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Genesis and Revelation
The demon world of Amenth:Hovering over a pile of bones, En Sabah Nur meditates. Tell him what strength is! a voice demands.Amidst the dead creatures one small demon is alive. It begs for that knowledge and addresses him as “great Apocalypse.”Opening his eyes, En Sabah Nur corrects him, noting this is a corrupted name. Mangled by history. Once it pleased him that his name meant final destruction… but the time for such blunt concepts has ended. And so he is A, a more ancient world with more resistant meaning. “Revelation” - for he is the revelation and has always been. As A was revealed – so he shall reveal!The small demon eagerly agrees: “The strong shall survive” - that is the word from on high. He wants to survive. How does he survive? What is strength?A replies, if the strong survive, then the measure of strength is survival. But understand: survival has no moral component. Heroes die. Brave hearts break. Paradise is lost. The numinous is denied by small souls or betrayed by despots. The alchemists’ gold is pulled from heaven… to make currency.Consider a rock, battered by an ocean for a million years. It is worn but whole. Is a rock noble? Can a rock be moral? A rock is there. As he was there. And this is the revelation as it was revealed to him: it is not enough only to be there. It is not enough only to be strong.Well, thanks for nothing, big man, the daemon replies rudely. A moment later, he screams as a shuriken buries itself in his skull. He shouldn’t talk to them, A’s wife Genesis admonishes him. He observes she reforged the family sword, referring to the weapon hanging at her side. She orders him not to change the subject. He became a lecturer on his island of the weak but she still teaches by example. The strong survive. Those who surrender will survive – in her army. So, what is strength? Strength is surrender to her. As it always was.His heart knows it, A agrees, but a world is not a lover’s heart. He cannot support this course. He cannot walk with her. Calling him “gentle one,” she assures him she has never asked him to. But he will open the way, she orders coldly.And if he chooses not to? he demands. Her armies will not persuade him. Nor her White Sword nor his Hundred, nor their own children nor anything that she holds, he adds looking at the Annihilation Staff. Without a word, she plants the staff in the ground. Then she will persuade him and, if he wishes to persuade her, make his points well. She draws the Sword Scarab and throws one of its blades to him while keeping the others.Flashback:Okkara – a time long ago:Apocalypse reverently holds the sword Scarab for the first time, a gift by his sister-in-law Isca the Unbeaten. He marvels how the four parts come apart and yet join together seamlessly. Isca likens the parts to his four fine children. She challenged the swordmaker Ingios to see who could make a better weapon… so it’s better than the best. Though he’s not the swordmaker his mother was, so this won’t beat the White Sword she made. Except as an ornament of exquisite beauty, Apocalypse announces, which is all a sword should be in a time of peace.“Peace,” Genesis scoffs in bed from her birth, her newborn son at her breast. She chides her husband that peace is not the natural condition. Every mutant on Okkara is a living weapon. And all weapons were made for the battles to come. And if the battle never comes? he challenges her, can’t the weapon become something more? She smiles indulgently, and Isca asks for the child’s name. Death, Genesis decides.Sometime later, the whole family take a walk in idyllic Okkara. Playing at the water are the young Blue and Jon Ironfire. Apocalypse muses on the names of their children: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death… Doesn’t he like the names? she asks. He likes them very well. She knows where he came to Okkara from. A land where great pain is harnessed to build monuments to the denial of fate. Looking at his youngest, he announces, his children are his monuments built from love, not pain. His denial in the face of what he is told he must be. Each named for a concept lost to the past. Where is famine in this fruitful land? With their healers, where is pestilence? Their swords are forged in celebration. Where is war? Where is death?Calling him her poor love, she laughs, where it is always. Not in the past but waiting in the future… to strike! At night, she dreams of a sword, one not made for the bright day but to herald the night. She dreams of it splitting paradise in two - opening the door to annihilation. And she dreams that this is more than a dream. And so she named their children. Not in denial – but in recognition of what they must face, overcome and then become.He assures her they are one mind in that. But can strength never rest? Does survival have no ending? Can there be no time of – he breaks off, wondering what that light is.Present:Blades meet each other with a clang. Genesis asks if he remembers how he screamed when the Twilight Sword cleaved the land in two. She will never forget! Nor will he!She continues it was not a squeal of fear, nor a howl of pain, though their blades cut deep, as he shielded the children with his body.She nicks him and licks the blood on her blade. It was a scream of rage and despair, she continues. She remembers well. A agrees. Rage that paradise had been sundered and despair that it would always be so. What she heard was the burning of his soul, and he took the flame and gifted it to their enemies! He turned his torso into a cage to protect the children, while he fought as did the others. If the boy Blue, his dead father’s sword in his hand, his power awakened from grief, had not raised his Hundred and charged the rift, they would have fallen. As it was, the years passed and they fought on.Genesis smiles, recalling her sister fought by their side, never losing and never losing heart. Their children grew to be warriors. Those were years of glory!They were, he agrees. And does she recall how they ended? Of course, she smiles. They won. And the enemy came to them, begging bowl in hand… to parley.Flashback:Before Genesis, Apocalypse and the four grown Horsemen as well as a Summoner stands a rotten corpse wearing the helmet of Annihilation. Annihilation wants to make an offer to those mutants of great quality. So make it, the Summoner challenges. If only it could give it to them, Annihilation laments, but generosity is nowhere in its nature, Sincerity however is. It wants them to earn it. It summons a pair of daemons to attack them. Apocalypse wants to strike but Genesis announces, they are hers. She strikes with her power over plant life, her control over the vines quickly taking the creatures apart.Present:A recalls how quick it was and he recalls the Annihilation helm making its offer to her and her alone. She kept to herself what it offered, and her answer. She replies, the knowledge might have broken him, and then she needed him whole. But now… perhaps it is time for him to learn…Flashback:Genesis took the helm off the crumbling corpse and it spoke to her alone, spoke in her mind. Claiming it came to her a friend.On the astral plane, surrounded by darkness, the helm is larger than life. It reminds her it has made her a warrior, when once she was a paranoid outsider. It has given her the time for which she was born. It has reforged he husband back into the merciless blade that came to them from desert lands. Undone, the peace that had blunted his sharp edges. It has built heroes from her children. A legend from her sister. A glorious myth from her country. Has it not made all of her dreams come true?At what cost? Genesis demands. Annihilation scoffs. The weak were winnowed, the strong survived and thrive. Is that not her philosophy? And so here is its offer for her ears alone: it will seal the rift. If she asks it to.In disbelief, Genesis asks, is that all she must do? Ask? Annihilation clarifies, it does not require abasement or humiliation or even a “please.” Ask and the rift is closed. The war will end here, with nothing further lost nor won. Only ask.And what of the lost Hundred? she asks. What of their dead? What of payment for its crimes?Annihilation tells her to stop. They both know there is only one question in her hear: if the war does not end… if the rift remains open… can she win?The present:A looks at her in horror. The dream was real, he mutters. They had peace. In their hands. Paid for with blood. Okkara… had peace and she refused it! He throws himself at her, swords drawn. Calmly, she replies that she did and was right to. With two blades, she stabs him through the chest and doubles down, they were not made for peace!On his knees, A groans in pain. As Genesis continues, he insults himself to pretend otherwise. By pretending, with his great hindsight, he would have taken another path. She knows him better and thinks more of him. He is of Arakko, as she is. And in the broken land they fight. As he would have fought. Yes, he hisses. He would have fought. For Amenth’s crimes, for Arakko’s justice, he would have fought. Even knowing he would lose… he would have fought! Even knowing the cost… Does she remember the cost? The cost was separation! Arakko from Krakoa, husband from wife…She knows, Genesis replies. She was there. And she could ask the same of him. He sent the broken land to Earth – to coddled Krakoa. What did he truly intend? For the strong to conquer the weak? Or the weak to worship the strong? He groans that he intended to force growth. A necessary change…She puts a comforting hand on his shoulder and claims it a noble goal, but she saw the result.Flashback:Amenth, after the Contest of Swords:While A stands some distance away, the remaining Summoners of Amenth (and with them the daemons of Amenth) submit to Genesis and the Annihilation staff. With Genesis stand the three surviving children. War calls the Summeron a good boy. She dislikes hurting Summoners. With a smirk Pestilence warns her that sentimentality is a notion hard to get rid of, once it has settled in the heart. Their brother Famine is disappointed at the easy surrender.The Summoner seems to take the change in rulership in stride. Once his helmet ruled them, now the staff. Neither power is to be resisted for long. The Summoner wonders though if the outcome would have been different, had Tarn the Uncaring lived to see the day. Genesis is shocked at that news.The Summoner explains they felt Tarn’s passing in their bones. And the news of his death reached them though their once-comrades toiling in the Blightlands for Saturnyne’s coin. Tarn’s chosen – the Locus - mourn him still, withdrawn in the Spire Vile on the world of Arakko, as they continue to work in his name. Genesis and the Horsemen are surprised at the word “world.” Have the Arakkii conquered Earth? No, they are told by A who has been listening. He has used magic to scry on the Krakoans, his other children. Instead of Krakoa and Arakko joining, a new path was forged.War criticizes him for keeping secrets from them, while Genesis wishes to know more about this world Arakko. Would they approve? After a brief pause, he replies that their people continue to be tested.He lies! comes a new voice, an astral projection of a human woman, Marianne Stern of Coven Akkaba. She respectfully addresses Genesis and offers to show the truth her husband is hiding. “Akkaba,” A mutters, before warning she is from Orchis and not to be trusted. Genesis retorts that, if she has survived that long, she deserves to be attended. Unless it is an easy thing to survive the wrath of En Sabah Nur…It should be impossible to best an omega of Arakko, and yet behold! Stern continues and shows them how the Great Ring was destroyed at the hands of Uranos the Undying.Present:Genesis states that it took an outsider to show her the truth he hid. What was she to do then? She reforged their swords, she gathered the last of their children – forcing the vampire lands of Sevalith to release her son Death. And then, with her family around her and the daemons of a hundred Amenthi Summoners at her back, she confronted the only enemy remaining – the White Sword in his ancient spire. She humbled him and made his Hundred hers. And while she did all these necessary things, what did he do? What did he do besides prepare for her return? She chose him long ago. She chooses him still. But though he was the living Apocalypse to his weak Krakoans, among the two of them? He will always be the mage. And she will always be the warrior. And so he must yield.She orders him to open the way. She knows he has that power. Calling her his love, he agrees. But he is more than mage. He is mutant and he comes armed.He creates two more arms from his torso which touch the blades that impale him. He reminds her his power is to control every atom of his body. But the true measure of strength is not the weapons you can create, but the pain you can survive! he shouts as he draws the swords out.Genesis smiles. There he is, at last. There he is, he agrees, but it isn’t enough to be there. It isn’t enough only to be strong. So he laid down his weapons, as he did on the plains of Otherworld. To save them all, he yields… on his own terms.Looking away, he announces that she persuaded him. If their reasons to act differ, that matters less than the necessity for action. Mutantkind will not survive the fire to come without Arakko - and Arakko must thus be tested and tempered by the flame. And as she said, he prepared for her return.A carefully presents three seeds. The seeds contain millennia of mutant magic – the Okkara Gates. One he gives to her to use as she will. One he keeps for himself. And one he plants here in his own blood. Blood is what the seed must feed on, for mutant blood has always been the cost of mutant power.The gate grows. Genesis touches his hand and thanks him. Will he come with her? A refuses. He cannot walk this path by her side any more than she could keep from walking it. But there is one thing he asks: if this is truly her path… walk it alone.She looks at the Annihilation staff and refuses A’s request. She her husband goodbye until they meet again. She steps through the gate.Is she gone? the daemon asks then gets up. Good thing he doesn’t’ keep much brain up there. He might keep the knife though. Calling A “teacher,” he asks how he did. He survived, is the reply. He can join him, if he likes. He has his own path to walk, his own forces to gather.The daemon climbs onto A’s shoulder, as A muses that soon his and his wife’s paths will cross again on the battlefield of Arakko, and his wife will test him once more.But he is the big A - top of the alphabet! the daemon scoffs. He thinks he needs testing? They all do, is the reply – the strong most of all, for to face the test is to face the revelation, and the Revelation never ends.


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Mutant First Strike
The Granite Town. Milford. New Hampshire. United States. North America. Earth. People go about their daily lives in this small, quiet town. Walking with children, meeting friends at a cafe, walking their dogs, visiting relatives, avoiding a rat in the street. Suddenly, there is a massive explosion which rips through the town.'Our hearts go out to Milford – latest victim of mutant aggression. Where will it stop, folks – we all felt it, right? When they declared themselves gods?' a reporter asks, while footage of an powerful blast occurring at Milford is shown on a screen behind the reporter. 'When they dangled vital medicines as carrots and didn't even try to hide the stick? When their teen terrorist Nature Girl attacked our cities? When their unhinged Thunderbird ransacked an innocent police station?' the reporter asks. Another reporter appears on a screen and asks if Milford is just next in line, and whether it was chosen for its long-solved environmental issues, or if it was simpler – was it just spite? 'After all... doesn't every god need a flood now and then to remind us he's in charge?' the second reporter asks, adding that this was no flood – reporters are in, and this was a coordinated hit.'They're calling it a Krakoan dirty bomb. A mutant suicide attack' another reporter states, revealing that physical, electromagnetic and viral hell was unleashed on this well-meaning town, and thanks to mutant resurrection, people are asking if the bomber is even truly dead. 'Do they even need to make a sacrifice to hurt us?' the reporter frowns.Meanwhile, on the mutant nation of Krakoa, Lucas Bishop appears before the Quiet Council. Ten of the twelve seats currently occupied, Bishop reports that the power is out, communications are dead, food is spoiling and diseases are spreading, not to mention there is flooding and emergency services are down. Bishop announces that it is not good in Milford, and that it is getting worse at an accelerated rate. 'A pity those simple folk weren't better prepared in this dangerous day and age' Sebastian Shaw mutters. Bishop tells Shaw that people are suffering, fast and hard. 'And every second has our names on it' he stresses.Bishop hands Professor Charles Xavier a file and tells him that they have to face it – either a mutant did this, or it was made to look like a mutant did it. 'This isn't the time to circle up. I'd like to field a team. Lead the response' Bishop adds.Xavier remarks that he agrees, and looking around, notes that he sees no one but Shaw opposed to Krakoa's Captain Commander saving lives. Shaw rolls his eyes as Xavier quotes one of the laws of Krakoa: “murder no man” and points out that counts  even by inaction. 'Our laws stand. The big guns are yours, Bishop. Your orders are simple. Help them. If we are to be gods... we must be benevolent ones'.Milford, where buildings lie in rubble. Civilians line up outside a pharmacy. Police officers shield themselves behind upturned police cars while thugs attack them. An old white man aims a gun at a group who approach his help. People have scrawled “HELP, need medicine and water!” onto the road.'Okay, Krakoans... this is more than a Marauders activation. This is all hands on deck. It's only been hours. But the damage is more like what you'd see weeks on. These people are hurting. More and sooner, than usual. They're scared. They're confused. They're angry... angry at us. And they're right to be – they've been hit hard. But they've got to know... got to be shown, especially now... when they see the red-and-white X... it means help is on the way' Bishop tells his Krakoan Response Team, most of whom wear the standard blue and white costume with a large red X across the uniform's jacket.Bishop leads the way out of the X-Jet that hovers above Milford, and following him are Jean Grey, Storm, Cyclops, Iceman, Penance, Tempo, Triage and Angel - the only one of the group who doesn't wear the response team costume, but his classic red costume with large white X.At that moment, aboard the Bloom, in orbit around the Earth, where Judas Traveller watches various monitors depicting an assortment of news reports on the attack on Mildord. He turns to one of the Orchis operatives in the room and asks for a report. The Orchis operative states that it is five hours since detonation in Milford, and that Orchis' custom X-Gene is delivering. Infrastructure, sanitation, health and safety are all critical. Viral agents are active, and everything has been accelerated by Orchis' chronokinetic plug-in. 'Time is not on Krakoa's side' the operative adds, before revealing that satellite feeds show a response team has formed, as predicted. 'And you should know, Agent Traveller. Even with all we've done... predictive algorithms show Krakoa can still solve this disaster. Within a day. Maybe less'. Judas Traveller smirks and replies 'Let them. Milford is just a stop on the road – our target is in sight. But to your point, officer – now that my fellow mutants have arrived... let's call in the dogs'.Back in Milford, Heather Tucker a.k.a. Tempo picks up a skull as she examines some rubble. Cerebra floats near her, while Tempo's partner, the Threshold mutant called Theia, creates a force-field which surrounds several civilians nearby. Tempo is linked telepathically to the others and reports that she is leading CSI, and that they have found remains at the blast's epicenter. Tempo adds that Cerebra confirms the remains are mutant, and that Bishop was right – the attacker's genes are emitting a temporal nudge, making days of disaster out of hours. Tempo announces that she has canceled the nudge, and now time is flowing normally. But even so, folks here are about as happy as one would expect. Tempo reports that Theia has a gravity wall up for the civilians' safety, but decides that they deserve to know the facts. 'Who attacked them?' Tempo asks, turning to Cerebra.Cerebra examines the skull and reports that the genetics here are piecemeal, they are looking at a custom X-Gene, assembled sloppily – it wasn't meant to last and is degrading quickly. Tempo reports that she can get Cerebra a better look at it, and asks for a second to turn back the minutes. Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops joins interjects and tells Tempo that seconds might be too big of an ask. He reports that he is at the town line, where they have idiots charging the perimeter. 'Don't you muties know the first rule of trespassing? BEWARE OF DOG!' one of the Watchdogs shouts as he rides into the town center on a sky-cycle, followed by other Watchdogs both on motorcycle and on foot. 'Noted' Cyclops responds to the Watchdog's warning, opening fire with an optic blast directed straight towards the Watchdogs.'Their anger is like thunder. But they're not local' Jean Grey reports, referring to the Watchdogs while hovering over a mob of angry civilians. Jean reveals that the Watchdogs are here to guard the town from the Krakoan Response Team. Monet St. Croix is keeping watch over another group of civilians and tells Jean that the Watchdogs want to get in the way, to pour gasoline on the fire. 'And any one of these people could have tipped them off' Monet points out. 'Or they saw the news, M. Regardless, they're here, and they're dangerous' Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm remarks as she hovers in the air above Milford, lighting crackling around her as she announces that she has dispersed the biotoxin gas, however Milford is far from healed. Bishop is on the ground, absorbing some troublesome energies and he remarks that he agrees with Storm – the Watchdogs are just another item on the list, and relief can't stop because of a few misinformed out-of-towners. 'It won't, Bishop. Ping the reserves for search and rescue. Monet and I will back up Cyclops – I'm sure we can scare off a few dogs' Warren Worthington III remarks as he flies out of a building carrying an elderly woman. 'Don't just scare them, Angel. Remove them. The Watchdogs are not the ones owed our attention' Storm suggests.Tempo continues to hold the skull, and asks Cerebra if she reads anything more from it, adding that subjective time on the genetics should be pre-explosion. Cerebra reveals that she can't pick up anything good – the DNA is patchwork, and young, only a few days old. She detects self-detonation, chronokinesis, bacteriopathy, technokinesis and electromagnetism, but little memory and basic thought. 'A living weapon. Almost as if -' Cerebra begins, before a wide-eyed Tempo realizes that it was as if the mutant was created for this. 'Made...to die? A ruse like that would give even the Unbreathing pause...' Theia's voice trails off, to which Tempo tells her that cruelty is easy, especially when it's faceless. Tempo adds that a skull is a skull, and pushing it back in time won't regrow the skin and muscle. 'But you could read it...network everyone here, and show us all what he really looked like' Tempo suggests.The plan works, and an image of a young man is projected from the skull, which Tempo holds up to the civilians behind the gravity field, and tells them that if she were them, she wouldn't trust the Krakoans either, and she isn't asking them to – but she is asking them to see this. 'We all lost something today. All of us' Tempo utters. She holds the skull above her head, 'A boy. Dead against his will. It's easy to hate a skull – but look at him. Hear us out. Let us help you. Let us hunt down the truth!' Tempo exclaims, suggesting that they can be angry at the right people – together.'Do-don't hurt me!' a civilian pleads as John Proudstar a.k.a. Thunderbird rips some debris up off the trapped civilian. 'Relax, brah. I'm banking the pain for whoever really hit this place' Thunderbird tells the man, while projecting his thoughts to Tempo, telling her that something feels familiar. 'Once I open this can – I'm coming your way' he adds.Nearby, Bobby Drake a.k.a. Iceman has created some blocks of ice, and several dogs lick the ice blocks. Bobby reports to the other Krakoans that he has got the reservoir frozen shut so the rebuilders come through. Bobby adds that he has made many new friends, and they say he is cool. Christopher Muse a.k.a. Triage is keeping watch over several civilians, while medics assist with injuries. He tells Iceman that pups are immune to puns. 'Respectfully – you're still an icon' Triage adds, before reporting that he is about wrapped with the condition criticals, but that he can't help the dead. 'The explosion was dirty. Half the town's sick or infectious''Sick but en route, Triage' Xuan Cao Manh a.k.a. Karma points out as she uses her power to direct civilians to safety. Karma adds that Tag is uniquely suited for evacuation, and Brian Cruz a.k.a. Tag can be seen helping people out of a bus which had crashed onto its side. Tag remarks that he had never thought of making a car or a building “it” before, but that he is glad to help. Karma reports that she has the complex extractions covered. 'We're clearing blocks fast' Karma declares. Bishop helps a trapped civilian to safety and tells Karma she is doing good work, while adding that no Watchdogs have breached downtown, and ask what his sitrep is on the line.Cyclops unleashes another powerful optic blast, while Angel has transformed to Archangel, and hovers above him, as Monet in her Penance form slashes her way through several of the Watchdogs, taking them out. 'Damn muties can steal a planet outta the sky – but Earth's under out watch! So're these people! And these dogs bite!' one of the Watchdogs shouts.Cyclops informs Bishop that the situation is less than idea, to which Archangel asks him what he means. 'I'm almost nostalgic for the old slurs – keep things simple' Archangel remarks, but Scott tells him that they can't let the Watchdogs make this a marketing event for their milita, as the last thing these people need to see is mutant ultra-violence. Penance slashes through a motorcycle and declares that blood is one thing, but that they should not hide who they are – even now. 'Now more than ever, in fact. That's what they need to see. Deadly or not, these are our hands – and they're open' Penance snaps.'My god – it's him!' a civilian utters as Thunderbird approaches a group of people gathered together behind the gravity field. 'The one who destroyed those cops' a woman adds. 'Not too good at the quiet part, are ya?' Thunderbird frowns. 'We – we didn't mean to insult you, Mister Bird' another woman calls out. 'It's just – was that not you?' another enquires. 'Damn right. Beat those tools within an inch of their lives. But I left 'em that inch. An' if ya'd like to keep more than that – you'll stay calm, gravity wall or not!' Tempo looks over at Thunderbird: 'Subtle' she mutters. Thunderbird looks at the skull and remarks that he is not here to charm folks, and asks if this skull has some kind of broken X-Gene. Tempo explains that it is unstable, made not to last but collapse – explosively. Thunderbird reveals that the Heritage Foundation was buying native X-Genes. 'Good fer a con. Or a false flag' he points out, suggesting that they could be responsible for this, as it's definitely their style. 'Much as I like ta throw down... s'like my grandmother said. Right now, we're the face of all mutants. Thunderbird begins to crush the skull between his hands, while Tempo and Cerebra look on, shocked. 'And if we lose our heads with the Watchdogs... we'll only be helping their cause' Thunderbird declares.'Your place is not here' Storm calls out as she flies over to the head Watchdog, who is high up in the air on his sky-cycle. 'I'm the Lead Dog, lady! You think you're so superior – don't you?' the angry man calls out. 'It's never enough for you – first a school, then a country, then your pity medicines – to show us we can't live without you. But we can. And Milford? Attacking American soil was too far!' the Lead Dog snarls. Down below, Bobby reports that there are some dogs rushing the fence. 'But, hey! It's a nice cooldown!' he adds as he throws up an ice-shield to protect some people in a car. 'Go ahead! Kill me like you did this town's fathers and sons!' a Watchdog calls out as Bishop grabs him by his throat. 'There's no world where the Watchdogs listen to reason. Not today, at least' Bishop decides. Storm agrees, and informs Bishop that she is having words with their leader right now.Storm informs the Lead Dog that the Krakoans are here to aid in the relief. 'Help us, or step aside' she warns the Lead Dog. 'You want to do something good for these people? Stay still I run you down!' the old man snarls. 'How fortunate. There seems to be a pressure pocket inside your tricycle' Storm responds casually as she causes his sky-cycle to explode. Down below, Penance runs a claw across the forehead of one of the younger Watchdogs and tells him a secret: 'Good people have nothing to fear from me. You do'. The Lead Dog screams as he plunges towards the ground below. 'Just like the danger room' Cyclops calls out as he fires an optic blast at Archangel's wings, the wings are parted like blades, and when the optic beam strikes the wing, it splits into several beams, each of which streaks forward and slams into a Watchdog. 'Danger planet, these days' Archangel suggests.'All we're good for to your kind is killing?' the Lead Dog asks as he careens towards the ground – then, several feet from the concrete below, he comes to a halt mid-air, as other Watchdogs find themselves levitated several feet up off the ground. 'Hey! What's? It's them! S'gotta be one 'a them!' a Watchdog calls out. 'But where're they taking us?' one of them asks. 'Up!' Jean Grey calls out as she flies up between the Watchdogs, one of whom tries to aim their gun towards Jena, but finds that the gun won't hold together. 'Got news for you, mind lady – do this, and there'll be consequences!' another exclaims. 'What consequences? You're obviously not interested in – solutions' Jean responds, before she looks concerned. She turns to one of the Watchdogs suspended nearby. 'Don't touch me! Let me go!' the Watchdog calls out, while Jean reads the minds of all of them and discovers that they all really believe this was a mutant attack. 'Because it was you soulless ginger -' the Watchdog starts, before Jean switches off their speech centers.Jean then informs the Krakoans that the Watchdogs are indeed crazed, but that if this is a false flag, they are not in on it. While Bishop talks with a group of civilians, Storm kneels beside Triage and looks at several wounded civilians as she responds to Jean by remarking 'Then they too are pawns. Like Milford, so much lost here... for a game'. Storm turns to Triage and tells him that he does Krakoa proud, as many still live thanks to his gifts. 'Not gifted enough, Storm... they're not all getting back up' Triage responds, sweat pouring down his face.Jean drops down beside Bishop and Storm and tells them that the dogs will be chasing their tails for hours, before asking Bishop what the view is down here. 'An eyeful of counterattack. The fight's still on' Bishop responds, adding that the clenched fists won't win – and like Monet said, they need open hands.Storm surrounds Triage and several patients in a bubble, and Triage thanks Storm for the assist, as this oxygen-rich environment will help with the healing. 'And free you to focus on the finer details of the wounded' Storm notes, while reminding Triage that he is gifted. Nearby, Carl Valentino a.k.a. Somnus keeps watch over several sleeping civilians, he reports that the wounded are stable, dreaming comfortably until Triage can get to them. 'If he even needs to' Kristina Anderson a.k.a. Thumbelina points out from inside the body of one of the civilians, where she is performing microsurgery. She reports that so far she has repaired seven lungs, a pancreas, and thirteen hearts – and counting. 'Down to five minutes per on the last one' Thumbelina boasts, adding that it is good to be back on the job.Bishop contacts the woman only known as Wicked and tells her that with no backups, the Phoenix Foundation is off the table. The ghoulish mutant tells Bishop that she gets it, but that not everyone sees why they can't just resurrect anyone. As a young man cries, holding the hands of the ghost of someone he cares for, Wicked declares that she is in grief counseling. 'Losses are minimal, sure – but not to those who've lost'.A press conference has been established nearby, with Monet and Angel, back to their regular forms, along with Cyclops, stand on the podium next to a woman who thanks everyone for coming, and introduces herself as Mayor Aviance. She states that this morning, Milford was attacked, and while details are unclear, it appears that mutants are not behind the violence. 'They were the first to offer aid. Krakoa's X-Corp has pledged ongoing relief...while its volunteers continue to lift our hearts...rescue those still trapped in the rubble... decontaminate our streets... and turn one of our darkest nights... into something bright' the Mayor announces.Joshua Guthrie a.k.a. Icarus sits near a group who are gathered around a fire, and he reports that spirits are up, and that he has learned four local tunes, with more on the way. Shela Sexton a.k.a. Escapade is also part of the Krakoan Response Team, and as she hands a small dog to a woman, she reports that she is on evacuation duty, that switching places has been killer, but there aren't many spots she can't escape from. Elsewhere, the Thresholder called Crave lies in a pile of biohazardous material. He reports that he doesn't know what “biohazard” means, but that it is tasty and nutrtiious to him, having consumed the dangerous substances. Icarus suddenly looks up to the night sky where the Beaubier twins, Northstar and Aurora, appear. They hold hands and create a brilliant light which glows over the town of Milford. Aurora apologizes for the delay, explaining that they were on Arakko, while Northstar boasts that he and his sister remain the world's best defense against the dark.The Mayor continues with her speech, stating that the Krakoans strengthen this town, while cleaning their skies, purifying their water and preparing them for the bureaucratic and budgetary battles to come. Indeed, Sanjar Javeed is with some of the poorly and reports that he has boosted immunity in the most vulnerable, whose bacterial and viral resistence is now up. He also refers to once being called Death, but now, he is Life. Jacob Williams a.k.a. Brutha Nature walks alongside a river in a forest and announces that he is doing what he does, and has air-scrubbing flora budding all over town. Soudabeh Abadi a.k.a Alchemist reports in, calling herself a humble miracle worker, she reveals that the ground water was poisoned, until she gave it a stern talking to. Iceman has created several ice-copies of himself and announces that he is in the comptroller's office, wearing his CPA hat. 'Thing was dusty as hell' Bobby adds as he searches through several files.Jean Grey flies down a street, bricks, panels of wood and other materials floating around her, she introduces herself to the civilians as Jean, and tells them that her mind rebuild their homes, but their memories are the blueprints – so if they want to renovate, that's on her. Theia and Tempo walk hand-in-hand nearby, and Theia tells Tempo that people are looking at them. 'Us? Or their streets reassembling themselves before their eyes' Tempo suggests. 'I already know you're magic, Theia. They're just figuring it out' Tempo smiles. 'You're a soup guy now, Greycrow?' James Madrox the Multiple Man asks as he and several dupes form a soup kitchen line, handing bowls of soup to the locals, while John Greycrow stirs a large pot of soup. Greycrow tells Madrox that food is power, and so are bullets, if he keeps running his mouth. 'Seafood boil's got everything people need, and it reminds 'em of home' Greycrow adds. Nearby, 'Thanks, Mister Eye-Scream!' a little girl call out as the mutant known only as Eye-Scream uses his powers to manifest ice-cream in a bowl for the girl. 'You're welcome, kid' Eye-Scream replies, before asking 'Who's next? Pick a flavor. Sky's the limit' he exclaims. Bishop walks among the Krakoans and tells them that they are doing good work, while the Mayor states that it is mutants putting their lives on hold, so the people of Milford can reclaim their own.Shortly, Bishop stands before a large number of gathered civilians. Cyclops, Iceman, Storm, Monet, Angel, Jean, Triage and Tempo gather behind Bishop, as he addresses the people of Milford, instroducing himself as a Captain Commander of Krakoa. 'One day ago, you suffered an unthinkable shock. A mutant seemed to be at fault. Even before we knew the truth, Krakoa acted – because it wasn't about us'. Bishop continues, noting that if they as mutants can do more than humans, then they should do more – because charity, it can't be about redeeming the giver – it must liberate the receiver – which is why the Krakoans came here. 'To give you back not just what was lost – what was taken from you... but more. And that doesn't end when we leave'. The Krakoans and the civilians begin interacting, shaking hands and talking to each other.Bishop continues, telling the people of Milford that they deserve to know who tried using their lives to pit human against mutant, and now they will, though the evidence was gained through mutant gifts. It was Nathaniel Carver a.k.a. Hindsight, a young Krakoan who is psychometric, and whose touch revealed flashes, sights and sounds that implicate Orchis. Bishop states that by funding the Heritage Initiative, Orchis built a mutant bomb, and unleashed him on Milford. 'To them, you were game pieces. I don't doubt that's painful. But it's also peace of mind'. Jean, Angel and Iceman help dish out more food supplies, while Wicked sits in a cemetery, several ghosts sitting with her. Bishop tells the civilians that the days ahead won't be easy, and that there are some losses that cannot be undone. 'And even so – some of you may never trust us. That's you right. But trust us or not – you won't have to face what's next alone. Krakoa will be with you... for as long as you'll have us'.After shaking hands with the Mayor, Bishop leads the Krakoan Response Team away from Milford. As they fly through the air, Storm remarks 'The Watchdogs...all that anger and they didn't have a clue who they were working for. They mobilized – were ready for war – off an anonymous tip'. Bishop acknowledges that it seems Jean had the Watchdogs pretty well dusted, and asks if they are turning themselves in as they speak. 'Not yet. Like I said – they'll be chasing their tails for hours' Jean responds, explaining that, literally, the Watchdogs will walk in circles until they hear the sound of handcuffs. 'But as to when that'll be? Well, I'm sure Milford will happily turn them over...once they're done with them' Jean smiles, while, back in Milford, little boys are throwing food at the Watchdogs, a burger slams into Lead Dog's face.Jean, Bishop and Storm hover mid-air above a river, taking a moment to relax after the recent events. Bishop asks Jean if there is something on her mind. 'Me? Never' Jean replies. But Bishop thinks otherwise, and remarks that Jean must be thinking about the Watchdogs. Jean frowns, and reports that the Watchdogs are still circling, she just checked in on them. Bishop refers to Santo Marco and Nature Girl's oil-rig hit, and tells his longtime teammates that he has worked disasters before, but that today was different. 'This was a comprehensive attack in what started as hostile territory'. Storm tells Bishop that he may have worried, but that she never doubted their Captain Commander. Jean adds that Milford was afraid, but that Bishop managed to turn that into faith. Suddenly: 'Wait, it's just hitting. The rage – like the Watchdogs... but blazing across all of North America' Jean announces, revealing that Milford is speaking out for Krakoa – only no one is listening.Later, the Lead Dog is interviewed in which he reveals that his name is Gio Mack, and calls himself a human rights activist, as well as Lead Dog of the Watchdogs and witness to Krakoa's sick attack on their way of life. He vows that he won't be silenced. 'Mutants hit that poor town then showed up to finish the job. We Watchdogs came to protect the townsfolk. The Krakoans brutalized us' Lead Dog snarls.Edwin Martynec of the Heritage Initiative tells a reporter that the Heritage Initiative is aware of Krakoa's allegations of genetic misconduct, but they are aware the Krakoans have no proof that doesn't rely on biased so-called mutant technology.Gemma Shin of Fact Channel News interviews the Mayor of Milford via video connection: 'Miss Avinicia – shouldn't your focus be on protecting your people, not their attackers?' Gemma asks. Unimpressed, the Mayor responds: 'It's Mayor Aviance, Miss Shin. And you talk a lot about what's best for Milford... for someone who's never set foot there. We lived through the explosion. We're the ones speaking out about what really happened' Mayor Aviance declares, adding that this was made to look like mutants, but that Krakoa wasn't to blame. 'So you say – but we were all watching. Many people feel this was yet another act of mutant aggression... and they've got a right to that belief' Gemma responds defiantly.Elsewhere: 'Not a great day. Orchis' seeds are sprouting no matter what Milford says happened' Iceman points out as he makes a small ice flower. 'Opinion – the lowest form of intelligence. Well, no – there are puns. So beware, man of ice.' Alechmist responds as she transforms the ice flower, changing its substance – then Monet extends a Penance claw through the flower, spiking it. 'Those who know Milford's truth speak it, Sudi... and those who don't know don't care be greater measure' Monet declares. Bobby points out that people see what they want to see, as Alchemist adds that this is a story she has known since the Spanish Inquisition. Monet breaks the flower and announces that they have all lived through it, in any number of ways, and all survived it. 'Despite their efforts, humans have yet to invest a weapon greater... than an idea'.Aboard the Bloom, Judas Traveller asks for a narrative update, and one of his staff report that Milford is in recovery, that Orchis' attack had no lasting impact, other than the funerals, of course. 'Think laterally' Judas tellls the officer. 'I told you Milford wasn't the target. And as I see it, this... was a direct hit' Judas Traveller grins as he watches Gemma Shin over and over again stating that people have a right to their belief that this was an act of mutant aggression....


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Lonely Hearts Club
London, 1852:A handsome couple promenades along the Thames near St. Paul’s Cathedral. The young woman, Rebecca, talks about water gods, specifically “Father Thames” here in London. Think of the river Styx demarcating the now with the hereafter. Her companion indulgently teases her that, for a good Christian girl, she is surprisingly knowledgeable on all things pagan.A girl is allowed passions, she replies demurely. She would think a man courting one would know that. Well struck, Nathaniel Essex agrees. With a smile, Rebecca looks at the river and explains it is not the same thing at all. Those gods are just stories. She loves a good story. Then he will give her one, he announces, as he takes off his hat. Picture this: The greatest scientist of the age and his dazzling wife beside him. They’ll have a life beyond imagining!Nervously, Rebecca replies she is a simple Essex girl. And he is the self-styled greatest scientist of the age. It is like something out of a novel! Why would one so grand come to her? Essex admits to not having the words. He isn’t a poet. But… he sees her and sees all that life can be! He is a man with hard edges, but she makes him believe he can be otherwise. And he says he isn’t a poet, Rebecca sighs.Essex fumbles pocket then offers her a ring and proposes marriage. Will she stay by him always? Will they be happy forever? He asks for the moon, she replies breathlessly. He does, he agrees as he puts the ring on her finger. They deserve nothing less. Rebecca promises her heart is his for always, and they kiss.London, the present:Dr. Stasis, the Essex clone who fancies himself to be the closest to the original nervously presides over a group of hybrid animals creating a romantic atmosphere and setting the mood. He barks orders while thinking that she is coming. He spent a century trying to carve her from flesh, and now she is alive! He scurries back and forth like a nervous schoolboy while looking at the elevator doors.Finally, the doors open and Mother Righteous steps out. Immediately, she mocks the fancy place and asks if Orchis membership come with an expenses account. It does, he replies as he bows politely. Ownership of the world comes with a lot of fringe benefits. He calls her Rebecca and she immediately corrects him: it’s Mother Righteous. She is thinking he has to earn the right to use the “R”… while she has to earn the trust of his Orchis fellas, yes? What did they tell him?They say many things at length, he hints. Nimrod is doubly suspicious of her recent actions, especially with their contacts saying she is so popular on Krakoa that she’s an outside bet for this year’s X-Men vote.Mother Righteous interjects that shows just how useful she can be. Impatiently, she informs him she doesn’t want to join the gang. She just wants to get a working relationship going. As does he. It’s been decided she has to prove herself. There are two things they need as a show of good faith. The first… He hands her a note. Interesting, she smirks, then burns it. He hasn’t changed, still asking for the moon. And the second demand? He points at the set table. A date. She knows how he hates to eat alone.Annoyed, she sighs. She is not her, and he is not him. Not really. When they met, she kicked him in the unmentionables. That wasn’t flirting. She warns him not to go down that road. The story doesn’t end well. For him. For her either. Still, he insists. When they were merely human, she’d say she’d married him for duty but grew to love him. He believes she can love him again…She sighs, snaps her fingers and changes her outfit to a white evening gown.They sit down and find the conversation stilted and halting. He asks what she has been reading. Really? she mocks. This is a date, he reminds her. Small talk. Fripperies. He knows she liked to read. Austen and that. Weightless feminine stuff.She glares and he silently chides himself for his habitual sexism. Stasis apologizes. It is no longer the nineteenth century. He should respect her career goals. So how is taking over the world going? So-so, she replies, not as well as with him. Orchis is on the rise, but she observes that seem more like a side game. He is not the kind to be in a crowd scene.While several animal servants walk in with covered trays, Stasis is inwardly delighted that she still knows him so well.On their plates are tiny steaks. Stasis takes the gamma ray gun from the gorilla waiter, shoots the steaks and suddenly there are smashing green Hulk steaks on their plates. He suggests she ignore the color. The meat tastes divine. She agrees and asks how the last century has been for him.Dr. Stasis thinks of events:Being part of the group of scientists watching Steve Rogers beat a Nazi spy after being injected with the super soldier serum.Standing next to General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross as military personnel lead Dr. Bruce Banner and Rick Jones from the site where the first gamma bomb detonated.Watching from the distance as a young Peter Parker is about to have his fateful encounter with an irradiated spider.And secretly working with the Children of the Vault.Busy, is all he says. And her?She recalls things she did: Finding Apocalypse, during one of his sleeping cycles in his tomb. Babysitting the Maximoff twins. Studying the Darkhold. Working with the demon sorcerer Belasco.Busy, she echoes, tight-lipped.If they’ve both been so bloody busy, there is a question, she muses and points to the heart symbol on her forehead. When did he realize there were others who share this little thing? She saw Sinister when he started playing in public with the X-Men. Gave her a right fright. He did, the showy ham, Stasis agrees. He was aware of Sinister much earlier. They moved in similar circles in the 1940ies, when he worked with America for the war effort. Stasis investigated and thought him Apocalypse’s creature, a possible leftover from the process that birthed Dr. Stasis. He stayed clear of Sinister and tried not to think of him. He is bad memories personified.So, it’s only been a decade since she discovered Sinister? he presses. She is a smart girl, he is surprised it took her so long. Ignoring the taunt, she retorts that she was on Orbis Stellaris’ case much earlier. Who? Stasis asks, only to choke out a moment later: oh god, there’s a fourth? A spade on his head, he’s sure, he sighs resigned. Bang on, she grins. It’s like one of his schemes, he groans. It almost makes him believe in karma. This seems like some sort of payback for a lifetime of manipulation, mystery and mutilation.That’s not how Karma works, she corrects him, and it doesn’t matter if he believes in Karma. Karma believes in him.They share a silent smile before he smoothly announces that while he doesn’t know if he believes in karma, he certainly believes in her. She chimes with him so much, but he knows there is something they are missing. They should probably compare notes. How did they meet? Studying her glass, Righteous gives her short version: They met, he was noble, her not. He courted her, convinced her of his seriousness. They had a child. Adam. He was unwell.He grew obsessed, Stasis continues. He worked so hard to save Adam.He lost himself, Righteous continues. Adam died and he wouldn’t let go. She was pregnant again and he still wouldn’t turn back. He wouldn’t, Stasis agrees, looking down. She continues, saying she lost the child and died cursing his name. She said he was the most sinister man she’d ever met.Clearly overcome, he continues, the pain was too much. He turned to Apocalypse who transformed him into something that couldn’t feel grief. He became that monster. And then? she challenges. He could not feel it anymore, but he could see what he had lost, Stasis narrates.Dr. Stasis’s narration:He knew what a danger mutants like Apocalypse were. He’d done nothing that Essex couldn’t undo. He would become the man he once was, emerging from the pit with treasure claimed from mutant Hades. He was Prometheus stealing fire from the mutant gods and he would burn them down!Reborn he stepped from the chamber, knowing what he had to do, and the awful mistakes he had to make amends for. Most of all, a father protects his family. They would be recreated and he would protect it from any who would harm them, be it mutant or machine minds… he would not change!Present:Stasis - that is what is required. Stasis. No matter how much the world demands otherwise. Mother Righteous mildly corrects him, while this is his memory, it is not true at all, but a constructed story, something she knows a bit about. So whatever she believes is correct? he shoots back. Why does her story have primacy? She admits that her story is a story too. She knows what is happening. She refers to the crushed flowers he had strewn before the date, remembering what she likes. In return she brought a present, a book with a heart symbol on the cover.Stasi begins to read. Though much is redacted it describes the current situation of all four Essex clones up to the current date. It also gives the backstory, that they were all created with false memories, their own specialty and the desire to become a Dominion. As the Sinister timeline revealed one of them would (or has) already reach that goal and it is not Mr. Sinister.A little later, she asks for his thoughts. He supposes he should be having an existential crisis, Stasis replies unhappily, but he is not a weakling. What does he owe her for this? With a smile, she suggests a thank you.Instead of thanking her directly, he dramatically states she has not been listening or paying attention. Everything he does is in thanks to her. He does everything for her. She is everything! Lost for words, she mumbles thank you.Still rifling through the book, he muses about his nature being to protect her and the children. A man’s home is his castle. His dominion one could say. She presses if he isn’t bothered by not being the original Essex. Stasis mansplains they should consider the four of them and what the original Essex wanted. He is clearly the one Essex wanted to be, and the one who is supposed to win, and it is his duty not to disappoint.What does that make her? Mother Righteous demands. There is clearly too much grief and regret for one body, he suggests smoothly.He observes how her eyes go cold and distant. When next she speaks, her cadence has changed. Gone is the pre-transformation Eliza Doolittle. Now she turns precise and bookish. She is even more her, the woman who went to her grave cursing his name.He talks of regrets and grief, she states. Has he ever returned to Milbury House? As it turns out, neither of them has, so they do it together.He looks at the grave, recalling how he - Essex - had smashed the gravestones. Their daughter was buried without a headstone. So was she. It was too much for the man he was. He looks up and asks what she would have called their daughter. Morgan, she replies tersely.He uses a laser to inscribe the headstone for Adam, Rebecca and Morgan Essex. He points out Sinister would not mourn her or the children. Stasis is the very part of him that he had Apocalypse cut away. Stasis is sorry for his family and would make things well. She points out he also isn’t mourning. This is the opposite of mourning! He cannot undo the past and keep things safe in neat little packages! Stories where someone tries to do so, always go wrong. He is mistaken! She stresses his name: Stasis. Everything changes. The story goes on and…What does she remember? he changes the subject. Mother Righteous muses that Nathaniel Essex wasn’t a poetical man but, in his regret, his thoughts turned to something he had been reading.Mother Righteous’s narration:Old long-dead Ava Lovelace had an idea: poetical science. As he died, he tried to make the woman he lost. A creature of poetical science, a scarlet woman in every way. She is a love song in her own way.Present:She continues that Essex told a story, so the woman he loved and then drove to the grave could go on. Alive, guided by her wants and interests, not his. A story that could fight for a happy ending.Surprisingly perceptive, Dr. Stasis points out the veracity of the memory doesn’t matter. Essex must have regretted everything to have made her. Maybe, she wonders, but could a creature with his head all cut up by Apocalypse make anything other than monstrosities? He must have, Stasis insists. These passions are not monstrous. They are all that matters. He cares for her, and he cares for their children, and he cares for nothing else at all.He gently touches her shoulder and promises he loves her. That will not change. That is who he is. For a moment, she says nothing, then she announces, enough with the soppy stuff. It is time he asked for the moon.Inwardly, he notes the cheerful tone of a girl married far above her station is back. She is playing with him, and he loves it!Will he help his old lady go get her? she asks and he thinks he would do anything for her.Soon, she takes him to the riverside, where in another lifetime Nathaniel Essex proposed to Rebecca. He asks if this is extra cruelty. She replies he made a proposal earlier too. Here is where she answers it.She takes one of her glowing floating balloons and talks to something in it, promising it a snack for its work. When Stasis shows curiosity, she explains that in old times the Beaker People lived in Britian. They know nothing about them safe for some funny pots. This is one of their gods of sunrise and sunset. Life and death. She doesn’t like burning up her stores like this, but needs must. Come on, little death god, she orders, bring her the Moon! She lets the ballon fly upward into a rift. Within the rift, there is a dark strange city in the background and the moon is shining. She’ll keep the way open!This is some damnable Golden Bough stuff, isn’t it? Stasis swears. He sees a black barge nearing on the water and asks if that is her death god coming back. It’s Mother Righteous’s turn to swear, because in the barge is the Grim Reaper, who angrily declares she will not steal from him! He points his scythe at them and energy crackles, though she can put up a shield to deflect it.She wasn’t expecting Charon? Stasis asks. She admits she forgot this was once Londinium, so on Greco-Roman turf. She’s got all her magic tied in the ritual. Is he going to let her be done in, Nathaniel? she asks and looks at him.Without thinking, he draws a gun, his Sinister Six Shooter, called so not because of his alter ego, but because each of its six rounds is inspired by and derived from the Spider-Man villains. He starts with an electric blast, but before he can fire another round, Charon hits him with his scythe, shattering Stasis’ helmet and causing him to drop the gun. Instead, he uses something else, something irreplaceable. From one of his pouches, he draws a small globe made of metal that almost - though not quite - is as indestructible as Captain America’s shield. He throws the small globe at Charon, into him and then activates the Pym Particles he carries. The Pym Particles cause the globe to grow, exploding Charon. It was irreplaceable, Stasis figures. But not as irreplaceable as her. Taking her hand, he announces, he would kill death itself if he tried to take her from him.For a moment, they draw closer, until somebody orders them to kiss! Kiss for the entertainment of eternal Selene! orders the External mutant sorceress, who now stands in Charon’s ferry. Instead of thanking them, she informs them she would have made her way back to life herself eventually. She adds a highhanded ‘thank you’.Mother Righteous unnecessarily points out that Selene is named after the goddess of the Moon and with a flourish offers her to Dr. Stasis. Yes, he got the joke, he mutters, his education did include the classics. Well played; expect a glowing report card from Orchis.Later, in Feilong’s base on Phobos, Stasis is sitting with a cup of tea and addressing another person. The date went well, with some surprises, he relates. She actually told him about the other party… namely the fourth Essex clone Orbis Stellaris.Stellaris opens his life support shell to show an old man. He is not surprised, since she considers Stasis a fool in love. She thinks she can play him. She does not understand that men of the sky and men of the Earth are not as far apart as fact and fiction. Stasis agrees. He does everything for her, but she needs to realize that does not mean he does everything she wants. She swore an oath to him long ago. He intends to remind her. She promised to love, honor and most of all… obey.


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First Spell: Skin the Cat!
Kitty Pryde is using the X-Men’s high-tech training facility, the Danger Room, as she is in need of a fight. She chose Grant Park in midwinter, because the deadly winds she battles while walking are like a fight anyway. She chose Christmas time, because it was the first time she fought the demon. Suddenly, the demon takes the young woman also known as Shadowcat by surprise as it springs up from the snow. The demon is one of the N’Garai, and it is faster than what she remembered. But as it holds her up against the wall, she breaks free, flipping over it, as she is faster, and far deadlier, than the last time too.
As Kitty kicks herself up and away, she phases, sliding the molecules of her own body through that of the demon’s, and she becomes as hard as the air itself t hold. To Kitty, every day has been a fight lately, every battle a matter of life and death. She thinks that because of this, it makes life all the more precious, and she has gotten very good a defending it. She pulls out of her boot a blade of polished bone, in the shape of a claw. It used to belong to her teammate, Wolverine. When they were broken off in battle, Kitty collected them, partly as keepsakes, partly as talismans, and made them her own.
Kitty aims for the N’Garai’s stomach with the claw, but skilled as she is, and as hard as she strikes, the demon pushes her back, proving to be a worthy adversary. Kitty lands across the road, hard against a car. As she pulls herself up, she thinks how stupid that attempt was, especially as she knows what she is up against – like the fact that the demon can attack her from five different ways at once! She looks at her jacket, torn to shreds almost, and tries not to think that her back may look like it also.
Shadowcat grits her teeth as the demon starts to come closer. She realizes she lost her knife, and did not bring a spare either. Kitty phases behind the car, and just in time too, as the demon rips into it, destroying it. The demon is not afraid of Kitty, and no matter what she does, run, fight or hide, the outcome will be the same to it. Suddenly, a hand reaches up through the snow covered ground, and grabs the N’Garai demon by its ankle. She reveals that she phased herself into the ground, and for a demonstration of what happens when she phases one object into another, and lets go, she pulls the demon into the ground, and within a moment it begins to scream, as it is stuck in the ground.
Kitty leaps up from out of the ground, and tells the demon to stick around as the show gets better! She tells the flailing demon that her power also disrupts electrical circuitry and that if she concentrates really hard, it can include the neural-electric net of a body’s nervous system, and the effect is transitory. She finds the claw on the ground, and with it clenched in her fist, she punches the demon in the face, and the demon falls over.
Suddenly, the large room goes blank, and the demon and the setting for the fight all disappear. The computer says that the program is complete, and Kitty asks for an evaluation. It tells her that she was evenly matched with the demon, yet during the course of the battle she sustained potentially critical injuries. The computer reminds Kitty that N’Garai claws have been known to be poisoned, and it continues saying that after incorporating all parameters of the scenario, and comparing it with past performances, the computer gives Kitty a score of 7.83. For an X-Man of her capabilities and experience, that result is sub-par.
Kitty wants to argue, but knows the computer was right. Kitty was just angry and wanted to hit something, she got what she wanted by hitting the demon, but the anger made her careless. The carelessness got her hurt – anger and hurt, they seem to be her favorite emotions lately.
A delivery van begins to drive through the entrance to the Xavier Institute. The institute or "the mansion" as it is commonly known used to be home to Kitty. Now it is just a place she lives, basically because she feels she has no where else to go.
The delivery van approaches the front of the mansion, and Kitty goes to have a shower.
She remembers how the X-Men were a family, but the team has changed so much, so fast, that the people she has known for years seem like strangers. As she looks in the mirror she thinks she has become a stranger too. She thinks it may have been the new haircut…but it seemed like a good idea at the time! She thinks it is a pity that there was no one she trusted at the time to tell her otherwise. Kitty is startled by the sound of the doorbell.
Kitty complains about how she lost her shower to the doorbell because everyone else was at the lake, and the package needed a signature. As she brings it into her bedroom she realizes she does not even know whom it is for, only that it is addressed to the school. She says that it is probably a bomb…. Once Kitty Pryde would have said that as a joke, but now the words pop off her tongue like a rant. The sound of it brings her up short, and her eyes turn towards a collage of photographs. Some of them are family, some friends, one was her best friend: Illyana Rasputin - Magik, and she loved them all. But they all have one thing in common. They are all dead. Kitty chucks the box on the floor of her bedroom, curls up on her bed and closes her eyes.
Almost instantly, which she has been able to do since she was young, Kitty falls asleep, so she does not notice the parcel beginning to glow…nor that the glow manifests the visage of someone she knows only too well…Belasco. In the realm of dreams, Kitty misses the part in which they turn to darkest nightmares….
Kitty’s eyes blink open, and she stares at the lesser N’Garai who breaks through her window. She says that it is impossible, and quickly phases through her bed, and that she will worry about how it got there later, as right now she needs to save herself. Even as she phases into her bed, the demon slices it up, reducing it to kindling. With one of her claws, Kitty lunges at the demon, knocking it out with one shot. She thinks Wolverine would be proud. She thinks she should be cheering, but all she wants to do is cry, after all, her life has changed so much since she joined the X-Men, and most girls her age should be worrying about guys and grades. As Kitty leaps out of her window and floats to the ground, she thinks that what is natural for her, is the stuff other girls see in their worst nightmares. Outside the mansion, Kitty Pryde is shocked when she sees the moon.
The moon has had chunks of it taken out, and broke, it seems to rest upon a mountain of skulls. Kitty sees bodies everywhere, and figures that there must have been a battle, but refuses to believe it. She looks at the moon, with the sickly mist spilling around it, and her rational mind provides an assessment that her heart refuses to believe. Kitty’s mind races through the list of the X-Men’s foes whom have played tricks on them using perception and senses in the past. There is no moment that she stops and thinks it is all real, that acknowledgment would be more than anyone could bear…yet the air is laced with the acrid stench of blood and battle, together with sounds that tell her it is not quite over….
Kitty is shocked when she sees two of her closest friends, Nightcrawler and Colossus. She runs over to them, where the are battling a horde of N’Garai. She’s amazed at how they are still alive, but Kurt tells her that they won’t be for long if the N’Garai get their way. Colossus adds that the harder the fight, they more they have to face. Kitty asks her friends where the other X-Men are, to which Colossus tells her that there probably is none, and tells her to look around, referring to the skeletons everywhere.
Kitty refuses to believe any of it, and swiftly moves to attack the demons, striking like one herself. When she tries to phase however, she learns that some of the demons are immune to her phasing, so to save herself she attempts to phase into the ground, where she will attack it with Wolverine’s claws. But the demon grabs her before she is safe in the ground. She quickly deducts that the demons not only have the ability to adapt to their powers, but to neutralize them also. Kitty manages to wrest free from the demon by twisting in its grasp, and hits it with her claw. As she thinks it is good that they do not need their powers to win against the demons, Nightcrawler and Colossus come to finish the job.
As the demon hits Kurt back, he warns Colossus to look out, as their blows against it have no effect. The demon pins Kitty, and bends her, she feels like her back could break. Kitty knows what will come, and knows how much it will hurt. She knows she will scream, and prays it will be over quickly. Before the demon breaks her she wonders what humanity did to deserve such an awful fate, and miraculously thinks she should have had more faith, as a lightning bolt strikes the demon, freeing Kitty from her doom. Storm has entered the fray, and cries ‘Enough!’ Kitty congratulates Storm, and Ororo Munroe tells the demon that its day is done, and that she will see no more X-Men perish. After Storm’s bold words, the heroes are attacked by a swarm of lesser flying demons. Before Storm can muster any defense, she is overwhelmed by the demons. Storm did not arrive on her own however, and Banshee and Sunfire soon arrive. Shiro tells Sean to use his sonic scream to remove the bugs off Storm’s body, while he drives the horde back with his energy blasts. The plan worked, and Storm thanks her friends, telling them she is in their debt. Banshee asks if they will survive to collect it.
The six mutants assemble, and face the mountain of skulls holding up the moon. Sunfire notes that the N’Garai are regrouping for another assault, and Colossus asks if anyone has a plan. Kitty tells her former boyfriend that they cannot stay in the open ground, as it is indefensible. She suggests they head to the mansion, and tells them they should choose direction over valor, and for a change…run for their lives!
The demons follow the six heroes who at one point in their time were all called X-Men, but the mutants are faster, and Kitty activates the mansion defenses, a mixing of forcefields and deadly weapons. Within seconds the weaponry takes a massive toll on the demons, but they demons do not seem to care, and more just keep coming.
Inside, Kitty is rather upset, and tells Nightcrawler that they don’t have much time as the weapons will run out of ammunition, and that when they do, they will have to be ready. She asks him what happened, as when she went for a nap the world seemed fine. Kurt tells her that everything happened so fast, and that none of them are quite sure. Without warning, on every continent, N’Garai cairns suddenly appeared, and opened, and from them emerged countless demons. It was then that the slaughter began. He adds that neither the military or super heroes could stop them, and that the demons are only interested in the death of the human race.
Kitty is shocked by the defeatist tone in her friend’s voice and tells him he sounds like he has given up. He tells her that there is a mountain of skulls like the one outside on every continent – Kitty cuts in and reminds him that they are X-Men, that they have fought the N’Garai before and beaten them, so there has to be a way this time too. While Colossus and Storm look on solemnly, Kurt tells her that there might be a way, for those with courage and nothing to lose.
Soon, in the Danger Room, Kitty thinks it is funny that the day started with her in the Danger Room fighting simulated demons, and now the real ones have appeared…she wonders if the events could be related. Kitty tells her friends that she has sealed every corridor and access point, and that whoever wants in without permission, is going to have to work for it! She tells them this allows them a little more time, but turns to the others for suggestions as of what to do now.
Nightcrawler tells her that one spell opened the cairns, so a counter spell should close them. Kitty looks a little anxious when she asks if he is talking about blood spells, and says that it is weird for a postulant priest to be proposing black magic. Kurt reminds Kitty that his foster mother and childhood sweetheart were both sorceresses, so he knows what he is talking about when he is talking about magic. He tells her that his Holy Mother Church no longer exists, thanks to the N’Garai, and that if they do not act quickly the remnants of humanity will quickly follow into that abyss.
Kitty suddenly remembers something, and tells everyone that she thought the N'Garai had been deposed by ‘some outfit called the Rutai?’ Storm says ‘The Rutai are nothing’, and Sunfire adds ‘The N’Garai are all’. Kitty says she stands corrected and asks where they go to from here.
Kurt tells her they construct a pentagram, which they do, and Kitty stands in the center, Kurt tells her they couldn’t do it without her, as for the spell to have true power it requires the blood of an innocent. Sarcastically Kitty remarks how lucky she is, and Banshee tells her is it a lucky world. As Kitty pricks her finger and lets her blood drip into a goblet, she agrees with him. Kurt tells Kitty that given the nature of the spell, it is only natural to feel a little uneasy, and tells her to think of it as fighting fire with fire. Kitty wants to make sure of what they are doing, and says ‘One drop of blood. No big deal. No big sacrifice. I hope.’ The goblet if passed around to the other five mutants, each of whom let one drop of blood into the cup, before it is returned to Kitty.
Shadowcat is surprised at how the cup is full to the brim and even more so that the contents are clear, and that there is not hint of blood. She hopes it is a good thing, after all, they are creating something pure to counter something evil. She thinks it makes perfect sense. Standing in the middle of the pentagram, smoke surrounds Kitty, and she thinks her head does not feel properly attached, as if she left her brains behind somewhere when she was phasing. Kitty thinks it is a good thing there is no blood in the goblet, as she would figure it all came from her, what being so spazzed at the moment. Kitty’s instincts are screaming, but she knows she has to ignore them and trust her friends, especially with the whole world at stake. She thinks she cannot afford to fail, and lifts her head back, drinking all of the blood.
The goblet drops to the ground as Kitty thinks how awful it was, but what comes next is even worse. Raw fire explodes outward from the core of her being, and it engulfs her friends. Nightcrawler told her it would be a cleansing flame, and in that sense he did not lie, as before her very eyes, it strips away all falsehoods…to reveal five N’Garai standing in the place of her friends. That is only the beginning though, as beside each demon, appears the visage of the X-Man it was impersonating. While the spirit of each X-Man is imprisoned in the petrified forms of the N’Garai, and the N’Garai themselves become free to act on Earth, in the forms of Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee and Sunfire.
Kitty stands shocked and scared at what has happened. Suddenly, the once clear blood in the goblet, which is spilt on the floor, becomes dark, and from it rises the form of Belasco! He tells Kitty that she played her part to perfection. Startled, Kitty turns around to the sound of the familiar voice, and stares at the Demon Lord before her. She tells him that they will fight him, to which he replies she has already lost. He tells her that the battle is over as her world is lost – as it was from the moment they first met!
Belasco tells Kitty that from the very moment she though she escaped his realm, she had been his unwitting pawn, and that thanks to her, five bloodstones will be formed from the souls of five members of the "New X-Men" team. The bloodstones will open the mystic gateway to the world of Belasco’s masters, the Elder Gods, and those of Earth’s will perish. As the landscape around her begins to change, Kitty realizes she was not in the mansion or the Danger Room – but in Limbo!
Belasco tells Kitty that to complete the spell, a catalyst stone is required, and while once upon a time, the honor was intended for her best friend – Illyana Rasputin – that with the sorceress dead, it seems only fitting that the role goes to Kitty instead, and he plunges his fist into Kitty’s chest, as she screams, he smiles that wicked grin of his and pulls from Kitty Pryde the catalyst stone. Holding the stone in his hand, Belasco asks Kitty if she likes his new arm, as his masters gave it to him as a token of their faith after he has served them so well.
He continues saying that by the act he just committed, he provides them with a realm ripe for conquest, and he himself can take revenge upon his most hated adversaries.
Belasco tells Kitty her companions will know horror beyond comprehension as he embraces glory. Kitty lies unmoving on the ground, and he tells her that before long she will beg for death, which she will be forever denied of. He tells her that it is only fitting that after she made it all possible that she should bear witness to every act to come, and that after that, damnation will seem like Heaven.
‘In your dreams, sorcerer’ cries a voice, and Belasco spins around…and cries out ‘You?! Impossible!’ when he sees an armor-clad woman whose face is obscured by a cowl, enter through a teleportation disk. She says back that that is where he is wrong, as ‘Magik  never dies!’ and Magik strides forward with the Soulsword in her hand. Belasco fights back with his sword, knocking the Soulsword out of Magik’s grip. Calling her ‘Illyana’ he tells her she has had talent, which he has never denied, but that that is only the first step to power, and asks her if she thinks the time she spent as his pupil or that of his foes makes her a worthy opponent anywhere near his equal? Magik falls to the ground, and the Demon Lord tells her she is but a child trying to run before she has even learned to crawl.
Jumping up from behind Belasco, Kitty cuts his sword with one of her claws, and tells him that last time she looked, these two „children" pretty much beat him. Kitty calls to Magik to take Belasco, but as she uses her Soulsword on him, he begins to teleport suddenly, and tells the two women that he likes it how they are defiant to the end, as it makes his victory all the more sweeter, but that he will not stay around to battle when the war is already one. He tells them to try again though…assuming either survives long enough.
Magik stands over Kitty, who had fallen back to the ground and asks her how she can stand without her soul. Kitty tells her it is probably because she is too stubborn to know when to quit, and to angry as well, especially as Belasco played her so easily, not to mention he has been doing it for years. Magik tells Kitty she couldn’t have known, to which Kitty, calling her Illyana again, tells her she is an X-Man and supposed to know better.
Magik asks her to call her "Magik" and not to talk rubbish, as even her precious Wolverine makes mistakes. Kitty tells Magik that he is not her "precious anything" any more, and what matters now is putting everything right again. Kitty tells Magik that there is a N’Garai cairn in Limbo and asks her if that has ever happened before. Magik tells her that it hasn’t, to her knowledge, and asks Kitty if she knows what it means. ‘Something bad’ is all Kitty Pryde replies.
Magik reminds Kitty that Limbo transcends all realities and interfaces with all planes of existence, that from Limbo, you can access all of time and space. She adds that if the N’Garai can conquer Limbo, then the whole of creation itself is at their mercy. Suddenly, a N’Garai demons appears before the two young women, and calling them ‘Meat’ tells them they have no mercy…