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Issue #2 |
"Lost Dreams" Part Two: Homecoming Written By Doug Bookey and Aaron Stanley |
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"So, Ororo, what'll it be?" Jean asked, turning to Storm. "Robot Wars, or Decorating Challenge?"
"Hm....a question for the ages my friend," laughed Storm. "Decorating Challenge, I think. Perhaps we can get some times for Bobby on decorating his room."
"Not a chance, Storm. That boy has NEVER, not since the first day I was an X-Man, been able to...AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!" Jean screamed, collapsing to the floor.
"JEAN!" yelled Ororo, kneeling next to her friend. "What is wrong?"
"Pain...intense pain...Ororo...it's Scott, he needs us," said Jean, her eyes overflowing with tears as the pain in her head began to subside.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Storm helped Jean to her feet, Jean leaning against Storm as they went to the front door.
Upon opening the door, both women's jaws hung open.
"Havok?" whispered Storm.
"Hey ladies, I'm home," said the soaking wet, smiling Havok on the front step.
"Havok.... your...Alex, your alive..." stuttered Jean, not believing her eyes. "But.... Lorna said you.... the explosion.... how?"
As Jean asks, she uses her formidable telepathic powers to reach out to all the X-Men in the Mansion....
To Bobby and Hank, known as the Iceman and Beast respectively, in the laboratory, as Beast launches another new experiment...
"You really sure this is gonna work Hank?" queried Bobby, attaching another cord to a jack in one of Beast's machines.
"Invariably, all experimentation on a scale thus unprecedented contains some inherent risk, my blizzard like buddy," replied the Beast, moving over to where Bobby was, unplugging the cord and plugging it into the proper jack.
'Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, the experiment will have to wait...a matter of importance has made itself known in the foyer, and if you could find your way down..." Jean's thoughts said inside the minds of both men, before fading out of their psyches.
"Hmmm, Jeannie seemed to be pretty...anxious," Iceman said.
"Indeed. Let us make haste to the foyer, as requested," answered Beast, bounding from the lab with Bobby on his heels.
Atop the mansion, Warren sits alone, the rain pelting his body. In
the darkness, a brief crackle of energy and flare of psychic fire
is all that signals the coming of Jean's psychic avatar.
"Warren?" Jean asked lightly.
"Leave me alone Jean..." Warren said, not looking at his teammate.
"Warren, you can't brood up here forever.... we are all still hurting over Betsy. but, you have to start to move on. Betsy wouldn't want you to be like this," Jean said, referring to the slaughtered X-Man, Psylocke, also Warren Worthington III's former lover.
"Fine...what do you want?" asked Warren angrily.
"If you could come to the foyer, I can answer all your questions then..." trailed off Jean, fading from sight.
Warren gathered himself and jumped off the roof, his feathered wings expanding and catching the air, dropping him safely to the ground at the rear of the mansion, where he entered the kitchen, going through the rebuilt living room and into the foyer....
When the summoned X-Men enter the room, they all stop, mouths gaping at the sight before them.
As this interaction takes place, Charles Xavier sits in his ready room, a frown forming on his face...
-----------------------
"Ugh...man, my head.... wait a second, where's my visor?" grumbled a disoriented Scott Summers, clamping his eyes shut.
As Cyclops awakens, he notices a pain in his shoulders and thighs,
and can feel that his arms are in clamps up to the elbows, his legs
up to the knees, spreading him in an x.
"Your finally awake," said a voice in the darkness that
is now Scott Summers' world.
"Cargill," growled Cyclops through gritted teeth, the woman's betrayal when the team Cyclops had been leading reached the rebel base on the coast of Genosha.
"Yeah, yeah, growl all ya like. Don't scare me when the runt does it, don't scare me when you do it either, cuz you ain't no where near as scary, boy scout," laughed Cargill.
"What do you want, Cargill?" asked Cyclops. "And where's my visor?"
"Don't worry bout it Summers, you'll know all you want soon enough. And once you do, you'll wish you'd never come to Genosha hahahaha," Cargill answered, cackling manically as she left the room. Just before slamming the door, Cargill turns and faces Cyclops. "Welcome to the new world, X-Man," she said, closing his cell and being loud with the lock so the temporarily blind Cyclops would know he's all alone.
'Great job Summers...this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into. I TOLD Lorna that working with former criminals and terrorists was a bad idea.... my own fault, should have brought one of the others...even Bobby would have been useful..." brooded Cyclops, shaking his head.
'Have to try and contact Jean...." thought Cyclops, trying to reach out across the thousands of miles to his wife, Jean Grey, across the psychic rapport they shared only to find a blank void.
'Great, even the rapport isn't working.... I'm screwed' Cyclops thought, passing out as the pain of being restrained in such a position and the earlier beating he received took its toll.
Cyclops again awakens; not knowing how much time has passed, hours? Days? He can't tell in his world of blackness.
"Ah, the Summers' awakens," said a different voice.
"BISHOP!!!!" screamed Cyclops, hurling epitaphs at the mutant and straining at his bonds. "You murderous scum, I should have known that it was your twisted mind that thought to come to Genosha and upset a fragile peace. What's the matter, you murdering traitor? Was the killing of Psylocke not enough? Have you no soul, you monster?"
Bishop stood there, silent and untwitching as Cyclops yelled at him.
Very coldly, Bishop replied in a straightforward manner to Cyclops. "I am indeed sorry for having to kill Psylocke, but she chose to attack me, and thus picked her side in the battle that lies ahead, becoming a casualty of war."
"What are you babbling about now?" Cyclops asked. "What battle? What war are you talking about?"
"The war that mutants such as Xavier and Magneto have been predicting is upon us, X-Man; the war between humans and mutants. Mutants will not be second-class citizens any longer. We will not lie down and be crushed; we will fight back. WE WILL bring the war to them before they even know the war has begun.
"Who is 'we'?" asked Cyclops, baffled by Bishop's supposedly
crazy ranting.
Bishop chuckled at this, leaving the room, casually answering Cyclops
question before again leaving the X-Man alone and confused.
"We? Why, the X-Corps of course..."
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Across the thousands of miles, in Salem Center, New York, in a fortified room, buried below one of the many secluded mansions set back from Greymalkin Lane, the X-Men gather in the war room of their mansion.
"I'm sure all of you have questions, my X-Men...but let me tell what I know, and hopefully answer some of your questions in the process," Charles Xavier said, addressing the assembled X-Men.
"Due to some unknown interaction between the electro-magnetic blast and some unseen force, Havok was ripped from whatever...place he was in, and returned to our reality. Havok says that in the blast in which we all thought he had died, he was actually teleported to another reality, and therein lead a team of mutants, similar to the X-Men, known as The Six..." Xavier started, before being interrupted by Iceman.
"GREAT!!!" Bobby groaned, gaining the attention of everyone. "ANOTHER alternate reality dimension...So, how many Summers kids were there?" joked Iceman.
"Three," answered Havok matter-of-factly.
Bobby just moaned and shook his head.
"Ahem...as I was saying. Havok lead The Six in several adventures, all the while gaining a level of control over his powers that he had not attained in this reality, despite Forge's and my own best efforts."
"So, was there any premutations of us that you encountered on your escapade across the void, my good friend?" asked the Beast.
"Yeah, definitely. You were there..." said Havok, pointing at Hank, then Storm, Jean, Beast, Iceman, Warren, and the Professor. "And you were there, and you were there, and you, and you...."
Around the room, all the X-Men were silent. Finally, Havok broke
the silence.
"So, uh, Professor...as I was walking up the drive, I glanced
into the cemetery you have on the grounds, and well...I noticed a
few more then was there last time...who'd we lose?"
"Sadly, Colossus and Psylocke are both no longer with us," Professor X said sadly.
As a silence again begins to settle in the room, Jean spoke up.
"I'm sure everyone would like to catch up on the good old days, but something has happened to Scott, and I feel we should investigate..."
"Go on Jean...what happened to Scott?" Havok said, worry on his face.
"That's just it...I'm not sure, " Jean said, biting her lip. "I was talking to Scott, and he said that the mission would be quick, and then next thing I know, I feel an intense pain along the rapport then.... nothing," Jean finished.
"Ok, whatever happened, I didn't just get back home to lose my brother," Havok exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"No one is planning on leaving Cyclops to whatever fate befell him, Alex," Storm said regally, assuming command with her presence. "As acting team leader in Scott's absence, I am ordering everyone to remain calm, and help in the formulation of a strategy."
With that, Storm turned to one of the wall-mounted displays, typing in several commands and bringing up a map of Genosha's eastern shore, where Cyclops' mission was.
"Now, this is where Cyclops was headed. We're not sure who he had assisting him in this mission, but Lorna assured us that he would be adequately helped. Lorna was wrong, apparently," Storm said, addressing the room.
"I propose that we send everyone in, to insure that no more X-Men go MIA. We will launch in approximately 30 minutes. Jean, I would like you to contact Lorna if possible, and gather as much information as possible. WE WILL find and rescue Scott, X-Men. Now, prepare as you see fit, and be in the hangar in 25 minutes. Dismissed," ordered Storm, leaving the room.
"Havok, I don't..." Professor X started.
"Can it prof., I'm going. This is my brother," Havok said, leaving the room with the others, as Xavier shook his head.
"Look Jean, we gave him what help we had," Lorna said, glaring
out from the telecommunications screen at Jean.
"Lorna...TERRORISTS. CRIMINALS. NOVICES. If you had of told us that that was what you were going to provide as back up, the X-Men would have come, and this wouldn't be an issue, and my husband wouldn't be missing, " Jean retorted, nearly in tears.
"Jean.... I'm so sorry...its just, since Magneto died, Genosha has been falling apart. Most of our government mutant police force is tied up with stopping the crime sprees in Hammer Bay, as well as various smaller rebellions, aside from the major one on the coast. If I could have provided more for Scott, I would have, you know that. I'll try to organize some of the military to try and rescue him, but..." Lorna offered, before being interrupted.
"Forget it Lorna," Jean said, her temper flaring. "You brought this on yourself, and I was just trying to gather information, not excuses. Tell your army to move out to a safe distance. The X-Men are coming...and we're going to NOT be holding our punches," Jean finished, snapping off the communications link.
Ten minutes later, as the X-Men gather near the X-Jet...
"Havok, I insist that you not go...your return is an advantage, one that only Forge and those present know of, and you may not be ready..." continued Xavier, trying to get Havok to stay.
"Forget it Professor. I already told you, I'm ready. I'm not leaving my brother, and who cares bout your advantage," Havok said, turning on Xavier.
"I agree with Havok, Professor. Whoever has Scott knew he would be coming. So they must know that the rest of us will be coming. Havok is going to be an exceptional advantage when we get to Genosha."
Xavier appeared startled by Jean's support of Havok, and gave in to their mutual request.
"All right, Havok, you can go. Godspeed my X-Men," Xavier said, moving back from the X-Jet as the X-Men climb aboard and launch from the hanger
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'I have to get out of here.... the X-Men must know I've been captured,
so they'll be on their way...but how do I get out without my powers....
maybe I can fool Bishop' thought Cyclops, dangling from his bonds.
"Bishop?" Cyclops asked to his cell.
No answer came for several seconds, and then a voice that was decidedly not Bishop's answered"
"Bishop isn't here right now...what can I do for you Cyclops?"
asked Kitty Pryde.
"Kitty?" Cyclops queried, shocked and confused. "What
are you doing here, how can you be tied up with this X-Corps stuff?"
Kitty moved closer to Cyclops as she replied. "I got a better offer, Scott.... I've just seen too much pain, with Colossus dying, and the Legacy Virus.... and I'm going to make sure I have a place in the next world. And don't try to get out of your bonds Cyclops, I made them, you're not going anywhere," Kitty finished, going silent.
-----------------------
Soaring across the Atlantic, inbound for Genosha, the X-Men sit strapped into their chairs as Professor X telepathically feeds them information that is he gathering from satellite imaging and government files from his computer room in Salem Center.
"Something is generating a scrambling field over the rebel base, X-Men, the satellites can't pierce it. All the other information that I could gather, you know have. Be safe," Xavier said, fading from their minds.
Once the Professor's presence was gone, Jean addresses all the X-Men.
"Ok, ladies and gentleman. Since Bishop's attack, the Professor, Scott, Storm and I have been reorganizing the team. This is no longer a simple rescue mission, despite what you may think. So change what you think about the X-Men. We're going in hard and fast. We're going to rescue my husband, and that is our main objective. But we are also going to stomp on his captors so hard we leave tread marks. We're coming up to Genosha now, so get ready, get your game face on, and let's hit them," Jean said to her teammates, the determination and ferocity in her voice startling some.
As the X-Jet began to hover, the X-Men prepared themselves.
"Havok, your the ace in the hole. When we go in, you start blasting anything that doesn't have an X. Storm, Warren and I will carry Hank, Alex and Bobby to the ground. Once there, Warren, Bobby and Storm are going to hold off the rebels while Havok, Beast and I find Scott. Everyone understand?" asked Jean after issuing the orders.
All the X-Men nod, and Jean toggles the button that opens the hatch of the X-Jet.
"Ok...X-Men! Hit them HARD!!!!!" and the X-Men hurtle themselves from the jet...
Come back next issue, as the X-Men clash with the Genoshan Rebellions,
more is revealed about the mysterious X-Corps, and the balance of
power shifts, shaking the world and setting the stage for a genetic
war....
