Hello there, True Believers! Welcome back to a brand new chapter featuring the crew of Multiversal Kitty Prydes led by the Earth Prime Kitty and her loyal friends. Last time we checked, they brought in the Earth-14850 version of Kitty who also happens to be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. but Mojo also gained a new villain for his team, the one and only Gorgon, the leader of the new and improved Hand. Now, our heroines are heading to a previously known Universe to bring in another Kitty to the fray, but before we do that, let's check on the reviews!
dauthan2814: Nope, as a personal rule, I don't visit zombie-themed universes due to the risk of exposing the infection across the Multiverse (as seen in some of the Marvel Zombies series)
Cornholio4: According to the Database, that Earth was designated as Earth-14850, only viewed in that What If? One-Shot and that was it, which it gave me a bit of liberty of working out that continuity.
Timeless Writer: She did have a hard time dealing with it, not to mention the very tough ordeal of running S.H.I.E.L.D. but it's good to know that you liked her. If you liked that talk, just wait for the one coming in one of the upcoming chapters, my friend.
Wilcard Sparda: I wanted to work on a more humanized Director, tough as Fury but more compassionate than Hill or any other Director. And I totally agree with that point about Wisdom, never been a fan of that ship due to the WIDE age difference (for those unaware, Wisdom was 10 years older than Kitty when they dated, the reason they did was because the legal age of consent in the UK is 17... legal, but still creepy) and yes, Spidey gave him a much deserved comeuppance.
alphaknight99: Sería imposible no incorporar a Ultimate Kitty en esta historia, pero su momento vendrá pronto, mientras tenemos algunas otras Kitty Prydes que se unirán a la marcha
Epiphany616: Glad you liked it, and I'm sure you're in for a surprise with this one! LOL!
Sergio Kirelli: I don't think I'd make One-Shots about the Council. But yes, things are having a different perspective for the Councilmembers over there. Kurt and Storm already respect Spidey, it's a shock that Emma does now, but the rest of the story will unfold in the upcoming stories I have planned, I even have a few ideas so that Magik finally respects Peter, more on that to come.
Ka1zen: We can agree on that front, and we both know that the children of Peter Parker and Kitty Pryde are bound to greatness. As for my favorite version of Kitty... I have to say that besides Ultimate Kitty (at least when Bendis wrote her), the Astonishing X-Men Kitty and the Post-Schism Kitty (when Jason Aaron wrote Wolverine and the X-Men) were the best ones for me.
Now that we're clear, let's go to the Main Event!
Enjoy the reading!
SHADOWCAT: INTO THE KITTY-VERSE
Chapter 7: A Bond of Soul(Sword)s
The bright blue portal opens in a flash of light high above one of the many tall buildings of New York, revealing the arrival of the leading group of heroines from across the Multiverse with Earth-616 Kitty Pryde out front, followed by Magik, Wind Dancer, and Kitty's dimensional counterparts: Shadow-Pryde, Kung-Fu Kitty, Veteran Kitty and Director Pryde respectively.
"OK, is it me or we just made it home?" the Veteran Kitty poses the question as she sees the surroundings as a very familiar location.
"It's so bright and full of flashing lights!" Kung-Fu Kitty comments in awe of the many bright lights around her.
"This really feels like home, I mean, this looks like Times Square" Sofia comments but then looks at Kitty "But this isn't our home, right?"
"No, it's not" Kitty replies as she checks her Webware "We are in New York alright, but we're on Earth-18119 and… wait a minute" right then she realizes of one detail "I've been here before!"
"You did? When?" Shadow-Pryde asks her.
"Not too long ago, I was helping Spider-Man in the war against the Last Inheritor" Kitty replies, revealing that this was one of the many stops she and the Order of the Web took during that Multiversal journey against Verna.
"Did that had something to do with the #$%&load of Spider-People that showed up in our New York a month before the Hellfire Gala?" Magik asks her, prompting Kitty to glare at her for making another bad comment about her new friends.
"It was an Army of Spiders Yana, and yes it was" Kitty corrects her while Director Pryde looks at one of the massive screens of Times Square.
"Hey Prime version of me, were those spiders part of that crew?" Director Pryde points at the screen that reveals the local heroes, the 'Spider-Family' comprised of Peter Parker, that Earth's Spider-Man; Mary Jane Watson-Parker, his wife known as Spinneret and Annie May Parker, their daughter known as Spiderling.
"Yeah, they were…" Kitty replies, trying not to remember the breakdown she went through after having a hard time dealing with finding out that many versions of her boyfriend had a life and a family with Mary Jane, but her Peter reassured her that she is his present and his future "But they're not the ones we're looking for, in fact, I know where we're going" she replies and then turns to look at the rest of the group "We're going to Westchester"
"Westchester?" the Veteran Kitty asks.
"As in the Xavier School?" Director Pryde follows up with another question.
"That exists here?" Sofia now makes a question of her own.
"And how do you think we'll be able to go there?" Magik makes the last question, prompting Kitty to look at her with a confident smile.
"My good friend Yana, that's where you come in" Kitty replies "You see, this world also has a version of you whom is quite similar in one certain aspect" she comments as she points at Magik's Soulsword, making her friend realize what she is talking about.
"You mean that I can channel this Earth's Soulsword to make a connection and teleport over there, right?" Magik asks, to which Kitty nods in response "You really think it'll work?" she asks with a bit of skepticism but Kitty silently looks at her with a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed as if saying 'It will', then Magik sighs and begins to concentrate, quietly murmuring an enchantment to establish a link with its counterpart, causing the Soulsword to glow as a signal that it is effectively working to the surprise of everyone "Bozhe Moi…"
"What did I tell you?" Kitty comments, laughing at the fact that she was proven right.
"Alright ladies, gather round!" Magik calls to her friends as she prepares the disc underneath them to teleport "Anything else I should know about my counterpart Katya?" she asks her, to which Kitty giggles in response.
"Just prepare to be in awe for what you will find out" Kitty replies, as she knows that her friend will be surprised when she finds out about their counterparts. Right then, a flash of fire surrounds them and they teleport from the rooftop, disappearing from the city into their destination.
RIGHT THEN, AT WESTCHESTER
Once Magik's spell works, the ladies appear in the vast garden outside the Xavier Academy, leaving the women thoroughly impressed at how the place looks, bringing a sense of nostalgia out of the Veteran and the Director, as well as from Magik and Wind Dancer.
"You know? It's been ages since I've been in the Academy itself, always wanted to drop by" Sofia comments while the group begins to walk.
"At least you dropped by on an alternate version" Director Pryde replies "And yet it really looks the same" she then looks at her Veteran counterpart "I'm aware that the other ones don't have an Academy but, does this one exists in your world?" she asks her out of curiosity.
"It does, only that it's called the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning" the Veteran Kitty replies "Long story short, my Earth's Logan reopened it after a long time living in San Francisco and another spat against Scott" she comments.
"Some things never change regardless of the universe we're on" Director Pryde comments, noting how another world still has the long running rivalry between Cyclops and Wolverine.
"Well, I guess that this universe doesn't have an Evil Hank McCoy" Shadow-Pryde comments as the group finds a statue of Beast, stunning the group.
"In memory of Dr. Henry McCoy, the Beast, a true hero for both human and mutantkind" Kung-Fu Kitty reads the statue's inscription while Magik and Sofia notice the sadness in Kitty's face.
"Katya? You know what happened here?" Magik asks out of curiosity and concern.
"I was here when it happened" Kitty solemnly replies "This Earth's Hank died protecting us against Verna" she adds, remembering how Verna killed him by absorbing his life force in the fight to help the Spider-Family escape to Loomworld.
"Uhhh, guys?" Kung-Fu Kitty notices a little redhead girl approaching them and looking at the group with wide open eyes "Hi, little girl, can you tell us where's…?"
"MOOOOM!" the little girl calls for her mother as she creates a protective force field of lights "Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!"
"What do we do? What do we do?" Sofia nervously asks as the group remains close.
"Stay calm!" Kitty replies and then looks at the girl "She's not attacking, so we should wait and talk" she adds as she starts to notice something about the little girl "I think I saw her when I came here back then" she ponders as she keeps looking at the girl but before anyone could talk or move, the group is suddenly paralyzed.
"W-W-What's happening?" Shadow-Pryde asks as she tries to unsheathe her claws.
"Something it's freezing us…" Director Pryde replies, grunting as she tries to move.
"Not something, someone…" the Veteran Pryde replies as she lifts her sight and looks at a female figure landing in front of them, revealed to be Jean Grey.
"Is alright Katie, I'm here" Jean telepathically contacts her daughter as she looks at Kitty and her group "I don't know how you didn't activate the alarms but… wait a minute" she confronted them but then she notices something familiar with Kitty "Kitty?"
"Jean…" Kitty looks at Jean "I know you think we're intruders but we're not the enemy, you can corroborate it by reading my mind…" she tries to convince her to read her mind and discover the truth of their visit.
"Mommy?" Katie looks concerned but Jean smiles at her.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this" Jean reassures her daughter and then looks at Kitty as she walks towards her puts her hands on the sides of her head to read her mind, discovering all the images of her previous visit as well as their current journey, impressing the telepath "Oh my!" she exclaims, releasing the telekinetic hold she had on the others to their relief "So… you're Kitty Pryde from another Earth"
"Yes" Kitty replies "Well, me and a few more" she adds, prompting Jean to look at Kitty's counterparts "You've seen why we're here, right?"
"Yes" Jean replies "So Mojo is causing disruptions across the Multiverse and you need the help of a group of interdimensional counterparts"
"That's pretty much the gist of it" Kitty replies "But wait, the spire hasn't been activated here?"
"We haven't seen any emergency reports" Jean replies while Katie approaches her mother "Is alright Katie, they're not enemies"
"She looks a lot like Kitty" Katie replies, prompting Kitty to laugh.
"Actually I am an older Kitty from another dimension" Kitty talks to her, prompting the little Katie to widen her eyes in amazement.
"WOOOOOW" Katie murmurs while Jean smiles at her daughter.
"Sorry to interrupt the Hallmark Card moment" Magik interjects "But we're on a bit of a timetable and we're looking for the Kitty Pryde of this world to recruit her"
"You look like Illyana, but you definitively don't sound like our own one" Jean comments, sounding a bit stern but then she begins to concentrate to contact this Earth's Kitty "Kitty? Kitty, are you there?" she makes the attempt to contact her telepathically but gets no response, prompting her to sigh in frustration "I hate it when she does that" she mutters in a lower voice.
"Is Kitty doing the mental block thing again, Mom?" Katie asks her "She always does that when she doesn't want to be interrupted when she's with her girlfriend" she comments to the surprise of Jean for speaking aloud about that, while Kitty snickers, Magik and Sofia look quizzically, Shadow-Pryde and Kung-Fu Kitty wonder about that and the Veteran and Director look amazed.
"Wait, wait, did she say girlfriend?" the Veteran Pryde asks in bafflement.
"Oh come on" Kitty turns to look at her and the Director "Both of you went through to key moments that defined a part of me that I finally decided to embrace" she points at them "Or you forgot about my 16th birthday when the fake Courtney Ross visited me with a cake and I licked the frosting out of her fingers" she recalls that moment to the bafflement of her older counterparts "Or how about all the built up tension between me and Shan back in my college years? If it weren't for my self-imposed celibacy, I might've come out way earlier"
"Wait, does that mean that she's…" Sofia whispers at Magik, who nods in response.
"Da, she 'swings both ways', and before you ask, I already knew" Magik replies to confirm, as well as to let her know that she knew about it before.
"First of all, while it is quite a revelation, honestly I didn't feel that way, and maybe my contemporary counterpart feels the same" Director Pryde comments to Kitty about her own stance about the revelation.
"Don't get us wrong, we're glad that you embrace that and feel good about it but I didn't felt the same way you did, and we'll have time to discuss that" the Veteran Pryde adds to her counterpart's words "And second, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we shouldn't be talking about this topic in front of her" she then points at Katie, who remains calm yet still impressed by the group.
"Oh, don't worry, when it comes to 'adult conversations' I give her a telepathic block" Jean calmly replies "Think of it as a mental Parental Control, had to establish it since her father, my husband, has quite a potty mouth and an even grumpier attitude, now please follow me and Katie, you go ahead to the Academy" she comments as she and Katie turn and begin to walk into the Academy with the group following them.
"Seems that Scott is quite different in this Earth" Sofia jokes assuming Jean meant that Cyclops is her husband due to the long-lasting relationship between them.
"Actually my dad is Wolverine!" Katie giddily comments as she heads back to the Academy, prompting the majority of the group to stop in shock.
"WHAT!?" the voices of the majority of the women –with Kung-Fu Kitty and the Prime Kitty being the exceptions- exclaim in unison their surprise at the revelation that Jean Grey and Wolverine are married in this Earth.
"How come you're not surprised?" Kung-Fu Kitty asks her Prime counterpart.
"I knew that the first time I came here" Kitty replies shrugging her shoulders "Still a bit surprised but after the rumors I heard back in my Earth about them, this sure beats the alternative" she then turns to look at the rest of the group "Come on, it's not a big deal and we need to recruit my counterpart so let's get moving" she gestures with her head to tell them to follow her as they walk towards the main entrance of the Academy in search of the younger Kitty Pryde and recruit her to their team.
INSIDE THE ACADEMY
The majority of the students were either training at the Danger Room, taking their extracurricular classes or just resting after the school day, but two in particular are enjoying a tender personal moment lying on the couch in what they call a 'smooching session' with each other: The young Kitty Pryde and her girlfriend Illyana Rasputina.
"You know… they teachers… will be scolding us… for this…" Illyana murmurs in-between kisses as she lies on top of her girlfriend.
"You know… that I'm a… troublemaker…" Kitty giggles as well, savoring the tender moment with her girlfriend until a shadow appears above them.
"AHEM!" Jean Grey clears he throat, startling the lovers as the moment is broken and Illyana accidentally falls to the floor "While both of you should know about our stance with the PDAs, I'm interrupting the moment because of an urgent matter" she explains to both girls.
"Sorry Headmistress Jean" the younger Kitty apologizes as she helps her girlfriend to stand and then looks at the group accompanying Jean. Right then, both young girls are amazed at the sight of the group of alternate versions of Kitty Pryde standing there while most of them just look at them in mild awe, all except the Prime Magik, whose mouth is agape to the point where her jaw might hit the floor due to the amazement of her counterpart being in a relationship.
"But… But… Wait… How? I mean… How?" Magik just tries to assimilate it, since Kitty mentioned it when they were having a brunch before they jumped to this adventure.
"As a great man once told me, 'The Multiverse is Full of Possibilities'" Kitty replies, recalling her boyfriend's words when they came to this Earth in particular.
"Oh my Gosh!" the younger Kitty exclaims in awe "I never thought I'd meet other versions of me and… Wait a minute!" she exclaims as she looks at the leading counterpart "I-I-I-I think I know you!"
"You do, actually" Kitty replies "We met when I came with the Spider-Family and a group of other Spider-Themed heroes" she explains.
"Oh, I remember! You came for Spiderling!" the younger Kitty recalls that encounter "But why have you brought a group of…" right then she stops as she looks at her girlfriend's counterpart, mesmerized by her attire "Oh Golly…" she murmurs as she contemplates the figure of the Russian woman in front of her, something that is noticed by her actual girlfriend.
"Katya?" the younger Illyana tries to bring her girlfriend back to reality "Hello? Katya? HEY!" she snaps her fingers in front of her girlfriend, finally managing to break the trance "Should I wear a lot of leather to have your attention?" she complains to her but then she just scoffs and then leaves the talk, much to her girlfriend's chagrin.
"Yana? Snowflake! Wait!" the younger Kitty tries to follow her while the rest of the group just looks baffled at the scene.
"Why was she looking at me like that?" Magik awkwardly poses the question.
"Oh Gee, I don't know, maybe it's because you do dress with an unhealthy amount of leather" Shadow-Pryde sarcastically points out that detail.
"Especially those really short shorts" Sofia adds to her words, but Magik simply scoffs at those comments.
"I like what I wear, so #$%& off" Magik replies and then looks at Kitty "Seems like we won't be counting on her, let's leave this weird as #$%& universe immediately" she tries to convince her friend to leave but then the alarms begin to ring in the premises.
"We're having an emergency, I'm sorry that we're cutting the visit short" Jean comments with concern in her voice.
"We'd like to help" Kitty replies with a serious tone of voice "We all will" she adds as she looks at Magik with a stern look "Besides, I have the suspicion that we know what we're gonna deal with" she has the suspicion that the emergency will involve Mojo's spire, the reason why they came to this world.
Right then, the group arrives to the reunion room where the X-Men, comprised of Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Storm and Colossus, have gathered, all of them looking surprised at the sight of the group of Kitty Prydes arriving with Jean.
"Vas ist…" Nightcrawler murmurs in awe.
"Jeannie? What's going on?" Wolverine asks his wife about the intrusions.
"I know this all seems abrupt but we're having another situation here" Jean tries to explain to her husband and the rest of the X-Men.
"Is alright Jean" Charles Xavier's voice interrupts the conversation telepathically as he enters the room alongside this Earth's Kitty and Illyana "I have perceived the arrival of these dimensional counterparts, and after sensing the emergency, I know that these situations are somewhat connected" he explains while Kitty and the group look at him with mixed feelings, some are amazed at his display and presence, others are somewhat nostalgic but Kitty remains both serious and yet a bit wary due to the memories from her Earth's Xavier during the current 'Krakoan Era'.
"They do actually" Kitty replies and then begins to explain "That thing on the screen? That's a Spire sent by Mojo, a creature from the Mojoverse who thrives on using mutants to boost the ratings for his television network" she then looks at the X-Men "Those spires have appeared across the Multiverse, which is why I put a plan into motion by gathering a group of alternate versions of myself to counter the power he's releasing"
"How can we destroy these spires?" Cyclops poses the question to her.
"It's impossible to outright destroy them, you can weaken them but in order to shut them down, we have to destroy them from the source" Kitty replies.
"And that source is this Mojoworld, right?" Wolverine inquires in his typical gruff voice.
"Mojoverse" Kitty quickly corrects him "But yeah, that's why my plan is to recruit as many alternate versions of me as I can since my power set can make the difference"
"In that case, what do we do about the people guarding that thing?" the younger Kitty asks as she points at the screen that shows a group of masked men guarding the spire, but then Wolverine and Jean Grey notice two very relevant figures in that crowd.
"Magneto…" Wolverine murmurs in anger.
"And Emma Frost" Jean adds with annoyance in her voice.
"Seems like the Raft didn't hold them long enough" Iceman sarcastically quips while the rest of the group looks at each other.
"Very well, given the circumstances, we'll allow you to join the mission" Cyclops comments as he looks at Kitty and her group.
"I'm joining too!" the younger Kitty volunteers to join the fight.
"And so am I" the younger Illyana steps forward to join the fight, activating her Soulsword to summon her battle armor, comprised of black and silver parts that slightly resemble Prime Magik's attire but the only exposed part aside of her head is her torso.
"Sorry to be that guy" Iceman interjects "But I think we're gonna be way too crowded for the Blackbird" he points out that detail, prompting Kitty to remember how crowded they were the first time she visited this Earth, but right then an idea pops into her mind.
"Actually, we won't have to" Kitty replies and then looks at both Illyanas "If the young Yana joins you, we can just wait for you to arrive and then our Yana can channel the energies of the Soulswords to teleport over there, that's how we found you guys in the first place"
"That settles it, then" Wolverine replies, prompting the rest of the group to head out to the Blackbird and take off while Kitty and her crew gather and prepare to make their move, all the while the Professor takes a curious look at the Prime Kitty, trying to figure out what is going through her mind.
THEN, AT THE SPIRE
The spire activated nearby Liberty Island, with Magneto floating above Emma who remains in guard while her large group of foot soldiers from the Hellfire Club is standing by.
"Are you sure the X-Men will arrive, Emma?" Magneto asks her as he keeps looking up to the sky.
"They will" Emma replies telepathically since Magneto is no wearing his helmet "The Brotherhood could make a good use of the energies this thing is broadcasting, but before we could exploit it, we have to take the X-Men out of the board, so once they find us over here they'll assume we're the cause of this and they will come spoiling for a fight" she comments as she stands alongside her thugs "Just be grateful that I'm using my resources from the Club to assist you"
"Is that how you thank me for helping you overthrow that oaf of Sebastian Shaw?" Erik replies but then he notices a plane approaching their location "Heads up Emma, they're coming… as of now, I'm cutting communications until I reach the ground" he adds as he puts on his helmet and prepares to receive them.
"We're getting closer to their location" Cyclops comments as he maneuvers the X-Jet but then they begin to feel the turbulence due to Magneto's powers already making work on them "Brace yourselves" he exclaims as he begins to maneuver the jet, but in spite of his best efforts, Magneto brings the jet close to the Statue of Liberty "Evacuate! Now!" right then, Nightcrawler begins to Bamf each one of their teammates out of the jet, releasing them above the crowd of Hellfire thugs until Cyclops is out, just as the jet crashes against the Statue.
"Well, but if it isn't the X-Men" Emma Frost talks to them with her arrogant tone and then looks at Kitty "Miss Pryde, didn't expected to see you again, it's a shame that you chose to waste your potential with them, you would've been the greatest of my students"
"I would never be a part of your school, you crazy Yenta!" Kitty angrily replies.
"You'll see that you are at a disadvantage" Magneto comments as he descends to face them, but Wolverine smirks at him.
"Is that so, Bub?" Wolverine taunts him and then looks at the young Illyana "Kid, do your thing!" he tells her, prompting the young Russian girl to make her Soulsword glow, channeling the energies to link with the other Soulsword carried by the Prime Magik, thus teleporting the group led by the Prime Kitty Pryde to the battle, much to the amazement and chagrin of the evil mutants.
"Oh dear… More Kitty Prydes?" Emma throws the question with a tone of annoyance while the group led by the Prime Kitty faces them.
"Would you look at that? Magneto and Emma Frost…" the Veteran Kitty cracks her knuckles, looking eager to fight.
"Honestly, I'm not surprised" Director Pryde quips, adding to her counterpart's words, something that the Prime Kitty notices.
"Oy Vey, I bet they'd be surprised if they find out about my Earth's Erik and Emma" Kitty thinks, believing that they would be surprised to find out that she gets along with them.
"This ends now, Magneto!" Cyclops exclaims "TO ME, MY X-MEN!" he makes the battle call, prompting the X-Men to jump to the fight.
"Here we go" Kitty mutters "TO ME, MY PRYDES" she issues her own battle call but the rest of the group just look baffled for a few seconds but then they jump to the fight.
"FYI, that battlecry sucks, Katya!" Magik quips at her friend.
"I second it!" Sofia adds her own reply while both heroic groups tackle against the large army of Hellfire thugs. Sofia makes quick work of a couple of thugs with her wind power, but right then Storm floats above her.
"Do you need any help, my child?" Storm asks her as she joins the fight, and right then both women combine their power to create a large gust of wind that elevates the group of thugs and send them flying to the open sea.
Shadow-Pryde barely holds herself and slashes her way through a few of the thugs, connecting kicks to their heads and knees to their faces, but when a group of thugs were approaching from behind, Colossus intercepts them with his metallic fists, landing stiff punches that knock them down.
"All clear" Colossus comments but Shadow-Pryde frowns at him.
"Stay away from me, you #$%&+*&$" Shadow-Pryde scolds him and steps away, leaving him confused.
"You're… welcome?" Colossus scratches his head in visible confusion at what just happened.
Iceman on his part, creates a massive ring of ice to keep a large group of thugs contained, allowing both Kung-Fu Kitty and Psylocke to fight against them. Their combined skills in martial arts prove to be a boon in the battle as both women throw an array of punches, kicks, and even combine their moves to knock them down, even impressing the young Bobby Drake.
"WHOA! That! Was! CRAZY!" Iceman giddily exclaims in amazement.
"You are a formidable fighter" Psylocke compliments Kung-Fu Kitty, who joins her fist and hand to bow in a sign of respect to her fellow fighter.
"You are a greatly skilled warrior yourself; it's been an honor to fight alongside you" Kung-Fu Kitty replies.
In another sector Cyclops fires a barrage of optic flashes to the enemy group, with Nightcrawler using his sword skills and bamfing around to knock down as many thugs as he can while Director Pryde activates her fight suit and engage with another group of thugs to bring down with her punches, phasing through them with ease as she strikes them down.
"Assuming by the suit, I take it that in your world, you're an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Cyclops asks the Director as they keep fighting.
"Actually, I'm the Director" Director Pryde replies, to which Kurt reacts with a gasp.
"Kitty Pryde, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? I must say it does have a better ring to it than Nick Fury" Nightcrawler quips in response, to which Director Pryde laughs a little.
"I sure missed your banter, Fuzzy Elf" the Director replies with a nostalgic tone as they manage to clear their group.
Meanwhile, the Veteran Kitty manages to phase through and knock down a large group of thugs while Wolverine knocks them unconscious and Jean uses her telekinesis to throw a barrage of debris at them.
"Ya can't knock 'em down, Jeannie?" Wolverine asks his wife while he takes down another thug.
"They must have some sort of telepathic blocker, Emma must've been prepared" Jean replies as she keeps pushing through with rocks and debris.
"You can break that" the Veteran Kitty replies to her comment "All we need is to give them something to force them to break their concentration, something painful".
"Well, I got just what the doctor ordered" Wolverine quips as he unsheathes his claws.
"Just hit one of them, Jean, you can broadcast the pain through the rest in a psychic chain reaction" the Veteran Kitty talks to the telepath just as Wolverine manages to stab one of the thugs on the leg, bringing the right amount of pain to break his mental strength, which Jean capitalizes with a psychic blast to his mind that is quickly broadcasted to the rest of their group, instantly knocking them down.
"That was impressive…" Jean mutters after a sigh of relief.
"We teach those tactics back at the school" the Veteran Kitty replies to her comment.
"It's good to know people like you are keeping Chuck's school alive" Logan comments, prompting the Veteran Kitty to laugh.
"Actually, you're the one who did it" the Veteran Kitty replies to Logan "You even named the school after her" she gestures with her head towards Jean, who looks amazed at the fact that in another world, the school is named after her.
"You… named the school after me?" Jean looks truly surprised and then looks at Wolverine, who looks quizzically at her but then her gaze becomes a loving one and then she jumps to his arms and kisses him deeply, prompting the Veteran Kitty to laugh at the scene.
With the majority of the thugs beaten, Emma Frost and Magneto look deeply cornered in the fight, with the White Queen annoyed that her Hellfire thugs have fallen so quickly.
"This is definitively not going according to plan" Emma comments as she tries to create a psychic mindwave to render down the X-Men.
"Well, this one's gonna be a doozy!" Magik interjects jumping to attack her from behind, pushing her down to the ground.
"The little Russian…" Emma mutters while she stands up but she realizes that she is looking at a very different woman "Wait… you look older than I remember" she mutters, just realizing that she is not the Illyana Rasputina she knows.
"Looking for me?" the younger Illyana appears from behind, stabbing her Soulsword through her back to use her magic and knock her out by hurting her soul.
"Who would've thought? She has a soul" Magik sarcastically quips at the knocked down White Queen, then looks at the last villain standing who prepares to hurl a barrage of metallic debris at the X-Men.
"Whoever you brought, it won't be enough against the power of the Master of MaAARGH!" Magneto's threat was cut short when Kitty phases through him and removes his helmet to distract him.
"Gotta admit, it's been a while since I last fought against Magneto, but at least it's good to know I'm beating an evil one" Kitty quips at him, riling him up but before he can strike back, the younger Kitty phases from underneath and grabs his cape to pull him down and connect an uppercut, allowing the Prime Kitty to land a kick and then her younger counterpart umps with a backflip kick to knock him down.
"Good Golly! That was awesome!" the younger Kitty exclaims and high fives her counterpart, now leaving only the spire.
"You said you can't shut it down, right?" Cyclops asks Kitty, who nods in response.
"True, but we can temporarily disable it, all it takes is a very good strike at it" Kitty replies, prompting Magik to step forward alongside her counterpart.
"Will two Soulswords suffice?" Magik asks, prompting both sorceresses to step towards the spire and recite and enchantment, channeling the energy of their Soulswords to ignite them and after a few minutes, both women release a massive blast of magic that turns off the spire's energies in a large flash of light, ending the threat for the time being, marking the end of their mission.
"Is that it?" Colossus asks, looking a bit wary.
"It cannot be that easy" Psylocke adds to his words, sounding skeptical.
"It isn't" Kitty replies "This is just for the time being, because to shut them down for good, we have to go back to the Mojoverse and strike back at them, so with that I'm asking…" right then she turns to look at her younger counterpart "Would you join us into this fight?"
"Of course! I want to join!" the younger Kitty gladly exclaims to volunteer, but while the majority of the X-Men react positively, it is the younger Illyana who scoffs and turns away, a reaction that her girlfriend immediately notices "Hang on a second… Yana? Sweetheart?" she approaches her girlfriend who keeps her back turned at her.
"You're going to another world, right?" Illyana mutters with a hint of disappointment "You're going with her…" she adds, making a clear reference to her older –and much more attractive- counterpart.
"Yana, are you… jealous?" the young Kitty asks and then begins to chuckle, much to her girlfriend's chagrin "I'm sorry, it's just that I think it's funny that you're jealous of yourself" she laughs, but before her girlfriend can complain, the young Kitty grabs her hands "Yana, I know that other version looks… Hot, we have to say it… but in the end, she is you, and you know what it means? That don't have eyes for anyone else but you, you are moya lubya, my Snowflake, nothing will change that and I know that I'll be gone for a while, but I assure you that I will come back to you" she smiles at her girlfriend who finally relaxes and turns to face her with a loving look, hugging her tightly to kiss her "I love you" she whispers over her lips.
"I love you too Katya" Illyana replies "And I know that you'll come back to me, I'll make sure of that" she then steps back and grabs her Soulsword, passing it to her girlfriend "You'll need it more than I do for this journey" she tells her, leaving her girlfriend awestruck at the gesture.
"Oh gosh! I mean… I just… can I… can I use it?" the young Kitty poses the question and then grabs the Soulsword, receiving the energy transfer to her own body, and right then a bright white and silver armor covers her body, confirming the transfer of power, all the while Kitty and her group looks on, but right then, she begins to have a mild sensation in her head.
"Kitty?" a voice is heard in her mind, one she quickly recognizes.
"Charles?" Kitty reacts to the call in her mind.
"Before you go back to your journey, I want to issue a couple of apologies" Xavier communicates through her mind "I was curious about the motivations of your mission, and is because of that that I ventured into your mind through Cerebro, and while I found the reason for your journey, I also discovered the things you went through in your world" he explains, revealing that he discovered the journey she went through in this 'Krakoan Era' and how she is now having a life of her own yet she remains loyal to her mutant friends "And for that, first, I want to apologize for the intrusion, I know that I had no right for it, in spite of the circumstances of your mission, and it is because of what I found that I'm giving the second apology" that part does surprise Kitty "Whatever my counterpart did, it was unjust, disproportionate and completely off the institutions I worked hard to establish in the search of peaceful coexistence between human and mutantkind" he explains to her his stance about what went down with her and the 'Krakoan Era' itself "And I want you to know that regardless of what they, or my counterpart, have said, you are, and always will be, an X-Man" he concludes, giving Kitty a sense of relief and resolution about her issues with her Xavier after she left Krakoa, bringing a smile to her face.
"Thank you… Professor" Kitty replies through her link, finding out that this Earth's Xavier is more like the one she knew and remembered before the establishment of Krakoa.
"You OK, Kitty?" Sofia asks her with a little bit of concern.
"Is alright Sofia" Kitty kindly replies as her counterpart approaches them "I take it that you're ready to join and you're packed" she jokes at the fact that her counterpart now carries the Soulsword with her.
"You can bet all your money that I'm ready to roll!" the younger Kitty replies eagerly.
"Finally!" Magik sighs exasperatedly "Can we leave this weird as #$%& world now? I mean, Logan and Jean are married with a kid; Spider-Man has a family, what's next? Tony Stark finally settled down?" she sarcastically poses the question.
"As a matter of fact, he did get married last week" Iceman replies her question.
"I officiated the wedding!" Nightcrawler adds, much to the surprise of the group of Kitty Prydes.
"OK, that's it, we're out of here!" Kitty quickly activates the device, opening the portal that will lead them to their next destination while the X-Men begin to collect the fallen villains but Cyclops quickly notices something.
"Guys?" Cyclops looks at his team with concern "Where's Emma Frost?"
THEN, AT THE MOJOVERSE
In a flash of light, Earth-18119's Emma Frost appears in a large room full of lights, wrecked robots and cameras around it. She slowly stands up as she looks around in confusion while she gathers her bearings.
"Where… UGHN!" Emma grabs her head "Where am I?"
"You've been drafted" a female voice responds her question, and in that moment Emma finally reacts to discover that she is not alone in the room, finding the Age of Apocalypse Colossus, Empress Viper, the N1MR0D Sentinel and the Hand's leader Gorgon looking at her "Get up, we'll explain you everything" Viper replies as she extends her hand while Mojo and Major Domo watch through their screens.
"Another disappointing result Domo, but at least I brought me a telepath! You can't go wrong by having a telepath in your team!" Mojo comments to his producer "My only complaint is her attire, way too decent for her… Domo, be a good boy and send her to the wardrobe department, give her a much more 'adequate' attire, you know what I mean by that…" he then looks at the screen again "If we're having Emma Frost, might as well be the vaguely dressed Emma Frost we all know and lust for!"
"Sir, if I may…" Major Domo interjects "You should be aware that our current demographics, especially the female ones, will be very vocal against such a blatant objectification" he adds, prompting Mojo to turn and face him.
"And you should know that as the old saying goes, bad publicity is still publicity and no one thrives with all kinds of publicity than MOJOTV!" Mojo exclaims to his face, to which Domo sighs and then nods.
"Very well sir, your will be done" Domo replies and then leaves while Mojo prepares the next round, since he is making his own preparations for the inevitable encounter and he wants to bring in the ratings for his victory.
And finally! A new chapter arrives! Thank you guys for the patience, as well as the continuing support of the still loyal ones, and I welcome the new fans as well! Thanks for showing support to my work; I'm glad you're enjoying it. With this chapter, we're officially at the halfway mark of our story! Now, on to the notes!
This Earth in particular is the one seen in 2015's Secret Wars and then at the Amazing Spider-Man: Renew your Vows series, and as you have seen, I visited it before in the Highly Successful "Into the Great Unknown". This version of Kitty was created in that story as well as Illyana, so I thought it was a nice change of pace to put them in a relationship together (I'm sure the Katyana shippers would be glad considering that they may not get together in the current continuity). Also to take into consideration is that since 616 Kitty can also wield the Soulsword, might as well this one too, which is why from this point forward, we'll be referring to her as Soulsword Kitty.
On the next chapter, Kitty's team will reach to a world where her version is living a lifestyle that she used to have not too long ago. I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about. I'll see you then!
NEXT CHAPTER: DRINK UP ME JOLLY, YO-HO!