X-men 2099UG #47

--Halo City
--Halo Square

Slowly his eyes open. He looks around him to see everyone's back to him. He hears their fear in their breathing. He knows something is wrong. He tells himself all he has to do is stand up, and hope will return. His brain sends the proper signals to his hands and arms to push himself up-- but nothing happens. He tries again, but nothing happens.

"Shock!"

He tells his legs to push, to try and stand and nothing happens.

"Shock it!"

He tries again and again, and the same thing happens everytime -- nothing! Uproar realizes he is paralyzed and there is nothing he can do.

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--Halo Tower
--the War Room

"Tim! Uproar is down! Somebody came out of no where and beat him to a bloody pulp!"

Timothy Fitzgerald inherited the position as team leader, and city protector when his friend Xi'an Chi Xan left the team with no word of returning. In the past two months, Timothy has rescued and found a new friend in the mysterious Robert, only to have an even more mysterious force take him away from Halo City. {X-Men 2099UG #35-37} He has had the children of X-Nation revolt against him and some have left the city to search out for Robert. {X-Men 2099UG #37} His fellow X-Man Meanstreak left to visit the sight of a dead colleague's grave sight and has never returned {Tensen 2099UG Mini series} Metalhead and the Freak Show have left to re-start their lives. {X-Men 2099UG #45} He has had his life changed time and time again because of this team, and now he has his biggest challenge ever-- the Mutant Messiah is Uproar! And Uproar lies beaten nearly to death below Halo Tower in front of the entire city by another mysterious mutant of unknown power. What can happen next?

"Luna, you and Shakti get to the children. Have Clarion and Wullf ready to strike at my call. Krys, you’re with me downstairs. We're going to go head to head with this freak and see what's his problem. Book!? Do you hear me?!"

A voice comes over the room's intercom system, "Yes, Skullfire, I hear you loud and clear."

"Good. Can you get a fix on Uproar?"

"Yes, I have him on my monitors right now."

"Can you get me a situation reading on him? Is he alive?"

"Yes, he is, sir. Barely, though. He's loosing a lot of blood and my readouts are sensing massive internal injuries."

"How long do we have?"

"Not sure. If you get him to the med-lab ASAP I may be able to sustain his injuries for a while longer."

Timothy stands at his desk and thinks of what to do. "Book, get the med-lad ready! Shakti, you're with Krys and me. Luna, get Clarion, Wulff, Metalsmith, and Twilight ready. We're taking this guy down fast and now."

Everyone leaves the room running. Tim, Shakti and Krystalin run out into the blinding sun to see the face of death staring them down.

"Welcome, X-Men. My name is not important because you won't be alive long enough to tell anyone about me."

Tim charges up and blasts a wide bean of green energy at the mutant. " Like Hel. "

The Evil One flies across the square's span and slams into a building. Tim motions Shakti to get to higher ground, and Krystalin forms a crystal spear that she then throws at the fallen enemy.

The Evil One bats away the spear, "You're not much of a fighter, not like your father at all."

"Damn you to Hel!" Krys runs at the standing mutant as she tosses shards of crystals at him in a blind fury.

"Krys! No!" But Tim's scream is too late. The mutant smiles and releases a concussive blast of energy toward Krystalin, throwing her backwards and slamming her to the ground. She moves slightly and then slumps over motionless.

"This is getting us no where! Shakti! Now!"

Tim's teammate hears him and strikes at the evil mutant with a psionic attack. Recently her mutant abilities have grown with no explanation. She has tried her best to understand and use these new found powers, but against someone as powerful as her adversary… "Augh! Tim he's in my mind!!" … these powers are not enough. And so, Timothy Fitzgerald, aka Skullfire, must face the Evil One alone until help arrives.

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-- the Orphanage

"Guys, we've got to get out there now!" Luna yells as she runs out of the Orphanage's doors. "Tim and the other's are probably getting hammered."

Clarion running close behind her asks, "What happened to Uproar? I thought he was the Mutant Messiah. Couldn't he stop this maniac?"

Luna tries to find the words to soften what she's about to say, but she cannot, "Uproar might be dead. I'm sorry. He was the first to be attacked."

"NO!" Wulff screams.

“Wulff! Wait!!”, but Luna’s words are unheard by the feral youth. “Guys, we need everyone to encircle this lunatic. Metalsmith and Clarion, I want you to take to the roofs. If he can fly, I want you two to make sure he never gets off the ground. Twilight, I want you with me. Your sphere of influence may be useful in this situation. We’re going to get you close enough to Uproar and see if you can heal him. Everyone, remember to listen to Tim. We don’t want any body else getting killed today.”

The young mutants known as X-Nation know this is the moment all of them have waited for and feared. Today, one of their own was revealed to be the legendary Mutant Messiah, and today they must face an unstoppable foe as a team. They each lift up a prayer to the gods they think are watching over them and ask for protection against this evil foe.

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-- Outside in Halo Square

He stands there knowing they fear him. He is the embodiment of their fears. He is power, and they cannot comprehend what drives him. It is not the enjoyment of killing or destroying, but the knowledge when all is over the strongest will survive, and he will be the Mutant Messiah because he is the one who killed the false messiah. How can a boy be a messiah? How hopeless are these poor souls if they look to a child who isn’t even sure of himself? He will lead them out of this crypt that Doom has built to keep them in to die, and lead them to the promise land and to their destiny of domination of this world. That is what his masters taught him. They spoke of the strongest ruling the world, and he will be that one who is strongest above all others to be their leader. “I don’t understand why you won’t just give in, mutant? Why fight the truth? Give in to the order that will come when I am the ruler of all those called Homo Superior, and fight with me- not against me.”

Tim looks around at his teammates. Uproar, possibly dead, and no one can reach him. Krystalin, lying unconscious in the city’s street in front of him. Shakti, still screaming at the horror and evil that she faced when her unprepared mind suffered when she entered into the Evil One’s mind. He waits for Luna and the kids. What kind of leader is he to lead children against this mad man? He cannot risk their lives, and he will not let this creature take them from this world, so it is back to the way it has always been since the beginning—it is up to Tim to be more than he thought he could ever be.

“Surely you will not fight me, mutant. Look around you….” And before he could finish his mockery, a blast of green energy rushes against him and knocks him backwards to the ground.

“This is futile! Al we’re going to do is knock each other around until we’re both dead. Why don’t you just give it up?!”

The Evil One floats upward and lowers himself into a standing position on the ground. “Young Timothy, this is not about you and I, but more about an eternal conflict between the weak and the strong. You keep thinking this is all about you and your precious X-Men, and it is not. You must look beyond yourself, that is why I am the true messiah and not that poor excuse of a child.”

Tim grits his teeth in anger, “That ‘child’ is nothing more than what fate has made him. He may not be able to fit the shoes yet, but we will help him. That is what mutants should be doing – helping each other in need, not killing each other.”

The Evil One claps his hands, “Very well said. Spoken like a true son of the Xavier’s Dream. You would have made that pathetic fool proud. Always looking for peace in the midst of conflict. Alas, he is dead, and I have survived, as my masters and I knew I would.”

“Shock Xavier! This is crazy! Who are you to make claims of how his dream should live or die?”

And a voice speaks over all those in the streets. “He is evil, Timothy, he knows nothing else.”

Everyone looks around to see who is speaking. And as Luna and the rest of X-Nation arrive, Clarion sees the one who speaks, “Dust!”

“Dust, what are you doing here? Where have you been? You could have…”

“I come and go as I see fit to help the children, Timothy.”

Tim points to the limp body of Uproar, “Is that how you protect the children?”

Dust glances over to Uproar, and he shows no remorse. “He was not the one the Evil One has come to find, Timothy.” Dust extends his hand toward Uproar and as if by magic, Uproar’s body begins to float. Uproar moves through the air and lands at the feet of Luna and X-Nation. “Take him to the infirmary. He is in need of treatment. He is not dead. The Evil One would not kill someone that makes him fear them.”

“You speak as if you are all knowing, oh mighty ‘Dust’. Or should I call you ‘failure’. The mighty son of Xavier has returned to seek retribution for his past failures.”

“I don’t know what you speak of, Evil One, but there is nothing you could know of me for I have been in seclusion for decades.”

“Oh, I know that.” The Evil One ponders and realizes something that brings a smile to his face, “You honestly don’t know who I am do you?”

Dust looks closely, but sees no familiarity, “No. I do not know you.”

“Oh, come now, surely you recognize the face of you oldest adversary. It is I—Exodus!”

Dust stares in amazement, “Dear God, no.”

Next Issue: Well, that’s it for this issue! What a place to end it at. The Evil One is revealed, and Dust knows him! Who is Dust?! What are his ties to Exodus?! Wait until next issue which will be a triple sized (#48- #50) issue to end ‘The Messiah Quest’ storyline.