X-men 2099UG #50

What has come before -

Halo City is in upheaval, both physically and emotionally, from the conflict brewing around the Mutant Messiah. An ancient madman named Exodus has torn the city into pieces, bent on destroying anyone and anything that keeps him from the Messiah.

A mysterious mutant amnesiac named Dust has been coping with the recent return of his memories. He is Nate Grey, and even in Halo City he finds he cannot escape the conflicts that have defined his life for a hundred years. His long-standing enemy, Exodus, has returned, and is threatening innocent lives again. Alongside the X-men, Dust fights to prevent Exodus from reaching the Messiah.

In the middle of the conflict stands Metalsmith, a young mutant who has just been told something that will change his life forever. He is the Mutant Messiah, destined to lead mutantkind into an era of unbelievable prosperity.

Behind the scenes, Morphine Somers waits with his masters, the Hellfire Club, and their chosen voice, the Mediator. Having endangered Uproar's life with his manipulative scheming, he stands to lose what little trust the X-men have placed in him. And yet, he must continue to betray them, or he loses something even more precious: his wife.

And in the center of Halo City, the battle continues...

*     *     *

"This will end here, Exodus," Metalsmith said as floated in mid-air, a hundred feet above the rubble of the city below. He tried his best to make his voice sound firm and official. He couldn't let Exodus know how afraid he was. Metalsmith knew he had to keep the upper hand, somehow.

Exodus couldn't help but smile. "So it may, little Messiah, so it may," he said, the iron in his bloodstream locking him in place by Metalsmith's magnetic powers. "It's almost a shame that so much was destroyed," he continued. "Before you finally arrived."

"Get out of this city", Metalsmith ordered, desperately holding on to whatever courage he could muster.

Lightning seemed to flash in Exodus' eyes. "Or?"

"Or," Metalsmith faltered. "...or you'll be taken."

Whatever amusement was in Exodus' tone was gone now. "Nothing short of death will separate me from you, Messiah. Yours, or mine."

Metalsmith was confused. What was Exodus going on about? Did he WANT to be killed? Metalsmith didn't think he had it in him to take a life. His options seemed to be growing smaller in amount. Exodus was there to kill him, Xi'an had said. He had to find some way to neutralize Exodus. He didn't want to kill him. He didn't want to kill anybody. But Metalsmith was afraid, afraid that Exodus was right, nothing short of death would stop him.

"You're in over your head, Exodus," Dust said, his telekinesis lifting him to their height. "You always are. With Magneto, with me, and now here. How many mistakes do you have to make before you learn?"

Exodus snarled. "How safe and confident you must feel, Grey. Hurling insults while hiding behind a boy. I will kill them all because of you. I will make you watch them die, these people you try to protect. Just as you stood by helplessly all those years ago, watching your loved ones and closest friends perish. I will show you...show you that even after a hundred years...you still fail."

Dust became silent, his face devoid of any emotion. If he was rattled by Exodus' words, he wasn't showing it. "It's going to end here, Exodus."

"Not for me." A telepathic shockwave slammed into Metalsmith and Dust, taking them off-guard. Instantly, Exodus ripped free of Metalsmith's hold, his body crackling with energy. The crowd below gasped as the two heroes fell. Exodus himself seemed to be getting...brighter.

Chiding himself at his own arrogance, Dust cleared his head of the fading pain and took stock of the situation. They were falling, but he couldn't tell if Metalsmith was conscious or not. Almost reflexively, Dust grabbed them both telekinetically and slowed their descent to a gentle crawl. He floated over to the kid to get a better check on his condition.

Metalsmith groaned as Dust approached. "Ohhhh man, how am I supposed to beat that?", he said, looking up at Exodus. "Hey!", he exclaimed, looking down frantically. "I'm not ker-splat!"

"Er...yes," Dust said. He paused before continuing. "Are you really the Mutant Messiah?"

"Yes. For all the good that's done," Metalsmith said as they set down on a pile of rubble.

"Metalsmith, come," a voice whispered inside Metalsmith's head. He visibly lurched at the surprise.

"What is it?"

"Exodus," Metalsmith answered, looking up at Exodus. "He's calling me telepathically."

Hurriedly, Dust wove a telepathic barrier around Metalsmith's mind. "Didn't Cerebra teach you how to shield your mind in school?", Dust asked.

"Probably, I dunno. I skip that class a lot."

Dust felt it an instant before it hit. With a wordless scream, he dove out of the way as an enormous bolt of telekinetic power whistled through the air towards him. It plowed into the ground with tremendous force, flattening the rubble into nothing and emitting a shockwave that sent Metalsmith and Dust flying.

"Whoa!", Metalsmith yelled as a magnetic shield went up around him. "Exodus didn't appreciate that. I think I can feel him pushing against the barriers you put up in my head."

Dust lifted himself up from the ground. Nothing seemed to be broken. He cursed himself again, his battle instincts were gone. It had been too long, just too long, since he had had to defend himself like this. He had to get it together, he had to recall them somehow. People were depending on him.

A telekinetic shield sprung up around him and Metalsmith. "Your magnetics aren't going to do any good if he decides to throw some telekinesis your way, kid," Dust said. "Go take shelter with the rest of the population. You're an easy target out here, and I can't protect both of us."

"I can't. I have to finish this," Metalsmith gestured to their surroundings. "This is all because of me, I have to make it right."

"Look out!", Dust screamed as another bolt came thundering down, driving both of them to the ground, Dust's shield the only thing keeping them alive.

From somewhere on the other side of Exodus, a bolt of green energy arced up towards Exodus, deflecting away from him at the last moment as it hit a telekinetic shield.

"This isn't doing any good, no one can reach him, and if they can, then he's shielded," Metalsmith said.

The boy was right, Dust knew. Metalsmith, Skullfire, Xi'an, the X-men and the X-Nation kids weren't going to be able to take Exodus down. He was the only one with the power. And in an oddly poetic kind of way, it was fitting. "Metalsmith, take shelter, things are going to get rough," he said as he flew upwards towards Exodus.

"You can meddle in this all you like, Grey!", Exodus yelled down as he watched Dust rush towards him. "But the outcome is already certain. The Messiah is already mine. And after him, everyone else will follow."

"Shut UP!", Dust screamed as drove into Exodus, their shields impacting against one other, the sound of it jarring Dust's teeth, and sending Exodus flying away. Without pause, Dust rushed toward him again, pounding his fists unrelentingly on Exodus' shield.

BOOM! "I have had to listen to your crap..." BOOM! "For almost a century..." BOOM! "And I..." BOOM! "Just can't take it anymore!" In a fury, Dust grabbed particles of the air around them with his mind, sending them swirling at breakneck speeds. A sudden tornado was created around Exodus, sending him tumbling.

Disoriented, Exodus boosted himself upward and out of the tornado. And without missing a beat, created his own windstorm, shoving Dust downward. Immediately, Dust sensed something different, Exodus' shield was down.

Exodus was grinning madly. "When this is over," he yelled to Dust over the wind. "And you are dead. They will blame you for this destruction. 'He forced the Messiah's guardian to unleash his power', the loved ones of those killed will say. They will burn your broken corpse and spit on the ashes."

Dust fought against the wind, inching upward against it. Below, large pieces of rock suddenly launched into the air, held by Dust's power. "What are you talking about?", he yelled at Exodus. "You're trying to kill him!"

Exodus laughed loudly. "Fool! Why would I want to kill something I created?"

Without warning, the pieces of rubble pelted Exodus from below. Only the first few struck him before Exodus erected a shield once more. The wind ceased, and Dust moved in to attack.

Abruptly, Exodus unleashed another telepathic shockwave, then fired a telekinetic bolt. Dust staggered from the force of the blows, but his shield held. In response to the attack, Dust created a telekinetic shield around Exodus' own. Contracting it, he pushed at Exodus from all sides.

His teeth set, grimacing, Exodus pushed back. Sparks flew and streamed as the two shields battered against each other. His left eye blazing, Dust held the shield as tight as he could. Both shields flexed in and out, but they never broke. "How long do you think you can hold your breath, Exodus?", Dust asked, grinning. Dust's shield was airtight.

A flash of fear crossed Exodus' face as he realized his situation. All too quickly, though, the fear was replaced with fiery anger.

Below them, screams erupted. A few at first, but then more and more. A chain reaction of pain that spread throughout all the populace below. The screaming was so loud is was threatening to deafen them both, even as high up as they were. Exodus was smiling.

Dust could sense what Exodus had done. In a flash of effort, he had spread a telepathic wave throughout the crowd below. It was targeting their minds, and more specifically, it was overloading their senses. The tiniest whispers had become deafening roars to them. And since that was the case, Dust couldn't even imagine what the cacaphonous screaming was doing to those poor people.

With a scowl of righteous anger, Dust released the shield he had been concentrating all his energy on and flew downwards to help the people. Dust whispered the most terrible curse he could think of for Exodus. The madman knew he would help those people, he knew it.

As he sent a calming telepathic wave through the crowd, Dust felt a shield closing around his own. Exodus was using his own trick against him.

Frantically, he flew upwards as he fast as he could, pushing against the closing shield. For a moment it seemed as if he would make it through, but the shield seemed to harden, and Dust bounced back downwards. Dust was a mouse in his own trap.

Exodus floated gently down toward him. "I have not seen such fire in a long time, Grey. I suppose I should thank you for it. After I kill you." His eyes crackled with purple bursts of energy. "I will finally have you, Nate Grey, after all these years. I will drink in your essence and your power and be rejuvenated beyond imagining. It will feel glorious."

Suddenly, a streak of silver flashed behind Exodus. "I can't let you get away with that!", Metalsmith yelled. Exodus didn't even have time to turn around before he started screaming.

"Feel that? Of course you do. That's your blood reversing it's flow through your body," Metalsmith said as Exodus twisted and writhed in pain. "And that's what you get when you fool with a messiah!"

The shield around Dust vanished as he looked up at Exodus. It was working, what Metalsmith was doing. But something didn't seem right...something was...

Before Dust could finish that thought, Exodus' screams reached a fever pitch. A shockwave of undescribable power ripped loose from Exodus. A force like nothing Dust had ever felt before slammed into Dust. The next thing Dust saw was Exodus...lying on the ground 300 feet away.

Before Dust could get his bearings, he heard a sudden load groan. Metal was twisting and rock was crumbling around him. Dust looked up to see a ten story building above him, tilting forward. It's windows were blown out and where there once were the first, second, and third floors were now just bent supports and blasted rock.

The massive shadow of the toppling building crept over Dust, slowly at first, then faster and faster. It blocked out the sun, it's enormous face tilting closer and closer. A dreadful sound filled Dusts's ears. The metal supports groaned and screamed in protest as they twisted and buckled out of shape. The supports snapped with a loud CRACK, and suddenly, the building was all Dust could see. It fell inexorably downward...

*     *     *

"This is going far better than we ever expected," the Mediator said in a voice that seemed to be dipped in slime. Morphine frowned, tilting his head to watch the Mediator from the corner of his eye.

In front of them both was a large viewscreen of the devastated area of Halo where Dust and Exodus, until recently, had been battling. They had been watching the fight almost since it began.

The Mediator turned his head to smile at Morphine. "Don't you think so?"

Morphine grunted unhappily. "How many people do you think were in that building that just fell?", he said in an accusing tone.

"A hundred. Two hundred?", the Mediator said, ignoring Morphine's tone. "It is sad, surely, but...inevitable."

When Morphine didn't reply, the Mediator continued talking. "You know, Morphine, this Exodus fellow and this Dust character are doing more for our cause then you probably could have ever done."

"What are you talking about?", Morphine asked gruffly. He was getting immensely tired of the Mediator.

"Well, just look at that devastation!", the Mediator said excitedly. "That blast no doubt killed the X-men, which is terribly convenient. It saves us the trouble. And the Messiah was undoubtedly taken out of the picture as well. He would have caused trouble for us down the line. We would have Halo, but he would have the hearts of the people. He would be a partner to us, power-wise. And the Hellfire Club despises that."

"So I hear," Morphine said sullenly.

The Mediator continued on cheerfully. "And after all this settles, in swoops the Hellfire Club to reconstruct their mutant city and keep the government and megacorps out. Thanks to this, we'll have the whole city without any opposition, and we'll only have to empty our wallets a bit."

"Why are you even telling me this? Aren't there any other puppets of the Hellfire Club to annoy?", Morphine said.

"Oh yes, too many, but you're the most important one at the moment, Somers. And why not tell you? You ARE our puppet, as you have needlessly reminded me."

"And you're not afraid of me rising up against you, foiling your plans?"

"The notion is, frankly, ridiculous. Especially when we've got her," the Mediator said, nodding towards a holographic display off to their left. It showed a woman reading a book in a chair. Morphine's wife was as much a prisoner as he was, if not more. And she was watched 24 hours a day. "And besides, why would you want to do that? Once this is over you'll have everything you wanted. We're going to need SOMEONE to run Halo for us. And I can't think of a better candidate. You'll even get your wife back. Only a fool would try to resist this, Morphine. And you're not a fool."

"No, I'm not."

*     *     *

"My shield," Krystalin exclaimed in shock. "He completely shattered it."

The others got up from the ground groggily. Xi'an, Tim, Luna, and Shakti looked around and took in the devastation. It didn't seem possible, but Exodus had wrecked the area even more. And the lives...Tim didn't want to think about the number of people who weren't as lucky as they were. They themselves were only alive because Shakti sensed the explosion moments before it was going to happen and took control of Krystalin's powers, erecting a crystal barrier.

"Oh shock...," Tim said quietly, looking around. "I've...I've never seen anything like this."

"Nor have I, even," Xi'an said.

"Are there any survivors?", Luna asked.

Tim snapped himself to attention. "Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, we're the designated help. Shakti, you, Luna, and Xi'an walk the area. Scan for lifesigns, Shakti. Xi'an, we're going to need your healing. Luna, Xi'an's going to be expending a lot of energy healing, so it's up to you to take care of any rubble or debris. You're the strongest muscle we have."

Xi'an nodded. "A sound plan."

"What about you and Krys?", Luna asked.

Tim turned to Krystalin. "Krys, I want you to scout the buildings and fix any structural damage you find. If it's still standing, shore it up. We can't let any more lives be lost."

Tim faced the other X-men and pointed a thumb at Exodus. "I'm going to check him out and see if he's still alive. If he makes trouble, I can take him out quickly."

"What about Dust? And Metalsmith? Did the X-Nation kids leave when you ordered them to, Shakti?", Krystalin asked.

Tim turned to Cerebra. "Shakti?"

"Yes. They are safely away. Dust and Metalsmith are alive...somehow," Shakti answered.

"Great. That's some good news at least. Alright guys, let's get busy."

Tim walked towards Exodus' limp body as the others left to see to saving lives. This was a disaster, Tim knew. It was only beginning to sink in. If this was the price for a messiah, then he wasn't sure it was worth the cost. It was going to take months to rebuild and heal. Halo City wasn't even half a year old and already it was exploding from the inside. And this Exodus character, Tim wasn't sure how they were going to stop him without killing him. The madman had more power than all of the X-men combined. Sullenly, Tim wondered if the first X-men ever had this much trouble.

Exodus seemed to be out cold, as far as Tim could tell. He was on his stomach, his eyes closed; nothing seemed broken and he was breathing. Carefully, Tim bent down to feel for a pulse...

Exodus' eyes snapped open. "Gnuh," he snorted weakly, trying to get up. "That boy...such pain. If I didn't need him I would gladly kill him...," Exodus said to himself, getting up.

Suddenly, Tim grabbed Exodus by his hair and yanked it back. He jammed a hard finger under Exodus' mouth, digging into the soft flesh of Exodus' chin. The skin on Tim's hand glowed a bright transparent green. "You make one move, think one thought, do anything at all, and you won't live to regret it," Tim threatened, his voice as hard as iron and tough as nails.

Exodus smiled weakly. "You are one of them, yes? More X-men...you people never go away. I should have known that back then. I saw the real X-men in action, child. They were merely dirt under my master's boot, yet they were still more impressive than anything you could muster."

"Shut up, Exodus, or I'll drop you right here." Tim suddenly remembered what Exodus had said while he was getting up. "What do you need Metalsmith for?"

Exodus' smile remained. "He is the Mutant Messiah. Don't we all need him?"

Slowly, the luminescent green energy crept up Tim's body. Before long, his whole body was naught but a glowing skeleton, brimming with energy. Tim pressed his face close to Exodus. Well aware that all Exodus could see was his glowing skull. "Why do YOU need him?"

"Because he is the future, X-man," Exodus' smile went away as quickly as it had come. "Such energy coursing through that body. Such vitality. So young. You will be quite a feast."

"What are you talking abo...," Tim's words were cut off as he felt the life and energy draining from him. The glow around Tim began to flicker and dim.

"Yes. Oh my, yes. There is more to you than even I can sense," Exodus laughed as Tim's life energy filled him. His eyes began to glow and even his body began to seem fuller and stronger.

"Nnnn-N-N-N...No...," the words came out of Tim's mouth in frozen stutters. He was being killed. Again. Somehow, Tim knew if he couldn't escape Exodus, this death would be final.

*     *     *

Rubble erupted upward from the fallen building as Dust floated out. It had taken time to muster the energy to move the weight of an entire building around. And with only a few minutes worth of air, he had had to figure out how to cut through it all quickly.

Dust surveyed the scene around him, scanning telepathically for life. The X-men were alive, all of them, there were very few survivors of the blast though. But he couldn't dwell on that, now now. Dust could still feel Metalsmith's presence and...

Dust paused. Exodus was alive. And he had Skullfire.

*     *     *

Metalsmith sped over the buildings of Halo and back towards the battle. His magnetic shield had protected him surprisingly well, he'd been thrown through a few buildings and it had held all the way through. Or maybe it was just plain luck. After all, he couldn't exactly die if he was the prophecied Messiah, could he?

The circle of devastation spread out before him as he crested a building. It didn't look like anyone had survived. Metalsmith resisted the urge to mourn the tragedy, he had a job to do. If Exodus wasn't taken care of, he would have to finish the job.

Metalsmith spotted him almost immediately. He was still alive. And there was someone next to him. Skullfire, completely charged with energy. But...why was it flickering? Metalsmith dismissed the question from his mind. He had the opportunity to take Exodus by surprise again. This time he would finish it. This time he would do it right.

*     *     *

"Away from him, butcher!", Dust screamed as he swooped in and nailed Exodus with a telekinetic blast. Exodus lost his grip on Tim and fell to the ground, rolling. Tim simply collapsed where he was standing, the energy leaving and his body returning to it's normal state.

Before Exodus could regain his footing, Dust blasted him again. This time, however, instead of striking home, the shaft of telekinetic energy deflected off a shield. Dust wondered how much energy Exodus had absorbed from Tim. And if it would be enough to restore Exodus to full power. He wasn't sure even he could beat Exodus then.

Exodus laugh was clear and boisterous. "If you didn't have a chance before, Grey, then I am going to positively ANNIHILATE you now! I have the boy's energy running through me. I've forgotten how it felt to be...sated. It's been so long."

"Glad you're enjoying it, you great big psychic turd," Metalsmith taunted as he zoomed in towards Exodus. "It's still not going to be enough to stop me!"

Exodus turned to Metalsmith and smiled. "You have your namesake's passion, Metalsmith. But none of his wisdom. In time I shall impart that to you." Exodus raised his hand and suddenly Metalsmith stopped in mid-air.

"Let him go, Exodus!", Dust yelled, firing a warning bolt on Exodus' shield. "I won't let you kill him!"

"Enough of this pretense. I was never going to kill him," Exodus said, slightly annoyed. He turned his head towards Metalsmith. "That was only to draw you out. You are the Mutant Messiah in name, but under my tutelage you will learn how to be the Mutant Messiah in action and presence, as well."

"Exodus. You had your warning," Dust said as he flew toward Exodus. But like Metalsmith, he too was stopped in mid-air.

"Please, Grey. I am trying to teach the boy," Exodus said dismissively.

"You think I'm going to let you teach me?", Metalsmith said, not believing Exodus' arrogance.

"You're going to do everything I say, Magnus, I am the closest thing you have to a father."

Metalsmith's mouth opened in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

Exodus smiled. "Because I created you. Born of genetic material from the late, great Magneto. He was the only man who I would ever call master, because of his power, and his vision. He dreamed and fought for mutant ascendency. Homo sapiens are a dead-end race, Magnus, my son."

"Don't call me that!", Metalsmith screamed.

"He was a man of enormous brilliance. We are the future, Magnus. Homo superior. Us! I have lived these hundreds of years and watched mutants be persecuted, hunted, nearly wiped out. And now, at the dawn of this new century, mutants are more powerful, more prevalent than ever. THIS is the time, Magnus, for mutants to rise and take what is rightfully ours. The world!"

"You're shockin' insane!"

"And a liar," Dust added.

"Silence!", Exodus ordered, slamming Dust to the ground and pinning him there. "Who do you think orchestrated the prophecy of the Mutant Messiah?", Exodus said to Metalsmith. "It began with that walking shell of a man, Doom, I was lurking under Halo then. It was all too easy to program his machines to my bidding when he wasn't there. A telepathic suggestion in the man's brain here. An unconscious order there. And suddenly a Mutant Messiah was in the future. His future-predicting computer model*** said what I wanted it to say, nothing more."

*** X-men 2099 (regular series) #30

"You're a liar, you're just trying to control me. I'm going to be the Messiah, but I won't let you control that kind of power," Metalsmith said defiantly.

"Am I? When Xi'an came to you and told you that you were the Mutant Messiah, did you ask him for proof?"

"....no."

"And did you ask him how he knew?"

"...no, I just assumed..."

"Exactly, that it was 'divine prophecy' or some such thing. I was controlling Xi'an to bring you to me here, where I would announce you. And still will."

"I'm never going to go along with this!"

"You will," Exodus said, his face as set as stone. "Whether you actually want to or not."

Behind Exodus, Dust was telekinetically frozen in place by Exodus' overpowering control. He heard everything. So the Messiah had been a sham all along. Dust didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but he did know that he would not be allowed to live with the knowledge. As soon as Exodus was done talking with the boy, he would turn his attention to Dust. He couldn't allow that. He had survived. Out of all of them, he had survived to see the horrors beyond, the crumbling of their dream, the rebuilding of a new heartless world, and the resurrection of Xavier's dream in every fiber of this new city, in the people that now called themselves X-men. He hadn't lived that long to see it all fall into the hands of Exodus and his genocidal madness.

Dust reached inside himself, inside his power, back, back, and further back still. For so long he had kept a tight reign on his power. He knew his full potential, he was stronger than Exodus, stronger than anyone, stronger than the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity. So he filled himself with his power, he opened the floodgates and reveled in it. He knew it was all still there. And now, more than ever, he had to use it. He looked at Exodus, as he felt every fiber of his being come alive with his long-neglected power, and smiled.

A faint buzzing in the back of his mind was the only warning Exodus had. Suddenly he was 500 feet up in the air and climbing higher and faster. Nate Grey had him by the arms and he was rocketing upward. Faster...faster...

"Fool! You are no match for me!", Exodus said, but the words were lost to the wind. He could feel the cold and the depressurization as they climbed higher. Halo was an unrecognizable speck along the coastline now. The Earth was stretching out under him.

Frantically, Exodus tried to attack Dust, sending barrage after barrage of telepathic and telekinetic volleys. Dust met them in kind, neutralizing each one. They continued to climb faster and faster until the clouds themselves were nothing but small white streaks, while above them the blue was giving way to black.

Leaving an enormous energy trail, Dust flew into space and above the Earth itself, settling in its orbit. This was it. He was going to take care of Exodus once and for all. And the consequences to himself or to his morals be damned. Exodus had to be stopped. And he was the only man who could do it.

Exodus himself was overflowing with energy and out in space, he wasn't holding back. A psychic battle undreamt of was being waged above the Earth, and every psi-sensitive on the planet could feel it. The space around them was charged with energy. Was crackling with power. Dust could feel it running through and around him. It was dangerous and wonderful, there was something in it that he hadn't felt in...forever. It was familiar, but Dust dismissed it. The battle was more important.

"This is where you end, Exodus," Dust said to Exodus telepathically.

"You will fall, whelp, and even in your grave you will feel it as the world slowly becomes mine!", Exodus thought back to him.

"You know what, Exodus? You talk too much," Dust said as he opened himself to his power, grabbed it all, and POURED it into Exodus. Exodus resisted, but in the end it was not enough. Dust could hear Exodus' scream in his mind as the explosion took them both.

On Earth, the X-men watched as the explosion lit up the sky like a second sun. Shakti could feel it inside her head, her eyes were shut tight with the pain. It was relentless, like a drill that just kept going deeper and deeper. And then, when Shakti thought she couldn't take it anymore, it stopped.

Shakti touched her head in wonder as her teammates stared at her in concern. Finally, Shakti spoke up.

"They're both gone. It's over."

*     *     *

"I trust you are all pleased with the outcome of this particular event?", the Mediator said to the wall-sized viewscreen in front of him, there were seven faces on it. Amanda Mallie. Jonathan Richards. Domingo de Solas. Nathaniel Dumakas. Martin Rentaro. Aloria Craven. And Alexander Shaw. The Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club.

"It could have been worse," Aloria said.

"The X-men survived," Martin Rentaro said gruffly.

"An unforeseen circumstance," the Mediator explained briskly.

"Not unforeseen," Morphine added as he stood next to the Mediator. "I knew they would survive. They always do."

The Mediator spared Morphine an angry glance, then turned back towards the viewscreen. "In any case, even with the failure of the Mutant Messiah and the continued existence of the X-men, the Hellfire Club can still gain a foothold in Halo City."

Sudden anger boiled up inside Shaw. "A foothold isn't GOOD ENOUGH. Halo City is a dangerously unique place, and any foothold gained can instantly be vanquished by the littlest of circumstances. We need something more concrete than a few demolished buildings!"

"Looks like you people screwed up royally," Morphine said, trying to keep down a smile.

Martin Rentaro gave him a look that could cut glass. "You are as much to blame for that as we and the Mediator is."

"Maybe so. But I can do one thing that you can't," Morphine let the smile creep onto his face. "I can get you the X-men. I can tell you how to smash them to pieces and how to make it look natural. I can show you how to replace them. Basically, I can give you what you want."

"Of course you will!", the Mediator snapped. "You are our slave. Our puppet. OUR servant!"

"See, that's another thing," Morphine said, clapping the Mediator on the shoulder. "This puppet thing, it's not going to work."

The Mediator gave him an impatient and confused look. "What are you going on about? Be quiet!"

Morphine tightened his grip on the Mediator's shoulder and turned to face him. "There are two things about Morphine Somers that you should know," Morphine said, a large smile on his face. "One, I make things grow old when I touch them."

Suddenly, wrinkles appeared on the Mediator's face. A few at first, then more and more as the Mediator aged and he became smaller and more brittle. The Mediator gave a hoarse scream, his eyes going wide as his hair and teeth fell out in clumps. After a second, the Mediator fell to his knees and collapsed, his skin turning pale and dissolving away.

Calmly, Morphine brushed the dust that used to be the Mediator off his hands. Facing the shocked faces on the viewscreen, he continued. "And two, the Hellfire Club doesn't do it's research very well. My wife died ten years ago."

Mockingly, he bowed to the screen. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to. If you should happen to have any proposals for me, you know where to find me." And with that, Morphine switched off the viewscreen and walked out the door.

*     *     *

"It doesn't seem so safe anymore, does it?", Tim said absently as he stared out the window of his apartment in Halo Tower.

"You know as well I do that nothing is what it looks like, " Luna said behind him. "Especially when mutants are concerned."

Tim turned around to look at Luna. "Do you think this will still work? This city, I mean. Or will they all abandon this place?"

"Couldn't say, sweet thing," Luna said as she walked up to him. "Let me ask YOU something. If they did abandon Halo, would you go with them?"

Tim stared at his hands for a few moments before speaking again. "I suppose not. I mean, if the X-men leave, then the dream does too, huh?"

"Yup," Luna smiled. "And I thought you were only the leader of the X-men because of your good looks."

Tim smiled. "So did I, actually."

*     *     *

Shakti stepped gingerly into the room. "Magnus? Can I come in?"

Metalsmith was slumped in a chair in front of the TV. It wasn't on. "Yeah, sure," he said, not even turning to face Shakti.

Shakti sat down in front of him. "How are you taking it?"

Metalsmith's face was sullen. "Honestly? I don't know. Some part of me is disappointed. But I don't know why."

"You were the alleged Mutant Messiah. That's a heavy title to bear, you seemed ready to take it up."

"Sure I was, what an exciting thing to be, you know? To know that you're going to be the bringer of peace and happiness. I loved being that. But instead I just turned out to be the exact opposite. There's no Mutant Messiah, it was all a trick. And now I'm the only one left to blame for it."

"Some people will blame you for it, that's true. But you should consider yourself fortunate that you weren't as visible and vocal about as you could have been. Since you weren't, most people will just see you as someone who was manipulated unjustly."

"And I was, too, wasn't I? Just a resurrection of some long-dead maniac by another long-lived maniac. I'm just some manufactured puppet."

"Do you really think that?"

"I don't know."

"You have a good soul, Magnus," Shakti said. "And a willful spirit. You're not a puppet, and you're not Magneto reborn. You're just Metalsmith, a student at the Xavier Shelter, and you know that your life is what you make of it. You were never Exodus' puppet, never the Messiah, you've always been Metalsmith."

Metalsmith looked away wistfully, taking in Shakti's words. "Yeah...," he said quietly. Turning back to Shakti, he continued, "Hey, I'm gonna turn in for the night now."

"Alright, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'll be here," Shakti said, getting up to head towards the door.

"Hey, thanks, I'll remember that."

"I'll see you later, Magnus."

"See ya later."

Shakti headed out of the room, stopping abruptly in the doorway. "Oh, and Magnus?", she said, turning around.

"Yeah?"

"Quit skipping class."

"Yes ma'am."

And so the first volume of X-men 2099 comes to a close, but it doesn't end here. Be here in a week for "X-men: Gravity", a one-shot that has the X-men up against a fearsome new enemy and explains what Sham and Quiver have been doing all this time.

Then stick around for X-men 2099 UG #1! Halo City and the X-men rebuild after the climactic battle between Exodus and Dust, but their troubles are just beginning...