X-MEN
ETERNITY
THE CROSSROADS
by
R. John Burke
(Note: X-Men is a copyright of Marvel comics. Just
fan fiction, no infringement intended.)
*********************
CHAPTER SIX: OPENING SHOTS
"Jamie! Hold on there a minute, will ye?"
Rahne Sinclair and Sam Guthrie approached Jamie Madrox as their fellow mutants filed out the Danger Room door. Watching them go, Rahne realized she hadn't seen Mystique at the meeting. Well, so be it. She knew she'd feel terrible about exchanging an eye for an eye, eventually, and if she never got another chance... maybe that was for the best.
At least, that was how she felt after talking with Sam for a while. Rahne was surprised how good it felt to spend time with him again; one of her oldest friends with the New Mutants (not to mention her first real crush), Sam had a slow-tempered way about him that could ease her mind about anything. The news he'd passed on didn't hurt either.
"Go on, Sam, tell him!"
Sam offered his hand to shake, but Jamie only frowned at it, and finally the younger man shrugged. "Well, look, Mr. Madrox: I understand Guido Carosella works with you and Rahne at X-Factor Investigations?"
Madrox nodded. "Did, until he disappeared off the face of the Earth."
"Along with Dani, Roberto..." Rahne sighed. "Too many good people never reappeared when all this went to hell."
"Make your point," said Jamie.
"Point is, before my team an' I left the past, Esme tricked us into fightin' another mutant-- big fella with super-strength. I can't be sure, but I think it was Guido."
Madrox leaned against the wall, watching the last of the others leave, and said: "Huh."
"Well, don't ye see, Jamie? Guido could be trapped in the past-- in *their* past! I'd have thought you of all people would be keen t' rescue the big lug!"
"Maybe," Jamie said, wandering over near the door.
Rahne chased after him: "Ach, are ye more addled than usual today? Did ye even hear what we're saying to ye?"
"Yes, I did, Rahne." Jamie touched a switch, slamming shut the Danger Room door and locking it. "But the problem is this: The fellow you think you're talking to is tied up in a storage closet."
He turned to them with eyes glittering black. "I'm from the Slayer."
****
James Proudstar walked away from the briefing with Theresa Cassidy and her father Sean. He kept scenting the air, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
Theresa noticed, and touched his arm. "Jimmy? What is it?"
"I don't know," he said. "Something weird. That Madrox guy... I almost bumped into him on the way into the briefing. He's a strange one... you really had a thing with him?"
Theresa glanced in her father's direction. "Perhaps we'll discuss that later, eh?"
Sean laughed. "Aye, for the old dinosaur couldn't possibly understand the affairs of the young..."
"I didn't mean--"
Proudstar interrupted, "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"This way." He led them down the corridor to an out-of-the-way closet. This time Theresa heard it, too: *Thump*.
"It's locked," Proudstar said, rattling the doorknob.
"Allow us," said Sean. Father and daughter stood in front of the door and:
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Knocked it right off its hinges. Jamie Madrox fell out, bound and gagged.
Theresa knelt to untie him. "Jamie, what're yeh doin' in there?"
"Having a near-death experience," he said. "Thanks for interrupting it. I am now completely deaf, but thanks all the same."
Sean helped him to his feet. "Who did this to yeh?"
"You're about to meet her," Jamie said, glancing over his shoulder.
"Wha...?"
Proudstar felt the new presence a split-second before the others, turned to catch a glimpse of purplish-pink skin, and then--
WHAM!!! A kick sent him flying into the wall. As from somewhere very far off, he heard Theresa's scream...
****
Pain. Every step, every thought was pain. Logan felt like he couldn't breathe.
But of course, he could. He just had to do so slowly, deeply. Focus. Center. It's only pain. It will pass. And if it doesn't...
"Hey, Wolvie! Logan, wait up..."
Logan got a firm grip on a nearby table and gritted his teeth. He had a job. He'd hurt later. Right after he got around to hurting for that time his hands got cut off in the seventies.
Meanwhile, Alison Blaire, Piotr Rasputin, and Longshot approached. Logan stood up a little taller-- well, as tall as he could manage. "What is it, Ali? I don't have a lot of time."
"Well..." she stopped short, frowning. "Look, I don't know how to... that is, we've been talking it over. Not with TJ, she's got a lot on her plate, but the rest of us..."
"We know are you going back for Elisabeth," Piotr said.
"So are we," said Longshot. "You're going to need some help. And some luck."
Logan looked from one to the other, as surprised as he'd been for a long time. Especially by Ali-- when they'd first arrived in the past, nobody had resisted the direction he'd taken harder than she, and now...
"We just wanted you to know," said the Dazzler. "In case you thought you could get rid of us."
"Think hard about this," he told them. "It ain't your fight. There's lots of X-Men who could..."
"So who's speaking as an X-Man?" Alison replied. "We're X-Force."
"Da," said Piotr. He held forth his hand. Alison put hers on top of his, and Longshot added his to the pile. Logan reached out with his own hand--
"HURK!" Suddenly Longshot was yanked away from the group, disappearing *through* the wall.
"What the...?" Alison yelped.
SNIKT! Logan fell into fighting stance, the pain forgotten, scenting the air. "Kitty..."
Piotr said, "If Katya is here, we must..."
"Pete, stay back from the wall!"
"I--"
Then a small hand reached through the wall and pulled Piotr Rasputin in.
****
Scott Summers turned away from the last of the preparations he'd been making, and nearly bumped into Emma Frost.
"Is Jean ready?"
"Almost," she said. "Perhaps you should ask her yourself."
"I have too much to do." He turned down the corridor.
Emma caught his arm and made him look at her. "Talk to Jean."
"Why? What the hell is there to say?"
"If you don't speak her to her," the White Queen said, "you'll be asking yourself that question forever, and I won't have it, Scott. I won't be second choice any longer. If you really want me, then settle things with Jean." She hesitated. "Before it's too late."
"I-- you're right." Scott nodded. "You're right, where is she?"
"She's down in the-- bugger!" Emma said suddenly, and turned to diamond.
Scott started to ask what was wrong, but something struck him in the back of the skull before he could get the question out. He looked up from his hands and knees--
--at the fiery shape at the end of the corridor, with a redheaded youth at its center.
"Well, isn't this sweet?" she said. "What a family picture! Here's Rachel, and here's Rachel's daddy, and here's Daddy's special friend Emma."
"Ray, stop--!"
"Say goodbye to Emma, Daddy." Rachel waved her hand, and Emma Frost flew the length of the corridor and through the window.
Scott couldn't hesitate. He reached for his visor, and: ZRAAAAAAAACK! But Rachel tore chunks from the walls and used them as a shield. As she floated closer, Scott could see that her eyes were almost entirely black.
"Now," said Rachel Grey, "let's talk quality time..."
****
"You asked her to MARRY you?" Hank McCoy asked the Angel, who had surprised him with the news while he and Cecilia Reyes headed back to the lab. "Are you certain that was wise?"
"Who's talking about wisdom? I've been too wise for love my whole life, Hank. I could never just let myself fall, and damn the consequences. But now-- with Paige-- Hank, I was sure she hated me. I never thought anyone could understand. But she did, and--"
"And you thought not-hatred would be a solid foundation for a marriage?" Cecilia said.
"I wasn't thinking of it in quite those terms..."
"Maybe you *should* think a little," Hank said. "You realize she's not old enough to drink?"
Warren arched an eyebrow. "Are you implying a girl would have to be drunk to accept my proposal?"
"I was making a general point. She's very young."
"I'm through worrying about that. She's a grown woman."
"Legally, so's my 18-year-old cousin at NYU," said Cecilia. She frowned at the Angel. "Stay the hell away from my cousin, Warren."
He sighed. "Look, it was a beautiful moment! I finally have what I really want and-- and you really think it's *that* bad an idea?"
"Well, it's not my place to pry," said Hank.
"Or mine," said Cecilia.
"But... if it were...?"
"Oh, terrible idea."
"Worse than that."
Warren rolled his eyes.. "Another thing I like about being in X-Man is all the support I get from my friends..."
"Don't listen to them, mein herr," said a voice from overhead. Nightcrawler swung down from an over head light fixture, landing on his feet in front of them. "Ach, I just love a wedding! Allow me to be the first to present my gift..."
He flipped over Warren's head, grabbed him from behind, and-- BAMF! The last Hank and Cecilia heard was the Angel's scream...
****
"He asked you to MARRY him?" Monet St. Croix gaped at Paige Guthrie. "What *is* your secret, girl?"
"Monet, this is serious--"
"I know! Think of all the planning! Now, for the honeymoon, may I recommend Monaco? It's lovely at this time of..."
"Dammit!" Paige said. "I didn't accept yet!"
Monet bunched her hands on her hips. "Well, don't get snippy with *me*. I only said you should grab the brass ring. I didn't necessarily mean you should buy the amusement park. Although with his money, you *could*..."
"Well, what was I supposed to say? What *can* I say? I'm not ready for marriage!"
"Then I suggest the words 'I'm not ready for marriage.'" Monet frowned. "Sorry, am I being tactless again? I can't always tell."
"No-- no, you're right!" Paige tossed up her hands. "I just hate to-- we can't seem to get this straight! It's either too much or not enough! What d'you think--"
--D'yer want to know what *I* think?-- said a telepathic voice out of the darkened room across the hall. "I'm thinking of the part that goes, 'speak now, or forever hold yer peace'...--
Jonothon Starsmore stepped forward, unleashing the full fury of his psionic energy chamber on the two girls. Monet stepped in front of Paige and took the brunt of it with her invulnerability, but they were flattened all the same...
--Consider me spoken, luv,-- he said, already charging for another blast.
****
"Yo, Sabretooth!"
Victor Creed half-turned. SNIK-- his new metal claws fell into place. He didn't want any part of the huge fellow approaching him in the corridor. Cain Marko, the Juggernaut, was running after him with his stupid helmet clutched under his arm. He growled as the other man slid to a halt, just out of slashing range.
"What d'you want?"
"Figured I'd welcome you over to our side," said the Juggernaut, "and warn ya that if you get any bright ideas about stabbin' Wolverine in the back... well, he's an annoying little twerp, but he's *our* annoying little twerp. You get what I'm sayin', pal?"
Creed laughed. "Who died an' made you noble?"
"Sammy Pare," said the Juggernaut, staring him down.
"Heh." Creed advanced. "I still owe you one for sellin' out the Brotherhood. They say you ain't so tough anymore. I wonder how good you'd cut?"
"Wanna find out? All you gotta do is say the word..."
Sabretooth took a step, but-- POW! Something exploded between them.
Remy LeBeau stood a little way off, lazily flipping through his deck of cards. "Mebbe I can settle this, mes amis. *Either* o' you take one more step, I kill you both. Take my word, nobody gon' miss you."
The Juggenaut turned, annoyed. "Watch it, Remy! I was just tryin' to--"
"You got your work t' do, Cain. Monsieur Creed got his. We *all* got work. We leave each other to it, non? Otherwise we might have to dispense wit' de pleasantries. Comprendez-vous?"
"Sho' nuff, shugah," said an exaggerated Southern accent. The three men turned in the same direction, breaking up the standoff. A woman in green stood before them, removing her hood as she spoke. "Y'all always was a sweet-talker, Remy. No wonder I used t' think you loved me."
"Rogue," he breathed, "listen, cher--"
"Done enough listenin'. My turn to talk now."
The Juggernaut stepped between them. "C'mon, Rogue, don't do this. You never been a match for me one-on...
Rogue swung from the heels. WHAM! Cain Marko went flying.
"One," she said, then turned casually and extended a hand. A jet of flame-- the Sunfire powers she was supposed to have lost-- scorched Sabretooth even as he pounced. She stepped aside to let him him the ground. "Two."
"Rogue... listen, you don't--"
"Pucker up for three, sugar," she said, tossing Remy's staff aside and pulling him into a kiss. He felt his power, his mind, his very self draining away...
****
"You want to go *where?* No, Lorna! Absolutely not!"
"Alex, listen to me!" Lorna Dane decided it had been a mistake to bring this up in the last moments before a battle. On the other hand, it wasn't like Alex would like it any better once he'd thought about it. "Someone ought to go back. She invited us--"
"I couldn't care less! It wasn't our Universe! We've done what we can for those people and now--"
"There's too much I still don't understand," Lorna said. "Like why Guinevere knew about space-time, or just what exactly that Moira impersonator was... besides, it's a whole world of mutants who will need--"
Alex stopped in the corridor, grabbing her arms. "But why you, huh? Why so soon?"
"Because--" She looked away. "Because there's nothing for me here."
He winced as though stung. "There's your friends. Your family, almost..."
"Whom I tried to kill, not so long ago. Alex, I have to be apart from you all for a while. I can't make sense of anything here, least of all myself. And I *have* to get myself back before we--"
"We?" he asked.
"I was hoping you'd talk to Scott for me."
Alex started walking again. "What makes you think Scott talks to me? I'm just his brother."
"Alex--"
"Hey!" said a female voice. They turned to see the newcomers to the mansion-- Metralla and her crew-- approaching at a run. "You-- you're the boss's brother, right?"
Alex frowned. "Everybody's noticing that today."
"Yeah, well, you can tell him from us that we're takin' off. This X-Men stuff is great if you're a hero, but I'm just a working girl. I'm gonna save the world by recycling like everybody else."
"Hawk and I are leaving, too," Sonja said. "We're in complete agreement."
"Completely. Totally. One hundred and five percent," said the little man. "Except that I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want to be a superhero! Please, Sonja? Please? I'll make sure you're played by somebody really hot in the movie! Do you want Nicole Kidman or Kiera--"
"Shut up, Hawk."
"Aw."
Alex held up his hands. "Look, I'll talk to Scott, but it's going to have to wait."
"For what?" Metralla asked. "The final battle? That's gonna be a little late, *hombre*."
"Just-- just lay low for now, all right? You're perfectly safe inside the Mansion. Aren't they, Lorna?"
"Very safe," she promised.
"Excuse me, sorry," said Hawk, pointing outside, "but why is the lady with malevolent black eyes hovering outside the window?"
"That's no lady, my friend!" Sonja backed away. "Don't you watch the news? That's STORM, and I think she's going to--"
Alex and Lorna turned-- it was Ororo out there, all right. Anything they might have done about it was cut short by a tremendous burst of lightning that crashed through the window and made everything go crazy.
****
"Now just relax," Jean Grey said to Quicksilver and Nocturne. They sat in a semicircle in a room she'd once called her own, that now belonged to Scott and Emma. Jean couldn't resist making some evaluations of their changes to the space, and it wasn't really helping her concentration.
*It's bad enough she's a silicone-enhanced, man-eating predator... her taste is -awful-! I've seen crypts with more life to them...*
Nocturne cleared her throat. "Aunt Jean?"
"Um... yes. Sorry, TJ. I... *Aunt* Jean?"
"Try being her Uncle Pietro," Quicksilver grumbled.
The girl shrugged. "I can not call you that if you want, but I always used to..."
"It's okay," Jean said, taking her hand. "I like it."
Quicksilver reluctantly took her other hand, and Jean moved inside herself, centering herself in her power, opening her thoughts and perceptions to the world... then to the Universe... then to the Multiverse... then to the thing that connected them all.
Nocturne gasped. In the physical world, Emma's portal had reappeared. Jean took a deep breath and levitated them through it...
Confusion. Light, sound, color, a billion sensations jumbled together, a roller coaster ride spiraling crazily through the fabric of reality...
Then, peace. Darkness. Quiet. The portal opened. Jean, Pietro, and Nocturne fell into the Crossroads.
"Whoa," Nocturne said, shaking herself. "I've been to all kinds of dimensions, but I've never seen one inside-out before. Cool..."
"Disconcerting is more like it," Pietro grumbled, picking himself off the ground.
"I'm sorry you don't enjoy my accommodations, Pietro," said a woman's voice. Wanda. "If I'd known you were coming... well, of course, I did know you were coming. Sorry."
*No,* Jean thought, scrambling to her feet.
But it was true. They were too late. The Scarlet Witch stood before them in all her glory... and with the glittering black eyes that told of possession by the Slayer.
"Mom!" TJ said. "Mom, listen, it's--"
Pietro held her back. "Don't be a fool, girl. That's not Wanda."
The Witch advanced. "But it is, my brother. The Wanda you created. Turned on by her friends, misled by her you... you made her so confused and angry, so perfect for me. Oh, and Jean-- of course, you must also thank your friend Havok for killing me."
"I'll pass along the message," Jean said stiffly.
"I thought I'd done all I could with the Scarlet Witch. I was ready to discard her, until I saw how much raw power she'd poured into Morgan Le Fay. I *never* expected that, and I wouldn't have known if I hadn't lost my vessel. Necessity is the mother of invention."
"Insanity's the father," Pietro said, defiant.
"You have no idea, boy. All of you will see what real insanity is-- the torment of living everything, all the time, all at once. I'm afraid even you can't stop me now, Jean.
"Welcome to the new world," Wanda said, and broke the Multiverse.