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| X-men 2099UG Issue #9, 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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| "I should never have let you lead the X-men," Xi'an taunted as he slammed his right heel into Tim's midsection. Xi'an's boot impacted against an energy shield that was affixed a mere inch above Tim's skin. Tim flew back from the force of the blow. Wordlessly, Tim rolled back onto his feet and crossed his arms to block the blow he knew was coming. The heel of Xi'an's palm hit Tim's force field with a clash of energy. Immediately, Tim grabbed Xi'an's arm, turned, and flipped him over his shoulder. Xi'an thudded to the ground. "You fight like some preschool bully," Xi'an said as he swiveled on his back and knocked Tim's legs out from under him. Xi'an had learned that move long ago, although he couldn't recall exactly where***. *** Shakti used it on him in X-men 2099 UG #6 (Vol. 2), before erasing his memory of the encounter. "You are a child. Wearing that ridiculous face-paint," Xi'an continued as he vaulted to his feet. Tim rose as well, throwing a quick punch to Xi'an's stomach. He easily dodged it. "Why is a child leading the X-men?" Xi'an threw a precise chop at Tim's head. Tim grunted as it connected with a flash of the two force field's. Angrily, Tim swang wildly at Xi'an, determined to hit him. Xi'an stepped away from each blow. "What have you done with them? Sent them off into an impenetrable fortress, most likely to die, all to please your psychotic vampire of a girlfriend?" Abruptly, Tim ceased his assault and swung a roundhouse kick into Xi'an's side. Xi'an gritted his teeth as it connected, but he continued to ward off Tim's blows as he talked. "You've built a city where mutants can live in peace. Then you were killed before it was ever finished." Xi'an launched a quick series of kicks at Tim, with a straight jab to the jaw to finish it off. Tim swiped away all but the last one. "You brought a messiah into their midsts, then let a madman snatch him away. You robbed your city of hope while the battle robbed many of their very lives." Tim's teeth were clenched in anger, and his eyes were beginning to crackle with energy. Xi'an wondered how long it would be before Tim let loose. The sparring continued onward. Xi'an blocking or dodging many of Tim's blows, occasionally striking back to keep him off balance. "And now they rise up against you. You've let vipers nest in the city. And where are your X-men? Dwindling away. You're pathetic." Suddenly, Tim unleashed a primal scream of frustration, diving at Xi'an's midsection and tackling him to the ground. Their personal force fields crackled and spat as they connected and pushed at each other. Tim drove piledriver punches into Xi'an's gut. Abruptly, Xi'an rolled with more strength than Tim thought he had. All at once, Tim was suddenly prone on the floor, under a flurry of blows from Xi'an. Over the loudspeakers, a voice boomed. "TIME'S UP, FELLAS." The rain of blows ceased and Xi'an extended a hand to Tim. Tim took it gratefully and Xi'an hauled him back up onto his feet. Calmly, Xi'an spoke. "You lost control near the end." Tim wiped sweat off his brow. "I couldn't help it. I got lost in what you were saying. I just wanted you to stop." Xi'an's face was passive. "That is the purpose of intimidation. Your enemies will use every avenue of attack they can. You must be prepared." Off to the side, the access door to the Danger Room slid open as Victor Ten Eagles walked in. "It looks like you're getting a little better, Fitzgerald. Although anyone with a pointy stick would still mop the floor with you." Tim smirked. "Would you like to prove your point?" Ten Eagles smiled. "No thanks, I left my macho leanings behind years ago. Consider yourself lucky you had the Danger Room to shield you from the worst of Xi'ans blows." "Aw, they weren't so bad." Xi'an looked more serious. "Don't be so dismissive about my attack, Timothy. If this had been a real fight, you would have been down in one blow. Two, if you were lucky." "No offense, Xi'an, but I could have fried you with my power if it ever came to that," Tim boasted. "Wouldn't that defeat the point of this physical conditioning?", Ten Eagles reminded Tim. "No powers, remember?" "Yeah," Tim said glumly. "And you are still too slow. Have you been following the training outline I gave you?", Xi'an asked. After the business with the Messiah and Exodus, Xi'an had offered all the X-men training in physical combat. Everyone but Luna had chosen to take Xi'an up on his offer. And they were all progressing well, although Tim seemed to be having trouble even showing up on time for sparring sessions. "Not all that much. It's just been too hectic lately," Tim replied. "With the mutant attacks, and the murders...and now these riots. It's like Halo City's coming apart at the seams even since Exodus attacked. And that doesn't even take into account Desdemona Synge..." "It was not MY decision to let her grab a position of power in Halo City," Xi'an warned. "Yeah, I know, I know, and so far she hasn't done anything wrong. Or at least I haven't caught her doing anything wrong. I just thought we'd have a chance to really settle down in this city after the Messiah thing." "That is not the nature of things, though, is it?", Xi'an said. "Still though, you reacted quite harshly to my taunting." "It's these riots. There shouldn't even be any! And the way they center around Sham...everyone thinks the Protectorate's starting trouble. Even the Guardians!", Tim exclaimed. "I mean, what the shock is wrong with these people? We're only trying to protect them!" "And unfortunate circumstances are painting the X-men in a bad light," Ten Eagles added. "Or maybe it's deeper than that. After all, do you really believe the creation of a utopia where all are considered equal is something that can really work?" "Yeah, I do," Tim responded adamantly. "It's just that...it's falling apart before it's even begun to pull together. And there aren't any other examples of societies of drifters and humans and mutants and whatever out there for me to draw upon." "Yours is a task I do not envy, Timothy," Xi'an said succinctly. Tim grinned. "Yeah, you got out while it was still easy. Those were the days, just roaming around in that van." Tim pointed at Xi'an. "Watching you get shot, fighting the Freakshow, looking for Ava..." Tim's eyes suddenly went wide. "Fitz?", Ten Eagles asked. "That's it," Tim said in awe. "That's it..." * * * The chamber's hatch slid open quietly, revealing an empty cylindrical room. From somewhere in the room a gravelly voice called from far away. "Come in, young Fitzgerald, come in. Time is ever an unrenewable resource." Tim stepped in and the hatch clasped shut. Tim took two steps on the floor before his feet began to float off the ground. Gingerly, Tim grabbed one of the handholds on the cylindrical blue wall and pushed himself upward. Above him floated several small video terminals all arrayed around what looked like a monstrous human-shaped rock. The rock was actually a mutant named Book. His legs could not support his own bulky weight, and so Book was confined to a series of chambers where gravity was nulled and Book could move about freely. What Book sacrificed in terms of mobility, however, he gained in his knowledge of the world around him. Book remembered everything, his mutant ability was to be able to discern patterns from the constant jumble of information he constantly processed. Thusly, he knew things no one else did. The awesome merits of paying attention. Tim came up to Book's level, lightly grabbing one of the floating info terminals to steady himself. Zero-gravity navigation was tricky. "You know, I was actually compiling information on how long it would take you to approach me about this particular problem," Book said. Tim looked surprised. "Then you already know why I'm here?" "Don't I always? And by the way, Xi'an is right, you are too slow a fighter. And this comes from someone who couldn't move as fast as you if my life depended on it." Tim's surprise grew. "How often are you watching us?" "Actually, I was keeping tabs on the Danger Room more than you or the X-men individually. Some of the young mutants in this city are fearsomely powerful. And this X-Nation has frightening potential." "So," Tim asked. "Do you know?" "I know many things. You will simply have to be more specific." Tim ignored Book's joke. He supposed being cooped up like this would drive anyone a little batty. "Then where is Avalon?" "That, unfortunately, happens to be one of the many things I do NOT know." "Oh come on. Are you serious?" Book nodded. "The location of this legendary colony of mutants remains a mystery even to me. I must admit though, I am rabidy interested in its location as well. It is positively fascinating how something like that could remain hidden for that long. Usually colonies like that leave SOME sign of their location. A supply route. A spot where several modes of detection fail to penetrate. Human mistakes. And a colony of mutants?! By all rights that should be even more visible." "You weren't able to find ANYTHING?", Tim exclaimed, unbelieving. "Not a thing, Fitzgerald. Although one must also account for the possibility that Avalon never existed," Book ventured. "I don't believe that. Where did all those mutants the Driver rescued go, then? I was there when that supercomputer of his broke down. He said it himself, Avalon really existed***." *** X-men 2099 #13 (regular series) "Did it?", Book asked Tim. "The Driver was mad enough to decompile over two hundred innocent mutants into nothing more than data. What's to prove that the Driver did not lead the inhabitants of Avalon to a similiarly grisly fate? Avalon may very well be a mass grave somewhere." Tim's face was serious. "Do you honestly believe that?" Book was silent for a moment, sighing, he finally spoke, "I suppose I do not. What shall you do?" "The same thing the mutants did during the Great Purge all those decades ago," Tim smiled. "I'm going to let the Driver take me to Avalon. I'm assuming you know where he is, at least?" "I do," Book said. "Your journey may be long, though. With you and the X-men gone, who will protect Halo City?" Tim answered. "Who said the X-men were going?" * * * "You're WHAT?", Krystalin yelled. "I'm leaving the team for a little while. I'm going to look for Avalon," Tim answered calmly. He stood in front of the door in the Halo Tower board room. Scattered around the room in front of him were the X-men: Luna, Sham, Krystalin, and Shakti. This concerned the whole team, he decided, not just the Protectorate. "What? Now? Why?", Krystalin continued, the volume of her voice rising. "I just thought that, with the problems this city is having, I should find Avalon. If I can find it and see how a society of mutants can work together peacefully, then maybe we can apply that to Halo City." "So you're abandoning the city. At a time like THIS?", Krystalin argued. "I'm not abandoning the city..." "That's what it looks like. And that's what the public is going to think. And what about the X-men? What about the Protectorate? You're going to leave us with three members?" "Our numbers have been that low before***," Tim answered. *** X-men 2099 #14-22 (regular series) "We didn't have an entire city to protect before!" "So beef the Protectorate up! Find some more mutants to join up. Shakti, you can rejoin, can't you?" Shakti sat at the table in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, her face was stern and reproachful. "It is irresponsible to think that I can just drop my duties at the Xavier Shelter because you have decided to leave on a whim." "Shakti, come on! I thought you of all people would understand what I'm trying to do here." Tim was surprised at the X-men's reactions to this. But then again, they hadn't liked many of his decisions lately. "I do. However, your sense of timing leaves much to be desired," Shakti answered. "And it's not like we can all just drop our lives because of this, Fitz," Sham spoke up. "I can't just ignore Rachel." Tim thought he saw a flash of raw emotion appear on Shakti's face when Sham mentioned Rachel. But, if anything, Shakti was keeping her emotions closely guarded. As usual. "It's because of Rachel that I'm doing this, Sham!", Tim expressed. "These riots have to be stopped." "Then stay, and help us stop them," Krystalin interjected. Her arms were crossed now, as well. "Look, you guys just don't understand." "There's a lot of things about you the X-men haven't understood," Shakti spoke. "When you came back with Luna after running off with Xi'an***, Desdemona Synge, and now this." *** X-men 2099 #14 (regular series) "But Luna becoming an X-man turned out okay. And Desdemona Synge..." "We have yet to see about Desdemona Synge," Shakti interrupted. Tim turned to Luna. "Luna, if anyone here would be on my side, it'd be you." Luna turned to Tim, her eyes narrow and her jaw clenched. Her face was anything but friendly. "You're quite determined to leave me, aren't you?", she said quietly. Tim was taken back. "I'm not leaving you! I'm not leaving any of you! I'm coming back. I've said this already..." "Shockin' right you're not leaving me," Luna said, walking up to Tim. "I'm going with you." Krystalin slapped her forehead in utter frustration. "TWO MEMBERS? You're going to leave the Protectorate with TWO members?" "Call Henri back from New York. See if you can convince Bloodhawk to join. I don't know," Tim said. "You can think of something. The Protectorate isn't some exclusive club, and we do have the Guardians to rely on now." "Henri's on leave, Tim, his best friend died!", Krystalin exclaimed. "How would he feel if I had to forcibly bring him back just because of what you're doing? He'd probably quit all together." "You'll think of something, Krys, you're the new leader of the Protectorate in my absence," Tim said. Krystalin's tone was acidic. "Thank you ever so much, Tim." "Look, it's obvious that none of you are going to warm to this idea any time soon. I'm going to leave now. The Protectorate can recruit new members, shock, you could even take some of the kids from X-Nation if you really needed to. But my decision is final. I'm going to search for Avalon." The anger in the room was palpable. "Then good luck, for all it's worth," Krystalin said. "We WILL come back," Tim said as he and Luna left the board room. "You have my word." * * * The hovercar idled softly, floating gently in the air, as Tim threw his duffel bag into it. The garage below Halo Tower was quiet here, a secluded section of the garage where vehicles that the X-men could use were kept. The car itself was a small two-seater, unmarked and nondescript. With a freshly-polished silver chrome plating and rounded edges. It was almost like an enormous silver oval. It didn't look like much, but it was fast and it was reliable. Tim figured that they would be moving pretty quickly once they found the Driver. He was bringing only the essentials. He would have been off onto the highways already if he didn't have to wait for Luna, he had told her to pack only what she needed. He had been wary of deciding to leave Luna behind. They had never been apart, and Tim didn't know how strong the bond was between Luna and the X-men. Still, the search was something he was going to have to do alone. Not that he'd had much say in THAT matter. Silently, Luna entered the garage. She was somewhat calmer now that she was coming along. In the hallway outside the board room she had exploded. How could he be so arrogant as to think he could abandon her? And to be told in front of all the other X-men? Luna had made it abundantly clear that Tim was never to pull something like that again. Ever. As Luna walked up to the car, Tim spoke. "Only the essentials?" Luna stared back at him. "Only the essentials." "You got warm clothes in there?" Tim asked. "I haven't been north in a while so I can't remember how cold their winters are." Luna scoffed. "Warm clothes, please, lover." Luna's attitude seemed to have returned to normal. "You're all the heat I need." Yeah, definitely back to normal. Tim grinned. "Then let's ride." * * * Krystalin watched from the board room window as the chrome car sped off down the road. She turned back to Sham and Shakti. "So how long am I allowed to stay mad at Tim before it becomes counter-productive?" Shakti didn't seem to realize the question was directed at her. "Hm? Oh. As long as you like, I suppose." "Shakti, what's with you? You were as mad as I was when Tim was here." "Yes, but he was determined to go through with his plan. There was little we could do to convince him. And maintaining our anger now that he's gone will not help matters," Shakti explained. "We need to rebuild the Protectorate," Sham said blankly. "Yes," Krystalin said. "What about your friend, Quiver, Sham?" Sham looked surprised. "Quiv? No way. He'd never ever do the fighting thing. Especially after what happened last time he did***." *** X-men 2099 UG: Gravity "I didn't think so," Krystalin glumly. "Shakti, what about X-Nation? Are they ready?" It was Shakti's turn to be surprised. "Absolutely not. They are untrained children with too much energy and too little control. The Xavier Shelter is not a drafting center for the X-men." Shakti sounded offended. "Not even Metalsmith? He handled himself pretty well during the Exodus debacle." "Not even him. And if for some reason he was ready, it would be a terrible decision. How much faith would the people have in a false messiah?", Shakti explained. "I'm surprised at you, Krystalin, you are usually more sensible." Krystalin massaged her forehead, the sudden anxiety of the situation was getting to her. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just the situation Tim left us in has my circuits scrambled." "It does not have to be solved in the next few hours, Krys," Shakti said comfortingly. "Perhaps you should rest on it. Save it for tomorrow." Outside the windows of the board room, the sun was setting. The sun's rays cast themselves among the buildings, reflecting off their surfaces, slanting through them like beams of light through a boarded window. Dark blue crept in around the edges of the sky, encroaching upon the wavy orange sun that sat on the horizon. "Yeah, I think I will," Krystalin said, walking towards the door. "Have a good night, everyone." Shakti and Sham echoed their farewells back to Krystalin as she left. Smiling, Sham turned to Shakti, "So...do you have any ideas on how to get us out of this mess?" "One idea, yes," Shakti said as she headed towards the door. "Hopefully, it's a good one." * * * "...so there I was, in front of the guilty wealth-bloated faces of all the Inner Circle," Morphine Somers boasted. "When I wiped the dust off my hands and went, 'and another thing, my wife's been dead for ten years'." With a grunt, Morphine delivered a wicked overhand shot. Henri smiled roguishly and easily intercepted the ball. "And you're being completely honest?" Morphine barely returned Henri's shot. "Hey, no powers! Completely honest, Christopher, completely." The ball kerranged off the walls in a high arc. "So what happened to the woman they were showing who was supposed to be your wife? I mean, how could they not know she was dead?" Henri drove the ball low and fast towards the ground. Morphine almost stumbled returning it. "That was the thing, they'd been saying she wasn't dead after all, and that they had her." Henri batted the serve easily. "And that was the only convincing you needed, initially?" Morphine returned it just as easily. "Well, no, they let me meet her in the flesh once to prove it. But, just as I said to them, they didn't do their research very well." "What tipped you off?", Henri said as he put all the force he could muster into returning the ball. "Well, I never actually met my wife when she was alive. It was a marriage of convenience and finance." The ball whizzed past Morphine's head and bounced off the wall behind him. "Shock! You sure you've never played squash before?" Henri grabbed the ball out of mid-air. "I'm sure. So it was that easy? They never knew you'd never met her?" Morphine smiled, his red eyes glaring. "Sure was. I swear, Christopher, I wish someone had been there to see the looks on their faces." Henri grabbed a towel from the bench behind them and wiped his brow. The nanotechs were amazing in the detail in which they'd reconfigured his body. That he still had sweat glands was a shock to Henri. "As long as we're on the subject of female companions, what's with you and Aloria Craven?" Aloria Craven, telekinetic and the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Recently she had been spending her time, and probably more, with Morphine. Morphine took a towel and wiped himself off. "That's a story in itself. She and Shaw go way back. WAY back. And apparently she's quite enraged by that fact." Henri's tone was deeply sarcastic. "Oh yeah, I'd be pissed if I was Shaw's childhood friend, too..." "It's not just that, there's something gruesome in there, something I'd rather not think about right now," Morphine said as he took a swig from a water bottle nearby. "S'not important. Like everyone in here, she has her own set of plans." "Do they conflict with ours?", Henri asked. Morphine laughed, his laughs eventually turning into a small coughing fit. He simply had to cut back on the cigarettes. "I doubt it, if anything, she'll help." "So...one less thing to worry about then?" "One more, I'd say," Morphine responded. * * * The great oak doors of the Polyclinic closed behind Xi'an as he left for the day. Today had been an off-day, but he still liked to check in. He always had a nagging feeling that something critical would happen when he was gone. Someone would come in with a fatal wound that needed to be healed immediately. Or a person who was so sick they couldn't make the trip twice. None of that had happened today. Not that it usually did. In fact, if he thought back, he could recall only once that that may have happened... "Xi'an", a voice calling his name disrupted his train of thought. In front of the clinic doors was Shakti. She was in uniform, a small hooded shirt on and zipped up to keep out the chill desert wind. Shakti and him went back far, years back. She had been there when he had purged his violent, destructive ways. She had helped him, no, had been integral in forming the X-men. And when he slipped, when his violent nature returned, she was there, despite all the pain he had put her through. And now she was here. "Shakti, I did not expect you. Is something wrong?", Xi'an asked as he walked down the concrete steps towards her, his long black hair flapping and billowing in the wind. He was letting it grow out again. He wasn't sure why. "In a way, Xi'an," she said as he descended, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "Tim has left the X-men." The news was not suprising to him, considering his own conversation with Tim hours ago. "So he's already left? I did not expect him to be so quick about it." Shakti raised an eyebrow in question. "You knew about it?" "It came up while we were sparring in the Danger Room," Xi'an answered as they walked down the street. "He wants to know how to make Halo as peaceful as he imagines Avalon to be." "So he said," Shakti responded. "As it is, Luna went with him, they left a little while ago. Tim promised they would return. But even he did not know when that would be." "So the X-men are down to four members?" "Two, if you go by the members that are currently in the city's Protectorate. Henri is still in New York and I am occupied with the Shelter. Even Sham is busy these days with Rachel," Shakti's voice cracked at the mention of Rachel. Xi'an took notice, turning to Shakti as they walked along. "You're taking Rachel's decision hard, aren't you?" Shakti did not face Xi'an, her demeanor remaining icy. "In most ways it was what she always wanted. To be free and in control of her powers. To not have to worry about hurting the people around her. To finally live her life." "But that wasn't what you wanted, was it?" Shakti's tone was quiet. "No." "It will heal with time, Shakti. You must not harbor resentment towards the new Rachel, or Sham." "I know. But I have not come to talk of Rachel." Above them, the sky turned a deep dark blue, the first stars of the night shining in the twilight. Ahead of them the sun's light crept away, the sun itself a red sliver on the horizon. The wind careened and ran through the streets of Halo. "You want me to rejoin the X-men," Xi'an said matter-of-factly. "Yes. They need you." "You know I can't, Shakti," Xi'an spoke. "Because of what you have done before?" It was not really a question. Xi'an nodded. "Don't you think you have atoned for those crimes?", Shakti continued. "For the lives I took and the people I hurt that were involved, yes," Xi'an said. "But I have not atoned for betraying the X-men's trust in me, nor can I." Shakti's voice was cold. "That is not your decision to make." Xi'an seemed surprised at Shakti's comment. "Isn't it?" "Tell me truthfully, Xi'an, are you troubled by the specter of your younger self? Do you still suffer from those visions?", Shakti asked, knowing how Xi'an's multiple personalities destroyed his life with the X-men. "No." "Then what do you fear against rejoining the X-men? That you will succumb again and betray the X-men once more?" "Yes." "Do you honestly believe that will happen again? Have you not found balance perhaps for the first time in your life?" "You are correct, Shakti, I don't believe that would happen again. But I do not want to subject them to that in case it does. And I fear that I'm not up to the burdens of leadership once more." "Leadership?", Shakti said, surprised. "Isn't that what you are offering?", Xi'an asked, surprised as well. "Tim made Krystalin the leader of the Protectorate in his absence." "Oh. Then I would simply be an X-man?" Shakti nodded. "Indeed. With your friends around you. Friends who have been through the hard times with you and have come out on the other end." "You said the X-men needed me. I...I assumed that meant they needed a leader again." Despite the solemn atmosphere, Shakti laughed. "No Xi'an, they need you, but not in that capacity. And you need them. To remind you that some ideals are worth fighting for." Xi'an seemed to mull over what Shakti said for a while as they walked. Finally, he spoke up. "Very well then," he said. "I shall give it another try." * * * The morning sun washed over Halo City as Krystalin entered the board room yawning. Thankfully, the sun was facing the opposite side of Halo Tower. Krystalin was taking her time waking up. Covering a yawn, Krystalin spoke. "Shakti, what's going on at eight in the mor..." Immediately Krystalin caught sight of the man in the board room with her and Shakti. "Oh, hello Xi'an." "Good morning, Krys. A restless night?", Xi'an said. "Definitely. What's up?" Shakti answered Krystalin, nodding towards Xi'an. "The Protectorate's ranks are a little larger this morning." Krystalin's eyes went wide. "You're rejoining us?" Xi'an nodded. "I am. I heard about this member problem you were having..." Krystalin interrupted him, smiling at Shakti. "You know, I had an idea about that last night. I think we need to visit an old friend." "Actually," Xi'an said. "I had a similar thought. How long has it been since Eddie and Rosa moved to the Keewazi Nation***?" ***X-men 2099 #14 (regular series) "I'm not sure. A few months ago. Maybe half a year ago," Krystalin responded. "And apparently you had the same idea I did." Krystalin turned towards Shakti. "What do you say, Shakti, wouldn't you like to see how Rosa and her baby are doing?" Shakti smiled. "Sounds nice." * * * Large trails of snow kicked up as the car's mini-jets glided the chrome-plated vehicle over the long snow-pelted driveway. In front of them was a large brick mansion. As enormous as it was, the entire place seemed to scream antique. The car's jets died with a whine as the car was powered down and parked up next to the mansion's front door. Inside the car, Tim peered at the place through the windshield. It sure was old, and abandoned, the access highway hadn't even been plowed free of snow. In the passenger seat beside him, Luna moaned and shifted in her sleep. Tim shook her awake. "Hey, we're here." She awoke groggily, stretching and yawning her exhaustion away. He'd been surprised, she had slept almost the entire way there. The driver door opened with a click as Tim got out. His boots sunk into the snow as he reached inside the car and shrugged his coat on. Before long, Luna did the same. "So this is it? This is where the Driver is?", Luna said, looking the mansion over. "Looks cozy." "This is the location Book gave me. The Driver should be here," Tim answered. "Where IS here, anyway?", Luna asked. Tim straightened his coat and smiled up at the mansion. "Westchester, New York. The Alchemax School For Gifted Youngsters." NEXT ISSUE: The X-men continue their hunt for new members. Featuring two familiar faces that you'd NEVER thought you'd see in X-men 2099. And I don't mean the Freakshow! |