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Issue #4 December 2002	"Lost Dreams" Part Four: Broken Written By Doug Bookey and Aaron Stanley

"HAHAHAHA, Havok, you ARE a fool. I'm a channeler, that energy you just blasted me with? I ABSORBED it. And now, time to.DIE X-MEN!!!" roared Bishop, as he pointed his arms up at the ceiling, and blasted the stored energy out, striking the ceiling and collapsed a portion onto the X-Men.

As the dust settle, the X-Men saw Bishop climb the rubble to the floor, with Jean used her telekinesis to launch herself at the hole in the ceiling. Bishop blasted more rubble down, closing it behind him. Jean had to erect a telekinetic shield to protect herself.

"X-Men...Goblyn...Pathway.... trapped..." coughed Cyclops, pointing to the pile of rubble.

"We know, Scott, just take a break," Alex said, Jean helped him ease the co-leader of the X-Men to the ground and tended to his wounds as the other X-Men began to dig for the two trapped mutants. After several minutes of digging, the X-Men uncovered the limp bodies of Goblyn and Pathway. Lifting them, the Beast looked them over, hanging his head.

"They're dead..." murmured the Beast, eyes sorrow filled.

As Beast brook the news to the X-Men, Cyclops groggily looked at his brother, Havok, his eyes cleared.

"Alex?" Cyclops said, seeing him for the first time.

"Yeah bro, its me.just like every other Summers, I seem to have the mutant power to return from the dead," Alex said smiling. "But its ok, I'm not going to...."

Alex Summers' words were cut off as his brother reached up and hugged him close.

"Scotty...geez man, ease up, I can't breathe. I just returned back from the dead, don't suffocate me," joked Alex, hugging his brother back.

"Scott." Jean cautiously said inside Scott's mind, "I'm going to give you my memories of the past hours, and you can see what and how Alex came back to us."

With that, Jean gently sent her memories along the telepathic rapport she shared with Cyclops, filling his mind with the events that lead them to were they were.

As Cyclops played them back in his mind, he slowly began to reassert the calm exterior that is most often associated with the co-leader of the X-Men. Getting to his feet, Cyclops began to bark orders, coming up with a plan on the spot.

"Ok, X-Men, listen up. We've got to stop this 'X-Corps' here and now before it grows into something bigger," Cyclops said, the X-Men drawing near their leader as he brook them up and gave them their assignments. "Ok, we'll be functioning in two independent groups, but working in tandem. Group One will consist of Storm, Bobby, Warren and Hank. Warren, you're going to be our scouting patrol as well as running aerial interference for Storm. Hank, your the point-man; you hit them hard, fast, and go straight up the gut no stopping. You HAVE to clear a path for this to work. Storm, Bobby, you two are batting clean up, you pick up the leftovers." With their orders, Storm, Iceman, Beast and Archangel prepared for the battle to come. Cyclops turned to the others and gave them their orders. "Jean, I want you in the center and acting as a link between everyone, letting them all see what Warren sees so we're ready for whatever these people have ready for us. Remember, they're a bunch of unknown people; we don't know what we're facing. Everyone ready?" Getting nods from his teammates, Cyclops turned to Havok. "On second thought, Beast you're with me and Jean, Alex, you're with Bobby, Warren and Storm. Beast, you're assignment stay the same. Alex, me and you are going to have to take out whatever big gunners this group has, and keep as many of them from dog piling the Beast as possible."

Cyclops took a deep breath and turned to face his teammates; his friends, his family...

"People, I don't need to tell you how high the stakes are. This X-Corps has power. They have knowledge of us. We need to hit them hard, fast, do as much damage as we can then evac...Now, X-Men," Cyclops said, his tone getting harder, as he reached up to toggle the visor he wore. "Hit them!" he roared, blasting the rubble at a slant, giving the X-Men a ramp to climb as they flew to the attack....

After blasting the ceiling down onto the X-Men, Bishop ran across the room, slapped the Comm. panel. "This is Bishop, all troops to the 3rd hall on the double. We've got a chance to ambush the X-Men," Bishop said, smiling evilly.

Scant seconds later, Cannonball came blasting into the room carrying Madrox, the Multiple Man. He dropped him while still airborne.

As Madrox hit the floor, he began producing duplicates, the room soon full just as Cargill, Reaper and Scalphunter charged into the room, moving into position around Bishop.

Turning to his fellow X-Corps members, Bishop issued his orders. "When they come through the floor, hit them before they can get a foothold...we have Random, Fatale, and other moving in to drive them from the rear, so we'll pince...."

Before Bishop can finish his orders, the floor is blasted upwards by Cyclops optic blast, and the X-Men came blasting out of the whole, Archangel flying out, Storm on his heels, with Iceman creating an ice slide to lift himself from the cell below, Jean using her telekinesis to lift herself, Cyclops and Havok up, the Beast bounding up the rubble in two leaps, and charged the X-Corps as Cyclops and Havok were dropped to the floor by Jean, who turned her telekinesis on the X-Corps, deflecting the energy blasts from Bishop away from Beast, as Cyclops and Havok unleashed optic beams and plasma blasts on the army of multiple men, clearing a path for Beast.

"X-Men, execute Xavier one-two-one," Cyclops ordered across the mind-link Jean had established, ordering a practiced maneuver, the X-Men brook into their designated groups, and moved to opposite sides of the room, working in tandem, drawing the X-Corps apart.

As Archangel swooped low, he knocked out Madrox duplicates

As the X-Men pressed the attack, the original Multiple Man stood back and controlled his dupes, who continued to fall back under the assault of the X-Men, eventually retreating into the hanger.

Inside the hanger, more X-Corps members met the X-Men. Javitz, Arclight, Random and Fatale were all there, prepping the transports for a retreat. They turned and unleashed their powers on the X-Men. Fatale teleported Javitz close to the X-Men, who tackled the Beast, and they began to battle in hand-to-hand fighting. Random and Arclight blasted at the X-Men as Fatale teleported herself inside of a transport and teleported Cannonball into another, as they prepared the final steps for evacuation.

As Beast and Javitz rained blows upon each other, the Beast's agility allowed him to land more then he took. Cyclops and Havok continued to blast away at the dupes, as well as returned the blasts from Random and Fatale, carving through the X-Corps ranks, drawing ever closer to Bishop. As they are about to reach the former X-Man, the Madrox's surged forward, dividing the X-Men and separating Cyclops from the others. Havok, Jean and the Beast likewise separated from Iceman and Storm, Archangel trying to get low enough to grab Cyclops, but knocked back by Random when he drew near.

As the Madrox's separated the X-Men, Jean saw Archangel's efforts and used a telekinetic shield to protect him. With her focus on him, she didn't notice the duplicate sneaking up on her. Seeing she was distracted, the duplicate attacked, hitting her from behind. As she was knocked to the ground, more and more duplicates piled on her, knowing she was the major defense for the X-Men.

With Jean incapacitated, the X-Corps now had the advantage and they encircled the X-Men.

As the X-Men were separated, Cyclops hit the communicator he was given by Storm, and gave the order to retreat.

"X-Men, fall back to the X-Jet, this is a priority order! Evac now," Cyclops ordered, as Bishop tackled him.

"They may get away, Summers, but you won't," roared Bishop, pummeling Cyclops with his fists.

Blocking Bishop's blows, Cyclops went to toggle his visor, but found that the force of Bishop's blows had destroyed his visor's toggle, forcing him to fight in hand-to-hand combat. As Bishop continued to rain blows on the X-Man, Cyclops blocked, spun, kicked Bishop's feet out from underneath him and leaped on the larger mutant and choking him.

"This is it, Bishop...for all you've done, you pay!" Cyclops growled, squeezing the air from Bishop.

"Kill me, Summers," Bishop rasped, smiling. "Do it!"

"No..." Cyclops said, letting up on Bishop. "I won't...it'd make me as corrupt as you and your X-Corps..."

With that momentary distraction, Bishop smashed Cyclops in the jaw, and towered over him as he was on the ground.

"And that is where you're dream and Xavier's fails, Cyclops. You X-Men have always been too reactive...too passive, always letting the threat come to you. That is why humanity will one day dominate you and your kind. THAT is why the X-Corps was created," Bishop gloated. Lifting Cyclops with one hand, Bishop hammered him in the stomach with the other. "That is why you, and Xavier, and even Magneto, failed...Xavier dreams of co-existence. Magneto wanted domination, but with compassion. But humans must be shown no compassion, like a savage dog. They must be DOMINATED, without compassion, and mutants are to humans as an owner is to the dog. That is why the X-Corps exist, to dominate humans." With that, Bishop pulled back to punch Cyclops again.

As Bishop swung his fist, Cyclops' hands came up, blocked his fist, and punched Bishop back.

"And THAT is why the X-Men will always be here to stop you! We're going to take the fight to people like you now, Bishop, and put you in a world of hurt, then in jail," roared Cyclops, about to lay the finishing blow on Bishop, who was teleported to safety by Fatale at the last second.

"Good job, boss," ridiculed Fatale from her seat at the transport's controls.

"Shut up," growled Bishop. "Base computer, activate self-destruct sequence, timer, two minutes thirty seconds. Activate, voice recognize: Bishop."

"Confirmed, self-destruct activated," chirped the base computer.

Bishop smiled as he looked out the transports windows, and gave his last order.
"X-Corps, kill the X-Men."

Once more, the Madrox's press forward, but Cyclops no longer was challenged by Bishop, and now felt for Jean along the telepathic rapport. Not finding his wife's conscious mind, Cyclops' rage boiled rapidly, and he ripped the visor from his face, blasted into the duplicates, screamed all the while.

"JJJEEEAAAANNN!!!!!!!" he roared as he cut a path through the duplicates, who stop their attack and began to retreat toward the transports.

Across the room, the original Madrox saw Cyclops' path of crimson energy, and then noticed another combatant.

"It can't be...it's the only reason I'm here, because he's dead. But if he's there, then why am I here?" Jamie Madrox asked himself, as the combatant he was watching noticed him, and changed direction toward him.

Finally reaching his wife, Cyclops replaced his visor and cradles his wife.

"Jean...Jean, please, wake up," Cyclops pleaded with her unconscious form.
Stirring slightly, Jean awakened.

"Scott? What happened?" Jean asked.

"I don't know, but your going to be ok," Cyclops said, hugging his wife as Iceman, Beast and Archangel kept the duplicates away.

Scanning Bishop's mind, Jean's eyes sprang open wide.

"NO! Scott we have to get away, Bishop set the base to self destruct," she informed her husband.

As Havok continued blasting his way through the duplicate Madrox's, he reached the original Multiple Man. Spinning him around with one hand, he pulled the other back to punch his former friend, when he saw Multiple Man's eyes widen in surprise.
"Alex?" MultipleMan rasped. "You...you're dead..."

"Does this feel like a ghost, Jamie?" Alex said, punching Multiple Man in the gut, doubling him over.

"Uuuuhhhh...no.but how?" Multiple Man said from his knees, clutching his stomach.

"I'll tell you Jamie, just end this, and stop your dupes. NOW!" Alex said, kneeling beside his friend.

"O...ok," Multiple Man said, gritting his teeth and trying to reabsorb his dupes.
"Jamie...now would be good," Alex said, watching as duplicates approached the two. He began to blast them with his plasma blasts, which are weakening in power as Havok ran low on energy.

"Alex, I'm TRYING...something...someone is controlling them, they're not listening to me anymore, they're...." Multiple Man began, but his voice was overridden by the base's computerized self-destruct sequence...

"T-Minus two minutes to self-destruction," the voice boomed.

At this, all the Multiple Man duplicates began to fight a delaying tactic, allowing the X-Corps members to reach transports. The X-Men continued to assault the duplicates, knocking several down which were carried to transports by others. As the last of the X-Corps transports left, Jean telepathically warned the X-Men of the base's impending destruction.

"We've got a minute to get out of here!" Jean said, using her telekinesis to clear a path to the X-Jet for the X-Men, who scrambled aboard and took to the air.

As the X-Jet lifted off, the X-Corps facility detonated behind them, rocking the plane from side to side. Looking back, Iceman commented to himself.

"Guess they didn't want any clues left behind..." he muttered as the X-Jet banked into the sky, setting a course for home.

Next issue...as the X-Men heal, hearts are broken, old flames are rekindled, and a new challenge arises that will change the lives of two X-Men forever...

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