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Choosing Sides
Apocalypse’s assassin, Domino, fights Rossovitch from the mutant underground for information about the mysterious telepath they are looking for. Rossovitch refuses to help, certain he is able to kill one lone, hapless female. Domino dodges his tentacle strike easily with a somersault, informing him her boss doesn’t make any mistakes. And who said anything about her being alone?
Grizzly (former serial killer) attacks him wildly, informing him he had his chance. Now it’s killing time! Rossovitch tangles him up, announcing in Russia they eat bears like Grizzly for breakfast. Death to them all!
A woman’s work is never done, Domino sighs. She stabs him in the stomach as she remarks with a grin that she is the best at what she does. Ever was. Ever will be.
With Rossovitch disposed of, she calls the third member of her band, Caliban, to come out of hiding. He wasn’t exactly hiding, the tracker replies with a smirk. Merely holding himself back, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. Someone with his talent shouldn’t waste it.
Grizzly threateningly informs him he’d make a good toothpick. Domino breaks up their argument. She reminds them they’ve been in the field for more than a week looking for this unknown telepath. Apocalpyse wants them to either hire him or fry him. But they can’t do squat unless they find him. So let’s finish that gig!
In the meantime, Forge trains Nate in hand-to-hand combat, watched by their troupe as well as newcomer Theresa aka Sonique, the girl Nate saved.
Overconfident, Nate urges Forge to come on. He tries a drop-kick on Forge who slams him down, and reminds the boy that if this were a real battle, his cockiness would get Nate killed. Again and again, the boy is beaten until angrily he lashes out with his TK power and then demands why he needs fighting skills anyway? Forge answers that he can’t always rely on his powers. He can’t be so overconfident when he is dealing with Apocalypse.
Nate angrily storms off, accompanied by Theresa. Brute warns Forge that he may be too hard on the boy. Forge somberly replies that he is afraid that without wanting to he is pushing him towards Essex.
Indeed, Nate has gone to their new companion, Essex, who tells him that he understands his desire to explore his powers and urges him to use them. Forge still sees him as a boy.
Essex had introduced himself to the band as a bioengineer, who used to work for Apocalypse, but eventually turned against him. With the exception of Nate and Theresa, though, the rest of the troupe remains wary of him.
Theresa defends Forge’s caution, reminding them she knows firsthand what Apocalypse would do if he found them. Nate points out that he psi-scanned Essex and thinks he is telling the truth. If he trusts him, the others should too! It’s so weird, he muses, Forge has been like a father to him and yet, in such a short time, Essex has managed to get him more. Curious that Forge never discusses Nate’s real father with him, Essex mutters and then asks Nate if he has never considered using his powers to fly?
Nate tries and succeeds with Essex’s prompting. Essex glories in Nate’s display of his powers. As Theresa mentions that Forge wants them to keep a low profile, Essex – his eyes glowing red – tells her that Forge is myopic. How else could he not see the glory of Nate’s power? Yeah, right, Theresa replies, not convinced.
Nate pushes himself too much with the new use of his powers and ends up exhausted, with a nosebleed and a headache. Essex suggests they keep this session a secret from Forge as he doesn’t want the boy training on his own.
In the evening, the band discusses their next move. Soaron, who was injured during the last fight, wishes to lay low, reminding them how he sacrificed his wing during their last fight. Forge however states he fears they will all have to make even greater sacrifices. He’s gotten word of a route the Infinite patrols use…
Essex interrupts, offering a better target – a factory, where experiments on humans are conducted. On Nate’s urging Forge agrees on a recon mission. Brute, in the meantime, feels that he knows Essex somehow.
And so, some time later Nate, Essex, Brute and Forge check out the factory. As they sneak inside, Forge too is starting to have his doubts about Essex, specifically considering how well he knows his way around.
The four discover a place of horror. Essex explains that Henry McCoy, Apocalypse’s chief scientist, had the theory that from the bone marrow of otherwise discarded human corpses enough DNA might be extracted to provide a worthwhile supplement for Alpha Class mutants. Fortunately, McCoy’s theory had a ratio of nearly one hundred humans to a gram of extract, making the feasibility of the project less than attractive. The matter was dropped, the project was scrapped. Or so the world was led to believe, in the light of the Kelly Pact. What the four see here, proves the world was wrong, that thousands of humans were butchered in that place and that the Madri are now supposed to cleanse the factory, destroying the evidence.
Essex and Forge want to draw out, but Nate angrily demands they “level this joint.” They are discovered by the Madri and battle ensues. Nate uses his newfound flying power, but is hit by one of the Madri’s blasts.
While Forge tries to order the group out, Essex stands almost transfixed, staring at the beaten Nate, muttering he was defeated so easily.
Nate recovers in time to shut off two of the Madri who threaten him. Another of them watches and intends to inform Apocalypse about this powerful telepath.
The others join Nate and Brute carries the still woozy boy. Is this what Essex wanted? Forge hisses at him. The boy pushed himself too far! What could he possibly have gained by pushing Nate too far? Essex asks innocently.
Later, while the others are asleep at an abandoned farmhouse Nate sneaks out, but is discovered by Theresa who asks what’s going on with him. Something changed in him. Nate explains that he’s sick of being spoon-fed information by Forge, he wants to find out himself. Will it be dangerous? she asks. Probably, Nate replies. She insists on his taking her along.
He telepathically transports both their astral bodies to the Westchester mansion of the X-Men, where he’s been before, unaware of its meaning. He just knows Forge doesn’t want him there and he wants to find out why.
They see Magneto at play with his young son Charles. Despite Nate’s assurances to the contrary, Charles can see them. Magneto cannot, but trusts his son and goes into full attack mode. Nate wants to explain, but Theresa breaks the psilink, transporting them home. Nate realizes, the man was Magneto, the central resistance leader and wonders why Forge was trying to keep him away from him. He keeps saying Nate is destined for great things. He wants to know when!
In the meantime, Brute confronts Essex in the stable. Brute wasn’t slow-witted before  he was experimented upon by Sinister and he has realized that Essex, despite his different appearance, is his former tormentor. So revealed, Essex aka Sinister kills him.
Shortly afterwards, unaware of what happened in the stable, Forge asks Essex to leave. Essex asks whether Nate agrees with this and tells Forge that he has no idea how much Nate is worth. Their heated discussion is cut short as Domino, Caliban and Grizzly confront them.


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[Assistant]
Turning Point
Apocalypse’s assassin, Domino, orders Forge to hand over the telepath – or else. Forge assures her there is no need for violence. He is sure they can accommodate her in some way. Domino points out that somebody already lopped off a good chunk of him. So, she’d be asking herself how much longer does he want to keep that tongue!
Essex, in the meantime, slips away, recognizing Domino as Apocalypse’s most dangerous assassin. He fears his plan has been found out.
Pointing her weapon at him, Domino informs Forge she knows who he is. How he used to run with the traitor Magneto and now, using a theatre troupe for cover, he likes to blow up trains and factories; strictly small potatoes. But when he added the telepath to his little ragtag band he made the big time and the spotlight has fallen on him.
Which brings to mind an old theatrical expression, Forge announces: “Exit stage left!” Forge uses a dazzling grenade to divert Domino and her gang and runs off, while warning Nate telepathically to keep away. Inwardly he swears, certain Essex has something to do with this. He vows he won’t let Apocalypse take away the boy.
Finding Toad and Mastermind, Forge quickly schemes. He gambles that the hunters don’t know, which of them is Nate and asks Jason for help, then presents him to Domino.
Nate, having received Forge’s warning, of course does the opposite of what he’s been told. Theresa notes that he’s heading towards Forge and is worried that something bad’s about to happen to his friends.
Domino suspiciously examines Jason; she has a hard time believing he’s supposed to be an incredibly powerful telepath.
In response, Jason creates a huge nightmare image of Apocalypse that belittles and attacks Domino. Unfortunately, the assassin realizes that Jason is an illusionist and shoots him, intending to make Forge her next kill. At that moment, they are intercepted by Nate, who telekinetically propels himself towards Domino and flies away with her from Forge.
Unfazed, Domino strikes Nate, causing him to crash, while she somersaults safely to the ground. Nate furiously attacks the assassin with energy blasts, vowing he’ll put her down forever but she dodges his telekinetic blasts and counters with an attack of her own. His telekinetic shield barely holds her back.
Unexpectedly, she drops her gun, jumps at Nate with a sword and hits him with its hilt. Does he want to know how she got the name Domino? ‘Cause things have a nasty habit of falling into place for her. Now surrender or die! she orders.
In the meantime, Caliban and Toad are dueling. Toad manages to stab Caliban, but is in turn torn apart by Grizzly. Forge and Theresa attack with Sonique’s wail keeping Grizzly off-balance and Forge finishing him off.
Grizzly’s deathcry distracts Domino for a split-second, time enough for Nate to freeze her telekinetically. He realizes that Domino gets off on others’ suffering and decides to give her a taste of her own medicine, by making her relive the deaths of all her victims from their side. Domino screams and sinks down, catatonic.
Nate frantically runs towards the battlefield, worried about his friends. Relieved, he sees that Forge is all right and hugs his foster father. He admits that he was wrong to believe that he could do anything with his powers and that he is now willing to wait, before taking on Apocalypse.
Forge is relieved and proud that Nate is finally starting to act like a responsible adult. He heads towards the stable, where he finds the dead Brute.
Essex turns up, claiming that Domino murdered him. He tried to stop her but she was too swift. However, Forge is aware that Essex is the true killer and tells him to stay away from the boy or he’ll fight him to his last breath. An amused Essex replies, this shouldn’t take long.
Outside, Soaron whines about their taking time to bury the dead when Apocalypse himself could be on their heels. It’s a wonder he has any friends at all, Theresa remarks while Nate wonders, what’s taking his friend so long. As if on cue, he feels terrible pain through the rapport he shares with Forge and runs into the stable to find Forge dying in a pool of his own blood.
He’s sorry, Forge thinks, he only wanted more time with Nate to get him ready. With his last thoughts, Forge tells the boy to find Magneto. As he dies, Nate experiences Forge’s life in memory flashes: his time working with Magneto, finding Nate, his love affair with Storm that ended badly, losing more and more of his body parts, his role as Nate’s foster father and finally the face of his murderer. “Please don’t go!” Nate begs and, in despair, he destroys the shed with one telekinetic outburst.
Essex coming up behind him is impressed. But then he would have expected nothing less. Perhaps with these… distractions out of the way they can get down to work.
Nate telekinetically attacks him, seemingly destroying him. Forge was the only one who ever loved him, he shouts. He cared for him, no matter what mistakes he made, and Essex took all of that away!
But then, out of nothing, Essex reshapes himself in his true form as Mr. Sinister. If he’d known Forge meant that much to him, he would have killed him sooner…  Nate  wanted answers. Now he shall have them, Mr. Sinister promises.


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[Assistant]
The Art of War
The palace of Apocalypse: What exactly does he mean, Domino has failed? the displeased monarch demands of his pet telepath, the Shadow King. The telepath explains that the telepath Domino was meant to retrieve still lives and is sending out a wave of energy on the astral plane which he has distributed among his many host bodies Is she dead? Apocalypse demands. It does not appear so, he only senses that she is somehow… empty, as if her soul had been extinguished.
Apocalypse seethes. He has never known Domino to fail at any task he appointed her. She has the innate ability to have situations turn to her advantage. He did warn him of the enormity of the telepath’s power, the Shadow King begins. Enough! Apocalypse booms and angrily blasts at the room around him Has he forgotten to whom he speaks? He is the Lord Apocalypse! This planet fears his very existence! And yet, the Shadow King points out, the telepath still lives.
Apocalypse calms down, admitting this is a clear example of survival of the fittest. Thus Domino was proven unfit and this telepath has become more of a nuisance than he expected. He will deal with that personally. But now he has more pressing matters which require his undivided attention. He walks down stairways into a dungeon and announces to the imprisoned Magneto that they will continue…
Elsewhere, Nate attacks the man he knew as Essex, who has now revealed himself as Sinister and has murdered Nate’s foster father, Forge. As far as Nate in concerned, he is going to die!
Even while falling back, Sinister is gratified to witness the boy’s astounding power and admits to himself that might prove challenging.
Nate rants that he trusted Essex, stood up for him and was betrayed. He killed Forge, the most important person in his life! Sinister gets up, the telekinetic blast forming a hole in his torso. Does he want to know why? he asks. He has no intention of fighting Nate. If for no other reason that the boy might get hurt.
He reshapes his body to mend the hole. And neither of them would get what they want, he continues. What he wants? Nate snarls, he wants him dead!
It is understandable he is angry about Forge’s death, Essex continues undeterred. He’d become a father figure to him; but Forge only found Nate, the way people find money. It’s good for the person who finds it and bad for the one who lost it. He does not deny that Nate may have the power to destroy him and, if they take that as given, why not indulge himself in hearing about his past before he chooses to obliterate the only one who knows the truth?
More of his lies! Nate snarls. He scanned Essex when he first came. If he could fool Nate then, why would he believe him now? Fair enough, Sinister agrees. But why not make that choice after hearing the facts? There are things he knows Forge couldn’t have told Nate about… his parents. Look inside him with his telepathy. Nate does so.
Sinister’s mind:
They return to a memory of a hidden lab that Sinister kept from Apocalypse. Nate sees himself slumbering, younger. How he labored, Sinister remarks, for centuries he waited for such a magnificent combination: the prelate Cyclops with a wondrous telepath named Jean Grey. He waited for the two of them to come together and, finally, with a slight touch of growth acceleration the result was more than he could have imagined. That’s a lie! Nate retorts. He was taken from the Pens, tortured, but he escaped. Really? Sinister asks sardonically.
Shift to a different scene: Cyclops reaching out to Nate, telling him: “Come with me if you want to live.”
He hopes Nate appreciates the irony as he does, Sinister remarks. His own father aided his escape, though he didn’t know of their connection. Sinister wasn’t there when it happened, Nate replies. But he was, Sinister claims, in the shadows, powerless to stop Nate as he fled on his own.
He couldn’t risk Apocalypse learn of Cyclops’ treasonous actions and it was far too soon for his legion to lean of Nate’s existence. He thought he’d lost him.
Back to reality:
Can he now understand Sinister’s dilemma? Apocalypse and he once shared a mutual interest, the evolution of Homo superior. But where Sinister was posed to bring life up to the next rung on the genetic ladder Apocalypse now embraces only death. He has to be stopped. Why tell him all this? Nate asks. He wants him to fulfil his destiny to kill Apocalypse!
Suddenly, Sinister is hit by a blast. Nate’s friends Soaron and Sonique have arrived to defend him. They intend to hold Sinister off so Nate can flee. He telekinetically wraps them in a bubble and forces them to leave, because what follows is going to be ugly….
He hits Sinister in the face, telling him to listen. He is not and never has been his puppet! Sinister begins to grin. Nate may have had some adventures with Forge which allowed him some autonomy. But make no mistake about it, this is something he has planned for a very long time and he has no intention of allowing Nate to stray from his original purpose. He is nothing more than a weapon for Sinister to point at Apocalypse.
Liar! Nate screams and hits him with another telekinetically reinforced blow. He continues shouting he has memories and dreams and hopes and loves! Doesn’t matter what he says or how he twists the truth! He is not anyone’s project! Sinister falls down. And now he is all alone, Nate pronounces. All right, Sinister has taught him something. It’s only a matter of time before Apocalypse comes for Nate, so he has to get him first, Nate flies away.
Sinister gets up, telling himself it doesn’t matter what the boy believes, as long as he succeeds. Curious, he notices, he is actually bleeding and stumbles down, realizing he is dying.
Later, all that remains are goodbyes. Where will he go? What will he do Theresa asks. Nate replies that Forge told him to find Magneto. And, before she asks, he can’t put anybody else in danger. Apocalypse won’t stop until he finds Nate. He has to do this alone. Theresa pulls Nate in for a kiss and promises to never forget him. Nate asks Soaron to watch over her. In his usual gruff manner, Soaron tells him to be careful himself. Whelp!
Nate flies off. He wonders about his life.  Who will answer his questions, now Forge is gone? Maybe Magneto knows but how does he find someone who doesn’t want to be found. Maybe the times he psi-linked with Magneto weren’t an accident. Maybe Forge planned all along that he could contact him by just thinking about it.
That moment, Nate believes to see an image of Apocalypse torturing Magneto and he realizes where they are. He flies off and soon finds himself floating above what was once the island of Manhattan, at the palace of Apocalypse. Strangely, he senses something tugging him to come inside. He wonders if it comes from Magneto and decides to check it out.
Beneath the citadel, Apocalypse keeps hundreds mutants for genetic testing. Unspeakable horrors are committed in the name of the survival of the fittest. Unknown to Nate, the pens are in an uproar. The order has been given to exterminate the lot. The prisoners are fleeing from the guards that shoot at them. Nate telekinetically takes out a guard. A moment later, he finds himself facing two special escapees, the source of the tugging, namely Cyclops and Jean Grey, his parents.
Both Nate and Jean draw back in pain as the merest touching of minds creates a devastating psionic backlash and Cyclops fires his optic blast at Nate. Jean tells him to stop. He doesn’t understand! She explains that the young man is a friend… and, she suspects, much more. She’s only talked like this with one other person and he’s gone. She can tell Nate is special, and now he is alone. Would he like to come with them?
Nate refuses. Seems like his whole life someone’s been telling him about his destiny and for just as long he’s been running away from that. Too many good people have died already. Too many people that he’s loved and he owes it to them and maybe to himself to do what he’s supposed to do. Cyclops agrees. The time has come to finish this fight. He wishes Nate good luck. Nate promises when this is over to find them if he can.
Jean urges Scott they need to go. He admits he remembers that kid. Years ago, he helped him escape from the pens and, even then for some reason, the boy reminded him of himself.
Nate takes off to find Apocalypse for their final confrontation…


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[Assistant]
The Man who fell to Earth
A large crater steams amidst a snow-covered landscape, as Nate Grey clambers up an embankment, trying to get clear of ground zero. He himself is smoking, having lain in the crater for some time before being able to make the effort to move. He looks like a young man, perhaps no different than most, except he may be the most dangerous being on the planet.
He stands and surveys his surroundings. All around him, snow-covered mountains dwarf him. After what he has just been through, he cannot be sure he hasn’t stumbled into heaven. It’s like nothing he’s ever seen. His memories, such as they are, are of a world where the air has been choked with war-filled smoke, and his life overwhelmed with bigotry and hatred.
Nate Grey grew up in what can best be described as a dark reflection of our world. It was a world in which a mad tyrant named Apocalypse split the planet in a genetic race war; mutant versus human - and everybody lost. That world is gone now and Nate has landed here. He is possibly one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, but he doesn’t know about love, or independence, or freedom.
He wanders away from the crater and through the snow, not knowing exactly where he is headed. He can only remember being in the stronghold of Apocalypse in a battle for his life. His head aches terribly, jumbling with thoughts, his memories of a mission that went somewhat awry. He feels that he has to find Magneto, but for now rests against a tree. The snow is cold, and he wonders how this can be. Where on Earth is he?
He makes his way to a road and staggers across it as a juggernaut approaches. The driver sees him, but it’s too late and, despite sounding his horn and flashing his headlights, he smashes into Nate, knocking him clear into the air. The truck skids sideways, narrowly avoiding jack-knifing, and the driver gets out, thinking he’s killed the boy for sure. He finds Nate lying in the snow, his body spewing energy as he groans in pain. Finding him still alive, he helps Nate up and they stagger back to his truck. The trucker speaks but Nate doesn’t understand his language. The trucker speaks English, but says it isn’t too good. He advises Nate to get some sleep, while he continues his journey to Geneva.
(Nate’s dream)
In his fevered state, Nate drifts from consciousness, his mind swimming with the world he has lost and the confusion he has found. It’s like flipping through a scrapbook. The pages turn so quickly, there can be only sparks of memory. The haunting loss of a man named Forge, his protector, Mister Sinister, an evil man who sent Nate adrift in a sea of lies, and a brief encounter with a man and a woman (Scott and Jean) whose importance is lost in the haze. The images he sees are visions of another world and another time; nightmarish glimpses that build with clarity. He then sees a battle with Apocalypse himself, a battle interrupted by another with a being called Holocaust. There was an explosion, removing Nate from that place, that time – that purpose.
(reality)
Nate wakes and his face distorts at the memory of what Holocaust did. The trucker wonders what he is saying, but his thoughts soon turn to fear as Nate turns on him, his left eye glowing with energy. “Who are you? he asks. “What kind of vehicle is this? Do you work for Apocalypse? Tell me, or I swear I’ll kill you!” Despite not understanding his words, the trucker knows when to quit and he leaps from his truck in desperation. Nate screams, “Where am I?” and extends his psionic energy outwards, destroying the struck and its highly flammable cargo. The result is devastating. What’s more disturbing is that, without the guidance of someone like Forge in his life, is there anyone who can control this impulsive young man?
As quickly as it erupted, the moment has quelled. Nate lies once again face down in the snow, as his actions begin to dawn on him. He knows that was stupid. Forge would have kicked his butt from there to… wherever. He used to say, “Every time you use your powers, it’s like a beacon shining right at Apocalypse.” He turns his head and sees a sign which reads, ‘Montreux, Switzerland, 2km.’ He knows he is far from home, but doesn’t realize just how far. He gets up and begins to walk, knowing that he must be more careful, and to cover his tracks and thoughts.
(Xavier Institute, Salem Center, moments earlier)
Half a world away, Charles Xavier, arguably the most powerful telepath in the world, counsels Bishop, a time-displaced mutant who has a unique problem. He is chopping wood, but is troubled by what feel like dreams to him. It’s like trying to remember a dream right after you wake up, only he knows it wasn’t a dream. Charles advises him to take it slowly. “Whatever you experienced, I have no doubt…..” Charles suddenly breaks off as he receives a flash of major psionic power. He tells Bishop it was like the one he felt the other night, and then it was as if whoever did it cloaked himself from him. That must have happened before, enquires Bishop. Never, replies Charles.
(Switzerland)
Nate arrives in Montreux and thinks that the buildings, the cars and the way the people are dressed don’t seem right. It is a sunny afternoon in the downtown district. People here take lunching at some favorite bistro for granted but, to Nate, it feels horribly foreign. He makes his way past a playground and hears children laughing. Aren’t they afraid? he wonders. Aren’t they aware of the danger? He places his hand on the criss-crossed wire-fencing and asks himself if he was ever that young. He sees a woman caring for her young children. There’s like a wall in his head, blocking out so much. Then, inexplicably, as if a hand had been removed from his eyes so that he might see, a name strikes him. “Jean. Jean Grey.” In the same instant, it chills him because, tragically, he doesn’t know its significance.
He continues his reconnaissance of the town, past locals, whose thoughts he can read but cannot understand. He must find somebody who he can trust - but who? Despite his frustration and panic, he is still capable of wonder. He looks through a shop window at television sets and thinks they are remarkable. He sees himself reflected back at him on a half-dozen screens, caught on CCTV. He looks pretty bad; no wonder everyone is looking at him. If he doesn’t get a grip, he’s gonna be dead. He doesn’t know how all this happened, but there has to be a way to get back home.
He comes across a sign for Las Vegas on the side of a bus. It’s all very confusing, but he keeps walking, hoping it will all make sense soon and that it’s not some sort of trick. As he wanders, he sees a man across the street wearing a hood. Could it be? he wonders. He dashes across the street, calling Forge’s name, but, as he reaches him, the man turns around and it’s just another stranger. Nate recoils and comes to the conclusion that Forge really is gone. He sinks to his knees. ‘Lost,’ he thinks. ‘There’s no one here who knows me, no one to help me…’ The stranger suddenly turns around and looks at Nate. He only hears the words ‘help me’ as a whisper but, where his first instinct was to shove this stranger away, now there is a sense of the familiar. He is now drawn to help.
He doubles back and extends his hand to Nate, apologizing for startling him. He didn’t realize just what bad shape he was in. Nate doesn’t understand the words, but the act is simply one of human kindness. It will prove more valuable than he knows. The stranger says he’ll take him to a hospital, but Nate replies that they’d look for him there; he needs someplace safe. He doesn’t know how it happened but suddenly there is no language barrier for him to overcome. It’s weird, he thinks, but by thinking about it, he can finally understand what he’s saying. He must have somehow used his power to help him communicate. Maybe things are starting to go his way. The stranger helps him walk and tells him he has an extra room. Everything’s going to be all right.
It takes only a few minutes by Jeep to reach his cabin, nestled high in the Alps. It’s a simple home where Nate can finally relax. The stranger informs Nate that he has a son around his age. He’s away at school. He introduces himself as being Sven Claris and Nate thanks him for helping him as they climb the long stairway to his home. Inside, a warm fire welcomes Nate. Sven says he wasn’t expecting company and needs a few things from town. When he gets back, they’ll have some supper. He asks for Nate’s name and he provides it. Sven asks him to get some rest and he’ll be back soon.
As he lays his head on a cushion, he doesn’t know why he used the name Nate Grey. Was it just that he had to say something, or was it somehow connected to that other name, the woman Jean? As he drifts off to sleep, his mind dances with the vision of a red-haired woman, her special face dancing like the snow outside, snow where only moments ago it had been clear.
Nate’s mind is a dangerously powerful thing. Capable of connecting with psionic energy in ways he himself cannot comprehend. His injuries are severe and, out of self-preservation, his mind reaches out to someone who could be of aid. He hears a creak and knows he cannot have slept for very long. He sits up and asks if it is Sven. A female voice replies that she thought he might be more comfortable with a blanket. He turns as the woman places her hand on his shoulder and asks who she is. The woman removes her hood and reveals a familiar face with long red hair. “My name? My name is Madelyne Pryor.”


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Earthly Delights
(Genosha)
The Sugarman, a survivor from the Age of Apocalypse, is contemplating his lunch, namely a small, helpless rat, which howls in pain as the Sugarman’s tongue squeezes the life from it. He has sensed the coming of Nate Grey, some twenty years after he appeared on this alternate Earth. For twenty years, Sugarman has kept his secret from the world. He has been the unknown force which guides Genosha, a small war-ravaged island off the coast of Africa. It is an island where mutants and humans struggle to survive. That anonymity may be drawing to a close.
Surrounded by his underlings, he asks his right-hand man, Rex, whether he is capable of bringing this Nate Grey to him. Rex confidently smokes his cigar and replies that, if that’s what he wants, he knows he will. He does, however, require a little special hardware, as he doubts Nate will come along peacefully. Sugarman respects Rex and admires his forward thinking. He reminds Rex that there will be others that will want this new arrival. Rex says they’ll just have to be a little quicker about it, then.
(Montreux, Switzerland)
A few hours later and half a world away, Nate is in Sven’s chalet and he opens the fridge door. He has vague recollections of things like this on his world. The light comes on as it opens and he tells Madelyne that simply having a light that goes on was considered a luxury where he comes from. It makes him realize how different this world is. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know where to go from here. He closes the door and reopens it, and the light comes on once more. Bathed in the light, he informs Madelyne that he doesn’t understand what is happening to him and, for some reason, she doesn’t know much either. She asks if it isn’t enough that she is here to help him, but Nate doesn’t know if it is.
Nate fell out of the sky less than twenty-four hours ago. His memory and body were damaged in the process, but he is still a being of enormous and potentially frightening power. He comes from a place that can only be described as a dark reflection of our own. His arrival may just herald the beginning of something worse. Madelyne, on the other hand, simply appeared to help him as he struggled with fever. Her arrival is a mystery that Nate finds….unsettling, just as he finds her eyes beguiling.
Madelyne doesn’t know what to tell him, other than things like this happen for a reason; as if they were destined to meet. Nate replies that he isn’t so sure about that. He never believed in destiny. All he knows is that he’s somewhere in Switzerland. Some nice old guy called Sven found him in the street and is letting him stay in his house. Then, she showed up. “And I guess my not knowing this Sven person doesn’t make this any easier for you?” says Madelyne. She is right. How can Nate be sure she isn’t a spy for Apocalypse? Madelyne has no idea what he’s talking about, which surprises Nate. How can she not know who Apocalypse is? This guy’s conquered half the planet! He slaps his head in frustration. If she doesn’t know that much, how can she begin to help him?
Madelyne stands and informs Nate that he’ll find out soon enough how valuable she can be to him. Nate responds by asking her to put herself in his position. She resembles a woman he doesn’t know very much about. He was thinking about her, and then Madelyne appeared, like in a dream. She reminds Nate that she isn’t a dream. She asks who this woman is that she looks like. Nate knows little, save her name; Jean Grey. Madelyne pauses, but is reluctant to say what she was thinking. She apologizes to Nate. “What about…Sinister?” he replies. As soon as the name leaves his lips, Madelyne Pryor lashes out, and her left fist collides with Nate’s jaw, sending him to the kitchen floor. “Don’t ever mention that name!” she cries, “He…I can feel his evil. Do you know him? Is that why we’re together?”
She crouches down and puts her head in her hands, sobbing, and asking herself what’s happened to her. Nate assures her he won’t mention his name again. He holds her and wonders just who is supposed to be helping who here. He also wonders why Sven is taking so long. He said he’d be back for supper.
(The White Horse Tavern)
This is where Sven is enjoying a tipple; a tavern in the center of Montreux. It’s a village that has stood for centuries, nestled in the Swiss Alps. It’s a tourist attraction, which welcomes its visitors. In all that time, it has never experienced what will happen today. Sven Claris has a lot on his mind, a mind soaked in whiskey. He mutters to himself before ordering another shot from the bartender, who asks him if he hasn’t had enough. It’s a good question and he wishes he knew. He lets the bartender in on a little secret. He was heading home, minding his own business, when he bumps into this most peculiar young man. For the life of him, he doesn’t know why, but he’s taken the lad in, when all he really knows about him is a name; Nate Grey.
Having travelled from Genosha, Rex makes his appearance in the White Horse. In a quiet Swiss tavern, he stands him out like a sore thumb. Wearing violet, thigh-length boots, a red jacket and gloves with faux knuckle-dusters on, he seems like a man out of time and place. A Mohawk sits atop a non-too attractive face, which comes complete with a long scar, which extends above and below his left eye. “What an incredible coincidence,” he says, “I’d like to buy this man a drink. It sounds like he’s found a friend of mine.”
(elsewhere)
Blaquesmith is engrossed in his usual monitoring, surrounded by hi-tech machinery, which allows him to keep track of the new arrival in this time. His long, bony fingers tap away at a keyboard, as he tracks the anomaly. Nate’s trying to cloak himself, but Blaquesmith has tracked better in his day. He orders the computer to run all data on the psionic presence, but the computer records two signatures coming from Montreux, despite the faint signal. He is perplexed and asks the computer to recheck all the data. Something’s not right here.
(Switzerland)
It is evening, and Madelyne stands before an open fire. Nate watches her. She looks lo lonely and, yet, like she doesn’t have a care in the world. There has to be a way to find out about her; what she wants, and why she’s here. He suggests that she wants to find out some answers. Though it might sound crazy, there are things he can do. He can go into people’s heads and, maybe, just maybe, he can help her remember what she knows about…whatever. He is careful not to repeat the name that caused Madelyne so much anguish earlier.
Maddie isn’t sure she wants him inside her head. What if something goes wrong? What if something bad happens? Nate assures her that he’s done this before, and they have to start somewhere. She acquiesces to his persuasion and, for some reason, doesn’t find this odd in the least. They seat themselves on a sofa and, having not fully recovered, the telepathic energy Nate will expend will leave him spent and unprepared for what he finds. As he teases her mind with his probing, Madelyne begins to sense something awry.
Suddenly, a huge psionic manifestation emerges, sending Nate reeling backwards. It is a grotesque image of Havok, who screams at Nate. He knows he has to stop this, and wonders if he somehow created this thing. Could he? The Havok monster is uncontrollable and Nate asks Maddie if she has any idea who this guy is. She doesn’t. Nate notices that she hesitated and thinks that maybe she it was out of fear, but wonders if she is hiding something.
As quickly as it started, it is all over. The creature disappears, leaving the dark room a mess. Maddie crawls over to Nate and asks if he’s okay. Like a far away echo, Nate can hear her voice, but the sheer magnitude of psionic energy that thing pulled out of him has left him exhausted. Madelyne realizes how vulnerable he is in this state.
Back in the center of Montreux, Rex walks Sven out to his Jeep. “So you really know this boy,” asks Sven, wanting a little clarification. Rex assures him that, as he’s been telling him, the boy’s a runaway. It’s probably why he didn’t tell Sven where he comes from. Rex gets a communication on his gadget-laden wristband. It informs him of Nate’s whereabouts. He turns to Sven and tells him that it seems that he won’t be requiring his help after all. His wristwatch pinpoints psionic activity. Sven doesn’t understand.
Rex pulls a small device from his person, and lets Sven know that he has a lovely parting gift for him. He walks away from the Jeep, leaving the device to explode the vehicle, sending Sven’s burning body high into the air. His wristband registered two psionic presences, thinks Rex. He hopes that won’t make this twice as difficult. He turns up his collar and disappears, inexplicably singing ‘Put on a happy face.’
Back in Sven’s chalet, Madelyne tries to arouse Nate, who’s feeling pretty bad. She senses that they must leave, and go far, far away. Her concerns are realized when Rex strolls through the doorway. He tells Nate that the lady has a point. There has to be a whole bunch of people looking for him. There are power games going on, he adds, the likes of which he couldn’t possibly imagine. A young man like himself, with the amount of power he’s demonstrated, could prove helpful working for the right individual. That is, he continues, if he doesn’t burn himself out too soon. The way he has it figured, he stands the best chance by coming with him.
Nate looks up at him and asks what he’s talking about. Who’s after him? What power games? Madelyne again tells Nate they must go. Rex informs Nate that he’s afraid he can’t answer all his questions right now, just like he can’t let him go. It’s not like it’s personal. It’s his job. Nate angrily informs Rex that he has three seconds to get out of the house, but secretly knows he hasn’t felt this weak since he arrived here. Rex whips out a strange looking gun and points it at them. He offers a quick warning, before firing the gun. The blast takes out one side of Sven’s chalet and he tells Nate that his next shot won’t miss.
Nate replies that he just made the biggest mistake of his life, ‘cause he doesn’t miss. He charges Rex and uses a large portion of his remaining energy to telekinetically hurl Rex clean back out the chalet doorway and into the snow. Madelyne wonders just what Nate is, and asks if he killed him. Nate replies that he wouldn’t do that, even though his opponent wouldn’t have given it a second thought. She helps Nate put on his jacket and says that, if what he said is true, there will be others.
As they stagger away from the chalet, Nate feels sick to his stomach. He asks Maddie if she knows anything about what Rex said about his powers burning out. She simply assures him that she’s certain he’ll get better and stronger with some rest. “Maybe you were right earlier,” Nate says, turning to his new companion, “Maybe we were destined to meet after all.”
(later)
Rex wakes and slowly gets to his knees, rubbing his neck. One tough kid, he thinks. The redhead was interesting. He receives a call from the Sugarman on his wristband and he asks Rex if he got him. Rex replies that there’s no problem. He has it under control. He grabs a beer from the fridge and notices the bulb’s dead.


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[Assistant]
Whispers in the Night
(Paris)
It’s evening, and Selene senses something in the night air. Holding her pet creature on a leash, she can feel that, whatever it is, it is gloriously powerful and is something she must have. She is in the city to rebuild and reclaim her sphere of influence. Tonight, she feels she has found an integral piece, and what Selene wants, she gets.
Elsewhere, high above Paris, Nate Grey and Madelyne Pryor look down on the City of Lights, a city so unlike many Nate has seen before, in that it remains standing. His telekinesis holds them aloft, as Maddie holds on, saying the city pulses as if it were alive. Nate can’t believe how beautiful it is, and Maddie replies that it’s more than that. He should open his eyes. There is much here they could take advantage of. “Like how?” he asks.
Before Maddie can respond, she notices Nate freeze, and he begins to black out. Being high in the air, this isn’t good, and as they plummet to the ground, Maddie shouts at him to concentrate and pull it together, now! Nate’s power suddenly kicks back in, and they crash land in a fountain, overlooked by an angelic statue.
Nate laughs and Maddie smiles at the madness of it all. She asks if he’s okay and Nate tells her that he guesses so, but he’s a little shaky and a little scared maybe. His powers just… cut out. He looks through his bedraggled fringe and says that he isn’t real good at saying stuff but, ever since they met, she makes him smile. Madelyne’s green eyes stare right back at him and she replies that she knows. There’s something special between them. A police officer makes his presence felt, and asks what they think they’re doing. Nate tries to think of a convenient excuse. “We tripped,” is the best he can manage.
Meanwhile, Selene is keeping tabs on them and smiles as she relaxes in her golden snake-style throne. She talks to herself, saying that Nate has no idea what he has tripped into. The fates are being entirely too kind to her. She knows Madelyne all too well, but it pleases her that Madelyne doesn’t appear to know herself. “What power resides within you?” she asks rhetorically. “Ripe for the taking… you are a gift from heaven itself.” Her maid, Ella, stands by her side as a little guy with concrete slippers cleans her shiny black boots with Windex. Ella asks if there is any way she can be of service. Selene stands and heads for the window, saying no; this is a matter that needs to be handled delicately; and personally.
(Genosha)
The gruesome Sugarman is unhappy. He rants and raves at his hapless mutate underlings, demanding to know where Rex has gotten to. The mutates try their level best to avoid his line of sight, but the unfortunate #911 gets the short straw (and Sugarman’s long tongue). Sugarman demands that the mutate answer his question, but, clearly, the man has no idea. For this, he has his life squeezed out of him by Sugarman’s prehensile tongue, as he tells the others he wants Rex found. He also wants Nate Grey before anyone else can get their hands on him, and everything comes crashing down.
(Paris, the Latin Quarter)
Nate and Maddie are sitting outside a cafe, and Maddie wonders how he can eat so much. Nate’s never thought about it. He apologizes in advance, as they promised not to talk about it, but he wants to know who or what the image he telepathically pulled from her mind is. Maddie replies that she doesn’t know if it relates, but she’s been having flashes of being hurt, terribly hurt by a group of people from her past. They were a group calling themselves, the X-Men.
Selene calls to her from across the street, surrounded by a soft mist. She tells Maddie she can help her. Maddie asks Nate if he can see her, but Nate appears to have been too busy munching on a snack to notice anything. He motions across the street and the recently vacated sidewalk. Madelyne stands, knowing what she saw. She wants to find her, now, but Nate grabs her arm and asks how they’re going to pay for all of this. Maddie pulls a few hundred dollar bills from her cleavage and tells Nate she’s got it covered. He asks where she got it, but she asks if it matters. She urges him to join her in the search. She doesn’t want to lose this stranger. There was something familiar about her. Nate knows she’s not telling the whole truth, but somehow he wants to accept what she says at face value. The question, is why?
He chases after her as she makes her way through the alleyways of Paris. He has to face facts. Right now, Madelyne is all he’s got and vice versa. Two lost lonely people. Maybe that’s all the answer he needs. Watching from the shadows is Rex. In another time he would have been a magistrate. That time has passed, and now, he’ll find anyone on the planet. Once he finds them, he’ll bring them back, dead or alive - take your pick. Right now, his job is Nate, and Rex can not and will not be stopped. He lights a long cigar, deciding to leave his prey alone for now. They’ll get comfortable in their surroundings, and they’ll let him get so close, you can practically reach out and touch one of them.
Dashing through the moonlit streets, Nate enquires as to whether she actually saw anyone. He tells Maddie that she’s acting like she’s possessed. Maddie responds by asking if that bothers him, and maybe this is something she should do by herself. No way, replies Nate; they’ll find this mystery woman together. How hard can it be? His question is answered as they emerge from an alley, and into a kind of mini carnival. Street performers and bystanders mingle, making the job of finding the mystery woman a whole lot harder. As seedy as the Latin Quarter can be, Nate somehow finds something charming about the revelry of the people here. Somewhere, in the faintest memories, Nate remembers living like this; faces of people, friends, now gone. Forge was their leader. Was it a theatre group? He asks himself.
Nate loses himself watching a fire-eater, as Maddie slips away, saying they should split up and cover more area. As soon as she is alone, she is confronted by Selene, wearing a long flowing violet cape over her leathers. She dangles a golden apple pendant in front of Maddie, who asks who she is and how she knows her name. Selene tells her that she knows many things, things that could be mutually beneficial. She mentions the apple, an exquisite gem, very powerful, and asks Maddie what she sees. Maddie looks into it, and sees Selene’s face looking back at her. “Your face,” she replies, “It has a darkness; a powerful darkness.”
A shiver trembles down Maddie’s spine. How familiar this power feels. Selene says she is more adept than she even dared dream of. Most look into the stone and see nothing. She wants Maddie to take it, as a gift. Madelyne is uncertain, as she doesn’t even know Selene. The energy vampire practically forces it around her neck, asking her not to speak so hastily. She may not truly know who she is, or what she is capable of, but Selene can help her. She tells Madelyne that she knows her. Together, they can discover the mystery of her wondrous resurrection. She adds that the boy is a distraction. Staring intently into Maddie’s eyes, Selene says, “Come with me, Madelyne.” The lace of evil, which dances in Selene’s voice, chills Madelyne, and yet, she is drawn to it.
Suddenly, the moment is over. Nate comes running towards her, eager for her to see a guy who can eat razor blades. Maddie opts not to reveal Selene’s existence to Nate just yet. She feels a power welling up inside and Nate looks so young and innocent; so full of hope. Nate senses something’s wrong and asks her what it is. She replies that it’s nothing, and flees into the night. The darkness feels like her only comfort. She hears Selene’s whispers in the dark, haunting her, beckoning her.
Rex watches Maddie running, and reckons this will make what he has to do that much cleaner. He contacts Sugarman on his wrist communicator, but is getting an awful lot of static. Selene suddenly appears. “Little man, you are getting in my way. ‘Static’ is the least of your problems.”
(Genosha)
Sugarman stalks his base, not happy at all with Rex. He only wants to know one thing. Has he found Nate? Rex’s face appears on a large screen, though the static disfigures the image. His face vanishes completely and Sugarman wants to know what’s going on. Selene’s face appears on his monitor. She tells him that this is a private matter, and she wishes it to remain so. The line goes dead. Sugarman has no Rex, no young mutant and now this woman interferes. Things are bad, very bad.
(Paris)
Madelyne Pryor runs until she can run no longer. In her heart, she knows there is no turning back. If only she could fight it. If only she could hide from the truth about herself. She stands, looking over a bridge into the river. “Nate…I tried…” Selene appears once again in a plume of mist. She asks Maddie to look within herself. She cannot deny the destiny she was destined to have, but was ended before she could reach her true potential. At her side, she will rise up to a new height. At her side, all her dreams will come true. Madelyne tells Selene that she has a life, and what about Nate? Selene asks what about him? He’s only a boy. She says that Maddie knows what she is offering. If she stays, she could destroy him. Maddie asks how she can know that.
As Nate spots her and rushes towards her, Selene tells her that it does not matter how she comes by this knowledge, only that she knows it to be so, and so does Maddie. She warns her that, if she cares for the boy, then she should do as she says. There is no choice. If she comes with her, power is for the taking. Madelyne is swayed. Nate is almost upon them and calls her name, begging her to wait for him. Mist begins to swirl around the two women and Selene says there never was any question as to the outcome; only how long before she accepted it. “Nooo!” screams Nate as they vanish before him. If only he’d gotten there faster. If only she’d heard him. If only…
For the second time in his short life, he has lost someone he held dear. Now, more alone than ever, as the black silence of night envelops him, somewhere he hears a whisper. “Goodbye…”


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[Assistant]
Hitting Bottom
(The S.S. Wendi)
Having lost Madelyne Pryor to Selene’s clutches, Nate has taken a job aboard a sea cruiser as a handyman. As he takes a break from painting, he looks out over the sea, taking in the smell of salt air and the blue, cloud-filled sky. He is blissfully unaware that he is being watched. He wishes Maddie were there with him, but then halts that train of thought. He took this job just so he could stop thinking about her; about Paris. He couldn’t leave Paris fast enough. He trusted her and she left him.
Two passengers on the cruiser relax on the deck. A young blonde sits beside an older woman, with horrendous earrings. The young woman, Susan, complements Nate on the fine job he’s doing; praise that the older woman takes as being overly flirtatious. Nate’s been trying to keep a low profile. Maybe what he actually needs is a little fun to help take his mind off things. She asks him his name, and he replies that it’s Nate. She then asks where he’s from, and he tells her it’s no place she’d ever want to visit. The older woman leaves, but her parting shot is to tell Susan that it’s beneath her to flirt with the hired help. Susan ignores her bitching and stands close to Nate, telling him that these cruises can get pretty boring. He doesn’t have to be… alone. Nate replies that it’s very nice of her, but the captain said that he can’t.
He heads to the dining area and feels that she doesn’t understand. Everyone he’s ever gotten close to has ended up dead. Also, he’s getting a familiar feeling, a part of him that he cannot control, driving him from inside out. He grabs a bottle of champagne from a crewman and takes a swig. He is overwhelmed by his desire for nourishment, but the buzz hits him harder than he thought. His head tingles.
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Hidden aboard a derelict frigate, sits Blaquesmith. He looks at a huge screen, dominated by a huge burst of psionic activity. It’s not the first time he’s seen this, but he does not like it. The readings are off the scale and the energy pattern matches his. He was warned this day might come.
(The S.S. Wendi)
Nate tucks into a plate of chicken, disregarding the impression this behavior has on the guests. Between mouthfuls, he swigs from the champagne bottle. The food is incredible and he can’t get enough of it. He’s ravenous. He asks if there’s any more food, but one of the crew tells him he thinks he’s had enough. Nate turns on him and raises him into the air using telekinesis. “I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough,” he snaps.
The man stares back at him, obviously frightened, and Nate tells him not to look like that. He isn’t going to hurt him. “Just back off,” he adds. The situation is out of control and he takes mental command of the entire room, catching them all in his telepathic thrall. He doesn’t want to do this, but he can make them forget everything they’ve just seen. He looks around and sees the terror in their eyes. He’s seen those looks on the faces of people before. “What have I done,” he cries, before collapsing in a drunken stupor.
Night time moves in, and an ominous figure breaks the surface of the placid waters around the boat. Nate, his prey, lies oblivious to the arrival. The newcomer is part of what Nate is trying to get away from. He crawls onto the deck wearing a diving outfit. It’s Rex. Selene slowed him down, but he doesn’t stop. The fun’s over and he has a feeling this is their last round. He removes the outfit and begins searching for the boy.
In his cabin, Nate finds that sleep doesn’t come easily to him. The bad dreams won’t let him rest. On deck, one of the crew questions Rex, asking if he’s one of the guests. Rex removes a dagger and mercilessly slices the crewman. Down below, something awakens Nate and, though his head is groggy, he manages to reach the sink. Splashing water from the tap over his face, he tries to bring himself around. Nate has seen far too many deaths in his young life, reflected in the eyes of people he cares about. He looks in the mirror and sees a pallid, emaciated version of himself staring back. Is this visage part of his nightmare, or a foreshadowing of things to come? He smashes the mirror with his fist and screams.
He looks into the broken shards and sees his familiar reflection. It must have been a trick of the light, he thinks. For a moment, it looked like he was dying. He exits the cabin and wanders through the ship, not noticing the blood sticking to his boots as he ascends the staircase leading to the deck. He hopes to make the crew understand his actions but, as he emerges on deck, he realizes his priorities have changed.
Just a few short hours ago, Nate was marvelling at the peace, tranquility and beauty surrounding him. Now, thick pools of blood ripple from side to side, keeping time with the rocking of the boat; shredded sails flapping in the wind. The dead crewman hangs half over the side, with ropes entangling his blood-splattered corpse. Nate knows he must make sure everyone else is okay, but first he has to deal with whoever did this.
Nate knows he must still be aboard and he can’t hide for long from a telepath. Before he has time for a sweep of the ship, Rex leaps from the rigging and lands a two-booted kick in Nate’s face. As he collides, he apologizes for simply doing his job, but it’s his hide if he doesn’t deliver him to Sugarman. Nate stands with gritted teeth. “Listen mister, I don’t know and I don’t care about Sugarman. An innocent man is dead, and you’re gonna pay for it.” Nate unleashes a telekinetic blast, which hurls Rex backwards, shattering one of the wooden walls on deck.
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Blaquesmith shields his eyes with his arm, as his computers fizzle and spark; a result of the backlash of Nate’s enormous telekinetic output. He thinks it doesn’t seem possible, but the bio-signature is almost identical to Cable’s, but without the dampening effect of the techno-organic virus. The time for mere observation is over; a power that great cannot go unchecked. He flicks a red switch on the console and climbs into his ship’s cockpit.
Grabbing the control stick, a whirl of hydraulics reveals the true nature of the derelict ship. The ship’s entire bow opens up and Blaquesmith’s craft takes off vertically. It is sufficiently deserted in the harbor for no one to witness these events, as Blaquesmith pilots the ship away. The frigate resumes its inconspicuous form, as if nothing untoward had occurred.
(The S.S.Wendi)
Rex, battered, hauls himself to his feet, asking Nate what’s the matter. “Still missing the redhead? I know the kind. Trust me, they never stick around.” He emerges in front of Nate, his skin blistered and still smoking from the telekinetic assault. He holds one dagger in front of him and tells Nate that he isn’t fooling anyone. He compares himself to Nate. They both love power. He remembers what Nate did in Switzerland, ready to take him out.
Nate rushes Rex, who holds a second dagger in his other hand. No, Nate thinks to himself; he’s nothing like Rex. He crunches his fist into Rex’s jaw, forcing him to drop the knives; his punch assisted by a little telekinesis. As he strikes Rex, Nate wonders what gives. His powers seem to be getting weaker. Rex strikes back, landing his own blow and taunting Nate that he’s losing it. He avoids Nate’s next swing by squatting and doubts he’ll even bruise from Nate’s love taps. He acrobatically swings his legs over and cartwheels his feet into Nate’s face, smashing him against a wall.
With Nate down and lacking energy, Rex pulls out a gun hidden in a holster behind his back. Rex says that it looks like he found Nate too late. His powers are burned out already and he’s no use to Sugarman or anybody else for that matter in this state. Nate remembers his face in the mirror. Rex grabs him and puts the gun to Nate’s chin.
They face each other face to face. Rex chides him for wasting his time, so now he’s gonna waste him. Nate’s eye shows the spark of power, but is it too late?
Rex’s trigger finger begins to gently squeeze. “So long, Nate. Time for you to… die.” In the blink of a moment, the life is snatched from Rex’s eyes. He drops to the floor and the hulking, grinning figure of Dark Beast is revealed. In one hand, he holds a strange contraption holding a green liquid, with which he injected Rex. “I think the time has come for you to understand why you are on this planet, and why everyone is so eager to have you, wouldn’t you agree?”


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[Assistant]
(First story) A Question of Power
(Second story) Teeth of the Storm
First story:
Aboard the yacht, S.S. Wendi, Nate confronts Dark Beast, as Rex’s expired body lies on the deck. Dark Beast is amazed. Incredible! Sinister knew how to create a weapon, he’ll give him that. Nate is furious upon hearing Sinister’s name, and puts two and two together. Dark Beast acknowledges that both he and Nate come from the same place. They were pulled through the M’kraan Crystal, from where Apocalypse ruled and all was merry. He explains that the one called Sugarman also survived the wreck of Apocalypse’s dream. He sent Rex - which is why he had to die.
McCoy continues to point out that they both know the power Nate possesses and how important it is that he uses it wisely. He flatters himself in thinking that he would make a better teacher, a better mentor for Nate. Nate finds this comment incredulous. He heard Dark Beast’s name mentioned in the pens, Apocalypse’s dog, and he knows what he did back there. McCoy asks if this is any way to greet someone who just saved his life, but Nate doesn’t care why he helped him. He won’t play his games.
He strikes at McCoy telekinetically, but his agility keeps him free of danger. A second ago, he points out, Nate was burned out, and now he lashes at him without thinking. He warns him not to be so quick on the trigger, as he knows some interesting facts about him. He continues to say that anyone could have guessed that Sinister was up to something. It’s taken him many years in this reality to piece it all together. He explains that he knew a weapon; a failsafe, existed, but he was little prepared for the glory of Sinister’s achievement. “You are magnificent!”
Nate takes to the air, adrenaline propelling him ever forward against this hateful creature. Nate says that Sinister killed Forge and told him lies. McCoy continues to evade Nate’s attack, advising him that they shouldn’t be fighting each other; they should be allies. He warns Nate not to make him get nasty.
Below deck, Susan is sleeping off her alcohol intake. She regrets throwing herself at Nate. She hears pounding coming from up on deck and heads out to investigate. The sunshine is not the only thing that greets her. She is horrified at the carnage wreaked by Rex, and the dead body wrapped in rope before her. McCoy sees her first. “Ah! A human! How lovely.” Nate turns and sees Susan and cries, “No!” McCoy delivers a right foot to Nate’s chest. He laughs that he’s just proved that Nate needs teaching. Don’t get distracted during a fight, it could be fatal.
Nate goes head first into the drink, but emerges immediately to find Dark Beast with his powerful arms around Susan’s neck. Behind him, high on the promontory, Blaquesmith’s vessel sits silently, keeping well away and out of sight (almost). Blaquesmith monitors everything. Nate warns Dark Beast that he isn’t going to ask twice. “Let her go!” McCoy replies that unless Nate stops fooling around and listens to him, he’ll discover how easily one can unscrew a human head. Nate has no option but to stand down, for now.
McCoy continues his rhetoric. He says that their power is there to be used, and its purpose is to rule. This world is dangerous to their kind. Humans run the world, and most of them hate and fear mutants. Susan confirms this by begging not to be hurt. Nate can see the fear in Susan’s eyes, and in her thoughts. McCoy adds that survival is a matter of rule, or be ruled. Slave pens are an historical inevitability. They have the power to determine who goes into those pens - humans or mutants!
He then tells Nate that they have both survived for a reason. Nate has too much power. If they strike now, they can determine who rules; delay, and the struggle itself may incinerate them all. Does he want the Earth to turn into the mirror image of the wasteland they left behind? Then, they will be the victims.
Nate listens, but through his persuasion, he remembers the beauty he has seen. Switzerland, Paris, the sunset last night. But he has also seen the other side; explosions, death and, of course, he lost Madelyne. No, he finally determines; he doesn’t want this Earth to suffer as his own did. McCoy asks Nate to join him. The only way to save this world is to rule it.
Nearby, aboard Blaquesmith’s ship, he monitors the situation below from afar. He wonders how there can be a bio-signature almost identical to the Chosen One’s. He saw what that power did to Stryfe and it makes him frightened for this world.
Back on the S.S. Wendi, Nate gathers his thoughts and informs McCoy that, when he was growing up, it was so bleak. When he tried to change things, he didn’t always do the right thing. He’d do anything to keep this world from becoming like the world he knew; anything! That includes taking Dark Beast out. He smashes through the side of the ship with a telekinetic quake, which separates Dark Beast from his hostage. Nate moves in close, but finds McCoy’s fighting skills are superior to his own. They tussle in mid-air, with McCoy taunting him about his youth and Nate’s confidence in his own abilities. He crunches his fist into Nate’s face and acrobatically flips to the ground, leaving Nate struggling. He’s hurting, and McCoy can sense it.
McCoy approaches, and reminds Nate about what he said earlier, about knowing things about him. He knows what Sinister had planned for him and the safeguards he built in. “Wanna hear ‘em?” Nate is defiant, telling McCoy he doesn’t know anything. McCoy grins. “Am I?” he asks. Those weak spells he’s been having. Know what’s causing them? He explains that Sinister planned on him to take on, and take out Apocalypse. Nate was his weapon, but would you want a weapon like that lying around after it did its job? He tells Nate that he wasn’t built to last, but he can fix that. He can make Nate better, and help him live. Nate takes this in, but the news is hard. McCoy tells him to forget his old world, forget the pens. Life or death? That is what he offers, and the chance to rule by his side.
Nate ponders for a fleeting moment, before replying, “So… who wants to get old?” With that, he unleashes much of his remaining energy in a furious assault on Dark Beast, hurling him backwards through the ship. McCoy is stunned. Nate tells him he’s a jerk, as well as a liar. Nate now has a purpose. He remembers a place he could go in his head. It seems like a dream, but there were people who could help him called X-Men. Blaquesmith watches with interest. He must be quick about this. He sets his vessel in motion and takes off to warn Professor Xavier of the young man’s imminent arrival.
Second story:
Blaquesmith has departed in his flying craft, en route to warn Charles Xavier. As he passes Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the weather is atrocious. Lightning strikes keep Blaquesmith on his toes as he skims the waves, trying to keep as low as possible. This was foolish, he thinks. It would have made more sense to go around the hurricane. Mind you, it would have made more sense to stay at home. He’s getting too old for these kinds of risks; but destiny has a way of intervening.
As he carefully guides his craft through the turmoil outside, he thinks back to how it began with Cable, as he prepared for his next trial. Someone had to accompany him to this timeline to make sure he was not led astray. One needs only look at how his clone, Stryfe, turned out to see why. However, the boy he just observed wields enough power to extinguish them with but a thought. Desperate situations require desperate measures. He must do what was strictly forbidden; and contact Xavier.
Suddenly, his craft’s path is blocked by a huge domed vessel which rises from the stormy sea. Atop the vessel are four gun turrets. Blaquesmith wrestles with his controls to ensure he avoids making contact with the large ship, but he isn’t able to steer clear from a blast from one of its cannons, which takes out his heat shield. He feels that life underground has made him complacent. No one should know he even exists. Could this be connected with the boy? Is it connected with the break in? Professor Xavier will be of help, he feels.
The vessel rounds and heads straight towards him. He realizes that, whoever it is, is a formidable opponent. Apparently, the ship doesn’t have to be as maneuverable as his, considering it can simply plow through the waves. He decides to see how his years of training have served him, and begins a steep descent. The vessel fires off another round, which connects with the top of his craft, and he ditches it underneath the water, heading vertically towards the hidden depths. The large vessel hovers above the waves, looking for signs of its opponent, looking for wreckage.
Blaquesmith gambled on this happening and, as it approaches, he raises his own ship from beneath the waves and manages to get one shot in. It is devastating, and a massive explosion rocks the vessel, allowing Blaquesmith to escape during the confusion. He continues his journey to Xavier’s. He has many important tasks at hand and getting to the mansion will only be the first one.


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Confrontation
(North Carolina)
Nate Grey hovers over the Atlantic Ocean, off the eastern seaboard of the United States. He sparks with energy, and thinks that maybe his battle with Dark Beast wasn’t a good idea, as it’s has left him in a weakened state. Around him, lightning strikes with ferocity, and it’s taking all his strength to stay aloft. He’s determined not to let himself be used; by Dark Beast, by Sinister or by anyone.
He notices two quite different craft down below him, and wonders what they’re doing. Before he can take a closer look, lightning strikes him and he falls helplessly into the turbulent waters below. Several hours later, he wakes up having been washed ashore. He manages to walk a few paces inland, but then collapses from exhaustion. Luckily, someone is there to help him.
(Xavier Institute for Higher Learning)
Today has brought an unexpected visitor. Sneaking around the mansion is the futuristic alien, Blaquesmith. He checks out at the Shi’ar technology that the mansion utilizes. In his future timeline, there were legends about this, and he can only marvel at its beauty. Before he can investigate it more fully, he is interrupted by Professor Xavier, who wishes him good morning. Blaquesmith turns with a start. Charles tells him that he’s impressed that he managed to bypass their security systems without a murmur. Forge will be very put out. He, on the other hand, was aware of him psionically the moment he entered the building. He asks why Blaquesmith is here.
Blaquesmith apologizes for the intrusion and assumes Charles has psi-scanned him already. Charles admits he made a rudimentary scan to determine if he intended harm or not. Blaquesmith introduces himself as a friend of Cable’s; well, not really a friend, but… Charles informs him that Cable isn’t around at present, but Blaquesmith isn’t here to see him. It’s Charles he wants to speak with. Charles knows that he does that reluctantly. He was able to read that in his mind; as well as fear. Blaquesmith replies that he is most definitely afraid, and tells Charles that he should be too.
(Skunk Hollow, North Carolina)
Nate wakes, and wonders where on Earth he is. He realizes that he’s in a jail cell, and the sheriff explains that he found him washed up on the shore, and brought him here. The sheriff introduces himself as L.B. Kellogg. He looks like a pile of laundry that needs ironing; but seems friendly enough. He hopes Nate doesn’t mind the cell. The hurricane means there’s a shortage of beds, so he had to provide him with what he had. He thinks Nate looks hungry and asks if he could stand a bite. Nate gets up and walks with him. He replies that he could eat two horses. The sheriff leads him into town.
(Xavier Institute for Higher Learning)
Charles doesn’t like Blaquesmith’s vagueness, but he replies that it’s from habit and necessity. He comes, like Cable, from a future. Cable has a destiny within that future, and his role is to help him keep track of it. In the ideal scheme of things, he adds, he and Charles should never have met. Charles asks if something has changed that. Blaquesmith explains that generally, he keeps track of Cable’s unique bio-signature. Recently, he discovered someone else with almost the exact same signature. He had to investigate.
What Blaquesmith discovered was a boy in his late teens, fighting a dark, beast-like creature. The boy nearly killed him. His first thought was that he might by Stryfe; Cable’s nefarious twin, injected into this timeline at some younger age for reasons he couldn’t begin to tell. However, according to his instruments, the boy’s sheer raw power may be even greater than Cable’s, far greater, and possibly even greater than Xavier’s. Charles realizes that the boy might account for the sudden psionic presence he sensed a few weeks ago. It was overwhelming but, as soon as it appeared, it vanished. It’s as if he’s shielding him from Charles.
Blaquesmith asks if he should be able to do that. Charles thinks it’s highly unlikely. The news Blaquesmith has brought him is most definitely alarming. Blaquesmith produces a device with which he can track Nate. He can tap into his ship’s computers and track his bio-signature. It should give them a rough location. Charles wonders how they pinpoint someone that is being shielded from them. Blaquesmith smiles, and replies that they look for a gray area; a point that registers nothing. That should be him. They begin immediately, and Blaquesmith begins his calibrations.
(Skunk Hollow, North Carolina)
Nate is devouring food like it’s going out of fashion. The waitress, Amanda, is impressed. She likes a man who likes to eat. A fellow diner stands, and leaves his newspaper as a tip for Amanda. He suggests she use it to find some new recipes. As he departs, Nate grabs the paper and reads the headline. There is a photograph of Moira MacTaggert, and a story about the Legacy Virus.
He reads it out loud. The Legacy Virus was thought only to attack mutants but, now, Moira MacTaggert has been affected. Nate seems to recognize her name. The sheriff is surprised that Nate knows nothing of the virus, and points out that the virus can take all the mutie scum it likes; “But when it starts attacking decent folk…” Amanda asks him to hush, and points out the hypocrisy in a statement like that. She is black, and as such knows that not so long ago it was her people that took the brunt of such comments. The sheriff says she knows what he’s getting at. The muties are trouble. Nate inadvertently scans the minds of people in the café, and their thoughts on mutants are less than benevolent. “What are you talking about?” he asks Kellogg, “I’m a mutant.” Everyone stops what they’re doing, and they stare at Nate.
(Xavier Institute for Higher Learning)
Blaquesmith’s tracking computers determine that Nate appears to be in a small town called Skunk Hollow in North Carolina. Charles realizes that time is of the essence, and the most efficient means of travel may be upon the astral field. Without a second thought, his mind leaves his body in the safe care of Blaquesmith, who wishes him well in his travels.
As his astral projection travels to North Carolina, Charles thinks that it’s exactly for these kinds of situations he formed the X-Men. They find new mutants and help them learn to control and perfect their powers, to help their kind and humanity to live together and create a better world. The boy, he believes, may have powers that surpass his own, which is certainly disturbing. He may have enormous, destructive capabilities, untrained and unchecked. He wonders that if it is Stryfe, returned from the dead; what he will do then? The impact on Cable, Scott and Jean will be staggering.
(Skunk Hollow, North Carolina)
Nate asks what everyone is scared of. Him? He used to help humans, he explains. The sheriff says he shouldn’t joke like that, telling people he’s a mutant. Some folks might take it serious. Nate becomes increasingly angry, and clenches his fist. “You think I’m joking? You want some proof?” The sheriff edges his fingers towards his holster and clicks it open, ready to reach for his revolver. He’s about to talk Nate down, but Charles appears just as Nate is about to show them some real power.
Luckily for them, Nate opts to simply put them to sleep instead, so they’ll forget about all about him when they wake up. He turns and exits the cafe. Charles is impressed by the ease at which he used his power, but also realizes that he didn’t appear to act without thinking of the consequences. He might easily have erased all their memories.
Charles follows him outside, still in his astral form. All he needs is to make the slightest mind scan to determine if it really is Stryfe. As he begins, Nate immediately notices his presence, and asks whoever it is to show themselves. Instinctively, he manages to not only sense Charles, but to actually draw him from the astral plane and into reality. Charles crouches on the ground, as Nate gives him five seconds to identify himself. Charles replies that he means him no harm, and that there are others like him out there, mutants with special gifts. They can help him; teach him to harness his powers. They are the X-Men, and he is their mentor, Professor Xavier.
“Liar!” screams Nate. He knows Magneto leads the X-Men. He strikes at Charles who cries out in pain as Nate’s telekinesis causes the buildings around him begin to crumble. He warns Charles to leave him alone. No more mind games, he advises, or he swears the next person who comes after him will die. Charles realizes that Nate is becoming unstable, so he creates psionic armor to protect himself. As he blocks another strike from Nate, he tries to get through to the boy that he’s not there to hurt him. A defensive block throws Nate backwards, as Charles asks him just to listen.
Nate is sarcastic as he replies, “Right. And you have my ‘best interest’ at heart, don’t you?” He reckons Charles wants him to join his side, and fight his fights; make the world safer for ‘their kind.’ No! he adds, he’s heard it all before. He suddenly leaps, as energy courses through his clenched right fist. He’s not buying into Charles’s rhetoric; any more that he did Apocalypse’s. Charles is surprised Nate knows of Apocalypse. Nate strikes, but Charles manages to evade his blow. More of the town's infrastructure suffers as Nate launches a furious onslaught at Charles. People run away in fear and panic, as Nate warns Charles that there’s nowhere to hide. He’ll tear the whole town down if he has to.
As his assault continues unabated, Charles senses his raw, intense power and emotions, which nearly overwhelm him. The boy is clearly frightened and angry. Charles knows his body can’t take the strain he’s imposing, and knows he has to bring him down, now. The best way to do that, he believes, is to lower his shields and let him believe he has been destroyed. In a maelstrom of energies, Charles’s astral form dissipates, leaving Nate to believe that because there’s no longer any trace of Charles, he must be dead. The action over, he collects his thoughts, and walks away from the battleground. He needs to get outta there. If only his head would stop screaming.
(Xavier Institute for Higher Learning)
Charles’s mind arrives back in his body and he sits upright, facing Blaquesmith, who has had to wait patiently for his return. He asks if Charles is all right. He replies that physically, he’s fine, but mentally, he’s not so sure. He informs Blaquesmith that he found the boy, but the boy also found him. He was drawn into conflict with him and, in the end, the only way to end the battle was to let Nate believe he had finished him. The contact had been a disaster. Nate might distrust him and his X-Men completely now. He’s more dangerous than ever; to himself and to everyone around him. For the sake of the world, they must find him again.


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The X-Cutioner’s Song
(Washington D.C.)
Within the hidden corridors of a federal building, a secret chamber exists, with access available to only one man. Inside the chamber is the weapons collection of Federal Agent Fred Duncan. The weapons, such as the Shi’ar psi-lance, also come with detailed files on who they were used by and who they were used against. Now, these files belong to his successor. Duncan’s biggest mistake was misjudging mutants, and that got him killed. Carl Denti won’t make that mistake. He shouldn’t be misunderstood: he doesn’t think all mutants are bad but, when a mutant goes rogue, when they kill, how are you going to bring them to justice? They’ve got so much power.
Carl Denti utilizes the weaponry available to him in his role as the X-Cutioner; a mask concealing his identity. He checks a small device for coordinates on his next target and uses a teleporting machine he patched together to get him there. He intends to get justice.
(North Carolina)
Rogue takes a swig of water from a bottle. She is kneeling on the beach in her bikini and relishing this downtime. Her kiss with Gambit almost took his life and right now she wishes only to pass for normal; though deep down she knows that normal is one thing she can never be. Things have been crazy lately, and she can barely tell what’s up from down.
She arches her neck and looks to the sky to see a boy flying overhead. What’s a girl gotta do to get some peace around here? She watches him flapping hopelessly, crashing straight into the side of a cliff and coming to ground not far from Rogue on the beach.
All Nate wants is to find someone who can be of help after his battle with Charles Xavier. While he crawls from the pit he has created, Rogue approaches and asks if he’s all right. Nate tells her to stay away from him. He’s a mutant and, right now, he has no control over his power. Rogue is determined to help but, in her thoughts, Nate sees only a jumbled mess and uses a telekinetic blast to hurl her away. He immediately realizes his error. She was just trying to help and he nearly killed her. He heads to the sky once again before he hurts anyone else but, as he arcs away from the beach, he comes over all light-headed and returns to the sea with a splash.
Rogue is a little dazed. She felt that. She doesn’t really want to use her powers again; that’s why she wanted to get away from the X-Men, but she can’t just let the boy drown. She flies over the beach and grabs Nate’s collar, lifting him from the sea. Nate turns to her and asks her to leave him alone, so Rogue throws him to the beach and says, “Sugah, once and for all…lie still.” Nate is knocked unconscious and Rogue hopes that, when he wakes, he’ll have more manners.
(The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Westchester)
Blaquesmith has vanished and Professor Xavier searches for him. A quick psi-scan shows that he isn’t even in the mansion anymore. There are more than a few questions Xavier has about him, and his connection to Cable. However, dealing with Nate Grey is a far more pressing concern. Charles is certain he isn’t their enemy, Stryfe, but then who is he? Where does he come from?
Charles contacts Moira MacTaggert at her Muir Island facility and her face appears on a large screen. He asks how she’s feeling and she replies that like anyone with the Legacy Virus, she has her ups and downs. She asks if this is why he’s called. Charles knows she’s taking this harder than she’s letting on. It pains him to hear it in her voice; a deep sense of vulnerability.
He tells her that’s part of it. He explains that he had an encounter with a very powerful new mutant; a very bad first encounter he’s afraid. The boy is about seventeen, and psionic. He’s probably the strongest he’s ever confronted, and he was able to pull his astral self into reality. Moira says that even Phoenix couldn’t accomplish that. Charles tells Moira that he’s alerting everyone, including those in his underground, to be on the look out for the boy. He’s extremely powerful, barely in control, and very very dangerous.
(North Carolina)
Nate slowly regains consciousness. Rogue is now dressed and tells him it’s about time he woke up. She asks him if he feels better, and Nate says he is, asking if she’s okay. He didn’t hurt her did he? No, Rogue replies, someone already saw to that. Nate doesn’t understand her cryptic reply, but Rogue continues to inform him that what she didn’t get the chance to say was - she too is a mutant. Before she can reveal her name, he already knows it. “You’re Rogue! Leader of the X-Men, an' you’re married to Magneto!” Rogue giggles, but replies, “Magneto ?! Honey, not in this lifetime.” Nate understands that she isn’t the Rogue he once knew. Rogue adds that, as for the X-Men are concerned, she doesn’t really have anything to do with them right now, nor is she looking to have anything to do with them. Nate wonders why, but declines to intrude into her thoughts to find out.
He introduces himself and Rogue replies that she knows somebody else going by the name Nate. Nate informs her that he hasn’t been around here very long, and wonders if she can tell him anything about Muir Island, or Dr. MacTaggert, or indeed, the Legacy Virus. Rogue looks into his eyes and asks if he’s suffering from the circus. Before he can respond, they are thrown high into the air by a large blast. The X-Cutioner has arrived.
He stands and faces them, wearing a heavily armored suit and carrying the psi-lance, with which he made his first strike. He tells Rogue who he is, and that she is accused of causing the death of Cody Robbins. He is here to claim justice by ensuring her death. Nate stands and warns him that he’ll have to go through him first. The X-Cutioner replies that, if he has to, he will.
Rogue asks Nate to let her handle this. His power is too uncontrollable right now. She wonders what the heck is going on. Two strangers coming out of nowhere and one of them out to kill her. Nate’s left eye sparks with telekinetic energy as he grimaces at Denti. “Power?! You want to talk to me about power?!” He unleashes a burst of energy, which topples the X-Cutioner and sends him sprawling. As he lies on the ground, Denti knows the kid’s a major player, and his bio-reading suggests he is Cable, but that doesn’t make any sense.
He stands and rushes Nate, figuring he’ll take him down first and then analyze the remains. His approach is met with a telekinetically backed-up punch to the face. Nate then grabs the psi-lance and shoves it into Denti’s stomach. He then places the lance around the back of Denti’s head and shoves his head through it, with the help of his knee.
Rogue can’t believe Nate’s power. He has a lot more than she thought. Unfortunately, this pugilistic display has attracted the attention of a couple of kids. Rogue swiftly flies over and grabs them, removing them from harm. She then wants to return to fight her own battle. Nate, meanwhile, punches Denti again, but his next shot is weaker than the last. Denti can feel Nate’s power beginning to drain and delivers his own punishing uppercut to the chin, followed by a boot to the same place. A series of blows rain down on Nate and the X-Cutioner stands victorious over his flailing opponent. He tells Nate that the strongest guy doesn’t always win the fight. There’s always someone stronger. Nate, his face sweating from the exertion, looks up at Denti and says, “C-case in point, comin’ in…”
Denti looks up, but far too late, as Rogue descends from above. With her feet locked together, she mercilessly smashes his face into the beach. She then grabs Nate and tells her downed opponent that, just for the record, she never meant to hurt Cody. That happened when her powers first kicked in. It was an accident and she’s regretted it every day since. Nate doesn’t think he is listening. Suddenly, Denti leaps into the air and Rogue agrees with him. Denti prepares to attack with the psi-lance, but Rogue and Nate perform a double punch to the X-Cutioner’s face, which finally puts him down for the count.
Nate looks at their fallen foe and tells Rogue he put some TK into that. Rogue figured. She reckons the guy had one free shot at her and he blew it. Next time he comes looking, she won’t be so kind. Denti replies that, the next time, she won’t hear him coming. He flicks a switch on his wristband and teleports away, leaving the two youngsters in a swirl of pink smoke. Rogue figures he’ll be back again, but wonders what they’re gonna do now. Nate isn’t sure. He doesn’t exactly have a place to go.
Rogue tells him that the X-Men have helped her out when she needed it. She may have her reasons for staying away right now, but they are good people. She mentions Professor Xavier’s name, but Nate cuts her off. No way he’s going to Xavier. As far as he is concerned, he’s better off on his own. She asks him to calm down. She reminds Nate that he mentioned Moira MacTaggert earlier. They go waayyy back, and one phone call should sort him out.
She heads to a payphone and calls Moira at Muir Island. She informs Moira that Nate is dead set against going to Xavier for assistance, but he does need help. He set off for Muir Island while she tried to find a working phone. Moira thinks that the boy must be the one Charles was telling her about. It’s odd that he has run into both Rogue and Charles. She tells Rogue that Charles feels he might be very dangerous. Rogue replies that she thought he was kinda nice. Regardless, Moira had better prepare for him as he’s on his way.