X-men 2099UG #1

January 1, 2100

The sun rises late in the winter, and although darkness is still spread across the desert floor, he can see in the night as well as he can in the daytime. He somewhat prefers the night, actually. It is a mix of extremes. Danger comes in the night, sneaking and conniving, overconfident villians who trust the cloak of darkness to hide their atrocities. They cannot hide from him. Peace comes at night. The sun bends back to reveal the universe around, a generous tableau of light from the stars beyond. He could fly forever under their tranquil watch, their simplistic beauty. He cannot hide from them.

It is cold in the desert at night, but Bloodhawk can't feel it. When the sun goes down, the baking sands hiss and pop with escaping heat. The warmth escapes into the upper winds, where it is carried elsewhere. There are no clouds in the desert to trap it there.

Alternately, when the sun comes up again, there are no clouds to shield the full heat of the sun's rays, and the sands become like an oven. He uses the never-ending drafts and winds the rapid changes in temperature make to buoy himself along. He spreads his leathery red wings out, letting the gusts fill them and push him upwards. Some people may see Bloodhawk's mutant form as a curse, but he doesn't. And if you do for some reason, keep it to yourself, because he doesn't care.

Blue fringed the eastern horizon as he swooped back towards Halo City. At this hour, at any hour really, it was a giant circular mass of lights. It was noisy and filthy and mostly attracted degenerates and the desperate looking for a free meal. And yet, he protected it. Bloodhawk knew what Halo City had been built from, in fact, he had been there when it all began. And he knew the people who were responsible for it, he knew their dream. It was an unrealistic notion, bringing mutants and humans together in peace. Bloodhawk thought it was ridiculous. But that didn't mean it should be denied a chance to flourish.

And so it was that on occasion he would catch bands of road pirates setting upon unwary travelers. One of the problems with Halo was that in the public's eye, it was a garaunteed safe haven. First time travelers, even after knowing about the problems with the Graverobber and Exodus, would still make their journey in appalingly senseless ways. No defense mechanisms on the transports, no hired muscle, and coming alone. Bloodhawk saw these things all too often for his comfort. Someone had to protect these people from their own stupidity.

Flapping his wings, he climbed higher in the air as he came upon the city itself. It looked peaceful enough when he was this close. Most people were still asleep, shops were opening and commuters were traveling to work before the morning rush began. He did not feel contempt for those that were stuck living in such a harsh material world, but rather, pitied them for their lack of ability to escape it.

As he soared along, almost at once the even rows of buildings and dwellings opened up to a vast emptiness. Where everything else in the city was lit, this was a pit of darkness. The debris created from the battle between Exodus and Dust had yet to be completely cleared. Rubble was piled up beside newly cleared roads, like gouges in the cityscape. From above, the area of devastation looked scarred and uneven, like a scab healing over a wound. There were still toppled buildings criss-crossing the area.

On the edge of it all was Halo Tower, the home of the X-men, somehow spared Exodus' wrath. Bloodhawk wondered if any of them looked out the window and saw the same hopelessness he saw. The monster was stopped, but at what cost? Would it not have simply been easier to submit to Exodus' demands and save hundreds of lives?

Bloodhawk himself had not been there for the conflict, he had been a hundred miles northeast, tracking a notorious band of thieves who proudly called themselves the Scavengers. In the end, he ended up only finding one of their pit-stops and not the gathering place he was hoping to stumble on. He had taken out his frustration on the pit-stop, destroying its cover, incinerating the insides and all the stolen possessions that were within, making it clear to the Scavengers that the place was no longer theirs to hide in.

Reaching the edge of the city and the ocean beyond, Bloodhawk spread his wings wide and turned in a graceful glide. He hadn't seen any sign of the Scavengers since he chased them north a month ago. But there were still dangers.

A single car was making its way towards Halo from the Northeastern Access Highway. He flew towards it, grimacing. His work was never done.

At first he gave it only a cursory glance as it sped along. Nothing seemed amiss. However, when he looked again, the car had stopped completely. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the car. Something was moving around it. Or some things. There! He could see it as it crossed the headlights of the car. It was a human.

Thieves. Bloodhawk folded his wings and dived. The air whistled past him as he cut through the night like a knife.

A thickly-muscled man was banging on the plasteel door of the car with the butt of his gun. Tied to the barrel was a wickedly etched knife. The other thieves carried similarly modified weapons. "Out of the car now!", the man screamed, flecks of spit flying from his mouth. "Ain't nobody gonna come save ya all the way out here in the shockin' desert!

The thief stepped back and waited for the door to open. The windows of the car were an opaque silver, he couldn't tell what was going on inside. When nothing happened, he stepped forward again. "Barry, shoot out one of their headlights," the man said to one of the other thieves before turning his attention back to the car. "We can do this with blood or without blood! We're gonna give you exactly three seconds more. If you're not out here by then, we're comin' in anyway, and we ain't takin' prisoners!"

The thief's eyes were wide and angry, one of his eyelids twitched. "One!"

The car remained closed. "Two!"

WHOOSH! "Thre...URK!" A red blur flashed briefly in front of the thief's line of vision. Suddenly, his throat throbbed with intense pain. The thief looked down to see sheets of dark crimson blood pouring down his shirt. His eyes went wide and he tried to gasp in surprise, but all that came out was a wet gurgle. Dropping to his knees, he clutched his throat reflexively. Blood spurted between his fingers and ran down his arm. He tried to take in air, his lungs were aching, but he couldn't. The thief fell to the ground.

"Boss!", Barry yelled, running to the thief. Barry took two steps before the red blur flashed by again. WHOOSH! There was a loud THUNK and Barry was suddenly on the ground, unconscious.

One of the other thieves followed the red blur as it arced quickly up into the sky and turned back around. It was coming for another pass. "Friggin' shock!", the thief screamed in a high-pitched voice. "It's Bloodhawk!"

The red blur seemed to rocket downwards as the thieves broke and ran. It followed a group of three thieves escaping. They ducked as he passed over them.

"Whew!", one of the thieves said, watching Bloodhawk wing back up into the sky. "Guess he's not as deadly when you see him coming!" The thief's head turned back from looking at the sky and immediately spotted something on the ground. It was a small metal cylinder with a blinking red light. It was beeping.

"Oh sh...," the thief said as his words, as well as he and his companions, were consumed by a loud fiery explosion.

By the time Bloodhawk circled back to the car, the thieves had already scattered. He cupped his wings to slow his descent, they flapped slowly, moving large pieces of air. He landed gently and walked over to the car's door.

"Do not fear. You are safe now. Continue onwards towards Halo...," Bloodhawk said as the car's door opened with a hiss.

Two massive men in tailored suits stepped out, training their firearms immediately on Bloodhawk. Before he could react, a woman stepped out behind them.

"Well, it looks like I didn't need these two after all," the woman said as she stepped forward from between the two men. The woman gave him a teasing smile. "Right, Bloodhawk?"

Bloodhawk growled. "If I had known it was you, I would have saved my energy. Apparently, you already had protection. Then again, I have never known a member of the Synge family to travel without their hired thugs."

The woman's smile stayed affixed to her face, her eyes became almost seductive. "Please, Bloodhawk, you and I go back so far...call me Des."

*     *     *

"Please be careful with that. I can't make another one in time for tonight!", Krystalin yelled to the pilot in the gravcopter. Under their feet, the deck thrummed loudly with the sound of the hover plates below the copter in action. Above them the emergency rotors hung unmoving. Krystalin glanced up at them. Those flimsy things were supposed to keep the copter in the air if the hover plates went out?

"Don't worry," the pilot yelled back. "I've done this hundreds of times before. This is actually one of the easiest things I've had to drag."

"The line won't snap?"

"Sister, that line's an inch thick coil with an adamantium core. You could drag the moon out of its orbit with it if you wanted to."

Krystalin's apprehensions weren't eased by the pilot's boasts. "What about that canvas?"

"You inspected that yourself, didn't you? Barring a hurricane, it'll keep the New Year's Crystal snug and safe."

Krystalin looked out the side of the copter and at the 50 foot high cylinder that was hanging, seemingly precariously, below. A grey canvas held it from top to bottom, tied to the adamantium cord attached to the copter. The diameter of the cylinder was six feet all around, give or take a few inches on certain sides. They were calling it simply the New Year's Crystal. She helped create it with a few physics and light-refraction specialists.

The Crystal itself was a completely clear multi-faceted crystal cylinder. It was hollow inside so there would be space for a ball of light to be passed upwards through it. There were ten "sections" to the crystals outward design. Each section was slanted and created specially to direct the light reflected through it in a certain direction. She had made the crystal faceted in such a way that any white light passed through it would create a prism of rainbow light.

It was going to be lit tonight, although a more proper New Year's celebration would have been held last night. Would have been. If the residents of Halo hadn't been hurried into shelters when Galactus appeared. Krystalin had been in New York last night, she had a front row seat to the event. Even now, she didn't really believe it had happened. It had to be another megacorp trick like the Valhalla debacle. Whoever heard of a giant armored man threatening entire planets? "Galactus, the Eater of Worlds"? Even she could have thought of a better name than that.

The fights those heralds of his had put up had been all too real, though. Krystalin rubbed her back and cleared her head of the whole mess. She had work to do now. Tonight there would be a proper celebration in Halo. One everyone could take part in.

The way the New Year's Crystal would work was, tonight, when the last ten seconds before midnight were counted down, the ball of white light inside would move upward. The first second would bathe one part of the city in a warm rainbow of light. The second would direct the light at another part of the city. It would go onward like that, after nine seconds all the portions of the city would have gotten the light. Finally, the final second would see the tenth portion of the Crystal, the very top, where the light would wash over the entire city itself. Proclaiming the New Year in a luminscent and hopeful way.

It had been the newly-formed City Council's idea. First on their agenda was recovering from the horrible battle between Dust and Exodus in the center of the city. Halo City itself didn't have the resources to completely clean or rebuild the damaged area. But at least they could try to bring the spirits of the people back up.

And so the idea for the Crystal was drawn up and Krystalin was contacted. She readily agreed, she saw the need for it as well as anyone. She saw the reason why everytime she looked out her apartment window. Sometimes she had dreams about it. She was back in the fight, and Exodus was just about to unleash that wave of destruction that had taken the lives of most of the people there that day. She knew it was coming. She felt it. And yet everytime she tried to erect a shield around herself...she was always too late. Everything slowed, she could see the wall of crackling energy speed toward her. It came almost immediately and...

That was always the part where she woke up. She hated that dream, but she'd get over it eventually. She didn't want to go to Shakti about eradicating it from her mind, that seemed somehow selfish. As if the memory of the people who died would be erased as well if she did that.

She had had to work with scientists and artisans who knew about crystalline structure and light-refracturing. They drew up a model of the New Years Crystal, every angle in every section was mathematically perfect. Krystalin had to practice making miniature models of the New Years Crystal to get it all perfect. It came along slowly. Most of the times she worked through the night with them trying to build it. Krystalin didn't mind though, the project was doing a lot to further hone her powers, and the best part was that everyone would be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

"Are the boys ready on top of the Tower?", the pilot asked into his headset mic. A brief "affirmative" came back over the speakers.

The pilot turned his head to Krystalin. "Alright sweetie, your pet crystal's almost home." Krystalin gave him a weird look. The pilot seemed to have a very odd attitude towards women. One that her standing in the X-men, the city's Protectorate, didn't seem to change at all.

The pilot lowered black-lensed VR goggles over his eyes and rubbed the sweat off his hands. The VR goggles gave him a geometric perspective of the Crystal and its position. With it he could manuever the Crystal directly over the slot on top of Halo Tower without having to rely on inaccurate human sight.

The pilot looked like a zombie, staring ahead intently, only moving occasionally to direct the gravcopter a different way. Krystalin watched as the Crystal settled over the small protrusion in the Tower roof where it was going to be inserted. Several techs guided the Crystal over to it once it was low enough.

"That should do it," the pilot said. "Tower Roof, do you have your gravbeams on it?"

"We got it safe and sound, we're halfway done inserting already. You can tell the X-man she can relax now," a voice came from the speakers. Krystalin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Picking up a mic from the dash, she spoke to the ground crew. "Thanks a lot, guys, couldn't have done it without you."

The pilot smiled as the crew thanked her. "Need a lift anywhere?"

"No thanks. Just put me back where you got me."

"Aw shucks, I was hoping you'd wanna go for a long cruise." The pilot gave Krystalin a lusty grin. "This bucket has an auto-pilot system I was hoping to make use of."

Krystalin blushed, her mouth open in surprise. "Maybe some other time, pilot," she said incredulously. He smiled and flew back down.

The gravcopter settled down on the ground and Krystalin clambered out quickly. She could swear she could feel that pilot's eyes on her. As she walked away from the jet-black copter, she could make out a familiar figure in front of her staring up at Halo Tower. It took her a moment to recognize him.

"Victor?! Victor Ten Eagles?", she yelled as she ran towards him.

He quit staring upwards and immediately looked at her. He pointed to the Tower and smiled. "You live in there? Nice."

She ran up and hugged him. "It's good to see you! What brings you here?"

He hugged her back warmly. "I saw the newscast about what happened here. I figured the X-men may need all the friends they can get."

"We just might."

"I've got to speak with Shakti, too, do you know where she is?"

"Shakti? I'm not sure. She might be with Xi'an at the Polyclinics."

"I'm not sure where those are..."

"Oh! Right! Sometimes I forget not everyone that's in Halo actually lives there. Uh...you can take the Q...,"

"The Q?"

"The Quicksilver. It's what we call the subways here. Anyway, just go a block down from Halo Tower and take the Q there to the West Square stop. Get off and follow Munroe St. until you find a building with large stained glass windows. Can't miss it."

"Alright, thanks Krys, I'll see you later," Ten Eagles said as he walked towards Halo Tower.

"Wait! Victor, are you free tonight at 10?"

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you like to see the New Years Crystal lit up? It's going to be beautiful." Krystalin said, adding something at the last second. "I made it."

Ten Eagles smiled. "I'll meet you here."

"At 10 PM. Remember."

"At 10, gotcha."

*     *     *

Light seemed to radiate from his golden hand as Xi'an touched the small girl's forehead. Her limp form was laid out on the table in front of him. Off to the corner, her anxious parents huddled next to one of the Sisters. Xi'an could see the expressions on their faces even though he wasn't looking at them. They all came in with that same mixed look. Trying so hard not to let hope overwhelm them, lest he fail. Their hands were always clutched, their mouths in a worried tight line that occasionally quivered into a smile. Their eyes wide.

It was worst when he touched the sick, that was the cliffhanger. Would it work where all other doctors had failed? Would the mutant decide not to heal her? Why is nothing happening? He's touching her and nothing's happening. This was all a trick. A cruel trick. Tell him to stop touching my baby. Get him away from...did she move? Oh my god, the wound is closing...

It was always that way, for the briefest of seconds nothing happened. And a brief second was all an apprehensive and worried parent needed to let doubt, fear, and suspicion run wild. He always succeeded, though, within reason. Sometimes it almost became too much, though. More than once, a pleading parent or relative had come in carrying their dead child. Sobbing and sometimes hysterical, they would push through the line and thrust the stiff body of their child before him. "Heal him," they would demand. "Bring her back to us," they would plead. He hated turning them away, telling them the truth, that he could not raise the dead. It was a sadness akin to deep failure, and sometimes - just sometimes - it threatened to overtake him completely.

Xi'an hand was warm against the cold skin on the girl's forehead. The girl had survived the battle between Exodus and Dust a month ago, but had been struck by a stray piece of debris, and put into a coma. The doctors could not give a prognosis to whether she would ever awaken. So, after trying it the official way, the parents had brought her to the Polyclinic.

Calmly, Xi'an closed his eyes and waited for what he knew was coming. It helped if he prepared himself for it. Suddenly, his hand glowed brighter and the child awoke with a gasp. The parents broke into sobs of joy and relief. The Sister had to hold them back from rushing to the table.

For Xi'an there was only pain. That was the cost of his gift, he took their anguish and made it his own. For the briefest of moments he was paralyzed with it. It was everywhere in him, building, swelling, all too much. And then it faded away, as it always did. Faded and left.

Xi'an opened his eyes, "She is healed," he said to the parents, nodding to the Sister. The nun let the parents go. They rushed to the table, scooping up their child, gushing happiness and concern and thanks. Xi'an took their appreciation with due consideration. It was always like this, but for some reason, seeing a life saved and a family reunited never got tired.

Eventually, the family was ushered out and Xi'an turned back to the nun. She was one of the Sisters of the Howling Commandments. A guerilla force of nuns that followed a strict code of feral combat, unending charity, and love for all mankind. They were good people, really, if you could see past their intimidating sidearms.

"The next patient?", Xi'an asked the Sister.

The Sister shook her head. "That's it. You cleared 'em out for now. You do good here, Xi'an Chi Xan."

"I do what I must, Sister Helena." To atone for his own sins, he knew. He had much to answer for. His days with the outlaw band, the Lawless. His betrayal to the X-men. And the atrocities he commited with the Theater of Pain. He had caused so much pain to others. It was only fitting that he be charged with taking it away. It was a punishment, Xi'an knew, but it was also salvation. A second chance. An opportunity to wipe his soul clean of the crimes he had commited in the past. How many people were given a chance to do that?

"I'll take my meal now, then. Would you mind getting it for me? I would like to rest."

"Of course," the Sister said, walking out of the room. Xi'an needed to keep himself well nourished to heal, lest he destroy himself. The Sisters were only too happy to provide Xi'an with the relatively minor comforts he required.

Xi'an was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed when he heard the voice. "How many lives do you think you've saved?", it said.

Xi'an's eyes snapped open. There was someone in the doorway. Ten Eagles. One of the members of his old gang, the Lawless. Victor had been rage given human form back then. It was always something of a calculated anger Ten Eagles used on his opponents. Or victims. Victor, too, had long since exorcised those demons, though. And he seemed to be doing a much better job at it than Xi'an.

"Not as many as I've destroyed, Victor," Xi'an said tiredly. "What brings you to Halo City?"

Victor walked over, half-smiling. "I have business and personal reasons. Do the nuns here keep track of all the people you heal?"

"They do, actually. But I don't, the numbers are meaningless. Why do you ask?"

"You just look tired, Xi'an. You should pace yourself more."

"I already do. You've arrived on a slow day, considering the circumstances in Halo."

"The Exodus thing, right. It's a shame the Mutant Messiah turned out to be a hoax."

"Did you come here to talk about current events?"

"Actually, no, I'm looking for Shakti. Have you seen her?"

Xi'an got up from his chair as Sister Helena walked in with his meal. At seeing Victor, she immediately tensed and reached for her firearm. Xi'an put up a hand to ward her and shook his head. Sister Helena got the message and set down the meal quietly. Victor turned around to watch her, following her with his eyes as she walked out the door.

"Shakti was here about two hours ago, keeping me company. She checks up on me periodically to see whether or not I am hurting myself healing others."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"She did not. You should try Halo Tower. You can have one of the X-men summon her there."

Victor sighed, he had just been there. "Alright, thanks Xi'an. You take care of yourself."

"I will, Victor. Are you staying long?"

"That depends on what happens between me and Shakti."

*     *     *

The door buzzer rang in Shakti's Halo Tower quarters twice before Shakti got it, sliding across her synthwood floor in her woolen socks. In loose denim pants and a striped T-shirt, she opened the door excitedly. She already knew who was on the other side, could already sense their familiar presence in the back of her mind. But the excitement was part of the experience. It wasn't everyday an old friend came to visit.

Shakti opened the door to reveal a smiling, infirmed, old woman. Her face was wrinkled and pale, but her eyes were bright and wide. They seemed to twinkle. Her hair was long and dark grey, it flowed down into her traveler's cloak. She had once been as tall as Shakti, but age seemed to have put a stoop to her shoulders. At a glance, the woman was definitely in her twilight years, but at a second glance, it didn't look that way.

"Rachel!", Shakti jubilantly exclaimed as she hugged the woman.

"Hello, dear," Rachel said in a quiet voice. She was just a quiet woman. Partly due to her condition.

Shakti stepped back. "Not too inconspicuous in that cloak and hood, huh?"The traveler's cloak Rachel had on was dark green, and though the hood was pushed back now, the cloak still went almost to her feet.

"Don't question MY taste. Where's the uniform I see on the newscasts all the time?", Rachel shot back, stepping into Shakti's apartment.

"I'm off duty today! No kids or X-men to deal with. Just you and I," Shakti responded as Rachel walked past. She shut the door.

"That's a wonderful sentiment, but you didn't have to take the whole day off for me. You do have a city to protect."

"Not officially. I'm not in the Protectorate. I spend my time with X-Nation now and...shoot! Oh shoot shoot shoot!"

Rachel lifted the heavy cloak from her shoulders and flung it on the couch. "What is it?"

"I have a meeting with Ten Eagles in...," Shakti glanced at the chronometer on the wallscreen. "Fifteen minutes?!?"

"That's alright, I can go break in my new apartment here while you go meet him."

"That's the thing, I'm meeting him here."

Rachel picked up her cloak again. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Uh...no, no. It'll be a short meeting. I don't want anything to happen to you out in Halo alone."

A soft smile appeared on Rachel's face as she clutched the folded cloak to herself. "Shakti, I won't lose control of it. You do this every time we meet. Give yourself some credit. You were an excellent teacher. And still my dearest friend."

Shakti smiled in return. "I know. It's just...you're the most powerful telepath I've ever encountered. Maybe the most powerful in the world. Even with you keeping it under control, I can still feel the power in you fluctuating and bursting."

"But it doesn't escape. It never does. I make sure of that." She did. For all her life it seemed, she had been...afflicted...with almost immeasurable telepathic powers. For a time she could not control them. She hurt everyone around her. She had no choice but to hide from humanity, as far as she could get. The loneliness was horrible, no one could be near her, she was cut off from society. A freak.

Until Shakti had come and recognized her problems. Shakti had been her salvation. A teacher who taught her that her powers weren't a curse, but a blessing. She taught Rachel control. And slowly but surely, with Shakti's help, Rachel re-entered society.

To this day, though, Rachel still didn't have complete control over her abilities. They were simply too strong. But at the very least, she could live a simple life.

So when her closest friend and mentor, Shakti, asked her to move to Halo City, she took up the offer immediately. It would be nice to have a place to call home for her remaining years. And Halo City seemed the best place. Just as long as they didn't have any more of those fights between super-powerful mutants with psychic abilities. Rachel was glad she hadn't been in the city for that. She didn't want to imagine the headaches she would have had to endure. Even now, a month after the battle, there was still a slight buzzing in the back of her mind from it.

"You're right, Rachel. I'm worrying needlessly. Ten Eagles won't mind your presence, I'm sure. And if he does, well, we're more than a match for him." Shakti smiled in Rachel's direction.

Abruptly, the door buzzed again. That had to be him. Shakti cleared her throat and opened the door. A tall, well-built, bald man was standing there. It was him.

"Victor Ten Eagles," Shakti said formally. "Come in, please."

Victor nodded a greeting to both Shakti and Rachel as he entered her apartment. Raising an eyebrow at Shakti's casual attire.

Shakti looked down at herself, then quickly back at Ten Eagles. "Yes? I can't wear the same uniform every day now, can I?"

"I...I suppose not. It took me a while to find you. I seemed to be just a step behind you the whole time. I came here, to the Polyclinics, then back."

Shakti sat down and motioned for Victor to do the same. Rachel had since walked back to the kitchen. "The Polyclinics? You spoke to Xi'an?"

"Yes, he seems to be doing well enough," Victor said, sitting on the couch across from Shakti.

"I still worry about him. He needs our support and friendship if he is ever to find a middle ground between his past personalities."

"I share the same concerns, Cerebra. He is truly regretful at what he has done, yet still...we've seen this before. His pacifistic side only lasted so long."

"Call me Shakti, please. If we're going to be working together I think we need to be on a first name basis."

A surprised look appeared on Victor's face. "So you've accepted my proposal?"

"It is logically sound, even if I'm uncomfortable with what you want to teach the kids."

"You were on the frontlines when Exodus went after Metalsmith, Shakti. These kids are still green. They need discipline and combat training. This isn't the last time those kids are going to get into danger. You know that."

"I do. And I know you are perhaps the best person to instill that in them. You have the job, Victor."

"Thank you, Shakti. Now that the matter is settled and official, I have some requests."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to need a large gym-sized space, preferably at ground level or below."

"I believe the Xavier Shelter has a few sub-levels that will fit that need. May I ask what for?"

"You may, but why don't we wait until I build it before I go into it?"

"Very well. Can you draw up the specs on what you need?"

"I will, I'll have them for you shortly," Victor said, getting up.

Shakti got up as well, extending her hand. "Let me be the first to welcome you, Victor, to the faculty at the Xavier Shelter..."

Ten Eagles shook her hand. "Thank you, Shakti."

"...and may God have mercy on your soul."

"Hey Shakti," Rachel said, walking in from the kitchen. "That badge on the counter is beeping. It's calling you to the 'conference room'."

Shakti looked surprised. "That's interesting. Perhaps my shedding of my uniform today was premature."

"I hope not," Rachel said. "Has a meeting like this ever been for good news?"

Shakti frowned. "No."

*     *     *

Shakti stepped into the Halo Tower conference room, alone, and found her teammates waiting.

Skullfire, oddly enough, was sitting on the table, swinging his legs absently. He was staring intently at the door. Shakti suspected that had little to do with her arrival though. "Hey Shakti, you're the last one here."

"I had to change into appropriate attire," she said briskly. "Is the meeting called to order now that I'm here?"

"Nah, not yet," Tim answered with his usual boyish tone. "Waiting on one more person."

"Who?"

"You'll see," Tim said, still staring at the door. Once, in what seemed a long time ago, Tim had been the last recruit in Xi'an's X-men. A confused and listless boy who wasn't sure what he had gotten into. Who was afraid of the world and even more afraid of his own powers: the ability to absorb and store electrical energy and direct it outwards. With the X-men he had gained control of those powers, and what's more, he had found a family and something to believe in. Shakti had not been the only one surprised when Tim took up the mantle of leadership when Xi'an left them. He had done a lot of growing up in such a small amount of time, and his belief in Xavier's dream of uniting humanity and mutants was more adamant and resolute than ever. Sometimes however, his judgement was rather questionable.

The largest example of that questionable judgment sat in a chair next to Tim. La Lunatica, a psychic vampire and slave for the Theater of Pain for ten years. A mutant with ghost-white skin who fed off the emotional pain of others, she was the oddest member of the X-men. They had all been wary of her when Tim showed up again one day with her in tow. She was supposed to be an X-man? Tim was out of his mind.

No, Tim had said, she was going to help us in the fight against the Theater of Pain. The team relented, they were going to need all the muscle they could gather. Even if Luna was only with them to fulfill her own need for revenge.

At least, that's what Shakti had thought. But once the Slaughterhouse had been brought to the ground, and Brimstone Love was sent fleeing, Luna stayed. She was with the team for the raising of Halo, she was with them when the Undead laid siege. When Tim was captured and killed by them, she never stopped searching for him. One could argue that she was still only there because of her love for Tim. But Shakti sensed otherwise. Luna had a family here as well, and a home. She had the opportunity to find inner peace and fight for a good cause, to repent for all she had done with the Theater of Pain. Luna would be a fool if she didn't realize that. Shakti knew she wasn't, though.

Sham sat behind Tim, occupying herself with the light illusions she could generate from nothing. She was by far the youngest member of the team, and stricken with the oddness that only youth had the time to fool with. She was completely bald with a tattoo of a black star over one eye.

They had met her and her longtime companion, a young mutant named Quiver, while liberating the Slaughterhouse. They had been of great help, saving Meanstreak and Krystalin from the Slaughterhouse's mutant flunkies, cheap knock-offs of the original X-men originally created by the mutant-turned-madman Zhao. Sham had petitioned for membership in the Protectorate in Halo City after the debacle was over. To quote her directly, "Quiv and I are tired of running." Shakti thought it interesting that the X-men's ranks always seemed to swell in times of crisis.

Standing by the long window that ran across a good portion of the room was Krystalin. Usually with her was Meanstreak, Henri Huang, perhaps Krystalin's best friend, a mutant speedster, and a mean hacker in his own right. Henri had taken leave shortly after the Exodus battle to mourn the death of his college buddy Jordan Boone. Apparently, the nanotechnology Boone had stolen from Alchemax had malfunctioned in Vegas, turning him into Halloween Jack, and insane version of his former self. Halloween Jack unleashed another dimension on the city of Vegas, effectively shutting it down for good. Eventually, Jordan met his end when he ran across Alchemax's path again. Henri had gone to New York to see to the funeral and estate arrangements.

Krys had grown up in something of a broken home. Her father, recently deceased, was the leader of the Black Panther movement in Oakland. Her brother Zak was the successor to him. Her mother, long since dead, was a devout Thorite. When her parents were alive they would argue tirelessly, their belief systems seemed to stand in the way of their love for each other. Her father was strict, her mother was warm and forgiving. What resulted was Krystalin, trained in combat by the Panthers, yet always wearing her mother's Mjolnir around her neck. She was an interesting mix of the two idealogies, and yet, she was perhaps the most stable X-man of all.

Usually hovering around the room was Morphine Somers, a slimeball of a man who Doom had appointed to run the city when he was president. When Doom was overthrown, Morphine remained, and caused no end of trouble with his scheming. He saved her life once in battle with the Undead, then proceeded to electrocute her father into a coma before her eyes. He intruded on her when she was teaching X-Nation at the Xavier Shelter. And the final straw, when his manipulative and greedy actions resulted in Uproar being put in the hospital, made a target by Morphine who needed someone, anyone, to tout as the Mutant Messiah. After the battle with Exodus, he had disappeared, and Shakti was more than happy with his absence.

They were the X-men, charged with protecting this new city. This mecca in the desert where mutant and human rights were one and the same. Where persecution was to be a thing of the past. It was a wonderful dream to have. And the city seemed to be a concrete way in making it reality.

They were still getting on their feet, though. The city itself had only elected a mayor a few months ago. And the City Council had just been raised. A new organization, called the Guardians, were now the police force in Halo. After the battle between Exodus and Dust, a large police and rescue force was deemed necessary. If the Guardians had been around during the battle, who knows how many more lives would have been saved?

And so the hierarchy went. The City Council was legislative, the mayor was executive, and the Guardians were the support force of the city. The X-men were still the Protectorate, charged with the well-being of the city, and defending it against super-powered threats like Exodus or the Graverobber.

"I think we have a right to know who we are meeting with, Timothy," Shakti said as she walked towards him. "Or are we supposed to start keeping secrets from one another on a daily basis?"

"Well, I don't want to say in case it upsets anyone...," Tim answered.

"He keeps saying that," Sham interrupted.

"How many people are we meeting with?", Shakti asked. There were different ways to glean information.

"Just one. She's human, don't worry. She wouldn't stand a chance in a room full of X-men."

Suddenly, Shakti felt a familiar presence. They were coming towards the room. No, wait, there were two of them, and one of them was...

The door to the conference room slid open, revealing two figured well known to the X-men. A smiling Desdemona Synge and...

"Bloodhawk?", Tim exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Bloodhawk nodded towards Des. "I am just as surprised as you are, Fitzgerald. What kind of business would someone like her have with the X-men?", Bloodhawk's tone was accusing, to say the least.

"Desdemona Synge?", Krystalin said, surprised.

"Who?", Sham said.

"Now would be a good time for explanations, Timothy," Shakti said to him.

"Oh, indeed, Timothy," Desdemona said, mocking Shakti.

Tim scratched his head, he had expected some friction. "Well, see, it's like this, Halo City doesn't have the resources to allocate funds to and rebuild the damaged portion of the city. We were going to need an outside contractor. She contacted me about two weeks ago..."

"Her?" The words coming from Luna's mouth were decidedly unfriendly. "You want her with her hand in Halo City? She'll bleed this place dry, if she doesn't sell us all out first. Not even I'm that crazy, Tim."

"It's either her or someone we don't know," Tim explained. "At least with Des, we know what we're getting. Mutant or human, it doesn't matter to her..."

"Precisely," Krystalin added. "She'll steamroll over people just to fill her own pockets. And why isn't she in Vegas?"

"Vegas is no longer my problem," Des spoke up. "Or anyone's. I've come here to make a fresh start. Where better than the city that promises hope to all, and where I have relationships with several of the Protectorate members?"

"This is a mistake, Fitzgerald," Bloodhawk said to Tim, growling.

"Listen, guys, everyone deserves a second chance, right?", Tim pleaded.

"That's not the issue...," Shakti said.

"I think it is. Shakti, Xi'an was more monstrous than Des has ever been, and we gave him a second chance."

"Because we knew he was capable of great compassion."

"And Desdemona isn't? Who let us walk out of Vegas untroubled after we had destroyed half of her casino? Who kept her promise to leave us alone?" ***

*** X-men 2099 (regular series) #3

"Tim, I don't know what you're talking about, but if you think she has just all of a sudden turned over a new leaf...," Luna said.

"Luna, you of all people should know the value of a second chance," Tim said to her. Her eyes narrowed angrily. She was...touchy...about her past.

"Fitzgerald isn't asking you to give me the job outright," Desdemona said. "I need to win over this city's council for that. He is merely informing you of my presence and my plans. I went along with it to show you, the X-men, that you have nothing to fear from me. I believe I am being more than fair."

"She got a point there," Sham said. "She's not asking permission for anything."

Krystalin crossed her arms, obviously not pleased. Luna did the same. Sham continued playing with her illusions. Tim was looking around to them all, trying to calm them. Shakti was the only one who spoke up. "Very well then, we are informed. Do you have any other business?"

Desdemona returned Shakti's icy attitude in kind. "No, I believe I am finished here." She turned to Bloodhawk. "Bloodhawk, I'd like to formally thank you for coming to my aid outside the city. It was...very humanitarian of you."

Bloodhawk snarled. "Don't mention it."

"Fitzgerald, I'll be in touch," Des said with a nod, exiting briskly. The door slid shut behind her, leaving Tim alone with five angry X-men.

"I hope you know what you've gotten into, Timothy," Shakti conveyed with her usual emotionless demeanor. "She is your responsibility. Should anything happen, you will be lead to blame, as well."

"I know, I know, geez, I thought you guys would take it a little better than this."

"Hey, I'm fine with it," Sham replied. "Even if she did seem kind of skeezy."

"If the meeting is concluded, I have other business to attend to," Shakti said. And she did. She hated keeping Rachel waiting.

"Yeah, we're done, go ahead," Tim said sullenly, hoping his decision hadn't done any permanent damage.

"I should go find Victor, he's probably wandering aimlessly around the city," Krystalin added, heading out the door with Shakti.

"Victor? Ten Eagles?", Tim asked, but receiving no answer. The others left right after Shakti and Krystalin, leaving just Tim and Bloodhawk.

"Watch your back, Fitzgerald," Bloodhawk said grimly, stepping towards the door. "It is said that you should keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Bloodhawk paused, looking Tim straight in the eye. "Do not let Desdemona Synge anywhere NEAR you."

*     *     *

'We lost Halo once already," Alexander Shaw said, his voice quiet, yet conveying a deadly earnestness. 'What makes you think we can get it back?"

"You never had Halo City, Shaw," Morphine Somers replied, standing off to the side as Shaw poured himself a drink. "That was your mistake."

"You were supposed to give it to us," Shaw said as he handed Morphine a goblet of wine.

Morphine feigned taking a sip. He had to watch himself. His new friends in the Hellfire Club weren't exactly trustworthy. "I was supposed to bring you the Messiah, and I did. It's not my fault he turned out to be a hoax."

Shaw grunted in reply, he was a stocky man in his mid-40's. Hair as black as coal, slicked back to reveal a widow's peak. Every part of him seemed rigid and muscular. Partially due to his mutant power, to process kinetic energy from any impact into energy for himself. No matter how often or hard you hit him, he would just get stronger. He claimed it was a family trait.

"You killed the Mediator," Shaw continued. "He was quite valuable."

Morphine laughed. "I'm more valuable. I know Halo inside and out. It's Protectorate, its people, even the secret tunnels Doom left under it. You can still have Halo, but you'll need my help."

Shaw sipped his wine. "And the price for this is?"

Morphine smiled. "I believe you have an opening in your Inner Circle now."

Shaw's face was stern and unforgiving. "You will have to earn the right to be part of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. We are a prestigious club of movers and shakers, we have existed for hundreds of years, longer than all the governments in the world."

"Yeah yeah, but the Hellfire Club accepts my proposal?", Morphine asked.

Shaw sighed. "We do. You will be informed eventually. We will meet tomorrow, you and I, to discuss how best to crack the nut that Halo City is."

Morphine smiled. "I look forward to it."

Morphine made his way through the halls of the complex where the Hellfire Club situated itself. It was all the way in Alaska, of all places. It was a decadent place, as if all the wealth in the world had decided to converge on one point. The class system was very much in effect here, you did not speak to servants, you addressed the Inner Circle only through proper channels. Morphine ignored it all, but he had a feeling his assistant didn't.

They had given his assistant quarters near the top of the complex, above the servants apartments. Morphine himself was situated in a lush apartment farther down, he was an honored guest and was given trappings to convey that appointment.

Morphine only had to knock once on the door of his assistant's quarters before he answered. "Evening, Christopher," Morphine smiled.

"Come in," Christopher said, he was a short man, shorter than Morphine anyway, with a skull-cap of thin white hair. His facial hair, beard, moustache, and sideburns were all one piece, and white as well. His face, however, was devoid of wrinkles, and his eyes were sharp.

"So how's it going?", Christopher asked.

"Exactly as we thought it would. The Hellfire Club are pretty predictable. They won't let me in the Inner Circle, they don't trust me enough for that."

Christopher raised an eyebrow. "You're certain?"

"No. But that looks like the way it's going."

"Did you find out anything about the other members of the Inner Circle. Or why Shaw is going after Halo City?"

"Shaw wants the power, he's utterly convinced that Halo City will play a major role in world politics in the next century. He's meeting with me tomorrow to discuss it further. He's the only member of the Inner Circle I've seen so far, though."

"I haven't seen any here in my recons, either," Christopher said. "They must all be attending business elsewhere."

"That's my guess." After a moment, Morphine spoke up again. "How's the new body?"

Christopher cricked his neck. "Still some trouble getting used to the dimensions. I suppose I should be grateful my powers still work."

"No regrets?"

"None. This has to be done. Not all of the X-men's enemies are so visible." Morphine had come to him three weeks ago in Halo with a proposition. The Hellfire Club was a threat larger than Exodus ever could be, and he had an in. He needed someone with him, to help bring the Hellfire Club down from the inside. To escape back to Halo in case things went wrong. To warn the X-men when the inevitable attack came.

He had accepted immediately, wary of Morphine, but seeing the necessity of what he was suggesting. So he underwent surgery to change his outward appearance. Nanotechnology was inserted into his body, warping his physical frame to something unrecognizable even to his closest friends.

"Think we'll do it, Henri?", Morphine asked, calling Christopher by his actual name.

Henri smiled a smile that was not his own. "Take down the Hellfire Club? Why not?"

*     *     *

Krystalin looked at her watch while dragging a helpless Victor Ten Eagles behind her. "Hurry up, Victor! The countdown's about to start!"

Krystalin and Victor slid by restaurant patrons waiting in the lobby and elsewhere. She seemed to bump into them all. "Sorry. Sorry. 'Scuse me. Sorry," Krystalin muttered as she flew by. Before too long, they were outside, with a clear view of the New Year's Crystal.

Krystalin was still looking at her watch, an excited look on her face. "Okay, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11..." Krystalin looked up, smiling. "Now!"

"10!" A small globe of light entered the Crystal and warm golden light washed over Krystalin and Victor. Colors were everywhere. Reds, blues, greens, yellows and purples. It was all-encompassing. Victor looked all around before looking back at Krys, she was bathed in the colors as well. "It's beautiful, Krystalin."

"9!" The patrons of the Negative Zone, the city's premier milk bar, were all gathered outside. They all cheered as the globe of light moved up and the light flowed over them. Streamers and party hats were flung into the air. The place was rich with noise. "See Quiv," Sham said to her red-skinned friend. "I told ya it was gonna be a blast."

"8!" Desdemona turned around sharply as prismed light flooded her hotel room. Briefly, she stared at the crystal before walking over to close the blinds. She had a busy day tomorrow.

"7!" The boats in the harbor all blared their airhorns as the light passed over them. Fireworks went up from some of them. The light refracted and glittered over the water until it seemed to be coming from all directions at once. It looked like heaven had come to Halo City Harbor.

"6!" The Sisters gathered at the window as the globe moved upwards again and the light. The prismed light traveled through the stained glass window of the church. Their eyes went wide with wonder at the spectacle. Some kneeled to pray.

"5!" Tim and Luna stood in the middle of the devastated area, Halo Tower and the New Year's Crystal looming above them. The light washed over them as they embraced. Tim stared up at the Crystal. "It's nice, huh?"

"4!" Shakti and Rachel stood on the roof of Halo Tower and watched as the shaft of light shifted to another part of the city. "Can you feel them, Shakti?", Rachel said, her voice in awe. "The city is...overflowing with goodwill."

"3!" "Here it comes, guys!", Metalsmith yelled to the rest of X-Nation sitting on the roof of the Xavier Shelter. The rest of the faculty and nuns were up there with them. Oddly enough, the sojourn to the roof had been the Sisters' idea. The kids whooped and cheered as the light passed to them. The Sisters...smiled.

"2!" Alexander Shaw's face conveyed no emotion as he watched the viewscreen. His anticipation was almost palpable. That city was as good as his. Soon it would be. Soon.

"1!" From the edge of an alleyway, a body dropped limply to the ground. It did not move as the prismed light covered the entire city. The eyes were vacant and the skin torn to pieces, dried blood was all over, smeared on the sidewalk and on the body. Several passersby screamed in surprise. Who would murder someone - more than murder, slaughter - someone like this on New Year's Eve?

And from his quarters in the Alaskan Complex, Henri Huang watched the viewscreen in silence. "Happy new year, X-men," he said solemnly. "I hope we survive the experience."

Next Issue: A little more of everything and...She-Hulk 2099?