X-men 2099UG #45

Halo City

Tim Fitzgerald looks up at the sound of the doors sliding open. His eyes meet those of the former X-Man, Eddie Van Beethoven, and behind him is Rosa Navarro. Tim smiles in greeting as he motions for them to take a seat. He waits until they have seated themselves, then he speaks.

"What can I do for you, Eddie?" Timothy asks after looking at each of them in the eyes. "Anything important?"

Eddie looks down at the floor for a moment then sighs and looks at his friend. He is unable to begin, but finds the strength to when Rosa takes his hand in hers. He looks away from Rosa and prepares to speak. "Tim, I know that this isn't the best of times to do this, but with the recent encounter with the Foolkiller, we have decided that it might be best for Joachim, if we returned to the Keewazi Nation."

Tim looks at Eddie, and then his eyes meet those of Rosa. He understands their concerns for the safety of the child, but he wishes there were something that he could do to keep his friends in Halo. Finally, he nods. "I understand, I wish I didn't, but with everything that has happened, the Foolkiller and the Graverobber in particular, I can see your reason for not wanting to raise your child in Halo."

"Thanks for understanding, Tim." Rosa says. "I know that this is going to be hard to all of you, but I promise that we'll be back eventually. It's just, that right now, we believe that Halo isn't stable enough to raise children in. Maybe in a few years, but not right now." She smiles sadly. "Besides I think it's time for Joachim to go visit his uncle and godmother again."

"When are you intending to leave, Eddie?" Tim asks after Rosa finishes speaking. He waits a moment for his friend to speak, then he adds. "Do you need anything for your trip?"

Eddie looks at Rosa with a question in his eyes. "Do we need anything, Rosa?" He watches as her mind works and she seeks an answer.

Rosa looks inwardly for a second then answers. "I don't think so. We've already got everything packed."

"Okay." Tim replies. "I wish that I could say that I'm happy for you, and I guess I am. But I am going to miss both of you and Joachim." Timothy stands at the same time as Rosa and Eddie. He steps around his desk and embraces Rosa. "Good luck, chica. If you need anything, anytime, you have but to ask." Tim steps away from Rosa and looks at his friend.

"Well, Fitz, I guess this is it for a while." Eddie stretches his hand out toward Tim. They shake hands, then Eddie pulls Tim into a hug. "I'm going to miss ya, Tim." They separate, and then Eddie and Rosa walk out of the room.

Tears slide down Timothy's face as he returns to his chair. It is happening again. Slowly, mutant after mutant is leaving Halo to find their way in the world. It's similar to what happened after their encounter with Zhao.

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Alaska

Morphine Somers stares with ill-concealed disgust at the group before of him. They are the Hellfire Club, that long-lived organization dedicated to achieving the Inner Circle's wishes. They have approached Somers, the former Minister of Humanity of the failed presidency of Doom, with the proposition of joining that very same Inner Circle. They are offering him the position of Black Bishop.

Morphine smiles at the gathered men and women. "After serious thought on the matter, I have decided that I no longer wish to be part of your rabble." He laughs out loud at the look of shock that appears in the faces of some of the members.

Pure fury crosses the face of the White King. "I don't believe this. We offer you all the power that you could ever want, and you throw it in our face like a spoiled child." He looks at the other members of the Inner Circle. "I say we just kill him and offer the position to another. Someone more accepting."

"I don't think so. Something tells me that Mr. Somers is going to change his mind." Alexander Shaw, the Black King, says from where he stands. "Yes, I believe that Mr. Somers will most definitely change his mind."

"Over my dead body." Morphine says vehemently.

Shaw smiles with evil intent. "Oh no, not over your body." He motions to one of the other members. "Mediator, if you would please." Mediator walks from the room as the others watch him leave.

"What are you stalling for Shaw? Why not make this a fight between you and me? You know that's what you want." Morphine looks at the other members of the Inner Circle with hate in his eyes. "After all, they are nothing more than puppets on your strings."

"I'm rather disappointed in you, Mr. Somers. I thought that you knew better than to buck a stacked deck. Look around you, Somers." Alexander gestures around the room. "I don't see anyone that would have the remotest interest in helping you with your cause. Do you?" Shaw looks at Morphine with eyes that show no feeling. "But I digress, you will join us."

"When Hell freezes over!" Morphine, having become fed up with Shaw's patronizing tone, lashes out at the nearest target. The target, an antique oak desk, dissolves into ashes as his mutant power kick into action. "I've had enough of this. I'm tired of being manipulated and I'm leaving now." A grim smile splays across the lips of Somers. "Would anyone like to stop me?"

"I doubt that you would like to leave just yet. We have arranged a special show for your benefit, Mr. Somers." The Mediator steps out of the shadowed doorway and into the light. A small cube rests in the palm of his out stretched hand. "Watch and listen, Somers." Mediator sets the cube down on the center of the table and backs away. "Mr. Shaw, it's ready."

Alexander steps next to the table, reaches out with his hand, and then press a small trigger on the cube. As he backs away, a small whirring noise can be heard emanating from the cube. As those gathered around watch, a holo image forms above the table. A beautiful woman becomes visible as the image continues to form.

"No!" Morphine screams as his touch destroys the table that the cube was sitting on. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he raises his eyes to meet those of the man that has manipulated him into his current position. "Where is she? What have you done with my wife?"

"She is safe at the moment and will remain that way so long as you continue to do what we ask of you. Right now we ask that you accept our offer of the position of Black Bishop. Do you?" Alexander asks.

Morphine looks distraught at Shaw, then sighs. "Very well, I accept. Now where is my wife?"

"Show him." Shaw says to the Mediator.

The Mediator walks over to Shaw's desk and presses a button beneath the edge of the desk. As Morphine watches, the wall on the far side of the room opens outward. Morphine starts as he sees his wife looking at him. He opens his mouth to speak, but Shaw beats him to the mark.

"She can't hear you, Somers. The window is a one way mirror. We can see her, but to her, she sees the Appalachian Mountains. It's the same view that you would see if you were in the safe house that you hid her in." Shaw smiles as Morphine Somers turns away from his wife. "Shut it." The Mediator complies with the order.

"Now, Somers, if you would like to have a seat, we can get on with exactly what we wish for you to do." He motions for Morphine to take a seat fearing what is to come.

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Halo City.

Krystalin Ogada, one of the Protectorate, smiles as her friends enter the room. "How are the two of you? And little, Joachim?" She looks over at the small child in Rosa's arms. "He is so precious."

"We're fine, Krystalin, all tings considered. We also have something important to tell you." Eddie says.

"What is that, Eddie?" Krystalin asks as her mutant power work to create a small ornamental gift for Joachim. Rosa and Eddie watch in amazement as a small angel takes form and solidifies.

"We're leaving and going back to the Keewazi Reservation."

"Oh." That is the only verbal reply that Krystalin makes, but the crystalline figure in her hand wobbles for a second. "When do you intend to leave?" The figure is once again stable in her hand.

"After we have said goodbye to all of our friends. A transport is leaving this afternoon and heading towards the Reservation." Rosa answers. At that moment, Henri Huang, the mutant known as Meanstreak, knocked on the open door.

"Krys? Oh, hi Eddie, Rosa. I didn't know there was anyone else in here. I'll come back later." He starts to leave, but is called back by Eddie.

"Wait, Henri. Come on in, we were just telling Krystalin the big news."

A look of inquiry crosses Henri's face. "The big news?"

Eddie smiles sadly, this is always the hardest part of leaving. Having to tell your friends that you are. "Rosa and I have decided that we should return to the Keewazi Reservation. We believe that it would be the ideal place to race Joachim, plus his family is there."

Henri says nothing for a moment, then sighs. "You're right." They all turn to look at him. "If I were a father, there is no way that I would want my child raised in this city. It just doesn't have the right atmosphere for the youth." He smiles at Eddie and Rosa. "Make no mistakes, I will be sad to see you go, but I think it would be for the best if Joachim was raised elsewhere."

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Xavier Shelter for Indigent Children.

"Geronimo!"

The bellow sounds from on high as the mutant know as Uproar bails off the top of the Xavier Shelter. As he falls, he attempts to aim himself towards the rather large tub of Jell-O that he and Wulff have managed to *appropriate* for no other reason than Jell-O diving.

Uproar hits the trembling tub with a force equivalent to that of a howitzer cannon. As Jell-O rains down on top of the nearby Wulff's head, Uproar raises himself out of the tub and looks at his friend. "Well? What do ya give it?"

"Well, on purely a skill level, I give it a nine. But on a level of awesomeness, I give it an eleven." Wulff answers.

"Whoa, man, for a second there, I thought that you had turned into that babe, Cerebra or something. You actually sounded smart, Wulff." Uproar says. "It is your turn now, bro."

As Wulff starts to climb their 'jury-rigged' ladder, Nostromo comes out from within the shelter. "You guys hear about Metalhead and Rosa leaving? Cerebra said to tell everyone to meet down at the doors. Supposed to be a going away party or something." Nostromo could have said anything else in the world and never gotten their attention, but that one word "party" has been, and will be capturing the fleeting attention of teenagers forever.

Uproar and Wulff are beside Nostromo in seconds. "You did say party, right?" When Nostromo nods, Uproar grabs him and Wulff around the waist and begins to run. After a moment, he stops and smiles sheepishly. "Um, doors are the other way."

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Halo Tower.

Later, after seeing off Eddie and Rosa, Tim returns to his office and starts to go over the daily logs of the various members of the protectorate. A slight noise breaks his concentration, and he looks up to meet the eyes of Morphine Somers. "Long time, Morphine."

"Fitzgerald. I heard that Beethoven has left. Is that true?" Morphine asks. He seems to be searching for something as he speaks.

Timothy waits a moment, something strange is in the air. Morphine is never this reserved about anything. "Yeah, that's right. What can I do for you, Morphine?"

Morphine decides to avoid all the maneuvering and just spit it out. "I've discovered the identity of the Mutant Messiah." He smiles at the look of shock that crosses Fitzgerald's face. "I suppose I have your attention then?"

Next Issue: Well, boys and girls, since the clamoring has suddenly reached our ears (okay, Chris Partin's) ears, he/we have decided to answer that most often asked question about the mutants of 2099. So in X-Men 2099 UG #46, I invite you to "Come on Down, and Meet the Messiah!" And, if you want to read more about Rosa, Eddie, and little Joachim, keep checking out the nice little anthology book, 2099 Underground Unlimited.