X-MEN
ETERNITY
THE CROSSROADS
by
R. John Burke
(Note: X-Men is a copyright of Marvel comics. Just
fan fiction, no infringement intended.)
***************
THREE: HOMECOMINGS
Alternate
Reality #225
The British Isles
A Long Time Ago...
*Cleanup bill's gonna be typically high*, Alex Summers thought, looking out over the courtyard of a castle that had belonged to a mutant called Merlin-- the original host of the Slayer. Large sections of the walls had been caved in by the Juggernaut, who had also left the bodies of several dozen knights in his wake.
"Big day, hey, Alex?" said the man himself, Cain Marko, who tossed what looked like a large rock to himself as he climbed the steps. "Crushed the whole rotten power structure of this world, took down the Slayer... and hey, look: I got me a new garden gnome."
He tossed the stone to Alex, who gasped and dropped it when he realized it was the head of a Thing-esque mutant.
"In the first place, the Slayer's not defeated, just his vessel here. In the second place, Cain, didn't you get anything out of that little chat we had about killing people?"
"Uh... 'always ditch the evidence?'"
"Try again."
Cain made a face. "It ain't like I went on a rampage. Stoney there was playin' fer keeps. An' I didn't notice Pietro or Irish pullin' no punches during the battle, either."
Alex frowned. He didn't know *what* to expect from Pietro Maximoff anymore. Quicksilver still thought of himself as a hero, but it had been a long time since his actions followed suit. But Sean Cassidy, the Banshee, ought to have known better.
On the other hand, he'd been through hell of late. From getting thrashed with an inch of his life by Pietro, to encountering a counterfeit version of his lover, Moira MacTaggart, to throwing in his lot with Mindee Cuckoo and watching her die, Sean had suffered one blow after another (* in eXcalibur #2-6)... and considering that the last anyone had heard from him before this had been that whole debacle in Paris, well, Sean was on shaky ground. Alex wondered if he shouldn't find him and have a talk...
"Are you certain you won't remain with us, Sir Knight?" said a voice behind him-- Guinevere, the queen they'd just restored to control of her kingdom. She was young, but had been one of the few members of the court smart enough to see through the Slayer's lies, so she seemed as good a choice as any to leave in charge here, especially with Moira-- whoever or whatever she was-- to guide her.
Alex smiled. "Thank you, m'lady, but we must return to our own... well, kingdom."
"Oh! Then you've located a Multiversal space-time rift?"
"Um--" Alex's jaw dropped. "But-- huh-- um--"
Guinevere winked. "Your secret's safe with me, Sir Knight."
"But-- what the hell?" he said as she walked away.
He didn't have a lot of time to think about it, because another voice called his name from outside the walls. Alex hopped off the steps and was running when he hit the ground. What else could go wrong? He charged up as he went, in a bad enough mood to unleash a hell of a blast against whatever was on the other side of the wall--
But it was only Lorna Dane-- Polaris-- and Moira, who looked a little perplexed.
"Ach, Alex, boy-- yuir glowin' white-hot!"
"He's in one of *those* moods," said Lorna, rolling her eyes. "We'll wait."
Alex shot off some of the excess energy into the sky, resuming a more normal hue, and grinned at Lorna sheepishly. "Sounded like there was trouble."
"There is, in a manner of speaking. At least, we think."
Moira said, "D'ye remember, when ye went to fight Merlin, tha' wee lass ye left in our charge?"
Alex nodded. "That's Wanda Maximoff-- the Scarlet Witch. But uh, don't burn her at the stake or anything. Just be careful with her, because a lot of this is her--"
"But that's the problem, lad," Moira said. "She's gone."
"Sorry? Gone where?"
The peasant woman shrugged. "She vanished, during the battle. I was lookin' right at her, an' now she's gone."
Lorna said, "From the timing, it sounds like she disappeared right when Morgan did."
Alex nodded. The Scarlet Witch, whose power had created the House of M and freed a bit of the Adversary from beyond time-- a part which joined with Merlin to create the Slayer (* eXcalibur #6)-- had also created a sorceress called Morgan Le Fay, a part of her own psyche, to hunt down and stop the evil. She'd been lost during the battle, and Alex had feared it meant Wanda had succumbed to the terrible pressures acting on her mind. But he didn't know what *this* might mean...
"So-- great-- who wants to tell Pietro we lost his sister? Anybody?"
"Might be for the best," said Lorna, who had been fighting her angry side of late, but didn't always win. "She *deserves* to disappear."
Alex frowned. "She's an Avenger. She was one of the greatest heroes in the world."
"She *violated* the world, Alex. She violated *all* of us-- our minds. She made me think I was really Magneto's daughter-- some kind of a princess, with a perfect life I can never have. Do you have any idea what that--"
"Yes," Alex said, "I do. And if we don't want anything like it to happen again, we'd better find her, don't you think?"
Lorna sighed. "So where do we look?"
--Lost something, have you?-- said a new voice, in their minds. Alex recognized Emma Frost's mind-touch.
"Problem? What makes you say..."
--Oh, nothing. I've lost count of the number of reality-altering mutants I've misplaced over the years.--
"We'll deal with it," Lorna said.
--No, there's no time,-- said Jean's voice, cutting in. --If Wanda's still in that dimension, then that's where she's safest. If not, she's with the Slayer... and we'll have to deal with that. Either way, we need you here now.--
"What if she's dead?" Alex suggested.
--Well, then, the problem's solved itself, hasn't it?-- said Emma, and they broke the connection.
Alex shrugged. "Okay; let's round 'em up."
They went off in different directions, leaving Moira shaking her head. "Er-- who're ye talkin' to?"
****
Sean Cassidy stared at the ocean, several hundred feet below the cliff he stood upon. The sea down there was churned up like the greatest whitewater course in the world, the rocks black and jagged. To Sean, they looked very inviting.
It would be an odd way to go, he supposed. A superhero whose sonic scream could carry him aloft, dying in a fall? A man who'd scrapped with everything from Interpol's most wanted to the whole flaming Shi'ar Empire, taking the last drop over a broken heart?
But a man didn't *have* to use his scream if he didn't care to. And now, finally, Sean understood that it was far more than his heart that was broken. He'd lost his way, and the lamp that had guided his footsteps. He'd seen his dreams shattered, betrayed friends and been betrayed, and what else was there to do? Fight the Slayer? He couldn't even fight Magneto's pissant son anymore. Too damn old; he simply didn't have the legs to go further.
Except, perhaps, one more yard. Sean took a step...
And froze in midair. He wanted to proceed-- he was certain he did-- but his leg would not move, as though someone else controlled it. For a moment, he feared the Slayer's influence. Then he started to lose his balance, and instinct took over.
EEEEEEE!!!
His scream propelled him back off the ledge and onto his arse, which was perhaps no less than he deserved. He cursed himself for a fool who couldn't even make a proper end to things...
And then someone crashed through the trees behind him. Rahne Sinclair-- Wolfsbane-- morphed from her wolf state to the transitional werewolf.
"Sean! There ye are, at last! We've been searchin' for ye. I heard yuir scream..."
"Aye," said Sean with a groan. No rest today. "I was just... takin' in the ocean."
Rahne narrowed her eyes at him. "Are ye certain that's all?"
"Ah, get on with yeh!" he said. "I'll be along..."
She started to turn, but stopped. "I'm sorry ye were taking in by tha'... whate'er she is. It's easier, bein' able t' smell things. Yuir eyes'll let ye down too often..."
"So I've head," Sean said, listening to the ocean since he couldn't see it anymore.
"I miss her," Rahne said. "Jamie does, as well. 'Tis nae fair..."
"It's the world, girl. Nobody promised 'fair.'"
Wolfsbane growled softly, then turned and crunched back through the trees. Sean found his feet and dusted himself off.
*All right,* he thought. *ONE more battle, for old time's sake.*
But of course, the Banshee knew there was always another battle, even when you'd forgotten how to care if you won or lost. Nobody promised 'fair.'
****
Richmond,
Virginia
Autumn 1861
Alternate Reality #915
The city was in ruins, or at least this small chunk of it. A crowd had gathered to survey the damage, and Esme Cuckoo drifted through it like a ghost. Esme had just enough telepathic juice left to make herself invisible, but not enough to hurt them or even shut them up. They prattled on ceaselessly about the amazing beings who had fought a battle here, and Esme had to endure every banal second of it.
That was intentional, no doubt, on the part of those who had left her here. Esme had borrowed her sister Sophie's body to wreak havoc among the X-Men, while her own body remained unconscious in the future timeline of Reality 502. (* in X-Factor #5-6) Then the X-Men had turned and wreaked right back upon her, leaving her stranded in this intolerable past while they ruined everything she and her mentor had worked for. Worst of all, she could still feel Sophie in the back of her mind, *laughing.*.
*If you don't shut up, I'll make you eat a bug.* she thought to herself.
Sophie's essence said,. *It ought to go well with the crow you're eating.*
*You're always so arrogant. I was doing perfectly well until...*
FLASH. Suddenly she was on the astral plane, unable to feel Sophie or even her own body. Instead, she was before a dark mass of shadows: The Slayer. For a moment, he just glowered at her with eyes she couldn't see.
"YES! It's true! I've failed!" she said, sparing him the trouble. "You didn't tell me about their creepy friend who drained my power. *And* you promised you'd keep Miss Frost off my back."
--Things with Emma Frost didn't go quite as planned.--
"Didn't I warn you about underestimating her? Her power is unimpressive, but she's used to getting her own way and absolutely without scruples. A woman like that can do anything."
The stormclouds gathered: --Except, apparently, kill five X-Men.--
Esme seethed. She *hated* the implied comparison to Emma, more than anything. She said, "LeBeau left you a message. He wants his sweetheart back."
--He'll get her,-- said the Slayer. --In time.--
"I must say, he's awfully attractive when he's agitated." Esme frowned at the shadow. "Speaking of my taste in men, where's that delicious body you've been using? The Merlin one?"
She felt a wave of displeasure from the shadow: --That vessel is lost to me. A new vessel is required.--
"I hope you weren't planning on using this one. Sophie's brain is crowded enough already."
--A replacement is all but arranged,-- it replied. --I must know, Esme Cuckoo, if I can trust you with a second chance.--
She gave him a tight smile. "Just get me my powers back, and I'll..."
--You ask for much; you deliver little. I have placed such faith in you, Esme. I wonder if you are deserving of my... love?--
"I... of course I am," she breathed. "You'll see."
A vision appeared in her head, and Esme smiled when she saw who it was.
--This is the face of our enemy,-- it said. --My true Queen will not fail twice.--
"You'll see," she promised again, and then was filled with the most amazing sensation as the Slayer restored her power.
****
Xavier Institute- 616
"At last: Television!" Jamie Madrox pumped his fists. "I am firmly persuaded of the existence of a higher power!"
"Ach, keep yer voice down, ye bampot," said Rahne Sinclair, accompanying him into one of the many chambers of the Xavier Institute along with Cain Marko. "D'ye want to wake th' whole place?"
"Oh, c'mon, Rahne, after all that time in the Middle Ages, aren't you just the slightest bit thrilled by our return to modern conveniences?"
"Heh. Is she?" Marko laughed. "You shoulda heard her in the flea bath before. She was whinin' like a pup."
Rahne swiped a claw at him; he barely noticed. "Are ye spyin' on me as I bathe now?"
"Don't flatter yerself, sister. I was in the next room, gettin' deloused. I never been so thrilled to see clean underwear in my whole life."
"Charming," said Rahne.
Madrox plopped down on the couch and sighed heavily. "Good food, good friends, actual padding under my butt. If they've got the new season of '24' rattling around this place, I may weep."
The TV flickered with its magical light. Marko settled his bulk in a nearby chair and proceeded to eat a bowl of popcorn in three quick fistfuls. Even Rahne's growling subsided as she morphed into wolf-form and curled up on the cushion beside Jamie's. And then--
"WHOA!" cried a voice, and the room glowed eerily as another portal appeared over their heads. The members of the final missing X-team came tumbling out:
Colossus and Wolverine (who landed on the Juggernaut).
Nocturne (who fell into Jamie's lap).
Dazzler (who almost got her butt clawed off when she landed on top of Rahne).
And Longshot (who, being lucky, landed comfortably on the cushion of Cain's abandoned chair).
What was said after that ran together: "HEY-- Who are..?-- What the... GET OFF!"
Then Jamie's voice rose above the din. "Screw '24.' What I *meant* to say was, I'd really like a sexy blue nymph to fall into my lap. Thank you."
"GrrrAARGH!" said Rahne, disentangling herself from Dazzler and landing heavily on the floor. She morphed back to human: "Alison, what th' devil d'ye think yuir..."
"Hey!" said Cain Marko, whose bell had been rung pretty well by the combination of adamantium bones and organic steel, although he was trying not to let it slow: "The little guy's hurt..."
Indeed, Wolverine was pale and barely tried to help as Colossus lifted him off the ground.
"He has been through a great deal," Piotr Rasputin said. "His healer factor can barely cope. We must get him help, quickly."
"I'll call-- someone," said Rahne, who'd been about to suggest Josh Foley, Elixir, before remembering the awkward circumstances under which she'd left this place the last time.
"So... new in town?" Jamie asked Nocturne, who smirked. "Not that I'm complaining, but Jean zapped the rest of us here at ground level..."
"It wasn't Aunt Jean who brought us back," Nightcrawler's daughter said. "It was Magneto."
"Magneto? He's not--"
"No, he's not coming," said Alison Blaire, the Dazzler. She studied the floor. "And neither is Betsy..."
****
Vilnius,
Lithuania
Spring 1942
Alternate Reality #758
"--my name is MAGNETO, and if you do not tremble to hear it, by the time this day is done, you *will*."
With those words, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr extended a hand and forced Wolverine and Colossus out of the secret German laboratory where they'd encountered the Slayer, jamming the door behind them. With a shield of spinning metal blocking the way between them, that foul entity could not approach and possess Magneto as it had done before (* X-Force #5).
The Slayer was in possession of a Nazi Skull-- in this timeline, a Gestapo-like agent created with their version of the Super-Soldier formula. Several other Skulls lurked behind him, ready to take over if Magneto should manage to kill its current body, as Wolverine had already done once. (* XF #6) It took a step forward.
"You're a used-up old man. This is going to be *fun*."
"Perhaps less so than you imagine."
Magneto spread his arms wide and summoned the last reserves of his once-considerable power. The Slayer had stolen some of that-- to use in repelling the hated metal-- but Magneto knew enough remained to do what was necessary.
His memories of the creature's mind suggested that he could not kill the Slayer in this manner-- but he could banish him from *this* timeline, and further weaken him, as he had already been weakened by the X-Men in other realities, so that Xavier's pupils might apply the final blow.
*I only hope they're intelligent enough not to show you the compassion they have shown me,* Magneto thought at it-- and for some reason, the thought made him laugh, even as he got hold of the last of the support beams he was reaching for with his power.
The Slayer advanced on him. The Master of Magnetism, lord of Genosha, would-be liberator of nations... smiled.
"Now let it end as it began-- IN FIRE!"
Magneto *pulled*-- and the whole structure of the building collapsed around their heads.
****
Betsy Braddock caught a Skull's sword swipe, whirled to kick one of his companions across the room, then completed the spin and cut the first in half with her psychic katana. She glanced back at the portal where her friends had vanished-- the last ride home, opened by Magneto as a final gesture toward his old enemies.
But Betsy couldn't avail herself of that ride. She couldn't risk any Skulls finding their way into the portal and disrupting her friends at a crucial time. She certainly wouldn't trust their fate to Magneto, who might not even survive. So she had volunteered to remain behind and close the portal personally, although it meant fighting dozens of Skulls alone.
Logan had wanted to stop her. Logan was falling in love with her. (* X-Force #5-6) Betsy... wasn't sure she minded. All the time they'd spent together in this dimension had changed their relationship. But she remained a pragmatist, and he'd been far too badly wounded to protest. Now Elisabeth Braddock-- born, as she believed, to become the warrior Psylocke, more force of nature than superhero-- faced one more battle. She had only to hold the line for a few seconds, while the floor and walls rattled around her.
A Skull's blade clipped her side. She yelped, turned, and cut him across the chest. She caught the blade of another and gave him a solid telekinetic shove into his companions, knocking them down in a tangle. That bought her a second.
She reached toward the portal with her telepathy (* restored in X-Force #4). The gateway had been designed with a telepathic 'interface' so that someone like her could control it. Betsy didn't understand the mechanics very well, but then she didn't have anything complicated in mind. She *squeezed* with her thoughts, collapsing the portal in a burst of light, even as a couple of Skulls were about to follow her team through it.
Betsy sighed. *That's done,* she thought, and turned with weapon raised and blood flowing down her side to face more enemies than she could count.
"Well, gentlemen-- alone at last. I realize the odds are somewhat daunting, but don't worry... I'll go easy on you."
Some of the Skulls-- those who spoke English-- even laughed. They surrounded her-- and then something went *CRASH*.
Betsy looked up, in time to see a good-sized chunk of ceiling heading her way. She reached out with her teke-- too late. There came a momentary spasm of pain, and then darkness.
****
Xavier's- 616
"Wow. So... wow. I never thought we'd do this again..."
The return of more than half the missing X-Men had broken up the staff meeting, so now they stood in a rough semicircle in the headmaster's office at Xavier's: Scott Summers, Cyclops. Henry McCoy, the Beast. Bobby Drake, Iceman. Warren Worthington, the Angel. And Jean Grey-- occasionally Marvel Girl or Phoenix, but mostly just Jean. The original five students of Charles Xavier, reunited. Hank and Warren had even gotten over their respective "blue periods," strengthening the sense of old times.
Not to say the moment was completely comfortable. There remained a tension between Scott and Jean, and between Scott and Bobby as well. The latter seemed easier to resolve, so their team leader turned to the Iceman:
"About running off on us before..."
"I thought I could take him, Scott. I still think I can. I just need the right chance."
"If he'd absorbed you," Scott said, "that would have been checkmate."
Bobby glared at him. "You were the one who gave me the idea I was a field leader. It's my responsibility--"
"Don't talk to me about responsibility-- *you* of all people!"
"Dammit, Scott, I'm only saying--"
"Now, children," said Hank, from his perch on the edge of Scott's desk, "let's don't fight. The reunion's just begun."
"It *is* afraid of Bobby," Jean said. "I can verify that."
"Can you?" said Warren. "Take it from me, this thing is tricky. He had me spinning in circles. He might want us to think that so Bobby will waltz into his arms."
"I wasn't waltzing anyplace," Bobby said. "I had a plan--"
"Which failed," Scott said.
"Oh, like your plans have never failed!"
Hank interrupted, frowning at Warren, "What do you mean, 'spinning in circles?'"
The Angel sighed. "You might as well know-- all of you. I was working for the Slayer for a while. (* in X-Factor) It used a lot of things... hints about information we'd need, threats against Paige. For a little while, it was in my brain. It turned my teammates against me. They still blame me for what happened to Jono and Rogue, and to tell you the truth, they're probably right. I thought you should hear it from me first."
Jean touched his arm. "Hey-- we've all seen each other's dark sides. You made a mistake, fine. That's the end of it."
"I concur," said Hank.
"Yeah, forget it, Wings," said Bobby. "We've got enough trouble worrying about the *real* villains."
"True," said Scott. He *almost* smiled at Bobby. "We'll chalk this up to lessons learned."
"Fair enough."
Warren looked around at the others-- at the truest family he'd ever known. For a moment, it made him smile. Then the stormclouds re-emerged. "I wish Paige felt that way... I should find her..."
"Give her time," Jean advised.
"There isn't any, Jeannie. This could all come due at any moment. I don't want Paige resenting me, if..."
He trailed off. The point was made. With a nod, Warren Worthington headed for the door and stopped there.
"I just wanted to say-- all of you--"
"It's understood," Scott said.
Bobby laughed. "Trust Our Fearless Leader to stomp the living hell out of a sentimental moment."
"You should work for Hallmark, friend Summers," said Hank, joining in the kidding. "They're coming out with a new product line-- blank cards for the emotionally repressed."
"Reminds me of our anniversary," Jean said.
She winced almost before the comment was out of her mouth. Line crossed. She and Scott held each other's eyes for a long moment, while the others fidgeted.
Blessedly, the intercom went off. "Scott, this is Cecilia Reyes in the Infirmary. Is Hank with you?"
The Beast touched a button. "I'm here, Ceci."
"Hank, you're needed down here, stat. It's Logan."
"On my way," he said, and somersaulted off the desk.
Jean intercepted him on the way to the door. "I'm going."
"Of course," Hank said, although he noted the poisonous glance between her and Scott.
"You, too," Scott said to Bobby. "Stick close to Jean."
"But--"
"She can sense when he's close," Scott said. "You're the final link in his plan. I won't risk losing you before we're ready."
"But-- what am *I* supposed to do in the Infirmary?"
"Bring Logan ice cream?" Hank suggested.
Bobby sighed. He and the others walked out, nearly bumping into Emma, Alex, and Lorna, who were on their way in. Bobby and Lorna hugged, semi-awkwardly, without using any words in particular. She went with him toward the infirmary, but not before a long look at Alex. Meanwhile, the Phoenix and the White Queen glanced at each other, nodded, then proceeded deliberately in opposite directions.
Alex Summers grinned upon entering the room. "Scottie!"
Any other pair of brothers on the planet would have hugged, or at least shook hands, punched fists... *something*. Alex made a game effort, stretching out his arms. But he stopped dead in his tracks at arm's length, frozen by the gaze of the Cyclops.
"It's good to see you," Scott said. He frowned at Emma. "You, too."
"I imagine you've missed me very much."
Ice-cold. Alex shuddered. "Look, Scott... this isn't really a social call. A bit of a... problem... has developed. It's about the Scarlet Witch..."