It wasn't hard to see how the average person could take something as common as the sun for granted. For many it was a reoccurring necessity, that served no purpose other than as an indicator of time. To Alex Summers however, it may as well have been his life force. Basking in the rays of the bright sun, the reality-displaced mutant welcomed it's warmth. Having escaped from the dainty sewer tunnels which expand throughout New York City, Alex took the stolen moment to take in the solar rays. His time in captivity, however long it had been, had left him depleted and weak.
Unfortunately liberation wasn't proving to be much better. After managing to avoid dealing with those 'X-Men' whom had come for him, Havok needed clothes. a half naked man roaming the streets in skin tight briefs was more than likely asking to go to jail. Without the proper resources to cope, he settled for a dingy trench coat and some tore up boots he found within an alley. Yes, it was probably an unsanitary thing act, but when you've spent the better part of the past year in an alternate reality where all your friends and killers were lunatics and murderers, having a keen fashion sense really didn't appeal to you anymore.
Sticking close to the back alleys, Alex was trying to assess his current predicament. Less than an hour ago he awoke in what he could only assume was the lair of McCoy, the Dark Beast. Or at least some version of the Beast. Reality had left him so distraught that he wasn't taking chances with any familiar faces, not even those of the X-Men. Which is why he lashed out the moment he saw Iceman. Despite having witnessed his former lover Lorna Dane in the flesh, Alex needed a solid sign that this was his home world, and not just another universe gone wrong. If his actions today were a mistake, then hopefully all will be forgiven in time. However if his instincts had served him well, then the mutant also known as Havok did himself a justice avoiding any unlawful affiliations this time around.
The Six had taught him to be more than just suspicious. They taught him to be relentless.
Continuing his advances through the more seedy parts of the City, Alex ignored the looks he received, mostly from the homeless gathered about on the streets. He figured his best chance of figuring out where he was, was to check out the most familiar of places, the Xavier Estate.
Turning down a well deserted street, Alex made sure to keep aware of his surrounding. For what good it did him.
{Going somewhere, Alexander?}
The silent tone of the thought stopped Alex dead in his tracks as his head snapped around, searching for the source of the question. No stranger to telepaths, Alex hated having people pry around his head.
{Oh Alexander, please don't be alarmed. We are only here to assist you, but why continue on with the words of the mind, when it seems you'll only listen to the words of voice.} Stepping out from the shadows was the all too appealing Emma Frost, accompanied by the familiar face of James Madrox, and Ororo Munroe; Storm.
"Alex, come on man take it easy, it's us. The X-Men, your friends. I don't know what's happened to you, but we're here to help." Madrox says as he slowly approaches Havok, whom took the precautions to begin stepping back.
"Alex, Jamie is right. Though we are not sure why you attacked the other X-Men, do know that we come to you now out of nothing but peace. Surely, you can understand that?" Storm says as she keeps a close eye on Havok, ready to act should he advance on them.
"Sorry Storm, can't be to careful these days." Havok says with a look of suspicion. Though his mind was greatly distorted, Alex was almost certain the X-Men didn't travel around with Emma Frost. At least not the ones he knew.
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Emma had taken the liberties to begin prying through the mind of Havok. As unethical as it was, Miss Frost was among the group that ignored another's own personal securities. Especially when it consumed time out of her daily routines. From her initial probes she could detect that his mind was clouded, and upon a further examination, may require extensive help later on.
"We do not have time for this. Alexander if you will not believe we are who we say, then I will gladly show you." Emma says with as she establishes a mutual psi-link between the two of them.
"Emma you will do no such thing," Ororo snapped, however late she was.
Sensing that his mind was once again being invaded, Havok's state went from caution, to feeling disrespected.
"Get out of my head!" he shouted at the blond teacher, dressed in an all white uniform.
Taking advantage of the rays of the sun he had absorbed earlier, Havok raised his hands to fire a blast of plasma energy towards her. His blast connected instead with an a force of lightning being expelled from the hands of Storm. Peace talks were officially over thanks to Emma, now they were going to have to subdue the man by force.
"Oh man, this is bad." Madrox mutters as he begins clapping his hands, resulting in the creation of three newly made duplicates of the Original Madrox. Without hesitation the four-some rushed in to restrain Havok.
The initial grab from behind forced Havok to relent on his attack as the Madrox dupes each claimed apart of him to hold. Refusing to submit, Alex redirected his power to extend outwards, and in one concentrated burst, unleashed it from his body to repel the Dupes back. Once all four Madroxes were sprawled onto the ground, Alex rushed began to sprint the opposite direction of Storm and Emma. A fight was inevitable, so the former X-Man wanted it to happen in a much more open space. To allow it to go down in such a confined area wouldn't be to his advantage.
"Ugh...ok, any better ideas of how to go about this. Havok's not going to come in easy, and even after this little outburst, he's still my friend." Madrox says as he slowly picks himself up, his three dupes doing the same.
"The situation was under control, if you two had let me,"
"Emma enough! The X-Men do not attack the minds of our friends, especially when there are other means to calm Havok." Ororo says glaring at the former White Queen of the Hell Fire Club.
"Funny, why don't you tell your friend Jean that, I'm sure she's done her fair share of mind abuse over the years." Emma says coldly.
"Ladies, this really isn't the time, now whatever problems you two have, dead them." Madrox says as he turns toward one of his dupes, shaking his head.
"I swear, some people just need to grow up." he mutters softly to the dupe.
Upstate, New York
At a truck stop just a couple miles away from Westchester County, New York was a rather behemoth of a man. Not so much a mutant in appearance, but an individual who certainly has a fair share of stares come his way no matter where he goes. At this particular diner for instance, he can't help but notice the wandering eyes focused on him. Not really a big deal of course. Over the years he had grown accustomed to people watching his every move. Not always for the right reasons, but a man such as himself simply demanded attention.
Didn't matter to him much. Especially not today. No, the star of the hour was not at all worried about the people who eyeballed him down. Any other time, he would of taken the liberty of knocking all of their heads off pride. Unfortunately, the only thing keeping him from doing so now, was that he was afraid it would happen to him.
More than that, he was more afraid of even allowing himself to be afraid. Not much spooked him these days. Hell, he doubts anything has spooked him since...well, since the day his whole life changed. No need in rehashing that old story. His origin had become redundant over the years, and it wasn't one the man in question wanted to claim at all these days.
Finishing up his light meal, he drops a couple dollars to cover the bill. Certainly not enough, but the waiter takes one look into the man's eyes, and he knows he'll have to make it work. Which was pretty much the story of this man's life. Rarely did he have to say much, people just looked at him, and they knew. Oh yes, they certainly knew.
Pulling his jacket closer around him, he looks both ways as he steps foot outside the diner. One would have thought he was crossing the street. As silly as it may have seemed, it was being done for a reason. This man never had to check his surroundings in the past, most times he was looking for fights.
Of course, that was before. Back when Cain Marko, was the one people were looking out for. The tables had certainly turned indeed.
New York City
Using her powers to manipulate the weather, Storm was riding the winds in an attempt to reach Alex. She had the blond haired mutant firmly in her sights, but he wasn't making this easy for him. Which begged the question, why was he running? He certainly wasn't acting as if he was amnesiac, or insane. His previous attacks aside, it just seemed that Alex was simply on the defensive, as if the X-Men were the bad guys. Surely he was aware that they were the same people whom he once called comrades.
Regardless of his current state of mind, Storm had other things weighing on her mind. It was hard for her to cooperate with Emma Frost on anything, especially given the history between the two. Yes, Emma had made great advances in her efforts to train the students of Generation X. Storm had never questioned the woman's teaching ability. However as far as she was concerned, some of the best teachers had the worst of intentions. Storm knew better than most.
{Ok, people we are all telepathically linked up. Lorna, Jamie, you both know the plan. Logan, Domino, stand down unless otherwise noted. Iceman and Storm, same thing for you. Allow me to handle crowd control.} Emma relays to all X-Men within the area. Despite running down the middle of one the Bronx's more populated business districts, Emma Frost was going to see that whatever went down between the involved parties, remained an X-Men concern.
***
Moving through the people on the busy street, Havok stopped dead in his tracks when he realized most of these people were looking through him. As if he wasn't even standing there. Which would explain how some people couldn't help but bump into him.
Frost.
"Alex."
Turning around, Havok found himself staring into the face of a woman he once loved. The same woman he had lashed out at barely an hour or so ago with his powers. Lorna Dane certainly was a sight for sore eyes, but Alex couldn't give in to his inner feelings. Something was telling him to keep running, but he was tired. The younger Summers brother knew it was inevitable that they would force him to submit. Frustrated and desperate, Alex tried to find it within himself to give it another shot. Just one more blast of immense power, strong enough to level the city.
Through the corner of his eyes, he noticed Jamie Madrox once more, another friend he had also acted on in fear, or was it anger? Alex wasn't even sure anymore. This wasn't a man confused with where or who he was. No, deep down Havok knew exactly where he was. As for who, that was another matter entirely.
"Take it easy bud, we're your friends man. Just relax and let us help you." Madrox says.
Now Lorna was steadily approaching him, much more cautious than their previous encounter. For months she had been searching for the love of her life, and here he was standing before her eyes. It didn't matter that he was supposed to be dead. X-Men had died before and come back to them. Nor did it matter that he had attacked those who now called themselves X-Men that same day. All that mattered was that Alex Summers was alive, and that he was coming home.
"Come here baby," Lorna says softly. Her tone was one of anxiousness as she found herself standing mere inches away from Havok. Extending a hand closer towards him, it's to her surprise that Alex doesn't embrace it.
"Lorna, no. Please get back. I don't....something feels wrong." Havok says as he tries to catch his breath once more. From the skies Storm watches closely, and positioned not far from where the three former X-Factor members were Wolverine and Domino.
"Uh oh, kid's getting fidgety again. Let me know when to take a shot." Domino says as she raises her weapon of choice in the air, targeted at Havok.
"Stand down, Lorna knows what she's doin'." Logan says as he pushes the gun downwards, redirecting Domino's shot. A look of disappoint shown on the sometime mercenary's face, the woman withdrew her actions.
"Alex, what's going on, what's wrong?" Lorna asks scared for her love.
"I...I can't hold it. Get back, Get back NOW!" His next words were barely heard as a wave of super-heated energy erupted from the body of Alex Summers. The wave tore through the badly seamed coat he had acquired along with the shoes, and expanded in every direction.
Given the close range that Polaris and Madrox had been standing, one could only assume that they were also engulfed in the dispersal of energy. One would have assumed wrong.
The moment Alex cried out, Polaris's instincts acted, creating a barrier an electro-magnetic barrier separating Alex from the rest of the outside world. An ability she was that was becoming increasingly hard to hold.
"Bobby! Any Day now!" Polaris shouts as an aura of green magnetism emitted from her body, enticing the love of her life, Havok.
"Soon as old Alex here gets a grip on his powers here, maybe I can assist. He'll just burn through whatever ice I do manage to surround him with. Just keep him from hitting cars, I know they can't see us, but doesn't mean all touch is lost." The mutant known as Bobby Drake the Iceman says as he appears soaring through the skies aboard a slide composed of ice.
All of the senior X-Men were accounted for at this point, but time was of the essence, and Havok needed to be taken out. Only one person here was able to do so without physically touching him.
***
Emma Frost had had enough. She had made it painfully clear on the Blackbird ride into the city that her plans for the day did not include retrieving any rogue X-Men. She had given them the location to find the said mutant, surely that would have been sufficient.
To this woman however, it seemed if one wanted something done right, then they had to fend for themselves.
Enough of this nonsense.
For the past several moments, Emma Frost had been altering the perceptions of everyone around them that wasn't affiliated with the X-Men. Not an easy feat by any means, but one that she has performed on various occasions. Her little smoke screen and mirrors ploy would have to come to an end, as her mental thoughts were needed elsewhere.
Relinquishing her hold on the surrounding people, Emma instead chose to single in on one sole mind. That of Alex Summers. If she had been given the opportunity to earlier, none of this would be needed. As it may be, Emma was forced to deal with situations twice as worse as they were before, instead of being given the opportunity to deal with things her way. These people would learn better than to delay her from action.
"Hey what the hell is going on here." A man says as he notices the forms of the group of X-Men, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The man's sudden alarm sparked interest from others, who seemed to be infatuated with Lorna's display of raw power.
"Oh my god they're mutants."
"Check out the green-head."
"Someone call the police!"
The sounds of pointless chatter were greatly ignored by Emma as she continued on, her eyes closing as her mind grabbed hold of Havok's. As the probe began, Emma saw glimpses of the alternate-reality Alex had been stranded on, and in the process found a scarred psyche. With any hope, what Emma performed next didn't increase the fractured mind any more than it already was.
Using a trick she had learned years ago, Frost burrowed deep into the control patterns of Alex's brain. Without the slightest hesitation, she did what should've been done the moment they made contact with the man.
{Now Alex, this is going to sting.} she tells him a split second before she telepathically switches off the part of his brain which allows his mutation to operate. This act was followed by another which then rendered the prodigal mutant unconscious. A simple act which could have been much quicker, if given the right opportunity.
"Frost! What the hell have you done now woman." Wolverine growls as him and Domino leave their position, ignoring the growing crowd surrounding them.
"What was necessary. Now gather your friend quickly, for we have less than ten minutes to depart before we have to explain our presence to the authorities. If you didn't like stunt, then I'd suggest you get us out of here before I really get nasty."
Later, Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning
"It was a judgment call that needed to be done." Emma says calmly as she stands within the office of Professor Charles Xavier, joined by him and Storm.
"Who are you to make that call? Poor Alex's mind was already in a fragile state, how do you know that you haven't aggravated his thoughts?" Ororo questions.
"Poor Alex would have leveled three of the five boroughs had I not intervened when I did. Do not act is you could possibly understand my intentions, for my they are surely beyond your means." Emma responds casually paying more attention to her nails than Storm.
"Ororo. Emma. Enough." Charles says, finally taking control of the situation. The constant bickering between the two was becoming more than just a recurring theme around this mansion. It was getting to the point that if they couldn't live and work together in peace, then one would have to go. A choice Charles seemed to be avoiding purposely these days.
"Charles surely you can understand the situation. What Emma did was inexcusable. To attack a man's mind is to attack one's soul. Alex was confused enough as is,"
"Your wrong." Emma chides in.
"Excuse me?" Storm says disturbed.
"I skimmed through Alexander's mind, and he does have an awful lot of baggage looming around in there. Far to much on our dear Lorna for sure, but that's besides the point. Havok may have been a little...tense when we found him, but trust me. He was more aware of what was going on than you all would like to believe." Emma says.
"I simply took the matter into my hands so that we could bring Alex back here, so that myself and the Professor could help him as best we could." Emma says once again looking into Storm's eyes.
"You and the Professor..." Ororo looked at Charles, and was surprised to see that he wasn't at all disturbed at Emma seizing control of Alex's mind.
"Charles, you can't really expect me to believe that you condone these actions?" Ororo says, looking at the Professor.
Charles was trying his best to remain neutral in the matter, but it was time for him to play his own hand at this.
"Emma did what she felt was best. Her intentions proved to be beneficial to all." Charles says, still not looking either one in the eyes.
"I see. So tell me Charles the next time one of us acts up, am I to assume that you or Emma here will properly, put us in our place?"
Getting more tense, Xavier's composure never changed the slightest.
"Ororo, desperate times call for desperate measures. Surely you of all people have borne witness to that countless times. Now though Emma's course of action may not have been the most subtle, it served it's purpose." Turning his head so that his eyes matched Storm's, Charles continued.
"If her actions affect you as you claim they do Ororo, then perhaps it would be best if you separated yourself from such disturbances for awhile." Charles' tone was not meant to come off as cold, not by any means. It was his look which gave off his true meanings. Ororo knew all too well what that look meant, and combined with his choice of words, was certain.
It meant that they could do this without her.
"Well then Charles. It would seem that there is nothing left to be said here." As she speaks, Ororo looks toward Emma before reverting back to Charles. It was all too obvious where ones allegiances were these days. With her head bowed to the ground, Emma couldn't dare look at Storm. Not under these circumstances.
Without uttering another word, Storm leaves the office. Making her way to the portion of the mansion she claimed as her own, the African mutant also pondered if the office was the only thing that she would be leaving.
***
On one of the lower levels of the mansion, was the medical wing of the Institute. Many times X-Men found themselves in need of this room after a battle. Not often did they come here after a battle amongst themselves.
Rested up in one of the infirmary beds was Alex Summers, sleeping peacefully at the moment. Sitting by his side was Lorna Dane. She had been here beside him ever since they brought him back to the mansion, and had convinced herself that she wouldn't move until Alex awoke. Lorna was also joined by Danielle Moonstar, a fellow X-Man in her own right.
"Thanks for checking up on Alex for me Dani. I know he's probably find, but I just get so nervous. I mean I thought he was lost forever, and yet here he is, right before my eyes. It's just so much to take in." Lorna says as she gently interlocks her hand with Alex's.
"Oh it was nothing Lorna. With Beast gone, the labs have pretty much been at my disposal. Checking up on Alex's status certainly isn't a problem by any means." Dani says as she cleans up some spare things.
"Although I am curious...did you guys figure out how it's possible Alex is alive? I mean did he mention anything before...you know, Emma's little ploy?" Dani asked curiously.
"No, nothing has been told to me at least. I'm sure once he awakens everything will be sorted out." Lorna says with a hint of hope.
"Yes, I'm sure it will be." Dani says, leaving Lorna alone with her lover. Though she didn't know Lorna or Alex very well at all, Dani did think it was safe to assume that Lorna genuinely did love Alex. The way she hasn't left his side since their return more than speaks volumes about that.
Still, there were some things that didn't sit right with her. From what she was told, Alex was killed in an explosion. Yes, it was true that dead didn't always mean dead, but it was hard to come back from being disintegrated.
Trying not to dwell to much on Alex's miraculous revival, Dani found that she had been so caught up in her thoughts, that she barely realized that she had made it up to the main floor. Just in time to pass by Bobby as he made his way to the living room area.
"Hey there Dani, how's the two lovebirds doing?" Bobby asks.
"Fine, although Havok still hasn't awoken yet. Appears to be in perfect health though. What are you up to?"
"Figured I'd head out for a bit, grab a bite to eat. Up to joining me, or does Lorna got you playing Doctor all night?" Bobby asks playfully.
Smiling at the request, Dani couldn't help but chuckle.
"Actually Bobby, I'd love to. Just let my purse out my room." Dani says as Iceman simply nods in response. Moving much quicker to reach the stairs, a sudden boom at the door stopped her dead in her tracks.
Facing the direction of Bobby, whom was as lost as she was, Dani slowly retraced her steps.
"That definitely wasn't the Avon lady." Bobby says softly.
"Umm, I'll get it..." she says as she approaches the door, slowly opening it. Dani's eyes lit up as the figure on the other side was a most unwelcome one indeed.
"Bobby, it's the"
"Yeah, yeah, it's the Juggernaut. Now you two turds gon' just stand there or you gonna let me in. I gotta talk to Charles, an I ain't askin'." Opening up his coat revealing that he all he had on was a tight t-shirt and some jeans, Cain Marko stared menacingly into the eyes of the two X-Men. The fact that he wasn't wearing the armor bestowed to him by the Crimson Gem of Cytorrak meant Juggernaut hadn't come there to fight. Didn't mean he wouldn't.
Rubbing his knuckles so that they could see he wasn't about to be denied, Cain restrained any urge he had to throw a punch.
"So what's it gonna be?"
The End...
__________________________
Next Issue- The Juggernaut's in town, but what could possibly have him so spooked that he'd come to the X-Men for help? Well you can only find out one place, and that's right here so come back as 'Hunting Season', begins.
Authors Note
Well here it is, the third and final installment of my first story arc for my favorite bunch of merry mutants. My plans for this arc were establish some sort of chemistry with the team, as well as bring forth some very intriguing plotlines for the future. Did I succeed? Well...I'll let you be the judge of that. I had fun writing the story, and I purposely kept the action to a minimum, for reasons I'll keep to myself for now. Perhaps you can figure it out. Anyone I have alot more in store for this team, and hopefully you'll all stick around with me for the ride.
-Eric Roman 1/16/07