Rachel Summers knew what was going on outside her but all she could concentrate on was the pain. Doctor Lind worked furiously to make her comfortable but he belly was expanding rapidly and it was only a matter of time before the babies came to term and she would deliver. A very short matter of time she hoped.
“Just breathe,” Ami whispered. “You’ll be fine.”
“What about the Brotherhood?” she asked.
“Oh, come on,” Lind said. “Your father is out there. You know he can handle them himself.”
Rachel knew Lind was lying, trying to console her, but it did help. Suddenly she felt another mind touch hers once again. Her daughter was trying to reassure her and, despite the pain and fear, Rachel smiled.
“Stand down,” Scott growled at the Brotherhood. “There are innocents here. I just took out your leader and I can take each of you just the same.”
“Admirable bravado,” said a new voice as Stryfe walked into view, clapping slowly.
“What do you want?” Jono growled. “Why are you here?”
“You already know the answer to that, Mister Starsmore,” he said. “I want your baby.”
Jono started to step forward, but Scott grabbed his arm. “Rogue is on her way with a full team of X-Men,” Scott said. “You don’t have a chance.”
“Actually, I believe we do,” he said. “We can just take Rachel.”
“No!” Jono blasted Stryfe, but the villain deflected it with a telekinetic shield. Jono blasted him again and again, and Stryfe blocked both.
“Futile child,” he laughed. “Give us your girl and the children. No one else will need to be hurt.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Scott drew himself to his full height and took a step in front of Jono. “I look at each and every one of you and I see at least three ways I can take each of you out. If I’m quick enough, I can enact three of those before Stryfe pops my head like a zit…five if I take Stryfe out first. Stand down, leave and I’ll forget this even happened.”
“You take so much fun out of it,” Toad said. “How about we just kill you?”
“Because I’d take you with me,” Scott said.
Kiden Nixon stood at the corner of the hallway, watching the scene unfold in front of her. She ran her hand over the bandage on her forehead. This Brotherhood was the whole reason why she was here. She was a simple kid and, as far as being a mutant, she had really basic powers. She could only slow or even stop time around her.
She stopped and thought about that for a second. That was why Strfye stopped to talk to her…her powers. She could STOP time. He wanted her for no other reason. She looked at the pair of X-Men standing alone. They were out-matched, out-gunned and simply in trouble. Despite Cyclops’ bravado, he knew he was in trouble, she could see that on his face. She had to do something.
So she did.
Stryfe glanced up at her, his eyes wide, as she acted. The world slowed and she broke into a sprint toward Cyclops and Chamber. “Get the runner!” he cried, pointing at her, but it was too late. Toad jumped at her, but she picked up a large metal clipboard and slammed it across his face, grimacing as blood spurted from his nose. She reached Cyclops and Chamber an instant later and extended the bubble around them.
“Come on, let’s go!” she cried. “Run!” She grabbed the two and broke back into a run. They followed off the floor and into the stairwell. Cyclops led them up two stories until they finally stopped.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “Hank is never going to let me live this down.” He looked at Kiden. “Thanks for the assist, kid. You better get out of here before they come after you too.”
“My name’s Kiden and I think I better stick with you,” she said. “I’ve already met Stryfe. He probably read all my important life details already.”
Scott sighed. “Dammit,” he muttered. “Well, welcome to the X-Men.” He turned to Jono. “How’s Rachel?
“She keeps telling me that she’s fine, to take care of the Brotherhood,” he said. “It’s almost a passive communication.”
“Damn,” he said, “why can’t anything normal ever happen to us? Keep talking to her, Jono, but I need your mind with me too. Kiden’s given us a great opening…we can fight a guerilla war against the Brotherhood now. I can hide from telepaths pretty well, but Jono, I need you to work with Kiden, keep her shielded, okay?”
“Can do,”Jono said. His voice echoed in her head and she looked at him in surprise. Her jaw dropped as his jaw and upper chest dissolved into a wave of energy. Despite only having half a face, he seemed to smile.
A little strange the first time you see it, innit? he asked.
“More than a little,” she said.
“Okay, you two head back down to the delivery room,” he said. “Take care of Rachel and keep the delivery room safe. I’ll take care of the Brotherhood. We’ll talk soon.” He snuck away down the hall, disappearing after several seconds.
“Is he always like that?” Kiden asked.
My experience with him is limited, but I’d say, yeah, definitely, Jono said.
Come on, they’re starting to search for us. Let’s draw them away from maternity, eh?
Scott hurried to the nurse’s desk and was glad to see it was deserted; a call to evacuate must have gone out to everyone that was non-critical, thank goodness for that. Now he hoped that Rogue and her team would be able to keep anyone that Stryfe left on the street distracted. He crouched at the edge of the desk, pulled his visor from his jacket pocket and closed his eyes as he swapped the glasses for his visor and reopened them. He had worked with Forge to modify the visor, turning his prison into a tactical advantage.
He took a moment to assess his opponents. Hopefully Kiden had eliminated Toad, but Toynbee was tough and resourceful was really one of the biggest dangers of the group. He often played lackey to wear a person’s guard down, but was just as cunning and capable as Mystique herself. Forearm was probably the easiest challenge, as the ‘muscle’ types usually just took finding a weakness and exploiting it. Forearm was cocky and over confident and that would be his undoing.
Mesmero was little physical threat and he’d only be a true threat if he drug innocents into the mix. Mystique was an incredibly skilled martial artist and could be anyone he encountered along the way, but in all reality it would be down to a fist-fight with her. Stryfe had him outclassed and he hoped that Jono or Nathan – if Rogue thought to bring him with her – would be the ones to take care of him. A blitz would be his only chance.
The only member of the group that made him nervous though was Phantazia. The woman was a complete enigma and, although he knew her powers were related to electro-magnetism, he didn’t know how powerful she was. She could be on the level of a ham radio or she could be the next Magneto. He had no idea what he was dealing with against her.
He heard footsteps and his mind stopped for a moment. From the weight of the steps it was male and heavy-set. If it was any of the Brotherhood, it was Forearm. He tapped the visor, turning on infra-red sensors. He looked around the desk and saw a large figure behind the wall. Forearm’s size and abilities increased his natural body temperature greatly. In most cases, a person’s heat signature would be a vague blob on the wall, but with Forearm he could practically see each individual eyelash. He grinned. This would be too easy.
“Hey jackass,” Scott growled as he stood. Forearm turned toward the sound of his voice but, before he could act, Scott blasted him through the wall. He sprinted forward, vaulted over the nurse’s desk and jumped through the hole his optic blast had left. Forearm was just starting to shake off the blast as Scott reached him. He jumped and kicked the larger man in the chin and Scott felt Forearm’s jaw shatter as he went down hard.
“That wasn’t so hard,” he muttered. “I hope everyone else is okay.”
Amelia put the ultrasound away as she stared at the captured image. If she was doing the math right, those two babies would be here within a half hour. She took a deep breath and looked at her nurse. “I need a cesarean prepped and ready in five minutes,” she said. “Get me whoever is left on the floor and prep the nursery; these babies are coming and fast. Got it?”
“Yes ma’am,” the nurse said before rushing away to prepare.
Doctor Lind turned back to Rachel. “Are you okay sweetheart?” she asked.
“Yes,” Rachel gasped, “I’m fine. Or I will be.” The building shook and the windows rattled. Amelia braced herself against the bed and Rachel laughed painfully. “All this over little ol’ me,” she said. She grabbed Amelia’s hand. “Look at me.” Ami looked at her and all the traces of humor were gone, replaced by a wisdom and intensity she’d never seen before. “You take care of me and I’ll take care of you. I have been through worse than this, and I’ll be strong enough for all of us, you got it?”
“Yes,” Ami said. “I definitely got it.”
“Good,” Rachel said, before she leaned back. “Because these two are coming… NOW!” Rachel screamed as a wave of pain went through her body. As the nurse wheeled in everything Ami needed, she thought to what she saw in those eyes and the only word she could think of was…fire.
Jono sat on the floor next to Kiden, not far from the exam room that had turned into an operating room. He looked around before settling his gaze on his impromptu partner. She looked terrified, especially now that the adrenaline had worn off, so he reached out and patted her leg.
Hey, it’ll be okay, he said.
We’re almost out of the woods here.
“I hope you’re right,” she said.
Jono started to reply, but suddenly the lights flickered and went out. He heard a strange humming and he turned to see the almost ghostly figure of Phantazia floating down the hall at them. She had replaced her cloak and mask with a military-style uniform with a skirt and a cap of some sort. She still seemed eerie, floating rather than walking down the hall, her skirt brushing the floor. The air crackled with static and Jono felt his hair standing on end. He reached out to her mind and touched it She was going to tear the delivery room apart on an atomic level.
The hell she is, he thought. The bio-nuclear furnace in his chest burned hotter and Jono jumped to his feet.
Hey there, he said. He was surrounded by an aura of fire which burned bright for several seconds. He blasted her in the chest and sent her flying through the hall. She hit a far wall and bounced off it to the floor. She started to stand, but a streak of denim and blonde hair slammed into her and starting punching. Jono grinned; the kid had heart.
An aura of electromagnetic energy sprung to life around Phantazia and threw Kiden away from her. She floated up to her feet, sparks surrounding her. “That was a mistake,” she said, her voice echoing eerily.
You think your ghost act scares me? he replied.
I’ve had Emplate chasing my ass since I was a teenager. You’re dime store compared to him. He blasted her again, shattering her field, and then blasted her another time, sending her crashing through the wall. She tried to get up again, but Jono blasted her another time and sent her somersaulting down the hall.
And stay down, he said.
Rogue arrived with her team to utter chaos. Police and media everywhere and protesters from Friends of Humanity battled with pro mutant groups. There were signs everywhere and people chanting, but no one noticed the group of mutants
“Welcome to Hell.” Angelo said as he looked around the scene. Even the streets of Los Angeles weren’t like this.
Ever nodded slowly, looking around him. “This ain’t Kansas, my brother.” The two moved closer to the back entrance, one seemingly, and suspiciously, unguarded.
“Be cautious but alert; we don’t want any innocents hurt....or hurt any more than they already are,” Rogue said as they entered the underground parking lot for staff, which was filled with Mercedes and Cadillac’s.
Projector whistled. “My mother was right…I should have been a doctor.”
“Zachary? Joined the X-Men, I see...” came a voice from the shadows. “I suppose there’s no accounting for taste. Still, what would Magneto say?” The large Morlock known as Hemingway stepped out of the shadows with Crucible, Lifter, Paralyzer, Slither, Random and Locus taking spots behind him.
Rogue recognized Random as the speaker and quickly assessed the Brotherhood members assembled in front of them. She glanced over he shoulder and noticed Cable was missing already, leaving her with Colossus, Ever, Projector and Skin.
“Well, if it isn’t Dickens,” Projector said, sneering. “You should be careful who you hang out with there, people might think you actually dislike me.”
“I do,” the giant mutant responded, “and it not Dickens. You will remember the wrath of Hemingway!”
The large mutant lunged toward Projector, his spines coming threateningly close to the other mutant before being pushed away by a projected block. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to get me, Steinbeck!” Projector taunted the Morlock.
The cybernetic claws on Paralyzer glowed brightly and a bolt of energy shot from them toward Ever, who moved quickly out of the way before telepathically disorienting the other mutant for a few minutes allowing him time to move down the garage. Every few moments Ever would bat at him with his telekinesis, playing with him like a ball of yarn.
Slither had already begun moving toward Angelo. “Slither is my name, suffocation is my game!” His flexible body was already wrapping itself around Skin’s legs.
“You really need a new line, pendejo!” Angelo responded as his skin began to grow around the snake man’s body. “Hard to constrict that which can grow larger than you, isn’t it?” He grinned as his skin crawled up Slither’s legs and constricted around the serpent-man’s body. “You chose the wrong mutant, buddy!”
Random chose to focus on Colossus. He had been hired by Stryfe to collect some baby, and if he got to punch a few things and break other things apart while collecting a bounty then it was a good day. He shaped his arms into some unidentifiable weapon and grunted as his protoplasm blasts seem to have little effect on the man advancing toward him.
Colossus swung an arm and flung the protoplasmic mutant into a wall. The mutant’s body immediately shaped into the wall, preventing him from moving. Piotr turned, smirking slightly toward Rogue. Piotr then stood and watched as a giant fireball and enormous heat filled sphere that burned as hot as the heat from one hundred suns made its way toward the unsuspecting Rogue. All at once a memory came back to him, one long forgotten but now newly remembered. Instead of the redheaded Rogue however there was a brunette, tall and thin, and she smiled at him briefly before turning to face the flaming sphere.
"KITTY!" the Russian bellowed as he surged forward like a metallic monolith. "YOU.....VILL.....NOT.....HURT...KITTY!" In that split second, Piotr, the Russian Colossus, took the brunt of the pyro blast head on.
As he collapsed, his metal skin looking like molten metal as it melted to his body, he whispered, "They vill not hurt you."
Rogue knelt then and kissed him on the cheek. "No, my friend, they won't." she whispered, as tears came to her eyes. Rising, she turned icy eyes toward the one who had caused all this. "I suggest you run away, little boy, because hell hath no fury like a Southern woman scorned."
With dazzling speed she roundhouse kicked the mutant pyromaniac into the floor, hearing his head crack with a satisfying crackle. Suddenly Locus, who had been silent for most of the fight, teleported everyone away except Random, who was still inside the wall
Stryfe sighed as he felt each member of the Brotherhood fall into unconsciousness. He would need to train them better next time. It seemed Mystique and Toad were the only competent members of the organization and Cyclops had already handled them.
“Mesmero,” he said. “It’s time to g–” Suddenly, he sensed Mesmero’s synapses fire all at once. Stryfe spun to face the newcomer and smiled. Cable pulled his psimitar from Mesmero’s back and looked up at Stryfe as he lifted a large blaster and leveled it at his clone’s head.
“Hello Stryfe,” he said. “It’s been a while. Good to see you’ve ditched the armor.”
“Armor’s a Doctor Doom thing,” he said. “You look better without the shoulder pads.”
“We’ve got you beat,” Nathan said. “You’re outclassed and outnumbered.”
“You’d think so,” he said. He threw his arm forward and slammed Nate with his telekinesis. Cable spun with the blow and dropped, firing twice. Stryfe deflected the first shot but the second grazed his calf and he screamed in pain.
“You’ve won Cable,” he said. “Congrats.” A familiar aura of energy enveloped him and Mesmero both.
Nate tried to fire again, but they were gone. “Locus,” he grunted. He raised his hand to his head and tapped his earpiece. “Cable to the X-Men, convene in the hospital. Looks like we may be done here.”
Doctor Lind removed her gloves as she laid Rachel’s second child, the son, in the bassinet. She sighed and wiped the sweat off her brow. She needed to follow the girl. Both children were still growing rapidly, but the girl – Hope, Rachel had called her – was doing so much quicker and she needed to be there with her.
“Ami,” Rachel said. Doctor Lind turned to see the young woman looking at her with a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “The nurses are going to take care of you from here so rest. I’m going to take care of your little Hope.”
“And Liam?”
“I’ll take care of him as soon as Hope is stable.”
Kalinda Malakar wheeled the plastic bassinet away from the nursery. She looked down at Liam Starsmore knowing that Sebastian would be immensely pleased.
Ami jogged into the newborn ICU and started to elbow through the crowd.
“How’s our little patient doing?” she asked.
“Fine Doctor,” a child’s voice replied. Ami broke through the stunned crowd to see a red-headed five-year-old girl wrapped in a blanket and sitting on an exam bed. “I’m Hope. Thanks for taking care of me, my mommy and my brother.”
Trish Trilby, outfitted in a very smart looking navy blue suit, shuffled the papers in front of her nervously. This was not going to go well. Smiling at the people across the table from her that included three beautiful women and one man from SHIELD who all looked like they'd rather be in front of a firing squad than meeting with her. "Thank you all for coming at such short notice. I know you all are very busy," Trish said, smiling brightly.
The woman closest to Trish, a striking blond in a silver suit and gold jewelry that spoke of wealth and power, smiled and spoke in the voice Charles Xavier knew so well. "It is my pleasure to come today,” Emma Frost said, “to set the record straight regarding mutant rights. We are not a danger." She looked over to Sigrid Trask, whose severe suit and hairstyle belied her youth. "Except to extremely frigid bitches that is."
Sigrid Trask didn’t smile; in fact she gave not one indication she’d heard. Her taupe suit had a small button on its lapel which read ‘Humans First!’. “I am surprised, Trish, that you would allow a mutant to discuss the actions of others of her kind.”
Crystallia Amaquelin Maximoff, the First of Lady of Genosha and Ambassador to the UN, looking positively regal in a purple suit, snorted in a ladylike way. “Surely, Ms. Trask, you are smart enough to realize that journalists must be fair and balanced. Or do you enjoy making others look like idiots?”
“Ladies, please, the interview will start shortly. I’ll be asking you some general questions first. Most of the first questions will be going to Ms. Frost and Ambassador Maximoff,” Trish said as her producer counted down. Turning to the camera, she pasted on her smile and said, “Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the mutant attack on Boston General Hospital. With us for the next few minutes are Emma Frost of X-Corps International, Ambassador Crystallia Amaquelin Maximoff of Genosha, Siggrid Trask of Humans First!, and John Michaels of SHIELD.”
“Now, Ms. Frost, first can you tell us why your people were at the hospital this morning? As I recall from your promotional materials, X-Corps has a very solid medical branch...”
Emma nodded and smiled, turning her gorgeous face to the camera like a well trained spokes model. “First of all Trish, I’d like to say that we at X-Corps do not condone or fund any of the actions by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants or Weapon X. In fact, our X teams, of which there are several, were formed precisely for this reason, to help our wonderful law enforcement officers to better do their jobs. However, to answer your question, Scott Summers brought his daughter, who was pregnant, to the hospital in her time of distress. He is new to the Boston area and was uneasy taking Rachel to an unfamiliar clinic, despite all the resources he knew were available in an XCI office. I am sure we all can relate to the panic one feels when someone we love is pregnant and in crisis.” She paused and smiled at Sigrid Trask. “Except, of course, for you dear Sigrid, who can’t relate to anything with actual feelings.”
Sigrid straightened the coat of her jacket. “If Mister Summers acted of his own volition then what’s to prevent another X-Man from doing the same? The X-Men are targets, not heroes. People want to see them dead! This Brotherhood certainly had its guns pointed in their direction and in the direction of hundreds of innocent doctors, nurses and the sick and infirm. This is why mutants are a threat, Trish…one that needs to be neutralized immediately.”
Crystal raised one eyebrow, restraining anger. “Isn’t ‘neutralized’ a bit extreme? Sounds vaguely genocidal if you ask me. The X-Men and the related groups have put their own lives on the line to save innocents hundreds of thousands of times. They deserve our thanks. I know we in Genosha enjoy the presence of a supermutant group.”
“My group, Humans First...” Sigrid Trask carried on as though she hadn't heard, “demands that Charles Xavier publicly admit that his dream cannot happen and disband the X-Men. We then demand that all mutants be asked to register. Like all freaks, child molesters, murderers and their ilk, mutants must be monitored. That is why Senator Jane Simons has introduced a bill that will be known as the Mutant Registration Act.”
“SHIELD contends....” the PR man said only to be interrupted by Emma Frost.
“Any act that requires mutants to register is dangerous and discriminatory. It would be similar to asking any other minority to register on a list. It opens up mutants to attack, derision and scorn,” Emma Frost shot back.
“And what about the humans who live amongst these potential terrorists? You said yourself that Scott Summers, supposedly a respected and trusted member of your core team, acted of his own free will. What’s to stop someone with telekinetic mutations from flinging a bus full of humans at a building? Can we really afford another incident? Another loss of innocent lives? The humans of the world must have their safety–”
“And what about Genosha?” Crystal asked as she turned to face Sigrid. “Our entire population is mutants! Surely you can’t expect Genosha to stand for something like this, not after all we have been through.”
“The freaks of your little island are of no concern to me.” Sigrid retorted. “As you know, Trask Industries does no business with any mutant owned or mutant controlled businesses or countries. We are, of course, upset that the UN has allowed Genosha a seat in its assembly, but even terrorists must be tolerated I suppose.”
“SHIELD would like to make clear...” the man said again before being interrupted, once again, by Emma.
“You disgust me, Sigrid. It’s one thing to harbor hatred and disdain for those which you do not understand, I have been dealing with that my entire life, but it’s another to use the tragedies of others to further your own personal battles. Charles Xavier grieves over every loss of innocent life, human and mutant both. Every mutant with telepathic or empathic gifts felt those people die. Have you ever felt an entire city die, Sigrid?” Emma raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. Sigrid Trask said nothing. “I thought not. So, before you smear the name of Charles Xavier any further, let me assure you that he is just as upset about the Brotherhood as you are, he’s just not going on television to turn it to a PR opportunity and smear campaign...and he looks much better in a suit.”
Trish Trilby turned back to the camera. “And now we break for commercial. We will return to Real Talk right after this.
The fire in Scott Summers' eyes was evident even through his ruby quartz lenses. He folded his arms as he looked at the pair of security guards in front of him.
"What do you mean my grandson is missing?" he growled. The duo seemed confused at first, since this man didn’t look old enough to be the father of the young woman in the recovery room next door.
“I’m sorry,” the older of the two said, “but in all the confusion, your grandson was taken by an unknown person. The woman’s features are blurred on the security footage.”
Scott sighed and turned away from them. He saw Hank, Rogue and Nate approaching him from the opposite end of the hallway. “If you’re here to say ’this wouldn’t have happened at an X-Corps facility’ again, I’m blasting you through that wall,” he said.
“Then I won’t remind you of it again,” Hank said as he ushered the group of them into a secure conference room, or at least as secure as conference rooms could be in a...well he needn’t finish the thought. “First of all, I want to say to Rogue good job on your part; your team stopped the Brotherhood and there was little to no collateral damage. You showed true leadership.” He looked seriously at her. “We will make Pitor well again, I promise you.”
Rogue nodded and wiped at her eyes. “Thank you, Henry. I’ll tell Zachary you spoke well of him. He and Skin have taken charge of the remnants of our teams. Betsy’s here with Rachel and Jono and that nurse you were wanting for X-Corps–”
She was interrupted when Scott addressed her. “I know why you left Dukes at the school, but any reason you brought Projector and not Static?”
Rogue raised an eyebrow. “Number one, I couldn’t find Static, she wasn’t where she was supposed to be but Projector was. Number two, I see a lot of me in Projector; he wants to prove himself and needs to be given the opportunity. And Number three, don’t question my leadership when none of us would be here if you had led properly.”
“Rogue, I wasn’t questioning your decision,” he said. “I was just wondering. I’m sorry to be brusque, but given the situation...”
Hank sighed loudly and all three of them turned to look at him. “I wasn’t finished.” He turned to look at Scott. “I appreciate your concern for your daughter’s health. It’s...admirable. I also appreciate your anger at the current situation and I feel it with you. However, the simple fact is that protocols were not followed. Protocols that, as leaders of this X-Men team, shapers of future mutant kind, and examples to humanity and mutant kind alike, the three of you should follow.”
He motioned to the television showing Trish Trilby’s interview show. “Emma had to put aside her duties with X-Corps, which are considerable, to defend not only your actions Scott, but to assure the world that mutants are not a danger. Crystal Maximoff had to do the same. These women are far busier than either of the three of you. It takes a great amount of effort for them to clear their schedules to do this sort of thing. Please don’t make them have to do it again.”
Turning to Cable he frowned. “Nathan, you are definitely your father’s son, both of you are stubborn and driven and have a single focus. So let me be perfectly clear: I do not care if you want to go off by yourself and hunt for Stryfe, but you will not do it at the expense of the team.”
“Hank, they had it handled,” he said. “I’m sorry Piotr was hurt, but he’ll recover. Henry, remember, the four of us are equals in this group. You’re in charge of the school, but not in charge of all of us.”
“Fair enough,” Hank said. “Now, that being said, X-Club has discovered something very disturbing that we will need to keep an out for. It’s called the Secondary Mutation Virus and it advances, I’d even say in some cases perfects, mutations. Meaning that, I for example, might begin to look more like an actual Beast instead of the handsome and charming fellow you see before you. I’m sure you all understand how this can be dangerous...”
“Hank,” Scott said, “that is a concern, but I’m afraid our more pressing concern is Liam’s kidnapping.”
“So that’s the name they picked for him?” Rogue said. “It’d be cute if we weren’t in the situation we’re in.”
“I believe that at some point the two may cross.” He pulled three files from his briefcase and handed one to each them. “The SHIELD reports on the situation. The only remaining Brotherhood member, Random, claims to have been hired to kidnap the
baby.” He said the last word significantly. “Singular. No one knew there was more than one child except for Scott, myself and Dr. Lind. I believe Hope was the target of this attempt, and whoever has Liam wanted her instead. Also there is my examination of Hope and the cursory findings on Liam from his preliminary blood test. Doctor Rao and I believe that the twins are two parts of the same coin. Liam’s mutant power, we believe, is to act as a conduit of other mutant powers, making them stronger. He works best with his sister, obviously, but you can imagine what someone could do even without Hope. I hate to say this Scott, but Sitwell also reported that Madelyne Pryor was seen in the area. Where she is, Shaw is.”
“That son of a bitch is never far, is he?” Rogue sighed. “I thought we scared him out of coming after us again.”
“He’s just like a pimple on your ass,” Scott growled.
“An immaculately dressed pimple,” Nate joked.
“Do you think the Hellfire Club has anything to do with this?” Scott asked.
“With the Brotherhood? No. I think Stryfe was acting out of his own volition. He could sense the power of Hope. As Liam is at best a Beta class mutant without another mutant ‘plugged into’ him, he would not be as easily picked up. Also as you know, Hope has aged herself considerably. I would assume, however, that they were attempting, or perhaps did, take Liam. Hope is no longer a baby, so if whoever they sent was told to kidnap the Summers’ baby, it would logically fall on Liam. If Liam can be plugged into a mutant of great power, such as Ororo or even you Scott, he could make the Hellfire Club even more powerful than they already are. One advantage we have is he’s only an infant.”
“But one growing an accelerated rate as well, if Doctor Lind is correct,” Cable said. “We have to get him back as quickly as possible.”
“Not only that,” Scott said, “but he’s family. That’s more important.”
“Agreed,” Hank said.
“Then let’s get to work,” Scott said. The group started to leave the conference room, but Scott hung back. “Hank,” he said just as he crossed the door’s threshold.
His blue-furred friend turned and raised an eyebrow. “Yes, fearless leader?” he joked.
“The Doctor that helped us, Doctor Lind?” he said. “She’s a target now. I’ve studied Stryfe enough to know that he’ll make an example out of her now that she’s helped us.”
“And what does that mean?”
“If this experience teaches us anything,” he said, “the Academy needs a medic, and a paranormal medicine expert would be invaluable to your little ‘club’. Yes, you have a nurse, but her expertise lies elsewhere. I want Lind aboard.”
Hank smiled and raised an eyebrow. “You’re appealing to my vain side, Mister Summers,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my mind. Let’s think about it.”
“Deal,” Scott said.
Betsy Braddock threw her duffel on her bed and collapsed into the silk sheets. She was exhausted from her cross country trip and, considering she rushed to the hospital the moment they touched down, it was doubly exciting. She sighed and considered sleeping for twelve hours in her clothes since undressing would be a chore at this point.
“Miss Braddock!” Loa called from hallway. “You need to get down here!” She opened her mouth to protest, but sensed that she was the most senior member of the team there. The others must have remained in Boston. She sighed and pushed herself off the bed.
“Coming, Alani,” she said. She glanced in a mirror and straightened her clothes and hair. She hurried out of her room and noticed Alani was already gone. Worrying now, she ran to the main building. She could see a crowd of students gathered. Gianna Esperanza, the former Acolyte known as Static, stood at the edge of the group.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Betsy shrugged and started pushing through the students. She was stunned to see what she found in the middle of the circle.
“Braddock,” growled Callisto, the leader of the Morlocks. She held a young mutant man in her arms, a young man that was melting away through Callisto’s arms.
“Help me,” she begged. “Please, help.”
To Be Continued...
Next: In
Uncanny X-Men #13: The X-Men are forced to stand against two separate threats! Beast leads the X-Club and part of the X-Men into the Morlock tunnels where they must cope with the Secondary Mutation Virus, which has turned a previously mild-mannered Morlock into a dangerous monster! Meanwhile, Cyclops leads the remaining members of the team in a desperate race to rescue Liam Starsmore from the Hellfire Club, but will the Brotherhood find him first? Plus, exactly who or what is Hope Summers, and what part does she play in the future of mutant-kind?
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