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| X-men 2099UG Issue #8, Volume 2 Written by Chris Lough |
| The 2099 Underground is a project whereby a group of fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from Marvel's fantastic futuristic 2099! Ignoring the ignoble and inaccurate "2099: World of Tomorrow", we're exploring what we feel is the true spirit of 2099 as envisioned by then Editor-in-Chief Joey Cavalieri. Participation is open to all. Comments about this issue should be sent to the author. Or you can visit our message board and post your thoughts on the issue. Anyone wishing to join the mailing list should do so by signing up at Yahoo! Groups. It's free and easy! Simply type in the keyword "Ghostworks" and you're good to go. |
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| Desdemona Synge rubbed her temples and sighed tiredly. It was another stifling day in her office. Papers to go through, people to call, people to avoid. She had thought it would go easily once she was situated. Reconstruction of the area devastated by Exodus was going along smoothly, working contracts had long been drawn up and agreed upon. The materials were pouring in at a steady rate. There were no labor disputes. No crazy mutants wrecking up the area. It was just everything else that was the problem. The City Council had been using a clause in her contract with them to set her to rebuilding all of Halo. According to their agreement, Halo City could not hire any other contractors until the initial reconstruction was complete. It was designed to keep any of her potential competitors out of the city. And to prevent any of the money from being pared off to others. It wasn't working that way. "Tell me again, WHO is trying to sue the city?", Desdemona asked the thin man sitting across the table from her. He was Edward Blumenthal, the City Treasurer and her tether to Halo's Council. He was a ghastly kind of fellow. His straight black hair always looked plastered to his skull. He was half-bald and his eyes were sunken. He didn't walk, he creeped. But he was an incredibly number-conscious man. Quite adept at juggling the funds necessary to keep Halo City alive. "Brodyne Inc., they own and operate a line of clothing stores called 'The Kindest Cut'. They have three stores in this city, one of which was completely devastated when the X-men were fighting in the Haloplex Mall," Edward answered. Desdemona groaned. "Is the city ignoring the litigation?" "I er, believe so, Desdemona." "Check on it. I did. Halo City has a standard in their commercial laws that holds the store owners responsible for property damage to their store, not the city. That extends to mutant attacks. Sooner or later, Brodyne Inc. will figure out why no one else is taking legal action," Desdemona sighed. Her days were filled with this kind of numbstatic. Frivolity after frivolity, and they all affected her or the funds allocated to her in some way. "You seem to become more tired day after day, I'm I boring you?", Edward asked, smiling. He made half-hearted jokes like this a lot of the time. Most likely he harbored some sort of sexual attraction to her, Des thought. Another thing she could do without. "Yes," she answered flatly. "But it's these shockin' X-men. Why can't they save the world without destroying everything around them?" "I imagine the Council strong-arming you into repairing the damage to the Market District and Haloplex doesn't sit well," Edward said seriously, as if defending the council he sat on. "It wouldn't be such a problem if there was money to do the repairs," Des responded. The repair estimates for the Market District and Haloplex were just beginning to creep in. And the profits that Des had imagined drawing from Halo City were slowly trickling away. "It wasn't the Council's decision to heap this extra burden on you. Alloting you more money interferes with the year's plan to terraform the desert outside the city walls." "Do the X-men even know why those mutants attacked the markets anyway?" "Not that I know of." "Precise targets, weren't they?", Des wondered aloud. "Two of the biggest commercial hubs in the city. An excellent way to bring a fledgling city to its knees. And filled with people, too. Economic ruin and massive casualties. There's got to be someone behind those attacks. And the X-men better find them soon. Or we might lose any money I can gather." Edward perked up at the statement. "You've found more money?" "There's this organization that contacted me a while ago that offered an enormously large sum to open a chapter house here. I refused them. I didn't want to be the one they blamed if any class wars broke out." "Who are they?" "They're called the Hellfire Club. I'm not sure why they want a chapter house in Halo. I've never heard of them. But for the money they're putting up and the relative inexpensiveness of their demands, I can't say no anymore." "Have you contacted them yet?" "Not yet, but I'm going to." "What should I tell the Council?" "Tell them," Desdemona paused. "The Hellfire Club is our only hope of making Halo whole again." * * * "This body smells," Rachel said absently as she sniffed at the shirt she had been wearing for the past few days. Rachel turned to Sham. "That is correct? This body contains odor?" Sham grinned and sighed. By process of default, she had been given the task of watching over this new Rachel. Shakti's long-time friend had only recently come to Halo City, but then just as quickly, she had left. Although not in a way anyone else could duplicate. Rachel's body now housed a psionic entity that had been roaming the Astral Plane and accidentally murdering people in attempts to communicate***. ***Last issue. Read all about it. At least, that's what Sham thought had happened, it was somewhat confusing. The simple part of the matter was that someone different was in Rachel's body now. Someone who had never lived in a physical world before. Or, if it had, had long since forgotten it. The hospital had kept Rachel a few days for study. She had to be taught all over again how to eat, how to talk, that her name was "Rachel", what a name was, how to breath even. And she had to be taught how the society she was in worked, she had to be taught what a society WAS. Everything was completely new to Rachel now. "Yeah," Sham answered. "You stink. You haven't changed clothes since you...arrived. And you haven't showered in three days." Puzzlingly, Shakti had chosen not to indoctrinate Rachel into this new world. It was understandable. She had just lost the actual Rachel, maybe it was too hard to look at the old woman that used to be her friend and have to remind herself that this wasn't the person she knew. That was a lesson about not judging a book by its cover, if Sham had ever known one. The other X-men were too busy, they claimed, and pawned Rachel off onto her. They were polite, and it wasn't like they had totally abandoned Rachel, but still... And it wasn't like she had nothing to do. Ten Eagles and her had been working on her powers for a while now. It was kind of rude to interrupt her training like that. Sham sighed to herself, she was being selfish. Rachel needed someone and that was that. And the closer they kept her to the X-men the safer she'd be. "Showered?", Rachel asked. Everything she said was a question. "I was...showered once. That was not enough?" "You have to shower daily, Rachel," Sham reminded her. "Over the space of time your body collects foreign particles, dirt, and grime..." Geez, she sounded like a holo-ad. "And has to be cleaned to make sure your body remains healthy." "This body must be cleansed every three," Rachel paused, looking lost. "...days, is it? Days are a bright part and a dark part? They are twenty four hours." Explaining linear time to Rachel had been the most daunting task Sham thought she had ever had to undertake. Rachel still didn't understand it. Invariably, explaining time meant explaining how the body only functioned for a limited space of time. That led to questions and explanations on death. Rachel had seemed to take that all in calmly. She did not fear death like everyone else. That was another problem. The first night the new Rachel had gone to sleep, she had woken up and excitedly told them all about what she had seen when she had "died" during the night. Sham had had to explain dreams and sleep to her. "Why do I not use a new body if this one is becoming overused and dirty?", Rachel asked. "'Cause that's the only you have. You have to protect it and keep it healthy so you can use it longer. You can't break it or destroy it. If you do, then you die." "And death is where the body stops working," Rachel said matter-of-factly, smiling wildly. Rachel had had to absorb a lifetime's worth of information in just a few days. Whenever she managed to remember something she was incredibly proud. "It's more than that, Rachel. There are two parts to you. The body and the mind. The mind is what you were before," Sham explained. "The dark place, when I had no body. What was it called?" "Um, the Astral Plane, I think. But that's not important. Right now you're both body and mind. They are interconnected. When your body stops functioning...when it dies...so does your mind." "Then what happens?", Rachel asked eagerly. "Nobody knows. Some people believe there is existence after death. But there very well could be nothing. In any case, since you don't know, you have to prevent death and prolong your life." "And a shower prevents death?" Sham smiled. "Uh, it helps." "Then I should do it." Rachel walked towards Sham and Sham led her to the bathroom. "Remember, you only have to shower once a day, and it doesn't take long." Rachel walked into the bathroom. Sham stayed in the doorway. "Now you remember what the hospital attendant showed you?", Sham asked, luckily, they had showed her how to do all that stuff at the hospital. "I remember," Rachel said, turning on the water and putting a hand in it. "This should be hot, but not hot enough to hurt. If the water is too hot it could kill me?" "Well, the water can kill you if you drown in it. But the hot water can hurt you, yeah." "If the water can hurt me, then why is it used to prevent death?", Rachel asked. It was questions like these that she stumbled on, that Rachel had a hard time with. "Because everything in the world can be used to help and also hurt you. Although there are exceptions to this rule. Water can give life, you know, you can't live without it. But it can kill you if...it's used improperly. It's finding the balance between the benefits and the drawbacks that extends your life and prevents death." There, that was the best way she could explain it. Luckily, Rachel had a complete grasp of the English language. She had just...had it. Sham didn't know how, she just assumed it was because of being in the Astral Plane, and all those human minds, for so long. "Ah," Rachel smiled, understanding. "But why do things hurt and cause death? Why do they not just help and prevent death?" "That's something else nobody knows. You get in the shower and I'll bring in your clothes." "Okay." Sham walked towards the suitcase that held some of Rachel's clothes. Clothes were another thing...shock...EVERYTHING was another thing that had to be explained. When Sham and the people in the hospital had tried to explain the concept of wearing clothes...it had been a hassle. Rachel didn't get why people were ashamed of their bodies. She didn't see why she had to cover certain parts of hers. Finally, they explained it to her in terms of defense. To Rachel, clothes were a shield against the elements and other things that could hurt her if she did not have clothes on. Fashion and shame were just not part of Rachel's understanding. At least not yet. Underneath the childlike demeanor and intense curiosity of Rachel though, was this unmistakable happiness. From what Sham understood, Rachel had once been simply a creature made completely of psionic energy. Floating alone and adrift on the Astral Plane, never meeting anymore like her - like him - like whatever gender the entity had been. The loneliness had eaten at her. So much so that she had started pulling people in from the physical world into the Astral Plane. Just to talk to them. Completely unaware that she was killing them. That sadness was gone now. There was nothing but wonder and happiness about this new world she was in. Sham dropped Rachel's clothes off and went to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat. She was in loose pants and a grey wool hoodie now, but she had Protectorate duty soon. She had to change into her uniform. Lunch first though, she hadn't had any chance for breakfast. Sham was just finishing her sandwich when Rachel strolled in, leaving a trail of water dripping from her. Her clothes were soaked. "I do not remember how to wear this," Rachel said, holding up the dry towel. Sham swallowed her frustration, her carpet was getting drenched. "That's a towel, you use it to dry yourself when you finish showering." "I am supposed to put the clothing on after using the towel?", Rachel asked. "Yes." "Every time?" "Every time." Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her wet clothes. "This feels uncomfortable." "Well, you're not supposed to wear your clothes wet." "Is not water supposed to prevent death?", Rachel asked. Sham got up. "Not in this case. There are other clothes for you in the suitcase on the couch. I have to go change, too. You should change into dry clothes while I'm in my room." Rachel was ready by the time Sham came out of her room in uniform. Sham adjusted her blue overcoat as she spoke. "Your shirt's on backwards, Rache.." "It is supposed to be on a certain way?", Rachel asked. "Yeah, there's a tag in the neck hole. The tag is supposed to be in the back." Rachel looked down. "It is in the front." "Then turn it around." The days were full of menial things like this, as well. Rachel was still a telepath, though not as powerful as Rachel - the REAL Rachel - had been. (This was going to get confusing. Sham wondered if she should prompt Rachel to adopt a new name.) But even a telepath couldn't be expected to learn and absorb every little detail and thing that had been thrown at Rachel. Sham had to learn some patience. And besides, it wasn't completely bad, Rachel was in school. It was a school, or a series of classes, actually, that Rachel had been enlisted in to help facilitate her smooth entry into society. Sort of like physical therapy for the mind. There were coma victims in Rachel's class, too. It was the same basic principle, they were all relearning. Sham had to walk with Rachel to the school on her way to Halo Tower. Rachel hadn't yet visited the Tower, but she knew about the battle that had taken place there. She said she had felt it on the Astral Plane, like it was a beacon calling to her. The Astral Plane had been flaring and unraveled at the combining of Exodus' and Dust's psychic powers. Sham hadn't been awake for that battle. She had been recovering from a coma in the hospital***. But she saw the devastation every day. For the most part, Sham was glad she had been out of the fight. She didn't see what good she might have done anyway. *** X-men 2099 UG: "Gravity" "Are you ready to go now?", Sham asked Rachel. "Yes. I still have a difficult time remembering all my classmates names," Rachel said as they walked towards the door. "You're in a great big world now. There's eleven billion people out there just like you." "Eleven billion people just like me?", Rachel exclaimed. "I have not met any of...," Sham interrupted Rachel. "I mean, eleven billion other humans. They are all different than you, after all, they aren't you. But in a lot of ways they're the same." "They are all human?", Rachel asked. "Actually, a lot of them are mutants. We're mutants, you know." The door to the hallway slid open and Rachel and Sham made their way to the elevator. "What's a mutant?", Rachel asked. Sham took a deep breath. This was going to take time. * * * Gavin Rentaro cleared his throat and opened the com-line in his quarters. Somewhat nervously, he punched in his father's personal line. His father had given him the number only for emergencies or to call only when ordered. Gavin had his permission this time, but he was still jittery, fearing that somehow his father would still find something to take offense at. On the screen, the words "Call being routed. Please wait." flashed. Suddenly, his father's grim face appeared, behind him was what looked the inside of his personal transport. Gavin relaxed a little, he was afraid he would interrupt his father during some important meeting. "What is it, Gavin?", his father said in a tone that was matter-of-fact. His father was always straightforward and firm in his words. It was a rare occurrence to see him caught off guard. It was even rarer to see him smile. "I've been keeping track of Morphine Somers' aide, Christopher, as you ordered, father," Gavin said, trying to emulate the stony visage and demeanor of his father. People feared his father. People didn't fear him. He tried desperately to change that. "What have you found?" "There is nothing outwardly suspicious about him. However," Gavin was quick to add. His father was quick to pounce on any mistakes he made. And his father was determined and utterly convinced that Morphine or his aide were scheming. And if his father thought that, then to him it was as good as true. "However," Gavin continued. "Once every week Christopher meets someone at a roadside pit stop near the Complex." "Have you been able to determine what they discuss?" "I haven't, unfortunately," Gavin faltered slightly. Somehow, his dad always seemed to find everything he did wrong. "I could not have been able to determine that without revealing my presence." "What HAVE you been able to determine?", Martin Rentaro asked, the slightest edge in his voice. "Well, for one thing, Christopher is a mutant." His father grunted. "I expected as much." "He is a low level alpha, his body is hyper-accelerated. He can run fast, basically. The person he meets is another mutant. I have not been able to determine an identity. All I know is that the person he meets has wings." "Are you sure it wasn't a flight harness this person was wearing?" "No, the wings moved too naturally for that. I believe also, that...um, the flying mutant has accelerated senses, as well." "And how did you determine that?" "The second time I watched the two meet, I followed the flying one back to wherever he came from. I kept quite a large distance between us, but he must have sensed me anyhow, because he darted off and lost me." "He LOST you? How could you LOSE him? You can sense any mass within miles around you, you can fly faster than conventional jets!", his father said angrily. "It is baffling to me, as well," Gavin replied weakly. He had no excuse for losing the mutant. He had failed again. "I suppose I should be grateful for the little information you managed to glean," his father said, visibly disappointed. "I'll continue to keep my surveillance on Christopher, sir..." His father interrupted him. "Do not bother. I have a new assignment for you. I will be back at the Alaskan Complex within three days. When I arrive we will deal with Christopher, and through him, the damnable Morphine Somers. I simply do not understand why Shaw admitted him into the Inner Circle." "Shaw is disrespectful to you, father, to have been absent when Somers was initiated. Forcing you to say the pleasantries***," Gavin said. That night had been a humiliation for both of them. He had acted like a child, throwing a tantrum when Morphine was appointed over him. His father had been most displeased with Gavin that night. And he had shown him after the ceremony. *** X-men 2099 UG #4 (Vol. 2) "It was merely formality," his father dismissed, not mentioning Gavin's behavior that night. "It is Shaw's mistake that eats at me. Morphine is scheming against the Hellfire Club, I know it. And I will bring him and his aide down." "What do you plan to do?", Gavin asked. "You are going to be my weapon against Morphine Somers, Gavin," his father said. "When I return, we shall dispose of Christopher." "Where do I come in?" "Well, Morphine will need another aide for his important work, won't he?" * * * "So a human body is made up of strands of chemicals that nobody can see?", Rachel asked as they walked along the streets of Halo City. Buildings rose around them, in front of them, the top of the city wall could be seen above the skyline. "If nobody can see them, how is it known that they are there?" "Well, people have made tools that can see really small things like that," Sham answered. They were making their way towards Rachel's school. "And mutants are made of special chemicals?" "Well, they're not MADE of it, but they have a mutation in these chemicals, in their DNA, that grants them their mutant power or appearance. Which is why they're called mutants." "And I'm a mutant?" "Uh huh." "And you're a mutant?" "Oh yeah." "Is everyone a mutant?", Rachel asked. "No, not even most people. But someday everyone on the planet will be. We'll both be dead before that happens though," Sham explained. "Because it will take such a long time," she added. "So mutants aren't humans?" "No, they're humans..." "But they're mutants." "Well, the thing is, there's not really not any major differences between mutants and humans." Rachel looked confused. "Then why do you call them different names?" "Well, some people like to single out mutants, to them mutants are completely different from humans. It's that way with some mutants, too, humans are different then them." "Is it that way to you?" Sham paused, thinking it over, before finally answering. "I don't think so. I'm just a normal person who happens to have superpowers." "Are all mutants like that? Is that what a mutant is? Is that what I am?" "Yeah, I'd like to think so." "Why do I have powers then?" "Because you were born a mutant." "Why?" "I don't know. That's just the way it happened." Rachel still looked puzzled, excited, but puzzled. "There is no reason why I was made a mutant?" "Not that I know of," Sham answered reluctantly. Rachel stared ahead as they walked. For what Sham thought was the very first time, Rachel did not say anything. They turned onto a curved street that ran parallel to the city wall. A few high-rise buildings were between the street and wall. Rachel's school was within view. Suddenly, Rachel spoke up. "That man up there doesn't like your clothing." Sham was surprised. "What? What man?" Rachel pointed straight ahead. "The one in the brown jacket, he is standing in front of us ahead." Sham spotted the man easily, he was looking away from them. "Well, he'll have to deal with it." Abruptly, Sham gave Rachel a concerned look. "How do you know that?" "That is what he was thinking. He said it in his head, he did not talk," Rachel answered succinctly, still staring at the man. "Rachel! You can't do that!", Sham scolded. "Do what?" "You can't use your powers and read people's minds. That violates them," Sham said firmly. She couldn't believe Rachel had not been told that... "Why does it violate them? Why would I be given this power and told never to use it?" "Because what people think is private. If you violate their privacy, they feel threatened. It hurts them." "Oh," Rachel looked hurt. Good, thought Sham, she had to learn. "Hey!", the man in the brown jacket suddenly yelled in their direction. "You!" The man was walking towards them now. "Uh oh," Sham said. "Rachel, did you do something?" "I told him he had to deal with it," Rachel turned to Sham with a worried look on her face. "I only told him what you said." "You weren't supposed to, Rachel. Just stay with me. I'll take care of this," Sham ordered. Hopefully Rachel would learn not to abuse her powers from this. "I don't know," Rachel sounded scared. "It feels different now. In my head." "Probably because he's angry now," Sham offered as explanation. "I don't know...," Rachel said apprehensively as the man stalked up to them. He was taller than Sham was, and looked angry all right. "What the shock do you think you were doing?", the man yelled. "You think you can just terrorize normal citizens because you're in the mutant Protectorate?" He directed the comment to both of them. Rachel looked terrified. "Hey, back off man. She's still getting adjusted to her powers," Sham yelled right back. This man was being such a jerk. Any idiot could see that Rachel was struggling... "Still getting adjusted?? She's a hundred years old!", the man yelled. "You attack me and expect me to swallow that load of static?" Unnoticed by any of them, another man came in behind the one in the brown jacket. "Hey Larry," the man said, tapping the man in the brown jacket on the shoulder. The man spared a glance towards Sham and Rachel. "What's going on? You were supposed to wait outside the store." "I was until these two attacked me," Larry said, venom in his voice. "What?", his friend exclaimed, noticing the X badge on Sham's overcoat. "One of the X-men attacked you?" "Yeah, with her grandmother here," Larry nodded at Rachel. Rachel was still scared. Sham was just plain angry. "The shock we did! We didn't attack you. She," Sham yelled, gesturing to Rachel. "just lost control of her powers for a second." "She threatened me!", the man yelled back. Behind Sham and Rachel, a woman came up. "You two leave these women alone or I'm calling the Guardians." "Stay out of this," Larry bit back. "Did you understand me?", the woman yelled, not backing down an inch. "Stop accosting these women. I've seen types like you, thinking they can prey on any woman who passes by." "Hey, these women attacked my friend!", Larry's friend said, joining in the yelling match. "No...," Rachel said softly. "Open your eyes, you shockin' idiot! She's an X-man! She's probably just out walking with her grandmother! You're in such a shockin' load of trouble..." "Please...," Rachel continued. "Shut the hell up!", Larry yelled at the woman. "You're probably in league with those two!" "Please STOP!", Rachel yelled. Suddenly, Sham screamed, doubling over. It was like her mind was gripped in a vise, and it was squeezing tighter and tighter. Around them the three bystanders were on the ground, groaning in pain. The feeling did not relent. "Rachel," Sham croaked out. "Stop..." "Stop stop stop!", Rachel yelled, seemingly not noticing the pain she was causing. "Stop yelling at each other!" "It...stop...hurts," Larry's friend groaned through clenched teeth. He was curled into a fetal position on the ground, clutching his head. Suddenly, through the corner of her eye, she glimpsed movement. Sham looked up just in time to see Larry get up and swing at Rachel. He connected, Rachel gave a hoarse cry of pain and dropped to the ground. Abruptly, the pain ended, but Larry was still hitting Rachel. "...trying to kill us!", Larry screamed, kicking Rachel in the stomach. She moaned in pain, curled up on the ground. "Stop! It hurts!", Rachel cried. Abruptly, Sham tackled Larry, launching herself at his midsection and sending them both skidding onto the permacrete. Larry landed a weak punch at her back while she pinned him to the ground. Suddenly a strong fist landed a blow square on her kidneys. Sham cried out. Larry's friend was pushing Sham off of Larry as the other women came up behind him and smacked him across the face. "How dare you hit them!", she yelled, shocked. With a brief and angry, "Shut up!", Larry's friend punched the woman in the head. She fell to the ground unconscious. "Hey!", a nearby shopkeeper yelled. "What are you doing?" Without another word, the shopkeeper grabbed a friend and ran over to them all, an angry look on his face. Sham rushed over to Rachel to check on her. Rachel was crying profusely. "I'm dying, Sham. I'm dying. I don't want to die." "You're not dying, Rachel," Sham said soothingly as the shopkeeper confronted Larry and his friend. Sham could hear their harsh words all too clear. Suddenly, as Sham turned to look at them, the shopkeeper yelled out, "Yeah? Let's see how you like it!" He rammed a right cross at Larry, staggering him. Larry's friend launched himself at the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper's friend intercepted him. Larry suddenly caught sight of Sham and Rachel, and headed towards them with a frighteningly murderous gleam in his eyes. Another bystander suddenly entered the fray, trying to hold Larry back. Larry pushed him to the ground. The bystander tripped Larry and started hitting him. Soon another bystander came by, trying to pull the men off each other. Then another, and another... Sham closed her eyes and tried to get Rachel to stand up. She tapped her X-badge as the crowd grew. It was happening again. She couldn't believe it. It was happening again... * * * Alex Moss had been sleeping quite well lately. It worried him. Not that he was a chronic insomniac or anything like that. He liked a comfortable snooze as much as the next person. More so, considering his powers. It was just that his powers had decided not to function ever since that viewing at the hotel***. Nothing, nada, naught. Not even a vision telling him what he would have for breakfast. Or what his new landlord would be like. *** X-men 2099 UG #5 (Vol. 2) The landlord was all smiles and compliments and buddy buddy talk now. Apparently, his new landlord agreed with absolutely everything Alex Moss said and thought, which was why his residence here at the Yazbek Building was just INCREDIBLY fortunate and didn't you agree? Alex wasn't particularly sure why the landlord was still buzzing around. Alex had signed the deed, had forked over the first month's installment...was this guy looking for a tip? Maybe he was going to help Alex move in. That would be uncharacteristically nice of him. He was still talking as they walked down the hallway towards his door. And here it was, a nondescript door to a nondescript apartment. "Do you need any help moving in?", the landlord offered. "No thanks, you can go now," Alex said. It seemed rude. But the way Alex saw it, you only had so many chances in life to be rude, so you might as well take them. "If you need anything, remember I'm down on the second floor. Enjoy your residence here, Mr. Moss." The landlord left him and Alex keyed open the door. The empty apartment opened before him, it was really quite big for some reason. Bigger than he needed. Maybe he could sublet his living room or something. Abruptly, Alex dropped the duffel bags he'd been hefting up to the room. This was one of the visions he had seen in the hotel room. The first one he had encountered in real life. Calmly, he walked over the large window opposite the door. There was something perverse about wanting to see his visions come true, Alex decided. As if he constantly needed proof that what he saw was really the future. Several floors below, the scene opened up before him. It wasn't exactly what he had seen, but then again it never really was. He looked for the X-man with the ugly uniform...there she was. She was off to the side. There was a massive crowd below. A lot of them were fighting and tussling. Crawling all over each other like ants. A steady stream of people were constantly trying to get at the X-man and the old woman with her, and there were a constant stream of people arriving to defend them. Alex's brow furrowed in puzzlement. This wasn't natural. Riots didn't just start like this. Or maybe they did, Alex had only seen riots on news reports, and the footage was always of the riot in full swing. Maybe this was they started. Unnatural, chaotic, no rhyme or reason behind it. Below him, Alex spied a man on the fringe of the riot picking up something from the ground. This had been in the vision, too, Alex remembered. He waited. The man below threw a piece of permacrete at someone in the crowd. The crowd erupted. He supposed that was the trigger. Alex came away from the window, he had unpacking to do. One vision down, two to go. * * * "Mother of Thor!", Krystalin exclaimed as the riot came into view in front of the three X-men. The street ahead of them teemed and writhed with people. It was a mess. People were fighting each other, seemingly without provocation. Some were trying to escape, only to be pulled back in. Some were being trampled on. To the side were people who had managed to get away, but had collapsed under the severity of their wounds. Blood was slicked across their skin. "Sham's in that somewhere," Tim stated. "And Rachel's with her. We gotta help them. But I see wounded all around." Tim turned to Luna and Krystalin. "Any ideas?" "We should concentrate on helping the wounded. I don't see how we could break this up," Krystalin offered. "I don't either," Tim said, his body filling with green energy, his bones clearly visible. "But I'm powering up anyway. Maybe it'll scare some of them off." Without another word, Tim broke into a run towards the riot. "No, wait, Tim!", Krystalin yelled. She turned to Luna, "He's a big walking target now." "He can handle a few norms, Krystalin," Luna answered back unsympathetically. The crowd suddenly seemed to convulse as people caught sight of Tim. "X-men!", one of them screamed. Many broke into a run. Some charged at Tim. He quickly downed them with short stunning blasts if they came too close. "Luna, come on, he's going to be overwhelmed," Krystalin said as they both broke into a run. A small shield made of crystal materialized in Krystalin's left hand. The crowd was throwing things at Tim now. Hurriedly, Krystalin erected a crystal shield in front of Tim. The chunks of rock bounced and clattered off of it. "This isn't helping, Tim," Krystalin said as she ran up to Tim. Suddenly, a sonic boom ripped through the noise of the crowd. A man was flying 20 feet into the air, screaming as he fell wildly into the riot. "Was that Sham?", Tim asked. "Or are we dealing with a super-powered riot?" Sirens suddenly pierced the din, the Guardians were here. Krystalin looked behind her to see several squad vehicles pull into the street. She could hear sirens coming from the other direction, as well. "Let's get Sham and Rachel while the Guardians handle the crowd," Tim ordered. He ran off without waiting for their reaction. Everything was moving so fast. A shot rang out and Krystalin instinctively flinched. Gas was streaming forth from the crowd. They were using siestadrene to stop the riot. Several people in the crowd tried to run, but came up against Guardian officers in riot gear. Hurriedly, officers were blocking off the entrances to nearby buildings. Nobody was going to escape that way. "I'm getting Tim," Luna said before bounding off into the melee. This was getting out of hand. She couldn't help anyone here. She ran towards the Guardians that were closing in. The officers had created an unbreakable line that was walking down the street. In the middle was Chief Croix, barking out orders. "Chief!", Krystalin called out. The chief immediately spotted her. "Shock it all! I knew you X-men were in the middle of it. I just knew it! You haven't tried to break this up yourself, have you?" He turned to his men. "Another volley of siestadrene on three! One, two, now!" The gas pellets snipped through the air. "The other X-men are in there. Sham and an old woman were attacked. That's apparently how this started," Krystalin yelled over the noise. "Jammit...Hatch!", the chief yelled to one of his men. "Take point!" Another Guardian moved from the line and over to the chief. The chief dropped his riot gear and let the line of officers pass by. "That girl's caused another riot?" "She didn't begin it, I assure you, Chief," Krystalin defended. "But it's escalated nevertheless. It's been, what, only a week since the last one? How long do you think the Guardians will just stand by and clean up the mess you X-men leave behind?", the chief's tone was annoyed and hostile. He was tired of this. "Chief, you can't let a freak set of circumstances turn us against each other." Behind Krystalin the riot was calming. The officers had closed in and the gas had since taken effect. Huddled by a building, Sham and Rachel sat. Several Guardians, Tim, and Luna were over them. They were arguing as well. "The Guardians aren't turning against the Protectorate, Ms. Ogada," the chief explained firmly. "But you have to understand that the city's faith in its mutant Protectorate isn't swelling." Krystalin became defensive. "What exactly are you saying, Chief?" The Chief's face was like stone. His tone was dead serious. "I'm saying that if you X-men don't clean your act up, you may have to find a new city to protect." NEXT ISSUE: Monumental changes occur as the X-men break apart. Be here as the search for Avalon begins. |