Uncanny Mutants

by RedDragoon2691

It's a brave new era for mutantdom. The homeland of mutants, Krakoa, has thrived from its first gilded age of unprecedented prosperity. It appears the dream has been reached, but trouble is brewing in paradise. Many young mutants have been waiting for thier fair share of this grand dream. After years of waiting, some of this new generation decide to forge thier own dream...

2. Chapter 2

Issue #1: A New Kind of Uncanny - Part II

The streets were quiet, oddly quiet. Armor's grip on the handles tightens while the hum of her motorcycle engine echoes across the lonely expressway. Maintaining a steady ninety-five mph, Armor glances at her watch, seeing it's been nearly an hour since their departure. 'Almost there, just a little bit longer,' she thought. Checking her left mirror, she sees the mutant Mercury right behind her, those silvery eyes keenly checking on the screen of that cyber-cycle. While looking ahead, Armor sees Surge slide across the sky rails above, occasionally leaping to a nearby track in case of oncoming objects. Armor could practically feel the residual static heat of Surge's powers. Armor hopes what she has been told about these Uncanny Mutants is accurate and that both carry the potential power needed for such a job. However, what worries her is the kind of firepower they might be against tonight.

"You from around here?"

Armor turned to Pixie, who clung to her waist and flashed a cute, innocent smile. "What?"

"What district are you from?" she asked. "Or are you from the other provinces?"

"And I should answer you, why?"

"Well, besides it being kind of boring just sitting here—"

"We're on a rescue job," Armor reminds her, but Pixie continues to talk.

"I get the feeling you ain't a local. Maybe not EVERY mutant knows them, but the Supremes are infamous. They're famous to some, but it depends on who you ask in this city. You have to be the one in a hundred mutants to not at least hear about them."

"I guess I am," Armor answered.

Pixie shuffled in annoyance at the non-answer. "Alright," she sighed, "so…who's this Dust to you? Friend? Girlfriend?!" Pixie was practically jumping in glee, such rocking nearly causing the bike to swerve if not for Armor. "Oh, my phoenix! Don't tell me this is like in one of those fairy tale romances! Oh, my dear grandmama used to tell'em all the time when I was but a wee pixie!"

"S-stop shuffling back there," Armor said, trying not to steer out of course. She turned to Mercury and shouted, "Hey! Mind taking a passenger?!"

Mercury chuckled and looked away. "Uhh, nope. Can't do it, sorry," she answered.

"You have an open seat right there!"

"I have a what? Sorry, can't hear you! My scanner's buzzing in my ear!" Mercury poorly hid her laughter as she returned to the rear.

"Meanie," Pixie pouted at Armor. "Come on, it's just a simple question."

"Alright, fine, she's a friend," Armor begrudgingly said, "k-kinda."

"Ooooh, what was that 'kinda' at the end?"

"I only knew her for a few days," Armor explained, "I saved her from a tight spot, and she ended up sticking by my side. Until tonight, that is."

"Oh phooey, so no romance?"

"Life hasn't exactly provided many opportunities, no," Armor revealed, partially out of hope that Pixie would stop asking so many questions.

"Oh, how I wish to meet a true romantic someday. Still, that must save up much free time for yourself."

"I guess."

"Well, what'cha do in your free time?"

"Another question…," Armor said, exhausted from talking. "I don't spend it dyeing my hair, I'll say that."

Pixie pinches the strands of dark hair placed at the center of her bangs. Armor noted how perfectly dyed and straight it looked, and her slight curiosity was answered. "Oh! Heh, funny! Surge said the same thing. Naw, this ain't dyed."

"Part of your mutation?"

"Nope, I had it as far as I can remember."

Armor nods but is slightly perplexed. Only one in a thousand mutants have a mutation pre-awakening of their powers. 'Guess she's that one in a thousand.'

"Aaaanyway, I bet credits you practice the craft of shaping yourself as the cool, strong, silent type but has a hidden heart of gold. Going all 'hmph' or 'screw this.'"

"Hmph…"

"Yeah, like that! And when you're not doing that, you're honing your mutant power of…what's it you do again?"

"If things go well, hopefully, you won't find out," Armor answered, a silent worry in her tone.

"Tell me! Please? I'll be your friend!"

"Not a chance," Armor said but hid a small smile.

"Fine," Pixie pouts. "I'll guess then. Let's see, your power is—"

"Signal!"

"No, that doesn't sound right. I know a girl called Signal, and let me tell you, her powers are—"

"No, pixie! Signals!" Mercury warned, her console blaring with red light. Tapping the side of her headset, she yelled, "Surge! I'm seeing several signals approaching behind us." Fiddling with the digital map on her console, Mercury's screen flashes a green light. "I got an alternate route two miles ahead. Maybe we can lose them if we—"

However, upon noticing the silence from Surge's end, Mercury glances up to see their rail skating mutant has seemingly vanished. Armor and Pixie look up soon after. "She left us!" Armor frustratedly yelled, her rear-view mirror already showing several lights approaching.

"No! Surge would never," Pixie defended. "She's probably thinking of a plan to—"

The encroaching threat made Armor ignore her passenger. She then shouted, "Mercury! Can we outrun them?!"

"Not without that blue-haired traitor," Mercury cursed. Armor's eyes widened as she proceeded to witness. Mercury extended her arm, and Armor watched the colorful lights of the city reflect off its shiny surface bend and morph. The entire limb shapeshifted, growing mass until the teen girl's arm became a thick metal club. "But maybe we can fight them off!" Armor nods and follows her escort's lead. "Here they come!" Pixie warned. Armor counted seven, and they were already within flanking positions. Any chance of bargaining there was out of there was over the second Armor saw the gleeful hunger for violence behind those eyes. She imagines what it's like for an antelope surrounded by a pack of hyenas.

Rather than just laugh, the teen boys harassed them by hollering and whistling, trying to get under their skins. Armor could tell this wasn't an idle threat. However, a mere seconds later, one of them donned a sleek, bright red and black uniform, extended a hand, and began to summon profound red energy. Armor quickly found out why when the road in front of her suddenly sprung up a thick wall of rock and metal. Armor swerved a sharp right, narrowly dodging the debris and ramming into one of the Supreme's members. Both her and Pixie's feet knocked the rider off his top-of-the-line cyber-cycles. "Great Phoenix! Is he okay?!" Pixie panickily asked. Armor glanced to see the gang member tumble across the floor but was still moving.

"You deforms are going to pay for that!" one supreme member declared. Armor saw the back of his cycle loaded with canisters and witnessed the mutant levitate water out of each one. A water whip snapped at them. Armor blocked it with her right arm but hissed as blood dripped from the inflicted cut. Trying to maintain control while keeping her distance, Armor could hear Pixie behind her on the verge of crying.

"Those mutants are trying to kill us!"

"I see that! Duck!" Armor uses her arm to bend her passenger down, helping her narrowly avoid a strike to the head.

Pixie screamed, practically feeling how close that strike was. Eyes shut and waving her arms, she cried out, "Aargh! Your big meanies almost hit us! Why have you got to be such big jerks all the time?! Oooh IhatethisIhatethisIhatethis!"

"Pixie! Look!" Armor beckoned. Upon opening her tear-stained eyes, Pixie, waving her arms around, had incidentally triggered her mutant power: Pixie dust. A thick cloud of pink sparkles and glitter blew from her arms and hands, coating two of their foes. With no mask to filter it, both Supreme members were immediately affected by Pixie's 'unique' hallucinogenic dust.

"Look! I'm a princess riding a unicorn," one of them happily giggled before both swerved out of control and tumbled across the expressway road.

"What in the world did you do to them?" Armor gasped.

Wiping her tears, Pixie said, "Umm, I sent their minds to wonderland? At least that's how Surge likes to put it."

Armor glanced over to Mercury, seeing the redhead mutant prove herself to be a natural with combat. "You?!" one of the Supremes said to Mercury before morphing her arm into a club and swiftly knocking the mutant out of his cycle.

The mere sight of him told Armor that his power was super strength, but his muscles only made it easier to tip him off balance. "Sorry!" Mercury shouted before morphing her left arm into a blade. She ducks to avoid the other mutant's plasma blast out of his mouth before spinning her cycle. A complete three-hundred and sixty-degree turn in under a second, the velocity of such a turn allowing Mercury's blade arm to slice the mutant's fancy cycle like butter.

"Aaaand stay down!" Mercury shouted as the cycle fell apart and her opponent rolled across the pavement.

"Woo! So glad she's on our side now!" Pixie cheered. "Way to go Merc!"

"I told you not to call me that," Mercury said, checking the status of their escape route. "There's always a second wave with these pigs, but we might lose them at the ramp."

Armor spotted the expressway exit to their right. Vines and trees sat on top of the twelve-foot-tall wall of the expressway, making it impossible to see what was on the other side or what they were riding into. That unnerved Armor, but it was better than staying in a straight line while still deep in enemy territory. "Hang on, Pixie."

Armor felt Pixie's grip tighten but suddenly heard a quiet gasp from behind. Glancing at Pixie from her rearview, Armor turned her head. "What?!"

Pix's long elf-like ears wiggled, "I hear something nearby."

"It's just in your head, Pixie," Mercury said, leaning closer to the wall as the ramp closed. "Otherwise, I'd be getting signals right—"

Mercury's is cut off when the roaring of engines above is blasted, and several cyber-cycles burst out from the greenery cover. It was an ambush; they'd been expecting them. Half a dozen mutants in mid-air, about to utterly swarm them. Armor saw all this as time slowed, their opponents howling as their powers glowed, eager to unleash a devasting strike.

0.70. This percentage is the estimated average speed of electricity in terms of the speed of light. Thus, the flash of blue light reflected off Armor's eyes, traveling at nearly 3/4th the speed of light, utterly decimating several of the supremacists' mutants above them. Armor & Mercury makes a sharp turn away from the trap, speeding up as they continue down the expressway.

"What just happened?!" Armor said.

"Surge happened," Pixie smiled, pointing up for Armor and Mercury to look and see Surge sliding across the high-speed rails above them.

"The hell you leave us for?!" Mercury grunted.

"Wanted to trick them into thinking it was just you three," Surge explained, "these guys always attack from behind AND the sides. Makes it easy to ambush and trap mutants like us."

"But our tech still should've picked them up."

"Then they're getting smarter, Mercury," Surge continued, "now get ready; we got one more wave left."

"Another?" Armor squints ahead to see several lights approaching them in a straight line. "They're crazy!"

"Duh," Surge said, leaping off and using her electric speed to run beside the girls. "But there's one mutant amongst them that's the craziest of all."

"Oh no," Mercury gasped upon seeing a tall fire trail behind the cyber-cycle in the middle. Armor noticed it, too, and it seemed like the whole cycle was on fire. "It's THE pyromaniac herself: Pyra."

Armor blinked in shock at what she saw. A girl her age's whole hair was one long, massive flame like the head of a match. The intensity of such fire could be felt even from a distance. "Alright, I'll bite: how crazy?"

"Uhh," Pixie said, cowering behind her, "b-burning her sigil on your skin kind of crazy."

All Armor could say to that was, "Ooh," before speeding up, spitballing where and when to dodge the incoming wave.

"Go for the openings," Surge commands before speeding up and firing potshots at the Supremes. Some cycles strike and crash out, while others serve away. Pyra rides forward, unfazed and swiftly blocking any incoming attack with her fireball.

Right as the two groups were about to collide, Armor swiftly took an opening to dodge out of Pyra's way. Mercury went the more aggressive route, whipping out an arm blade and slicing an enemy's cycle in half, though not without a price. Armor glanced to see half of Mercury's head gone, cut by the enemy's weapon. "MERC!" Pixie screamed at such a disturbing sight.

"I'm…" Mercury struggled to say. She tilts her head, grunting as liquid metal struggles to grow out of her head. The teen twisted her head around as metal shifted, moving her reformed jaw until her whole head returned to normal. "Fine. I'm fine," she sighed, tired from the regeneration.

Surge, meanwhile, leaped over the incoming roaming bikers, her static powers growing stronger from subtly absorbing the electronic energy of their bikes. One blast after another, she covered the group's rear by short-circuiting their vehicles or shocking them off their bikes. Armor noticed Mercury sigh, looking irritated. She can't tell if this is because Surge is showing off or because it's a reminder of the gap between them.

Armor could see why Surge's leadership & raw power carried much respect among her peers.

The group narrowly dodged incoming fireballs, and Armor saw as Pyra engines roared while picking up speed. Even Surge was forced to dodge away from Pyra's incoming cycle, but she wasn't giving up yet. Surge threw a faint static shock, throwing off Pyra enough for Surge to leap and punch her with her heavy gauntlet. Armor could practically hear the crack of bone against thick metal.

"Pyra!" Surge growled, locked in a grapple while trying to avoid the flames.

"Surge!" Pyra sneered back. "You ruined my boyfriend's face, witch!"

The edges of Surge's hair burned as she dodged a blast of fire. She tried to steer Pyra out of control, but the fiery teen was a fighter, one Surge took seriously. "It's the least he deserves for breaking that girl's arm, all while you watched."

"I did," Pyra admits with no regret. She smacks Surge, leaving a burn on her cheek, before kicking her square in the gut. "And you ruined my fun for the last time!"

"No! Surge!" Pixie cried. Armor winced at the sight while spotting Pixie pick out glowing blue and green marbles from her backpack.

Pyra crackled as she mockingly said, "Silly brats. You play with fire… . BURNED!" She swerved the bike, driving backward by pointing her arms forward and unleashing two long columns of fire like the ends of a rocket.

She shot past the group like a bullet. Mercury was struck, struggling not to melt and crash from the sudden, intense heat wave. Armor shielded Pixie while subconsciously feeling a power wanting out festering inside of her soul. Shutting her eyes tightly, Armor half expected herself to be doused in flames, but then the most bizarre thing occurred. She felt cold.

"Glacia Thur!"

Armor's eyes open to see a blue aura shielding their whole cycle, even hints of snow on her leather jacket. Looking back, she sees Pixie covering her eyes while holding a shimmering blue orb. "You can do magic too?!"

"I can?" Pixie peeks to see her work. "Holy Crap, I can!"

Pyra's roar of frustration echoed upon the sight of Armor and Pixie. The others have fallen behind, and she won't be satisfied until she burns her sigil on at least one of them. Armor gripped on the controls tightened as she saw Pyra, now far ahead, suddenly turn around. The flames on Pyra's cycle ascended higher than ever as she came barreling straight towards them, no matter how much Armor swerved. Armor asked, "Can it protect us against that?"

"Nuh-uh," Pixie said meekly, her enthusiasm deflated at the teenage mutant rocket aimed for them.

"Then get out!" Armor shoved Pixie out, glancing to see her wings lift the girl into the air, away from the probably the most bone-headed thing Armor could do. Pressing the metal to the petal, Armor's engine glowed red as it was pushed to its limits. She can see in Pyra's eyes that her opponent recognizes what she is going to do and probably thinks she's suicidal.

'She ain't wrong,' she thought as she sped towards Pyra. The pyromaniac didn't falter, smiling eagerly at destroying that old bike and Armor with it.

Armor shuts her eyes and grabs something hanging beneath her shirt. Gripping her shirt, she squeezed something while taking a deep, steady breath. A great power is called upon, and now it's up to her to unleash it. A wave of radiant bright pink combed Armor and her motorcycle, sparkling like a precious gem as it solidified into a luminescent set of armor. Out of this armor, the face of a warrior appeared and was the last thing Pyra saw before colliding straight into this immovable object.

The shattered metal remains of Pyra's bike fly into the air while its rider is knocked into the air and tumbles across the pavement. Her once fiery hair is reduced to a small flame as Pyra lies unconscious. Armor slides her bike to a halt, spotting Pixie, Mercury, and Surge catching up. When they do, the trio stares in shock at Pyra and then at Armor.

"Oooooh," Pixie said enthusiastically, "that's why your name's Armor!"

Armor's luminescent barrier vanishes as Surge locks eyes with her, practically feeling the aura of suspicion. Those amber eyes subtly shift their gaze to the amulet around Armor's neck, which the biker tucks beneath her shirt. "Are we in the clear?" Armor asked.

"Yeah," Mercury answered, "but we better move before backup arrives." Without a word, Surge gestures towards Armor to take point, and the crew ventures to District M.

[Meanwhile…]

Within a far-flung fortress situated over two worlds, its many eyes keep watch overall. Within its steel skin is a vast network operating its mechanical lenses and scanners; the mere concept of privacy was a joke about what this all-seeing machine could do. Like all machines, it needed something to power it, and that something was mutant hands. The brains of this nigh-omniscient fortress were a circular room packed with machinery.

These weren't the usual holographic or electronic devices found across the human world; however, these machines were no less advanced. Wires and mechanical systems can output energy and power greater than digital networks, and it's all thanks to a unique power source: telepathy. Hooked up via helmets were over half a dozen mutant telepaths floating serenely in a pool of green fresh water. While their eyes were closed, the pupils beneath them raced, constantly scanning for what their director assigned them to. Through the combined abilities of telepaths and advanced machinery, no one can escape the all-seeing eye of this fortress.

Suddenly, one telepath gasps and swims out of the pool. An intense ringing rattling in his head stops when he takes off his helmet, and upon catching his breath, a calm and commanding voice from a platform above asks, "Something come up, soldier?"

"Y-yes, Director, but it's gone now."

On this hanging platform, a shadowy director tilts her head toward the young mutant's direction. "What do you mean gone?" she coldly demands.

"I was checking on activity in sector C-928 when I felt a familiar presence. It was like she was invisible to me but then visible momentarily."

"Send it to me," she ordered an intensity behind her shades. The mutant does, telepathically relaying what he has seen. Quietly, this director better understands what her underling means; she sees he spotted a mutant who displayed a brief surge of psionic energy. If one is born with such power, it can allow them to resist or outright be invisible to trained telepaths. The other peculiar thing the director remembered was that no mutant in this sector of Avalon is recorded to be psionic. "Intriguing find. What do you think it could be, soldier?"

"R-respectfully, director, could we simply have missed a psionic?"

"Impossible. I don't miss anything," the director said with subdued yet cold precision.

Such a tone nearly left the young mutant quivering as all his fear towards the director was leaking out. "I-I mean…what I meant to say is maybe this psionic is a passerby. I also tracked a group of assailants around them. Another turf fight, it seems, between the—"

"Do I look like I care about petty street fighting?"

The young mutant shuts up as the director approaches the big screen before her. "Still, if this is who I think it is… soldier, rely on me what these ruffians saw." The telepath dutifully begins transferring the memories he saw. Upon a closer look, the two of them quickly recognize the face of a particular biker with dark hair and a red pendant. The director stepped forward and communicated her orders, "New mission objective, everyone! I want three to keep track of this new signal. Your comrade is sending it to you now."

The rest of the telepaths quietly gasped as they heard who had been spotted. "Interference detected, director," one telepath relayed.

"Explain," the director demands.

"I detect three mutants accompanying her, but something's blocking me from entering their minds."

"She's right, director," another telepath confirmed, "I can barely see one of them. Their biology must be inorganic."

"There's one million, three hundred thousand and twenty-two mutants in Utopia; I'm sure you can find more eyes in that city to track her," the director utters with quiet fury. She snaps her fingers, calling forward a loyal agent to her side. "Whatever sector this new target crosses, I want their respective local police comms echoing across this room. If they cross paths with our main target, I want agents to intercept them within five minutes. Oh, and have the armored capture unit ready for launch at my mark."

"Yes, director," the agent said with slight trepidation. "I'd like to remind the director that the unit is still in the prototype phase. It's armored plating—"

"Did I ask for detail, soldier?"

"…no, director," he said, returning to his station.

As operations in the command room shifted, the director stared at the new signatures on the screen. She notices the psionic leading the pack, and the direction of this psionic is inched closer to the director's other escaped asset.

[Later…]

"Okay, we're good," Surge said, tugging at the lock before throwing a tarp around the cyber-cycles.

"It'd better be, Surge," Mercury said tiredly.

"They'll be fine, alright? Graffiti here marks this as one of our safe spots." Surge insisted with evident annoyance. She walks past Mercury, hoping to move on from the subject, but Mercury must have the final word.

"Look, I'm already pissed at half my cycle being scorched and spending the past hour aimlessly looking ain't helping," she explained, "The last thing I need right now is for my only ride to be impounded by cops."

Static ripples around Surge's eyes as she snaps back, saying, "So what if it does? It's a crappy model, anyway. God, you must be why I'm getting a headache."

Mercury tightly grabbed her shoulder, her fist clenched. "You don't get to have an attitude after what you pulled. Practically using us as bait? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Hey!" The two turned to Armor, who was on lookout duty over the eerily quiet street. "Argue later. Focus on the job now."

Mercury loosens her grip, and Surge swats away her hand. Pixie carefully flies back to them. She removes her lucky helmet, stuffing it into her backpack while pulling out a handheld camera. "Look here! I saw only five officers between the square and here. Expect big crowds."

"Where?" Mercury asked.

"Everywhere!"

"There a party going on or what?"

"Whatever it is, Mercury, we'd go past them," Armor informed, "Dust hates crowds."

"Feeling's mutual," Surge muttered. "Any pictures of our lost friend?"

"Maybe." Pixie flips to a particular picture of a big crowd in a public oasis, one of many green places in the city where the island's many water reservoirs popped up. In the middle of the big crowd was a confused officer, but in the corner of the picture was a dark figure seemingly running. "This person went into a back alley. I didn't want to get closer because of the officer."

"Is that her?" Surge asked.

Armor squints at the picture until she points at a critical detail. "That's her."

"And how do you know?"

"She wears a red ribbon around her waist, Surge. It's her grandmother's, the last thing she gave her."

Surge nods before patting Pixie on the shoulder. "Show us the way."

"Woah, I'm taking the lead!" Pixie said excitedly, practically skipping in joy. The girls follow; Surge and Mercury tighten their masks and keep a low profile.

Before them is one of several social hubs on the west side of District M: The Dazzler Plaza. About as wide as a university campus, the borders of this place were adorned by tall, dark trees with rainbow-colored leaves high above. Armor herself always found it tricky to tell which is bio-luminescent and which is artificial light. There are so many booths, bonfires, shops, and tents on the grassy field that it's almost dizzying, at least to Armor. To Mercury, Surge, and even Pixie, this was a typical night for them. The group stays huddled together, and Pixie notices that Armor is careful not to bump into anyone. "No need to be that guarded," she said, smiling until she saw how tightly Armor was gripping her forearm. "Hey." Pixie pulls back the sleeve, causing Armor to hold back a hiss as drops of blood drip down her palm.

"It's nothing. One of those bikers cut me, is all."

"'Is all,' she says," Pixie scoffed. "Surge, hang on a sec."

"Do your thing," Surge whispered, "Mercury saw a cop coming this way. We'll be over here."

Pulling Armor behind a tree, both sit beside a pond, and Pixie sees the makeshift cloth drenched in blood. Thankfully, the cut didn't appear infected yet. Rummaging through her pack, Pixie brings out a green orb. "Hold still and hope that I do this right." Knowing how insistent she is, Armor sighs and lets her.

Pixie's hold tightens as she takes a breath and holds the orb over Armor's arm. Blades of grass sway as ripples form on the pond. Armor can already taste something new in the air. "Media, mater Krakoa," Pixie whispered, the invisible words gliding into the orb and igniting its core—the swirls of dark green transform into a bright light. The air felt fresh as Armor stared at the light sprinkled magic over her wound. Grass-like strands of energy seal the wound while droplets of light fade into her skin and take the pain away.

Once done, Armor wipes away the dried blood and lifts her arm. "Good as new," she gasped. She then noticed the orb's light fade and be consumed by a shadowy darkness until it fully enveloped the orb.

"There goes another Globus," Pixie sighed.

"That's what that is? Why do you have these?"

"For training! If we show an aptitude for spellcasting, our professors hand us a few dozen to practice."

"One and done kind of practice."

"That's why we use these only for serious practice. The magic inside helps me concentrate."

"Training wheels for wizards?"

"Yep, but it'll all be worth it." Through her wings, Pixie hovers up and holds her orb against the moonlit sky, "because someday, I'm going to be the greatest mutant mage in Krakoa!"

"Good luck with that," Armor said.

"Doubt all you want, but in five years, I'll be equal to Magik herself!"

Though her tone was somewhat dismissive, a small smile still crept in. Pixie can be annoying and very extroverted, but there was a certain charm to her optimism. It was rather infectious. Armor peeked to see security's gone and pulled Pixie out to get them back on track.

Mercury and Surge blended in with the crowds when the two hid together by shifting past lounge tents and group bonfires. Surge spots a roaming officer and crawls into a random tent. It is tall, and its walls are bright orange from the light of its large fireplace.

"Welcome, sister," a random mutant said politely.

Surge flinched from the woman's words until she saw the red markings at the edges of the mutant's face and realized she had hidden herself among the members of a somewhat superstitious group. When the head of this local branch stood and faced the congregation of two dozen other mutants, Surge noticed this leader also wore tattoos. This dark-haired leader stood dignifiedly, clothed with long red robes and spikes on her shoulders. She cradled some prayer beads made of coal with her ash-covered hands.

"Sisters," she preached, "while summer nears its end and the days ahead will be colder, the heir to the House of Summers thrives evermore!" Surge rolled her eyes while the rest of the clan nodded and cheered. "Prayers and offerings proved plentiful for the child of the eternal bird. Her fire continues to be felt across all corners of mutantdom, protecting us as we soon approach a new cycle, as foretold by Prophet Sanctity. Remember her words, my sisters, for are the gospel that'll sew the pathway for our messiah to one day lead all mutants to the eternal fire!"

"Oh brother…" Surge scoffed until she was suddenly pulled outside by a metallic hand.

"Joining a cult now?" Mercury asked, seeing the coast is clear for now.

Surge brushes off Mercury's sarcasm and walks ahead. "Zip it and move."

Mercury clenched her hands into fists, pacing quickly to Surge, saying, "I'm like a whole grade above. You don't get to tell me to zip it."

"Oh, of course," Surge replied sassily, "I almost forgot about all the bountiful wisdom they teach you juniors."

Mercury shakes her head, scoffing over Surge's ridiculous attitude. "Astonishing how you make every conversation unbearable. I don't know how someone like Pixie can bear being around you."

Surge spins around, her heavy gauntlet poking Mercury's shoulder as she says, "Because I punch up, not down. The exact opposite of how you used to act, or did you suddenly forget that after joining us?" Mercury fell silent, the scrunch of her metal brow highlighting the distress in her expression. She pulls away Surge's hand, walking through another crowd with her eyes staring off. Surge catches up, stopping Mercury briefly as one of the last guards in their way marches by. "I see you didn't," Surge whispered.

"Another one recognized me," Mercury sighed.

"Oh yeah?"

"I remember him too, just as clumsy as ever."

Surge spots a faint smile from Mercury, the memory those two must've shared being nice enough to garner such a smile. "You ever miss it?"

"No," Mercury answered in a heartbeat, "because that's not who I am—Not who I want to be anymore."

Surge sees the patrol guard vanish amongst the crowds and guides Mercury to a large fountain at the center of the Plaza. Now on higher ground, Surge spots Pixie and Armor emerge from the brushes and walk towards them. "You want recognition?"

Mercury was silent, brushing her thumb against the collar of her jacket, remembering the feeling this club of rejects and outsiders took her in. "…hell yeah."

"Then look out for Pixie when things go south."

Mercury blinked in surprise, asking, "When?"

"I got a bad feeling about this," Surge reveals, "things are too easy."

"Easy? Police are after Armor and this Dust person. Pyra would've melted all like wax if it weren't for this new girl," Mercury defended.

"Mercury, I've seen police conduct manhunts for mutants. Trust me, if they were looking for Dust, they'd have this whole plaza closed off, yet mutants are chilling. Didn't you also find it odd how quiet the other streets we checked were?"

"So what? The police don't know about Dust. That's a good thing."

"So why is Armor acting like a whole army's hanging over our heads?"

"Cause she's worried about her friend," Mercury reasoned. "Though, when she first came up to me, she mentioned how 'bad people' are after her.

"Bad people, she said, but not Supremes or cops. Yeah, there's something else at play, something she ain't telling us."

Mercury shakes her head and briefly entertains the notion. "Alright, what do you think this 'something' could be?"

"Mutants with badges, the scary kind."

Mercury almost scoffs, asking, "And why are they scary?"

"Because they're nameless and are the kind you've never seen before." Mercury tilted her head at this, but a sense of worry manifested within her as Surge continued. "Just today, Pixie said the complex she lives in was raided, not by cops but by mutants with a green X badge and a sword in the middle. Now, suddenly, this girl shows up with people after her. It can't be a coincidence, so I say again, you want my recognition? Look out for Pixie."

Mercury grits her teeth over this new anxious worry. As Pixie & Armor neared them, she whispered her answer. "Okay, I promise."

"Thanks," Surge sighed, "I'm an acquired taste, Mercury. I get that, but I look out for my people. I won't let you or Pixie get captured tonight."

Upon the four regrouping, they sneak their way into their backstreets. Venturing through the corridors of stone walls and damp metallic flooring, the group notices nature slowly enveloping their surroundings. Sprinkles of moss soon consume the floor, and patches of flowers become thick vines across the walls. After some minutes of walking and brushing aside hanging foliage, the group comes across a wall of vines. Pixie goes flying over it, but Surge holds her back as Mercury points to the thick, thorny branches and greenery above, making any attempt to squeeze through without getting hurt difficult.

"Then let's cut it," Armor suggested. "It should be easy for you, Mercury."

"Like hell I will," she refused adamantly. "Disturbing the island's plant life is like asking for bad karma."

"Fine, I'll cut it."

However, right as Armor grabbed the handle of her blade, Pixie stopped her. "Wait," she said, "you feel it, Armor? There's something different about this." Pixie steps forward, brushing her hand against the vinery until a soft glow of green light appears. This light is spread across the wall, painted with an ornate pattern of curves and shapes. The craftsmanship displayed looked like it was made by the hand of a brilliant artist. Upon its completion, Pixie squinted at the light and gasped, "This is a Ward!"

"What's a ward?" Mercury asked

"You know, like a magic door," Pixie said while pulling a book from her backpack. Flipping through the pages, she stops and points at a particular passage. "Yeah, Doctor Moira explained this!"

"What?"

"Ya see, she documented this phenomenon during her first expedition into Krakoa. My class on the history of magic last semester went over this. See, the island can feel all of us, all our wants and desires because we're as much a part of it as it's a part of us. And sometimes, it can respond directly by fulfilling that need, such as manifesting a ward seal through its life essence to offer protection," Pixie explained.

"So that's why there's a random door here," Mercury says.

"Then Dust must be in there. How do we get in?" Armor asked urgently.

Switching from the book to the ward, Pixie mutters to herself while putting the pieces of this puzzle together. "Ah-ha, yes. See, letters of the island's language are hidden within this door's lights. The example in my book shows a door with a similar pattern."

The trio squinted until Armor pointed at a familiar shape, "She's right; that's the letters Y and U."

Pixie tilts her head and attempts to decipher the hidden words, a common but complex magic system of locking. "I think it says…' speak thy need to unlock solitude.' Okay, simple! Erm, a new helmet!" The plants remain silent.

"Think it's asking for something a bit more serious, Pix. Dust!" Surge shouts, but nothing happens.

"Open?" Mercury guesses, but nothing happens.

"Friend," Armor says, but still nothing happens.

"Am I missing something?" Pixie murmurs.

As Pixie pondered, Armor approached the door and laid her hand against its lucent lights, the gears in her mind trying to crank out an idea that could work. Pressing her forehead against the wall, Armor frustratedly mumbled, "Come on, open! I…I can't lose another."

The whole group flinched as the thick vines started to unravel itself, the ground trembled until the door was finally open and inside reveals a wounded young woman lying beside a life spring. She clutched her abdomen as blood dripped from her stained black abaya dress while her dark brown eyes winced in pain. She raised her hand defensively upon their entrance, but one look into their eyes and the sight of Armor made her sigh in exhaustion.

"Dust!" Armor runs in after her, the rest following her inside just before the door closes. Armor sees Dust's niqab veil on the floor and silently offers to help her put it back on. Dust nods thankfully, and Armor carefully puts it back on.

As she did so, Surge quietly asked Mercury, "This is her?"

Mercury looks at Armor's tenderness and Dust's smile before answering, "Pretty sure, yeah. Surprised?"

"Surprised she's still alive from that gut wound. Tough girl."

Armor adjusted Dust's niqab before looking at her friend's wound. She mutters with remorse, "I'm sorry for leaving you. They came after us so fast, and I thought you were behind me. I was so blinded by fear of going back there that I neglected you, even after everything I said—"

Dust lays a finger on Armor's lips, stopping her self-blame and replacing it with words of reassurance. "تر ټولو هوښيار هغه دي چې ځان بخښي. Remember?" Armor felt the warmth of her friend's hand rise to her cheek, her eyes still as soft yet determined as ever. She nods back, "Yeah," she answers right as she tries to help her up.

"Still can't walk," Dust groaned. "Been using the healing properties of this spring to help but…" Pixie's sudden "Oh!" makes Dust notice the trio behind Armor. "Who are these girls?"

"A team," Surge responded.

"Friends!" Pixie proclaimed.

"Hired hands," Mercury answered.

"They're…accomplices someone told me that could help," Armor explained.

Dust briefly chuckles. Her ability to find humor in a situation hasn't faltered. "Seems in my absence I missed quite the development," she said, partially using it to hold back the pain. "And who are my masked rescuers?"

"Name's Surge, and we're the Uncanny Mutants. This here's Mercury and Pixie."

"And why are a group of teenagers going this far to help us? Is it only the credits?"

Surge shrugs, admitting they were promised a reasonable sum for this job. Surge, however, couldn't find it in herself to leave it at that. She answers, "Because our members know what it's like to be left alone." Dust remains silent but nods, acknowledging Surge's sense of honor."

"You'd be surprised at what these street kids are capable of," Armor commented.

With a pained inhale, Dust asked, "Is healing a part of their skills?"

"Oh, that's my queue! Dust, your resident mage Pixie is ready to help!" Pixie observes the state of Dust's wound and eyes the spring beside her. Upon flipping through her training book, Pixie said, "This is pretty bad, but if my book is correct, then this spring can act as a conduit—amplifying my healing orb and getting you back in shape in no time!"

Dust accepts the help, and the trio watches as Pixie begins the spell. The spring between the two glows a bright green, the water looking utterly ethereal as the orb's power travels through the veins of the moss and ripples through it. This circuit successfully causes the water to sparkle with light, which it then pours onto Dust's wound, closing it up within seconds.

"Incredible," Armor said in awe.

"Yeah, she is," Surge said proudly.

Dust sighs in relief as most of the excruciating pain fades. "You're still gonna be wobbly for a while, but you're all better," Pixie explained. Dust grabs Pixie's hands and says, "Thank you, my exuberant friend."

"Of course! Mutants stick together, as we say," Pixie flashes a smile at Dust and Surge, the latter of whom smirked at the subtle acknowledgment. "Come on, let's get you back on your feet."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Armor said. While Pixie helped carry the sluggish Dust, Armor was about to approach the door when Surge suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait," she whispered, "I'm picking up electricity outside that door."

"Surge, you're always absorbing electricity in the air," Pixie commented.

Mercury tenses up and raises her fists, "I don't think it's air she's picking up."

A subtle click is heard a second before the tall, thick ward explodes. Surge and Armor duck from the blast while Mercury stands defensively in front of Pixie and Dust. "Ward destroyed. Drop them!" Surge sees a dozen armed soldiers marching out of the smoke, each wearing dark camo and green swords on their uniforms. At the center of their ranks was a woman wearing a white uniform and pressing her fingers against the side of her head. "Telepath!" Surge warns before feeling something trying to drill into her mind.

Pixie, Surge, Armor, and Dust were caught off guard, the happy reunion lowering their defenses long enough for the team's telepath to hinder them. Mercury, however, was still standing. "I said drop them!" the team's leader orders.

"I'm trying, but she's made out of…"

Though briefly perturbed at the sight of her friends stumbling, Mercury locks in and stretches her arm to punch the telepath, knocking her out with one hit. "Metal and you're all about to get a taste of it!"

The room becomes chaotic as the Uncanny Mutants rise and fight back against the squadron armed with stun rifles and shock batons. Pixie hangs back, shielding and aiding a staggered Dust. The two watch as Mercury stretches her torso to avoid incoming electric blasts, using her acrobatic skills to then flip over them and slice their rifles with her sword arms. One soldier behind Mercury shocks her with his baton, exploiting her one weakness until a sword slices the baton in two. Pixie stares in awe as a glowing red blade is raised by Armor's hands and slices the soldier.

For a moment, Pixie couldn't believe Armor broke the most sacred law: Mutant must not kill Mutant. However, it quickly becomes clear Armor's sword had only struck him despite cutting metal a second ago. 'It's like she can control when it can cut,' Pixie thought as the mutant was struck by Armor's precise hits and collapsed to the floor from the intense psionic energy rippling through his body. Armor helps Mercury back up before deflecting several shots with her sword and knocking down two more soldiers. Surge's intense offensive was utterly decimating the rest of the soldiers. Any who wasn't blasted by thousands of volts of electricity was sucker punched by her heavy gauntlets. Her incredible speed intensified, making each hit that more harder.

"Team one down! I repeat, Team One-!" the squad leader shouted before he was electrocuted by one of Surge's blasts. The smell of smoke filled the room alongside the quiet groans of pain from the soldiers.

"They did it!" Pixie gasped.

"Holy crap, we beat them." Mercury's near disbelief made her nearly stumble over if not for Armor catching her.

"Good work." When Mercury quizzically looks at the glowing sword, Armor answers, "Psionic blade. It's only a wooden sword beneath, but I can form a psionic layer through it. Ten times tougher and hits ten times harder."

"How nice," Surge said behind her before grabbing Armor by her collar. "Now, mind telling me why a bunch of feds just attacked us! Who are these people with swords on their uniforms, and why are they trying to capture your friend?!"

"They're dangerous people who see her as nothing but property. That's all you need to know," Armor said straightforwardly, unfazed by Surge's intimidation.

"Well, these people already stormed my friend's home. The last thing I want for her and my people is to end up at some government black site or something."

"They're already watching you," Armor said coldly, "they're watching all of us, and ignoring them won't change that because privacy doesn't exist anymore."

Mercury raised an eyebrow, asking, "And how do you know so much about that?"

"Stop arguing!" Pixie urged, and more noises could be heard outside as she did. "She's right," Dust said, "the time for talking is for later. We must fight if we want to walk away as free people."

Surge grits her teeth, glancing between Armor and Dust before shoving Armor away. "You should've told us!"

Pointedly, Armor replied, "Would you have still come if I did?" Such a cutting question would go unanswered as the group quickly runs out to the backstreets. Pixie uses her wings to carry Dust better, but the thin girl is already tired. The commotion and yelling get louder as they near the Dazzler Plaza. The band of mutants will soon find out why, as they're met with a wave of mutants running from the plaza, and local police begin to storm the grounds. It takes no time for their group to have police lights flashing at them.

"More of them?" Pixie asked.

"No, but this ain't much better," Surge answered while two squads of mutant police closed in on them.

"They came out of the block where the explosion came from," their captain relayed to his unit, "put your hands where I can see'em! You're all under arrest!" The group freezes at the sight of stun guns, telepaths, and some with various energy-based powers. Surge is the first to find within her to step up and raise her arms, much to the surprise of her friends. "That's right, slowly!"

"Uhh, do I have to take off my shock gauntlets? Can't exactly fit any of your cuffs."

The captain looks to the telepath as they usually must check if the criminal is hiding something and put them to sleep if necessary. However, one look tells the captain something is interfering with his telepath's ability to read Surge's mind.

"Oh crap," Pixie gasped before whispering to Armor, "Uhh, you better get ready."

"For what?" Armor asked as the captain ordered to restrain Surge by taking off the gauntlets. The officers approached the group, reaching Surge first. One starts unlatching her gauntlets while the other grabs her mask, but as he's about to reveal her face, he's blinded by a bright blue light. The officers exclaimed in shock that Surge's forearms and hands weren't flesh and bone but pure static energy.

"For a lot of stinging," Pixie winced as Surge let out a scratchy roar. Those gauntlets weren't just for fashion; they were a power hinderer to control her power over electricity, but if they ever came off, then Surge became a human lightning storm. Veins across her body began to glow blue as sporadic electricity discharges shot out of her. She saw the police ready to fire upon them and let out a deviant "BACK OFF!" which blasted a powerful shockwave.

The two dozen officers in front of them were blasted away, struck with an intense voltage that instantly incapacitated most of them. Shielding their eyes not to be blinded, Armor and the others peek to see the damage just one blast from Surge could do. "Allah…" Dust said in awe.

"Tell me about it," Pixie replied.

Armor snaps out of her surprise. "Mercury, we need a quick escape. Either group will be on us in seconds, and we won't make it to the bikes in time." Mercury nods and hurriedly looks for an exit. Armor reached out her hand for Surge, saying, "Hey, help me look—"

"Don'ttouchme!" Armor flinched from the fast outburst, but one random discharge out of Surge's control told Armor to do as Surge said. "Can'tcontrolit! Don'twannakillyou." Surge's arms shook from such unfiltered power as she used her power to pull her gauntlets back on.

"Hey! I found something!"

Upon seeing Mercury lifting a sewer gate leading to the district's water systems beneath the Plaza, Armor told Pixie to follow her friend in before helping Surge limp to the exit. As they did so, Armor passed by some unconscious officers when their radios relayed a message.

[For all units in District M, we have five mutants on the loose. All female teens, powers unknown, but be advised, one's a possible Alpha-level threat.]

Once they were all underground, the group didn't stop moving while they haphazardly navigated through the damp brick tunnels covered with greenery as if they were some semi-organic veins of the planet. It wasn't until Surge collapsed that the party finally caught their breath. Pixie pulled out of her bag a white orb. "Siat Luxia," she enchanted the orb, causing it to illuminate the tunnel.

Armor sits Surge against the wall while Mercury asks, "How are you holding up?"

"My brain doesn't feel scrambled…much," Surge sighed, "give me a few minutes."

"Dust," Armor said, "how you are doing?"

"Out of breath, but..." Dust gently pushes herself out of Pixie's grasp and stands up straight. "I feel like I can walk now. Thanks again, Pixie."

"Pix, fly ahead a bit to see if there's a way out." Her best friend nods and soars ahead, using another light orb to help her search. Once she was far away enough, Surge turned to Armor. "Okay, so who are you two?"

Armor's shoulders rose tensely. "Save it until we reach Jean Grey's School grounds."

"She asked you a question," Mercury said, walking up to Armor's face. "We got you two this far. That's worth spilling one secret to us, at least."

Dust gently reaches for Armor's shoulder. "Don't confuse your fear for self-protection." Her words and the soft touch of her warm hand calm her friend enough to lower her defenses if even just a tad. "Fine then…" Armor sighs. "Your hunch was right. These agents after us are part of the Krakoan Government. They are called S.W.O.R.D., and both of us are its latest targets."

"They're a vile organization, targeting vulnerable mutant outcasts, the ones this society too easily forgets. They take everything from you, even your name. You know me as Dust, but my human name is Sooraya Qadir. S.W.O.R.D. nearly claimed both until Armor helped me," she reveals, much to the surprise of Mercury and Surge. To share one's human name is seen in Krakoan culture as a sign of incredible trust, one only those with the tightest of bonds usually share. To share it so casually is jarring.

"Yeah," Armor said, "I was just as surprised when Sooraya shared her name with me. We met only a year ago when I realized something was incredibly wrong. About a month ago, my gut was proven right when a girl I knew suddenly…" Armor shuts her eyes in pain, the mere thought of this memory stinging her very heart. "Anyway, by the time I discovered what S.W.O.R.D. was doing, they had nearly captured Dust. We've been running across this island since, hoping Utopia could help us find some hiding place. Now, we're down with you three."

Suddenly, the dark tunnels laughed as Surge chuckled at her answer. "That's hehehe, that's funny. Okay, now how about you give us your real answer?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about? S.W.O.R.D. was gotten rid of years ago, during the Orchis Crisis. Great Houses like Storms and Summers confirmed it. Several of its high-ranking members were sent to the Pit for treason," Mercury informed. Surge spins around with a perplexed expression. "What? History can be interesting sometimes, sue me."

"Given your attitudes towards authority, I am shocked you speak of this without a shadow of a doubt," Dust said. "My friend speaks the truth. The reality is that S.W.O.R.D. still exists, posing themselves as S.P.E.A.R. with a puppet leader. How they eluded so many is a mystery, but the one fact remains: the Council has done nothing to cease its reprehensible acts. Either the Council is blind to S.W.O.R.D.'s existence, or the Council has lied to all of us."

"Hey, I don't like the Council either," Surge said, "but secret organizations? This isn't a comic book, and don't ya think that a bit dangerously close to conspiracy hearsay?"

Armor's eyes are suddenly ablaze with irritation. She's officially tired of this blue-haired punk. "Look, Surge, do or don't believe us; I could care less," Armor pointedly said, "what I do care about is if you're willing to see this job through. I refuse to let any mutant die on my watch, but will you do the same when the going gets really tough? Or will you run away like the loudmouth punk you are?" Safe to say, such hard-hitting words left Mercury almost at a loss for words while Surge balled her hands into fists; Armor was quick learning how to press Surge's buttons.

A brawl between the two is only prevented by the echoes of Pixie's voice. "Guys! I think I found an exit!" After Mercury and Dust pull their respective companions back, the group follows the sounds of Pixie's voice until they find themselves in a large, open chamber. They stood on a metal pathway that led to a broad, round platform in the center with handrails attached to stop someone from falling into the water pit below.

The ceiling appeared two stories high. Between it and this ceiling was a tangle of vines and pipes. These systems were connected to six organic-looking water generators at the chamber's corners. These natural generators were bulbous, like a giant water balloon, but made from plants. They swished and swooshed in a rhythm and were suspended in mid-air.

"That heavy door across is a no-go," Pixie explained, "luckily, all we have to do is climb up, make an opening in the ceiling, and we're back to the surface."

Surge cracks her knuckles, ready to get a move on. "Better to be lost up there than down here," she said as the group began to ascent. Surge leaped from platform to platform through her electricity, and Mercury used her adhesive fingers to wallcrawl up while Pixie flew up while carrying Armor. Dust transformed her body with the flip of her wrist as sand pebbles poured out of her abaya dress until her entire form became sand. A notable gust of wind drew the others' attention, and soon all but Armor stared at a tall whirlwind of sand swirled, gliding Dust up to the ceiling. She sailed up as smooth as the wind, the cyclone of sand elegantly blowing around her.

"Wow. Armor, your friend, pretty awesome," Mercury said.

"She knows," Dust replied, her eyes squint showing a smile beneath her veil.

Upon everyone reaching the ceiling, Dust took it upon herself to make an opening. At the top of this mini-dust tornado, the top half of Dust's sand form reformed, and she pressed her hands against the rocky surface. After some straining, the hard rock above slowly turns into more sand, growing larger until there is a big hole in the surface. Upon returning to the surface, Mercury stretches her neck high to scout the immediate area. "I think we ended up in some big shipment depot. There are crates and cranes everywhere."

"Sewers lead you to crazy places, as the saying goes," Pixie said.

"Great," Surge sighed.

"At least we're alone. I suggest we use this time to think of a way to reach the school," Dust suggested.

"But we don't even know where we are," Mercury pointed out.

Armor stepped aside to brainstorm their following action as the others discussed this. Discreetly, she pulls out a phone out of her pocket. She hesitated after flipping it open and seeing the familiar number displayed. 'Only for emergencies,' she remembered, knowing of the consequences if they were directly involved and were exposed by S.W.O.R.D. 'We might be able to make it, but if we don't…S.W.O.R.D. wins anyway.' Armor sighs and clicks on the number.

"Uhh, guys," Pixie said while staring up, "is it just me, or did a star just come out of that green star?"

The group looks up to see a light swirling in the air, getting brighter with each passing second. "Eh, it's just a meteor shower, Pix," Surge disregards. However, Armor and Dust soon gasped when it became clear what it was. "No!" Dust whispered.

"She wouldn't. It's still a prototype," Armor said.

"What the hell are you two mumbling about?" Surge demanded.

"Surge," Mercury said, half-terrified, "That's a meteor shower."

A significant surge of wind blows over the entire depot, the light of this falling object becoming so intense they can barely look at it as the heat of its fiery descent can be felt. Within a handful of seconds, they were about to witness something crashing before them, something BIG. Surge instinctively grabbed Pixie and Mercury, about to a quick burst of speed to at least some distance from the impact blast. As she caught her companions, however, Armor ran in front of the whole group, arms stretched out as that great glowing light of earlier reappeared around her.

"GET BEHIND ME!"

A shockwave of smoke and debris follows a tremendous BOOM. Surge pulled herself and Pixie directly behind Armor in a moment of panic. Dust and Mercury stretched their arms to keep them together as a great shield protected them from fire and earth. It lasted only a moment, but at this range, the group felt as if they narrowly avoided a likely fatal blast. Surge and the others see why, as Armor's unleashed power is now fully displayed. Protecting Armor and them was an eight-foot-tall pink exoskeleton made from psionic energy, strong enough to take a direct shockwave of an object that fell from orbit. Surge was especially baffled to see it wasn't a plain exoskeleton but resembled a samurai of feudal Japan. Its pink armor was dazzling to see, and its helmet sparkled as its scowl stayed fixated on the object at the center of the wide crater ahead. "Woah," Mercury whispered, "Armor…"

"All of you run now!" Armor ordered.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble; something big was moving. Surge shivers in fear as the sounds of cranking steel alloy rattle in her ears. Pixie's dark eyes stare, frozen in fear at seeing six large metal limbs springing out of the crater. Mercury grits her teeth anxiously as the appendages pierce into the ground and lift the main body, revealing the metal beast's terrifying form.

Standing at twenty-five feet tall, the surface of this machine was smooth, its design resembling a prehistoric chimera crustacean. Its four hind legs hiss from its internal hydraulic system, with its steel alloy skeleton protected by glimmering, reflective metal shielding. Its two front arms were long, looking like one of those intimidating crag arms, this machine's pincers already cutting through metal crates like butter. Its most bizarre feature is its two large bulbous eyes, each around eight feet in diameter. Each square tile on its surface ran a string of colors until turning all white to shine a blinding light at the Uncanny Mutants.

This four-legged war machine would be horrifying to face, but for a mutant, the sight of a metal horror like this one instilled a terrifying sensation of dread. No mutant in this group was more paralyzed with fear than Surge. All her previous bravado and headstrong attitude vanished at the sight of a metal weapon of terror. For Surge, it was like staring at death itself.

A bright red light appears between its two eyes, and a high-pitched noise painfully rings in their ears. "Go!" Dust shouted, using her powers to push Surge, Mercury, and Pixie away just before the machine blasted its laser. The scar it left on the ground soon erupts into an explosion, one Armor narrowly shields Dust from.

A tall plume of smoke obscures the trio's view of Armor and Dust. Seeing the metal monster focus on those two, the trio retreats to hide behind a stack of crates. Surge gauntlets trembled even as Pixie grabbed her hand. "Surge, what is that thing? What are we going to do?!"

Mercury frantically looks for an escape as the depot has a tall earth keeping them in. She points to some maintenance metal stairs leading to a walkway that'll get them over the wall. "Come on!" she shouted, grabbing and pulling Surge to the exit while Pixie looked back at Armor and Dust fighting.

"Uhh, um," she muttered. She winces from the echo of Dust's cry in pain and feels her chest hurt, hearing Armor's strain against the machine's might. She flies over to Mercury and Surge, landing at the walkway, and shouts, "ss-stop!"

"Not the time, Pixie! We're leaving!" Mercury urged. She was ready to leap over, but Pixie grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "No! N-not without them!" she cried, squeezing Mercury's arm. The sight of them in a struggle snaps Surge out of it, and she stops them by putting herself between them.

"She's in over her head, we all are. Tell her that, Surge," Mercury urged. "We didn't sign up to fight a goddamn giant death machine!"

"We promised to help them. It's our job," Pixie argued. "We only need to distract it!"

"That thing will kill you," Mercury furiously reminded, "that's what machines do. That's what they always do to mutants! Why else do you think those two told us to run!"

Surge understood their turmoil, for beneath the memories seared into her memories of man-made machines hunting their kind, a part of her refused to forget that mutants are in trouble. Mercury had a point; her decision would guarantee they'd survive to fight another day. The Supremes and even the police are one thing, but none of them have ever faced something this powerful, a walking terror whose very nature instills a fear only a mutant can understand. Surge shuts her eyes, her teeth grit as she remembers those glowing red eyes illuminating the night sky, staring at her all those years ago.

Mercury grabs her shoulder as Surge realizes she's trembling again. "Hey," she said, "we're not the X-Men. There are some things just beyond us. You told me to look out for Pixie if things go south. Let me do that by keeping her far away from that thing."

'We're not the X-Men.' Those words echoed in Surge's mind, further erupting the turmoil inside her, and she can't decide which part of her will win. Leave and live or stay and die fighting? Something had to be done. In this tense moment, a scream echoes from the depot.

"That's Dust!" Pixie took off faster than Surge or Mercury had ever seen her fly. Pixie sees that Armor was swatted away into some cargo as Dust collapses to the ground. A high-pressure burst of water turned her sand form into mud, forcing her to revert to her regular self, to which the machine's cables soon closed in and entangled Dust. "Ignis!"

A fireball strikes one of its eyes, causing the giant to turn and see Pixie hovering above. "Hang on!" she shouted a barely conscious Dust. Unfortunately, the machine quickly retaliated as a dozen cables sprung from his shell-like back. Pixie did her best to avoid them while pulling out a pink orb. "Voco Vinae!" she chanted, tossing the orb at the cables, the spell causing the orb to shatter as thorny vines sprung out and entangled the wires. The sound is not too far away, but it draws Pixie's gaze to Armor, who gets back on her feet while clutching her bloody forehead. In a panic, Pixie pulls a healing orb with the idea that they can free Dust together.

"Pixie behind you!" Armor warned, but it was too late for the winged girl. Armor could only watch as a stray stun blast from the machine struck Pixie directly in her back. Armor dashed to catch her, but the terrifying fast reflexes of the machine caught Pixie before she could. Now barely able to move, Pixie reached out her arm to Armor to drop a healing orb just before she was trapped by cables and dragged inside the belly of the metal beast alongside Dust.

Seeing the helplessness in Pixie's eyes, the sounds of Dust's struggling for freedom until both are imprisoned within the underbelly of this heartless machine shook Armor to her core. Screams of the past echoed in her mind, threatening to break her and make her believe everyone she cared about died because of her. She grabbed the orb, a ball of life gifted by the same power of the island that protected them all, the ground shaking with every step the machine took approaching her. "All you do is take people from me," Armor muttered, squeezing her hand as the orb's magic hovers close to her wound. "You think it'll break me…" The orb turns dark, its magic transferred as the machine raises its claws at Armor. "But you should know," she declared as psionic energy reforms around her, "it only makes me stronger!"

Armor's exoskeleton grabs both claws, not letting go even while the floor below her feet cracked. "If all I am is…a walking death magnet, so be it," Armor said under intense strain, "but I won't let you take them too!" A sharp crack is heard, the hands of Armor's exoskeleton are beginning to break, and the machine increases its hydraulic power. "Tsubasa," Armor gasped, her red amulet dangling off her neck, "please…give me strength."

ZAAAP!

A large burst of energy crackles across the machine's systems. "Wha-?!" For the first time, Armor sees the machine stunned, frozen by an attack, and seeing it weaken renewed her vigor. Digging in her right foot and getting a good grip, Armor finds the strength within her to double the height of her exoskeleton and judo flip the machine. Stumbling back, Armor falls to her knees in exhaustion while the machine tries getting itself back on its feet.

The sounds of sneakers walking up beside her drew Armor's gaze up to her ally, a metal gauntlet, then reached down for her hand. "On your feet, Samurai!" Staring at her gauntlet, Armor could see how dented and battle-worn it was, yet Surge felt ready to fight an imposing foe by her side. She takes her hand and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Surge. "Mercury?" Armor asked.

Surge glanced away, disappointed, but she couldn't find in herself to blame Mercury. The two mutants entered their battle stances as the machine got back up. Its white eyes turned blood red, staring at and scanning its new opponent. "Hey! You rusty piece of tin," Surge growled, her body nearly overflowing with electricity. Give me back my friends!"

The battle began with Surge charging forward, her speed blitz narrowly dodging a barrage of bullets from the machine's built-in turrets on its front and rear ends. Ducking and weaving each tracer round, Surge took every chance to throw a bolt of static at the machine's hull. Surge attempted to leap on top of it from its rear, but the machine surprised her by turning 180 degrees within a second. Its size and weight didn't mean it was slow.

The only reason Surge was made into Swiss cheese from the machine's guns was Armor's decisive blow to its rear leg, throwing off the machine's aim. Surge dashed mid-air to land on the ground. "It's tough AND fast!?" A hole opens onto the machine to reveal a high-explosive launcher, to which it fires a barrage at Surge. Right as she was ready to zip away, Armor leaped in between them and swatted the grenades back at the machine while tanking those that exploded on her.

"That barely made a dent! What the fuck is this thing?!" Surge demanded.

"It's a Mark 0 Chimera Combat Mech," Armor revealed. "Stop bothering with its shell or claws; they're protected by Mysterium armor plating. It'll only absorb your blasts."

Surge's eyes bulge open at the mere mention of the prized metal. "Mysterium?! Then this thing is invincible!"

"Not quite. Its legs are armored, but underneath, it's got exposed internal mechanisms, see? Wait for me to make an open, then shock it with all you got!"

Before Surge could speak, Armor charged in. She tanks a barrage of bullets before making a sharp right, circling the Chimera. She knows she's the priority target. This thing wants her first and foremost. While avoiding a blast from its front laser, Armor extends her arm and concentrates her mind to form a psionic, a giant sword for her exoskeleton. She dodged another laser blast before leaping forward, plunging her sword into the exposed mechanisms of one of its right legs. "Now!"

Armor backflipped away right as Surge zipped herself within range of the fresh wound and discharged a static blast directly into it. Once again, the mecha is partially stunned, with its damaged legs limp. "That did it!" Armor said.

"Ha! You see the damage I did!? How about another blast for good measure!"

"No, I'll destroy its leg. Go see if there is an opening to free the others!"

"Fine, but only because I wanna!" Armor sheathed her sword and leaped onto the wounded leg as Surge circled the mech. She luckily finds one spot Armor was referring to and rolls beneath the Chimera upon hearing a voice. "There's a ventilation exposed under here. Pixie, is that you?!"

"Surge!" Pixie's muffled voice echoed, "Let us outta here! Dust's not moving!"

Digging her fingers into its circuitry, Armor grits her teeth until she finally tore the large leg off. "One down, three more to go," she said exhaustedly. When the mech got back up, Surge dashed back to Armor's side. "There's an indent beneath where I can hear Pixie's voice. That's gotta be where its holding cells are, but Dust ain't doing too hot," Surge revealed, "I say we tip this bastard over like a cow, then the both of us could pry its guts open."

"Pray it open…if you melt its internal systems, that might weaken the plating's wielding just enough for me to tear it off. Okay, I think your idea may work, Surge."

"Of course it will," she said confidently.

Their brief exchange ends as the Chimera, despite its lost limb, leaped up into the air and fell towards them at an alarmingly fast speed. The two split up as the Chimera made its thunderous landing. Surge is forced to run from another explosive barrage of high explosives. Armor attempted to strike its only other right leg, but the Chimera was expecting it and snatched her with one of its massive claws.

"Armor!" Surge gasped as her ally's psionic form cracked under the Chimera's grip. Rage boiled inside her, charging up a high level of electricity in her gauntlets before she blasted herself toward the Chimera. The machine may be quick, but Surge was fast. Pulling her right arm back, she roared as she punctured her gauntlet into the right bulbous eye of the Chimera. Shards of reinforced glass spray out before Surge unleashes an intense static charge. "Let. her. GO!"

It became too much for the Chimera, and its right eye explodes, throwing back Surge and freeing Armor. Her body ached, increasingly exhausted and scratched up from the glass spray, yet Surge stood back up. The Chimera wildly tried to strike her with its claw, but Armor landed a shocking right hook to its face, and the machine staggered back. Surge quickly helped drag Armor away from the Chimera. "Get back up, damn it," she hissed. Armor repairs her form and gets back up; she's met with the battle-hardened gaze of Surge. "That's two you owe me."

Suddenly, the Chimera leaps back to land on a pile of shipping containers. The machine vibrates loudly until a noticeable humming is heard, and its shimmering layer of energy coats its body. Surge and Armor are back on the move, dodging its barrage of bullets. "What did it just do?" Surge asked.

"Looks to be a barrier," Armor answered, "but it never done this before."

"Freakin', of course! Can this job get any worse?!" Surge leaped over some projectiles and fired a shot at the Chimera, only to see the barrier glow upon it, dissipating her blast. Retreating behind a crate, Surge replayed to Armor, "Knew it! I can't make a scratch on that thing."

"Must be an energy nullifier," Armor deduced.

"What does that mean?"

"Means your electricity and my Psionic armor can't lay a finger on it! Still, physical attacks might work!"

Surge and Armor winced as their cover was nearly blown up by an explosive. Surge pointed her finger at the Chimera and shouted, "And how do we even get close to that thing without being blown to smithereens!?" Right as she asked, the firing stopped. At first, both thought it was a trick or perhaps the Chimera was reloading, but upon a quick peek, both discovered the Chimera was flailing. Squinting her eyes, Surge spots something metallic on top of its back with bright orange hair. "Mercury?!"

The metal girl dug her arm blade into an exposed part of the Chimera's top shell, trying her best not to get flung off by the strong jolts of the machine. "Dust, Pixie, hang on!" she shouted, trying to pull at a weak point. The Chimera leaps high, causing Mercury to ragdoll in the air, clinging only to her embedded arm. Mercury flopped as the Chimera landed, distorting her as its overhead turrets aimed at her. "Crap!" Bullets pelt her body, the rate of fire and power of the rounds threatening to tear her apart, but Mercury is luckily able to morph her body out of the way and leaped to the ground.

Mercury struggles to regenerate her body, and the Chimera turns to turn her into a puddle until Armor leaps in and bashes its head with a shipping container. Mercury stared on as Armor got its attention, waving around that container like a bat. "You came back," Surge said, zipping up to her.

"I try to keep my promises, especially concerning mutant lives," Mercury explained as she fully reformed her body, "plus, there's no way I'm letting you take all the credit for kicking a giant robot's ass. I gotta build respect if I wanna be recognized."

"Now you're talking like a real mutant," Surge said excitedly, and the two swooped in to help Armor. The girl swung again at the Chimera, but it snatched the metal container, cutting with its mighty pincers before using the other to bash Armor to the floor. The rock beneath her cracked as she resisted the machine's attempt to crush her with its weight.

Armor gasped upon seeing metal knives appear out of nowhere and stab the massive claw. To her right, a static trail trailed behind her as she jumped and stabbed a metal pole into the Chimera's other claw, while to Armor's left, she saw Mercury's elasticity, which allowed her to dodge and leap back onto the machine. 'It's targeting system all over the place with the three of us,' Armor thought. She lifts against the claw long enough to roll out of the crater. "Hey!" she signaled to Mercury, "its field generator is at its top! Wait for its grenade launcher to pop up to gain access!"

Upon Mercury giving the thumbs up, Armor waved Surge over to her, and together, the two got to work distracting the Chimera.

Mercury held on as her life depended on it; this was it, and she was ready for anything. 'They're insane,' she thought as she watched the turrets blast away at her allies. Armor has grabbed an industrial hook and begun swinging it around like some whip against the machine. Surge's speed allowed her to poke and jab at several exposed points of the Chimera. Even as the machine's claws grab the legs of a tall cargo crane and tear it down onto the two mutants, Mercury is shocked to see Armor climb out so quickly and Surge blast debris off her.

When she saw the explosive cannon spring up, Mercury wasted no time, pouring her whole body into the machine. 'Sooo glad I'm not claustrophobic,' she thought, morphing through one of the most cramped and dark places she'd ever melted into.

Outside, Armor and Surge stand defiantly at the Chimera. Both were covered in dust and cuts, taking deep breaths, utterly exhausted. "Is…is that all this bastard's got?" Surge grunted even as her legs felt as if they were burning.

"Incredible sentiment to have, even in the face of death," Armor praised, her arms shaking from fatigue. "I can't tell if you are the most self-confident girl I've ever met or the most blind."

"Seriously, Samurai?" Surge smirked, showing off her fangs. "After all we went through tonight, I figured you have more faith in me than that." The Chimera's damaged targeting system aims at the two; a bright red light ignites and glows brighter as an ominous humming sound rings in thier ears. It was about to fire its most enormous laser blast yet. Neither Surge nor Armor was sure they could dodge out of the way in time. "Come on, Merc," Surge muttered, "show me what kind of mutant you are."

As the two braced themselves for the death blast, the Chimera began to tremble until a fire spray burst out its side. Static rippled, and steam hissed across the Chimera as each of its systems began to fail one after another. When it did fire, its targeting system completely shut down, and harmless fired a large beam into the night sky. "Yeaaha! That's how we Uncannies do it!" Surge cheered.

"She gave us our chance! Give it everything you got, Surge!" Armor and Surge blitzed toward the Chimera's last right leg. Armor reformed her sword and sliced open its internal circuitry right as Surge got into firing position. She clasped her gauntlets together, pouring an intense concentration of energy until a spinning ball of electricity formed.

Once the ball grew to touch her metal palms, Surge furiously roared, "Super one million-volt cannon!" and fired. The attack practically blew away the Chimera's leg in a dazzling blue explosion. The second the beam dissipated, Armor hurriedly ran in and tipped over the Chimera, now stuck on its back like a turtle. She helped pull Surge up, and the two got to work freeing thier friends. Surge grabbed onto loose cables and burned its insides with whatever power she had left. Armor's nostrils filled with the smell of melting metal as she used the last of her strength to pull. She pries off the plating with a pained yell and sees a hand pop out.

Pixie coughed, "I wanna get off the ride now..."

Surge grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her out. A moment later, a metal handsprings out of the open hatch. "I got Dust, let's move!" Mercury said, protectively carrying the barely conscious teen. Mercury squeezed herself into Dust's cell during the two's attack and broke her out. The gang gets away from the Chimera, but a weak roar stops them as they watch the machine flip itself over and face them. "Argh! What now?!"

It took one step forward when it stopped suddenly and announced: [Omega-Level threat Detected]

Surge and the others almost couldn't believe what they just heard. They at first thought it was a glitch. Then, they saw a pebble rise, another, until the gang saw the ground beneath them float and swirl around them. Mercury turned to see Dust's eyes glow a bright yellow, losing her grasp when Dust's body transformed into sand. "Infernal machine," her voice echoed as the earth beneath the Chimera's feet became quicksand. "A forbidden relic of days past." The gang could barely see through the protective cyclone circling them, but they caught a vague shadow of the Chimera. Several sand arms form from the ground, holding the colossal machine like an ant as countless grains of sand slip through its impenetrable shell. "You shall never harm another mutant ever again!" Sooraya Qadir declared and burst the Chimera from the inside, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

The advanced weapon that took the combined efforts of Armor, Surge, Mercury, and Pixie to weaken it was decimated by Dust with only a clench of her fist—the silence after was almost deafening until Dust's cyclone ceased, and the teen floated back down. Dust would have collapsed without all four girls grabbing her and carefully getting her back on her feet. "Thank you," she sighed, "now, if you would be so kind as to get my friend and me to the school."

Surge smirked at Pixie and Mercury before clasping Dust's hand. "Sooraya, it'd be our honor." In a stroke of luck, the gang of mutants soon found their rides had moved to a nearby location as if someone had knowingly moved them. Armor was the first not to ask why and told the rest to follow her to the school. Surge and the others asked enough questions for one night and followed her trail.

[Early Morning...]

After avoiding several officer vehicles and making sure no more giant robots would crash down on them, the Uncanny Mutants and their clients have finally reached the gates of Jean Grey's School for Gifted Youngsters. The faint light of the sun emits a soft glow in the cloudy tropical overcast, while some street lights begin to dim slightly. "Phoenix, I'm tired," Pixie yawned, almost dozing off.

"I just wanna melt into a puddle and sleep for a week," Mercury moaned.

"Don't schools open tomorrow?" Dust reminded. Mercury and Pixie stopped, and both groaned in agony at the mere idea of school. "Kidding," Dust said mischievously, "just kidding!" The two distressed teens nearly passed out as Dust giggled.

Armor pushed open the gate and saw a window light up; one of the school's silent alarms had woken up one of the faculty members. "Guess this is it, Surge," she said.

"Ehh, I wouldn't be too sure," Surge said with a sly smile. A bright light flashed; the gang shielded their eyes and looked up to see several hoverships. "Hurry!" Surge ordered, and the gang dashed in with all their energy. Surge was the first to reach the door, pounding on the heavy door as someone inside unlocked it.

"Easy, easy," the famed Professor Jubilee yawned, dressed her a yellow PJ's. "These are freshly installed mahogany doors you're hitting."

"Let us in!" the gang collective pleaded as the hoverships landed on the school's lawn and personnel stepped out.

Surge and Mercury protectively stand in front of the others before Jubilee speaks up, "Get inside. I got this." Donning her pink glasses, she lets the teens in and shuts the door behind her while approaching the small army outside. All the teens get behind cover and peek through the windows as they see a figure approaching Jubilee. "Hey, Abby," Jubilee said, pointing finger guns at the green-haired woman, "What brings you here? It's four in the morning, ya know. How's the S.P.E.A.R. business going for ya? Not good, I'm guessing, if you're chasing kids now."

Commander Abigail Brand, dressed in a finely tailored green and black uniform, peeks over to the children. "These 'kids' are suspects in terrorist activity that occurred barely an hour ago. Millions of dollars of damaged goods, assaulting police officers, disrupting the peace, and affiliation with gang activity. Your duty as Professor is to protect your students, so let me help you achieve that by getting these suspects out of your school so they face the consequences."

Jubilee scratched her messy hair and looked at the kids inside before returning her attention to Abigail. "You say that as if they're already guilty. Do you have evidence of their involvement? Pictures of their faces? People who came forward? There are over a million mutants in this city. Lots of powers can be very similar, lots of other mutants who could've done it."

Abigail pinched her nose and huffed, "I don't have time for this." Just as she stepped forward, she heard her men gasp and a pair of adamantium blades barely touching the back of her neck. A particular agile mutant has used her extraordinary skills to get past her and her men.

"And you're ruining my wife's beauty sleep," the daughter of Wolverine, Laura Kinney, snarled. "Besides, the law is the law. Any underage mutant who steps on school grounds is granted sanctuary. Declared by the big two themselves."

"You have no idea what these kids could be capable of," Abigail retorted, "the law is old, and brats these days are rapidly changing faster than we anticipated. How can you be sure they'll behave? How can you trust them when all they do is whine and wreck our streets?"

"Didn't the elders before us ask the same thing?" Jubilee posts as she raises her glasses. "They saw us as uncanny back in their day. As complicated and hard dealing with them is...these kids are just a new kind of uncanny. Besides, don't you see how scared they are? Who knows what future has in store for them. They're just trying to figuring out their place in this chaos."

"They don't know the meaning of the word," Abigail refutes, "this is a city of peace & security."

"That ain't how they see it. And if we ever wanna know why, then I think we have as much to learn from them as they have to learn from us."

Abigail only stared, silently fuming, knowing nothing would change these legendary X-Men's minds. "Now," Jubilee said kindly, "would you and your troops rather leave the premises, or do we have to escort you out?" Abigail saw sparks twinkle in Jubilee's palms while feeling Wolverine's claws press her neck. Abigail gestures for her troops to retreat before hopping into her hovers. Wolverine's claws pop out until the ships vanish into the clouds.

Surge and the rest sigh in relief, slumped across the room as Jubilee and Wolverine re-enter. "Alright, girls, we're just as tired as you are," Wolverine said, "save the explaining for later. Those of you staying, I'll get you to the girl's dorms. My wife will call a trusted cab for the rest of you."

"Thanks, but we have our rides," Mercury said.

Surge waved farewell to Dust as Pixie and Mercury embraced her. "May Allah grant you Shifa," Dust whispered to them.

"Hope we see you again someday," Pixie said, sad at saying goodbye.

"Stay safe, alright? If you ever need us again, your friend other there knows where to find us," Mercury smiled.

Armor approached Surge; she was just as hurt and tired as she was. So, Armor extended out her hand, and Surge grasped it. The two didn't break eye contact as they shook each other hands. There was nothing to say, and their business was done after all. Surge had no idea what she expected from this stranger, but the things she saw and trials she faced were unlike anything she had seen before and would stay with her for a long time. Armor was worried about what if a bunch of mutant rebels could even be trusted, but the kindness and selflessness they displayed ignited something within her she hadn't felt in a long time: hope. Armor discreetly hands Surge the rest of her payment before letting go. "Thank you for your services," she whispered and went to join Dust and Wolverine.

"Hey," Surge said. She didn't know why, but she always wanted the last words. Armor turned as Surge declared, "You still owe me. Twice, in fact."

Armor smirked, "what was the first time, again?"

"Stopping you from being chopped up like sushi," Surge chuckled.

"Fair enough. What is it?"

Surge cracks her knuckles, "two rounds. Just you and me. You're pretty good, Samurai."

Armor winked, "you're on," she said before leaving the room with Dust and Wolverine.

"You kids have a funny way of making friends," Jubilee sighed before leading the three safely to their parked rides and closing the gates behind her.

Mercury turned on her cyber-cycle as Pixie hopped in behind her. Feeling oddly rejuvenated, Surge prepares to run home when Pixie asks, "What do you two think we've gotten ourselves into?"

For almost a minute, neither Mercury nor Surge had an answer to a rather heavy question. But as Surge saw the first sun ray shine through the clouds, casting a luminous light onto them and the proud school, she felt she had an answer. "I don't know...but we do our best anyway. We do that by fighting for our futures and the futures of any mutant lost in the dark. And you're right, Mercury, we're not X-Men. We're something uncanny, something we're still figuring out ourselves...and I'm excited as hell to find out."

The words resonated with Mercury as she smiled proudly at Surge for the first time. "So am I," she said, revving up her engines as Pixie excitedly hung on. Surge lights a lightning bolt as her two friends speed off into the lengthy street ahead. The three go at incredible speeds, each experiencing a cathartic thrill and exuberant sense of invincibility that only the young in their primes can experience, ready to take on the world. Surge faced her friends, each waving farewell before splitting off into different paths. Each will return to their respective home soon enough and get much-needed rest.

As our Uncanny Mutants dream their futures, they've unknowingly kicked started a chain of events that will shift the course of Krakoa and all mutantdom.

X

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I hope you enjoyed my first-ever mutant story arc! Did you like it? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!