Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or DC
And I worked hard to get this chapter finished for today, coinciding with what would have been Stan Lee's 100th birthday. This is partly my tribute and another part my little message to despair.
The Redeemer
Chapter 39: House of M to X
Cade had been on the couch to Washington for a few days now, time was difficult to keep up with in both his world and this one. The Batman's Robin should be a man by now, hell, they should all be old men. He looked up from his cap and saw one of the passengers reading a paper. He spotted the date.
'Oh,' Cade remembered.
He had a ticket for Washington, but this was where he made his stop. A small town, nothing to boast of, but it had a bar. Cade wasn't one for drinking heavily, the occasional beer, he wasn't a monk by any means but he had some traditions he held to. On this day he ordered a beer at the local bar and raised a toast.
"Here's to you old man," he said.
"Did you lose someone?"
He looked to his side, seeing a brown haired woman, tall and muscular despite the fact she wore a thick coat to cover it. Cade recognised the build of a fighter, the scars on her knuckles, the makeup that hid recent bruises. There was something bulky and heavy in her bag too and Cade could see she had ordered Guinness, could hear the British twang in her voice, and the way she looked at him. It was suspicion hidden by flirtation; she could tell the same things about him that he had seen in her. Even without the ability to see a person's sins, Cade had spent time as a CIA analyst, analysing people, patterns in documentation. He remembered people like Crowner said 'Sven was the detective, Cade the spy'. With his eyes, Cade saw the bloodshed of war, but only one murder and it was the same kind of murder Cade had committed, on those he felt deserved it.
"I'm actually remembering someone," he said.
"Was he a relative?" she asked curiously, that part was genuine about her.
"No, and to be honest I didn't really know him, but he did inspire me," Cade said.
"Inspire, I know what that's like, how ol…"
"He would have been a hundred today," Cade interrupted her.
"Well, here's to the man who inspired you," she raised her glass.
He had only ordered half a pint, which he drank quickly. Cade was about to pay when the woman took out some bills from her pocket, no wallet like him.
"I've got this," she said, smiling kindly.
He nodded in thanks, honestly he would have stayed to talk with her more. It would have shed some light on the Multiversal Incursions and the arrival of other universe immigrants. But he had things to do, he had to keep going.
'Like you said old man, ever onward, Excelsior!'
Just Imagine
Annihilus and Magneto were both war lords of Onyx, tasked with taking Earth 6. This world was so different from the other side of the Multiverses, their Justice League was different. Then again, so were Annihilus and Magneto. Annihilus was Mr Fantastic, but his ship instead was destroyed, along with his crew members and the cosmic rays mutated him into a stretching creature whom took command of the annihilation Wave. Magneto's was less convoluted, he created his Savage land of mutates and destroyed the rest of the world with a Nuclear winter. But not this world, this world had heroes to protect it.
Heroes with familiar names but very different from the Justice League known across other Multiverses. Using her staff, the staff of Manco Capac, Maria Mendoza drew on the power of the Incan Sun God, creating blasts and blades of light that cut through the armies of insectoid soldiers Annihilus commanded. The Wonder Woman summoned a great blade of light and stabbed it through one of the bigger insects. On the streets below, Wayne Williams was just an ordinary man fighting against mutant acolytes. His suit made him look like an actual bat, but the Kevlar material, gliding kit and Wayne's own fighting skills made him a force against the Acolytes. The Batman was both a champion of the wrestling ring and the streets. Len Lewis was a lantern in these dark times, protecting the people, drawing on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he knew that these forces were sent by Onyx, a man who sought to transcend gods, to become the very idea of evil itself.
Yet always there was hope, and though he did not begin as such, the S shaped symbols on Salden's cape would come to be the symbol of that hope. His red cape was an advanced Kryptonian flight harness, and though he appeared to be a man, Earth's gravity was nothing to him. He was the Superman, lifting fallen buildings away from the people in danger, moving with determination against the hordes of mutants and annihilation. And they weren't alone, in their universe or across the Multiverse.
Elseworlds
Sven raised his fist as Wonder Woman threw him towards the Kree Star Force. He punched Yon-Rogg across the face, and crossed his arms together to block Mar-Vell's blasts. A Mar-Vell whom never betrayed the Kree to Earth. That did not mean he could not become a hero, Sven did not believe anyone was beyond saving. He fired blasts from his eyes not at Mar-Vell, but at the people who needed saving, intercepting debris or Kree troopers before they could attack. Aeon let the markings across his armour glow green and yellow as Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter flew alongside him. Diana knocked back Minn-Erva, and J'onn threw Korath aside. Together they fused with Aeon, creating the Greco-roman armour with a red X through it. His arms became like springs from the Martian shape shifting and glowed with the power of the lasso of truth.
"You have your doubts about what the Kree Empire is, but let me show you, let me show you Mar-Vell, all that you can be!" Sven said.
It all flashed before Mar-Vell's eyes, the Kree Captain who fell in love with a world. The heroes whom stood by his side as he died, the woman he inspired to become one of the world's mightiest heroes, and in turn inspired a girl to become a hero too. He saw the Kree soldier of another world, who became a protector to honour him. Then Mar-Vell saw, his children, Genis who became a new Captain Marvel, Phyla who became a Guardian whilst staying true to herself and Hulkling, whom raised his sword high as king of the United Kree and Skrull Alliance. That was the legacy of Captain Marvel.
The members of the Kree Star Force gathered around the great starburst light, and where then beaten back by Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. The light dimmed and Aeon stood in front of Mar.
"It is too late to go back and change anything, but you can move forward, onward, ever onward, to the next fight, to the next person whose life you can save, whose life you can change, as you did in my world, as you can in your world and beyond," Aeon explained.
"Onward," Mar-Vell whispered.
Aeon raised his hand for Mar-Vell to grasp. The Kree hero nodded his head, and took Aeon's hand. Another Starburst consumed them and flew high. It shrank, becoming a halo of cosmic energy and at the core of that miniature star was Aeon and Captain Marvel fused. Black armour with a finned helmet, red highlights, glowing gold bands across his wrists and stars shimmering across the darkness of his armour. His eyes flared like the Starburst as he flew high, through one Kree ship after another, smashing through a ship with Superman, flying past Batman and exchanging thumbs up, shining with a light that pierced the bridges of the Kree ships, blinding the Kree Supreme Intelligence with both cosmic power and the psionic energy Aeon produced from his fusion, showing the cold artificial being a new way, just as he had shown the Kree hero. The Uni-Aeon flew away from the Earth, waving at Zatanna, Svein and their daughter through the watch tower, before making the vow that he would save his son and his apprentice.
"EX…"
Earth 1610
"CELSIOR!" the spirit of Aeon appeared over Sieg, VooDoo could see the manifestation of the boy's mentor.
With the great battle cry, Sieg threw himself into the invaders of the other Earth. The Skrulls clashed with S.H.I.E.L.D's Rocketmen, but the playing field was only levelled when Sieg and the Ultimates joined. Sieg swung his sword through the Skrulls, not killing them, but passing the blade through them to stun them. Big ships though he cut through and jumped inside, beginning to beat on the crew. He punched, kicked, using his sword more as a shield and bludgeoning weapon. The ship he was in shook as a lightning bolt hit it. Sieg's eyes grew wide as saucers as he grabbed some of the crew men and jumped out of the ship. He got out just as Thor blew the ships up.
"DUDE WATCH IT!" he yelled.
He landed and blinked in confusion when he saw Colonel America kicking a wounded Skrull soldier.
"What the heck, this Captain America is a di…"
"Not that I'm in disagreement Sieg, but in the absence of our Cap, language!" Wanda said.
She floated over the boy, creating her hexes, ensuring safe but neutralising landings for the damaged Skrull ships. VooDoo slammed his staff into the ground, creating several soldier spirits to fight the Skrull ground troops. These troops were distracted by illusions conjured by Loki, the sorcerer Supreme laughing as their rifle blasts flew harmlessly through his copies.
"I could be here, or here, or here, or woaah," Loki flinched slightly when one of the Skrulls pointed his gun at him. "You know I could be an illusion, the real one could be over there," he pointed with his eyes, but the Skrull wasn't convinced.
Just as the Skrull was about to fire, Ultimate Aeon kneed the Skrull in the face, rolling to a standing position as his markings glowed.
"Ready babe?" he asked the Ultimates Scarlet Witch.
She nodded her head, fusing with her husband. His armour changed to a red and black suit with a high collar cloak. He floated alongside Scarlet Witch, their hex rings glowing as Sieg let the markings on his skin glow. The lenses of his Domino mask glowed whilst armour appeared over his mouth. He flew through the rings Aeon and Scarlet Witch created, increasing his speed, until he slammed his blade into the Super Skrull with a great clang.
House of M
Hope, that was what Zack could feel emanating from the man in the blue suit. The Superman kept a firm gaze on his opponent, but a confident smile, hopeful. He rushed forward, meeting the other Kryptonians punch with a grab that cushioned the shockwave of his blow. The buildings could shatter around them if they went at full strength, and the older man took special care to ensure they did not go all out. He slammed the man into the ground, forcing him into a choke hold.
"I will be avenged if you break my neck," the Kryptonian said.
"Why would I break your neck?" Superman asked.
He used his freeze breath on the man's eyes, stopping him from using his heat vision. Then he began to apply just the right amount of pressure. His opponent flew into the air, trying to throw Superman into the buildings. But Superman's grip was firm, and he was a far better flyer. He maintained the grip, crashing through one building but with no injuries or loss of life to the people around him. Eventually, Superman put the unconscious Kryptonian on the ground and looked down at Zack and the Englishman.
"Are you both all right?" Superman asked.
Zack was at a loss for words; he looked up at the man and saw his father. Though of course this man and Sven Reilly looked very different from one another, but Zack's feelings didn't change. Then he remembered, the call, what was drawing him someplace else.
"T-Thank you Mister, I need to go, I'm sorry but I have to get going," Zack said.
"It's okay, I understand young man," Superman said.
"Young man, I'd call him more of a boy, what about the sky, the people…" the Englishman drifted, looking in the store window reflection as if someone was talking to him.
Zack was already running by the time the man finished his conversation. Superman watched the boy leave and smiled, though he and his cousin were the only super powered beings on their Earth 789, he knew heroes when he saw them. That boy was a hero, a hero running down the street to find the place he needed to get to, the place where he could do the most good. Superman looked to the Kryptonian invasion, hoping that his Earth would be safe with Kara and Bruce, hoping, hoping as he embodied. He flew into the atmosphere, smiling as he flew around the Earth.
The Englishman leant against the wall, clutching his chest and looking at where the boy had been.
"You can't do anything for him Steven," his other self said.
"You must focus on the task at hand," Khonshu said.
"Have faith in him!"
It was the other voice, Steven Grant looked at the reflection and saw not just the angry American Marc Spector, but also the Sorcerer Dr Strange, the Falcon, cosmic Guardians Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis and Groot, the shrinking hero Wasp, the king of Wakanda the Black Panther, the Winter Soldier and Wanda Maximoff.
"I think, I think he's someone that you can believe him, I feel like I'm close to him," Wanda said.
"Like my mom and me," Hope Van Dyne said.
"Like Cap, heck I felt like I was looking at Cap just now," Sam said.
"Steve's not that earnest, but I can see why he'd remind you of him," Bucky said.
"I'm not well, I'm having an episode, this is all just a dream, all just a dream," Steven ranted, gripping his head, turning to a car mirror.
"Sorry, it's a little more complicated than that," Strange said and Steven screamed.
'Onward,' Zack thought as he ran.
He had to get to Graymalkin Lane, to the mansion, that was what his soul told him.
'Ever onward,' he repeated the mantra.
But then the sky darkened and Zack's eyes were drawn to the dark hole that formed in the clouds. He gasped when hands emerged from it, slowly a figure began to come out of the portal. As this event happened, in different universes, men known as Daniel Hall, or pale skinned men known as Morpheus, the dreams of the endless fell to their knees and screeched in pain. A pain and madness that swept through universes, as a new being came into different universes.
Universes like Earth 28, where the Justice League piloted giant mechs. Or Earth 10, where Uncle Sam and his Freedom Fighters engaged the Nazis in an endless war. Earth 24, a place of predominantly female super hero pilots fought an endless World War 2. And the skies of Earth 118 were coated in the darkness, drawing the attention of the society locked in medieval times, particularly their Batman. Even Earth 31, a massive ocean of pirate heroes, faced a storm in the form of the invader entering their world.
"He's coming, he's here, the Lord of Dreams, of nightmares, the primordial power, CTHULU!" Morpheus screamed.
Wrapped in a green robe, the giant with the octopus head walked across New York, and the very sight of him threw people into an insane state. Kryptonians crashed into the ground, clawing at their faces, cutting apart buildings with their heat vision. Superman tried to contain them, but even he was being beaten back. Zack stopped and looked up at the primordial god. Yes, Cthulhu was an enemy even Aeon had faced before and overcome.
'But I have to prioritise,' Zack thought.
Get to the Xavier Institute, was what his mind told him. But his heart was another matter entirely. Prioritising those who needed help was the lesson Zack's father taught him, a lesson he first passed to Sieg, a lesson he hoped both Zack and Virgil learned. He slammed his foot into the ground, wisps of red energy surrounding his body.
"Ever onward," he whispered.
He began to run up one of the buildings, passing Spider-man, who swung with two people he had blind folded with his webbing. Luke Cage was protecting people from mad gunmen, Falcon flew people to safety, urging them to look away from Cthulhu.
"Everyone's gone insane, giant tentacle man in the sky, what the hell, as if other worlds and people getting dusted wasn't bad enough," Steven Grant panicked.
"Bro whatever explanation there is for us ending up inside you (stop laughing Drax) doesn't matter," Star-Lord said.
"I am Groot!"
"Well of course you'd say that, you never use your imagination when reading or watching stories."
"There are people who need help," Sam said.
"And I think even stuck inside you Grant, we can still help them," Black Panther said.
"Don't let that little boy fight alone, please," Wanda said.
The voices in his head bickered and it only made Grant further slip into despair. Zack meanwhile kept on running, building up his speed, preparing to launch himself with a hex. Steven Grant however fell into the same madness that was gripping so many other Earths.
Earth 616
The Watcher himself had to look away when Cthulhu appeared on his own Earth, the Prime Earth of his Multiverse. People in New York were being driven to madness, but only a city wide telepathic wave kept them under control. It was the manifestation of the ideal X-men response, of what mutants could offer the world, a shield. Fabian Cortez amplified Wallflowers abilities, Wind Dancer directed them, and the Stepford Cuckoos coordinated through Cerebra. A force that filled people with despair, was briefly suppressed. But it still left Cthulhu itself. Polaris flew high with Jean, Cyclops, Sunfire and Wolverine, and together they took a page out of Aeon's book, and a page out of another hero's book too.
"Just so long as we don't start using overly done battle cries," Wolverine huffed.
"Come on this is definitely awesome," Polaris said as she brought various pieces of metal together.
She took a junkyard of materials that weren't going anywhere, creating a type of mechanised tank. Jean added her telekinesis and telepathy, Sunfire and Cyclops provided the power.
"We need Mega Xord power," Sunfire said.
"You too Shiro?" Wolverine asked.
"Just roll with it Logan, besides, why do you think we brought you with us?" Jean asked, grinning as Logan's eyes lit up.
Cyclops fired a blast inside the machine, utilising the Stark Tech Arc reactors, and the conductors Beast recommended, to boost the mech's power. Wolverine provided the most vital part, a pilot to move the machine and slash the primordial god across the chest.
"Best job ever," he said.
Cthulhu stepped back and then stared at the X-Mech. Suddenly, Cthulhu screamed, opening his mouth and releasing a psionic scream that filled the X-men with despair.
"ANIMAL!"
"DESTROYER OF WORLDS!"
"DISAPPOINTMENT AS A DAUGHTER!"
"DISGRACE TO YOUR COUNTRY!"
"YOU WILL FAIL TO LEAD THEM!"
The X-men mech was about to fall when a sound echoed through the city. It was the sound of a flute, a flute that gave the X-men a second wind.
"Don't give into despair," the Green Ranger said. "DRAGONZORD!" he yelled.
The black and gold metal dragon stomped across the city, digging its drill tail into the Cthulhu's head.
Earth N52
Cade had always had a resistance to telepathy, an acquaintance once stated that as a result of his abilities, connection to the spirit realm and the immense levels of energy he could generate (after taking in enough calories and sunlight) his mind possessed a kind of tripwire system. Over time and with his age it had grown more powerful and something he was able to control, but the tripwire was previously something that in Cade's youth, he had very little control over.
There was a villain (which, you may hear over the coming chapters) who fancied himself a master of the minds. Mastermind was taken, so he called himself Mind-Master (emphasis on the hyphen). Taking on a leather jacket and a helmet with a brain in it (not his brain, and not a real brain either) he went on a rampage of violating minds throughout the small town of Wisconsin. The Texas Twister and Shooting Star fell victim to his attacks, becoming his thralls for a moment and injuring many police officers. Then he encountered Cade. In truth, Cade hadn't intended for the man to die, he didn't even raise his sword or take on his armour. He was just walking by, a would be victim of the Mind-Master's powers.
"ALL SHALL BE THE THRALLS OF THE MIND…" his declaration was cut short when his psychic wave reached Cade.
Cade's eyes flared red, and Mind-Master's eyes blew up, blood pouring out of his nostrils too. The man's body slumped to the floor and Cade looked at it in confusion, shrugging his shoulders as he walked away.
In short, Cade had resistance to telepathy. But Cthulhu wasn't a simple telepath, just like the mythology on him, the very sight of the primordial gods could drive people to insanity. Or in the case of one Jack Oswald White, sanity. The white skinned, green haired man walked across the Gotham streets in fear for the first time, seeing people laughing insanely like he used to.
"Maybe, maybe this is my second chance, maybe I can save Gotham, be a bigger hero than Batman is, maybe I can become Gotham's White Knight," he said, smiling, laughing for a moment.
Then he looked at the giant Cthulhu and gulped. It wasn't just insanity that Cthulhu could generate, but raw, hopeless despair.
"Nah," Jack said, before his insanity took him again.
Cade however had faced despair before. He had faced it every time his father struck him, every time his mother simply smiled at his abuse, every time social services, or their neighbours looked away. Even more than that he felt the despair of failure, of not being good enough. For him, there was no more toxic a phrase than 'I can't'.
I can't save anyone!
I can't be a father!
I can't be a hero!
I can't be happy!
But he had people who had taught him, he could, he just lost that for a while. As he let the spirit of justice transform him into Deathblade, Cade remembered Sven, Laura, Sven's sister Kate and an old man with glasses, who was just nice enough to say some catchy platitude. Sometimes though, that was enough to inspire. He flew up to meet the primordial god and raised his scythe over his head, gathering torrents of energy into it. Like waves and flames they flew to his blade, becoming a splash of red and black. He swung his sword, releasing the energy wave and hitting Cthulhu. But the attack left only a scorch mark, and when the smoke passed Cthulhu glared at Deathblade with glowing eyes.
House of M
The same glowing eyes that the Cthulhu Zack tried to attack looked at him with.
Earth 616
The same eyes the Cthulhu had when it knocked the Dragonzord and X-Mecha back with a shockwave.
"Taste the truth of the universe, taste the inevitability of DESPAIR!" Cthulhu's voice echoed through every mind, for his was the voice of despair.
Another House
Virgil opened his eyes, he looked at his surroundings, why was he naked and why was he floating in some kind of yellow fluid? Those were questions he needed to find answers too, but first, he had to break out. Bursting through the yellow ball/egg he had been contained in, Virgil found himself sprawled onto some kind of grass, though the plants around it looked very alien.
He opened his eyes, feeling someone touch his chin.
"Welcome back," he heard Xavier's voice.
His vision cleared as the yellow fluid ran down his face. Finally Virgil could see Xavier, standing, with a huge X shaped helmet covering his head. Virgil slapped Xavier's hand aside and stumbled, nearly falling off of the hilltop he was on. Then the sound of cheers struck his ears and Virgil turned, looking towards the mass of thousands of mutants looking up at him. People he thought had died, DJ, Rubbermaid, his world's Wall Flower, Tag and Wolf Cub. There were so many mutants looking up at him, definitely more than 198.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
"The resurrection is complete, our mutant brother has returned," Xavier said.
Dazzler created fireworks and the mutants of this new nation cheered in joy. Virgil however simply looked at them, panic spreading across his face, the experience new to him, not just the being naked in public, but the mass of emotions hitting him as his soul markings glowed and a trickle of Anti-matter rose from his eyes.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" he yelled.
Everything fell silent and Virgil buried his face in his hands.
"It isn't going to go away if you close your eyes," a voice whispered in his ear.
He brought his hands away, finding himself in his X-student costume. Standing in front of him was Pixie and DJ.
"Hey, try to take it easy V, worrying is so sapien," DJ said.
"You mean human," Virgil retorted and the two teens looked at him like he had grown a third head.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by a dizzy spell, and when he came to he was in a shop, looking at a girl with horns on her head and the shop keeper. The girl was holding a bag, waving it around in the shop keeper's face.
"Do you know where I found this bag?" she asked.
"No, and I don't care, now get out of my…"
"It was lodged in the throat of a beautiful sea turtle," she said.
"Well it may have been beautiful, but it wasn't that smart if it ate a plastic bag, now are you going to buy something or…"
"THIS PLANET IS NOT YOUR TOILET YOU STUPID BARBARIAN!" Nature Girl yelled, stabbing the man in the neck with a pair of scissors.
Virgil widened his eyes in shock. His teeth rattled and again the Anti-matter seeped out of his eyes, his soul marks flaring just briefly.
"NO!" he yelled.
He ran across the store, grabbing the man as he fell and putting his hand to the wound, his first aid training from Sven fading with the panic and rage.
"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU!" he yelled, shoving Nature Girl back.
"A turtle is dead because of him, because of these Homo-sapiens and their litter polluting the planet," Nature Girl said.
"He's, he's dead," Virgil trembled as the man froze.
"I'm not sorry he's gone, he was just one of the problems affecting the planet, I'm glad he's gone," Nature Girl said.
Virgil stood up, glaring at her, the Anti-Matter began to seep out of his hands and he had to take a deep breath, to calm down before he did something he would regret. When he opened his eyes again he was somewhere different, looking instead at Xavier again.
"Haven't you heard Kurt? Mutants upgraded morality and beat mortality, I'm afraid your cassock has little to offer my conscience," the Professor said.
"Why would you say something like that?" Virgil asked.
The Professor turned to him and smiled.
"Oh Virgil, come in, my door is always open, I understand you were able to discover what happened with Nature Girl, the council voted on her imprisonment, but Krakoa overruled it," Xavier explained it.
"Krakoa?" Virgil gasped.
"Our home and our nation Virgil, Krakoa shares its body with us, and understandably, it would be invested in Nature Girl's fight against the human policies that damage the environment," Xavier explained.
"How many people will die because of her? And Krakoa? We're living on Krakoa? The same Krakoa that tried to suck the X-men to death? Oh yeah that isn't going to end in disaster is it?" Virgil asked.
"Humans of the Planet Earth!"
Virgil was back in darkness again, breathing heavily, having a panic attack, but still hearing Xavier's voice.
"I am the mutant Charles Xavier, and I bring you a message of hope."
In the darkness, Virgil saw his younger self, just a boy seeing the X-men for the first time. The team of Cyclops, Rogue, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Gambit, Storm and Beast fought an out of control sentinel.
"I want to be an X-man one day!"
"In the coming days you will learn of several far reaching pharmaceutical breakthroughs that have been discovered by mutant scientists. These drugs extend human life, heal diseases of the mind and will prevent or cure most common maladies. Influenza, Alzheimer's, ALS, many cancers gone over night. These drugs will make life on this planet better, remarkably so."
"And why do you want to be an X-man Virgil?" his grandfather asked him.
"All this we have made for you, in the past they would have been given to you as a gift, something freely given by me to you, because I believed it would create harmony between our two peoples."
"Because they fight for everyone, even though the world might hate them, they continue to fight to show them that they can live in peace with them."
"That was my dream, harmony, but you have taught me a harsh lesson: that dream was a lie!"
Virgil fell to his knees, looking to a barren wasteland where Sentinels gathered mutants into death camps.
"You see all I ever wanted was peace between humans and mutants."
He saw mutants dying and then being reborn, all whilst normal humans just died.
"All I ever wanted was to love you and for you to love us."
He saw Hope, the great mutant messiah, turning even the most pacifistic young mutant into a soldier, controlling their minds in ways Xavier never would have dreamed of doing.
"We wanted to save you and we did many times, but in return all you did was stand by while evil men killed our children, over 16 million of them!"
He saw the Sentinels decimating Genosha.
"So there will be no gift, for you have not earned it, we will however let you pay for it. In return for two things, we will provide you with the means to have a better life. One without pain or suffering but full of hope, and it will cost you so little."
Virgil fell deeper to the darkness when he saw the Avengers and X-men fight, again and again and again.
"First you must accept the island of Krakoa as the nation-state of all mutants on this planet. We will happily go through the same process as any newly formed nation with the U.N. but there is an expectation that our sovereignty will be recognised."
His hands began to go limp and he looked at the image of his younger self, smiling happily as he played with X-men toys and cheered when they came up on TV. He was driven deeper and deeper into despair, seeing the boy he was arriving at the Xavier institute, and the times that hope was dashed.
"Second, all mutants, by birth can claim Krakoan citizenship. And with that citizenship we expect a period of amnesty so that those singled out as criminals, or punished and imprisoned by humans can overcome man's bias against mutants."
Images flashes before his eyes of Sabretooth ripping people apart, Mystique shooting people, Avalanche crushing humans, Magneto bringing buildings down on people and Apocalypse and his horsemen butchering hundreds and thousands.
"From this day forward, mutants will be judged by mutant law, not mans."
It created the image for Virgil of secret votes, of trial by combat or combat for leadership like with Storm and Callisto.
"These are our simple demands, and they are not negotiable. In return for making our lives better, we will do the same for you. And if you find yourselves asking, who are these mutants to think they can dictate terms to us?"
He saw Xavier addressing a crowd of people, suddenly the image turned into the now helmeted Xavier addressing only mutants.
"We are the future, an evolutionary inevitability, the Earth's true inheritors!"
He saw Hope again, the vaunted mutant messiah, and a devastating future she would bring back with her.
"You closed your eyes last night believing this world would be yours forever. That was your dream…and like mine, it was a lie!"
He saw the image of the X-men burn, he saw the mansion burn, and he saw Xavier and Moira McTaggart in a garden.
"Here is the new truth, while you slept, the world changed."
"That is the truth of your dream, of your vision of the X-men, of your vision of heroes Virgil," he heard Iron Lad's voice in his head.
"All creatures fall to despair, all will be consumed by it," and all heard the voice of Cthulhu.
Zack and Superman were in Cthulhu's grip, the X-Mecha and Dragon Zord had been crippled. The Green Ranger fell to his knees, looking up at Cthulhu as the primordial god spread his wings. And on another Earth, Cade looked up at the sky as he fell, seeing Cthulhu block out the light.
But then came a spark, for Superman it was a second wind, for the Green Ranger it was rising with the images of his fellow rangers around him and for Zack it was the Anti-matter energy he produced casting aside the darkness. Cade however heard a voice, a voice he recognised, and one that made him smile.
"HEY DESPAIR YOU OLD BASTARD! YOU WON'T TAKE US TODAY!"
Cade's eyes snapped open, seeing Aeon, his rival, his friend emerging from a portal and fall towards Cthulhu.
"WHITE TIGER!" Tommy yelled, the white light changing his costume.
"Not today," Superman said, his eyes glowing red.
And as Zack ripped through the despair, ripped through the prison of time and went to the moment that 'Moira' began to convince Xavier of the futility of his dream, he heard a voice.
"You're a good man, who believes in the goodness in others, and it breaks my…"
"Shut the hell up!" Virgil interrupted the woman.
He appeared with red eyes from crying, standing in front of Xavier. But still he heard the voice, that hopeful voice even through all the despair he had just been shown.
"Don't give up on the dream," Virgil said.
He heard the words, part of the words he even spoke.
"There's room for all of it, the only things there aren't room for, are hatred, intolerance and bigotry. That man next to you…" Virgil began, taking a defiant step forward and looking at Xavier, or whatever image of Xavier had been conjured, or perhaps his past self.
Whatever he was, he would not let him give up.
"He's your brother, that woman over there, she's your sister and that kid walking by, who knows, he may have the proportionate strength of a spider. We're all part of one big family, the human family, and we all come together. And you…" he looked at Moira-X, whatever she was. "You're part of that family, you're part of OUR MARVEL UNIVERSE! That moves ever onward and upward, to greater glory!" Virgil fell to his knees, more tears falling down his face.
But then his face became set, just like Zack's, just like Sieg's, and just like Cade's and Sven's.
"In other words…"
And together they said it:
"Excelsior!"
Happy Hundredth Mr Lee!
Next Chapter 40: Dreams
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Whilst I know Stan Lee wasn't the complete Mastermind behind Marvel's success (credit to guys like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko just to drop names, but really its all part of one great effort, like claiming only one person is responsible for a film's success) he's still played an important role in the company and means many things to different people.
Just to note I don't have a problem with the House of X run of X-men (well some problems, but that's for another day) I've enjoyed it, particularly the post 1st Hellfire Gala X-men run if you couldn't tell from part of my chapter :)
Despair, depression, anxiety, mental illness, they're some of the great evils of our lives, but love, inspiration and the real heroes of the world can help us beat it.
The Green Ranger will continue to be in this story and I hope the scenes I write of him will continue to do justice to the Tommy Oliver character and Jason David Frank.
Wishing everyone a late Christmas and a soon to be New Year.