" Kitty demanded loudly. The crowd stopped cheering and turned to face her.
"You got a problem, sweetie-pie?" one voice shouted.
"Look at 'er, dressed in those old X-Men uniforms!" another shouted. "Probably some hooker or slut!"
Kitty shook her head as if trying to shake off a swarm of bees. "What the hell? We're selling people in the streets now? Children? When did we lose our humanity?"
"That's just it sweetheart," the slave-seller replied. "They're human, we're mutants!"
Kitty just stared in horror. "What sort of people are you? You can't just sell children in the streets!"
Two mutants in bright red robes walked up. The first, human in appearance, but with a large M stapled over his right eye, shouted very loudly so all could hear: "Actually we can! M-Legislation 2-0-0-5, signed into law by the ever-righteous Queen Wanda Maximoff authorizes the selling of saps in the streets to their superiors: mutants!"
"This is sick!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Of course you would think that!" the second guard replied. "You're human!"
"What? No!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Grab her!" someone in the crowd yelled. The first guard pulled out his stun stick and swung it at her, but Kitty phased and the stick swung right through her, hitting Kurt in the shoulder.
"Ow! Kitty!" he exclaimed.
"You may be a mutant," the first guard said, holding his stick warily. "But where's your stamp?"
"Stamp?" Kitty asked.
The man gestured to the "M" over his eye. "All mutants whose mutation doesn't physically altered their appearance are required to have a stamp recognizing them as mutants. Law, signed into effect by Queen Wanda Maximoff."
Someone pushed through the crowd. "Problem, officer?"
"Probably," the first replied, glancing back at Kitty. "She's missing her stamp and was protesting human slave sells."
The girl sighed and turned to face Kitty and Kurt. She was small, only slightly smaller than Kitty. She had long, platinum-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail with orange streaks running through it. She, too, had an "M" stamped over her right eye. She sighed, placing her hands on her exposed hips.
"Sorry, officer, they're sick. I went to grab some medicine, when I came back they were gone. They're delirious."
Kitty's face scrunched in confusion.
"What about her stamp?" the officer demanded, pointing at Kitty sharply with his stick. "All children older than four must have the stamp."
"Issue with her skin absorbing the ink." The girl replied. "I'm working on getting official release papers. I'm sure you don't mind, officer, she's already proven she's not human."
The officer hesitated. He glanced back and forth between the blonde girl and Kitty for a moment before sighing and holstering his stick.
"Go on, take 'em home." He gestured. He turned to the crowd. "Back to your knitting! Fun's over!"
The girl walked up to Kitty and Kurt, whispering to them: "Follow me if you want to know what's really going on."
Kitty and Kurt glanced at each other before following the blonde back down the street in the direction they had just come from.
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Germany
January 25, 21:09 EST
Two Years Before Days of Future Past
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Kurt was walking down a terminal, looking between his ticket and the numbers on the wall, desperately searching for his terminal number. He growled in frustration, tucking the trench-coat a little closer and pulling his hat a little further down. He scrunched his face in concentration at the paper and made sure he had the right terminal number. He looked up in time to plant his face in someone else's and both fell to the ground in a big heap.
Kurt had run into a flight attendant. She was as surprised as he was at their collision. She had been carrying papers, but had dropped them. They scattered on the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed at the same time Kurt said "Sorry! Should have been looking where I was going!"*
The flight attendant glanced at him with a smile. Kurt wore his holo-watch, so his identity was concealed, but he was afraid for a split second that it had malfunctioned and she was gazing at his blue mutant form. She blushed sharply and shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts before beginning to pick up the papers on the ground.
"Here, let me help." Kurt said, picking up the papers while the attendant stood up. Kurt stood up as well and handed the papers back to her. She was very pretty, dark skin of another nationality and beautiful, straight and smooth chocolate hair, rich, dark eyes, and a beautifully shaped face. Her flight attendant's uniform clung to her beautiful figure, the green, white, and black fabric of her shirt and skirt ruffled from her fall.
"Thank you." She said. "You're such a gentleman!"
Kurt blushed this time. "Sorry, I was looking for my terminal."
"Which one is it?"
Kurt looked at the paper again. "Umm…1975?" he read off.
"Well that's funny!" the flight attendant exclaimed. "That's my plane! To New York City in America, right?"
"Yah!" Kurt exclaimed. "That is a coincidence!"
"Here, I'll walk you there. I'm Amanda, Amanda Sefton." The attendant replied, offering her arm.
Kurt took it. "Wogner," he said with an air of humor about his voice. "Kurt Wogner."
Amanda laughed.
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The blonde haired girl walked down the street with an air of authority both X-Men recognized: the authority of someone who had to grow up with it or perish without. She led them down a few side streets and finally into a tan building. They went up several flights of stairs before she unlocked an apartment door and gestured them in.
The apartment was small, or at least it had been. The girl had torn down several walls to make the apartment much larger. Appliances were missing and Kurt assumed she had sold them for money to survive. There was debris, clothes, and trash all over the floor. A rickety bed stood at one end of the room and a dining/cooking area at the other end. The blonde girl led them over to a table and gestured that they sit down, tossing a loaf of bread on the table.
"Eat, you've got to be starving." She turned to Kitty. "Especially you, Ms. Pryde. Time Travel drains you."
Kitty stared at her in shock. How did this girl know so much about her and their events in the past few days?
"I've got some soup and a few cans of soda I borrowed off some poor dude at the store down on 52nd street." She stated simply, placing the bowls on the table and pulling the drinks from the fridge.
"You said you could tell us what was really going on." Kitty said. "How?"
"Eat," the girl replied. "You'll need the food and your strength."
Kitty glanced at her hesitatingly before taking some of the tough bread and dipping it in the soup. Neither was the best she had ever had, but after years of starving in the future and their recent escapades, she'd take whatever she could get her hands on.
The girl who had helped them looked young and rough. It was clear she was a street-kid and could navigate any part of the city with ease and grace, remain invisible, and survive on practically anything. She looked like a normal teenage girl as far as physical appearance goes, minus the orange streaks in her hair and the "M" over her right eye. She was wearing black jeans, a black shirt, and an orange motorcycle jacket. Her blue eyes stared at them intently, with an intelligence unbefitting a girl of her social level.
"I know you're anxious to hear what I have to say, so as long as you eat, I'll talk, deal?" she asked. Kitty and Kurt nodded vigorously. "Good."
"I know that in your original dimension, President Robert Kelly was assassinated by Magneto. This led to President Bolivar Trask outlawing mutants alongside the rest of the world, and hunting down our species until they were nearly extinct. That's when you two traveled back in time to prevent the assassination, but failed. You went to the Scarlet Witch for help, but Sentinels attacked and she unleashed her stupid hex energy, leaving you to wake up here: in a mutant-dominated world."
"Here's what you don't know. Scarlet Witch actually delved into the time-space continuum and created this entire dimension we live in now. I don't have time to explain the history, but basically instead of things going humans' way, they went our way. Mutants control the humans, and Wanda controls the mutants."
"Our best chance to get you back to your dimension and right the wrongs of the past is to use my dimensional transporter I've been working on. It still needs work, but it might be enough to get you home, coupled with both of your powers. Before you go though, you need to know where you screwed things up so badly."
Kitty started to interject, but thought better about it and continued eating.
"When you go back in time, you need to go back to two hours before the assassination. Magneto came to Professor Xavier for help in finding Mystique. You need to convince him of the time-travel, then leave before 12:30 to rescue Mystique from Weapon X. If you save her, you can convince Magneto not to kill Kelly. That should break the system and change the future. The real fight comes after that. Memories should flood into every person about what happens in the future. Kelly is going to want to kill mutants and mutants Kelly. You have to prevent this, form a peace between our species. It is the only way to save the world. To do this, though, is going to require all mutants to be united when they couldn't be further apart. Do you understand?"
"Kind of?" Kitty asked.
"Alright, good. I'm going to grab some supplies and then I'll pick you guys up in a little bit, take you to my transporter, and see if we can't fix this."
"Wait!" Kitty exclaimed. "Who are you?"
The girl smirked. "I'm Layla Miller. I know things." She winked, then left.
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The Dump
Formerly Stark Industries Warehouse 1412
[Date & Time Unavailable]
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It was getting dark. The sun was setting on the expansive city and the night was creeping in. The sky was a mixture of light and dark blue, stars peeping out in the twilight. To the west were purple, pink, and flaming red in the sky, to the east, blackness and night were setting in. A full moon shone overhead, casting its light down on the mutants. The former parking-lot of the Stark Industries warehouse had become a junkyard. Old Sentinel parts were piled up in heaps, broken, cars, appliances that were unusable, odd trinkets and trivial items topped these piles of junk. There was a path through it all, a path carved by Lyla to provide a secret and safe method of travel between her apartment and the now-abandoned warehouse.
The path was small, carving through piles of the junk by forcing the traveler to crawl through an overturned car, or slide between two Sentinel chest pieces pushed together that formed a narrow gap. This path was not for larger people, and Kurt was constantly teleporting from point to point while Lyla and Kitty crawled through the junk heaps.
The Dump was massive and extensive, overflowing onto other properties. It took the mutants a good ten minutes to reach the warehouse. By now the sky was pitch-black, stars lighting up the night sky with a twinkle, the moon's light obscured by clouds. Kurt teleported one last time and leaned against Kitty, exhausted from the use of his mutant powers. Kitty laughed as she caught him, but Lyla gestured for them to be quiet. She reached for the doorknob to open in when a red-gloved hand grabbed hers. She fought to get free, but another red-robed guard grabbed her other hand and kept her standing still. Kitty and Kurt moved to fight back, but other guards grabbed them.
"You're coming with us!"
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Outside New York City
June 23, 17:09 EST
Two Years Before Days of Future Past
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Kurt stopped the car next to a cornfield. He and Amanda were about ten miles outside of the city. Kurt's bright red convertible had been speeding along the empty road for some time, the wind blowing through both of their hair. Kurt was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt and unbuttoned tan jacket. Amanda was wearing a creamy sundress with hints of red in it.
"What's the matter, Kurt?" she asked.
"Huh?" Kurt asked.
"You haven't spoken a word since you picked me up. What's going on?" Amanda reached for his arm, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Amanda," Kurt started with a deep breath. "Zere's somezing I need to tell you."
"Uh huh…" Amanda replied, sitting back and removing her hand from his shoulder, watching him carefully.
Kurt dipped his head and Amanda looked at him. "Kurt you can tell me anything." She whispered.
Kurt sighed. "You know those mutants that have been on ze news recently?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, I'm kinda…one of zem."
Kurt braced for the inevitable scream and disgust. Instead Amanda simply stared ahead and said "Oh."
The two sat in silence for a moment before she finally asked "So what are you powers?"
Kurt eyed her carefully. This was not the reaction he had been expecting. "Umm, I can teleport around."
"That's cool." Amanda said, still slightly in shock, but working on pulling herself out of it.
"Yah," Kurt replied. "Zere's somezing else, too."
"What is it?" Amanda asked.
Kurt sighed once more. "I don't really look like zis."
"You don't?" Amanda asked.
"No. I wear this holo-watch to hide my true features."
"Show me." Amanda whispered, placing a hand on his watch.
"You won't like it." He replied.
"Is that what you thought when you told me you're a mutant?"
Kurt bit his lip and touched a button on his watch. His flickering human form disappeared and his blue skin and fur showed itself. Amanda let out a cry of exclamation and backed away. Kurt hung his head. Amanda looked at him carefully before smiling.
"Did I ever tell you that blue was my favorite color?" she smiled.
Kurt grinned. "You are truly spectacular."
Amanda laughed.
"So what now, back to ze city?" Kurt asked, placing his hands on the wheel.
"Well," Amanda replied, hoisting herself up onto his lap, grabbing some of his facial hair in her hands. "We are in the middle of nowhere. I say we make the best of it."
Kurt grinned and reached for his holo-watch, but Amanda slapped his hand away. "No. Leave it off."
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Mutant Palace, Mutant Town
Former Location of Avengers Tower, New York City
[Date & Time Unavailable]
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The throne room of Mutant Palace was located in the former lobby of Avengers Tower in New York City. The room was very large and had been used for press conferences and as a museum to the public before the Mutant Uprising. Afterwards, it had been repaired and re-modeled to appear more majestic. A large altar had been constructed where the secretary's desk had once stood. On it were two thrones. Both were extremely large and golden with red cushions. A red carpet led up to it from the front entrance.
The rest of the throne room was decorated with exotic jewels, paintings, and memorabilia from the War, the mutant conquest, fallen leaders, and others. Charles Xavier's wheelchair and Magneto's helmet took seats closest to the thrones with the most exquisite display.
Only one person occupied a throne at this moment. She seemed quite interested in a book in front of her. Queen Wanda Maximoff had discarded her earlier uniform, finding it disgusting after the war. She now wore a black, skin-tight undersuit with a red one-piece over that, knee-high boots and elbow-high gloves, along with her original mask. Her long, brown hair was done up in exquisite curls. Her brown eyes seemed dim, however.
"Queen Maximoff!" a soldier exclaimed. "We found three mutants messing around in the Dump."
"Why should I care?" Wanda asked carelessly.
"Because we found a device inside. It is incomplete, but giving off strange radiation and readings we've never seen before."
Now Wanda was curious. "Who are they?"
The guard waved his hand and Kitty, Kurt, and Lyla were dragged before Wanda and shoved on their knees.
Wanda stood up in shock. "Kitty! Kurt!" she turned to the guards. "Release them immediately!"
The guard, too, was shocked. "My Queen?"
"Release them!" Wanda exclaimed, descending from her throne at the center of the Avenger's Tower lobby.
The guard undid the cuffs on the three mutants and they stood up, watching warily as Wanda approached them. The brunette reached for Kitty and she flinched away, but Wanda wrapped her arms around Kitty and hugged her tightly.
"Umm…" Kitty replied.
Wanda pulled away. "Oh my friends! Where have you been?"
Kurt rubbed the back of his head. "Zat's complicated." He replied.
"Well it is certainly good to have you back! Come, dine with me!"
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Hideout of the Human Resistance Movement
Formerly Bishop Publishing Warehouse 1981
[Date & Time Unavailable]
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The Warehouse was small on the surface, only meant to hold crates of old magazines. While small, it was securely guarded and surrounded on all sides. You could move a small army in and out quietly without raising so much as an eyebrow from the Royal Family. Besides, the sub-level that was part of what had been a steel factory before a warehouse was quite large enough to house that small army and several science projects.
The sub-level was gritty and nasty. Bunks took up one end of the room. Families huddled in their beds, trying to keep warm during the chilly night. Mothers read fairy tales to their children. Stacks of ammunition and weapons piled high against all four walls. The opposite end of the room was for the military command and operations. Someone had plastered an old S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the wall and now it stood as a beacon of hope to all refugees hidden away down here.
The main source of excitement in the Movement's hidden base was the large Sentinel towering overhead. During the War, Magneto had reprogrammed the Sentinels to attack humans before scattering their parts in the Atlantic Ocean. Over time, the Resistance had gathered the correct supplies to re-build a Sentinel. They had even recovered an original programming module and one mutant, calling himself Arcade**, had reprogrammed the module to receive targeting commands from the Resistance's main computers.
The Sentinel was mostly constructed. The head was open with a large hollow space inside where the module should go. The leader of the Resistance, William Stryker, was in charge of the reconstruction of the Sentinel. He was very nervous about rebuilding his killing machine, worried it would target all mutants, or all humans, or both. He had voiced his concerns to Director Marie Raven of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had refused to allow him to cancel the project.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was the only human organization that had remained after the War. It had been taken over by the Royal Family and put to use hunting down human resistance groups. A trusted friend of Wanda's, Marie "Rogue" Raven, had been appointed the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. by the Queen. She had immediately organized a mass breakout from concentration camps in Central Park and had the leaders of what was now the Human Resistance Movement meet here, at a Bishop Publishing warehouse. She had promised S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help in bringing human-mutant equality back to the world, but had to maintain an air of authority and control in the eyes of Maximoff or else the whole plan came to ruination.
Director Raven had given the order that Stryker's Sentinel would go operational tonight. She was currently out rallying other troops to launch an all-out assault on Mutant Palace. Their plan was to take control of the Palace and its leaders, then begin devoting resources to freeing human slaves and bringing equality back to the world. Stryker watched as the module was set inside the Sentinel and the back of the head welded on. He turned and walked crisply to the computer consoles. He entered the four digit command and placed his finger on a button. He took a deep breath.
"and He said, let there be…" Stryker hit the button and the Sentinel's green eyes powered on.
"Light."
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Mutant Palace, Mutant Town
Former Location of Avengers Tower, New York City
[Date & Time Unavailable]
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The dining room of Mutant Palace was actually rather small compared to the rest of the palace. The dining room was four times as large as a normal dining room, and yet it felt warm and cozy, not great, big, empty, and cold.
The walls were painted a rich, dark color that Kurt couldn't quite identify. It reminded him of Amanda though. The floor was a rich, creamy tan, thick and wooly carpet. The ceiling was high and a large chandelier hung from it. The chandelier was gold and crystal, sparkling in its own light.
The table itself was large and rectangular. It didn't feel like a large table though, and everyone could easily be reached. Food could be passed from one person to another, and conversations could be held without shouting.
The feast was quite impressive. A large brown bird sat in the middle of the table, and one directly in front of Pietro's seat. Bowls of potatoes, corn, cranberries, and other foods populated both sides of the table.
Only Wanda, her brother Pietro, Kitty, Kurt, and Lyla sat at the table. Pietro ate messily, Wanda obviously annoyed by it, but not even attempting to stop him. Lyla ate calmly, quietly, and patiently, biding her time when to move or speak. Kitty and Kurt ate normally, engaging in conversation with Wanda. They wanted to know more about this timeline. Wanda was about to give them a full history when a maid walked in.
"Ma'am, your children are in an argument upstairs." The maid whispered quietly, but everyone heard it. Wanda didn't seem to mind.
"Who is doing what?"
"Billy is claiming Tommy stole his stuffed animal and now both of them are in an all-out brawl."
"Tell them if they don't calm down, I'll come up there myself. That should assist you. Thank you, Lisa."
The maid nodded and left.
"Billy and Tommy?" Kitty asked.
"Well, yes," Wanda smiled. "That is an entirely different story for another time. For now, I'll fill you in on what you missed. What's the last thing you remember?"
"Kelly's assassination, then we were in a sewer tunnel and Sentinels attacked."
Wanda bit her lip. "I remember Kelly's assassination, but we were never in a sewer tunnel and the Sentinels didn't attack us."
"Vhat?" Kurt asked.
"After Kelly's assassination, Trask was promoted to Presidency. He launched an all-out attack using Sentinels and S.H.I.E.L.D., which had been taken over by HYDRA, in an attempt to take out both my father and Charles Xavier. Charles sacrificed himself when the Institute fell, as did my father when Trask dropped a nuclear bomb on him. Before his death, however, my father reset the Sentinel's programming, reversed it, and ordered them to attack the humans. Within weeks they were all but extinct." Wanda spoke with a proud and fierce voice that Kitty didn't recognize.
"Well why aren't the Sentinels in the city now?" Kitty asked. "Surely that's where they would best be suited for protection."
"Don't be an idiot." Pietro exclaimed with a mouthful of food. "They were decommissioned ages ago!"
"Act decent!" Wanda exclaimed, slapping Pietro's hand. Kitty and Kurt glanced at each other, giggling quietly.
"I destroyed the Sentinels, scattering their parts in the Atlantic Ocean. Now S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men keep world peace. Nothing stands between us and absolute happiness."
"Who leads the X-Men now?" Kitty asked.
"My sister, Lorna." Wanda replied. "She does a very good job of it."
"And S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Pietro let out a long belch and pushed the first bird to the side, grabbing a bowl of fruit and beginning on that. Wanda sighed and turned back to Kitty and Kurt.
"What I am more interested in is you two: where did you two disappear to after the Sentinel War? Where have you been? How do you not know all of this?"
Kitty and Kurt glanced at each other. "To be honest, ve're…not from around here." Kurt said.
"What?" Wanda asked. Even Pietro stopped eating to listen to this.
"The first time Kelly was assassinated, it was three years before we had a chance to stop his assassination. In that timeline, mutants were pushed to the edge of extinction by the Sentinels, with humans living in cities like this, purged of all mutant life. We traveled back in time to prevent your father from killing Kelly, but failed. We attempted to meet up with you to try again, but the Sentinels must have traced our mutant powers and we were attacked. Then you went nuclear—"
"What?" Pietro asked, looking at Wanda with a sudden fear.
"And we woke up here. Everything seems wrong. We never wanted mutants to take the higher role. We just wanted equality, to live with humans in peace." Kitty finished.
"Humans can't be lived with." Wanda said sternly.
"They're not terrible!"
"They dropped a nuke on my father!"
"One man did that, not all of them!"
"One man is all that is required isn't it? One action? One man? Everything in history hinges on the acts of one man, one little, tiny thing that can change the world. Had we granted the humans equal rights, we'd have been like in your timeline, oppressed, pushed to extinction."
Kitty sighed and looked at her plate. Kurt spoke up.
"Vanda," he started. "In another time, in another place, you swore zat if mutants were ever given a chance again, zat you would strive for equality between our species."
"I have a hard time believing that." Wanda replied.
"Zis whole mess began because one thought zemselves above ze other." Kurt said.
"No, this whole war began because the humans couldn't stand the fact that they had finally become antiquated!" Wanda exclaimed.
"She has a point." Pietro belched.
"Can you at least return the three of us to their dimension?" Lyla asked. Wanda stared at her. She didn't know who this girl was or why she thought she had the right to speak to the Queen that way.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
Lyla smiled. It was almost sinister, full of hidden knowledge that could destroy lives. This seemed to put a certain maniacal glee in her smile. "I'm Lyla Miller."
"I've never heard of you." Wanda said.
Lyla smiled that same smile again.
"Look, Vanda," Kurt said. "Ve don't belong here. Ve only vent back in time to fix our dimension, not intrude on yours. Send us back and let us fix our dimension."
"What makes you think I can even do that?" Wanda demanded.
"You created this one." Lyla replied matter-of-factly, taking a bite out of her food as calmly as if she had asked for someone to pass the potatoes. Wanda stared at her.
"Where's your proof?" Wanda demanded.
"You don't need proof." Lyla replied. "You know, in your heart, you created all of this."
Wanda stared at her before sighing and setting down her fork with a clank.
"Oh, come on!" Pietro exclaimed. "You can't tell me that you believe that!"
"It's true, Pietro." Wanda replied.
Pietro just stared at her for a moment. "Well so what? This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to mutants! They should stay and enjoy themselves!"
Wanda shook her head. "Their friends aren't here, Pietro. Their friends are in their dimension, not ours. It would be wrong to keep them here against their will."
"You're bonkers." Pietro exclaimed, staring at his sister in shock.
Something shook in the next room.
"Vhat vas zat?" Kurt asked.
The shaking reached the room they were in, vibrating the plates and bowls on the table. Wanda stood up. "Guards!"
The shaking grew closer. Everyone at the table stood up.
"Guards!" Wanda shouted again. "Pietro, go see what's going on."
The white-haired mutant zoomed out of the room. He rushed back a moment later with two boys in his arms. Both were about two years old, one sporting brown hair like his mother and beautiful blue eyes, the other with white hair and silver eyes, like his uncle.
"Go! Now!" Pietro exclaimed, handing them to Wanda.
"What's going on?" Wanda demanded.
Stryker strode through the door. "Hostile Takeover." He replied, his troops lining up behind him.
"Stryker, you piece of slime." Wanda scowled. "I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. killed you."
"Ah, about that," Stryker smiled. "It seems Director Raven has had a crisis of conscious since taking the position."
"Traitor." Wanda spat. "Neither of you will escape from this with your lives!"
"Oh, I beg to differ." Stryker replied.
The wall behind him caved in and a Sentinel emerged from the rubble, its green eyes glowing in the dust.
"Impossible!" Wanda whispered. "I destroyed them!"
"And like everything else, you sucked at it." Stryker replied.
"Go! Wanda! Now!" Pietro exclaimed, stepping in front of his sister. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"
Wanda nodded and took her children, fleeing towards the other side of the room.
"Fire." Stryker ordered.
His troops and the Sentinel brought up their weapons, firing bullets at the speedster. Pietro zoomed between them, stopping to turn each bullet 180 degrees, continuing through the maze of bullets. Pietro zoomed by a soldier and pulled a grenade off of his chest, pulling the pen out of the other one. He dashed up the side of the Sentinel and slammed the grenade into its eyesocket. Both grenades exploded at the same time and the Sentinel stumbled, but did not fall.
Pietro darted at the soldiers again, but slipped on a sheet of ice and fell flat on his face. Rogue walked in, toting what looked like a flame-thrower, but had shot the beam of ice that had disabled Pietro. Stryker walked up and fired his gun once, ending the speedster once and for all.
"Where's Wanda?" Rogue demanded, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier coming level with the window she had entered through.
"Downstairs with her children and three other mutants I've never seen before."
"Find her, capture them if possible, and do not kill the children. S.H.I.E.L.D. will secure the rest of the palace."
Stryker nodded and gestured to his troops to follow. As soon as Rogue was out of earshot he turned. "You shoot every single one of those bastards, including the children."
Wanda sealed the door behind her, ordering guards to bar the way. She could feel the Sentinel stomping above them. Whatever Pietro was doing, it wasn't enough.
"Ahh!" Wanda exclaimed, stopping in her tracks, clutching her head. An eery feeling had washed over her, like ice being dumped on her head.
"What?" Kitty demanded.
"It's like someone walked over my grave." Wanda muttered. She gasped as realization dawned on her. "Pietro…"
"We can't help him now!" Lyla exclaimed. "We have to get to the portal and onto the other side!"
"No!" Kurt replied. "Ve have to help!"
"I'm sorry, Kurt, but Lyla is right!" Kitty exclaimed. "We have to go!"
Kurt bit his lip, but followed Wanda and the others down the stairs. They reached a large room made entirely of stone. There was moss on the floor and water dripping from the ceiling. It looked like the dungeons in an old castle, but there had been no castle here.
"Vhat is zis place?" Kurt asked.
"No time," Wanda replied. She handed her children to Kitty and Lyla. "Keep an eye on them, promise me." She whispered. She smiled, tears streaming down her face. "Mommy loves you." She whispered to each of them.
The shaking caused dust to fall from the ceiling, raining down on the mutants. Wanda turned to the closest wall and closed her eyes, holding out her hands.
"I consulted Agatha Hawkins on this, but I'm not sure if I can control it." She muttered, squeezing her eyes tighter.
Kitty looked down at the white-haired mutant in her arms and shushed him as he reached for his mother. Wanda gasped out in pain and doubled over, but kept her arms extended. Kurt ran forward and helped her stand up. She gasped once more, tossing her head back as her eyes glowed red. Slowly a red and black swirling vortex opened up in the wall.
At first it was only the size of a quarter, but slowly it grew to the size of a tennis ball, then a basketball, a car tire, finally it was the size of a small dinner table and large enough for the mutants to walk through.
The shaking got nearer. Screams could be heard in the distance and several chunks of brick fell from the ceiling. Kyla and Kitty bent their heads, covering the infants from the falling debris.
"Go!" Wanda gasped. "Get my children through!"
Kitty darted forward and leapt into the vortex, Lyla hot on her heels. The two dove into what felt like a large amusement park slide, made of swirling red and black particles. As they fell, something strange happened. A side tunnel opened up and the two infants grew in Kitty and Lyla's arms. They got so large that neither girl could hold them and were force to let them go. As they watched, the two children grew into teenagers, then young adults, still asleep. They fell down the side-tunnel and disappeared. Kitty had no idea what had happened, but assumed that was what Wanda had wanted.
Kitty screamed as she felt herself launched into empty space.
Xavier Institute
March 23, 18:10 EST
05:18:50:09 Before Days of Future Past
-
Charles rolled out of the infirmary. Bobby and the other students crowded around him.
"Is Rogue all right?"
"She'll be fine." Charles replied. "Jean is still cleaning her up, and she is protesting. I'm afraid I have a very urgent call from Director Fury to take, so I must be go—"
A swirling red-black vortex opened up and Kitty flew through, falling to the ground and crashing on top of Bobby.
"What the hell, Kitty?" he groaned.
Another scream came from within the vortex and Lyla flew through as well, landing on Lorna. The green-haired mutant let out a loud exclamation and fell to the ground.
"What is going on?" Storm demanded. "Are we under attack?"
"What the hell type of clothes are those?" Bobby demanded as Kitty crawled off of him.
"Oh, shut up!" Kitty exclaimed. Then she hugged him tightly. "God, I missed you."
"Umm, I've been right here the whole time…" Bobby replied.
Kitty ignored him. "Professor! What year is it?"
"What year?" he asked.
"Hurry!"
"Erm," Charles gave the year.
"What day of what month is it? What's the time?"
"Kitty, I don't understand!"
"Now!"
"March 23, six in the afternoon, why? Kitty what on Earth—"
"Oh thank God." Kitty exclaimed. "We made it. Kurt and I'll explain everything."
"Where is Kurt?" Bobby asked. "He was just here a second ago."
Kitty turned back to the still-swirling vortex. "Kurt!" she shouted, leaning into it. She could see the other side, as if it were only a few inches away. "Kurt, come on!"
The wall behind the blue mutant shattered and the Sentinel entered, its green eyes shining down on Kurt and Wanda.
"Kurt! Look out!" Kitty shouted.
Kurt turned. He attempted to teleport, but the Sentinel grabbed him, squeezing tightly. It threw him into a wall and he collapsed.
"Wanda! Look out!" Kitty shouted.
"Did my children get through all right?" Wanda asked.
"Yes!" Kitty replied.
Wanda took a step towards the portal, but the Sentinel moved first. It grabbed a piece of broken pipe and stabbed it in Wanda's direction. Someone shouted something and Kurt teleported himself between the Sentinel and Wanda, the pipe running clean through his chest. He gasped and looked down at the blood. He kicked desperately with his foot and knocked Wanda through the portal. Stryker's men stormed the basement as the Sentinel pulled the pipe from Kurt's chest.
"Kurt!" Kitty shouted, partly in pain, partly in desperation. If he could just make it into the portal…
"Tell Amanda," Kurt said weakly as Stryker cocked a gun to his head. "Zat I love her."
The gun fired and the portal closed.
"NO!"
Kitty collapsed to her knees, staring blankly ahead.
"What's going on?" Jean asked, leaning out. "I thought I heard a commot—what's wrong?"
-
"There are always casualties when you're fighting a war."
The thunder clapped and the stormy skies threatened rain. The empty wooden coffin was carried out by the X-Men: Scott, Bobby, Roberto, and Lorna. They were all dressed in black suits and dresses. They carried the coffin out of the back of the Institute towards the designated site where he would be buried. Very few X-Men had ever fallen in the line of duty, fewer still had no previously dedicated spot to be buried. Kurt joined only two others in the graveyard at the Institute.
"Unfortunately, our friend had to be one of them."
The four mutants set the coffin down gently on the small pyre, then took their seats.
"Kurt Wogner was a true hero, in every sense of the word. He liked to say that the essence of heroism is to die…so that others can live."
Amanda shook with tears, dressed in all black, a black veil covering her face according to her tradition. Kitty wrapped an arm around her and held her tightly, letting the dark-haired female weep into her shoulder.
"In every aspect of his life, Kurt honored those around him with his actions. He was constantly watching out for the little man, willing to step in and take responsibility for an action he had not committed, to stand up against those who may have been stronger than him."
-
"And to honor his memory, we must follow in his footsteps: to stand up for what is right to those who are stronger than us."
"I, Robert Kelly, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability protect and defend the Constitution of the United States so help me God."
Kelly shook the hand of the Supreme Justice and waved to the crowd. He walked over to the podium and pulled out his speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today war, terror, and the threat on your life ends and a new era of peace begins!"
"We must stand by our friends even through their darkest hours."
-
"We must love those around us unconditionally and without hesitation, just as he did."
A gloved fist knocked on the wooden door. Amanda opened it and stepped onto the front porch. Kitty shook her head with tears in her eyes as Lorna delivered the painful message. Amanda cried out in pain and collapsed to her knees, Kitty catching her and holding her, the two weeping for their loss.
"We must view the threats of the world as he did: in their underwear."
-
A laugh went around the gravesite.
-
"Kurt had a profound effect on each of our lives, and has earned a spot in each of our hearts. While he may no longer be here with us in the physical plain, he is with us—"
Stryker watched as a hundred green eyes flickered on, each Sentinel coming online for the first time. They creaked as their armor plates merged, their power-cores groaned as they came online, a hum filled the air as their engines processed the atmosphere around them.
"In our hearts."
-
"One of Kurt's favorite Bible passages was Psalm 23:4. It says this: "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
Amanda picked up a lily and placed it down gently on the coffin, her hands shaking. Kitty set down the next one and followed Amanda to the side, watching as each X-Men, one by one, walked up to the coffin and placed a lily on it. Rogue limped up and bowed her head, laying the flower on gently before limping off once more. She had seen too much death and felt personally responsible. Charles reached up, unable to put the flower on the coffin. X-23 took it gently from his hands and laid it on the coffin before following suit with hers. She attempted to maintain an air of calm, but everyone knew it was hurting her to see someone go.
Amanda sighed and hugged Kitty tightly. "I'm tired, I'm going to go." She whispered. "Stop by anytime you like."
Kitty nodded and returned the hug. Amanda walked off, sniffling. Something glinted and Lorna turned, glancing at Amanda's finger. A golden band with an exquisite diamond was on her right ring finger. Lorna let out a small gasp as she realized what it was, but kept it to herself.
Xavier gestured at Kitty, Lyla, Jean, Scott, Rogue, and Lorna to come with him inside while the other X-Men stood around Kurt's pyre, lighting it and watching as the smoke flew up into the stormy sky.
"Kitty informed me we only have three days left before Magneto makes his move against Kelly. We can not let Kurt's sacrifice be in vain. He died giving us a second chance, and we should make the most of it. Kitty told me where we made our mistakes and how to fix them, but we can't do this alone. It's going to take all of us: to end this war before it ever begins."
-
Residence of Amanda Sefton
New York City
One Day Ago
-
"You always take me to the nicest of places," Amanda said, spinning around as the two entered their apartment. Her silver dress spun about her waist as she twirled in their living room. Kurt flipped on the light-switch and tugged his tie loose.
"Vell, you are ze most beautiful lady out zere. If I vant to keep you, I have to take you nice places."
"I hope that's not the only reason." Amanda replied, twirling back at him and tapping him gently on the nose.
"Well, it might have somezing to do with the fact I love you so wery much."
Amanda giggled and pressed her lips gently to his. "Come on, blue-boy. I think you deserve some thanks for your effort tonight."
Amanda started to walk off when Kurt spoke up suddenly. "Zen again, there are better vays of keeping you zan taking you to nice restaurants."
"Oh?" Amanda asked, turning around, a playful smile on her face.
"Yes," Kurt replied, walking forward and taking her hands in his, kissing her gently on the lips. "I love you so wery much, Amanda." He said softly.
"Kurt? What's up? You're acting strange." Amanda said.
"It's because I feel strange." Kurt replied with a small smile. He let go of Amanda's hands and reached into his suit pocket. He got on one knee in front of her and Amanda caught her breath. Kurt pulled out a red box and opened it, a golden band with an exquisite diamond sitting on it inside.
"Amanda Sefton, vill you make me ze happiest man in ze vorld and marry me?"
Amanda caught her breath, her hands covering her mouth. She started to breath heavily before shaking her head vigorously.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!" she exclaimed.
Kurt grinned and grabbed her, twirling her about in his arms. The two melted into a passionate embrace.
"What was it I said when you first told me who you were?" Amanda asked.
"I love you and nothing will ever shake me from you." Kurt replied.
The two kissed once more.
-
-
TO BE CONCLUDED
*Translated from German
**Remember him? 1x04 "Thriller"